U.S. patent application number 10/826672 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-17 for plastic mattress foundation having sculpted exterior surface.
Invention is credited to Gladney, Richard F..
Application Number | 20050034233 10/826672 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35782220 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050034233 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gladney, Richard F. |
February 17, 2005 |
Plastic mattress foundation having sculpted exterior surface
Abstract
A mattress foundation is constructed substantially of plastic
material. The foundation is defined by a semi-rigid cavity
including a generally flat top surface, at least one downward
depending sidewall, and at least a portion of an outer surface of
the sidewall having a pattern formed thereon. Optional ground
support members retain the foundation in a substantially horizontal
orientation. An outer surface of one or more of the ground support
members has a pattern formed thereon. An outer surface of an
optional headboard may have a pattern formed thereon. A portion of
an upper side of the top surface may have a pattern formed thereon.
The pattern formed on the sidewall, the top surface, the ground
support, or the headboard may give a quilted appearance to the
foundation. The pattern may be three-dimensional or substantially
flat. The pattern may be integral with the foundation or attached
thereto.
Inventors: |
Gladney, Richard F.;
(Fairburn, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROPES & GRAY LLP
ONE INTERNATIONAL PLACE
BOSTON
MA
02110-2624
US
|
Family ID: |
35782220 |
Appl. No.: |
10/826672 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10826672 |
Apr 16, 2004 |
|
|
|
10617946 |
Jul 11, 2003 |
|
|
|
10826672 |
Apr 16, 2004 |
|
|
|
29192105 |
Oct 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
10826672 |
Apr 16, 2004 |
|
|
|
29192103 |
Oct 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
10826672 |
Apr 16, 2004 |
|
|
|
29192104 |
Oct 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
60395449 |
Jul 11, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/400 ; 5/200.1;
5/53.1; 5/907 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 19/022 20130101;
A47C 19/021 20130101; A47C 19/005 20130101; A47C 19/025 20130101;
A47C 17/86 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/400 ;
005/053.1; 005/200.1; 005/907 |
International
Class: |
A47C 017/00; A47C
019/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mattress assembly constructed substantially of plastic
material, comprising: a. a mattress foundation comprising: i. a
generally planar and essentially rigid top surface having an upper
side and a lower side; and ii. at least one essentially rigid
sidewall, having a lower edge, the sidewall extending substantially
along the perimeter of the lower side of the top surface, depending
downward from the top surface, defining a cavity, wherein an outer
surface of the sidewall includes a pattern; and b. a frame assembly
comprising a plurality of ground support members supporting the
foundation, depending downward from the lower edge of the at least
one sidewall, holding the foundation above ground, and maintaining
the top surface in a substantially horizontal orientation.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the pattern is substantially
planar.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the pattern is substantially
three-dimensional.
4. The assembly of claim 1, including a headboard tangentially
extending vertically along one end of the foundation.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the headboard is made of
substantially plastic material.
6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein an outer surface of the
headboard, includes a pattern.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a pattern is formed on at least
a portion of the upper side of the top surface.
8. The assembly of claim 1, including at least one ground support
member.
9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the ground support is made of
substantially plastic material.
10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein an outer surface of the ground
support includes a pattern.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of the following
applications: utility patent application Ser. No. 10/617,946 (filed
on 11 Jul. 2003), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application 60/395,449, filed on 11 Jul. 2002; design patent
application 29/192,103 (filed on 17 Oct. 2003); design patent
application 29/192,104 (filed on 17 Oct. 2003); and design patent
application 29/192,105 (filed on 17 Oct. 2003). The contents of all
of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Today, foundations for mattresses are typically constructed
of a combination of materials, including wood, metal, and fabric,
and may include support subassemblies such as edge-reinforcing
springs. The size and number of materials, typically selected for
low cost, present numerous difficulties for consumers, including
handling and disposal. In fact, many U.S. states have instituted
disposal fees for mattress foundations, which can be as high as
$100.00.
[0003] The use of plastic has emerged for certain subcomponents of
mattress foundations. For example, plastic springs for a mattress
foundation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,471, and plastic
interior corner guards are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,488.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Use of plastic in mattress foundations has been limited.
