EP3886652B1 - Mattress - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a mattress with at least one layer which has a large number of elastic elevations. These elastic elevations together form at least one support surface for the user of the mattress.

Mattresses, which are usually made of foam plastics, are available in a wide variety of versions in the prior art. Designs have also become known in which the support surface is formed from smaller partial areas, which are provided, for example, by individual foam elements.

This is how it reveals DE-OS 1554130 a mattress (base or topper for the human body) in which foam or foam rubber sections are inserted into a grid-like support. The parts of these sections that protrude beyond this support then together form the support surface of the mattress.

The DE 29701959 U1 shows a mattress in which contiguous cube elements are formed from a support layer by cutting. These cube elements are rounded off in a pyramid shape on their top.

In the EP-A1-2781209 The applicant describes a mattress in which individual elastic bodies, preferably in cube or cuboid shape, are inserted into the open meshes of a grid. Above this actual support surface there is another single-layer foam support with a thickness of less than 5 cm and a compression hardness < 4 kPa.

What all mentioned mattresses of this state of the art have in common is that a flat support surface is provided for the user of the mattress. The focus is on the fact that the mattress should enable you to rest on the support surface as comfortably as possible.

Next shows the US 4,768,251 A a mattress topper with identically designed head and foot/leg areas, between which another separate topper is inserted to accommodate the rest of the body. The mattress topper is used to accommodate pressure sore patients. The middle part for the remaining body can be designed differently than the other two parts, for example with a different hardness.

In the German disclosure document DE 32 09 868 A1 A foam base is described in which individual cuboids, which can have different dimensions, are arranged on a foam base plate using a Velcro fastener.

In contrast, the present invention focuses on a completely different aspect compared to the prior art. The primary aim is not to enable comfortable and ideally orthopedically healthy resting and lying on the mattress. Rather, human evolution should be taken into account when developing a new mattress. So the question is: Which resting or lying positions do people actually meet their physical needs? Which resting and lying positions are actually “species-appropriate” and “healthy”?

Accordingly, the invention is intended to provide a mattress that enables people to actually rest or sleep in a relaxed manner. The actual support surface of the mattress should take human evolution into account and thus enable original lying positions to be assumed on the mattress that have been forgotten over long periods of time. For example, the new mattress should enable the user to (re)give the user the feeling of rest and sleep on a soft forest floor.

At least these tasks are solved by the mattress with the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of this mattress are described in dependent claims 2 to 11.

The wording of all claims is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the content of this description.

The new mattress includes at least one layer that has a plurality of elastic elevations. These elastic elevations together form at least one support surface for at least part of the body of a user of the mattress.

According to the invention, the elastic elevations are designed or arranged in such a way that an uneven support surface is formed.

According to the invention, the term “mattress” is intended to encompass all cushions and cushioning elements that are provided in basically any size as a support or base, in particular for the human body or part of it, for example for lying or sitting.

According to the invention, the term “elastic elevation” is intended to mean that individual sections or areas are provided which have elasticity and accordingly deform under the influence of force (resting on the body) and return to the original shape after this force is removed. A large number of such elastic sections or areas then together form the support surface of the mattress.

These aspects of the invention are explained in more detail below.

As already mentioned, it is crucial to the invention that an uneven support surface is formed with the help of the elastic elevations. “Uneven” means that different places/areas of the support surface have different heights, in contrast to a flat support surface. Preferably, the unevenness in the invention does not follow a regular pattern, but the points/areas of different heights are distributed irregularly over the support surface.

The non-flat support surface can be provided on the one hand by appropriately designing the corresponding elastic sections and areas. For example, elevations of different heights can be provided.

However, an uneven support surface can also be provided, for example, by arranging elevations differently to form the layer. These two different aspects are also explained below.

According to the invention, the elastic elevations are formed on individual elastic bodies. Each elastic body preferably provides an elastic elevation. As will be shown below, in the case of a cuboid or cube-shaped elastic body, for example, the elastic elevation can be formed by (at least) one side surface of this cuboid/cube.

According to the invention, it is further provided that the individual elastic bodies with the elastic elevations formed on them are inserted into the openings (meshes) of a planar grid. In this way, on the one hand, a closed connection is provided between the individual elastic bodies, and on the other hand, a ventilation function can be provided by the appropriate construction of the grid.

In preferred embodiments of the mattress according to the invention, at least two types of elastic elevations with different elasticity are provided. In this way it can be achieved that a different hardness of the supporting surface is provided in different areas of the uneven supporting surface. In other words: In these preferred embodiments, the support surface provided by the elastic elevations is not only uneven, but also has different elasticity/hardness.

