DE29520237U1 - Mattress, especially for a bed - Google Patents

Description

1
DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a mattress, in particular for a bed, with at least one body support padding element, which comprises: an upper part forming a body support surface, a lower part arranged essentially parallel to the upper part, a side wall part connecting the upper part and the lower part along a peripheral edge, wherein the upper part, the lower part and the side wall part form at least one padding chamber which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than an ambient pressure.

Foam mattresses, latex mattresses or so-called spring mattresses are often used as mattresses for beds. People who, for example, have pathological deformities of the spine or who often experience pain in the neck/shoulder area or in the hip area when lying down, often cannot use such well-known mattresses due to the pain they experience when lying down.

To eliminate such problems when lying down, so-called waterbeds are also known. These waterbeds generally have a padding element filled with water. Due to the high flexibility of such padding elements, people with the problems discussed above can be more comfortable with such waterbed mattresses. However, the problem with waterbeds is that due to the strong body heat dissipation that occurs through the water, the water has to be heated in order to avoid an unpleasant feeling of cold when lying on such mattresses. The exact temperature of the water is often difficult to set or regulate, and due to the fact that the water is generally heated electrically with alternating current, the person lying on the bed is exposed to the effects of an alternating electromagnetic field. Such waterbeds also generally require

have a bed box that is essentially constructed like a shell to prevent damage to the floor or similar in the event of water leaking from the mattress.

Bed mattresses that can be filled with air are also known in the state of the art. These known bed mattresses are essentially the same as so-called air mattresses. For people who have the problems described above when lying down, bed mattresses filled with air can also offer increased comfort.

However, with these well-known air-filled mattresses, there is the problem that if the person, for example, unintentionally approaches the edge of the mattress while sleeping, the mattress gives way excessively due to its high elasticity in the edge area and thus the intended comfort can no longer be provided by the mattress.

In contrast, the object of the present invention is to provide a mattress, in particular for a bed, which provides a substantially constant lying comfort regardless of the lying position of a person lying on the mattress. According to the invention, this object is achieved by a mattress, in particular for a bed, with at least one body support padding element, which comprises: an upper part forming a body support surface, a lower part arranged substantially parallel to the upper part, a connecting the upper part and the lower part along a peripheral edge of the side wall part, wherein the upper part, the lower part and the side wall part form at least one padding chamber which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than an ambient pressure. The mattress according to the invention also comprises stiffening means which extend at least along a lateral region of the peripheral edge of the at least one body support padding element and which, when the body support surface is loaded in the region

of the peripheral edge prevent excessive yielding of the at least one body support padding element in its peripheral edge region. The stiffening means are formed by the side wall part and/or an element firmly connected to the at least one padding chamber in the region of the side wall part.

The stiffening means provided in the mattress according to the invention can therefore prevent the mattress from deforming excessively in this area when a person approaches the edge of the bed while sleeping, for example. The mattress therefore provides the desired level of comfort regardless of the person's lying position.

It is advantageous if the upper part, the lower part and the side wall part are made of flexible material, preferably flexible plastic material.

Advantageously, it can be provided that the side wall part is made of a material that is stiffer than the upper part and/or the lower part. The effect according to the invention can thus be achieved simply by selecting the material for the side wall part. It is possible, for example, to produce the side wall part from the same material as the upper part or the lower part, but in two or more layers.

In addition or alternatively, it is possible for the stiffening means to comprise at least one plastic padding element that surrounds the at least one body support padding element at least in its lateral peripheral edge area. The plastic padding element can, for example, consist of foam, latex or the like. Thus, the mattress according to the invention is formed in its peripheral area by a material that is less easily deformed under pressure than the body support padding element.

If the body of a person is to lie in the edge area of the mattress according to the invention, the plastic padding element, which is then subjected to pressure, prevents the mattress from giving way excessively in the edge area.

Advantageously, it can be provided that the at least one plastic padding element is connected to the at least one body support padding element in the area of the side wall part, preferably by gluing or the like. The plastic padding element thus prevents the body support padding element from giving way excessively, even when the body is close to the edge area of the body support padding element, but not yet on the plastic padding element.

In order to be able to provide a smooth transition of the damping or cushioning characteristics from the body support cushioning element to the plastic cushioning element, it is proposed that a boundary surface formed between the at least one body support cushioning element and the plastic cushioning element in the region of the side wall part is inclined with respect to the body support surface in such a way that an angle enclosed between the body support surface and the boundary surface is less than 90°, preferably less than 70°.