Hence, there remains a need for mattress foundations constructed
exclusively or substantially of plastic. There is also a need for
plastic mattress foundations having that appear to the consumer as
aesthetically tasteful visually.
[0005] The systems and methods described herein disclose a mattress
foundation made entirely or substantially of plastic material. The
foundation may be designed to fit into a standard bed frame. Ground
support members, such as legs, may be added to the foundation to
construct a mattress foundation and frame combination assembly. In
an embodiment, a portion of an exterior surface of the plastic
foundation assembly--for example, exterior sidewalls and/or an
upper surface on which a mattress is placed--may be designed,
manufactured, and/or modified to resemble a foundation having an
upholstered covering, for example, and without limitation, a
quilted upholstered covering.
[0006] The design principle is based, at least in part, on a
combination of needs for a lighter-weight, more easily
transportable, recyclable, aesthetically tasteful, and structurally
robust mattress foundation or foundation-frame combination
assembly. In one embodiment, the foundation or foundation-frame
combination assembly is designed to support a mattress of
rectangular shape, such as, without limitation, a twin, full,
queen, Olympic queen, or king mattress. In this embodiment, the
foundation may be rectangular in shape and have four sidewalls.
[0007] The mattress foundation, or foundation-frame combination
assembly, can withstand the combined load weight--that can be
several hundred pounds--of a mattress and one or more occupants
resting thereon. This is accomplished, at least in part, by the
inclusion of a combination of supporting braces, reinforcing fins,
and reinforcing trusses and/or other non-planar structures,
disposed at structurally appropriate locations in, or along
predetermined axes along, the foundation.
[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the braces are designed to
connect with, and structurally reinforce, the foundation in a
snap-on, snap-off fashion; this can be accomplished, for example,
by a tongue-and-groove, dovetail, or other functionally equivalent
mating arrangements known in the art. To further increase the
structural integrity of the foundation, the tongue and groove
shapes are designed to prevent outward deflections of the
foundation under load weights.
[0009] The mattress foundation comprises a cavity-made
substantially or entirely of plastic material-defined by a
generally planar top surface and one or more sidewalls depending
downward from it. The foundation may be inserted into a standard
bed frame, or, in an alternative embodiment, sustained above
ground--in an approximately horizontal position--by ground support
members connected to the foundation. The ground support members,
which could be legs, may be removably coupled with the foundation
or integrally formed with it. In one embodiment, foundation and the
legs constitute a mattress foundation-frame combination
assembly.
[0010] In one embodiment, the legs are attached to the foundation
through a mating arrangement; the mating may involve a
tongue-and-groove, dovetail, or other functionally equivalent
configuration known in the art. The legs may have cross-sectional
shapes designed based on, among other things, aesthetic and/or
structural-mechanical considerations.
[0011] The use of a combination of braces, fins, trusses, and
other, non-planar components for structural reinforcement is
further justified when ground support members, or legs, retain the
foundation in a substantially horizontal position above ground. In
this embodiment, with the foundation resting on a set of legs--and
not resting entirely on the ground along the lower edges of its one
or more sidewalls--it is desirable for the foundation's structural
design to ensure that deflections and twists on the foundation, due
to load weights for example, are sufficiently suppressed and/or
tolerated.
[0012] The overall shape of the mattress foundation is at least
partly chosen to be compatible with the type of mattress that it is
intended to support. For example, if the mattress is rectangular in
shape, then the foundation may be reasonably designed to have a
compatibly-sized rectangular top surface. In other embodiments,
other shapes may be used; for example, a heart-shaped foundation
may be designed for a similarly shaped mattress for use in, say,
"honey-moon suites" in hotels. In other exemplary embodiments,
circular, elliptical, or polygonal foundation shapes may be
designed, consistent with the particular mattress type to be used,
and in consonance with load weight considerations.
[0013] To lighten the weight of the plastic foundation, to increase
its pliability for sleeping comfort, to improve its structural
integrity under load weights, or for any combination of these, and
other, reasons, the top surface and/or side walls of the foundation
may optionally be ribbed, resulting in air spaces formed therein.
