INTERLOCKING FOAM ENCASEMENT COMPONENTS TO FORM MATTRESS ENCASEMENTS, AND RELATED MATTRESS ENCASEMENTS, MATTRESS ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS
Interlocking foam encasement components to form mattress encasements, and related mattress encasements, mattress assemblies, and methods are disclosed. A mattress encasement is formed by two interlocking foam encasement components engaged with each other. Each interlocking foam encasement component includes a foam base member with two foam side-support members provided in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement on opposite sides of the foam base member. To form the mattress encasement, first side-support members of a first interlocking foam encasement component are interlocked orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to second side-support members of a second interlocking foam encasement component to form a foam side-support perimeter for the mattress encasement. The foam side-support perimeter provides an interior area to receive and encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core. In this manner, as a non-limiting example, the mattress encasement can be easily assembled and the foam encasement members folded or rolled for reduced-volume storage and/or shipment.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/620,711 filed on Apr. 5, 2012, entitled “Interlocking Multiple Component Mattress Assembly Encasements,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/620,649 filed on Apr. 5, 2012, entitled “Mattress Assemblies And Methods Employing Foam Side Support Members With Attachment Members,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present application also claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/738,391 filed on Jan. 10, 2013, entitled “Mattress Assemblies And Methods Employing Cloth Member(s) Thermally Bonded To Foam Side Support Member(s) To Form Mattress Encasements,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/585,021 filed on Jan. 10, 2012, entitled “Mattress Assemblies And Methods Employing Foam Side Support Members With Attachment Members,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/620,649 filed on Apr. 5, 2012, entitled “Mattress Assemblies And Methods Employing Foam Side Support Members With Attachment Members.”
The present application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/787,421 filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “Mattress Assemblies Employing Innersprings Supported by Foam Bases Having Protrusions For Spring Support, And Foam Decks And Related Methods,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/799,837 filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “Mattress Assemblies With Foam Decks And Protrusions Dampening Adjacent Spring Coils Of Innersprings, And Related Methods,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF DISCLOSUREThe field of the disclosure relates generally to mattress assemblies, mattresses, and related methods providing support, including side-support members, which may be employed in bedding and seating applications.
BACKGROUNDInnerspring assemblies are a type of mattress core utilized for mattresses or seating structures and may be composed of spring coils attached together in a matrix or array. An example of a mattress 10 containing an innerspring assembly 12 (“innerspring 12”) is illustrated in
With continuing reference to
Certain components of the mattress 10 may be manufactured separately and shipped to secondary manufacturers or assemblers that assemble the entire mattress 10. It may also be desired to ship components of the mattress 10 to an end user in unassembled form, for the end user to assemble or have the components assembled into the mattress 10. In either case, it is desirable to find ways to compact the mattress 10 and/or its components to reduce their volume during shipping to reduce shipping costs. As discussed above, to assemble the mattress 10 in
Embodiments disclosed herein include interlocking foam encasement components to form mattress encasements. Related mattress encasements, mattress assemblies, and methods are also disclosed. In certain embodiments, a mattress encasement is formed by two interlocking foam encasement components engaged with each other. Each interlocking foam encasement component is comprised of a foam base member with two foam side-support members provided in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement on opposite sides of the foam base member. The rigidity of the foam base members disposes the foam side-support members a predefined distance away from each other according to the length of the foam base members. To form the mattress encasement, first side-support members of a first interlocking foam encasement component are interlocked orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to second side-support members of a second interlocking foam encasement component to form a foam side-support perimeter of side-support members for the mattress encasement. The foam side-support perimeter provides an interior area to receive and encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core. The foam base members of the first interlocking foam encasement component and the second interlocking foam encasement component are disposed on top of each other to maintain the interlocking of the foam side-support members together in the foam side-support perimeter.
In this manner as a non-limiting example, the mattress encasement can be easily assembled by providing two interlocking foam encasement components that can easily be interlocked together to form a foam side-support perimeter of side-support members about the base. Further, as another non-limiting example, because the mattress encasement is formed from foam encasement components having parallel or substantially parallel arranged side-support members, each foam encasement member can be folded or rolled about the foam side-support members to reduce or eliminate the volume that would otherwise by consumed by an interior area of an assembled encasement for reduced-volume storage and/or shipment.
In this regard, in one embodiment, a mattress encasement for encasing a mattress innerspring or mattress core is provided. The mattress encasement comprises a first interlocking foam encasement component. The first interlocking foam encasement component comprises a first foam base member having a first pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the first foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a first longitudinal direction. The mattress encasement also comprises a second interlocking foam encasement component. The second interlocking foam encasement component comprises a second foam base member having a second pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the second foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a second longitudinal direction. The first interlocking foam encasement component is received by the second interlocking foam encasement component to interlock the first pair of foam side-support members in the first longitudinal direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the second longitudinal direction of the second pair of foam side-support members, forming a foam side-support perimeter. The foam side-support perimeter is comprised of the first pair of foam side-support members interlocked with the second pair of foam side-support members and an interior area inside the foam side-support perimeter configured to encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core.