According to a further alternative embodiment of the mattress according to the invention, it can be provided that the stiffening means comprise at least one stiffening chamber element connected to the at least one body support padding element in its lateral peripheral edge region, which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than the ambient pressure, and preferably higher than the pressure in the at least one padding chamber. Since in this embodiment of the mattress according to the invention an element, namely the stiffening chamber element, is also provided in the peripheral edge region of the body support padding element, which

is less flexible than the body support padding element, an excessive yielding of the mattress according to the invention when loaded by a body in the edge area is thus avoided^ ~~~**™' —"--*-■-.

In this case, it can again be provided that a boundary surface formed between the at least one body support padding element and the at least one stiffening chamber element in the area of the side wall element is inclined with respect to the body support surface in such a way that an angle enclosed between the body support surface and the boundary surface is less than 90°, preferably less than 70°. This also makes it possible to achieve a smooth transition between the damping characteristics of the body support padding element and the damping characteristics of the stiffening chamber element.

In order to ensure that the mattress according to the invention assumes the essentially mattress-like configuration after being filled with gas, it is proposed that at least one connecting element for connecting the upper part to the lower part is provided in the at least one body support padding element.

It can be provided that the at least one connecting element comprises a connecting wall element extending essentially along a longitudinal direction of the mattress.

Alternatively or additionally, the at least one connecting element can comprise a connecting wall element extending substantially along a transverse direction of the mattress.

In order to prevent a gap between the side wall element and the connecting element or between two connecting elements after filling the mattress according to the invention with gas,

excessive bulging of the body support padding element occurs, it is proposed that the at least one connecting element is elastically stretchable.

The at least one body support cushioning element of the mattress according to the invention can further comprise at least one partition wall part for dividing the at least one cushioning chamber into a plurality of support chambers separated from one another in terms of gas pressure.

For example, the at least one partition wall part can extend in a longitudinal direction of the mattress and be provided essentially in the area of a middle width of the mattress. This is particularly advantageous if the mattress is to be a so-called double mattress, for example for a double bed or the like. Each of the support chambers separated from one another in terms of gas pressure can then be filled with a gas pressure desired by the person using the respective mattress part.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the at least one partition wall part extends in a transverse direction of the mattress. The support chambers that follow one another in the longitudinal direction of the mattress can thus be filled with different gas pressures, which are then each adapted to specific requirements in certain areas of the body.

In order to be able to further limit the bulging already described above after filling the at least one body support padding element of the mattress according to the invention, it is proposed that the upper part consists of a material that is stiffer than the lower part. Here too, for example, the upper part can again consist of the same material as the lower part, but of several layers.

For easy filling of the at least one body support padding element of the mattress of the present invention

It is proposed that at least one valve element, preferably a retractable valve element, is provided for the at least one padding chamber and optionally for the at least one stiffening chamber element and optionally for each support chamber. Such valves can then be used, for example, to introduce the required amount of gas into each support chamber, which is required to provide a certain gas pressure in the chamber and thus a certain damping characteristic of the mattress in this area.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the stiffening means are provided in the head region and/or foot region of the peripheral edge of the at least one body support padding element.

The present invention further relates to a mattress, in particular for a bed, with at least one body support padding element, which comprises: an upper part forming a body support surface, a lower part arranged essentially parallel to the upper part, a side wall part connecting the upper part and the lower part along a peripheral edge, at least one connecting element connecting the upper part and the lower part, wherein the upper part, the lower part and the side wall part form at least one padding chamber which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than an ambient pressure, if desired, wherein the upper part is designed such that when the padding chamber is filled with gas, the body support surface provided by the upper part is an essentially flat surface.

The present invention further relates to a bed with a mattress according to the invention.

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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Figure 1 is a perspective, schematic view of a mattress according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the mattress of Figure 1 along the line II-II in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 of a further embodiment of the mattress according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the mattress according to the invention;

Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the mattress according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the mattress according to the invention; and

Figure 7 is a plan view of another embodiment of the mattress according to the invention.

