IES85829Y1 - Improvements in and relating to hygienic bedding - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to hygienic bedding and particularly in and relating to hygienic bedding covers. The present invention has the advantage that it provides a 0ne—way valve incorporated into the pillow cover as well as a microbial filter membrane, to allow air to exhaust quickly from the pillow through the valve, bypassing the membrane. Air re-entering the pillow may only pass through the microbial filter membrane. Thus, air re-entering air to pass through the micorbial filter allows only sterile air to enter the pillow. The present invention also provides a means for sealing hygienic bedding such as a mattress in a waterproof covering while enabling visual inspection.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO HYGIENIC BEDDING The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to hygienic bedding and particularly in and relating to hygienic bedding covers.

Throughout this specification, it is to be understood that the term “hygienic bedding” includes infection control cushioning and bedding products.

Known hygienic bedding, including mattresses, pillows, duvets, seat cushions, and postural supports such as gutter-splints, particularly for use in hospitals, are widely recognised as reservoirs for infection. Typically filled with polymer foam or other porous, spongy materials, such hygienic bedding provides an ideal harbour for breeding microbial organisms. This problem is greatly exacerbated in the presence of moisture.

Cross-infection is known to take place in hospitals by means of microbial (such as bacterial) ingress and subsequent incubation in the bedding, and subsequent escape of disease-causing microbes into the environment.

For this reason, in recent decades, hospital bedding has been encapsulated in waterproof materials. Many of these materials are permeable to water vapour, but not to liquid water.

A typical example of such waterproof material is knitted nylon coated with polyurethane.

However, encapsulation of hygienic bedding such as a pillow for example, creates anew problem, namely that for the spongy materials within the pillow to yield to the shape of the head/body, when weight bears down on the pillow, air must be exhausted from the pillow/cushioning device, and when the weight is removed, air must be allowed to return to the pillow/cushioing device.

A partial solution to this problem is disclosed in Irish Patent No. 885166 and International Patent Publication No. W0 2009l034193 (Patent Application No. PCT/EP2008/062265) which disclose a non-woven PTFE membrane coated medium or other suitable filter provided as a patch forming part of the pillow cover. This filter material allowed the transport of air across the filter but had sufliciently small pore sizes in the PTFE membrane coated medium to prevent the transport of microbes, microbial spores, or of aerosol water droplets containing microbes.

However, the remaining disadvantage with use of this filter membrane is that air is not allowed to flow at an adequate rate to allow quick collapse of the pillow when weight is applied when laying the head down. This creates a peculiar sensation for the user giving the impression that he/she is sinking for a few seconds while the air seeps, under pressure, out through the filter membrane.

In a second aspect of the infection control, hygienic bedding of the present invention, in the case of mattresses and cushions, it is often deemed desireable to enable inspection of the interior of the mattress. Inspection of the interior of the mattress is typically done in ' hospitals to check that the interior has not become contaminated. This may have happened in spite of the measures above, for instance as a result of puncture, delamination of the waterproof coating to the cover fabric, or by other means. To allow inspection, a zip or other closure is typically provided in the waterproof covering.

In the case of the present invention, a conventional zip would compromise the functionality of the mattress as a sterile area, since unfiltered air could enter the mattress at any time through the closed zip.

One way to overcome this is by using a watreproof, air~tight zip. However, such a method of closure is prohibitively expensive.

The present invention seeks to alleviate the above disadvantages. in a first aspect of the invention, the present invention accordingly provides a hermetically sealed infection control bedding product such as a mattress, cushion, pillow, duvet, or such like having a sealed cover and having a resiliently deformable filling material comprising a filter medium including a filter membrane for the removal of particles of microbial size whereby the filter medium allows air and water vapour flow through but is substantial impermeable to liquid while providing a barrier to microbial sized particles and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a uni-directional valve to allow air to be vented from the pillow whereby any air entering the pillow is forced to pass through the filter.

To prevent cross-infection, it is only necessary to provide microbial filtering of the air in one direction. This is because, since only sterile air ever enters the pillow, no microbes can incubate there and consequently any air exhausting from the pillow is sterile and so need not be filtered.

The present invention accordingly has the advantage that it provides a one-way valve incorporated into the pillow cover as well as the microbial filter membrane, to allow air to exhaust quickly from the pillow through the valve, bypassing the membrane. Air re- entering the pillow may only pass through the microbial filter membrane. Thus, air re- entering the pillow does so at slower speed, but has the advantage that forcing the re- entering air to pass through the micorbial filter allows only sterile air to enter the pillow.

The speed of return of air into the pillow following use is not a problem. When changing head position, for example, the pillow is quickly re-loaded, and so approximately the same volume of air is required before and after movement. After use, of course, it does not matter how quickly the pillow re-infiates, over a period of minutes.

In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the uni-direction valve (one way valve) may be in the form of an inexpensive self-adhesive die-cut construction which is typically found on coffee bags (such as that disclosed in US 7,178,555 (Plitek lnc)), or alternatively, may be in another form of uni«directional valve. There are numerous suitable designs.

