U.S. patent application number 13/700064 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-12 for independent mattress units with transition zone.
This patent application is currently assigned to KINGSDOWN, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Lee Hinshaw. Invention is credited to Lee Hinshaw.
Application Number | 20130232699 13/700064 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45004361 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130232699 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hinshaw; Lee |
September 12, 2013 |
INDEPENDENT MATTRESS UNITS WITH TRANSITION ZONE
Abstract
A mattress includes a first spring unit having a first degree of
firmness, a second spring unit having a second degree of firmness
different from the first degree of firmness, and a transition zone
that is disposed between the first and second spring units. A foam
perimeter surrounds the first and second spring units and the
transition zone. The transition zone has a first row of springs
adjacent to the first spring unit and has a degree of firmness
between the first and second degrees of firmness that is closer to
the first degree of firmness than the second degree of firmness.
The transition zone also has a second row of springs adjacent to
the second spring unit and has a degree of firmness between the
first and second degrees of firmness that is closer to the second
degree of firmness than the first degree of firmness.
Inventors: |
Hinshaw; Lee; (Bangkok,
TH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hinshaw; Lee |
Bangkok |
|
TH |
|
|
Assignee: |
KINGSDOWN, INC.
Mebane
NC
|
Family ID: |
45004361 |
Appl. No.: |
13/700064 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
May 25, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US11/37935 |
371 Date: |
May 13, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61348233 |
May 25, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/717 ; 29/428;
29/896.92; 5/727 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/05 20130101;
A47C 27/064 20130101; A47C 23/00 20130101; A47C 27/062 20130101;
Y10T 29/49613 20150115; A47C 31/00 20130101; Y10T 29/49826
20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/717 ; 5/727;
29/428; 29/896.92 |
International
Class: |
A47C 23/00 20060101
A47C023/00; A47C 31/00 20060101 A47C031/00 |
Claims
1. A mattress comprising: a first spring unit having a first degree
of firmness; a second spring unit having a second degree of
firmness different from the first degree of firmness; a transition
zone disposed between the first and second spring units; a foam
perimeter surrounding the first and second spring units and the
transition zone; the transition zone comprising: a first row of
springs adjacent to the first spring unit and having a degree of
firmness between the first and second degrees of firmness and
closer to the first degree of firmness than the second degree of
firmness; and a second row of springs adjacent to the second spring
unit and having a degree of firmness between the first and second
degrees of firmness, and closer to the second degree of firmness
than the first degree of firmness.
2. The mattress according to claim 1, wherein the first and second
rows are each a string of pocketed springs.
3. A bedding product, comprising: a first support unit having a
first degree of firmness; a second support unit have a second
degree of firmness different from the first degree of firmness; a
transition zone disposed between the first and second support
units; a perimeter zone surrounding the first and second support
units and the transition zone; the transition zone comprising: a
first transition strip adjacent to the first support unit and
having a degree of firmness between the first and second degrees of
firmness and closer to the first degree of firmness than the second
degree of firmness; and a second transition strip adjacent to the
second support unit and having a degree of firmness between the
first and second degrees of firmness, and closer to the second
degree of firmness than the first degree of firmness.
4. The bedding product according to claim 3, wherein at least one
of the first and second support units is a spring unit comprised of
springs.
5. The bedding product according to claim 4, wherein at least one
of the spring units is comprised of a string of pocketed
springs.
6. The bedding product according to claim 5 wherein at least one of
the first and second transition strips is comprised of a string of
pocketed springs.
7. The bedding product according to claim 3, wherein at least one
of the first and second transition strips is comprised of a string
of pocketed springs.
8. A method of making a bedding product, comprising: selecting a
first support unit having a first degree of firmness; selecting a
second support unit have a second degree of firmness different from
the first degree of firmness; making a transition zone by selecting
a first transition strip having a degree of firmness between the
first and second degrees of firmness and closer to the first degree
of firmness than the second degree of firmness, by selecting a
second transition strip having a degree of firmness between the
first and second degrees of firmness, and closer to the second
degree of firmness than the first degree of firmness, and by
disposing the first and second transition strips adjacent to one
another; and disposing the transition zone between the first and
second support units wherein the first transition strip is disposed
adjacent to the first support unit and the second transition strip
is disposed adjacent to the second support unit.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the
first and second support units is a spring unit comprised of
springs.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the
spring units is comprised of a string of pocketed springs.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the
first and second transition strips is comprised of a string of
pocketed springs.
12. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the
first and second transition strips is comprised of a string of
pocketed springs.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/348,233, filed May 25, 2010.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to mattress systems having separate
mattress support units of the same or varying firmnesses and a
transition zone that provides an area of transitional support
between the mattress support units.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Spring coil mattresses have been known in the art for many
years. A variety of attempts have been made to provide mattresses
that have different firmness zones within the same mattress. An
example of such a mattress is described in U.S. Patent Publication
No. 2008/0072382 to James. This patent application describes a
mattress that has a foam perimeter surrounding two sections with a
flexible spacer placed between the two sections, the flexible
spacer being constructed of foam. Arrays of springs are placed in
the two sections and the foam flexible spacer is described as
restricting translation of movement between the adjacent sections
of the mattress. This flexible spacer is also described as being
rather small, generally significantly less than the width of the
perimeter rail.
[0004] Another attempt at providing a mattress with varying
firmness is a hybrid mattress having portions with different
support characteristics, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,574 to
Piraino. This hybrid mattress is described as having two individual
support means with differential deflection coefficients, such as
two inner spring supports, and a comfort means which is a unitary
casing of foam rubber having two pouches sized to snugly receive
the individual support means. This casing structure of the comfort
means is described as also having an internal interface member. The
internal interface member is described as a piece of rigid foam
connecting the top and bottom surface members and creating the two
pouches in which the individual support means fit. The interface
member is further described as being part of the unitary comfort
means that allows the hybrid mattress to act as a single unit
without coming apart or shifting during use. This foam interface
member which is part of the casing structure is stated to alleviate
problems in the prior art of traversing the change in support
rating from one unit to the other.
[0005] These prior attempts at creating a mattress rely on a piece
of foam that acts as a flexible spacer or interface member to
separate the two support units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An embodiment of the present invention are directed to a
mattress that has two independent mattress units with support
characteristics that differ from one another, and that has a
transition zone disposed between the two mattress units. Each of
the independent mattress units can be an array of springs that has
a degree of firmness that is different from the degree of firmness
of the other independent mattress unit. The transition zone is
formed by one or more rows of compression of springs having a
degree of firmness that is between the degrees of firmness of the
two mattress units.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described
by reference with the following figures, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional multi-firmness
mattress having two coil units of different firmness, with a thin
foam separator rail.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention in which a
mattress has two independent mattress units of different firmnesses
with a transition zone of two rows of springs each with a different
firmness between the firmness of the two independent mattress
units.
[0010] FIGS. 3(A)-3(D) illustrate a plurality of mattress units
with different firmnesses.
[0011] FIGS. 4(A)-4(F) show various transition zone spring units
having more than one row of springs with each row having either the
same or a different firmness than the firmness of the other
row.
[0012] FIGS. 5(A)-5(J) show various configurations of a mattress
having independent mattress units of the same or differing
firmnesses with a transition zone of springs disposed
therebetween.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the steps in a method to
make a mattress that has two independent mattress units of
different firmnesses with a transition zone disposed therebetween,
according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a conventional mattress 100 in the related art
that has a foam casing made up of side rails 101a and 101b, head
rail 101c, and foot rail 101d, and two spring units 102 and 103 of
different firmnesses, which are support units for supporting a
person during sleep. Disposed between the spring units is a thin
foam rail 104.
[0015] A well known type of bedding employs a spring assembly that
includes a number of discrete coil springs, each of which is
enclosed in a fabric pocket in a length of folded fabric material.
