EP0548099B1 - A mattress or other supporting unit - Google Patents

A mattress or other supporting unit Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0548099B1
EP0548099B1 EP91914788A EP91914788A EP0548099B1 EP 0548099 B1 EP0548099 B1 EP 0548099B1 EP 91914788 A EP91914788 A EP 91914788A EP 91914788 A EP91914788 A EP 91914788A EP 0548099 B1 EP0548099 B1 EP 0548099B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mattress
supporting unit
unit according
layer
vapour
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP91914788A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0548099A1 (en
Inventor
Peter Buckley
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Slumberland PLC
Original Assignee
Slumberland PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB909019137A external-priority patent/GB9019137D0/en
Application filed by Slumberland PLC filed Critical Slumberland PLC
Publication of EP0548099A1 publication Critical patent/EP0548099A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0548099B1 publication Critical patent/EP0548099B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G9/00—Bed-covers; Counterpanes; Travelling rugs; Sleeping rugs; Sleeping bags; Pillows
    • A47G9/10—Pillows
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
    • A47C27/00—Spring, stuffed or fluid mattresses or cushions specially adapted for chairs, beds or sofas
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
    • A47C27/00—Spring, stuffed or fluid mattresses or cushions specially adapted for chairs, beds or sofas
    • A47C27/002—Mattress or cushion tickings or covers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
    • A47C27/00—Spring, stuffed or fluid mattresses or cushions specially adapted for chairs, beds or sofas
    • A47C27/002—Mattress or cushion tickings or covers
    • A47C27/005—Mattress or cushion tickings or covers liquid-impermeable
    • A47C27/006—Mattress or cushion tickings or covers liquid-impermeable breathable
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
    • A47C31/00—Details or accessories for chairs, beds, or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass, e.g. upholstery fasteners, mattress protectors, stretching devices for mattress nets
    • A47C31/007—Anti-mite, anti-allergen or anti-bacterial means
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G9/00—Bed-covers; Counterpanes; Travelling rugs; Sleeping rugs; Sleeping bags; Pillows
    • A47G2009/001—Anti-allergen; Anti-mite

