MXPA97008599A - Multi firming mattress - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a unit mattress assembly, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of helical spring rows in bags positioned to define a unitary mattress core structure with each of the helical springs in bags having a discrete compressive force each of the rows is placed in substantially parallel alignment with each of the other plurality of rows of helical bag springs with the longitudinal upper ends of all the coil springs in bags placed in a substantially common plane, perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the helical springs in bags to provide a flat upper mattress surface defined by the ends of the springs, and the helical springs in bags, in the plurality of rows are selectively placed in the mattress core so that the springs they have a particular compressive force placed an to provide a first sector of firmness within the mattress core, and helical springs having another compressive force are placed to provide a second firmness sector within the mattress core, the first and second sectors are adjacent to each other and placed in opposite sides of an imaginary line that divides the assembly substantially longitudinally into two halves, the helical pocket-wound rows of bags on opposite sides of the imaginary dividing line are directly connected together along the lines without a discontinuity in the core. mattress unit between the first and second sectors of firmness, so that the characteristics of variable firmness are divided into two different portions of the flat surface of the mattress to adapt to different comfort preferences of two simultaneous users.

Description

MATTRESS DA FTF1 ^ 7- * MDLTIPLE i. ífánfft ?? 1 to Tnwfwi ^ The present invention relates generally to mattress constructions and, more particularly, to a unitary mattress assembly for use in beds having an interior construction of springs in which springs of different compressive strength are used to provide a mattress surface with a plurality of regions of different firmness. 2. Description of the Previous Technique A standard bed construction which has been popular for some time includes a frame to hold a box of springs. The spring box, in turn, is designed to hold a mattress. Mattresses are available in different sizes and are also constructed in different ways. One such construction which has been shown to be highly desirable includes the use of a spring interior comprising a plurality of separate coil springs, encapsulated in individual fabric packages REF: 26017 joined together in a row. A mounting of this type is known as a Marshall construction and is described, for example, in US Patent No. 4,234,983, issued to Stumpf and assigned to the common assignee herein, the description of which is expressly incorporated by reference. . The packed spring rows can be easily manufactured by the apparatuses described, for example, from the North American Patent No. 4,401,501 also filed by Stumpf and assigned to the common assignee of the present, the description of which, likewise, is incorporated in the present as a reference. In essence, this latter patent describes the production of a row of coil springs of bags or packages by inserting the springs into bags for springs formed by ultrasonic welding of a tube of a suitable fabric, sensitive to heat. Once the rows of springs are formed, they can be placed in any desired shape, for example, curved projections and recesses or another pattern to provide an internal springs assembly in which all the individual springs have longitudinal axes oriented parallel to each other and the springs are packed together closely in an arrangement having a generally rectangular shape in plan with the ends of the springs that meet in a common plane. Then a suitable cushion foam pad of preselected thickness can be used to cover the interior of springs and provide a generally flat surface on which a person can sleep. Preferably, the interior of springs is covered on both sides and has a fabric at the edges connecting the opposing surface covers, whereby a unitary mattress assembly is defined. Mattresses of the preceding type are generally available with different degrees of firmness to suit the particular preference of the user. However, the known unit mattresses, which are sized for two people, such as full-size mattresses, medium-sized mattresses for two people (ing size) or oversize (queen size) mattresses, have only a common degree of firmness. on both sides of the mattress. This construction requires that one of the users compromises his preference regarding the firmness if the other user has a different preference. To provide a two-person bed that has double firmness, it is known that a continuous boundary can be constructed that defines a central cavity in which two separate core mattresses are inserted, whereby different degrees of mattress firmness are provided to adapt to the individual preferences of the two users. Such a bed construction is shown, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,449,261 issued to Magnusson and assigned to the common assignee hereof. However, a disadvantage of such a bed construction is that there are discernible spaces or fractures defined between the boundary and the mattresses inserted therein., as well as between double mattress cores in themselves, which can be uncomfortable or inconvenient for users. In addition, this type of bed construction is a bit complicated and expensive to manufacture. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a unitary mattress assembly having multiple regions of firmness, selectively positioned therein without requiring a construction involving separate mattress cores. It is also desirable to provide a unitary mattress assembly having a multiple, preferably double, firmness, which can be manufactured at a cost comparable to a conventional single-strength mattress.