Longitudinal axes of the coil springs are generally parallel with
one another so that the top and bottom end turns of the coil
springs define top and bottom faces of the spring assembly. A row
of such pocketed springs is known in the industry as a string of
pocketed springs. A bedding product can be fabricated from such
strings of pocketed springs by binding or adhering the individual
rows or strings of pocketed springs together to form a spring
assembly which may be padded and encased in an upholstered
covering. This type of spring assembly is commonly referred to as a
pocketed spring assembly due to the fact that each spring is
contained within an individual pocket of fabric material. The
construction of strings of pocketed coil springs in each pocket is
well known in the art and, for example, is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,439,977, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety. The system disclosed in that patent includes a spring
coiler which forms a coil spring which is subsequently compressed
and inserted between the plies of folded pocketing fabric
material.
[0016] For ease of description, and without limitation, different
firmnesses of the springs are assigned the name of a color and will
be referred to by that color. For example, spring units made of 14
gauge wire will be referred to by the color red (R). Spring units
made of 14.5 gauge wire will be referred to by the color blue (B).
Spring units made of 15 gauge wire will be referred to by the color
green (G). Spring units made of 16 gauge wire will be referred to
by the color tan (T). Generally, the larger the gauge of wire from
which a spring is constructed, the firmer the spring and more
support is will provide. It will be understood that the gauges of
wire described here are merely examples and other gauges can be
used.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a mattress 200 according to an embodiment of
the present invention which has two independent mattress units of
different firmnesses with a transition zone having two rows of
springs. The mattress 200 is formed by a foam perimeter made up of
side rails 201a and 201b, a head rail 201c, and a foot rail 201d. A
first spring unit 202 is a support unit that has a first firmness
made of a plurality of strings of pocketed springs with coils of 16
gauge wire and is referred to as a tan spring unit. A second spring
unit 203 is a support unit that is formed of a plurality of strings
of pocketed springs with coils made from a heavier gauge wire,
namely 14 gauge wire, and therefore is firmer than spring unit 202,
and is referred to as a red spring unit. A transition zone of
springs 204 is formed from two transition strips 204a and 204b
which, according to the present embodiment, are strings of pocketed
springs, each string of pocketed springs also being referred to as
a row of springs, with firmnesses that transition from a firmer
spring (blue) to a softer spring (green). Together the two
transition spring rows 204a and 204b form the transition zone. The
firmer row of springs in the transition zone, in this case the blue
row of springs 204b, is disposed adjacent to the firmer spring
unit, namely the red spring unit 203. The less firm, or softer row
of springs in the transition zone, in this case the row of green
springs 204a, is disposed adjacent to the softer spring unit,
namely the tan spring unit 202.
[0018] The transition zone springs 204 can be attached to either
one or both of the spring units 202, 203 by conventional methods,
such as by gluing or hog-ringing. The transition zone is attached
to at least one of the spring units prior to the spring units being
inserted into the space formed by the foam perimeter 201a-201d. The
foam perimeter surrounds the spring units 202, 203 and the
transition zone 204. The mattress 200 is then covered by suitable
top covering materials to form a mattress suitable for use by two
people. Accordingly, the resulting mattress with independent spring
units is suitable for a person desiring a relatively firm mattress,
corresponding to the spring unit made of heavier gauge wire such as
red spring unit 203, and by a person desiring a less firm, or
softer mattress corresponding to the spring unit made of lighter
gauge wire such as tan spring unit 202. And the mattress has a
transition zone 204 that has a firmness that transitions in a
relatively continuous manner from the firmer spring unit (red) to
the softer spring unit (tan), making the change in firmness between
the spring units less noticeable than in conventional
mattresses.
[0019] The mattress can be a suitable size for comfortable sleeping
by two people, such as a king or queen size mattress. However, the
techniques described here can be used with other size
mattresses.