In principle, the elastic elevations, and in particular the elastic bodies on which the elastic elevations are formed, can consist of a wide variety of natural or artificially produced materials. It is preferred if plastics, in particular foamed plastics, are used, with the use of at least one polyurethane foam being particularly preferred in this context.

When it comes to foam plastics, a distinction is made between, among other things, rigid foam plastics and soft foam plastics. As is well known, rigid foam plastics are foams that offer a relatively high resistance to deformation under pressure. This is due, among other things, to the fact that rigid foams are predominantly closed-cell. In contrast, the (softer) soft foam plastics usually have an open-cell structure. If rigid foam plastics are to be used according to the invention, polyurethane (PUR/PIR) foams or polystyrene (PS) foams should be mentioned in particular.

Polyurethane (PUR) foams are used in particular as soft foam plastics that can be used according to the invention. As is well known, these are made from isocyanates and polyether polyols, using open-cell crosslinking. These can also be polyurethane (PUR) composite foams, which usually consist of cuttings from PUR soft foam production and at least one binder.

All plastics that can be used according to the invention, in particular foam plastics, are readily known to those skilled in the art, especially in connection with the production of mattresses.

In a further development, the elastic bodies with the elastic elevations to form the uneven support surface of the mattress have different dimensions. So The elastic bodies, in particular the polyhedra described below, can have different heights. With the help of these different dimensions, in particular different heights, it is then possible to provide an uneven support surface.

In the last-mentioned embodiments, it is preferred if there are comparatively few types of elastic bodies with different dimensions. For example, fewer than ten, in particular less than five, and preferably (only) two types of elastic bodies with different dimensions can be provided to form the uneven support surface. The support surface as a whole then consists of only two types of elastic bodies with different dimensions, whereby if necessary and preferably these different elastic bodies can also have different elasticity.

This aspect of the invention will also be explained in more detail below.

As already indicated, according to the invention the elastic bodies preferably have the shape of a polyhedron. As is well known, a polyhedron is a body that is bounded exclusively by straight surfaces (planes). In the invention, as explained in more detail later, these straight surfaces (planes) can then serve as an elastic elevation in order to provide a corresponding section or area for the uneven support surface.

In particular, the elastic bodies in the invention have the shape of a cuboid or a cube.

According to the invention, the elastic bodies preferably have dimensions (edge lengths for polyhedra) of less than 20 cm, with dimensions between 1 cm and 15 cm being preferred. Within the last-mentioned range, dimensions between 2 cm and 10 cm, in particular between 5 cm and 8 cm, are further preferred.

For an elastic body in the shape of a cuboid with the edge lengths a and b, which define the base of the cuboid, and the edge length c, which defines the height of the cuboid, the dimensions a and b are preferably between 5 cm and 7 cm, and the dimension c is between 3 cm and 8 cm.

If, for example, two types of elastic bodies with different dimensions are used according to the invention for cuboid elastic bodies, as described above, then the edge lengths a, b and c for these two elastic bodies in particular a = b = c = 5 cm or a = b = 5 cm and c = 6 cm. In a further preferred combination of elastic bodies with different dimensions, these are a = b = 5 cm and c = 6 cm or a = b = 5 cm and c = 8 cm.

• härtere Körper, insbesondere Quader mit kleineren Abmessungen
• härtere Körper, insbesondere Quader mit größeren Abmessungen
• weichere Körper, insbesondere Quader mit kleineren Abmessungen
• weichere Körper, insbesondere Quader mit größeren Abmessungen.

Of these two combinations of cuboid elastic bodies with different dimensions, there can then be a version with lower elasticity (higher hardness) and higher elasticity (lower hardness). To provide the uneven support surface, four different types of elastic bodies, in particular cuboids, are used, namely

• harder bodies, especially cuboids with smaller dimensions
• harder bodies, especially cuboids with larger dimensions
• softer bodies, especially cuboids with smaller dimensions
• softer bodies, especially cuboids with larger dimensions.

The support surface is then formed from these four types of elastic bodies (cuboids).

Basically, according to the invention, the feature of an uneven support surface is fulfilled if at least one elastic elevation or one elastic section/area differs from the other elevations/sections/areas, in particular in height. As a rule, however, the corresponding unevenness should be distributed over the entire contact surface. In principle, this can be achieved by distributing the elevations, in particular the arrangement of elastic bodies with different dimensions, in a regular pattern over the entire support surface. This regular pattern can be predetermined and then results in a corresponding arrangement of the elevations or in a regular arrangement of the elastic bodies on which the corresponding elevations are located.