In Figure 1, a mattress according to the invention is generally designated 10. The mattress 10 comprises a body support padding element 11 with an upper part 12, a lower part 14 and a side wall part 16. The side wall part 16 connects the upper part 12 to the lower part 14 along a peripheral edge 18 of the mattress 10. The upper part 12, the lower part 14 and the side wall part 16 can be made of plastic materials known per se. The side wall part 16 can be connected to the upper part 12 or the lower part 14 by methods known per se, such as welding or gluing. Furthermore, the side wall part 16 can consist of one part which extends along the entire peripheral edge 18 of the mattress 10, or it can be formed from several individual parts for the side regions 20, 22 or the head region 24 and the foot region 26 of the peripheral edge 18.

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In Figure 1, connecting wall elements 28, 30 are shown with dashed lines, which are connected to both the upper part 12 and the lower part 14, for example by gluing or welding. The connecting wall elements 28, 30 serve to ensure that the mattress 10 assumes the desired, essentially flat configuration after the mattress 10 according to the invention has been filled with gas, for example with air. Although only two such connecting wall elements 28, 30 are shown in Figure 1, it is self-evident that a plurality of such connecting wall elements can be provided in the mattress, which then each extend parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figure 1, or additionally or alternatively extend in the transverse direction of the mattress 10 or in another direction. It is important with such connecting wall elements that they do not divide a cushioning chamber formed by the upper part 12, the lower part 14 and the side wall part 16, i.e. that gas exchange is possible between individual areas created by the connecting wall elements.

In Figure 1, a partition wall element 32 is also shown with dashed lines. The partition wall element 32 is in turn connected to the upper part 12, the lower part 14 and the side wall part 16 by welding, gluing or the like. The partition wall element 32 divides the upholstery chamber into two support chambers 34, 35 (see Fig. 2), thereby creating a double mattress, for example for a double bed. The partition wall element 32 creates two support chambers 34, 35 that are separated from one another in terms of gas pressure. Thus, a corresponding damping characteristic can be provided in each of the support chambers 34, 35 by introducing the desired amount of gas.

To introduce the gas into the padding chamber or into each of the support chambers 34, 35, the mattress according to the invention can be provided with for the padding chamber or for each support chamber

34, 35 a valve element (not shown in the figures) can be provided. The valve element is preferably provided in a position which does not impair the lying comfort provided by the mattress according to the invention. Such positions are, for example, positions close to the edge or corners on the lower part 14. The desired amount of gas can then be introduced through the valve element into each of the support chambers 34, 35 or into the padding chamber, or the required amount of gas can be released again after excessive gas has been introduced.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the mattress 10 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2 it can be seen that the side wall part 16 in the lateral areas 20, 22 of the peripheral edge 18 is made of stronger material than the upper part 12 and the lower part 14. This means that the body support padding element 11 is stiffened in these edge areas. If a person lies on the mattress according to the invention and the person moves towards the edge area, for example when sleeping, the side wall part 16, which is thicker or stiffer in this area, prevents the body support padding element 11 from giving way excessively. The mattress according to the invention can therefore provide consistent comfort regardless of the person's lying position.

Further embodiments of the mattress according to the invention are described below with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Identical or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a mattress 10 according to the invention, whereby no partition wall element is provided in the body support padding element 11. Only a connecting wall element 28 is provided in order to achieve the desired configuration of the mattress 10 according to the invention when the body support padding element 11 is inflated, as described above.

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mattress according to the invention. As can be seen in Figure 3, in addition to the side wall part 16, the upper part 12 is also made of thicker material. This means that when the body support padding element 11 is filled with gas, the bulging that would otherwise occur between the connecting wall element 28 and the side wall part 16 can be further restricted.

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of the mattress 10 according to the invention. In the body support padding element 11 shown in Figure 4, the side wall part 16 is not made of reinforced material with respect to the lower part 14 or the upper part 12. Instead, a plastic padding element 36, preferably made of foam or latex or the like, is provided in the lateral area 22 of the peripheral edge 18. The plastic padding element 36 can be firmly connected to the body support padding element 11 in the area of the side wall 16, for example by gluing or the like. The plastic padding element 36 stiffens or makes the mattress 10 harder, particularly in its peripheral area, so that excessive deformation of the body support padding element 11 can be avoided when the body support padding element 11 is subjected to pressure in the edge area. In particular, if the plastic padding element 36 is glued to the side wall part 16, it can be avoided that when only the body support padding element 11 is loaded in the edge area, but not the plastic padding element 36, only the body support padding element 11 is deformed.

Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of the mattress 10 according to the invention. In this case, the side wall part 16 is again made of non-stiffened material with respect to the lower part 14 or the upper part 12. However, in the lateral region 22 of the peripheral edge, a stiffening chamber element 38 is provided, by which a stiffening chamber 40 is formed adjacent to the side wall part 16. In the stiffening

A preferably retractable valve element for filling the stiffening chamber 40 with gas, for example with air, can be arranged in the chamber element 38. The stiffening chamber 40 can then be filled with a pressure that is greater than the pressure of the gas in the body support padding element 11. In this way, a stiffening is again provided in the edge area of the mattress 10, which prevents excessive deformation from occurring in the edge area when the mattress 10 is loaded.

Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the mattress 10 according to the invention. The embodiment of Figure 6 corresponds essentially to the embodiment shown in Figure 4. A plastic padding element 42 is again provided, which is connected to the body support padding element 11 in the area of the side wall part 16 and is connected to it by gluing, for example. As can be seen in Figure 6, an angle a which is less than 90° is formed between a boundary surface 46 formed between the side wall part 16 and the plastic padding element 42 and a support surface 44 formed by the upper part 12. This creates a smooth transition between the damping characteristics of the body support padding element 11 and the plastic padding element 42. The lying comfort provided by the mattress 10 according to the invention can thus be further increased, particularly in the edge area.

Figure 7 is a top view of another embodiment of the mattress 10 according to the invention. The mattress 10 shown in Figure 7 comprises two body support padding elements 11 as well as a mattress body 48 made of foam or latex, for example. The body support padding elements 11 are each provided in a neck/shoulder area 50 or a hip/lumbar area 52 of the mattress 10. These areas are particularly problematic areas for many people and by providing the body support padding elements

elements 11 in these areas, a desired damping characteristic of the mattress 10 can be obtained there. As with the embodiments of Figures 4 and 6, the material of the mattress body 4 8 surrounding the body support padding elements 11 only ensures in the edge area of the body support padding elements 11 that these are not excessively deformed when loaded in these areas. The body support padding elements 11 correspond in their structure to the body support padding elements 11 described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

The connecting wall elements 28 and 30 shown in Figures 1 to 6 can each be made of elastically stretchable material. This ensures that when air is introduced into the body support padding element 11, on the one hand, it assumes the desired configuration, but on the other hand, due to the elastic stretchability of the connecting wall elements 28, 30, excessive bulging of the upper part 12 can be avoided. This is particularly advantageous when the elastically stretchable connecting wall elements 28, 30 are used in conjunction with the reinforced or stiffened upper part 12 shown in Figure 3.

It is of course possible that different embodiments of the mattress according to the invention, as described with reference to Figures 1 to 7, can be combined with one another. For example, in the construction shown in Figure 5, an inclined interface between the stiffening chamber element 38 and the body support padding element 11 can also be provided, as is the case in Figure 6. In addition, it is possible that, for example in the embodiment of Figure 4 or Figure 5, the upper part 12, the side wall part 16 and possibly also the lower part 14 are made of stronger material. In particular, the provision of the stronger material of the side wall part 16 then additionally contributes

helps to prevent excessive give in of the mattress in the edge area.

It is pointed out that the term "rigid" as used in the foregoing description and in the claims is not limited to completely rigid elements, but in particular also describes elements that have less flexibility than corresponding comparison elements.

The present invention provides a mattress that can provide increased lying comfort, especially for people with sensitive body areas when lying down. The mattress according to the invention is easier and cheaper to manufacture than a waterbed mattress and is easier to handle due to its significantly lower weight when inflated. The mattress according to the invention can be configured in particular in such a way that in problem areas, such as the neck/shoulder area or the hip/lumbar area, the damping characteristics of the mattress can be adapted to specific requirements. This can be achieved on the one hand, as shown in connection with Figure 7, by providing body support padding elements in these problem areas or by partition walls that extend in a transverse direction of the body support padding element and through which successive support chambers are then formed in the longitudinal direction. These chambers can then be filled with different gas pressures, depending on requirements.