Definitions

  • This invention relates to mattresses and other supporting units.
  • the invention is particularly applicable to mattresses and to supporting units constituting mattress-components, that is to units of the kind which can be stacked or otherwise assembled with an additional unit or with additional units to form an assembly of supporting units which together constitute a mattress, it being understood that the additional supporting unit or at least one of the additional units may be similar to the supporting unit with which the present invention is primarily concerned.
  • the present invention is also applicable to other kinds of supporting units such as pillows and cushioning for seats.
  • a barrier to the passage of infectious agents is provided adjacent to at least one of the layers and within the outer covering, the barrier comprising at least one layer of material, at least a substantial portion of which is vapour permeable, that is impermeable to liquid water but permeable to water-vapour.
  • a particular advantage of a mattress in accordance with the present invention is that a barrier is provided to the passage of the house dust mite and its antigen.
  • the filling may comprise a series of layers of materials such as wool felts, cotton, foam, polyester fibre, and wool.
  • the outer covering comprises a fabric ticking such as damask.
  • the vapour permeable material may comprise polyethylene film such as that marketed under the trade mark PLATILON.
  • vapour permeable material may comprise a textile fabric provided with a coating that is impermeable to liquid water but permeable to water vapour.
  • a suitable material is marketed under the trade mark "VENTFLEX”.
  • Another suitable material is sold under the trade mark "INTERVENT" and comprises a textile fabric laminated by a bonding process to a micro-porous material.
  • the materials referred to above are merely examples of materials suitable for use in a mattress or other supporting unit in accordance with the present invention. Other materials which fulfil the requirement of providing a barrier to infectious agents may be substituted for the materials referred to.
  • the mattress may comprise a spring unit supporting a number of layers of filling. It is envisaged that a sheet of vapour permeable material may be incorporated at any desired location in the mattress construction. It is preferred to position the sheet as close to the occupant as possible so as to reduce the habitat available to the house dust mite. For example, it may comprise the outer covering itself. Suitable sealing means should also be provided in the sides and base of the mattress so as to seal off the interior of the mattress.
  • a layer of vapour permeable material may be incorporated above and below the spring unit, a suitable sealing means being provided along each side of the spring unit.
  • the sealing means may comprise a panel of vapour permeable material or a panel of an air tight material.
  • upper and lower layers may extend such that their peripheries may be sealed together.
  • At least an upper layer of vapour permeable material may be incorporated into the layers of filling.
  • the upper layer of vapour permeable material may be incorporated into the filling in a process referred to as quilting in which a number of layers of filling and the ticking are joined together in such a way as to give a lofted appearance. It is necessary to ensure either that the upper layer of vapour permeable material is not punctured during the quilting process or that if it is it is adequately sealed after the quilting process is complete.
  • a number of layers may be quilted together to form a quilted layer and after the quilting process is complete a layer of vapour permeable material may be laminated to the underside of the quilted layer.
  • the upper layer of vapour permeable material may be stretched over a layer of filling in a conventional manner.
  • a lower layer of vapour permeable material may be incorporated below the spring unit.
  • the lower layer may be laminated to a layer of filling or to the inner side of the ticking or may be stretched over the spring unit in a conventional manner.
  • the present invention consists in a mattress or other supporting unit comprising a flexible, yielding body enclosed within a container, at least one main face of the container, constituting a working face, and at least the working face of the container incorporating a flexible film of a material that is impermeable to liquid water but is permeable to water-vapour.
  • the working face of the mattress or other supporting unit is that face of the unit which the user bears against when the unit is in use; for example, the upper main face of a mattress is the working face of the mattress, while the forwardly directed face of an upright seat-back is the working face of the seat-back.
  • the flexible material may comprise polyethylene film.
  • a flexible material suitable for use in carrying out the present invention is a polyurethane film 30 ⁇ thick marketed under the trade mark PLATILON by Plate Bonn G.m.b.h. of Bonn, West Germany. That film has a water-vapour permeability of more than 1000gm2/24h at 37°C and 100% relative humidity as measured by the Payne's cup method, a method described in: Payne HS. The permeability and structure of films. Off. Dig Fed Paint Varnish Production Clubs 1936; 8: 297-304.
  • the container may be fully closed or substantially fully closed so that in normal use the amount of air or other gas within it remains constant or alters only very slowly with the result that the supporting unit tends to provide at least some pneumatic support for a user of the unit.
  • An additional advantage of using a container that is fully closed or substantially fully closed is that any bed mites or the like that might enter the container or be trapped inside the container are normally prevented from colonising the body owing to the fact that the are starved of nourishment.
  • the container is not fully closed so that in normal use the supporting unit tends not to provide any pneumatic support for a user or tends to provide such support for no longer than a short period.
  • the flexible, yielding body within the container may be of any suitable nature and may be of unitary or compound form.
  • it preferably comprises a layer of resilient foam material of which at least one of the main faces is of so-called 'convoluted' form, that is the face is shaped to afford a regular array of peaks and hollows; those formations or 'convolutions' are preferably of a rounded form so that the surface of the face (apart from the marginal edges) includes no sharp or angled edges but is of a continuously and smoothly undulating shape.
  • the body may consist solely of a layer of resilient foam material, at least one main face of which is preferably of convoluted form.
  • the body may consist solely of a pad of fibrous material such as a pad of polyester fibre.
  • the body may comprise two or more components; for example it may comprise a layer of foam material and a pad of fibrous material, the pad preferably being closer than the foam material to the working face of the unit. That main face of the layer of foam material adjacent to the pad is preferably of convoluted form.