Some portions of the top surface and/or the sidewalls may be
designed to have one or more continuous, uninterrupted regions of
plastic material, tying together opposing sidewall portions; this
may be beneficial in terms of structural integrity, aesthetics, and
a combination of these and/or other reasons.
[0014] In one embodiment, the sidewalls may be corrugated and/or
have non-planar components, including, for example, trusses, that
improve the structural integrity of the assembly. In one aspect,
the non-planarity of a sidewall includes an architectural pattern
on an outer surface of the sidewall, giving the sidewall an
upholstered appearance, or any other desired appearance, such as
wooden appearance, metallic appearance, or a combination of these
and other appearances. For example, and without limitation, the
architectural pattern may give the sidewall a quilted appearance.
According to various practices, the non-planar architectural
pattern on the outer surface of the sidewall may be formed using
molding, etching, embossing, engraving, carving, stamping,
silhouetting, sculpting, or a combination of these and other
three-dimensional pattern-forming methods. The architectural
pattern may be textured to resemble a quilted pattern. According to
one embodiment, the architectural pattern includes a contoured
figuration. In one practice, the figuration includes topographic
features having surface elevations and depressions.
[0015] Other pattern types are possible, including, for example,
substantially flat patterns on the outer surface of the sidewall.
For example, and without limitation, the architectural pattern may
be applied to the sidewall by painting the pattern on the outer
surface. Alternatively, paint may be used in conjunction with one
or more of the embodiments described above that have a non-planar
architectural pattern. For example, the paint may be applied to the
non-planar architectural pattern to give the mattress foundation
the appearance of wood; in one practice, the wooden appearance
gives the mattress foundation an antique look. Other motifs are
possible, such as modern, steel, etc., by appropriately designing
the contours, thickness, colors, and shapes of the pattern, and by
an appropriate choice of the material used to create the pattern;
the material, in a typical embodiment, is substantially plastic in
content, but it may include other materials such as wood or metal,
or a combination thereof. In general, a material used in the
plastic mattress foundation may be used for the architectural
pattern, and methods used for forming the mattress foundation may
be used to form the architectural pattern; for example, if the
mattress foundation is made by injection molding, then the
architectural pattern, in one embodiment, can be formed similarly
using injection molding.
[0016] The architectural pattern may be integral with the sidewall
or may be attached to it. In one embodiment, the pattern may be
applied to the outer surface of the sidewall adhesively. For
example, and without limitation, the pattern may be formed on one
surface of a strip, the strip's opposite surface having an
adhesive. The strip may then be affixed to the outer surface of the
sidewall using the adhesive. The adhesive may include a strip of
double-sided adhesive, it may include glue, or it may include a
combination of adhesive types commonly used in the art and/or
available commercially.
[0017] Alternatively, the patterned strip may be applied to the
outer surface of the sidewall using Velcro, or using a combination
of fasteners known in the art. In one embodiment, the strip may be
formed to include protrusions and/or notches that mate with
compatible protrusions and/or notches on the outer surface of the
sidewall. The strip may be made of the same material that the
foundation is made of, or it may be made of other materials, such
as wood, metal, or a combination of these. In alternative
embodiments, a structural member containing the architectural
pattern on a surface thereof may be attached to the foundation in a
snap-on, snap-off fashion; this can be accomplished, for example,
by a tongue-and-groove, dovetail, or other functionally equivalent
mating arrangements known in the art.
[0018] An outer surface of one or more ground support members, too,
may have a pattern formed thereon. A subset of the features,
constructions, and uses of the architectural pattern used for the
sidewall also are applicable to the ground support members.
[0019] The mattress foundation or foundation-frame combination
assembly may optionally include a headboard that is attached or
integrally formed with the foundation or the combination assembly.
The lower part of the headboard may, in some embodiments, serve as
an auxiliary ground support to retain the foundation above ground.
