JP2019516537A - Comfort article with foam filling element - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a comfort article (200) comprising a first space (202) defined by an outer boundary, the first space (202) comprising a plurality of foam pieces (100). The foam piece is a plurality of foam arms (102) having a body portion (101), a first end and a second end, the first end being the body portion 101) and a plurality of profile recesses between the foam arms (102) and the foam arms (102) attached to the second end, the second end projecting from the body portion (101) And (103), wherein the width of the foam arm is wider than the length of the foam arm. The invention further relates to a plurality of foam-filled elements for such comfort items. According to the present invention, a comfort product is achieved which has good filler properties and has a filling material which fills the comfort product with air.

Description

  The present invention relates to a comfort article comprising foam piece elements, and to a plurality of foam-filled elements for such a comfort article.

  When producing comfort articles such as pillows, overwraps, various filling materials are possible which have various advantages and disadvantages.

  Bird feathers, feathers, fibers, and foam are possible conventional materials.

  Bird's fluff is the softest of the conventional options, while foam has good bearing capacity which allows it to maintain a good position throughout the sleep cycle and rest time.

  In an effort to combine the softness of the bird fluff with the foam bearing properties, combination solutions are also seen in the art.

  The foam is usually supplied as a single piece with the dimensions and shapes considered desirable, or alternatively is supplied in a shape that is fragmented, allowing a greater degree of compression, and softer options Or one of the

  However, the predetermined shape of the single piece foam may become uncomfortable during sleep time, while the shredded foam collapses over time.

  Furthermore, even if the user's head is supported or hung on the user's body, the realization of a comfortable product in which the filling material exhibits a bearing property to the unit is awaited. At the same time, air is needed in the comfort item to ensure that the body can breathe through the comfort item and to provide a light and comfortable comfort item. In general, the properties of the filler are very important in order to ensure such properties in the comfort item.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to a comfort article having a plurality of foam pieces in an inner space, the plurality of foam pieces comprising a body portion, a first end, a second end A plurality of foam arms having a width, and a length extending from said first end to said second end, said first end being attached to said body portion, said second end A plurality of foam arms having ends projecting from the body portion and a plurality of contour recesses between the foam arms, wherein the width of the foam arms is greater than the length of the foam arms.

  Such foam pieces are suitable as fillers for comfort items, and the filling material ensures that air is introduced into the comfort item. Thereby, by retaining at least some air between the non-compressed pieces, a comfort article with better elastic deformation retention properties than foam solutions of the art is provided. The use of a plurality of such foam pieces to fill comfort items, such as pillows or mattresses, provides a filler material that has good filler properties and adds air to the comfort item. Inside the comfort article, the foam arms of one foam piece are pressed against the foam arms of an adjacent foam piece, which may be compressed but additionally the shape of the foam arm As a result, the arms exert a resistance that can not be easily crushed by a slight pressure. Thus, the arms need to be shaped to ensure sufficient foam material along the length of the arms, so that the arms do not easily collapse.

  In one embodiment, the length of the arm is also shorter than the body portion. Thereby, the body part becomes the main part forming the flexibility of each element, and the arm becomes the main part maintaining the distance between the adjacent elements securing air in the comfort article.

  In one embodiment, the distance between the body portion and at least a portion of the contour recess is less than the distance between the body portion and the second end of the foam arm. Thus, a foam arm is present along the body portion.

  In one embodiment, the foam piece is planar. Thus, for example, it can be easily manufactured by making molded foam columns and slicing out the foam elements from the foam columns or by extruding / cutting out the foam elements from the foam plate .

  In one embodiment, the foam piece extends in three dimensions from the body portion. Thereby, the foam piece becomes more effective in retaining free air between the foam pieces.

  In one embodiment, the foam piece may comprise at least one through hole or blind cavity. Thereby, the foam piece becomes more effective in retaining free air between the foam pieces. The holes and / or cavities may be at any angle relative to the foam piece, such as perpendicular to the plane of the planar piece, or parallel to the plane, or even angled to the plane. It can be arranged.

  In one embodiment, the profile recess between the foam arms has a width smaller than the width of the foam arms. Thereby, the foam arm can not fit into the recess and air in the recess is reliably maintained.

  In one embodiment, the profile recess between the foam arms has a width greater than the width of the foam arms. Thereby, even if the arm enters the recess, air is still present and furthermore, the arm is not retained within the recess.

  In one embodiment, the length of the foam arms of the foam piece is shorter than the width of the foam arms measured at the bases of the arms, the base of the foam arm being the end closest to the center of the foam piece It is a department. By having a foam piece with a foam arm that is wider than the length, a foam piece that resists flexing is achieved, the foam piece maintaining elasticity and thus comfort for an extended period of time. This is because the foam arms become relatively rigid and exert a force on adjacent foam pieces to return to a relaxed state.

