MATTRESSES WITH STABILIZED UPPER SURFACES

Abstract

A mattress assembly with a surface that is stabilized to prevent separation of rails (e.g., side rails, end rails) from edges of a primary cushion of the mattress assembly. A strip of scrim fabric may overlap each rail and an adjacent portion of the primary cushion to stabilize the interface or seam between an edge of the primary cushion and a rail positioned against that edge. Methods for stabilizing the upper surfaces of mattress assemblies are also disclosed, as are adjustable beds including mattresses with stabilized upper surfaces.

Claims

1. A mattress assembly, comprising: a primary cushion including an upper surface, a lower surface opposite from the upper surface, and a periphery including a first end edge, a second end edge, and side edges; a side rail adjacent to each side edge of the side edges of the primary cushion, each side rail including an upper surface that is substantially flush with the upper surface of the primary cushion; and a strip of scrim fabric positioned over the upper surface of each side rail and over a side portion of the upper surface of the primary cushion adjacent to the side rail, each strip of scrim fabric secured to the side portion of the upper surface of the primary cushion and secured to the upper surface of the side rail.

2. The mattress assembly of claim 1, wherein an outer side edge of the strip of scrim fabric is positioned over or adjacent to an outer edge of the side rail and an inner side edge of the strip of scrim fabric is positioned over the side portion of the primary cushion.

3. The mattress assembly of claim 2, wherein the inner side edge of the strip of scrim fabric is located about 2 inches to about 6 inches interior to the side edge of the primary cushion.

4. The mattress assembly of claim 1, wherein the strip of scrim fabric does not extend over a central portion of the primary cushion.

5. The mattress assembly of claim 1, wherein the strip of scrim fabric is adhered to the side rail.

6. The mattress assembly of claim 1, wherein the primary cushion comprises an elastomeric gel.

7. The mattress assembly of claim 6, wherein the strip of scrim fabric is melt bonded to the primary cushion.

8. The mattress assembly of claim 7, wherein a material of the primary cushion impregnates the strip of scrim fabric.

9. The mattress assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a first end rail adjacent to the first end edge of the primary cushion, a first end of the strip of scrim fabric extending over and secured to the first end rail.

10. The mattress assembly of claim 9, further comprising: a second end rail adjacent to the second end edge of the primary cushion, a second end of the strip of scrim fabric extending over and secured to the second end rail.

11. A method for assembling a mattress, comprising: positioning a strip of scrim fabric over an interface between a side edge of a primary cushion and a side rail adjacent to the side edge of the primary cushion, an upper surface of the side rail being substantially flush with an upper surface of the primary cushion; securing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the side rail; and securing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the primary cushion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein positioning the strip of scrim fabric comprises positioning an outer side edge of the strip of scrim fabric over or adjacent to an outer edge of the side rail and positioning an inner side edge of the strip of scrim fabric over the side portion of the primary cushion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein positioning the strip of scrim fabric comprises positioning the inner side edge of the strip of scrim fabric about 2 inches to about 6 inches interior to the side edge of the primary cushion.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein positioning the strip of scrim fabric comprises leaving a central portion of the primary cushion exposed beyond the strip of scrim fabric.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein securing the strip of scrim fabric comprises gluing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the side rail.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the primary cushion comprises an elastomeric gel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein securing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the primary cushion comprises melt bonding the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the primary cushion.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein melt bonding comprises heating the upper surface of the primary cushion through the scrim fabric to a temperature that causes a material at the upper surface of the primary cushion to melt and wick into the strip of scrim fabric.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein securing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the side rail and securing the strip of scrim fabric to the upper surface of the primary cushion occur concurrently.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein positioning the strip of scrim fabric includes positioning at least one end portion of the strip of scrim fabric at over a portion of at least one end rail adjacent to an end of the primary cushion and an end of the side rail, and further comprising: securing the strip of scrim fabric to the portion of the at least one end rail.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: positioning the strip of scrim fabric includes positioning end portions of the strip of scrim fabric over portions of end rails adjacent to each end of the primary cushion; and securing the strip of scrim fabric to the at least one end rail comprises securing the portions of the end rails.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In the drawings:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an upper surface of an embodiment of a mattress assembly, including a primary cushion, rails (e.g., side rails, end rails, etc.) surrounding an outer periphery of the primary cushion, and strips of scrim fabric positioned over an interface or seam between the primary cushion and one or more of the side rails of the mattress assembly;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mattress assembly, again showing an upper surface of a primary cushion and rails of the mattress assembly, as well as strips of scrim fabric covering side rails of the mattress assembly and adjacent side portions of the primary cushion;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a partial, close-up view of a strip of scrim fabric overlying an interface or seam between a rail of a mattress assembly and a peripheral portion of a primary cushion of the mattress assembly; and

[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an upper surface of another embodiment of a mattress assembly, including a primary cushion, rails (e.g., side rails, end rails, etc.) surrounding an outer periphery of the primary cushion, and strips of scrim fabric positioned over interfaces or seams between sides of the primary cushion and one or more of the side rails of the mattress assembly and over interfaces or seams between ends of the primary cushion and one or more end rails of the primary cushion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a mattress assembly 10 that includes a primary cushion 20, side rails 30, optional end rails 35, and strips of scrim fabric 50 is depicted. The side rails 30 are positioned adjacent to side edges 22 and 23 of the primary cushion 20. The end rails 35, if any, are positioned adjacent to end edges 24 and 25 of the primary cushion 20. For the sake of simplicity, each side rail 30 and each end rail 35 may also be referred to as a rail (i.e., as a rail 30, a rail 35, or a rail 30, 35) Each strip of scrim fabric 50 is positioned over an interface or seam 42, 43 between a side edge 22, 23 of the primary cushion 20 and a rail 30 positioned against the side edge 22, 23. Thus, each strip of scrim fabric 50 overlaps a portion of the primary cushion 20 and at least a portion of the corresponding side rail 30. In embodiments where the mattress assembly 10 includes end rails 35, each strip of scrim fabric 50 may also overlap a portion of one or both end rails 35.