  • a flexible diaphragm may be provided between the layer of foam material and the pad of fibrous material this being particularly desirable when the face of the layer of foam material adjacent to the pad is of convoluted form; the diaphragm may conveniently comprise a film or films of material that is impermeable to water but permeable to water-vapour, the material preferably being similar to that from which the working face of the container is formed.
  • the present invention consists in a mattress or other supporting unit comprising a flexible, yielding body enclosed within a container in such a manner that in normal use the amount of air or other gas within it remains constant or alters only very slowly with the result that the supporting unit tends to provide at least some pneumatic support for a user of the unit, at least one main face of the container, constituting a working face, comprising or containing a flexible material that is impermeable to water but is permeable to water vapour.
  • a supporting unit in accordance with this third aspect of the present invention unlike a supporting unit in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, necessarily tends to provide some pneumatic support for a user of the unit but has a working face that is not necessarily in the form of a film.
  • the working face may be afforded by a flexible sheet material of the kind comprising a textile fabric provided with a coating of which is impermeable to liquid water but is permeable to water-vapour. Suitable materials are those marketed under the trade marks "VENTFLEX" and "INTERVENT".
  • a supporting unit in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention may incorporate any of the optional or preferred features outlined above in relation to a supporting unit in accordance with this second aspect of the present invention.
  • the supporting unit shown in Figure 1 comprises a rectangular body of flexible and resilient foam material 1 of which the underside 2 is planar but the upper surface 3 is of convoluted form, as referred to above.
  • the body 1 is enclosed within a container 4 comprising a sealed bag made of polyurethane film 30 ⁇ thick that is impermeable to liquid water but permeable to water-vapour, the film being of the kind marketed under the trade mark "PLATILON".
  • the user obtains some pneumatic support from the air (or other gas) sealed within the container 4, as well as support from the body 1.
  • the supporting unit shown in Figure 2 may be used as a palliasse and comprises a body 5 in the form of a flexible and resilient pad of polyester fibre, typically 50mm thick.
  • the body 5 is sealed within a container 6 similar to the container 4.
  • a mattress of compound form may be made by stacking or superimposing a unit of the kind shown in Figure 2 on top of a unit of the kind shown in Figure 1. In that case each of the units may be considered as constituting a mattress-component. Straps or other securing means (not shown) may be employed to secure the units together.
  • the supporting unit shown in Figure 3 comprises a body of compound form consisting of a layer 7 of resilient foam material similar to the body 1 and a pad 8 of polyester fibre similar to the body 5 superimposed on the layer 7.
  • a sheet 9 of polyurethane film, similar to that from which the containers 4 and 6 are made, is interposed between the layer 7 and the pad 8 to provide a positive barrier between the layer and the pad.
  • the compound body this formed is sealed within a container 10 similar to the containers 4 and 6.
  • the container 4, 6 or 10 is replaced by a sealed bag which still tends to afford some pneumatic support for the user but is composite form and of which the working surface, that is the upper surface in each of these cases, is made of a film that is impermeable to liquid water but is permeable to water-vapour. At least part of the remainder of the bag is made from some different material or from more than one different materials.
  • the container is formed with a few very small apertures so that it is no longer sealed and in use, or at least in prolonged use, affords little or no pneumatic support for the user.
  • the access to the interior of the container is restricted enough to prevent the ingress of perspiration, and dust etc. to an extent sufficient to enable bed-mites to colonise the body inside the container.
  • the container is fully sealed but at least its working surface is made from a textile fabric provided with a coating which is impermeable to liquid water but is permeable to water-vapour, a suitable material being one marketed under the trade mark "VENTFLEX” or"INTERVENT".
  • a supporting unit in accordance with the invention may constitute only part of a mattress or the like.
  • a supporting unit may comprise a lower part of a mattress, that is a part in which the user's body rather than the user's head is intended to lie, the user's head resting on some other form of supporting unit.
  • the lower part of a cot-mattress for a baby may be in accordance with the present invention while the upper part of the mattress, on which the baby's head rests, may be afforded by a resilient body which is formed with an array of through air-holes or is otherwise formed to reduce the likelihood of a baby having difficulty breathing when its face is applied directly to the resilient body.
  • Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment incorporating a typical mattress construction comprising a spring unit 11 supporting a number of layers of fillings and an outer covering 12.
  • the layers of filling comprise a first layer of wool felt 13, a layer of resilient foam material 7 and a layer of polyester fibres 5.
  • the outer covering 12 comprises a layer of fabric ticking. The fabric ticking extends around and totally encloses the interior upholstery.
  • the outer covering 12 comprises an upper panel 14, a lower panel 15 and side panels 16 joining the upper and lower panels.
  • the mattress is constructed such that lower and upper halves of the mattress comprise the same fillings. Accordingly below the spring unit 11 there is provided a second lower layer 17 of wool felt and lower layers of resilient foam 7' and polyester fibres 5'.
  • a barrier to the passage of infectious agents is provided in the form of a sheet 18, 19 of vapour permeable material encapsulating the first and second layers 13, 17 of wool felt.
  • a side panel 20 of the vapour permeable material joins the sheets 18 and 19 such that the spring unit 11 is contained within an integral barrier and each of the two wool felt layers 13, 17 are encapsulated within a barrier.
  • the sheets 18, 19 may be sealing joined to the panel 20 by heat sealing or other means ensuring an adequate barrier is maintained.
  • a sheet 21 of vapour permeable material is incorporated in the quilting process below the layer 5 of polyester fibres.
  • the sheet 21 may be secured to the layer 5 of polyester fibres and ticking 13 by the quilting process. If this is done the apertures created by the quilting needles are sealed by suitable means such as a spray coating of a vapour permeable substance.
  • the sheet 21 may be laminated to the layer of polyester fibres.
  • the sheet 21 is sealingly joined to side panels 22 which are also joined to a lower sheet 23 located between the lower layer 5' of polyester fibres and the lower layer of wool felt 17.

