MATTRESS

Abstract

A mattress includes a first end and an opposite second end arranged in a direction of the mattress. The mattress is configured to have a first firmness pattern suitable for side sleepers when the first end is used as a head end and the second end is used as a foot end, and have a second firmness pattern suitable for back sleepers when the first end is used as a foot end and the second end is used as a head end. The mattress has a firmness distribution which is asymmetric about a middle line of the mattress which is perpendicular to the direction.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to mattresses and, in particular, to a mattress suitable for multiple postures of users.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, a mattress plays an important role in the daily lives of humans. A comfortable mattress may make the daily life of humans more enjoyable. Currently widely used mattresses in the market usually have a uniform hardness over the whole length of the mattress. However, some people are back sleepers while other people are side sleepers. A side sleeper needs a softer region in the shoulder section to allow the shoulder of the user to sink in easier. This allows the spine of the user to be straight, which is important. A back sleeper needs a stronger support provided by the mattress which should not sink too easily.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved mattress which is suitable for users with different postures.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an improved mattress which is suitable for users with different postures is provided.

In one aspect, a mattress comprises a supporting layer defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The supporting layer comprises a first section and a second section arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the first section comprises a firmness reduced region of which the firmness is less than that of other regions adjacent the firmness reduced region and that of the second section.

In some embodiments, the firmness reduced region defines a plurality of holes.

In some embodiments, the holes are void.

In some embodiments, the holes are filled with material which is softer than material of the firmness reduced region surrounding the holes.

In some embodiments, the holes extend in the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the holes pass through the supporting layer in the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the supporting layer further defines a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and sizes of the holes in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a middle of the firmness reduced region to opposite ends of the firmness reduced region in the longitudinal direction.

In some embodiments, the first section defines a recess in which an inserter is received, and the inserter is made of material which is softer than material of the first section.

In some embodiments, the supporting layer further defines a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and sizes of the inserter in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a middle of the inserter to opposite ends of the inserter in the longitudinal direction.

In some embodiments, the inserter has a triangle shape in a cross section perpendicular to the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the mattress further comprises a cover layer stacked on and covering the supporting layer.

In some embodiments, the cover layer has a thickness which is less than that of the supporting layer.

In another aspect, the present application provides a mattress comprising a first end and an opposite second end arranged in a direction of the mattress, the mattress configured to have a first firmness pattern suitable for side sleepers when the first end is used as a head end and the second end is used as a foot end, and have a second firmness pattern suitable for back sleepers when the first end is used as a foot end and the second end is used as a head end.

In some embodiments, the mattress has a firmness distribution which is asymmetric about a middle line of the mattress, the middle line being perpendicular to said direction.

In some embodiments, the mattress comprises a firmness reduced region adjacent to the first end and away from the second end.

In some embodiments, the firmness reduced region defines a plurality of holes.

In some embodiments, the firmness reduced region comprises a recess and an inserter received in the recess, the inserter being made of material softer than material of other regions of the mattress.

In summary, the mattress of the present application can be adapted to different needs of the customers. On the sales floor, if a customer is a side sleeper and he wants to test the mattress, the first section of the mattress can be used to support the head and shoulder of the customer and the second section can be used to support the waist/back/foot of the customer. The firmness reduced region is softer than the other regions, which facilities the shoulder of the customer to sink and thus allows the spine of the customer to be straight. Thus, the customer can get the mattress to be perfect for him. If the customer is a back sleeper, the first section can be used to support his legs/feet and the second section can be used to support his head/shoulder/back/hip thereby providing enough firmness and support to him. This means, the store has the perfect mattress in stock with much less inventory. At home, if the user is a side sleeper, he can choose the first section to support his head and shoulder and the second section to support his waist/back/feet. If the user is a back sleeper, he can choose the first section to support his legs/feet and the second section to support his head/shoulder/back/hip. The mattress is suitable for users with different postures.

Other independent aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description, claims and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mattress in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mattress of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a mattress in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mattress of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the mattress of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of a mattress in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Before any independent embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other independent embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upward” and “downward”, etc., are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mattress in accordance with a first embodiment of the present application and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mattress of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mattress 10 comprises a supporting layer 30 defining a longitudinal direction corresponding to a height direction of a user and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Preferably, the size of the supporting layer 30 in the longitudinal direction is greater than the size of the supporting layer 30 in the lateral direction. The supporting layer 30 comprises a first section 32 and a second section 34 arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the first section 32 comprises a firmness reduced region 36 of which the firmness is less than that of other regions adjacent the firmness reduced region 36. The size of the second section 34 in the longitudinal direction is greater than that of the first section 32. Preferably, the second section 34 has a uniform firmness which is greater than that of the firmness reduced region 36.

In use, if the user is a side sleeper, the first section 32 can be used to support the head and shoulder of the user and the second section 34 can be used to support the waist/back/feet of the user. That is, one end of the mattress 10 close to the first section 32 and away from the second section 34 is used as a head end, the opposite other end of the mattress 10 close to the second section 34 and away from the first section 32 is used as a foot end, and the mattress 10 has a first firmness pattern suitable for side sleepers. The firmness reduced region 36 is configured to support the shoulder of the user. The firmness reduced region 36 is softer than the other regions, which facilities the shoulder of the user to sink and thus allows the spine of the user to be straight.

If the user is a back sleeper, the first section 32 can be used to support the legs/feet of the user and the second section 34 can be used to support the head/shoulder/back/hip of the user thereby providing enough firmness and support to the user. That is, one end of the mattress 10 close to the first section 32 and away from the second section 34 is used as a foot end, the opposite other end of the mattress 10 close to the second section 34 and away from the first section 32 is used as a head end, and the mattress 10 has a second firmness pattern suitable for back sleepers.

In this embodiment, the firmness reduced region 36 defines a plurality of holes 38. In some embodiments, the holes 38 are parallel to each other and extend in the lateral direction of the supporting layer 30. In this embodiment, the holes 38 are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the holes 38 may be arranged in multiple rows in a thickness direction and each row extends in the longitudinal direction. The thickness direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the holes 38 are continuous holes passing through the supporting layer 30 in the lateral direction. Alternatively, the holes 38 each comprises a plurality of discrete parts without passing through the supporting layer 30 in the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the sizes of the holes 38 in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a middle of the firmness reduced region 36 to opposite ends of the firmness reduced region 36 in the longitudinal direction, which results in the firmness of the firmness reduced region 36 gradually reducing from the opposite ends of the firmness reduced region 36 to the middle of the firmness reduced region 36 in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the holes 38 are round and the diameters of the holes 38 gradually reduce from the middle of the firmness reduced region 36 to opposite ends of the firmness reduced region 36 in the longitudinal direction.

The mattress 10 may further comprise a cover layer 50 stacked on and covering the supporting layer 30. Preferably, the cover layer 50 and the supporting layer 30 have the same width in the lateral direction and the same length in the longitudinal direction. The supporting layer 30 has a thickness greater than that of the cover layer 50.

The supporting layer 30 is made of a first material and the cover layer 50 is made of a second material. The first material is harder than the second material. In some embodiments, the supporting layer 30 is made of high rebound foam and can provide enough support and firmness to the user. The cover layer 50 is made of visco foam. Understandably, the supporting layer 30 and the cover layer 50 may be made of other material.

The holes 38 may be void or filled with a third material which is softer than the first material of the first section 32 surrounding the holes 38.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a mattress in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mattress of FIG. 3; and FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the mattress of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the mattress of the second embodiment is similar to the mattress of the first embodiment except the firmness reduced region 36. The firmness reduced region 36 of the second embodiment comprises a recess 39 defined in a surface of the supporting layer 30 facing the cover layer 50 and an inserter 40 received in the recess 39. The inserter 40 is sandwiched between the supporting layer 30 and the cover layer 50. The inserter 40 is made of a fourth material which is softer than the first and second material. The recess 39 may pass through the supporting layer 30 in the lateral direction and consequently the inserter 40 passes through the supporting layer 30. Alternatively, the recess 39 comprises a plurality of discrete detents and the inserter 40 comprises a plurality of discrete sections received in the corresponding detents respectively.

In some embodiments, sizes of the inserter 40 in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a middle of the inserter 40 to opposite ends of the inserter 40 in the longitudinal direction, which results in the firmness of the firmness reduced region 36 gradually reducing from the opposite ends of the firmness reduced region 36 to the middle of the firmness reduced region 36 in the longitudinal direction.

In some embodiments, the inserter 40 has a triangle shape in a cross section perpendicular to the lateral direction.

The inserter 40 may defines holes for further reducing the firmness thereof.

FIG. 6 illustrates a mattress in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the mattress 10 is round. The first and second sections 32, 34 are arranged in a diameter direction of the mattress 10. The mattress 10 comprises a firmness reduced region 36 formed in the first section 32. Understandably, the mattress 10 may comprises several pairs of first and second sections 32, 34 respectively arranged in several diameter directions of the mattress 10. Each first section 32 has a firmness reduced region 36 formed thereat. Preferably, the several first sections 32 are located in a half of a circle and the several second sections 34 are located in the other haft of the circle. Thus, the mattress 10 has a first firmness pattern suitable for side sleepers when any one of the first sections 32 is used to support the head of the user while the corresponding second section 34 is used to support the feet of the user; and the mattress 10 has a second firmness pattern suitable for back sleepers when any one of the first sections 32 is used to support the feet of the user while the corresponding second section 34 is used to support the head of the user.

In summary, the mattress 10 of the present application can be adapted to different needs of the customers. On the sales floor, if a customer is a side sleeper and he wants to test the mattress 10, the first section 32 of the mattress 10 can be used to support the head and shoulder of the customer and the second section 34 can be used to support the waist/back/foot of the customer. The firmness reduced region 36 is softer than the other regions, which facilities the shoulder of the customer to sink and thus allows the spine of the customer to be straight. Thus, the customer can get the mattress to be perfect for him. If the customer is a back sleeper, the first section 32 can be used to support his legs/feet and the second section 34 can be used to support his head/shoulder/back/hip thereby providing enough firmness and support to him. This means, the store has the perfect mattress in stock with much less inventory. At home, if the user is a side sleeper, he can choose the first section 32 to support his head and shoulder and the second section 34 to support his waist/back/feet. If the user is a back sleeper, he can choose the first section 32 to support his legs/feet and the second section 34 to support his head/shoulder/back/hip. The mattress is suitable for users with different postures.

Although the invention is described with reference to one or more embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed structure without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mattress comprising a supporting layer defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, wherein the supporting layer comprises a first section and a second section arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the first section comprises a firmness reduced region of which a firmness is less than that of other regions of the first section adjacent the firmness reduced region and that of the second section.

2. The mattress of claim 1, wherein the firmness reduced region defines a plurality of holes.

3. The mattress of claim 2, wherein the holes are void.

4. The mattress of claim 2, wherein the holes are filled with material which is softer than material of the firmness reduced region surrounding the holes.

5. The mattress of claim 2, wherein the holes extend in the lateral direction.

6. The mattress of claim 5, wherein the holes pass through the supporting layer in the lateral direction.

7. The mattress of claim 2, wherein the supporting layer further defines a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and sizes of the holes in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a middle of the firmness reduced region to opposite ends of the firmness reduced region in the longitudinal direction.

8. The mattress of claim 1, wherein the first section defines a recess in which an inserter is received, and the inserter is made of material which is softer than material of the first section.

9. The mattress of claim 8, wherein the supporting layer further defines a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and sizes of the inserter in the thickness direction gradually reduce from a center of the inserter to opposite ends of the inserter in the longitudinal direction.

10. The mattress of claim 9, wherein the inserter has a triangle shape in a cross section perpendicular to the lateral direction.

11. The mattress of claim 1, wherein the mattress further comprises a cover layer stacked on and covering the supporting layer.

12. The mattress of claim 11, wherein the cover layer has a thickness which is less than that of the supporting layer.

13. A mattress comprising a first end and an opposite second end arranged in a direction of the mattress, the mattress configured to have a first firmness pattern suitable for side sleepers when the first end is used as a head end and the second end is used as a foot end, and have a second firmness pattern suitable for back sleepers when the first end is used as a foot end and the second end is used as a head end.

14. The mattress of claim 13, wherein the mattress has a firmness distribution which is asymmetric about a middle line of the mattress, the middle line being perpendicular to said direction.

15. The mattress of claim 14, wherein the mattress comprises a firmness reduced region adjacent to the first end and away from the second end.

16. The mattress of claim 15, wherein the firmness reduced region defines a plurality of holes.

17. The mattress of claim 15, wherein the firmness reduced region comprises a recess and an inserter received in the recess, the inserter being made of material softer than material of other regions of the mattress.