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE J-NVEMTION The present invention features improvements over the prior art in providing a unitary mattress assembly comprising a plurality of helical springs positioned to define a single mattress core, preferably having a generally rectangular shape in plan. In a more preferred embodiment of this invention, the core includes a first portion which is sized to accommodate a first sleeping person and which comprises coil springs having a first pre-selected compressive resistance. Adjacent to the first portion is a second core portion sized to accommodate another sleeping person and having coil springs of a compressive strength different from that of the springs of the first portion. By the above construction, a mattress can be manufactured having a single inner core of springs but having two regions of different firmness to suit the particular preferences of two people. Likewise, by appropriately placing an interconnected helical plurality of coil springs having different compressive forces, it is possible to assemble a multiple firmness mattress designed to suit the specification of any individual user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other novel features of the invention will be better understood by the. reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which: Figure 1 is a perspective, partly exploded view of a bed showing a mattress constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a fractional side view of a row of coil springs of a type used in the mattress shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a top plan view of the inner spring assembly shown in the mattress of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Now with reference to the drawings, and initially to Figure 1, a bed is generally designated with the reference numeral 10 and comprises a frame assembly 12, a spring box 14 and a mattress 16. Preferably, the mattress 16 it is constructed in a manner well known in the art and includes a plurality of coil springs in bags, as will be described in detail below, placed in an array having a generally rectangular planar shape. As seen in Figure 1, the springs 30 are packed closely together with their longitudinal axis AA all parallel to each other with their longitudinal ends 31, 32, which are all in a common plane so they define an internal assembly of springs or core 20. A strip 22 of suitable construction and corner members 24 can be used to reinforce the shape of the core 20. In a well known manner, the core 20 is covered with a panel 26 which can be a cushioned or of foam and cloth, so a sleeping surface is defined. Although not shown in Figure 1, the mattress may have a lower side which is identical in construction to the upper side and which includes a cushioned cover similarly coextensive with the inner core of springs. The upper side cover panel 26 is attached to the lower side cover panel by a continuous edge 28 consisting of fabric. Turning now to Figure 2, the construction 20 of the inner core of springs can be seen to include a plurality of helical springs 30, each encapsulated in an individual bag of fabric 33. Preferably, the bags are formed from a tube of a heat-sensitive fabric 33, such as an elongated continuous strip 34, by ultrasonic welding of the fabric 33 into the ribs 36 formed between adjacent springs 30. The welds 38 preferably occur at spaced intervals along the ribs 36 to ensure adequate strength of the assembled spring 34. The entire inner spring core 20 can best be seen in the plan view of Figure 3. The rows 34 of helical springs 30 in bags of suitable length are placed in a closely packed array to define the core 20. In a well-known manner in the technique, the multiple rows 34 can be placed in a configuration of protrusions and curved recesses with adjacent rows 34 glued together to retain the generally rectangular shape of the core 20. According to the invention, the inner core 20 of springs is constructed using coil springs 30 having compressive resistances or different rigidities. For example, springs 30 'of a first stiffness can be assembled in the first rows 34 of helical springs 30 defining a first region 46 of the core 20, as illustrated in Figure 3, comprising half of the core 20 that is located on the left side of line 50 central. Similarly, helical springs 30 '' of a second stiffness, different from the first stiffness of the helical springs 30 ', are assembled to the second rows 34 of helical springs 30 to define a second region 52 of the core 20 which is located in the right side of the central line 50, as seen in figure 3. This construction allows the mattress 16 to have a single interior core 20 of springs with two halves of different firmness without requiring assembly in which two are needed separate nuclei. However, the mattress assembly 16 of the present invention comprises a unit assembly 20 of unitary inner springs which externally resembles an interior of conventional mattress springs and has no spaces or fractures which may be uncomfortable for users thereof. . In a preferred form, the coil springs 30 of the entire half of the mattress 16 can be formed of steel wire having a diameter of 1.6 mm (0.063 inches), while the adjacent half can have springs 30 formed of a wire which has a diameter of 2.1 mm. { 0.083 inches). This construction provides a discernible difference in firmness between the two halves if it is adequate to adapt to the preferences of two users. Although one form of the invention may have an interior assembly of mattress springs having two regions or sectors of different firmness, it can be appreciated that an inner assembly of springs having any number of different firmness sectors can be constructed to suit the particular preferences of the user or users. Thus, for example, sectors of different firmness may be placed along the interior of springs to provide varying degrees of support for the user's head, thorax or legs. In addition, the sectors can be of any size in relation to the total size of the interior assembly of springs. Therefore, if a single user, for example, desires certain firmness characteristics on a larger portion of the mattress compared to that desired by another user, an internal assembly of springs can be constructed accordingly. Although the present invention has been described in relation to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those familiar with the art that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is desired that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications which are within the spirit and scope of the invention, such as unitary mattresses which have more than two regions of different firmness placed therein. to adapt to the wishes and preferences of the product. 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. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (5)

