Honeycomb mattress support
An apparatus providing a sleeping surface is described. A mattress support includes a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells. The honeycomb core has a top face and a bottom face, and includes a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face. A first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core, and a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core. The mattress support is configured to support the mattress and a human being positioned on top of the mattress, the mattress positioned on top of the first facing sheet of the mattress support.
This invention relates to an apparatus providing a sleeping surface.
BACKGROUNDA typical bed includes a mattress supported by a bed frame. Often, a box spring is positioned between the mattress and the bed frame to provide additional support for the user. A typical mattress is formed from coiled springs and padding encased in a fabric covering, although other types of mattresses are available, including mattresses made from manmade foam or from natural fibers, such as cotton or wool. Alternatively, a mattress or mattress overlay can be formed from a honeycomb material, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,621, entitled “Liner for Overlaying a Mattress”, issued to Landi, et al, on Dec. 30, 1997. A box spring is usually formed from coiled springs and a wooden frame encased by a fabric covering.
SUMMARYThis invention relates to an apparatus providing a sleeping surface for humans. In general, in one aspect, the invention features a mattress system including a mattress positioned on top of a mattress support, and a mattress support. The mattress support includes a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells. The honeycomb core has a top face and a bottom face, and includes a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face. A first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core, and a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core. The mattress support is configured to support the mattress and a human being positioned on top of the mattress, the mattress positioned on top of the first facing sheet of the mattress support.
Embodiments can include one or more of the following features. The mattress support can be at least approximately 5 feet in length and at least approximately 3 feet in width. The honeycomb core can be at least approximately 4 inches in thickness between the top face and the bottom face. The honeycomb core can be formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane material having a durometer of approximately Shore A 80-85. The first facing sheet can be formed from a 20 gauge thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer material that is approximately 0.015 to 0.025 inches in thickness. The honeycomb core can be formed from two or more honeycomb panels fused together. The facing sheets and/or the honeycomb core can be formed from a perforated material.
The mattress can also be formed from a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells. The honeycomb core has a top face and a bottom face, and includes a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face. A first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core, and a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material is bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core.
Implementations of the invention can realize one or more of the following advantages. The honeycomb mattress support is lighter in weight than a conventional box spring. The honeycomb panel used to form the honeycomb mattress support resists deformation. Different materials can be used to make the honeycomb panel to vary the properties, e.g., firmness, weight.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIGS. 9A-F are schematic representations of cells of a honeycomb panel.
FIGS. 13A-B are schematic top views of a mattress support formed from two honeycomb panels.
FIGS. 14A-F are schematic sides views illustrating a process for seaming a side of a honeycomb panel.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to
Referring to
The mattress support 5 has high tear and tensile strength and is highly resilient, with optimal compression load and shock absorption or dispersion characteristics, yet can be relatively lightweight. Selected combinations of elastomeric material, honeycomb cell configuration, core thickness and facing material variables can determine the characteristics of softness or hardness, resilient recovery rate and rigidity or flex. The facing materials can be selected from a wide variety of films, including thermoplastic urethanes, foams, EVA's, elastomer impregnated fibers and fabrics.
Referring to
As suggested by the arrow 34, the base 22 is then moved upwardly to cause the top surface of sheet 28 to engage ribs 32 and force the areas of the bottom surface of sheet 26 lying beneath the ribs 32 into compressive engagement with corresponding top surface areas of sheet 20. Since the plate 30 is elevated to a temperature of approximately 460 degrees Fahrenheit, heat will be transmitted from the ribs 30 and through sheet 28 to sheets 26 and 20, causing the contacting areas to be thermal compression bonded together. Note that the base travel (and thus the compression force), the temperature of plate 30, and the dwell time of each bonding cycle are carefully selected and controlled to achieve a desired bond quality. The function of the Teflon comb fingers 24 is to maintain separation between sheets 20 and 26 in the unbonded sheet surface areas between the bonded surface areas.