[0020] Selection of the appropriate spring units can be made in
conjunction with automatic mattress recommendation systems such as
those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,571,192, 6,741,950, and
6,990,425 to Hinshaw, et al., which are incorporated herein by
reference. Based on customers' selection or recommendation of the
appropriate firmness for each side of the mattress, a suitable
mattress can be built using the appropriate spring units with the
selected or recommended firmness for each person. Based on the
spring units to be used in the mattress, a transition zone is
determined that appropriately blends the firmness from one side of
the mattress to the other. The transition zone, according to the
present embodiment, has two rows of springs with the firmness of
the springs in each row selected based on the firmness of the
different mattress units. The firmness of the coils making up the
transition zone are selected to provide a gradual transition from
the firmness of one mattress unit to the firmness of the other
mattress unit. In the following embodiment, the firmnesses ranges
from the most firm, being a 14 gauge red (R) spring coil, to a 14.5
gauge blue (B) spring coil, to a 15 gauge green (G) spring coil, to
the softest spring coil, tan (T), made of a 16 gauge wire. As
illustrated in FIGS. 3(A)-3(D), mattress units, or support units,
are made of a plurality of strings of pocketed springs in which the
springs are coils of the same firmness. For example, FIG. 3(A)
shows a spring unit made of ten strings of pocketed springs
connected together as a spring unit. Each of the springs in the
spring unit shown in FIG. 3(A) is a tan (T) type spring of 16 gauge
wire making the spring unit shown in FIG. 3(A) the softest spring
unit of the present embodiment. FIG. 3(B) shows a somewhat firmer
spring unit made of a plurality of strings of pocketed springs in
which the springs are made of green (G) springs of 15 gauge wire.
FIG. 3(C) shows an even firmer spring unit made of a plurality of
strings of pocketed springs in which the springs are made of blue
(B) springs of 14.5 gauge wire. And FIG. 3(C) shows an the firmest
spring unit made of a plurality of strings of pocketed springs in
which the springs are made of red (R) springs of 14 gauge wire.
[0021] The spring coils used to make the transition zone rows are
selected to have a firmness that transitions from the firmness of
one of the mattress units to the firmness of the other mattress
unit. For example, the mattress shown in FIG. 2 has a relatively
soft tan (T) mattress unit 202 made of 16 gauge wire. Red (R)
mattress unit 203 is made of 14 gauge spring coils. The transition
zone is formed by a row of blue (B) springs 204b of 14.5 gauge wire
and a row of green (G) springs 204a of 15 gauge wire. The row of
blue springs is disposed next to the firmer mattress unit, the red
(R) unit 203, and the row of green springs is disposed next to the
softer mattress unit, the tan (T) unit 202. This provides an
gradual easing of the firmness of coils going from the firmer side
of the mattress to the softer side of the mattress, that is, going
from the red (R) mattress unit to the tan (T) mattress unit. This
results in a more subtle transition from the firm mattress unit to
the softer mattress unit, and is more pleasing and desirable to the
users than in conventional mattress support structures having
differing firmnesses. In the mattress shown in FIG. 2, the blue and
green rows of springs in the transition zone have a firmness that
is between the firmness of the red and tan spring units and
therefore provides for a continuous transition in firmness in the
transition zone 204.
[0022] The different firmnesses of the spring units, described here
as red, blue, green and tan, can be considered degrees of firmness.
A red spring unit and a blue spring unit differ by one degree of
firmness. Similarly, a red spring unit and a green spring unit
differ by two degrees of firmness. And a red spring unit and a tan
spring unit differ by three degrees of firmness Likewise, a blue
spring unit and a green spring unit differ by one degree of
firmness, and a blue spring unit and a tan spring unit differ by
two degrees of firmness. And a green spring unit and a tan spring
unit differ by one degree of firmness. Similarly, rows of springs
for the transition zone differ in degrees of firmness in the same
manner.
[0023] In general, the degrees of firmness of the springs used in
the rows of the transition zone are chosen to provide a gradual
change in firmness that is as continuous as possible, going from
one spring unit to another. There are some configurations where
either one of two degrees of firmness can be chosen to provide this
gradual or near-continuous transition. In certain embodiments of
the invention, when such a choice is to be made, the firmer degree
of spring is chosen. The firmer row of springs is chosen because
the person desiring firmer support often will be the larger of the
two partners using the mattress and may require more mattress
area.
[0024] FIGS. 4(A)-4(F) show various configurations of rows of
springs for a transition zone. For example, six different
transition zones are shown in these figures: two rows of tan
springs shown in FIG. 4(A), two rows of green springs shown in FIG.