Claims (1)

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S PROTECTION PROMISES 1. Mattress, in particular for a bed, with at least one body support padding element (11), which comprises: an upper part (12) forming a body support surface (44), a lower part (14) arranged substantially parallel to the upper part (12), a side wall part (16) connecting the upper part (12) and the lower part (14) along a peripheral edge (18), wherein the upper part (12), the lower part (14) and the side wall part (16) form at least one cushioning chamber which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than an ambient pressure,
further comprising stiffening means (16; 36; 38; 42) which extend at least along a lateral region (20, 22) of the peripheral edge of the at least one body support padding element (11) and which, when the body support surface (44) is loaded in the region of the peripheral edge (18), prevent excessive yielding of the at least one body support padding element (11) in its peripheral edge region (18),
characterized in that the stiffening means (16; 36; 3 8; 42) are formed by the side wall part (16) and/or an element (3 6; 42; 38) firmly connected to the at least one padding chamber in the region of the side wall part (16). 2. Mattress according to claim 1,
characterized, that the upper part (12), the lower part (14) and the side wall part (16) consist of flexible material, preferably flexible plastic material. 3. Mattress according to claim 1 or 2, characterized, that the side wall part (16) consists of a material which is stiffer than the upper part (12) and/or the lower part (14). 4. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stiffening means (3 6; 42) comprise at least one plastic padding element (3 6; 42) surrounding the at least one body support padding element (11) at least in its lateral peripheral edge region (22). 5. Mattress according to claim 4,
characterized, that the at least one plastic padding element (36; 42) consists of foam, latex or the like. 6. Mattress according to claim 4 or 5,
characterized, that the at least one plastic padding element (36; 42) is connected to the at least one body support padding element (11) in the region of the side wall part (16) preferably by gluing or the like. 7. Mattress according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that a boundary surface (46) formed between the at least one body support padding element (11) and the plastic padding element (42) in the region of the side wall part (16) is inclined with respect to the body support surface (44) such that an angle (a) enclosed between the body support surface (44) and the boundary surface (46) is less than 90°, preferably less than 70°. 8. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized, that the stiffening means (38) comprise at least one stiffening chamber element (38) connected to the at least one body support padding element (11) in its lateral peripheral edge region (22), which can be filled with gas under a pressure which is higher than the ambient pressure, and preferably higher than the pressure in the at least one padding chamber. 9. Mattress according to claim 8,
characterized, that a boundary surface formed between the at least one body support padding element and the stiffening chamber element in the region of the side wall part is inclined with respect to the body support surface such that an angle enclosed between the body support surface and the boundary surface is less than 90°, preferably less than 70°. 10. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that in the at least one body support padding element (11) at least one connecting element (28, 30) for connecting the upper part (12) to the lower part (14) is provided. 11. Mattress according to claim 10,
characterized, that the at least one connecting element comprises a connecting wall element (28, 30) extending substantially along a longitudinal direction of the mattress (10). 12. Mattress according to claim 10 or 11,
characterized, that the at least one connecting element comprises a connecting wall element extending substantially along a transverse direction of the mattress. 13. Mattress according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the at least one connecting element (28, 30) is elastically stretchable. 14. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising at least one partition wall element (32) for dividing the at least one cushioning chamber of the at least one body support cushioning element (11) into a plurality of support chambers (34, 35) separated from one another in terms of gas pressure. 15. Mattress according to claim 14,
characterized, that the at least one partition wall element (32) extends in a longitudinal direction of the mattress (10) and is provided essentially in the region of a width center of the mattress (10). IS. Mattress according to claim 14 or 15,
characterized, that the at least one partition element extends in a transverse direction of the mattress. 17. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the upper part (12) consists of a material that is stiffer than the lower part (14). 18. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising at least one valve element, preferably a retractable valve element, for the at least one cushioning chamber and optionally for the at least one Stiffening chamber element (3 8) and if necessary for each support chamber (34, 35). 19. Mattress according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the stiffening means are further arranged in the head region (24) and/or in the foot area (26) of the peripheral edge (18) of the at least one body support padding element (11) are provided. 20. Mattress, in particular for a bed, with at least one body support padding element (11), which comprises: an upper part (12) forming a body support surface (44), a lower part (14) arranged substantially parallel to the upper part (12), a side wall part (16) connecting the upper part (12) and the lower part (14) along a peripheral edge (18), - at least one connecting element (28, 30) connecting the upper part (12) and the lower part (14), the upper part (12), the lower part (14) and the side wall part (16) forming at least one cushioning chamber which can be filled with gas at a pressure which is higher than an ambient pressure, if desired in conjunction with one or more of the features of the preceding claims, the upper part (12) being designed such that when the cushioning chamber is filled with gas, the body support surface (44) provided by the upper part (12) is a substantially flat surface. 21. Bed with a mattress according to one of claims 1 to 20.