A bed assembly includes a mattress that has rails that define an outer perimeter of the mattress and an inner core defined between the rails of the mattress. Springs are positioned within the inner core. A comfort layer including ventilation openings is supported by the rails of the mattress so that the comfort layer covers the mattress and the ventilation openings are in fluid communication with the inner core. In some instances, the comfort layer is positioned so that the ventilation openings are aligned with coil openings defined through the springs within the mattress.

Cylindrical foam body with a central cavity, whereby the foam body is formed by a curved flexible foam strip of which two opposite ends are fastened together, whereby the foam body has a height, whereby the strip 2 has a length, a height and a width, whereby after forming the foam body the longitudinal direction of the strip 2 is the height direction of the foam body, whereby the foam body has an outside and an inside. The foam body is provided on its outside with two or more grooves that extend over the height of the foam body and which only cut into the foam body over a part of the distance between the outside and the inside.

According to the present invention, in a plan view of a seat surface (10a), a plane area of a part surrounded by an inner edge (17a) of a rear part (17) in a left-right direction (X) and a contour (L) is larger than a plane area of a part sandwiched by an inner edge (18a) of a front part (18) in the left-right direction (X) and the contour (L) in the left-right direction (X). In addition, a part of a pair of left and right second synthetic resin materials forming a lower part having a maximum gap therebetween in the left-right direction (X) is positioned in a thigh rest part (14) and a part having a minimum gap is positioned in a hip rest part (15), and a maximum value (W1) of the gap between the pair of left and right second synthetic resin materials forming the lower part in the left-right direction (X) is two times or more a minimum value (W2) of the gap in the left-right direction (X).

A customizable cushioning device for supporting an anatomical region of a patient can include a main body. The main body can have an intact base and a plurality of removable pillars. The plurality of removable pillars can be disposed on the intact base. The main body can include a first portion and a second portion. The first portion can have a first flexibility. The second portion can have a second flexibility. The first flexibility is different from the second flexibility.

A patient support apparatus is provided with selective stiffening features. The patient support apparatus may include a support substrate defining a patient support surface. The support substrate may include a magnetorheological material providing selective reinforcement support of at least a portion of the patient support surface to redistribute pressure about a surface of a patient. The magnetorheological material may include a distribution of ferromagnetic particles disposed within a polymeric material and exhibits a shape conforming, variable stiffness in response to exposure to a magnetic field. A controller may be provided and configured to create a correlation of patient specific data with an optimal stiffness or inflection force deflection (IFD) of the patient support surface, and generate a strength of the magnetic field based on the correlation.

A bed assembly includes a mattress that has rails that define an outer perimeter of the mattress and an inner core defined between the rails of the mattress. Springs are positioned within the inner core. A comfort layer including ventilation openings is supported by the rails of the mattress so that the comfort layer covers the mattress and the ventilation openings are in fluid communication with the inner core. In some instances, the comfort layer is positioned so that the ventilation openings are aligned with coil openings defined through the springs within the mattress.

A method for packaging a cushion includes coating a cushioning element with a powder while the cushioning element is in an expanded state and then compressing the cushion to a compressed state. As the cushioning element is compressed, the powder prevents surfaces of the cushioning element (e.g., surfaces of intersecting walls that define hollow buckling columns of a cushioning element formed from an elastomeric polymer extended with a plasticizer, etc.) from adhering to each other. The powder may allow the cushioning element to substantially return to its expanded state substantially immediately following removal of a compressive force from the cushioning element.

The invention relates to a mattress (1, 1, 2, 3) having at least one first layer (10, 20, 30), a second layer (12, 22, 32) and a third layer (14, 24, 34), the second layer (12, 22, 32) comprising spring elements (16, 26, 36) and being interposed between the first layer (10, 20, 30) and the third layer (14, 24, 34). The thickness (a.sub.1, a.sub.2, a.sub.3, d.sub.1, d.sub.2, d.sub.3, . . . , d.sub.10) of the third layer (14, 24, 34) varies locally to an extent that exceeds the extent defined by a surface structure of the third layer (14, 24, 34) on its exterior surface (17).

A bed assembly includes a mattress that has rails that define an outer perimeter of the mattress and an inner core defined between the rails of the mattress. Springs are positioned within the inner core. A comfort layer including ventilation openings is supported by the rails of the mattress so that the comfort layer covers the mattress and the ventilation openings are in fluid communication with the inner core. In some instances, the comfort layer is positioned so that the ventilation openings are aligned with coil openings defined through the springs within the mattress.

Resilient cores preferably for inflatable bodies having resilient slabs that define a plurality of generally columnar holes or resilient arrays of generally columnar solids. The cores further include thermal transmission mitigation materials or treatments means for improving a core's resistance to heat transfer beyond the core's innate insulative properties. Non-exclusive and non-exhaustive examples of such thermal transmission mitigation materials or treatments in slab core embodiments include consideration to hole or bore geometric cross section, frequency, pattern and orientation, the introduction of a thermal barrier at or within at least some holes or bores, and/or slab material selection/treatment. Non-exclusive and non-exhaustive examples of such thermal transmission mitigation materials or treatments in array core embodiments include consideration to the geometric cross section, frequency (density), pattern and orientation of the solids, the introduction of thermal barriers within inter-solid spaces and/or solid material selection treatment.