4(B), two rows of blue springs shown in FIG. 4(C), two rows of red
springs shown in FIG. 4(D), one row of green springs with one row
of blue springs shown in FIG. 4(E), and one row of blue springs
with one row of red springs shown in FIG. 4(F).
[0025] Various combinations of mattress units and transition zones
are shown in FIGS. 5A-J.
[0026] FIG. 5A shows a configuration with two green mattress units
which have no difference in firmness and therefore the transition
zone is formed from two rows of green springs. FIG. 5B shows the
configuration shown in FIG. 2, in which the mattress units differ
by three degrees of firmness. Accordingly, the transition zone is
formed by a row of blue springs positioned adjacent to the red
spring unit, and a row of green springs positioned adjacent to the
tan spring unit. FIG. 5C shows a configuration with a blue mattress
unit and a tan mattress unit, which differ by two degrees of
firmness. Because only one type of spring has a firmness between
the firmness of the blue and the tan spring units, namely a green
spring unit, the row of coils in the transition zone disposed
closest to the firmer mattress unit, namely the blue mattress unit,
is chosen to be the same as the firmer mattress unit. So in this
case, a blue row of springs is selected for the transition zone to
be positioned next to the blue mattress unit. This is because the
firmer mattress unit is likely to support a larger size person who
may need more area on the mattress for firm support. A green coil
is selected for the second row of the transition zone and it is
positioned next to the tan unit to provide a transition from blue
to tan. In FIG. 5D, green and tan mattress units are selected.
Since those two mattress units are adjacent in degrees of firmness,
both rows of springs of the transition zone are selected to be the
same firmness as the more firmer mattress unit, namely green
springs. This provides more area for the person desiring the firmer
coil mattress.
[0027] The remaining mattresses shown in FIGS. 5(E)-(J) show
various combinations and configurations of spring units and
transition zones.
[0028] A method of making a mattress with a plurality of support
zones of different firmnesses and a transition zone between the
support zones, is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this method, a mattress
is made with two support zones suitable for supporting two people,
in which each support zone supports one of the two people according
to that person's physical and sleep characteristics. In step 601,
the first person's physical and sleep characteristics are analyzed.
For example, the techniques described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,571,192,
6,741,950, and 6,990,425 to Hinshaw, et al., can be used to analyze
the person's physical and sleep characteristics. In the present
embodiment, a computer programmed with an algorithm as described in
those patents, and incorporated herein by reference, performs the
analysis. In step 602, a similar analysis is performed for the
second person. In step 603, a first support unit, having a first
firmness, is selected according to the analysis of the first
person's physical and sleep characteristics. In step 604, a second
support unit, having a second firmness, is selected according to
the analysis of the second person's physical and sleep
characteristics. In step 605, a transition zone, having two
transition strips, is selected based on the selected first and
second support units. The firmness of the transition strips is
selected according to the guidance described above. The transition
strips can be connected to one another to form the transition zone.
Each transition strips can be a string of pocketed springs.
[0029] The transition zone is then connected to at least one of the
support units, such as the first support unit, as shown in step
606. In step 607, the components of the mattress are arranged such
that the selected transition zone is disposed between the first and
second support units with the firmer transition strip of the
transition zone being placed adjacent to the firmer support unit In
step 608, a foam perimeter is placed around the arranged first
support unit, transition zone, and second support unit. The
assembly is covered with one or more layers of mattress covering
materials.
[0030] The present invention is not restricted to spring coil type
support members but can use other types of members as well such as
foam mattress units, etc. For example, the support units can be
made of foam rubber having the appropriate firmness and the
transition strips also can be formed of foam rubber having the
appropriate firmness. In embodiments using coils, the coils can be
made from any type of suitable inner spring type coil
conventionally used for sleep products such as pocketed coils, a
Bonnell coil or other continuous wire units, although the invention
is not limited to these type of coils. Combinations of types of
support units and transition strips can be used depending on the
application.
[0031] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it would
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
* * * * *