WO2015144186A1

WO2015144186A1 - Stuffing material for bed clothes

Info

Publication number: WO2015144186A1
Application number: PCT/EE2015/000002
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran Valdemar Sjöholm
Original assignee: Oü Delux
Priority date: 2014-03-26
Filing date: 2015-03-26
Publication date: 2015-10-01
Also published as: EE201400008A; EP3122686A1; EE05763B1

Abstract

The invention provides a stuffing containing polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibers, which is used as stuffing for bed clothes, especially pillows. The stuffing containing polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibers is light, airy and flexible, giving the same soft characteristic as down pillow. Provided stuffing is unfavorable environment for bacterial growth, being washable at bacteria killing temperature in domestic conditions. A pillow filled with provided stuffing maintains fluffy, flexible and soft even after washing. The stuffing has no healt adversing impacts, being suitable also for allergics.

Description

Stuffing for bedding and using the same Field of the invention

The invention relates to the field of filling materials; more specifically, pillow stuffings. The invention provides a stuffing that ensures fluffiness, elasticity, and softness similar to a down pillow both when in use and after washing.

State of the art

Various stuffings and filling materials for stuffing pillows, bedding and other similar items are known in the art. For comfortable use, a pillow (or other bed accessory) must fulfil the following criteria: the pillow must be supporting while remaining fluffy and elastic; at the same time, it must also be flexible, the interior of the pillow must be an unsuitable environment for dust mites and bacteria and resist dirt; the pillow should not accumulate moisture and should allow air circulation; and the pillow should also be suitable for people with allergies. Another important factor when using the pillow is the user's preferred sleeping position - on the stomach, on the back, on the side: for all these different positions, the pillow must provide different support to ensure an ergonomic sleeping position for the user. In light of the features listed above, the stuffing or filling of the pillow is important for producing the desired result; to fulfil the above criteria, the stuffing must be soft, elastic and fluffy while having sufficient density; it must be dirt resistant, washable, and anti-allergenic; the pillow stuffing should also not be flammable. Fluffy, elastic and soft feather pillows containing different types of feathers are known from the art, which are, however, unsuitable for people with allergies, as well as difficult to wash. Various alternatives to feather pillow stuffings exist in the form of synthetic stuffings. Pillows with polyester stuffings are widely used, including full polyester stuffings, mixed polyester stuffings, or mixtures of polyester fibres and polyester microfibres. The disadvantage of ordinary polyester fibres is their tendency to clump, resulting in the pillow losing its elasticity and becoming harder. Furthermore, full polyester stuffings readily attract static electricity causing them to attract large amounts of dirt, meaning that pillows with full polyester stuffing must be washed relatively often. European patent No. EP0476012 discloses the FossFlakes® stuffing material in the form of different-sized foil-like flakes made from plastic, consisting of pieces of sheet with a reliefed surface with different curvatures used as stuffing for pillows or other items of bedding. The described plastic flakes ensure the elasticity of the stuffing and the fluffiness of the pillow, as the curved flakes of different shapes do not become flat, nor clump together when the pillow is used for support or washed.

Since the FossFlakes® flakes are made from plastic and the flakes retain certain properties of plastics, such as rigidness and hardness, the FossFlakes® stuffing does not ensure sufficient elasticity or softness to the pillow, and the flakes produce a characteristic and distracting noise as a result of friction. Stuffing mixtures are known from prior art that include FossFlakes® polyethylene flakes as described above, and clusters/clumps of silicone modified polyester. The addition of clusters or clumps of polyester between polyethylene flakes means that the flakes and clusters/clumps are mixed together, making the pillow more elastic, reducing its density and providing a softer general feel, with the soft clusters/clumps between the flakes reducing their friction and the noise it creates.

Since the polyester clumps/clusters may increase in density over time due to pressure and the size of the clumps/clusters does not permit their even distribution between the polyethylene flakes, a pillow using this kind of stuffing will lose its fluffiness and elasticity over time. The uneven distribution of the polyester clumps/clusters also does not completely help mitigate some properties that polyethylene shares with plastics. Clumps/clusters of ordinary polyester fibre do not give the pillow the kind of softness characteristic of down pillows.

