Mattress Topper Pad

Abstract

An improved topper pad for a mattress unit wherein the topper pad is positioned on an inner spring unit and has extending outwardly from its peripherial edge a preformed lip or welting encompassing the top portion of the topper pad. The inner spring unit is covered with ticking positioned on the topper pad so its edges abut the welting. A strip of trimming fabric covers the welting and overlaps the edges of the ticking panels, the trimming fabric and the ticking panels being sewn to the welting at its base, thus, constructing a mattress unit with an attractive border which looks like fabric-covered rope and which prevents shifting between the topper pad and the ticking panels.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in mattresses and, more particularly, to topper pads for mattress inner spring units.

For the most part, the mattress inner spring units are formed of a plurality of interconnected coil springs arranged in side by side relation in crosswise and lengthwise rows between upper and lower border wires which are connected to the outermost coil springs in each of the rows, usually by means of helical wires, to provide the coil spring assembly. It has been the practice to cover the inner spring units with layers of fibrous matting, which are in turn covered with an outer layer of material commonly known in the bedding field as "ticking". The ticking is most generally applied in three sections; the sections being a top panel, a bottom panel, and a side panel. The three panels are sewn together on the mattress unit so that the top, bottom, and side panels cover the top, bottom, and side portions of the mattress unit, respectively. In order to avoid an unsightly seam resulting from sewing the ticking panels together, it has been the practice to include a piece of fabric-covered rope at the juncture of the top and side panels as well as at the juncture of the bottom and side panels during the stitching.

Recently, the fibrous material that was positioned on top of the inner spring unit has been replaced by unitary pads of resilient material, such as polyurethane foam, which are known in the bedding field as "topper pads." Such topper pads have now found wide-spread use in the bedding field to cover inner spring units, but the mattress construction requires feeding a rope-like material along the junctures of the ticking panels as the junctures are covered with trimming fabric and sewn together, thus, supplying the mattress edge with a fabric-covered rope but imposing a time consuming operation. Since the ticking panels are not held in a fixed relationship with respect to the topper pads after they are sewn together; shifting between the mattress ticking and the topper pads often occurs.

Briefly, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a generally rectangular mattress unit comprising topper pads that are positioned on top and bottom faces of an inner spring unit. Padding from the topper pads extends outward from the peripheral edges forming a lip or welting about the periphery of the topper pads. The inner spring unit is covered with ticking comprised of panels positioned on the topper pads so the ticking panels edges abut the preformed welting. A strip of trimming fabric covers the welting and overlaps the edges of the ticking panels, the trimming fabric and the ticking panels being sewn to the welting at its base, thus, producing an attractive border having the appearance of fabric-covered rope. The attachment of the ticking panels to the topper pads prevents any shifting between the ticking and the topper pads. Since the trimming fabric is filled with resilient material, it is more resilient and luxurious feeling than the fabric-covered rope employed in the prior art. The assembly of the mattress of the present invention is a relatively fast operation since a rope-like material does not have to be fed along the ticking panel junctures as they are covered with trimming fabric and sewn together.

FIG. 1 is a cut-away perspective view of a mattress unit embodying the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mattress unit shown in FIG. 1 taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of the topper pad structure.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a mattress unit embodying the features of the present invention and indicated generally by reference numeral 4. The mattress unit 4 includes two topper pads 6 positioned on an inner spring unit 10. Each of the topper pads 6 has a preformed welting 8 formed on its peripheral edge. Ticking, indicated generally by reference numeral 12, covers the topper pads 6 and abuts the welting 8 which is covered with a trimming fabric 14. The ticking 12 and trimming fabric 14 are sewn to the welting 8.

Considering now the topper pads 6 in more detail, and referring the FIGS. 2 and 3, the topper pads 6 include a main portion 24 and side portions 26. The welting 8, preferably formed so as to curve through the major part of a circle, is positioned on the topper padding 6 at the outer periphery of the main portion 24. The resilient material, preferably polyurethane foam, forming the topper paddings 6 extends outwardly at the outer periphery of the main portion 24 to form the welting 8 and a welting base 22; the welting 8 being connected to the topper padding 6 by the welting base 22.

The topper paddings 6 are covered with ticking 12 comprised of a top panel 16, a bottom panel 20, and a side panel 18. The top and bottom ticking panels 16 and 20 cover the top and bottom faces of the mattress unit 4, respectively, while the side ticking panel 18 covers the sides of the mattress unit 4. The ticking panel 16 is positioned on the top topper pad 6 so that the outer peripheral edge of the ticking panel 16 lies on one side of the welting base 22 while the upper edge of the side ticking section 18 is positioned on the opposite side of the welting base 22. Trimming fabric 14 is placed over the welting portion 8 overlapping the edges of the ticking panels 16 and 18 and stitches 30 are sewn through the trimming fabric 14 and ticking sections 16 and 18. The stitches 30 extend through the welting base 22 so that the ticking sections 16 and 18 are held together and in a fixed relationship with respect to the topper padding 6.