  In one embodiment, the contour of the recess has a different shape than the contour of the foam arm. Thereby, the foam arms do not fit into the recesses and air is still present between the individual foam pieces. In yet another embodiment, the contour of the recess is formed from two relatively angled lines in a wide V-shape, and the foam arm has a rectangular tongue shape. In this embodiment, the entire foam piece may be the same as the plus or plus shape.

  In one embodiment, the foam arm of the foam piece is trapezoidal in shape.

  In one embodiment, the foam pieces are flower-shaped, clover-shaped or four-leaf shaped. In other words, the foam piece has an arm in the form of a rounded protrusion.

  In one aspect, the aspect relates to a comfort article comprising a first space defined by an outer boundary, the first space comprising a plurality of foam pieces.

  In one embodiment, the outer boundary further defines at least one second space, the second space comprising a comfort filler. By comfort filler is meant bird floss, feathers, oats, latex, foam including memory foam, micro-beads, polyester fibers, or other bio-derived or synthetic material generally resiliently compressible . In one embodiment of the invention, the comfort filler may be water, which allows at least the second space to change reversibly.

  Thereby, the advantages of the other materials can be combined with the advantages of the foam according to the invention.

  In one embodiment, the outer boundary defines at least two second spaces comprising a comfort filler, the first space being disposed between the second spaces. Thereby, the user can turn over the comfort item and maintain the flexibility of the comfort filler between the foam and the skin. In one embodiment, the comfort filler is selected from the list of bird fluff, feathers, and synthetic fibers.

  By comfort items are meant macros, mattresses, and overhangs. The outer boundary and the dividing sheet are most often made of cotton, wool or synthetic fibres.

  In one embodiment, the foam piece has at least two arms, at least three arms, at least four arms, at least five arms, at least six arms, at least seven arms, or at least eight arms. In another embodiment, the foam piece has at most 3 arms, at most 4 arms, at most 5 arms, at most 6 arms, at most 7 arms, or at most 8 arms .

  In one embodiment, the foam pieces are made of any type of foam, such as open or closed cell foam. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foam pieces are made of open-cell foam.

  In the following, exemplary embodiments are described according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of various foam piece embodiments according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view of foam pieces used in various comfort items.

  In the following, the invention will be described by means of a series of embodiments, but none of these embodiments should be considered as limiting the invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a number of foam pieces 100 according to the invention. The foam piece 100 can take on a variety of different shapes, as illustrated by the embodiment shown in FIG. The foam piece 100A is a rectangular plus-shaped foam piece. The foam piece 100B is a substantially rectangular plus shaped foam piece with rounded corners closest to the center of the piece. The foam piece 100C has a flower shape. The foam piece 100D comprises four trapezoidal arms. The foam piece 100F has a star shape.

  Each foam piece according to the invention comprises a body portion 101 and a number of foam arms 102 extending from the body portion 101. The foam piece forms an outer recess 103 between two adjacent foam arms 102, and the distance between the outer recess and the body portion 101 is between the outer edge of the foam arm 102 and the body portion 101. Less than distance. The recesses may be formed by straight ends as in embodiment 100A, may be formed as concave recesses as in embodiment 100B, and are formed as corners of diverging lines as in 100C. You may

  In the art, fragmented foam is blown into, for example, a pillow and a top. These randomly formed foam pieces will eventually settle together with foam pieces substantially free of air. This corresponds to the pillow being compressed. In that case, the pillow may be shaken, knocked and washed to break up the shredded foam. However, this is only slightly successful in separating and inflating the pillow.

  By having the shapes disclosed herein and illustrated in embodiments 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, and 100F, the pieces can never fully engage with one another, indeed, It is ensured that there is always free air between the pieces. Furthermore, if the piece is compressed, such as by placing the head on a pillow, the piece's arms can easily flex and shrink from their original shape, thereby providing comfort but when not receiving pressure, It swells back to a large shape. When the head is removed, it returns, at least in part, to its previous original condition. Because the shape of the pieces is known and controlled, and because the undeformed shapes do not actually engage with each other, there is no chance that the foam pieces will fix each other during compression. . Rather, when uncompressed, the pieces return, at least substantially or partially, to their original original shape. Thereby, the pillows filled with foam pieces according to the invention maintain the capacity of elastic expansion for longer than the solutions in the art.

  The shape of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that the individual foam pieces are flexible as the arms can be bent and at the same time the force necessary to compress the foam pieces is neglected Achieving both things that can not be done.

  In another embodiment of the invention, the foam piece is star-shaped, has an uneven number of arms, is spherical and / or is ellipsoidal.

  Embodiments 100G and 100H are two variants of embodiment 100A. Embodiment 100G is a planar foam piece, with all foam arms 102 extending from the body portion 101 in a single plane. Then, only the thickness of the piece is increased in three dimensions. Thereby, foam pieces can be easily manufactured from foam sheets or rolls, or other convenient flat foam shapes.