In various embodiments, an outer surface of the headboard may
include an architectural pattern giving the headboard an
upholstered appearance, or any other desired appearance, such as
wooden appearance, metallic appearance, or a combination of these
or others mentioned above. In these embodiments, the architectural
pattern of the headboard can be constructed, made to appear, or
shaped in a manner analogous to any of the embodiments of the
architectural pattern of the sidewall described above.
[0020] To improve the mobility of the foundation, casters may be
installed on, or integrally formed with, the foundation, for ease
of rolling and transport. The casters may be disposed at select
locations along the edges of, or on, one or more of the sidewalls,
depending on the desired orientation of the foundation during
transport. If a foundation is to be transported vertically, for
example, then the casters may be connected with a sidewall,
disposed perpendicularly to the surface of the sidewall.
[0021] In one embodiment, the foundation cavity may be designed to
have mating shapes essentially along the periphery above the top
surface and on the lower edges of the sidewalls, so that multiple
foundations may be securely stacked--for example, one on top of
another or, alternatively, vertically side by side--for easy
shipment or retail store display; in this embodiment, the bottom of
one foundation securely mates with the top of another
foundation.
[0022] A person of ordinary skill in the art would know, or be able
to readily ascertain, that there are various plastic compositions
that may be used for the construction of the mattress foundation or
of the combination foundation-frame assembly. For example, the
foundation or the combination assembly may be made entirely of
plastic. Alternatively, the foundation or the combination assembly
may be made, at least in part, of plastic and non-plastic material:
examples are plastic on metal; plastic reinforced with metal,
carbon, or other fibers; plastic reinforced with resin; and any
combination of these and other compositions known to those of
ordinary skill in the art.
[0023] Furthermore, the plastic used in the construction of the
mattress foundation, the foundation-frame assembly, and/or the
architectural pattern formed on an outer surface of the assembly
may be molded plastic, made according to one or more of the
plurality of methods known in the art, such as compression molding,
injection molding, gas-assisted injection molding, vacuum molding,
low-pressure molding, blow molding, and other molding methods.
Those of ordinary skill in the art would know that various types of
plastic may be used in the mattress foundation or in the
foundation-frame combination assembly; examples include
polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and
polypropylene.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the plastic material is
recyclable, so that if the owner of the mattress foundation or
foundation-frame combination assembly wishes to dispose of the
same, he or she would be able to do so without having to incur the
fees that many municipalities charge for disposal of such items of
furniture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0025] The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the
invention will be appreciated more fully from the following further
description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings,
wherein;
[0026] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation and frame combination assembly;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation including casters;
[0029] FIG. 4 depicts a plastic mattress foundation and frame
combination, including a headboard;
[0030] FIGS. 5A-5D depict various embodiments of an architecturally
patterned outer surface of the mattress foundation;
[0031] FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment wherein the plastic mattress
foundation includes an architecturally patterned outer surface
affixed to a core of the foundation using a combination of grooves
and protrusions to mate the core and the pattern;
[0032] FIG. 7A depicts an embodiment wherein the headboard has an
architecturally patterned outer surface;
[0033] FIG. 7B depicts an embodiment wherein the top surface of the
plastic mattress foundation has an architecturally patterned upper
surface;
[0034] FIG. 7C depicts an embodiment wherein a portion of the top
surface and at least one of the sides has an architecturally
patterned outer surface;
[0035] FIG. 7D depicts an embodiment wherein an outer surface of
one or more ground support members has an architectural pattern
formed thereon;
[0036] FIG. 8 depicts a plan view of an architectural pattern used
on an outer surface of the mattress foundation assembly;
[0037] FIG. 9 depicts a plan view of an architectural pattern used
on an outer surface of the mattress foundation assembly, along with
some contour lines highlighted in sharp relief;
[0038] FIG. 10 depicts a plan view of an architectural pattern used
on an outer surface of the mattress foundation assembly;
[0039] FIG. 11 depicts a plan view showing in sharp relief contours
of the architectural pattern;
[0040] FIG. 12 depicts a plan view of an architectural pattern used
on an outer surface of the mattress foundation assembly; and
[0041] FIG. 13 depicts a plan view showing in sharp relief contours
of the architectural pattern.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0042] To provide an overall understanding of the invention,
certain illustrative embodiments will now be described. These
embodiments include, but are not limited to, mattress foundations
formed entirely or substantially of molded plastic. However, it
will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the
systems described herein can be adapted to other plastic
foundations, such as foundations formed of extruded and assembled
plastic pieces, or composite foundations of plastic over
non-plastic structural members (e.g., metal) or reinforced plastic
(e.g., with glass or carbon fibers, or fillers). All such
modifications as would be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art
are intended to fall within the scope of the systems described
herein.