The base 22 is then lowered and, as depicted in
Although not depicted in detail, base 22 is then again lowered, the comb 24 is removed from between sheets 20 and 26, and after removal of sheet 28, is laid upon the upper surface of sheet 38. A fourth plastic sheet is subsequently laid thereupon along with the protective sheet 28, the base 22 is shifted leftwardly, and the assembly is again moved upwardly into contact with ribs 22 to complete the third bonding operation. The above-described process is successively repeated until a laminated assembly having a pre-selected number of laminations, such as is graphically represented in
The laminated block 50 can then be cut into multiple core strips. As depicted in
The core strip 58 is then expanded into a honeycomb configuration. This may be accomplished either manually, or mechanically by suitable mechanisms. In one implementation, the core expansion operation is accomplished using metal spreader plates such as that depicted at 60 in
The core strip 58 is expanded by application of separating forces in the directions illustrated by the arrows E in
On the other hand, by increasing the spacing (in the direction) between pins in each row and decreasing the spacing (in the W direction) between pin rows, the same core when expanded will have cells with different cell dimensions d3 and d4, as depicted in
In one embodiment, the dimensions of the cells in the mattress support 5 are as follows. Referring to
In another implementation, a honeycomb expander mechanism can be used to expand the core 58. For example, the honeycomb expander mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,305 issued to Stillman on Dec. 27, 1994, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, can be used to expand the core 58. Other mechanisms or techniques can be used to expand the core 58.
Referring to
The bed 69 is then raised causing core 58 and sheet 72 to be moved upwardly into engagement with plate 70 to effect one or more searing operations which have the effect of planarizing the upper surface of core 58 by deforming the upper extremities of the core walls as indicated at 74. Again, the bed travel, press plate temperature and press dwell time are carefully selected and controlled to achieve the desired result. In one implementation, the press plate temperature is approximately 400 degrees Farenheit and the press dwell time is approximately 10 seconds.
Referring to
If applying facing sheets to both sides of the honeycomb core 10, the single faced core assembly is stripped from the spreader plate 60, inverted and placed on another flat plate, positioned beneath press 70, and the operations illustrated in
To insure proper cooling and to maintain planarization of the bonded surfaces, a flat cooling plate may be placed atop the panel following each facing bonding operation and left in place for a predetermined period. Alternatively, a weighted plate may be rubbed several times across the heated surface to achieve the same result.
At this point, the honeycomb core 10 (with facing sheets 14, 16 attached) is complete and ready for trimming and final inspection, and has a cross sectional configuration such as that depicted in
In one embodiment, perforations may be formed in one or both of the facing sheets to unseal the honeycomb cells. Alternatively, or additionally, the cell walls can include perforations. Referring to
The mattress support 5 can be formed in various sizes to accommodate mattresses of various sizes. For example, the mattress support 5 can have dimensions of approximately: 74 inches by 36 inches to accommodate a twin size mattress; 80 inches by 30 inches to accommodate a queen size mattress; or 84 inches by 36 inches to accommodate a king size mattress. With respect to the queen and king size embodiments, two mattress supports 5 can be used positioned side by side lengthwise to support a corresponding mattress (see further description below). In one embodiment, the mattress support 5 can be approximately 4 inches thick. A honeycomb core strip having a pre-planarization thickness of 4.25 inches can be used. The overall thickness is reduced by approximately ⅛th of an inch on each face of the honeycomb core 10 during the planarization process. The mattress support 5 can be sized after the honeycomb core 10 is fabricated as described above, i.e., trimmed down to the desired dimensions, or the honeycomb core 10 can initially be formed according to the desired dimensions.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the mattress support 5 is formed from the honeycomb core and facing sheets 14, 16 as described above. The four sides of the mattress support 5 are not faced, and the cell structure is visible. Optionally, the mattress support 5 can be encased, for example, in a fabric encasement.
Referring to
In another embodiment, a seam can be formed along the sides of the mattress support 5 by bonding together opposing top and bottom edges. An exemplary process for forming the seams in a mattress support 200 is shown in FIGS. 14A-C.