In this context, however, it is preferred according to the invention if the "unevenness" of the support surface does not follow a specific (predetermined) pattern. Rather, in preferred embodiments of the mattress according to the invention, the elastic elevations, and thus in particular the elastic bodies, are irregular, ie distributed over the support surface without a predetermined pattern. This is consistent with what was stated at the beginning The image used shows that the mattress according to the invention should give the user the feeling of resting or sleeping on a (soft) forest floor. Although such a forest floor is ultimately uneven (like the mattress according to the invention), these unevennesses are (also) not distributed in a regular pattern over the support surface for the user.

This aspect will also be explained later in connection with the example according to the invention.

In the invention, the cross-sectional area, which may be defined by the dimensions a and b of the cuboid or cube-shaped elastic bodies, is slightly larger than the mesh size of the net, so that reliable clamping of the elastic bodies in the grid is guaranteed. On the other hand, (small) cavities are created between adjacent elastic bodies, which ensure uniform, internal ventilation and enable the release of moisture and heat.

As already described, the elastic elevations and in particular the elastic bodies according to the invention preferably consist of foam plastic. Various parameters such as density (also called density) or compression hardness can be used to determine the relative strength of foam materials (hardness/softness). The density (density) is given in kg/m ³ and indicates the weight of a foam block with an edge length of 1 m. The compression hardness is given in kPa. It tells you how much pressure has to be applied to a foam in order to compress it to a certain percentage of its original height.

In the invention, it is preferred if the foam plastic used has a compression hardness (at 40%) of ≤ 20 kPa, in particular a compression hardness (at 40%) of ≤ 10 kPa.

Preferred bulk densities of the foam plastics that can be used according to the invention are between 30 kg/m ³ and 80 kg/m ³ , in particular between 40 kg/m ³ and 50 kg/m ³ .

In a further development, it is preferred according to the invention if the mattress has at least one base underneath the at least one layer with the elastic elevations. This at least one base gives the layer and thus the mattress according to the invention additional stability.

The base is usually connected to the layer arranged above it, in particular glued. If the elastic elevations are located on elastic bodies, these bodies can be connected, in particular glued, to the base on their underside (facing away from the elastic elevations). In preferred embodiments, it may be sufficient if this connection, in particular gluing, is only provided on the elastic bodies provided on the edges of the mattress.

The base mentioned is preferably designed in one layer. It preferably also consists of a foam plastic, as is also used for the elastic elevations themselves or the elastic bodies. The base can preferably consist of a foam plastic with lower elasticity, as is used for the elastic bodies described with greater hardness.

Furthermore, the mattress according to the invention, which can basically be manufactured in any size (for example as a seat cushion and the like), preferably has the dimensions of so-called standard mattresses. Common sizes for single beds, for example, are 100 cm x 200 cm and 90 cm x 200 cm. However, there are a number of other common mattress sizes that are readily known to those skilled in the art and are generally between 60 cm x 120 cm and 200 cm x 200 cm.

The height of the mattress according to the invention is generally in the range of the heights of standard mattresses, i.e. between 15 cm and 25 cm. The height of the mattress according to the invention is preferably between 15 cm and 20 cm. The layer with the large number of elastic elevations in the mattress according to the invention can have a height of between 5 cm and 10 cm, possibly with a base with a height of between 5 cm and 15 cm, in particular between 8 cm and 13 cm.

As a rule, the mattress according to the invention is designed in such a way that it can be rolled up due to the materials used. This makes transporting the mattress easier, for example.

As already explained, in the mattress according to the invention there is no additional support above the layer with the large number of elastic elevations on which the user of the mattress can actually lie and rest. The advantageous effect of the uneven support surface formed by the elastic elevations is best achieved when there is no further (intermediate layer) between this uneven support surface and the user.

Accordingly, the mattress according to the invention can in particular only have one (thin) cover, which, on the one hand, protects the uneven support surface against dirt and wear and, on the other hand, at least partially absorbs the moisture formed when resting or sleeping. Depending on the material used, such a thin cover can also have a warming and/or anti-allergic function.

The invention described is associated with a whole series of advantages.

By providing the uneven support surface, the user of the mattress is given a completely new feeling of rest and sleep. Initially, the feeling of comfortably sinking into a mattress with a flat surface may be missing. However, this feeling is quickly replaced by the impression that the mattress according to the invention provides a completely new feeling of lying on that supports the body. Every movement on the mattress has a massaging and revitalizing effect.