In another embodiment, a method of assembling a mattress encasement for encasing a mattress innerspring or mattress core is provided. The method comprises providing a first interlocking foam encasement component. The first interlocking foam encasement component comprises a first foam base member having a first pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the first foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a first longitudinal direction. The method also comprises providing a second interlocking foam encasement component. The second interlocking foam encasement component comprises a second foam base member having a second pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the second foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a second longitudinal direction. The method also comprises receiving the first interlocking foam encasement by the second interlocking foam encasement component to interlock the first pair of foam side-support members in the first longitudinal direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the second longitudinal direction of the second pair of foam side-support members, forming a foam side-support perimeter. The foam side-support perimeter is comprised of the first pair of foam side-support members interlocked with the second pair of foam side-support members and an interior area inside the foam side-support perimeter configured to encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core.
The aforementioned mattress assemblies may be compatible with various types of mattress cores, for example, innerspring coil mattress cores, pocketed coil cores, or air bladder mattress cores having varying widths and lengths forming the mattress core perimeter. Furthermore, the side-support members may be pivoted with respect to the foam base for more compact storage and easier transportation.
With reference now to the drawing figures, several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
Embodiments disclosed herein include interlocking foam encasement components to form mattress encasements. Related mattress encasements, mattress assemblies, and methods are also disclosed. In certain embodiments, a mattress encasement is formed by two interlocking foam encasement components engaged with each other. Each interlocking foam encasement component is comprised of a foam base member with two foam side-support members provided in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement on opposite sides of the foam base member. The rigidity of the foam base members disposes the foam side-support members a predefined distance away from each other according to the length of the foam base members. To form the mattress encasement, first side-support members of a first interlocking foam encasement component are interlocked orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to second side-support members of a second interlocking foam encasement component to form a foam side-support perimeter of side-support members for the mattress encasement. The foam side-support perimeter provides an interior area to receive and encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core. The foam base members of the first interlocking foam encasement component and the second interlocking foam encasement component are disposed on top of each other to maintain the interlocking of the foam side-support members together in the foam side-support perimeter.
In this manner as a non-limiting example, the mattress encasement can be easily assembled by providing two interlocking foam encasement components that can easily be disposed together to form the perimeter of side-support members about the base. Further, as another non-limiting example, because the mattress encasement is formed from foam encasement components having parallel or substantially parallel arranged side-support members, each foam encasement member can be folded or rolled about the foam side-support members to reduce or eliminate the volume that would otherwise by consumed by an interior area of an assembled encasement for reduced-volume storage and/or shipment.
In this regard,
As illustrated in
In this manner, as a non-limiting example, the mattress encasement 40 in
With continuing reference to the mattress encasement 40 in
With continuing reference to
With reference to
The first and second foam base members 48A, 48B being constructed of foam material provide rigidity to the interlocking of the second pair of foam side-support members 50A(1), 50A(2) with the second pair of foam side-support members 50B(1), 50B(2). As illustrated in
If the material of the first and second foam base members 48A, 48B is stiff or rigid, the first and second interlocking foam encasement components 46A, 46B may still be difficult to fold or roll-up. In this regard, to assist in the folding or rolling-up of the first and second interlocking foam encasement components 46A, 46B, one or more elongated cut out channels 78(1)-78(3) may be disposed in a bottom surface 80A, 80B of alternative interlocking foam encasement components 46A′, 46B′, as illustrated in
There are other exemplary features that may be employed to retain the interlocking of the first and second interlocking foam encasement components 46A, 46B (and 46A′, 46B′ in
Other features can be provided in interlocking foam encasement components that are configured to be interlocked together as described herein to provide an interlocking mattress encasement. In this regard,
As discussed in U.S. Patent Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/620,649 filed Apr. 5, 2012, the elongated protrusions 84 may facilitate motion isolation and articulation of the mattress encasement 40(2) and a mattress innerspring or core encased in the interior area 44(2). The elongated protrusions 84 may also provide additional cushioning and support in combination with the a mattress innerspring or mattress core encased by the mattress encasement 40(2). The elongated protrusions 84 each comprise the distal end surfaces 88. The distal end surfaces 88 can be configured to support bottom portions of springs of a mattress innerspring, as an example. In this manner, the distal end surfaces 88 are configured to independently collapse to cushion the weight of a user of a mattress assembly employing the mattress encasement 40(2). The elongated protrusions 84 may comprise a cushioning material configured facilitate the collapse of the distal end surfaces 88, for example, foamed thermoplastic and/or foamed thermoset. In one embodiment the elongated protrusions 84 comprise polyethylene. The elongated protrusions 84 may be integral with the first foam base member 48A(2) for efficient transfer of the weight of the user, as a non-limiting example. Integral as used herein means the elongated protrusions 84 are attached to the first foam base member 48A(2) according to a bond so that they do not detach from one another. The bond may be formed by a mechanical lock wherein material of the elongated protrusions 84 may encapsulate or flow into holes and other surface features in the structure of the first foam base member 48A(2) before solidifying. Alternatively, the bond may be derived from melting and/or chemical adhesion or cohesion between surfaces of the elongated protrusions 84 and the first foam base member 48A(2).
