MATTRESS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

Description

BACKGROUND

Mattresses are pads that come in various sizes and shapes, which may be used to support a lying person. A mattress is often designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses can be used on their own or in combination with other bedding accessories like box springs, slats, or adjustable bed bases to create a desired level of comfort and support.

SUMMARY

A mattress according to an example of this disclosure may include a support base. The support base may include four adjoining border walls, a support portion enclosed within the border walls, and a transition panel above the support portion. An enclosure may be above the support base and include four adjoining enclosure walls each attached to one of the border walls, a fastener disposed on one or more of the enclosure walls, a cover, and a cavity bound by the enclosure walls, the cover, and the transition panel. A cartridge may be removably receivable within the cavity, the cartridge including layers encased within an encasement sleeve, the encasement sleeve abutting inner surfaces of at least three of the enclosure walls when received within the enclosure.

In any examples, the cartridge layers may include foam layers.

In any examples, the cartridge layers may include one or more layers of foam and one or more layers of microcoils.

In any examples, a foam encasement may not be included in the cartridge.

In any examples, the fastener may be a zipper, and the zipper is near an upper edge of three or four of the enclosure walls.

In any examples, the encasement sleeve may abut inner surfaces of four enclosure walls when received within the enclosure.

In any examples, the cover may include a pillow top.

In any examples, the transition panel may include foam.

In any examples, the support base may include a base panel including foam below the support portion.

In any examples, the cartridge may be roll packed.

In any examples, the cartridge may have a cartridge length from a first wall provided by the encasement sleeve to a second wall provided by the encasement sleeve and a cartridge width from a third wall provided by the encasement sleeve to a fourth wall provided by the encasement sleeve, and the support base may have a support base width from a first border wall to a second border wall and a support base length from a third border wall to a fourth border wall, the cartridge width is substantially the same as the support base width, and the cartridge length is substantially the same as the support base length.

In any examples, the cartridge may be roll packed.

In any examples, the cartridge layers may include one or more layers of foam and one or more layers of microcoils.

In any examples, the fastener may be a zipper, and the zipper may be near an upper edge of at three or four of the enclosure walls.

A method according to an example of this disclosure may include arranging a support base such that a transition panel is above a support portion within adjoining border walls. The method may include positioning a cartridge within a cavity of an enclosure above the transition panel, the enclosure including adjoining enclosure walls bounding the cavity and each attached to one of the border walls, the cartridge including layers encased within an encasement sleeve, the encasement sleeve abutting inner surfaces of at least three enclosure walls of the enclosure when positioned within the enclosure. The method may include fastening the enclosure to a closed position with the cartridge within the cavity.

In any examples, a method may include, before the positioning step, unrolling the cartridge from a first roll packed configuration.

In any examples, a method may include, before the arranging step, unrolling the support base and enclosure from a second roll packed configuration separate from the first roll packed configuration.

In any examples, the fastening step may include zipping a cover to one or more of the enclosure walls.

In any examples, a method may include, before the arranging step, unrolling the support base and enclosure from a roll packed configuration.

In any examples, the fastening step may include zipping a cover to one or more of the enclosure walls.

These and other features may be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example mattress.

FIG. 2 illustrates another view of a portion of the example mattress.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the example mattress.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example cartridge within an enclosure of the example mattress.

FIG. 4B illustrates two example cartridges within an enclosure of another example mattress.

FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of an example cartridge of the example mattress.

FIG. 5B illustrates a top view of an example support base of the example mattress.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example roll packed cartridge and an example roll packed support base.

FIG. 7 illustrates a step of an example method.

FIG. 8 illustrates another step of the example method.

FIG. 9 illustrates another step of the example method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example mattress 20 including a support base 22, an enclosure 24 above the support base 22, and a cartridge 26 removably receivable within the enclosure 24. The enclosure 24 is shown in an opened position, during which the cartridge 26 can be inserted into, or removed from, the enclosure 24. It should be understood that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” and “lower” are used above with reference to the normal orientation of a mattress.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the example support base 22 includes four adjoining border walls 28, including walls 28a, 28b at opposing lateral sides of the mattress, a wall 28c at the head of the mattress, and a wall 28d at the foot of the mattress. The example enclosure 24 includes four adjoining enclosure walls 30, each attached to one of the border walls 28 at a tape edge 32. A cavity 31 is bound by the walls 28. The enclosure walls 30 include walls 30a, 30b at opposing lateral sides of the mattress 20, a wall 30c at the head of the mattress, and a wall 30d at the foot of the mattress 20. The border walls 28 may be made from fabric, which may be quilted with foam. The enclosure walls 30 may be made from fabric, which may be quilted with foam.