[0043] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation and frame combination assembly. The foundation 100 may
include a top surface 110 and four sidewalls 120. Attached to, or
integrally formed with, the foundation 100 may be four corner
supports 130 and two supplemental supports 140. The foundation 100
may be used to support a mattress of any type, including a foam
mattress, as well as mattresses of different constructions
including pocketed coil construction, wire spring construction,
water bed or any other suitable mattress construction. Moreover, it
will be understood that although the depicted embodiment comprises
a queen size mattress, mattresses of any size may be constructed
according to the methods described herein.
[0044] The foundation 100 may be formed of any suitable plastic
material, including, for example, polyurethane, polyethelene,
polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or any other
moldable plastic that can be formed with sufficient strength to
support the weight born by a mattress foundation (including a
mattress and one or more human occupants). The foundation may be
formed using compression molding techniques such as injection
molding, gas-assisted injection molding, vacuum molding,
low-pressure molding, or blow molding, in which plastic in some
elastic or fluid form is formed into the foundation 100 and
permitted to set into a mechanically rigid structure.
[0045] The top surface 110 of the foundation 100 may be ribbed as
shown in FIG. 1, so that air spaces are formed therein. This
reduces weight in areas where less mechanical support is required,
or where some pliability is desirable for sleeping comfort on a
mattress atop the foundation 100. Certain regions, such as a
central portion of the top surface 110, may, by contrast, be formed
of an uninterrupted strip of plastic that ties together opposing
sidewalls 120.
[0046] The sidewalls 120 may be corrugated, or contain other
non-planar shapes to increase structural rigidity of the sidewalls
120, and the overall foundation 100. Any other truss structure or
other structurally enhancing configuration known in the mechanical
arts may be used to improve the overall strength and rigidity of
the foundation 100.
[0047] The corner supports 130 and supplemental supports 140, may
be removably attached to the foundation 100 through any
conventional mating arrangement, such as a tongue and groove,
dovetail, or other functionally equivalent configurations known in
the art. According to one embodiment, the corner supports 130 and
the supplemental supports 140 may be integrally formed with the
foundation 100. While two supplemental supports 140 are shown, it
will be appreciated that any number of supports 140 may be used as
required by the anticipated load on the mattress foundation 100 and
the corresponding inherent strength of the top surface 110 and
sidewalls 120. More particularly, the foundation 100 depicted in
FIG. 1 is a foundation for a queen size mattress. It is expected
that a king size mattress foundation may require additional
supplemental supports 140, while a twin size mattress foundation
may require no supplemental supports 140 whatsoever. Each
supplemental support 140 and corner support 130 may have a
cross-sectional shape to increase strength; examples are+shape, X
shape, U shape, D shape, H shape, Z shape, C shape, V shape, M
shape, B shape, T shape, circular shape, elliptical shape, L shape,
heart shape, and a combination of these or analogous patterns.
[0048] The overall structure of the foundation 100 may include
mating shapes along an outside edge of the top surface 100 and
along the bottom of the sidewalls 120, such that a plurality of
foundations 100 may be conveniently stacked for shipping, storage,
handling, or retail display. In addition to increasing the
stability of a stack of foundations in, for example, a retail
display, this technique may reduce the cost of shipping and
eliminate the need for traditional wooden shipping pallets or other
intermediate supports when transporting or storing the foundations
100.
[0049] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation. As shown in FIG. 2, the foundation 200 may include a
bottom surface 210 with a cross-sectional profile 215 and one or
more sidewalls 220. One or more braces 230 may be connected to, or
integrally formed with the foundation 200 such that opposing
sidewalls 220 are interconnected to structurally support the
foundation 200. The foundation 200 may generally be similar to the
foundation 100 described above with reference to FIG. 1.
