Mattress Support Apparatus

Abstract

A mattress support apparatus provides an inflatable bladder member that can be placed under a mattress beneath a sagging portion thereof, so that as the bladder is inflated it pushes upwards raising the sagging portion and re-leveling the upper surface of the mattress. In some implementations, the bladder member is inflated by an electric pump. Inflation may be operated by a handheld controller, which optionally may include an up/down switch, and the apparatus may include a digital or analog pressure readout. The inflatable bladder may have a contoured shape, and may include a ribbed outer surface to enhance engagement with the mattress and prevent slippage.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/414,083, filed Oct. 28, 2016. The foregoing application is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to beds and mattresses, and more particularly to an improved mattress support apparatus that can be used to raise a sagging portion of a mattress and re-level the upper surface of the mattress.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Mattresses often develop a depression or “sag” on their upper surface with use over time, particularly in the middle portion of the upper surface of the mattress where the user typically sleeps. This can result in the mattress being less comfortable for the user to sleep on, and may shorten the useful life of the mattress.

SUMMARY

Described below is a mattress support apparatus which provides an inflatable bladder member that can be placed under a mattress beneath a sagging portion thereof, so that as the bladder is inflated it pushes upwards raising the sagging portion and re-leveling the upper surface of the mattress. In some implementations, the bladder member is inflated by an electric pump. In some implementations, the electric pump is operated by a handheld controller, which optionally may include an up/down switch. In some implementations, the apparatus includes a digital or analog pressure readout. In some implementations, the inflatable bladder has a contoured shape. In other implementations, the bladder member includes a ribbed outer surface to enhance engagement with the mattress and prevent slippage.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of the following advantages.

It is an object to provide a new and improved mattress support apparatus that can be used to raise a sagging portion of a mattress and re-level the upper surface of the mattress.

It is another object to provide a new and improved mattress support apparatus that can be operated by a hand held controller.

A further object or feature is a new and improved mattress support apparatus that includes a digital pressure readout.

An even further object is to provide a novel mattress support apparatus that provides an up and down switch.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems that include one or more of the various features described below.

Certain terminology and derivations thereof may be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, words such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” would refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless otherwise stated. Similarly, words such as “inward” and “outward” would refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts thereof. References in the singular tense include the plural, and vice versa, unless otherwise noted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one implementation of a bladder member of the mattress support apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the bladder member, an electric pump, and a hand held controller;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation cross sectional view of the bladder member as placed between a mattress and box spring; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of a mattress illustrating in phantom a sagging section and the positioning of the bladder member beneath the sagging section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, there is illustrated therein one implementation of a new and improved mattress support apparatus. The apparatus may include a bladder member 10 inflatable by an electric pump 12 through a hose 14 and may be operated by a controller 16 which enables the user to operate the pump while off of the bed or lying on it. The controller may be a handheld controller that is connected by a conductor to the electric pump, or, alternatively, may be a controller that controls the electric pump 12 by means of wireless connection. Examples of the latter may include a smart phone application that, when instantiated, causes the smart phone to issues commands over a wireless connection to a receiver in electric pump 12.

The bladder member may be of any appropriate size to function beneath a typical mattress (e.g., approximately 3 feet long by 2 feet wide, and inflatable to approximately 5 inches thick), and is preferably contoured to correct the sag or dip typically found near the center of a mattress, and ribbed to provide strength and to reduce slippage and movement relative to the mattress 22 and box spring 24. In some embodiments, the contour is such that the bladder tends to rise to a higher level at the central portion of the bladder than the peripheral portions of the bladder when the bladder is inflated.

In some embodiments, the bladder has a periphery that is sized to be less than a periphery of the mattress 22 under which the bladder 10 is to be positioned so that peripheral edges of the bladder 10 are within peripheral edges of the mattress 22 when the bladder 10 is positioned under the mattress 22. In particular, the bladder 10 has peripheral dimensions that define an inflatable periphery (a periphery within which the bladder inflates) that is enclosed within the periphery the mattress defined by the outer sides of the mattress so that the bladder 10 may be positioned underneath the sagging portion of the mattress and provide lift to the sagging portion while not providing lift to the peripheral portions of the mattress 22. This is illustrated in FIG. 5, which is a top view of a mattress 22 illustrating in phantom a sagging section 30 and the positioning of the bladder 10 beneath the sagging section. Because the bladder 10 is substantially beneath the sagging section 30, and the periphery of the bladder 10 is well within the periphery of the mattress 10, the support of the bladder 10 will tend to cause the sagging section 30 to lift upwards relative to the periphery of the matters 22, thereby providing a more level support across the surface of the mattress 22.

The controller 16 preferably includes an up and down switch 18 which enables the user to adjust the inflation or deflation of the bladder member, and thus the height and firmness of the upper surface of the mattress. The controller also preferably includes a digital pressure read out 20 so that the user can make reference to and calibrate the degree of inflation or deflation. The bladder member is preferably placed between a mattress 22 and box spring 24 directly under a sagging portion of the mattress. As the bladder inflates it pushes upwards raising the sagging portion and re-leveling the upper surface of the mattress.

In some embodiments, the bladder 10 may have sections that are independently inflatable, and the controller 16 may be configured to inflate each section independently so that each section may be inflated to a different pressure level. This allows for a single bladder 10 to be tailored to support sagging sections of various widths.

The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.

Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mattress support apparatus comprising:

a bladder member having a periphery that is sized to be less than a periphery of a mattress under which the bladder member is to be positioned so that top, bottom, and side peripheral edges of the bladder member are within top, bottom, and side peripheral edges of the mattress when the bladder member is positioned under the mattress, wherein:

the bladder member includes a plurality of sections that are each individually inflatable:

each section extends from the top peripheral edge of the bladder member to the bottom peripheral edge of the bladder member; and

an electric pump operated by a controller connected to the bladder member, wherein when the bladder member is placed under a sagging portion of the mattress, the electric pump inflates the bladder member to raise the sagging portion relative to outer peripheral portions of the mattress and re-level the upper surface of the mattress.

2. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sections of the bladder member are respectively contoured such that the bladder member tends to rise to a higher level at a central portion of the bladder member than peripheral portions of the bladder member when the sections of the bladder member are inflated.

3. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bladder member is ribbed.

4. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller includes an up and down switch.

5. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller includes a pressure read out.

6. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bladder member includes a plurality of separately inflatable sections, and the controller is configured to control the electric pump to individually inflate each separately inflatable section so that each separately inflatable section may be inflated to a different pressure level.

7. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is a hand held controller that is coupled to the electric pump by a wired connection.

8. The mattress support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is a hand held controller that is coupled to the electric pump by a wireless connection.