The ticking panel 20 is positioned on the bottom topper pad 6 so that the outer peripheral edge of the ticking panel 20 lies on one side of the welting base 22 while the lower edge of the side ticking section 18 is positioned on the opposite side of the welting base 22. Trimming fabric 14 is positioned over the welting 8 so as to extend over the welting base 22 and overlaps the edges of the ticking sections 18 and 20. The trimming fabric 14 and the ticking sections 18 and 20 are sewn together by stitches 30 which extend through the welting base 22 so that the ticking sections 18 and 20 are held together and in a fixed relationship with respect to the topper padding 6.

The present invention is applicable also to foam mattresses in addition to the inner spring mattresses described above. As well as mattress, it will be understood that the present invention is likewise applicable to foam cushions or foam-covered spring units utilized in the construction of furniture.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. In a mattress unit with a resilient topper pad positioned on an inner spring unit, the improvement comprising said topper pad having a pre-formed welting attached thereto, trimming fabric overlying said welting, ticking overlying said topper pad, said trimming fabric and ticking being attached together and to said welting.

2. In the mattress unit of claim 1 wherein said welting is curved through the major part of a circle.

3. In the mattress unit of claim 1 wherein said ticking is comprised of panels which abut said welting.

4. In the mattress unit of claim 3 wherein said welting is at the peripheral edge of said topper pad and attached to said topper pad by a welting base.

5. In the mattress unit of claim 1 wherein said welting extends about the periphery of said topper pad.

6. In the mattress unit of claim 3 wherein said trimming fabric overlies the edges of said ticking panels.

7. In the mattress unit of claim 5 wherein the means attaching said trimming fabric and said ticking panels together and to said welting comprises stitching extending through said trimming fabric and said ticking panels and said welting base.

8. In a mattress unit with a resilient topper pad positioned on an inner spring unit, the improvement comprising:

a. said topper pad having a main portion and side portions and a preformed welting about the periphery of the main portion;

b. said welting being connected to said main portion by a welting base, ticking overlying said topper pad, trimming fabric overlying said welting, said trimming fabric and ticking being attached together and to said welting.

9. In a mattress unit with two resilient topper pads positioned on an inner spring unit, the improvement comprising: (a) each of said topper pads having a main portion and side portions and a pre-formed welting about the periphery of the main portion; (b) said welting being connected to said main portion by a welting base, ticking overlying said topper pad, trimming fabric overlying said welting, said trimming fabric and ticking being attached together and to said welting.

10. In the mattress unit of claim 9 wherein each of said topper pads lie on opposite faces of said inner spring unit.

11. In the mattress unit of claim 9 wherein said welting is curved through the major part of a circle.

12. In the mattress unit of claim 9 wherein said ticking is comprised of panels which abut said welting.

13. In the mattress unit of claim 12 wherein said trimming fabric overlies the edges of said ticking panels.

14. In the mattress unit of claim 13 wherein the means attaching said trimming fabric and said ticking panels together and to said welting comprises stitching extending through said trimming fabric and said ticking panels and said welting base.

15. In a mattress unit the improvement comprising:

a. a pre-formed welting attached to said mattress;

b. trimming fabric overlying said welting;

c. ticking overlying said mattress; and

d. said trimming fabric and ticking being attached together and to said welting.

16. In the mattress unit of claim 15 wherein said welting is curved through the major part of a circle.

17. In the mattress unit of claim 15 wherein said ticking is comprised of panels which abut said welting.

18. In the mattress unit of claim 17 wherein said welting is at the peripheral edge of mattress and attached to said mattress by a welting base.

19. In the mattress unit of claim 15 wherein said welting extends about the periphery of said mattress.

20. In the mattress unit of claim 17 wherein said trimming fabric overlies the edges of said ticking panels.

21. In the mattress unit of claim 18 wherein the means attaching said trimming fabric and said ticking panels together and to said welting comprises stitching extending through said trimming fabric and said ticking panels and said welting base.

22. In a cushion unit the improvement comprising:

a. said cushion having a main portion and side portions and a preformed welting about the periphery of the main portion;

b. said welting being connected to said main portion by a welting base, ticking overlying said cushion, trimming fabric overlying said welting, said trimming fabric and ticking being attached together and to said welting.