[0050] The sidewalls 220 may include one or more grooves 240
adapted to receive a corresponding tongue on each of the braces
230. The grooves 240 may be designed to allow for a snap-on,
snap-off attachment of the braces to the foundation, thereby easing
the assembly or disassembly of the foundation. Furthermore, the
grooves 240 may be shaped to prevent undesirable outward deflection
of the sidewalls under load weights. One example of such a shape is
a trapezoid. Those of ordinary skill in the art would know of other
shapes that can be used to accomplish the same purpose. Each brace
230 may include non-planar reinforcing structures and air spaces as
described above generally with reference to the foundation 100 of
FIG. 1.
[0051] The bottom surface 210 of the foundation 200 may include
reinforcing structures to structurally reinforce the foundation
200, which must support a mattress and one or more occupants of the
mattress. One structure for achieving this is perpendicular fins,
as shown in the cross-sectional profile 215. Other reinforcing
structures including trusses, additional braces, and so forth, may
readily be used, provided their overall form is amenable to the
selected manufacturing technique (most typically some form of
compression molding).
[0052] The use of the support braces 230, fins (shown in the
cross-sectional profile 215), trusses, and other non-planar
reinforcing support structures is justified for more than one
reason. Unlike a mattress foundation that sits directly on a flat
surface, and the lower edges of whose sidewalls serve as mechanical
supports that resist twisting, bending, and undesirable deflection,
a mattress foundation that rests on a set of ground support members
(such as corner supports 130 and/or supplementary supports 140)
disposed at discrete points along the lower edge of the sidewalls
120, is subject to undesirable mechanical forces of twisting,
bending, and deflection that require additional restraining
structural reinforcement to suppress.
[0053] Additionally, any looseness in the structure, and resulting
motion from load weights (in particular, shifting load weights) may
cause squeaking sounds that are undesirable to the occupant or
occupants of the mattress. To this end, the methods and systems
described herein use, in a preferred embodiment, a combination of
structurally reinforcing braces 230, fins (as shown in the
cross-sectional profile 215), trusses, and other non-planar
components to suppress undesirable deflections, bending, and
twisting of the foundation under load weights.
[0054] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of a plastic mattress
foundation. The foundation 300 depicted in FIG. 3 may be similar to
any of the foundations described above in reference to FIGS. 1 and
2, as modified to include casters for easy rolling of the
foundation 300, either with or without a mattress in place. The
foundation 300 may include one or more slots or openings to receive
casters 310, such as at the corners of the sidewalls 320. As
depicted, one or more casters 310 may also attached to braces
adjoining opposing sidewalls 320 in order to support regions of the
foundation 300 inside the sidewalls 320, while continuing to permit
rolling of the foundation 300 on the casters 310.
[0055] FIG. 4 depicts a plastic mattress foundation-frame
combination assembly including a headboard. The foundation 400
depicted in FIG. 4 may be similar to any of the foundations
described above in reference to FIGS. 1-3, as modified to include a
headboard. A headboard 410 may be removably attached to, or
integrally formed with, the foundation 400, and may be formed of
any of the plastic materials or composites described above.
[0056] FIGS. 5A-5D depict outer surfaces of exemplary sidewalls
500A-500D, illustrating in sharp relief the contour lines 510A-510D
of architectural patterns formed thereon. The contours 510A-510D
may indicate topographical peaks or troughs in various
embodiments.
[0057] FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the plastic mattress
foundation core 600, wherein the architectural pattern 620 is
applied to the foundation core 600 using a strip 610 having
protrusions 630 that mate with compatible grooves 640 of the core
600. Although the strip 610 is shown having a shape compatible with
the sidewall 650 of the foundation core 600, the strip may have a
shape compatible with a headboard (not shown), an upper side of the
top surface 660, or an outer surface of a ground support member
(not shown). Furthermore, even though in FIG. 6 the strip 610 is
shown to have protrusions and the sidewall 650 to have grooves 640,
any combination of these may be formed on either the sidewall or
the strip. For example, the strip 610 may have both grooves and
protrusions, and the sidewall 650 matching protrusions and grooves.