Two or more adjoining walls 28 or 30 as described herein may be formed of a continuous piece of fabric. The walls 28a, 28b may be substantially parallel) (+10° to one another, and the walls 28c, 28d may be substantially parallel) (+10° to one another. The walls 28a, 28b may be substantially perpendicular) (+10° to the walls 28c, 28d. Similarly, the walls 30a, 30b may be substantially parallel) (+10° to one another, and the walls 30c, 30d may be substantially parallel) (+10° to one another. The walls 30a, 30b may be substantially perpendicular) (+10° to the walls 30c, 30d.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the example mattress 20. Within the support base 22, a support portion 33 includes coils 34 that may be arranged in various patterns and enclosed within the border walls 28 (partially removed for ease of viewing). Although the illustrative example support portion 33 includes coils 34, other example support portions may include foam, or a combination of coils and foam. A transition panel 36 including one or more layers may be provided above the support portion 33. In some examples, the coils 34 are steel coils. In some examples, the coils 34 are pocketed coils, although other coil types, including Bonnell coils, offset coils, continuous wire coils, or combinations of the disclosed coil types may be utilized. The example transition panel 36 may include foam. A base panel 37 may be provided below the coils 34, opposite the transition panel 36, and may include foam or padding. As used herein, in some examples, foam may include polyurethane foam, memory foam, latex foam, gel-infused foam, or combinations thereof. Although an example support base 22 is disclosed, mattresses with other support base types, including those without coils, may benefit from this disclosure.

In some examples, a fastener 38, the illustrative example being a zipper, is provided near an upper edge of one or more of the enclosure walls 30, and a cover 40 (partially shown) is in zippered engagement with one or more enclosure walls 30. The example upper edge adjoins the cover 40. The example cover 40 forms the top surface of the mattress 20 with respect to the normal orientation of the mattress 20. In some examples, the cover 40 could be a single layer of fabric. In some examples, the cover 40 could be one or more layers of fabric quilted with foam. In some examples, the cover may be quilted with up to 4 inches of foam. With reference to FIG. 2, the cavity 31 is bound by the walls 30, the cover 40, and the transition panel 36. In some examples, the zipper 38 is near an upper edge of three or more of the enclosure walls 30. In some examples, other fastening types may be utilized for opening and closing the enclosure 24, including snaps, buttons, buckles, hook and loop, hook and eye, magnets, or other similar fasteners. The cover 40 may include a pillow top, which may include multiple layers. The fastener 38 may be provided at other locations on the enclosure walls 30 in some examples.

The example cartridge 26 is received within the cavity 31 above the transition panel 36. The cartridge 26 may include layers 42a-42e encased within an encasement sleeve 44. The example sleeve 44 is tightly wrapped against the edges of the layers 42a-42e. When received within the enclosure 24, the encasement sleeve 44 abuts inner surfaces of at least three of the enclosure walls 30. The enclosure 24 thus tightly surrounds the cartridge 26 so as to prevent the cartridge 26 from shifting, such as while the mattress 20 is in use. In some examples, with reference to FIG. 2, when received within the enclosure 24, the encasement sleeve 44 abuts inner surfaces of enclosure walls 30c, 30d, and one or both of the enclosure walls 30a, 30b. The example encasement sleeve 44 also abuts the inner surface of the cover 40.

The example layers 42a-42e may include one or more foam layers. The example layers 42a-42e may additionally or alternatively include microcoils. In some examples, the microcoils discussed herein may be 0.25-4 inches in height. In some examples, the example layers 42a-42e include one or more layers of foam and one or more layers of microcoils. In some examples, the example layers 42a-42e includes alternating layers of foam and microcoils. As an example, layers 42a, 42c, and 42e may be foam layers, and layers 42b and 42d may be microcoils. Other configurations are contemplated. Although five layers 42a-42e are shown in the illustrative example, more or fewer layers may be utilized. Layers within the cartridge 26 may be customized to achieve desired firmness or support profiles.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in examples in which a single cartridge 26 is utilized, the encasement sleeve 44 abuts inner surfaces of all four enclosure walls 30a-30d when received within the enclosure 24. Although there is a slight gap between the surfaces in the Figure for illustrative purposes, the Figure is intended to show that the surfaces are in abutment. Specifically, in some examples, a first lateral wall 45a provided by the sleeve 44 abuts enclosure wall 30a, a second lateral wall 45b provided by the sleeve 44 abuts enclosure wall 30b, a wall 45c provided by the sleeve 44 at the head of the cartridge 26 abuts enclosure wall 30c, and a wall 45d provided by the sleeve 44 at the foot of the cartridge 26 abuts enclosure wall 30d.

As shown in FIG. 4B, in other examples, such as for larger-sized mattresses, two cartridges 126a, 126b are provided side by side within the enclosure 124, and the encasement sleeve 144 of each cartridge 126a, 126b abuts inner surfaces of at least three of the enclosure walls 130a-130d. It should be understood that like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. As shown, the cartridge 126a may abut enclosure walls 130a, 130c, and 130d, and cartridge 126b may abut enclosure walls 130b, 130c, and 130d. The cartridges 126a and 126b abut each other at their remaining surfaces.

FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of the cartridge 26. The cartridge 26 has a length 1_c from the wall 45c to the wall 45d and a width w_c from the wall 45a to the wall 45b. FIG. 5B illustrates a top view of the support base 22. The support base 22 has a length l_s from the wall 28c to the wall 28d and a width w_s from the wall 28a to the wall 28b. In some examples, the length l_c is substantially the same (+5%) as the length l_s, such that the cartridge 26 extends from the head end to the foot end of the mattress. The width We may also be substantially the same (+5%) as the width w_s, such that the cartridge 26 extends from one side to the other side of the mattress. The cartridge 26 therefore provides edge to edge support relative to the mattress 20. With reference back to FIG. 4B, in a two cartridge 126a, 126b example, the width of both cartridges 126a, 126b may be the same as the width of the support base (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 6, the example support base 22 and attached enclosure 24 may be roll packed into a first roll package 50. The example cartridge 26 may also be separately roll packed into a second roll package 52. In some examples, separately roll packing the support base 22 and attached enclosure 24 and the cartridge 26 allows mattress to be shipped to consumers in two packages, one including roll package 50 and a second package including roll package 52. This allows the mattress 20 to be shipped direct to consumer while keeping the packages under a courier's weight limits and still providing a high-quality mattress to the consumer. In some examples, each roll package 50, 52 is under a weight threshold, such as 150 lbs. In examples in which more than one cartridge is utilized, each cartridge may be roll-packed into a separate roll package.

In some examples, a foam encasement, a known rectangular foam frame around the perimeter of some prior art mattresses, is not included in the cartridge 26 or elsewhere in the enclosure 24. A foam encasement may not be included so that all components of the mattress 20 can be roll packed.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, example methods associated with the mattress examples disclosed herein may include arranging a support base 22 such that a transition panel 36 is above a support portion within adjoining border walls. An enclosure 24 is provided above the transition panel 36. As shown, a cover 40 may be pulled back to allow access to the cavity 31.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, example methods may include positioning a cartridge 26 within the cavity 31 of the enclosure 24. The enclosure 24 includes four adjoining enclosure walls 30 each attached to one of the four border walls 28. The cartridge 26 includes layers (not shown; see FIG. 3) encased within an encasement sleeve 44. The encasement sleeve 44 abutting inner surfaces of at least three enclosure walls 30 when positioned within the enclosure 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, example methods include fastening the enclosure 24 to a closed position with the cartridge 26 within the enclosure 24. This may include zipping the enclosure 24 to the closed position with the cartridge 26 within the enclosure 24 in some examples. Alternative fastening mechanisms may be utilized. In some examples, the fastening includes fastening a cover 40 to one or more of the enclosure walls 30.

In some examples, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, before positioning the cartridge 26, the cartridge 26 may be unrolled from a roll packed configuration. In some examples, before arranging the support base 22, the support base 22 and enclosure 24 may be unrolled from a second roll packed configuration.

Although the different examples are illustrated as having specific components, the examples of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from any of the embodiments in combination with features or components from any of the other embodiments.

The foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense. A worker of ordinary skill in the art would understand that certain modifications could come within the scope of this disclosure. For these reasons, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.