Sectional Element Mat

• US 20080201860A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DAS Gesundheitshaus GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: DAS Gesundheitshaus GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Malzl, Hans L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/727
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/001 with several cushions, mattresses or the like, to be put together in one cover
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/144 inside the mattress or cushion
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/146 on the outside surface of the mattress or cushion
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/148 of different resilience
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/15 consisting of two or more layers A47C27/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/20 with springs moulded in, or situated in cavities or openings in foamed material

Abstract

The invention relates to a sectional element mat (2), the support properties of which may be individually tailored, whereby exchangeable sectional elements (E) are arranged tightly together or above each other. The above is characterised in that the individual sectional elements (E) may be easily removed and exchanged with other sectional elements. The individual sectional elements are either connected to each other by means of a separable material bridge or perforation (5, 6), connected to each other by means of a plug connector (27, 31), plugged onto or into a common base mat (40) or lying loose on the same. Individual sectional elements can be removed or separated from the combination where necessary and replaced by softer or stiffer sectional elements. In certain situations the resulting free space is left empty. The sectional element mat (2) is either part of a combination with other sectional element mats or contiguous or separate layers (1, 3), or itself forms the mattress core.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A sectional element mat comprising an array of sectional elements, which forms at least one layer of a multi-layer mattress, wherein

the sectional elements are connected to each other or to a base mat in an easily separable way by means of a thin material bridge or by interlocking elements, or

the sectional elements are plugged into a common base mat in an easily replaceable way, or

the sectional elements are laid onto a base mat within boundary elements while being connected to each other by a material bridge.

27. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the length of the sectional elements essentially extends over the whole width of the sectional element mat.

28. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the sectional elements are subdivided into sections in transversal as well as in longitudinal direction of the sectional element mat.

29. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein at least two sectional element mats are placed one above the other.

30. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the thin material bridge, preferably a perforation, is located in the upper, lower or middle region of the side faces of adjacent sectional elements.

31. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the thickness of the material bridges differs at different sites of the sectional element mat, the sectional elements at the outer edge of the sectional element mat preferably being connected to the inwardly adjacent sectional element via thinner material bridges.

32. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein there are interstices between the array of sectional elements, into which lock elevations, which are formed on an underlying or overlaid mattress layer.

33. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the shape of cross-section of the sectional elements is square, rectangular, round or oval.

34. A sectional element mat according to claim 33, wherein the sectional elements have upper edges and sectional elements with square or rectangular cross-section are rounded or bevelled.

35. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the sectional elements are configured as T-shaped or S-shaped interlocking elements, a gripping nose of an element locking with the correspondingly shaped gripping nose of an adjacent element, and the contact surfaces being either straight or tapered or furnished with a round thickening.

36. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the plug-in connection of the sectional elements is effected by tongue and groove, the contact faces being either straight or tapered or furnished with a round thickening.

37. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the sectional elements plugged into a common, continuous base mat protrude from the base mat, the empty space formed in this way between the sectional elements forming ventilation channels.

38. A sectional element mat according to claim 37, wherein the base mat has recesses for inserting the sectional elements, and that the shape of cross-section of the inserted part of the sectional elements is adapted to the cross-section of the recesses and is semicircular, square, rectangular or tapered.

39. A sectional element mat according to claim 37, wherein the base mat has recesses for inserting the sectional elements and the shape of cross-section of the inserted part of the sectional elements is adapted to the cross-section of the recesses in such a way that a constriction is formed, which grips the sectional elements and holds them in the recess.

40. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the sectional elements are plugged into a continuous base mat in such a way that a tongue formed on the sectional element is engaged in a groove worked into the base mat, the contact surfaces being straight, tapered, or furnished with a round thickening.

41. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein one or more sectional element mats form a mattress or, in combination with other continuous layers, which are placed above or below the sectional element mat, form a multi-layer mattress.

42. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein the base mat has elevations at the sides and at the front and back end, which enclose sideways and/or at the head and foot end of the mattress the mutually connected or loosely laid-on sectional elements.

43. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein in the sectional elements of the sectional element mat chambers are provided, whose content can be taken out via slitted openings.

44. A sectional element mat according to claim 41, wherein in the continuous layers combined with the sectional element mat chambers are provided whose content can be taken out via slitted openings.

45. A sectional element mat according to claim 26 wherein sectional elements may be removed from the array of elements of the sectional element mat and the resulting empty space may be filled with sectional elements of other material properties or may remain empty.

46. A sectional element mat according to claim 41, wherein the base mat has recesses for inserting the sectional elements and the shape of cross-section of an inserted part of the sectional elements is adapted to the cross-section of the recesses and is circular or oval, the part of the sectional elements protruding from the base mat being configured as a stamp, which at its base is held in a tight grip by the material of the base mat.

47. A sectional element mat according to claim 46, wherein the stamps protruding from the base mat have different widths in cross-section in certain zones of the mat, giving rise to transversal grooves of differing width between adjacent sectional elements and thus influencing the pressure absorbing capability of the sectional element mat in chosen zones.

48. A sectional element mat according to claim 46, wherein some of the material webs remaining in the base mat between the individual sectional elements have small incisions, and at the perforation thus formed the webs can be adjusted in height by tearing off the upper part of the webs.

49. A sectional element mat according to claim 46, wherein deepened transversal grooves are worked into the upper part of the sectional elements protruding from the base mat, which form ventilation grooves at the surface of the sectional element mat also in longitudinal direction of the mat.

50. A sectional element mat according to claim 46, wherein the sectional elements are connected to the base mat on their underside by means of a small material bridge.