Ergonomic mattress having support sections with internal variations

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to mattresses and more particularly, a mattress wherein the main body is made up of multiple layers of support material having varying heights, thicknesses and/or voids to provide a contoured upper surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chronic pain can sometimes be linked to the type of mattress an individual sleeps on. Sleeping on a conventional mattress can result in physical ailments, such as shoulder pain, hip pain, leg pain and so forth.

These ailments are typically caused by undue pressure on the hips and shoulders caused by a mattress having a singular evenly flat upper surface that does not allow the individual's shoulders and/or hips to sink into proper alignment with the spine, especially when an individual is sleeping on his or her side. This is due to the profile of the human skeleton wherein the top of the shoulder and the top of the femur protrude furthest from the center of the body or spine. With a flat conventional mattress, much of the body's weight is absorbed in these two areas.

Previous attempts to solve this problem included the creation of mattresses having “zones” or areas of material having varying densities. However, the thickness or height of these mattresses always remained the same meaning the individual is still sleeping on a flat surface that allows an individual's torso to sink below his or her shoulder and hips, thereby causing misalignment of the spine and joints.

Therefore, a need exists for a method and system for an ergonomic mattress made up of multiple layers of material having varying heights, thicknesses and/or voids that conform to an individual's body and properly disperse pressure across the individual's body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an ergonomic mattress made up of multiple layers of material having varying heights, thicknesses and/or voids that conform to an individual's body and properly disperse pressure across the individual's body.

The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing an ergonomic mattress having one or more support sections with varying heights, thicknesses and/or voids. The varying heights, thicknesses and/or voids are achieved by eliminating one or more layers of support material from the body of the mattress in a desired area and/or using a shorter and/or thicker pieces of support material in a desired area in comparison to the other areas of the mattress to create concave indentations on a top surface of the mattress.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary side view of an individual lying on a conventional mattress wherein the individual's spine and joints are misaligned;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary side view of an individual lying on an ergonomic mattress of the present invention wherein the individual's spine and joints are properly aligned;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a mattress of the present invention showing the various support sections;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation cross-sectional view of a mattress of the present invention having voids located within the mattress body created by eliminating sections of one or more support layers; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation cross-sectional view of an ergonomic mattress of the present invention having voids located within the mattress body created by eliminating sections of one or more support layers and using intermediate support layers of varying thickness within the created void to adjust the depth of the void.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered accessories in the drawings is as follows:

1. ergonomic mattress, generally

2. individual

3. conventional mattress

4. spine

5. mattress body

6. top surface of mattress body

7. bottom surface of mattress body

8. head support section

9. shoulder support section

10. torso support section

11. hip support section

12. leg support section

13. void

14. bottom layer of support material

15. middle layer of support material

16. top layer of support material

17. concave indentation

18. intermediate support layer

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary side view of an individual 2 lying on a conventional mattress 3 wherein the individual's spine 4 and joints are misaligned is illustrated. Shoulder, back and hip pain are typically caused by undue pressure on the hips and shoulders while sleeping on a conventional mattresses 3 having a flat surface that does not allow the shoulders and/or hips to sink into the conventional mattress 3, especially when the individual 2 is sleeping on his or her side. This is due to the profile of the human skeleton wherein the top of the shoulder and the top of the femur protrude furthest from the center of the body or spine 4. With a flat conventional mattress 3, much of the body's weight is absorbed in these two areas, thereby pushing the shoulders and hips upward out of their natural position and curving the spine 3, as illustrated herein.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exemplary side view of an individual 2 lying on an ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention wherein the individual's spine 3 and joints are properly aligned is illustrated. The ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention provides a mattress body 5 having a top surface 6, a bottom surface 7 and sections of varying thickness. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the ergonomic mattress 1 comprises five support sections: a head support section 8, a shoulder support section 9, a torso support section 10, a hip support section 11 and a leg support section 12. The shoulder support section 9 and hip support section 11 each have heights measured from the bottom surface 7 to the top surface 6 of the mattress body 5 that are less than heights of the head support section 8, torso support section 10 and leg support section 12. Therefore, the individual's shoulders and hips are allowed to rest below a horizontal plane on which the individual's head, torso and legs are resting, thereby creating proper alignment of the spine 3 and joints, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The shorter heights of the shoulder support section 9 and the hip support section 11 are created using varying thickness of support material and/or eliminating sections of support material to creating voids 13 in the mattress body 5, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

With reference to FIG. 4, a side elevation cross-sectional view of an ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention having voids 13 located within the mattress body 5 created by eliminating sections of one or more support layers is illustrated. The ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention comprises a mattress body 5 having a top surface 6, a bottom surface 7, at least one bottom layer of support material 14, at least one middle layer of support material 15 and at least one top layer of support material 16. Said support material may comprise foam, springs, micro-coils, cotton batting, and/or any equivalent material. As illustrated herein, a middle layer of support material 15 has voids created 13 by removing sections of the middle layer of support material 15. Top layers of support material 16 then dip into the voids 13 to created concave indentations 17 on the top surface 6 of the mattress body 5. The concave indentations 17 are positioned in a manner that creates a plurality of support sections on the ergonomic mattress 1, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Voids 13 may be located within a bottom layer of support material 14, a middle layer of support material 15 and/or a top layer of support material 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the plurality of support sections comprise a head support section 8 located adjacent to a top edge of the mattress, a shoulder support section 9 (wherein a concave indentation 17 is located) located adjacent to the head support section 8, a torso support section 10 located adjacent to the shoulder support section 9, a hip support section 11 (wherein a concave indentation 17 is located) located adjacent to the torso support section 10, and a leg support section 12 located adjacent to the hip support section 11.

With reference to FIG. 5, a side elevation cross-sectional view of an ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention having voids 13 located within the mattress body 5 created by eliminating sections of one or more support layers and using intermediate support layers of varying thickness within the created void to adjust the depth of the void 13 is illustrated. The ergonomic mattress 1 of the present invention comprises a mattress body 5 having a top surface 6, a bottom surface 7, at least one bottom layer of support material 14, at least one middle layer of support material 15 and at least one top layer of support material 16. Said support material may comprise foam, springs, micro-coils, cotton batting, and/or any equivalent material. As illustrated herein, a middle layer of support material 15 has voids created 13 by removing sections of the middle layer of support material 15. The depth of the voids 13 is then adjusted by placing one or more intermediate support layers 18 within the voids 13. Top layers of support material 16 then dip into the voids 13 to created concave indentations 17 on the top surface 6 of the mattress body 5. The concave indentations 17 are positioned in a manner that creates a plurality of support sections on the ergonomic mattress 1, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings.