WO1994015810A1

WO1994015810A1 - Mattress for vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO1994015810A1
Application number: PCT/EP1993/003720
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Grigolato
Original assignee: Febe S.R.L.
Priority date: 1993-01-04
Filing date: 1993-12-30
Publication date: 1994-07-21
Also published as: ITVI930001A0; ITVI930001A1; IT1270556B

Abstract

A mattress for vehicles includes a main mattress (2) having a flat upper resting surface (3) and a lower surface (4) which is shaped so as to rest on the cushions (5, 6) and backs of the front seats of a vehicle when the backs (6) are leant back onto the cushions of the rear seats (7). The main mattress is adapted to be arranged inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle in the space between the dashboard (17) and the rear seat backs (13).

Description

MATTRESS FOR VEHICLES

The invention relates to a mattress for cars which is suitable to be installed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Anyone who has had to sleep inside a car knows how uncomfortable it is to rest in its passenger compartment. Indeed, even if the front-seat backs are leant back completely, it is not possible to obtain a surface that is horizontal and flat enough to allow to rest, in conditions that are at least, acceptable ergonomically.

Single- or two-seat inflatable mattresses normally used in camping sites and caravans are known; however, they are not designed for use inside a car, and they do not adapt to the interna] dimensions and structures of the passenger compartment or they do not allow to provide a substantially flat and horizontal surface, as required to ensure acceptable resting conditions.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above described drawbacks by providing a mattress which is particularly suitable to be installed in the passenger compartment of a car and allows resting in ergonomically acceptable conditions.

A particular object is to provide a mattress that can be easily inserted in the passenger compartment of any type of vehicle without interfering with internal mechanisms or structures of the passenger compartment itself.

Another object is to provide a mattress that can be easily folded or rolled up so that it occupies little room in the trunk of the car.

Another object is to provide a mattress which is easy and quick to install and equally easy and quick to remove. This aim and these objects are achieved by providing a mattress for cars which, in accordance with the main claim, includes at least one main mattress that has a substantially flat upper resting surface and a lower surface which is shaped so as to rest on the cushions and backs of the front seats of a car when the backs are at least partially leant back onto the rear seats, wherein the main mattress is shaped so that it can be arranged inside the passenger compartment of the car in the space that is longitudinally included between the dashboard and the rear-seat backs.

The mattress according to the invention allows to sleep in the passenger compartment of the car in conditions that are much more comfortable than those allowed by conventional inflatable mattresses of the prior art.

Further characteristics and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a mattress according to the invention, which are given by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a partially sectional side view, taken along an axial vertical plane, of a mattress according to the invention arranged in the passenger compartment of a car; Figure 2 is a top view of the car and mattress shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the car and mattress of Figures 1 and 2 arranged inside a car which is shown in a partially sectional view;

Figure 4 is a partially sectional side view of the car and mattress according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figuie 5 is a partially sectional side view the car and mattress according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective vi ew of a fourth embodiment of the mattress according to the invention:

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the mattress shown in Figure 5.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the car mattress according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, is formed by a main mattress 2 which has a substantially flat upper resting surface 3 and a lower surface 4 which is shaped so as to rest on the cushions 5 and on the backs 6 of the front seats of a car when the backs (6 are at least partially folded down so as to rest on the cushions 7 of the rear seats. Preferably, the mattress 2 is of the inflatable type and can be manufactured in a per se known manner by using sheets of PVC or similar material welded along their edges. The mattress 2 is provided with an air supply tube 8 fitted with a safety valve.

Preferably, at least the upper surface 3 of the main mattress 2 may have longitudinal, and possibly horizontal, grooves 9 to increase its flexural strength and improve support conditions for the user.

Conveniently, the lower surface 4 of the mattress 2 is tilted with respect to the upper one in order to follow the average inclination of leant back front-seats. The mattress 2, once inflated, therefore has a generally wedge-like shape with a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section in which the longer side is directed toward the steering wheel and the shorter side is directed toward the back 13 of the rear seat. In order to support the main mattress 2 at its thinner end portion, it is possible to provide a supporting member constituted by a preferably elongated and cylindrical inflatable cushion which is also provided with a supply tube 12 fitted with a normal or safety valve and is meant to be placed on the cushions 7 of the rear seats of the car.

Preferably, the plan dimensions of the main mattress 2 are selected so that once the mattress has been inflated it adapts to the internal dimensions of the passenger compartment of most vehicles. In this manner , in the preferred embodiment the maximum width W is approximately equal to the average width of the passenger compartment of vehicles, whereas the maximum length L must match the average distance between the back 13 of the rear seat and the car's steering wheel 14 so as to avoid interfering with it.

In this case it is possible to provide, on the side opposite to the steering wheel, an additional small secondary mattress 15 which is also inflatable by means of a supply duct 16, rests on the cushion 5 of the front seat on the passenger's side, and occupies the residual space left by the main mattress 2, providing the continuity of the resting surface.

As an alternative, the main mattress 2 may have a longitudinal dimension L that is equal to the average distance between the rear back 13 and the front panel of the dashboard 17 on the passenger's side, with an adapted recess for accommodating the steering wheel. The dimensions may be different from the above ones without substantially varying the operation of the device.

In order to install the mattress 1 it is sufficient to spread out the deflated main mattress 2 inside the passenger compartment and then inflate it with a manual or electric pump, powered for example by car power outlets. The cylindrical supporting cushion 11 , together with the supplemental mattress 15 on the passenger's side it necessary, is also inflated and placed at the rear seats. Once the main mattress 2 is inflated and installed, its upper resting surface 3 is approximately aligned with the lower edge of the car windows, leaving sufficient room from the ceiling of the passenger compartment to allow users to rest in a substantially horizontal position and with adequate ventilation.

