MXPA01003406A - Pillow top mattress assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A mattress assembly includes a mattress core (10) formed as a unitary assembly from one or more resiliently compressible materials and defining a generally planar deck surface (16).

Description

ASSEMBLY OF MATTRESS WITH UPPER FITTING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to mattress assemblies and, more particularly, to new and improved mattress assemblies of the type including a padded upper construction formed in a manner to provide elastic, long-lasting comfort for users. of the mattress. 2. Description of Related Art The sleep quality of the user of a mattress and the rest derived from such sleep are dependent on the comfort of the individual lying on the surface to sleep. Consequently, attempts to improve the comfort or comfort of mattresses have been in progress over a prolonged period of time. An ideal mattress, or sleeping surface, could essentially eliminate any discomfort caused by excessive pressure on the individual or inadequate support. In this way, a form of mattress that has become popular is of a type that RES. "128694 comprises a mattress core, which may have a construction of internal springs in it together with what is known as a cushioned top arrangement.To date, cushioned tops for use in mattress constructions They have been formed by inserting elastic, soft filling materials into a jacket or housing that interconnects with an upper surface of a mattress core.Normally, when an inner spring spring mattress core is employed, the part construction The cushioned upper serves to essentially cushion the inner spring springs and to allow more independent and unrestricted articulation which results in improved conformability and pressure at the interface, thus improving the overall comfort levels for a mattress user. of a cushioned top mattress is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,9 55,095 (the patent? 095). There, the use of a removable or removable cushioned upper part is taught which can be removed from the core of internal springs of the mattress for cleaning. The padding material for the padded upper part is described as hollow filling fibers or polyurethane foam. Alternatively, a piece of convoluted, elastic, flexible polyurethane foam is shown for inclusion in the cushioned top construction of the? 095 patent. In other known mattress assemblies with a padded upper part, the filling materials enclosed within the top of the padded jacket or envelope have consisted of other products based on textile or polymeric material, such as textile, foam or textile clipping pads. polyurethane (with slab core), and / or polymeric fiber pads (e.g., polyester, polypropylene and elastic, flexible, similar polymeric compositions). A significant advantage of these known padded top constructions is that the filling materials that have been employed in the cushioned tops of the prior art will generally lose approximately 25% of their original thickness during the normal life of a mattress. In this way, the original comfort provided by the known cushioned tops decreases with time and use, as a result of the loss of elasticity of the filling material. Accordingly, a main objective of the present invention is to provide a mattress construction with a cushioned upper part in which the cushioned upper part retains its original thickness and original elasticity over a prolonged period of time, to remain comfortable or comfortable for the entire life of the mattress. A further objective of this invention is to provide padded top constructions that can be easily fabricated by efficient and conventional methods. An additional objective is to provide a cushioned top construction that is inexpensive to manufacture and will not be significantly added to the final price of the mattress.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a mattress assembly that includes a mattress core formed as a unitary construction from one or more elastically compressible materials such as internal springs, particularly of the Marshall spiral type; foam pads; convoluted foam pads; airbags; water bags and the like. The upper surface of the mattress core defines a generally flat platform surface. A padded top layer is integrally or detachably placed on the platform surface and is structured to extend substantially coextensive with the surface of the platform. The padded upper includes a quilt panel or quilt that forms a sleeve or shell that houses a plurality of miniature, closely spaced coil springs. The miniature springs housed within the padded upper part may be accommodated in the so-called "spiral or open coil" configurations, or they may be bagged in individual compartments according to the Marshall helical construction techniques described, for example, in FIG. U.S. Patent No. 685,160; U.S. Patent No. 4,234,983; U.S. Patent No. 4,234,984; U.S. Patent No. 4,439,977; U.S. Patent No. 4,451,946; U.S. Patent No. 4,523,344; U.S. Patent No. 4,578,834; U.S. Patent No. 5,016,305; and U.S. Patent No. 5,621,935, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Preferably, the miniature size springs for use herein will have an installed height of no more than about 12.7 cm (5 inches) and a diameter no greater than about 7.62 cm (3 inches). The "installed height" of the springs refers to the height of the spiral after it is inserted into a padded top or jacket either in an open spiral arrangement or in a Marshall spiral construction. The miniature springs used in the cushioned tops of the present invention retain almost all their strength throughout the life of the mattress assembly, thereby providing continued comfort to the mattress user over a prolonged period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above features and other novel features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a mattress assembly constructed of according to the present invention, which includes an arrangement of a padded upper part with miniature open helical springs housed within a cushioned upper housing fixed to a mattress core; Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a complete assembly of the Marshall Spirals for use in a cushioned top construction according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a partial perspective view, partially exploded, of the Marshall-type helical spring assembly illustrated in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY - Referring now to the drawings and initially to Figure 1, a mattress assembly is illustrated in schematic form and designated in general by the reference number 10. The assembly 10 includes as a main component a mattress core 12 which can be constructed of a variety of elastically compressible materials such as internal spring or foam coil assemblies such as convoluted foam pads. The core "12 can also be formed from an air or water bag." A preferred form of the core 12 can be of a type referred to as a Marshall construction consisting of a plurality of coil springs housed within fabric bags arranged in an array. connected, tightly packed, as will be described later herein. The core 12 of the mattress is constructed to define a lower platform 14 and an upper platform 16 preferably with an edge or edge of fabric 18 extending around the periphery of the core 12. The mattress assembly 10 illustrated is of a type having a padded top construction. For this purpose, a quilt panel or quilt 20 is provided which is coextensive with the upper platform 16. A V-shaped flap 22 is provided, having a first edge 24 which is sewn to the quilt panel 20 and a second edge. 26 which is sewn to the upper platform 16, whereby an envelope or sleeve 30 is defined between the quilt panel 20 and the upper platform 16. According to the invention, the casing 30 is filled with a plurality of coil springs. 32 tightly placed. The springs 32 can be assembled as a unit much like a conventional, open, helical internal springs assembly, schematically illustrated in Figure 1. Preferably, the springs 32 are aligned in a sprung assembly 34 illustrated in Figure 2, wherein the individual springs 32 are each encapsulated within a pouch 36 of cloth material 38 (better illustrated in Figure 3) which can be stitched or ultrasonically welded to create the pouches 36 and create a unit 34 unary Marshall spiral assembly . An example of such construction is more fully described in U.S. Patent No. 5,621,935 which is assigned to the common assignee herein, and the description of which is incorporated by reference herein. In order to properly align and position the springs 32, a flange member 40 shown in Figure 1 can be provided, which is formed from a fabric such as DUON. The flange member 40 has an upper edge 42 which is connected around the periphery of the springs 32 by coupling C-brackets (not shown) to the helical convolutions of the springs 32. A lower edge 44 of the flange member 40 it can simply be sewn to the platform 16 with the flap 22. Alternatively, the flange 40 can be removed and the springs 32 in a spiral type Marshall assembly 34 can be properly aligned and placed within the envelope or sleeve 30 by "fixing from the bottom portion 46 of the assembly 34 directly to the upper platform 16 of the core 12 in any suitable manner, such as by gluing the fabric 38 of the bags 36 along the lower portion of the assembly 34 to the upper platform 16 of the mattress core 12. To construct a mattress mounting method 10, a core 12 of the inner spring is formed together with the edge 18. The flange 40 e s then sewn to the upper platform 16 and the V-shaped flap 22 is attached to the edge 18, for example, by a tapered seam. Next, the coil springs 32 in an open spiral arrangement are positioned and centered on the platform within the flange 40. The upper edge 42 of the flange 40 is coupled to the springs 32. Finally, the padded panel 20 is placed over the springs. springs 32 and attached to the edge 24 of the flap 22 by a tapered, stitched connection. In an alternative embodiment of this invention, the mattress assembly 10 is constructed by placing and centering a Marshall spiral assembly 34 on the upper platform 16 of the mattress core 12 and fixing the lower portion 46 of the fabric 38 of the mattress. the bags 36 to the upper platform 16 of the core 12, for example by gluing. Then, the padded panel 20 is placed over the Marshall coil assembly 34 and is coupled to the edge 24 of the flap 22 to enclose the assembly 34 therein. It can now be seen that a mattress assembly 10, constructed according to the invention, offers considerable advantages over mattress constructions with a padded upper part., of the prior art, which used filling materials based on polymers or textile materials. The springs 32 according to the present invention have a much improved height recovery capacity with respect to the prior art constructions on the life of the mattress. For an acceptable product, it will be found that the installed height of the springs 32 either in an open spiral or in a Marshall spiral arrangement within a padded upper part should have a height no greater than about 12.7 cm (5 inches) and a diameter no greater than approximately 7.62 cm (3 inches). Preferably, the dimensions of the springs 32 should be in a range of approximately 3.8-8.9 cm (1.5-3.5 inches) in height and approximately 3.8-6.35 cm (1.5-2.5 inches) in diameter. The padded top design can also be either single-sided or two-sided in function. While the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property:

1. A mattress assembly, characterized in that it comprises: a mattress core formed as a unitary assembly of a helical assembly of internal springs and having a generally flat platform surface; a "padded upper layer assembly" that is substantially coextensive with the platform surface comprising a quilt or quilt panel that forms a wrapper in cooperation with the core; a plurality of tightly placed coil springs, which substantially fill the wrapper; formed from cloth extending around the surface of the platform and having a first edge secured to the surface of the platform and a second edge secured to the coil springs, and a V-shaped flap extending around the surface of the complete platform and having a first edge secured to the surface of the platform and a second edge secured to the cover or quilt panel

2. The mattress assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the second edge of the flange It is secured to the internal spring spiral assembly by C-shaped rings.

3. The mattress assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the coil springs have dimensions in a range of about 3.8-6.35 cm (1.5-2.5 inches) in diameter.

4. The mattress assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the coil springs have dimensions in a range of between about 3.8-8.9 cm (1.5-3.5 inches) in height. A method for constructing a mattress assembly with a cushioned upper part, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: providing a mattress core having a fabric edge that surrounds an edge thereof and that defines a top platform; the provision of a V-shaped flap and the joining of said flap by a seam that closes in a tapered shape toward the edge; the provision of a unitary assembly of coil springs, and the placement of the assembly on the upper platform within the flap; the provision of a quilt or quilt panel that is coextensive with the spring assembly and that places the panel over the spring assembly; and joining the panel to the edge of the flap to enclose the unitary assembly of the coil springs between the panel and the core. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the unitary assembly of helical springs is constructed of a plurality of individual springs bagged in fabric in a Marshall spiral type arrangement. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that it includes the steps of fixing the Marshall spiral type arrangement of the coil springs to the upper platform of the mattress core. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the Marshall spiral type arrangement of coil springs is fixed to the upper platform of the mattress core by gluing a lower portion of the Marshall spiral arrangement to the upper platform.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it includes the steps of: the provision of a flange extending around the periphery of the upper platform; and the joining of the flange to the upper platform. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that it includes the step of joining an edge of the flange to the springs. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the unitary assembly of coil springs is constructed from individual springs bagged in fabric in a Marshall spiral type arrangement. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the unitary assembly of helical springs is constructed in an open spiral arrangement.