Summary of the invention

The invention provides a stuffing comprising a mixture of polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres. Polyester microfibres are an extremely light and durable material; the fibres do not wear or shrink and they can be washed; furthermore, the fibres dry very fast and allow air to circulate. Mixing polyester microfibres into a polyethylene flake stuffing gives the stuffing greater elasticity at the same density; meanwhile, density does not increase thanks to the light weight of the microfibres. Polyester microfibres can be evenly distributed between the polyethylene flakes thanks to properties related to their minimal dimensions. The disclosed stuffing provides the pillow fluffiness, elasticity and softness similar to a down pillow. The stuffing made from polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres can be washed in a household environment; the stuffing will retain its fluffiness, elasticity and softness even after washing. The disclosed combination is an unfavourable environment for the spread of bacteria and is suitable for people with allergies. Pillows made from a stuffing comprising a mixture of polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres are light, airy, resistant to dirt and dust mites, and similar to down pillows. The pillow containing the disclosed stuffing is suitable for people sleeping on the stomach, on the back or on the side, as the pillow is sufficiently supporting and elastic to provide the necessary support for the preferred position. The pillow containing the disclosed stuffing is also suitable for users preferring soft and fluffy pillows similar to a down pillow but who suffer from allergies and sweat excessively while sleeping.

Brief description of the drawing

FIG 1 shows an illustration of a polyethylene flake according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Description of the embodiments

The invention provides a stuffing comprising polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres. Polyethylene flakes are small and flexible film-like flakes 1 with curved and waved or reliefed edges and a convex or reliefed surface, as shown in FIG 1. The thickness of the polyethylene flakes is 1 -80 μπι, preferably 5-30 um and even more preferably 10-20 μηι, and with a diameter of 1-100 mm, preferably 1-30 mm and even more preferably 1-15 mm. The described flakes deform when subjected to pressure, but do not break nor flatten. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the polyethylene flakes used in the stuffing are FossFlakes® flakes. The microfibres are many times finer than ordinary fibres (finer than 0.7 denier), which significantly changes the properties of the fibres. Thanks to their minimal dimensions, the polyester microfibres are extremely light, airy, loose, crumple-resistant and adhesion-resistant. Microfibres have softness properties similar to silk, but their price is many times lower. When the described polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres are mixed together, the microfibres bind to and are distributed between the flakes with an even density, forming a fluffy, elastic and soft stuffing, and reducing friction between the flakes. The mixture is treated with an antistatic agent when mixing polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres in order to prevent static accumulation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stuffing comprises 20-80% polyethylene flakes and 20-80% polyester microfibres. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the stuffing comprises 25-35% polyethylene flakes and, respectively, 65- 75% polyester microfibres. Since polyester microfibres have lower moisture content than ordinary polyester fibres, resulting from the fact that microfibres do not absorb water but allow water vapour to pass through, the stuffing can be washed and quickly dried, and is resistant to moisture. The disclosed stuffing made from polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres is an unfavourable environment for the spread of bacteria. The polyester microfibres are durable, enduring UV radiation; the fibres do not wear or shrink, allowing the disclosed stuffing to retain its fluffiness, elasticity and softness even after long-time use.

The stuffing material disclosed herein is used as stuffing for bedding, more preferably as pillow stuffing. A pillow containing the disclosed stuffing retains its shape and size, the pillow can be washed in a household environment at a temperature that kills bacteria, and the fluffiness, elasticity and softness of the pillow will be preserved after washing. The pillow containing a stuffing of polyester microfibres and polyethylene flakes is light, airy, resistant to dirt, repels dust mites and does not affect the health, making it suitable for a person with allergies. The disclosed stuffing gives the pillow softness similar to a down pillow.

Claims

1. Stuffing material for bedding, characterized in that the stuffing comprises a mixture of polyethylene flakes and polyester microfibres.

2. The stuffing according to claim 1 , characterized in that the stuffing has been treated with anti-static agents.

3. The stuffing according to claim 1 , characterized in that the polyethylene flakes are small and flexible film-like flakes of different sizes with curved and waved or reliefed edges and a convex or reliefed surface.

4. The stuffing according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the polyethylene flakes is 1-80 μηι, preferably 5-30 μη and even more preferably 10-20 μπι, and with a diameter of I- 100 mm, preferably 1-30 mm and even more preferably 1-15 mm.

5. The stuffing according to claim 1 , characterized in that the polyethylene flakes are Fossflakes® flakes.

6. The stuffing according to claim 1 , characterized in that the polyester microfibres are evenly distributed between the polyethylene flakes.

7. The stuffing according to claim 1, characterized in that the stuffing comprises 20- 80% polyethylene flakes and 20-80% polyester microfibres.

8. The stuffing according to claim 1 , characterized in that the preferred content of polyethylene flakes is 25-35% and the preferred content of polyester microfibres is 65- 75%.

9. The use of the stuffing material for bedding according to claim 1 as stuffing for bedding items and soft toys.

10. The use according to claim 9, characterized in that the bedding item is a pillow.