With reference to
Further, as illustrated in
Alternatively, or in addition to the fasteners 92, cloth members 93 may be employed to secure adjacent first and second pair of foam side-support members 50A(1)(3), 50A(2)(3), 50B(1)(3), 50B(2)(3) together to provide additional interlocking. The cloth members 93 may be used to secure corners formed between adjacent first and second pair of foam side-support members 50A(1)(3), 50A(2)(3), 50B(1)(3), 50B(2)(3) coming together when the mattress encasement 40(3) is assembled, as shown in
More information on flip-up side-support members that can be employed in any of the present embodiments is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/870,316 filed on Aug. 27, 2012 and entitled “Assemblies, Systems, And Related Methods Employing Interlocking Components To Provide At Least A Portion Of An Encasement, Particularly For Bedding And Seating Applications,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary, and may be provided together in any combination desired. Based on this disclosure, mattress assemblies may be assembled using the foam side-support member disclosed herein around any of a variety of mattress cores, including for example, air bladder mattress cores, innerspring coil mattress cores, pocketed coil spring mattress cores (e.g. Marshall coil mattress cores), and mattress cores formed from a cellular material (e.g. foam). Because each elongated side-support member disclosed herein is adaptable to be disposed around a variety of types and dimensions of mattress cores, the embodiments disclosed herein enable mattress core manufacturers to more easily store and transport the elongated side-support members.
Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments disclosed herein. Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. The materials or compositions of the aforementioned components can be varied as well, including but not limited to whether foam may be exclusively thermoset or thermoplastic materials, or a composite of both. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.
It is also noted that the operational steps described in any of the exemplary embodiments herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The operations described may be performed in numerous different sequences other than the illustrated sequences. Furthermore, operations described in a single operational step may actually be performed in a number of different steps. Additionally, one or more operational steps discussed in the exemplary embodiments may be combined.
Further, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended that the embodiments cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A mattress encasement for encasing a mattress innerspring or mattress core, comprising:
- a first interlocking foam encasement component comprising a first foam base member having a first pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the first foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a first longitudinal direction; and
- a second interlocking foam encasement component comprising a second foam base member having a second pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the second foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a second longitudinal direction;
- the first interlocking foam encasement component received by the second interlocking foam encasement component to interlock the first pair of foam side-support members in the first longitudinal direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the second longitudinal direction of the second pair of foam side-support members, forming a foam side-support perimeter; and
- the foam side-support perimeter comprised of the first pair of foam side-support members interlocked with the second pair of foam side-support members and an interior area inside the foam side-support perimeter configured to encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core.
2. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein the first pair of foam side-support members each have a first length greater than a second length of each of the second pair of foam side-support members.
3. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein a first end face and second end face of each of the second pair of foam side-support members abuts a first side end and a second side end of each of the second pair of foam side-support members.
4. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising a first pair of slots disposed in the interior area between a bottom end of the first pair of foam side-support members and a support surface of the first foam base member, the first pair of slots configured to receive a pair of edges on second opposite ends of the second foam base member to interlock the second interlocking foam encasement component to the first interlocking foam encasement component.
5. The mattress encasement of claim 4, wherein the second pair of foam side-support members extend beyond second opposite ends of the second foam base member.
6. The mattress encasement of claim 5, wherein a first end face and second end face of each of the second pair of foam side-support members abuts a first side end and a second side end of each of the second pair of foam side-support members.
7. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein at least one of:
- the first pair of foam side-support members are attached to the first foam base member; and
- the second pair of foam side-support members are attached to the second foam base member.
8. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein at least one of:
- the first pair of foam side-support members are integrally formed as part of the first foam base member; and
- the second pair of foam side-support members are integrally formed as part of the second foam base member.
9. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of elongated protrusions disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in the first foam base member providing a plurality of elongated channels disposed in the parallel or substantially parallel arrangement, each of the plurality of elongated channels disposed adjacent to at least one elongated protrusion among the plurality of protrusions.
10. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:
- a first plurality of elongated channels disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in the first foam base member;
- a second plurality of elongated channels disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in the first foam base member.
11. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:
- at least one elongated cut portion disposed in a bottom surface of the first foam base member between second opposite ends of the first foam base member forming at least one bend bias channel in the first foam member; and
- at least one elongated cut portion disposed in a bottom surface of the second foam base member between second opposite ends of the second foam base member forming at least one bend biased channel in the second foam member.
12. The mattress encasement of claim 11, wherein at least one of:
- the at least one elongated cut portion disposed in the bottom surface of the first foam base member is comprised of: a first pair of elongated cut portions each disposed a width of a foam side-support member among the first pair of foam side-support members from the opposite ends of the first foam base member, and a second pair of elongated cut portions each disposed a height of a foam side-support member among the first pair of foam side-support members from the first pair of elongated cut portions disposed in the first foam base member, to facilitate folding of the first pair of foam side-support members about the first foam base member in unassembled form; and
- the at least one elongated cut portion disposed in the bottom surface of the second foam base member is comprised of: a first pair of elongated cut portions each disposed a width of a foam side-support member among the second pair of foam side-support members from the opposite ends of the second foam base member, and a second pair of elongated cut portions each disposed a height of a foam side-support member among the second pair of foam side-support members from the first pair of elongated cut portions disposed in the second foam base member, to facilitate folding of the second pair of foam side-support members about the second foam base member in unassembled form.
13. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:
- at least one first channel disposed in each of the first pair of foam side-support members; and
- at least one second channel disposed in each of the second pair of foam side-support members.
14. The mattress encasement of claim 13, wherein at least one of:
- the first pair of foam side-support members are integrally formed with the first foam base member; and
- the second pair of foam side-support members are integrally formed with the first foam base member.
15. The mattress encasement of claim 14, further comprising at least one:
- a first pair of living hinges disposed on opposite ends of the first foam base member, each of the first pair of foam side-support members flipped-up about a living hinge among the first pair of living hinges to provide the first pair of foam side-support members extending orthogonal to a support plane of the first foam base member; and
- a second pair of living hinges disposed on opposite ends of the second foam base member, each of the second pair of foam side-support members flipped-up about a living hinge among the second pair of living hinges to provide the second pair of foam side-support members extending orthogonal to a support plane of the first foam base member.
16. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of innerspring engaging protrusions disposed orthogonal or substantially orthogonal from at least one interior side of a plurality of interior sides of the first pair of foam side-support members and the second pair of foam side-support members into the interior area, the plurality of innerspring engaging protrusions configured to each be disposed between adjacent perimeter coils in a mattress innerspring disposed in the interior area.
17. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein:
- the first pair of foam side-support members are comprised of a thermoplastic material; and
- the second pair of foam side-support members are comprised of a thermoplastic material.
18. The mattress encasement of claim 1, wherein:
- the first pair of foam side-support members are comprised of a thermoset material; and
- the second pair of foam side-support members are comprised of a thermoset material.
19. The mattress encasement of claim 1, further comprising a cloth member secured to a first foam side-support member among the first pair of side-support members and to a second foam side-support member among the second pair of side-support members disposed adjacent to the first foam side-support member, to secure the first foam side-support member to the second foam side-support member.
20. The mattress encasement of claim 19, wherein the at least one cloth member is thermally bonded to the first foam side-support member among the first pair of side-support members and the second foam side-support member among the second pair of side-support members.
21. The mattress encasement of claim 19, further comprising at least one fastener securing the first foam side-support member among the first pair of side-support members and to the second foam side-support member among the second pair of side-support members disposed adjacent to the first foam side-support member.
22. The mattress encasement of claim 1 provided in a mattress assembly.
23. The mattress encasement of claim 22, further comprising a mattress innerspring or mattress core disposed in the interior area.
24. A method of assembling a mattress encasement for encasing a mattress innerspring or mattress core, comprising:
- providing a first interlocking foam encasement component comprising a first foam base member having a first pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the first foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a first longitudinal direction; and
- providing a second interlocking foam encasement component comprising a second foam base member having a second pair of foam side-support members provided on first opposite ends of the second foam base member and disposed in parallel or substantially parallel arrangement in a second longitudinal direction; and
- receiving the first interlocking foam encasement component by the second interlocking foam encasement component to interlock the first pair of foam side-support members in the first longitudinal direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the second longitudinal direction of the second pair of foam side-support members, forming a foam side-support perimeter comprised of the first pair of foam side-support members interlocked with the second pair of foam side-support members and an interior area inside the foam side-support perimeter configured to encase a mattress innerspring or mattress core.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 5, 2013
Publication Date: Oct 10, 2013
Inventors: Julian Thomas Young (Zebulon, NC), Christopher Dean Page (Nashville, NC), Ivan Sobran (Raleigh, NC), Mark Stearley (Cary, NC)
Application Number: 13/857,493
International Classification: A47C 23/04 (20060101);