This is further reinforced in the embodiments of the mattress according to the invention, in which sections of different hardness are additionally provided. Due to the variety of ways in which the surveys, and in particular the surveys with different hardness, are distributed on the support surface, the effects provided can be targeted at specific groups of people and even specifically at individual users.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the drawings. The individual features of the invention can be implemented individually or in combination with one another. The following description merely serves to further explain the invention, without limiting the invention to the disclosure content of this description and the drawings.

Fig. 1:

ein Gitternetz, das zur Herstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Matratze einsetzbar ist,

Fig. 2:

verschiedene elastische Körper, an denen elastische Erhebungen für eine erfindungsgemäße Matratze ausgebildet sind,

Fig. 3:

eine schematische Draufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäßen Schicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Matratze mit einer Vielzahl elastischer Erhebungen,

Fig. 4:

eine schematische Seitenansicht der Schicht nach Fig. 3,

Fig. 5:

eine schematische Draufsicht auf die Schicht gemäß Fig. 3 mit einer zusätzlich vorgesehenen Unterlage,

Fig. 6:

eine schematische Seitenansicht der Schicht mit Unterlage gemäß Fig. 5,

Fig. 7:

eine schematische Draufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäße Matratze (einschließlich Bezug) und

Fig. 8:

eine schematische Seitenansicht der Matratze nach Fig. 7.

Shown in the drawings:

Fig. 1:

a grid that can be used to produce a mattress according to the invention,

Fig. 2:

various elastic bodies on which elastic elevations are formed for a mattress according to the invention,

Fig. 3:

a schematic top view of a layer according to the invention of a mattress according to the invention with a large number of elastic elevations,

Fig. 4:

a schematic side view of the layer Fig. 3 ,

Fig. 5:

a schematic top view of the layer according to Fig. 3 with an additional underlay provided,

Fig. 6:

a schematic side view of the layer with support according to Fig. 5 ,

Fig. 7:

a schematic top view of a mattress according to the invention (including cover) and

Fig. 8:

a schematic side view of the mattress Fig. 7 .

Example

Fig. 1 shows a grid (11) with fibers (12) arranged in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Openings (13) are formed between the fibers arranged in three rows. As will be explained later, these openings serve to accommodate elastic bodies.

The example uses PVC-coated polyester fibers. The arrangement in three rows serves to provide a ventilation effect for a layer according to the invention.

The dimensions of the grid (11) in the example are 60 cm x 60 cm. Correspondingly larger grids are used for (full-body) mattresses with the sizes mentioned above.

Fig. 2 shows four different elastic bodies 21, 22, 23 and 24 in cuboid shape, which are used with the help of the grid (11) to produce a layer according to the invention and a mattress according to the invention.

The elastic bodies 21 to 24 are made of polyurethane foam. The elastic bodies 21 and 22 consist of a harder foam, ie a foam lower elasticity, and the elastic moldings 23 and 24 consist of a softer foam, ie a foam of greater elasticity.

Accordingly, in the example case, the elastic bodies 21 and 22 can consist of a polyurethane foam with a bulk density of 44 kg/m ³ and a compression hardness of 6.5 kPa, while the elastic bodies 23 and 24 can consist of a polyurethane foam with a bulk density of 47 kg/m ³ and a compression hardness of 4.4 kPa. The compression hardness is based on a compression of 40%.

The elastic bodies 21 to 24 are fitted with the grid measuring 60 cm x 60 cm Fig. 1 used. The base area of these cuboid elastic bodies is each 5 cm x 5 cm. These dimensions of the base area of the cuboids 21 to 24 are therefore the same for all elastic bodies.

However, both the harder cuboids 21 and 22 and the softer cuboids 23 and 24 are provided at two different heights. In the example, these heights are 6 cm (cuboids 21 and 23) or 8 cm (cuboids 22 and 24).

Accordingly, a layer according to the invention and a mattress according to the invention can be provided with the elastic bodies 21 to 24, in which the support surface is both uneven and has a different hardness at different points.

The elastic elevations of this layer or this mattress are then provided by the elastic bodies 21 to 24, as will be explained in more detail below.

The Figures 3 and 4 show a layer (31) according to the invention in a schematic top view ( Fig. 3 ) and in a schematic side view ( Fig. 4 ).

How particularly good looking Fig. 4 can be seen, the elastic bodies 21 to 24 are inserted into the openings (13) of the grid (11), flush on the underside. This can be achieved simply by pressing together and arranging the elastic bodies in the grid accordingly. This will be what both come from Fig. 3 as well as out Fig. 4 can be clearly seen, on the top of the layer (31) there is an uneven support surface with different hardness in different places (not marked in the figures), for example provided for the human body.

