GB2295079A

GB2295079A - A bed with integral mattress, and comfort cover

Info

Publication number: GB2295079A
Application number: GB9423010A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Broadbent
Original assignee: Silentnight Holdings PLC
Current assignee: Silentnight Holdings PLC
Priority date: 1994-11-15
Filing date: 1994-11-15
Publication date: 1996-05-22
Also published as: GB9423010D0

Abstract

A bed has a base 1, a mattress spring unit and a comfort layer on said unit. The mattress spring unit 14 is integral with the base and the comfort layer 2 is in the form of a separate pull-over cover simulating the appearance of a mattress. The comfort layer is of padded construction, and a number of different comfort layer covers can be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

A BED This invention relates to a bed, which may be a single or double bed, of the kind comprising a base, a mattress spring unit and a comfort layer on said spring unit.

It is known for such a bed to have its mattress spring unit incorporated in a separate mattress covering the solid or sprung top of the base. Because the mattress is intended to be turned occasionally it is provided with integral comfort layers at both sides thereof. Such comfort layers are provided by fillings materials between the spring unit and the mattress ticking.

A conventional bed of this kind has a characteristic appearance which is essential to the successful marketing of the bed. Hitherto, therefore, a separate mattress has been regarded as essential although, partly because of the need for two comfort layers, it is of expensive construction and suffers from the additional disadvantage that it is difficult to clean.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages while preserving the traditional appearance of a bed.

According to the present invention there is provided a bed comprising a base, a mattress spring unit and a comfort layer on said unit characterised in that the mattress spring unit is integral with the base and the comfort layer is in the form of a separate pull-over cover simulating the appearance of a mattress.

Preferably, the cover has a downwardly extending (possibly tapered) border for tightly gripping the base.

A plurality of interchangeable covers with variable amounts of filling material may be provided and at least one of said covers may be waterproof.

The mattress spring unit may have two side-by-side halves with different characteristics for two users of the (double) bed.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of bed in accordance with the invention with its cover partially removed; Fig. 2 is another view of the same bed with the cover fully removed and the base partly broken away to illustrate its construction; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the base, and Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the cover.

Referring now to the drawings, the exemplary bed comprises a divan base 1 and a cover 2. The base 1 has the appearance of a conventional divan base with a sprung top but its height corresponds to that of a conventional divan base with mattress. Furthermore, instead of a divan base spring unit, a mattress spring unit provides the sprung top of the base. The mattress spring unit is of the kind normally incorporated into a separate mattress and differs from a divan base spring unit in having softer springing. As with a conventional divan base, the base 1 is fully upholstered with only relatively thin fillings materials on top of the spring unit.

Accordingly, a separate comfort layer is required and this is afforded by the cover 2. The mattress spring unit and the cover 2 therefore provide the same degree of comfort as is normally provided by a separate mattress with integral comfort layer. Moreover, the cover 2 also simulates the appearance of a separate mattress.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the base 1 comprises a timber frame 4 of generally rectangular appearance in plan with corner posts 5 interconnecting longitudinal side rails 6 and end rails 7. The hollow interior of the timber frame 4 accommodates two sideby-side sliding drawers only one of which is shown at 8. Transverse bars 9 interconnect the upper side rails 6 to provide a deck on which is laid a polypropylene sheet 10. A similar sheet 11 is fixed to the underside of the frame 4 and castors 12 are attached to the corner posts 5 and the mid-points of the lower side rails 6.

A mattress spring unit 13, which may be a Bonnel spring unit, is placed on the sheet 10 and has corner packings one of which is illustrated at 14. The spring unit 13 is covered by an insulation pad which may be a coir fibre sheet 15 and a further fillings material which may be in the form of a wool mix felt sheet 16 and the whole assembly is then covered with a sewn divan cover 17.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the cover 2 comprises two micro-quilt panel sheets 18, 19 connected to each other and to a border 20 of similar material by a tape 21. The border 20 is in the form of a skirt or valance which depends from the upper surface provided by the layers 18, 19. The lower edge of the border 20 is secured by a further tape 22. The border 20 is downwardly tapered so that it firmly grips the upper part of the base 1 when fitted (see Fig. 1). By virtue of its appearance, particularly the micro-quilting and the taped edges, the cover 2 simulates a separate mattress lying on a conventional divan base of normal height.

The layers 18, 19 of the cover 2 provide a separate comfort layer enabling a user of the bed to lie comfortably on the base 1. Without the cover 2, the covering of the mattress spring unit 14 afforded by the cover 17 and the sheets 15, 16 is insufficient to prevent discomfort caused by the spring unit 14.

The cover 2 is easily fitted in position on the base 1 by pulling it over the base with the border 20 gripping the sides of the upper part of the base above the drawers 8. Likewise, the cover 2 can readily be removed for cleaning purposes or interchanged with an alternative cover that may have greater or lesser amounts of filling materials to give different comfort or insulation levels to meet the requirements of the individual user. Covers to be used by children or users suffering from incontinence could also be waterproofed.

In the case of a double bed, the cover 2 may be of different construction in the two halves to be used by the two users of the bed, e.g. one half of the cover could have a greater degree of comfort or insulation than the other half. Alternatively, or additionally, the mattress spring unit may have two side-by-side halves with different characteristics for two users of the double bed. This may be achieved by making the base in two side-by-side halves with different mattress spring units in each half base or, alternatively, by having a single base in which two mattress spring units having different characteristics are disposed side-by-side. In this way, two users of a double bed may be provided with mattress spring units with different characteristics, e.g. firmness.The cover to be fitted on such a base may be of different construction in the two halves to be used by the two users or, alternatively, a cover of uniform construction may be used on the non-uniform base.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For example, the base described above with reference to the drawings is a storage base with side-by-side sliding drawers. A nonstorage base could be used. The mattress spring unit 13 is covered by a coir fibre sheet 15 and a wool mix felt sheet 16 but an alternative insulator pad may be used in place of the sheet 15 and further fillings material may be used in place of the sheet 16. The cover 2 has been described as comprising two micro quilt panel sheets 18, 19 but it will be evident that a single sheet may suffice. The border 20 of the cover 2 is described as being downwardly tapered so that it firmly grips the upper part of the base 1 when fitted.

Alternatively, the border 20 may be parallel sided to facilitate stitching but nevertheless be so dimensioned that it firmly grips the base 1 when fitted.

It will be appreciated that the bed of the invention preserves the appearance of a conventional divan base bed (i.e. a base with a separate mattress) while avoiding the disadvantage of a separate mattress, i.e. the need to provide two separate comfort layers at either side of the mattress. Moreover, the cover provided in accordance with the invention can more easily be washed or dry cleaned than a conventional mattress.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A bed comprising a base, a mattress spring unit and a comfort layer on said unit characterised in that the mattress spring unit is integral with the base and the comfort layer is in the form of a separate pull-over cover simulating the appearance of a mattress.

2. A bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover has a downwardly extending border for tightly gripping the base.

3. A bed as claimed in claim 2, wherein the border is downwardly tapered.

4. A bed as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of interchangeable covers with variable amounts of filling material is provided.

5. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the covers is waterproof.

6. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover has two side-by-side halves with different characteristics for two users of the (double) bed.

7. A bed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mattress spring unit has two side-by-side halves with different characteristics for two users of the (double) bed.

8. A bed substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.