RET / TiroiCAglQNEg

1 . A unit mattress stack, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of rows of helical springs in bags placed to define a unitary mattress core structure with each of the helical springs in bags having a discrete compressive force, each of which rows is placed in substantially parallel alignment with each other of plurality of rows of helical springs in bags with the longitudinal upper ends of all the coil springs in bags placed in a substantially common plane, perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the springs helical in bags to provide a flat upper mattress surface defined by the ends of the springs; and the helical springs in bags, in the plurality of rows are selectively positioned in the mattress core so that springs having a particular compressive force are placed to provide a first firmness sector within the mattress core, and the coil springs having another compressive force are placed to provide a second sector of firmness within the mattress core, the first and second sectors are adjacent to each other and placed on opposite sides of an imaginary line that divides the assembly substantially longitudinally into two halves , the rows of helical springs in bags on opposite sides of the imaginary dividing line are directly connected together along the lines without a discontinuity in the unitary mattress core between the first and second firmness sectors, so the characteristics of Variable firmness are divided into two different portions of the surface Flat mattress to adapt to different comfort preferences of two simultaneous users.

2 . The piping of the mols of the lev-idiaBia 1, also: it includes a cover placed adjacent to the upper flat surface of the mattress and substantially coextensive with the core that provides a generally flat surface on the upper part of the core. .

3. The ac-Otaje gives aaikJh-Xida Ja le? Na & caci? I 1, «'-» - »< - »» - because the springs of the first sector are formed of a steel wire having a diameter of approximately 1.6 mm (0.063 inches) and the springs of the second sector formed of steel wire having a diameter of approximately 2.1 mm (0.083 inches).

4. A method for constructing a mattress assembly, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: forming a plurality of first coil springs having a first compressive force; forming a plurality of second coil springs having a compressive force which is different from the first compressive force; forming a first row of interconnected fabric bags, each bag is dimensioned and configured to receive any of the first or second of the coil springs; forming a second row of interconnected fabric bags, each bag is dimensioned and configured to receive any of the first or second coil springs; insert the first springs in the bags of the first row of fabric; insert the second springs in the bags of the second row of fabric; placing the rows in a configuration to define a unitary mattress core having a generally rectangular shape, in plan, with longitudinal axes of the springs oriented substantially parallel to each other with the ends of all the springs placed in a common plane and in which the first row is positioned so as to define a first discrete portion of mattress core positioned on one side of an imaginary line that divides the core substantially longitudinally into two halves, and wherein the second row is positioned so as to define a second discrete portion of mattress core placed on the other side of the imaginary longitudinal line, the rows of helical springs in bags on opposite sides of the line are directly connected together along the line without a discontinuity in the core of the mattress between the core portions of the mattress, so two different portions are provided s of mattress core that have variable firmness characteristics to adapt to different comfort preferences of two simultaneous users.

5. The method of claim 4, characterized in that it includes the step of installing a cushion of soft flexible material on the top of the mattress core so that the pad is substantially coextensive with the arrangement or arrangement of the coil springs.