Landscapes

  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Pulmonology (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Mattresses And Other Support Structures For Chairs And Beds (AREA)
  • Invalid Beds And Related Equipment (AREA)
  • Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
  • Heterocyclic Carbon Compounds Containing A Hetero Ring Having Nitrogen And Oxygen As The Only Ring Hetero Atoms (AREA)
  • Steroid Compounds (AREA)
  • External Artificial Organs (AREA)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
  • Thermotherapy And Cooling Therapy Devices (AREA)
  • Absorbent Articles And Supports Therefor (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
EP91914788A 1990-09-01 1991-08-16 A mattress or other supporting unit Expired - Lifetime EP0548099B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9019137 1990-09-01
GB909019137A GB9019137D0 (en) 1990-09-01 1990-09-01 Mattresses and other supporting units
GB9105363 1991-03-13
GB919105363A GB9105363D0 (en) 1990-09-01 1991-03-13 A mattress or other supporting unit
PCT/GB1991/001399 WO1992003952A1 (en) 1990-09-01 1991-08-16 A mattress or other supporting unit

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0548099A1 EP0548099A1 (en) 1993-06-30
EP0548099B1 true EP0548099B1 (en) 1995-10-11

Family

ID=26297588

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91914788A Expired - Lifetime EP0548099B1 (en) 1990-09-01 1991-08-16 A mattress or other supporting unit

Country Status (13)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0548099B1 (es)
JP (1) JPH06500481A (es)
CN (1) CN1059651A (es)
AT (1) ATE128829T1 (es)
AU (1) AU662489B2 (es)
DE (1) DE69113809T2 (es)
DK (1) DK0548099T3 (es)
ES (1) ES2079675T3 (es)
GR (1) GR3018305T3 (es)
HU (1) HUT68565A (es)
IE (1) IE913073A1 (es)
NZ (1) NZ239582A (es)
WO (1) WO1992003952A1 (es)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB9202344D0 (en) * 1992-02-04 1992-03-18 Walker John Cover structure
DE4302617A1 (de) * 1993-01-30 1994-08-04 Akzo Nv Textile Sitzpolsterkonstruktion
GB2324722B (en) * 1997-05-01 1999-03-31 John Graham Greenaway Bedding
DE19931403A1 (de) * 1999-07-07 2001-03-08 Bluecher Gmbh Abwaschbare und desinfizierbare Kissen und Decken, insbesondere Steppdecken
ITBO20050284A1 (it) * 2005-04-27 2006-10-28 Pointex S P A Articolo per il riposo e rivestimento per tale articolo
CN105962690A (zh) * 2016-05-06 2016-09-28 成都林氏傻瓜科技有限公司 一种层状垫套结构
US11304536B2 (en) * 2016-07-28 2022-04-19 Airweave Inc. Bedding and bedding cover sheet

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3010122A (en) * 1956-12-24 1961-11-28 Englander Co Inc Resilient pad structure
US4048369A (en) * 1975-12-12 1977-09-13 Johnson Charles E Method for controlling allergens
GB2012159A (en) * 1977-12-16 1979-07-25 Courtaulds Ltd Mattress cover
CH667196A5 (en) * 1985-02-08 1988-09-30 Jiri Dr Med Dvorak Mattress enclosure - eliminates allergic asthma, by preventing infestation by mites and ticks

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES2079675T3 (es) 1996-01-16
WO1992003952A1 (en) 1992-03-19
DK0548099T3 (da) 1995-11-27
DE69113809T2 (de) 1996-03-14
ATE128829T1 (de) 1995-10-15
HUT68565A (en) 1995-06-28
NZ239582A (en) 1994-07-26
HU9300532D0 (en) 1993-09-28
JPH06500481A (ja) 1994-01-20
CN1059651A (zh) 1992-03-25
GR3018305T3 (en) 1996-03-31
AU8338091A (en) 1992-03-30
EP0548099A1 (en) 1993-06-30
DE69113809D1 (de) 1995-11-16
IE913073A1 (en) 1992-03-11
AU662489B2 (en) 1995-09-07

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