  In another embodiment 100H, the arms of the foam piece extend in all three dimensions from the center. Thereby, pockets of air are better secured between the foam pieces.

  The principle behind 100G and 100H that the embodiment 100H is a three-dimensionally stretched version of the embodiment 100G can be extended to other illustrated planar embodiments.

  The three-dimensional foam piece takes the basic shape of 100 D, but can instead have arms distributed in three dimensions with the same 45 degree distribution between adjacent arms.

  Furthermore, the star-shaped foam piece 100F may have any number of arms, conveniently such as 4, 6, 8, 12 or 20, extending symmetrically in three dimensions.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, the foam piece further comprises a hole or cavity.

  FIG. 2 shows various embodiments of the comfort article according to the invention.

  FIG. 2A shows a pillow 200A according to the present invention, having a first space 202 and a number of foam pieces 100 filling up the first space 202.

  FIG. 2B shows that the first space is filled with a foam piece according to the invention and the second space 203 is filled with another type of comfort filler, such as feathers, bird fluff or fibers. 12 shows a pillow 200B according to the invention, which is a combination pillow. Spaces are separated by a dividing sheet 204. Thereby, the foam's shape stability is achieved in combination with other product features such as bird fluff, feathers, or fibers.

  FIG. 2C shows a pillow 200C according to the present invention, which is similar to embodiment 200B in that it is a combination pillow. Importantly, 200C comprises two second spaces filled with another type of filler such as bird fluff or feathers. Thereby, the pillow maintains comfort in both orientations, allowing the user to overturn the pillow during use.

  FIG. 2D shows a mattress according to the invention, which mattress is a combination mattress, the first space is filled with foam pieces according to the invention, the second space 203 is another type of filler, Preferably it is filled with feathers or bird fluff. Thereby, the shape stability of the foam is achieved and at the same time the comfort of bird fluff or feathers is achieved.

  When the multiple foam pieces according to the invention are placed together, the recess geometrically prevents the foam pieces from occupying the entire space of the comfort article. Instead, pockets of air remain between the foam pieces. These pockets are compressible by the user in use. Thereby, the overall compression width remains larger for longer periods.

  Furthermore, because the foam pieces are not fragmented, the edges of the foam pieces become significantly smoother, thereby shaking the comfort article, even if the foam pieces are somewhat attached to one another. For example, the foam pieces are released much better than would be possible with a piece of fragmented foam which could be easily fixed firmly together. In an embodiment of the present invention, this allows the pillow to not be as fatigued as a comfort item that is filled with ordinary shredded foam.

100A to H Foam piece 101 Body portion 102 Foam arm 103 Outline recessed part 200A to D Comfort article 202 First space 203 Second space 204 Divided sheet

Claims (13)

-A first space (202) defined by the outer boundary,
-Multiple foam pieces (100)
A comfort item (200) comprising a first space (202) comprising
The foam piece is
-Body part (101),
-A plurality of foam arms (102) having a first end and a second end, said first end being attached to said body portion (101), said second end A plurality of foam arms (102) projecting from said body portion (101);
-A plurality of profile recesses (103) between said foam arms (102);
Equipped with
-The width of the foam arm is wider than the length of the foam arm,
Comfortable items (200).   The comfort article of claim 1, wherein the foam arm of the foam piece has a stump shape.   The distance between the body portion (101) and at least a portion of the contour recess (103) is less than the distance between the body portion (101) and the second end of the foam arm (101) A comfort article according to item 1 or 2.   A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the foam piece (100) is planar.   A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the foam arm (102) extends in three dimensions from the body portion (101).   6. A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the foam piece may comprise at least one through hole or blind cavity.   A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contour recesses between the foam arms have a depth greater than the length of the foam arms.   A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contour recesses between the foam arms have a width smaller than the width of the foam arms.   A comfort article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contour recesses between the foam arms have a width which is greater than the width of the foam arms.   The outer boundary further defines at least one second space (203), and the first space (202) and the second space (203) are separated by a dividing sheet (204). A comfort article (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second space comprises the filler.   The outer boundary defines at least two second spaces (203) comprising the filler, and the first space (202) is disposed between the at least two second spaces (203) A comfort item (200) according to any one of the preceding claims.   12. Comfort according to claims 1 to 11, wherein the comfort filler is selected from the list of bird fluff, feathers, oats, latex, foam, memory foam, microbeads, polyester fibers or water. Supplies (200). A plurality of foam pieces used as a filler for comfort items,
-Body part (101),
-A plurality of foam arms (102) having a first end and a second end, said first end being attached to said body portion (101), said second end A plurality of foam arms (102) projecting from said body portion (101);
-A plurality of profile recesses (103) between said foam arms (102);
Equipped with
-The width of the foam arm is wider than the length of the foam arm,
Multiple foam pieces.

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