Preferably, the one-way valve is attached to the hygienic bedding item by punch-welding, adhesive or other suitable process.

In a second aspect of the invention, the present invention provides a hermetically sealed infection control bedding product such as a mattress, cushion, pillow, duvet, or such like having a sealed cover and having a resiliently deformable filling material comprising a filter medium in the cover, wherein the filter medium comprises a filter membrane for the removal of particles of microbial size whereby the filter medium allows air and water vapour flow through but is substantial impermeable to liquid while providing a barrier to microbial sized particles and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a uni-directional valve to allow air to be vented from the pillow whereby any air entering the pillow is forced to pass through the filter and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a means of releasably sealing the cover.

The hygienic bedding product in accordance with the invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which are shown a number of embodiments of the hygienic bedding product of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a pillow with a waterproof cover including a waterproof microbial filter membrane in a first area of the pillow and a unidirectional venting valve in a second area of the pillow, remote from the first area; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a mattress with a waterproof covering and a unidirectional valve and microbial filter (not shown) and a means of sealing the end of the cover while enabling visual inspection of the mattress; Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the mattress embodiment of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of the mattress shown in Figures 2 and 3; Figure 5 is a plan view of the mattress of Figure 4 but now showing a sealable cover for the rolled-up portion of the waterproof covering of the mattress; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the mattress shown in Figure 5.

Referring initially to Figure 1, one preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises of a pillow with a waterproof cover,1, wherein one part of the cover includes an area comprising a waterproof microbial filter membrane, 2, and elsewhere on the cover is attached a unidirectional exhaust valve, 3. in an alternative embodiment, the valve may be incorporated into the filter area of the cover in the area comprising the waterproof microbial filter membrane.

It is to be understood that a pillow is described and shown here by way of example only and that the same approach may also be adopted with sealed duvets, and mattresses and cushions.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, in the second aspect of the invention, a means for sealing the mattress in a waterproof covering for enabling visual inspection will be described.

Referring now to Figure 2, the mattress core, 3, is enclosed in a cover, 4,which has excess material to provide overhang. Figure 3 shows a sectional side view of the same assembly. The lip or opening of the cover may be provided with one or more stiffening reinforcement such as reinforcing batons 5. These may be on both sides, or just at the top, or just at the bottom. The stiffening reinforcements, 5, may be of rectangular, circular, oval or other shape in cross-section, and the stiffening reinforcements 5 may be substantially flexible or substantially rigid, This arrangement has the advantage that it provides a waterproof seal while enabling inspection of the mattress inside the cover.

Referring to Figure 4, the stiffening reinforcements 5 may be used to roll up the excess cover to form a seal." in an alternative embodiment, the end of the cover may be rolled up without any reinforcement means.

Figure 5 and figure 6 show the cover in its final, tightly-rolled position fixed with one or more securing means such as straps, 6, and buckles, 7. Other means of fastening may be used such as zips, poppers, hook and loop fastening, toggles, buttons tie-cord, etc.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein which are given by way of example only and that various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product such as a mattress, cushion, pillow, duvet, or such like having a sealed cover and having a resiliently deformable filling material comprising a filter medium including a filter membrane for the removal of particles of microbial size whereby the filter medium allows air and water vapour flow through but is substantial impermeable to liquid while providing a barrier to microbial sized particles and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a uni-directional valve to allow air to be vented from the pillow whereby any air entering the pillow is forced to pass through the filter.

2. A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product as claimed in claim 1 having a waterproof cover, wherein one part of the cover includes an area comprising a waterproof microbial filter membrane. and elsewhere on the cover is attached a unidirectional exhaust valve; optionally wherein the valve may be incorporated into the filter area of the cover in the area comprising the waterproof microbial filter membrane.

3. A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product such as a‘ mattress, cushion, pillow, duvet, or such like having a sealed cover and having a resiliently defomiable filling material comprising a filter medium in the cover, wherein the filter medium comprises a filter membrane forthe removal of particles of microbial size whereby the filter medium, allows air and water vapour flow through but is substantial impermeable to liquid while providing a barrier to microbial sized particles and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a uni—directional valve to allow air to be vented from the pillow whereby any air entering the pillow is forced to pass through the filter and wherein the infection control bedding product also includes a means of releasably sealing the cover.

4. A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product as claimed in claim 3 whering the mattress core is enclosed in a cover which has excess material to provide an overhang; optionally wherein the lip or opening of the cover may be provided with one or more stiffening reinforcement such as reinforcing batons; and_ optionally wherein the _ reinforcing batons may be on both sides, orjust at the top, orjust at the bottom; optionally wherein the reinforcing batons are of rectangular, circular, oval or other shape in cross- section, and the reinforcing batons may be substantially flexible or substantially rigid.

5. A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product,‘ substantially in accordance with any of the embodiments herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.