Mattress structure and a method using the characteristics of the mattress structure for understanding and deciding suitability of the mattress structure

• US 9,888,783 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2014
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glorious Master Limited
• Original Assignee: Glorious Master Limited
• Inventors: Hui, Cheung Wing
• Primary Examiner(s): Kurilla, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US14/386,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,466 Days
• 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 27/148 of different resilience
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/15 consisting of two or more layers A47C27/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/481 Method

Abstract

A mattress structure for providing different degrees of relief or support to various body parts of a user or in accordance with different body lengths of the users. The mattress structure includes a principal axis and two or more relief units, distributed in different positions along the principal axis. At least one relief unit provides a degree of relief different from that of another relief unit, to define a relief layer that provides different degrees of relief corresponding to various parts of the body. The relief layer is dividable into two or more relief zones and these zones are divided according to the body parts of the user. The relief units in a relief zone are inter-changeable or re-arrangeable according to needs of the user for accommodating users of different body heights and different lengths of various body parts.

Claims

1. A mattress structure having a principal axis and comprising:

a relief layer including

two main relief units, wherein each main relief unit corresponds to a hip and a shoulder of a user of the mattress structure; and

a plurality of additional relief units, wherein at least one additional relief unit is positioned between the two main relief units, and a further additional relief unit positioned outside of and not between the two main relief units, wherein

the two main relief units provide relatively greater pressure relief than the additional relief units of the mattress structure,

each of the two main relief units has identical dimensions along the principal axis for interchange of the two main relief units in the mattress structure,

at least one of the additional relief units has a dimension along the principal axis that is different from dimensions along the principal axis of other additional relief units, and

positions of each of the additional relief units are individually adjustable along the principal axis with respect to the other additional relief units for changing distance between the two main relief units along the principal axis, so that the distance between the two main relief units, along the principal axis, is adjustable by a unit length to match distance between the shoulder and the hip of the user of the mattress structure.

2. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, including a conventional mattress, wherein the relief layer is located on the conventional mattress.

3. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two main relief units have different pressure relief effects.

4. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a comfort layer positioned on an upper surface of the relief layer to conceal irregularities of the upper surface.

5. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the relief layer is divided into at least two relief zones,

each relief zone corresponds to a respective body part of the user, and

each relief zone includes at least one of the main relief units or one of the additional relief units.

6. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relief layer is divided into a shoulder relief zone for relieving pressure on a shoulder of the user, a hip relief zone for relieving pressure on a hip of the user, and a leg relief zone for relieving pressure on a leg of the user.

7. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein respective additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units have different softnesses for providing different pressure relief effects.

8. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the shoulder relief zone and the hip relief zone includes one of the main relief units.

9. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main relief units in the shoulder relief zone and in the hip relief zone have different pressure relief effects and are interchangeable.

10. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein respective additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units have different densities producing different degrees of pressure relief effects.

11. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a chassis accommodating the plurality of additional relief units.

12. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 11, wherein the chassis includes a wall having a height sufficient to overlap at least part of thicknesses of the plurality of additional relief units, transverse to the principal axis, for limiting relative positions of respective additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units in the relief layer.

13. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the chassis is flexible.

14. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 13, wherein the chassis is divided into at least two chassis areas based on different body parts of the user of the mattress structure and corresponding to relief zones.

15. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein

each chassis area contains at least two additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units, and

all of each of the chassis areas is occupied, preventing relative movement between the at least two of the additional relief units.

16. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the chassis areas contains at least one support unit and three additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units.

17. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the chassis areas contains at least one support unit and five additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units.

18. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a support layer, positioned on a side of the relief layer, opposite a side of the relief layer contacted by the user of the mattress structure, for supplementing the main relief units and the additional relief units in supporting the user, wherein

each of the relief layer and the support layer includes an aperture, and

the aperture in the support layer is in fluid communication with the aperture in the relief layer, forming an air passage.

19. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 18, wherein

the aperture in the support layer is positioned to correspond to a shoulder relief zone in the relief layer, and

the aperture of in the relief layer is located in an additional relief unit having a changeable relative position in the relief layer.

20. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 19, wherein

the mattress structure includes at least one comfort layer located on the relief layer and concealing unevenness between the additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units and forming a flat surface, and

the comfort layer includes an aperture which is in fluid communication with the aperture in the relief layer and the aperture in the support layer.

21. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 20, wherein

the mattress structure further includes a chassis containing the main relief units and the additional relief units,

the chassis includes an air permeable structure establishing air communication with the apertures in the relief layer, in the support layer, and in the comfort layer, as an air passage.

22. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 20, further including at least one supplementary support unit which is positioned between the relief layer and the comfort layer.

23. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 22, wherein

the two main relief units provide a higher pressure relief effect than the additional relief units of the plurality of additional relief units, and

the supplementary support unit is located between the two main relief units.

24. The mattress structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein each chassis area contains a support unit.