Referring to
As shown in
An alternative exemplary process for forming the seams in a mattress support 300 is shown in FIGS. 14D-F. The process is similar to what was described above in reference to FIGS. 14A-C, except that the slit 302 (or slits) made in the mattress support 300 are made approximately horizontally along the side 304 to be flanged. The opposing edges 306 and 308 are then pulled toward one another, and positioned on a base 310 of a radio frequency sealing apparatus. As shown, a sheet of non-stick material, such as a Teflon sheet 312 can be placed between the radio frequency sealing bar 314 and the edge 306. The radio frequency sealing bar 314 is pressed downwardly onto, and compresses, the edges 306, 308. Radio frequency energy is transmitted through the radio frequency sealing bar 314 causing the edges 306, 308 to fuse to one another. Other techniques for creating a seamed edge can be used, for example, it is not necessary to make a slit or slits in the material before fusing.
In another embodiment, facing sheets can be applied to the four sides of the mattress support, in addition to the upper and lower faces as described above. In one implementation, facing sheets can be applied to the sides by fusion using a hot iron.
Referring again to
The mattress support 5 can optionally be positioned on top of a frame 6, as depicted in
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A mattress system, comprising:
- a mattress; and
- a mattress support that supports the mattress, the mattress support, comprising: a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermally bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells, the honeycomb core having a top face and a bottom face; a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face; a first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core; and a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core;
- where the mattress support is configured to support the mattress and a human being positioned on top of the mattress, the mattress positioned on top of the first facing sheet of the mattress support.
2. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the mattress support is substantially rectangular shaped.
3. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the mattress support is at least approximately 5 feet in length and at least approximately 3 feet in width.
4. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb core is at least approximately 4 inches in thickness between the top face and the bottom face.
5. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb core is formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane material having a durometer of approximately 80-85.
6. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the first facing sheet is formed from a 20 gauge thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer material and is approximately 0.015 to 0.025 inches in thickness.
7. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the mattress support includes two or more honeycomb cores bonded together.
8. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first facing sheet, the second facing sheet, or the strips of resilient thermoplastic material forming the honeycomb core include perforations.
9. The mattress system of claim 1, wherein the mattress comprises a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells, the honeycomb core having a top face and a bottom face.
10. The mattress system of claim 9, wherein the mattress further comprises:
- a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face;
- a first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core; and
- a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core.
11. The mattress system of claim 10, wherein for the mattress at least one of the first facing sheet, the second facing sheet or the strips of resilient thermoplastic material include perforations.
12. A mattress support, comprising:
- a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together and expanded to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells, the honeycomb core having a top face and a bottom face;
- a thermal compression planarizing deformation of the top face and the bottom face;
- a first facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the top face of the honeycomb core; and
- a second facing sheet of resilient thermoplastic material bonded to the bottom face of the honeycomb core;
- where the mattress support is configured to support a mattress and a human being positioned on top of the mattress, the mattress positioned on top of the first facing sheet of the mattress support.
13. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the mattress support is substantially rectangular shaped.
14. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the mattress support is at least approximately 5 feet in length and at least approximately 3 feet in width.
15. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the honeycomb core is at least approximately 4 inches in thickness between the top face and the bottom face.
16. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the honeycomb core is formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane material having a durometer of approximately 80-85.
17. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the first facing sheet is formed from a 20 gauge thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer material and is approximately 0.015 to 0.025 inches in thickness.
18. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the mattress support includes two or more honeycomb cores bonded together.
19. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first facing sheet, the second facing sheet, or the strips of resilient thermoplastic material forming the honeycomb core include perforations.
20. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the mattress support configured to support a mattress has width and length dimensions at least the same as width and length dimensions of the mattress.
21. The mattress support of claim 12, wherein the mattress support configured to support a mattress and a human being is provided with at least enough stiffness to support the weight of a mattress and a human being lying horizontally thereon.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 10, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 15, 2006
Inventors: Susan Wilson (San Jose, CA), Curtis Landi (San Jose, CA)
Application Number: 11/009,666
International Classification: A47C 27/00 (20060101);