By specifying the number of different elastic bodies 21 to 24, and also by arranging them in the grid, a large number of very different layers with different contact surfaces can be realized.

In the example case, for example, 48 cuboids (21), 21 cuboids (22), 54 cuboids (23) and 21 cuboids (24) can be used, i.e. a total of 144 cuboids. These are then in the Figures 3 and 4 indicated distribution inserted into the grid (11). Using the same procedure, a total of 720 (40 x18) cuboids are used for a standard mattress measuring 200 cm x 90 cm, distributed accordingly according to height and hardness.

As the Figures 3 and 4 show, the elastic elevations, which together form the support surface for the user of the mattress, are formed by/on the elastic bodies 21 to 24, in particular by the tops/upper regions of these elastic bodies. Characteristic of the layer (31) according to the invention according to Figures 3 and 4 is, on the one hand, the unevenness of the support surface provided by the elastic bodies 21 to 24, and on the other hand, the different hardness of this support surface at different points/areas.

The 5 and 6 show the case in which the layer (31) according to the invention is arranged on a base (52). This base (52) gives the layer (31) additional stability.

According to the example, the base (52) is also made of a polyurethane foam. The base (52) is preferably formed from the same materials as those used for the elastic bodies 21 to 24. In particular, the base (52) also consists of a harder foam like the cuboids 21 and 22.

The layer (31) can according to Figures 5 and 6 be connected to the base (52) in a suitable manner, in particular by gluing. Here it will usually be sufficient if the edge cuboids of the layer (31) are glued to the base (52) on their underside (over their entire surface).

The Figures 7 and 8 finally show the (finished) mattress (71) according to the invention with a cover (72). This represents Fig. 7 a schematic top view of the mattress (71), and the Fig. 8 a schematic side view of this mattress (71). As shown, the cover (72) can be removed using the zipper (73). In connection with the Figures 7 and 8 The following two aspects, which have already been explained in connection with the invention, should also be emphasized.

On the one hand, both figures show that the top of the mattress, which forms the support surface, is uneven. This important aspect distinguishes the mattress (71) according to the invention from previously known mattresses and toppers. In addition, the support surface has different hardness at different points, which represents another important aspect of the invention.

On the other hand, it is in the Figures 7 and 8 existing cover (72) is irrelevant to the function of the mattress (71). The cover does not form any additional support that could in any way influence, or particularly impair, the actual function of the mattress. The cover only serves to protect the elastic body/elastic elevations, which form the actual support surface.

In the example, the cover can have a thickness of (only) 3 mm with a weight per square meter (grammage) of 300 g/m ² .

Claims (11)

1. Mattress (71), comprising at least one layer (31) having a multiplicity of elastic elevations which together form at least one supporting surface, wherein

   - the elastic elevations are designed, or arranged, such that an uneven supporting surface is formed,

   - the elastic elevations are formed on individual elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24), characterized in that,

   - in order to provide the layer (31), the elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24) are inserted into the openings (13) of a planar grid (11).
2. Mattress according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least two types of elastic elevations with different elasticity are provided.
3. Mattress according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the elastic elevations and in particular also the elastic bodies are composed of foam plastic, in particular of at least one polyurethane foam.
4. Mattress according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in order to form the uneven supporting surface of the mattress, the elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24) have different dimensions, in particular a different height.
5. Mattress according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24) have the shape of a polyhedron, in particular the shape of a cuboid or of a cube.
6. Mattress according to one of the preceding claims, in particular according to Claim 5, characterized in that the elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24) have dimensions ≤ 20 cm, in particular ≤ 15 cm, wherein further preference is given to dimensions between 2 cm and 10 cm, in particular between 5 cm and 8 cm.
7. Mattress according to Claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of an elastic body (21, 22, 23, 24) of cuboid shape, the dimensions a and b lie between 5 cm and 7 cm, and the dimension c (height) between 3 cm and 8 cm.
8. Mattress according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elastic elevations, and in particular also the elastic bodies (21, 22, 23, 24) on which said elevations are formed, are distributed in an irregular manner, that is to say without a predefined pattern, over the supporting surface.
9. Mattress according to one of Claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the foam plastic has a compression hardness (at 40%) of ≤ 20 kPa, in particular a compression hardness (at 40%) ≤ 10 kPa.
10. Mattress according to one of Claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the foam plastic has a bulk density between 30 kg/m³ and 80 kg/m³, in particular between 40 kg/m³ and 50 kg/m³.
11. Mattress according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one base (52) is arranged below the at least one layer (31) with the elastic elevations, wherein said base is preferably composed of at least one foam plastic.

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