In alternative embodiments, the strip 610 may be attached to the
core 600 using other attachment means. For example, the strip 610
may be attached to the core 600 adhesively. Other embodiments may
employ fasteners or other commonly-known attachment means to attach
strip 610 to the core 600; in one embodiment, braces may be used
for the attachment. Similar attachment means can be used to attach
an architectural pattern to the headboard (not shown), the ground
support (not shown), or the upper side of the top surface 660.
[0058] FIG. 7A depicts a mattress foundation assembly 700A
comprising a headboard 710A and a foundation core (including ground
support) 720A. The figure depicts in sharp relief the contours 730A
of the architectural pattern associated with the headboard 710A. As
mentioned previously, the architectural pattern may be formed on
the headboard or attached thereto, using methods described
above.
[0059] FIG. 7B depicts a mattress foundation assembly 700B having a
top surface 750B. On an upper side of the top surface 750B, the
embodiment shown depicts in sharp relief the contours 730B
associated with the architectural pattern of the top the surface.
As mentioned elsewhere, the contours 730B may represent troughs or
peaks of a quilt pattern.
[0060] FIG. 7C depicts a mattress foundation 700C having a top
surface 750C and a sidewall 740C. The figure depicts an embodiment
wherein an architectural pattern having contours shown by 730C and
760C cover the sidewall 740C and a substantially peripheral portion
of the top surface 750C. In an illustrative embodiment, if a
mattress (not shown) resting on the top surface 750C were to be
displaced slightly, then the peripheral portion covered by the
pattern 760C would still maintain a quilted appearance for the
foundation assembly.
[0061] FIG. 7D depicts a mattress foundation 700D, wherein an
architectural pattern represented by the contours 730D is formed on
one or more of the ground support members 710D. Again, the pattern
730D may be attached to, or formed integrally with, the ground
support members 710D of the foundation 700D.
[0062] FIG. 8 depicts an embodiment of an exemplary architectural
pattern formed on an outer surface of the mattress foundation.
[0063] FIG. 9 depicts an embodiment of an exemplary architectural
pattern formed on an outer surface of the mattress foundation.
Contours 910 and 920 are sharp relief representations of the
architectural pattern.
[0064] FIG. 10 depicts an embodiment of an exemplary architectural
pattern formed on an outer surface of the mattress foundation.
[0065] FIG. 11 depicts in sharp relief contours 1130 of an
exemplary architectural pattern 1100 formed on an outer surface of
the mattress foundation.
[0066] FIG. 12 depicts an embodiment of an architectural pattern
formed on an outer surface of the mattress foundation.
[0067] FIG. 13 depicts in sharp relief contours 1330 of an
exemplary architectural pattern 1300 formed on an outer surface of
the mattress foundation.
[0068] In one aspect, there is described herein a recyclable
mattress foundation. A foundation formed wholly or substantially
from plastic may be readily recycled in a manner that permits
recovery and reuse of plastic components. This may further present
cost savings to a consumer who may be spared any applicable
disposal fee for conventional mattress foundations.
[0069] In another aspect, the invention is directed at a mattress
foundation formed of a single piece of a single material. The
one-piece mattress foundation has ground supports and may
optionally include a headboard and/or casters.
[0070] In another aspect, the invention is directed at a technique
for manufacturing a mattress foundation that includes the steps of
providing a foundation mold, inserting an elastic plastic into the
mold so that the plastic takes the form of the mold, curing the
plastic (or cooling the plastic, or taking other suitable steps to
cause the plastic to harden), and removing the plastic foundation
from the mold. In another aspect, the invention is directed at a
method of forming an architectural pattern on an outer surface of
the foundation assembly.
[0071] Those of ordinary skill in the art will know, or be able to
ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many
equivalents to the embodiments and practices described herein.
Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not to be
limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is to be
interpreted as broadly as allowed under the law, according to the
following claims.
* * * * *