The mattress 2 can be removed as easily as it was installed, after deflating by opening the respective safety valves of the ducts 8 , 12 and 16 . Af ter complet e def l ation , the main mattress 2 and the secondary ones 11 and 15 can be folded up and stored in the trunk 18, occupying minimal space.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the main mattress 2 is divided into two mutually superimposed parts 2"' and 2"". In this case, the upper part 2"' has a constant thickness and only the lower part 2"" is wedge-shaped.

In the variation shown in Figure 5, the main mattress 2 han, toward its thinnest end, a protrusion 19 which is directed downward and is meant to rest on the cushion 7 of the rear seat. In this case, the supporting cushion is monolithic with the main mattress 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the main mattress 2 is formed by a pair of adjacent secondary mattresses 2', 2" which are separated by a longitudinal vertical plane that approximately corresponds to the centerline of the car.

Obviously the secondary mattresses may also be more than two without abandoning the scope of the invention. As in the main case, the mattresses 2', 2" are preferably inflatable and have respective supply ducts 8', 8" with respective safety valves. Once inflated, the mattresses 2', 2" can be installed side by side so that their upper surfaces 3', 3" form a substantially continuous upper resting surface. The mattresses 2', 2" may have different lengths in order to adapt to the length of the passenger compartment on the driver's side or on the passenger's side without having to provide a secondary supplemental mattress. Obviously it is possible to install just one of the secondary mattresses 2', 2" to prepare a resting surface for a single user.

The variation shown in Figure 7 combines splitting of the mattress into two side-by-side parts with splitting into two superimposed parts. Accordingly, the mattress 2 is divided into four separate parts 2_I, 2_II, 2_III and 2_IV which can be inflated separately. These variations composed of multiple partial mattresses offer the advantage that they can adapt, better to the shapes and dimensions of different commercial cars. In fact, if the passenger compartment is for example longer than the mattress, this difference in length, designated by D in Figure 4, can be compensated by sliding the upper part, with respect to the lower one, which instead continues to rest stably on the seats and for which any differences in the length of the passenger compartment are substantially irrelevant. The variations described above, too, are installed and removed by following the procedures described earlier for the monolithic main mattress and are as practical and easy to install as that preferred embodiment.

The mattress according to the invention can be provided with standardized shapes and dimensions for cars of the same category, giving rise to several variations, all of which are considered to be equally protected.

Claims

1. Mattress for vehicles, characterized in that it comprises at least one main mattress (2) that has a substantially flat upper resting surface (3) and a lower surface (4) which is shaped so as to rest on the cushions (5, 6) and backs of the front seats of a vehicle when said backs (6) are at least partially leant back onto the cushions of the rear seats (7), wherein said main mattress (2) is suitable to be ar ranged inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle in the space that is longitudinally comprised approximately between the dashboard (17) and the rear-seat backs (13).

2. Mattress according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower surface (4) of said main mattress (2) is at least partially tilted with respect to the upper one (3) to adapt to the inclination of the backs (6) of the front seats when said backs (6) are leant back onto the rear seats.

3. Mattress according to claim 2, characterized in that said main mattress (2) has a total width (W) that is approximately equal to the average length of the passenger compartment of a car and a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross- section in which the longer parallel side is directed toward the dashboard (17) and the shorter parallel side is directed toward the rear seats of the vehicle.

4. Mat t r ess according to claim 3, characterized in that said main mattress (2) is inflatable and has at least one supply duct (8), possibly provided with a safety valve.

5. Mattress according to claim 4, characterized in that the total length (L) of said main mattress (2) is approximately equal to the average distance between the steering wheel (14) and the back (13) of the rear seats, a transverse inflatable mattress (15) being provided that rests on the cushion of the front seat (5) to supplement the main mattress (2) on t he side opposite to the steering wheel.

6. Mattress according to claim 4, characterized in that said main mattress (2) is monolithic and has a total length (L) that is approximately equal to the distance between the dashboard (17) on the passenger's side and the back (13) of the rear seats and has, at the steering wheel (14), a recess for accommodating it.

7. Mattress according to claim 3, characterized in that said main mattress (2) is composed of at least one pair of secondary inflatable mattresses (2', 2") which are separated by a vertical longitudinal plane and are suitable to be placed inside the passenger compartment on their own or side by side so that their upper face (3' , 3") forms a substantially continuous resting surface.

8. Mattress according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of said secondary mattresses is in turn divided into two separate parts ( 2 _I , 2_II, 2_III, 2_IV ) which are at least partially superimposed.

9. Mattress according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one of said secondary mattresses has a recess that is suitable to accommodate the steering wheel (14).

10. Mattress according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a supporting member (11) that is suitable to support the thinner end portion of said main mattress (2) or of said secondary mattresses (2', 2"; 2_I, 2_II, 2_III, 2_IV), said supporting member being constituted by at least one elongated cushion which is arranged transversely to the car and lies on the cushion (7) of the rear seat of said car.

11. Mattress according to claim 10, characterized in that said supporting cushion (11) is inflatable and is separate from said main mattress (2) or from said secondary mattresses (2', 2"; 2_I, 2_II, 2_III, 2_IV).

12. Mattress according to claim 10, characterized in that said supporting cushion (19) is monolithic with said main mattress (2) or with at least one of said secondary mattresses (2' , 2"; 2_I, 2_II, 2_III, 2_IV) .