[0030] The primary cushion 20, in addition to including side edges 22 and 23 and end edges 24 and 25 (e.g., end edge 24 may comprise a first end edge or head edge; end edge 25 may comprise a second end edge or foot edge; etc.), includes an upper surface 26 and a lower surface (not shown) opposite from the upper surface 26. Each side rail 30 and end rail 35 may likewise include an upper surface 31, 36, respectively, and a lower surface 33, 38, respectively, opposite from the upper surface 31, 36. While FIGS. 1 and 2 show the scrim strips 50 as being positioned over and secured to the upper surfaces 26 and 31 of the primary cushion 20 and side rails 30, respectively, embodiments of mattress assemblies with scrim strips 50 overlapping and secured to lower surfaces 28 and 33 of the primary cushion 20 and side rails 30, respectively, are also within the scope of this disclosure.

[0031] The primary cushion 20 may comprise a plurality of resiliently compressible walls 102 defining an array of resiliently buckling columns 104 and a void 106 within each resiliently buckling column 104. Embodiments of such a primary cushion 20 are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,060,213, 7,076,822, and 8,919,750, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein. The resiliently compressible walls 102, buckling columns 104, and voids 106 may extend completely through a thickness of the primary cushion 20, substantially through a thickness of the primary cushion 20 (e.g., a film of the material from which the primary cushion 20 is formed may extend over a major surface (e.g., the top surface 26, the bottom surface 28) of the primary cushion 20, etc.), or partially through a thickness of the primary cushion 20 (e.g., from one major surface of the primary cushion 20 partially into the thickness of the primary cushion 20, etc.).

[0032] The resiliently compressible walls 102 of the primary cushion 20 may be formed from any suitable material, including, but not limited to, an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may comprise a gel-like material, or an elastomeric gels or gel elastomer. Examples of elastomeric materials that comprise gel-like materials include, but are not limited to, plasticizer extended block copolymers, di-block copolymers and triblock copolymers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,413,458, 6,797,765 and 7,964,664, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein, disclose various embodiments of plasticizer extended A-B-A triblock copolymers that may be used to form the primary cushion.

[0033] A scrim fabric (not shown) may be secured to the bottom surface (not shown) of the primary cushion 20. The scrim fabric may comprise the same type of fabric as or a type of fabric similar to the fabric from which the strips of scrim fabric 50 are formed, a fabric similar to the fabric from which the strips of scrim fabric 50 are formed, or any other suitable fabric. The scrim fabric may be secured to the bottom surface of the primary cushion 20 by an elastomeric material of the primary cushion 20 impregnating the scrim fabric, with an adhesive material, or in any other suitable manner. In embodiments where the mattress assembly 10 includes a cushioning element (e.g., a layer of foam, etc.) beneath the primary cushion 20 (not shown), the scrim fabric or elastomeric material that has seeped therethrough may be positioned against the intermediate cushioning element. In some embodiments, the scrim fabric may be secured to the intermediate cushioning element (e.g., with an adhesive material, etc.). In some embodiments, the primary cushion 20 may be provided over coils (not shown; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 11,317,733, issued on May 3, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein), over one or more pressurizable chambers (not shown; see e.g., U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2021/0251393 A1, published on Aug. 19, 2021 (the '393 Publication), the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein; U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2022/0273113 A1, published on Sep. 1, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein), or over a combination of coils and one or more pressurizable chambers (see, e.g., the '393 Publication).

[0034] Each rail 30, 35 may include an outer edge 300, 350 and an inner edge 30i, 35i, as well as ends 30e, 35c. The inner edge 30i, 35i of each rail 30, 35 may be positioned adjacent to a side edge 22, 23 or an end edge 24, 25 of the primary cushion 20. The upper surface 31, 36 of each side rail 30, 35 may be substantially flush with or substantially coplanar with the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20. Each rail 30, 35 may comprise a compressible, resilient foam material. A stiffness or firmness of the material that forms the rail 30, 35 may exceed a stiffness or firmness of the material that forms the primary cushion 20. In some embodiments, the rails 30, 35 may prevent the side edges 22, 23 and end edges 24, 25 of the primary cushion 20 from bulging outwardly.

[0035] Each strip of scrim fabric 50 may comprise a fabric that may receive (e.g., engage, be impregnated with, etc.) an adhesive material (e.g., a glue), a material that forms the primary cushion 20, or the like. In some embodiments, the fabric of the strip of scrim fabric 50 may comprise cotton, such as a blend of cotton with a synthetic material (e.g., a cotton spandex blend, etc.). The fabric of the strip of scrim fabric 50 may be woven or non-woven. In a specific embodiment, each strip of scrim fabric 50 may comprise a 90% cotton/10% spandex blend with a weight of 100 GSM (grams per square meter).

[0036] Each strip of scrim fabric 50 may include an outer side edge 500, an inner side edge 50i, and ends 50e. A strip of scrim fabric 50 may be positioned over the interface, or seam 42, 43, between each side rail 30 and a side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 adjacent to the side rail 30, as well as over at least portions of the upper surface 31 of the side rail 30 and the side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20. The outer side edge 500 of the strip of scrim fabric 50 may be positioned over or adjacent to the outer edge 300 of the side rail 30. The inner side edge 50i of the strip of scrim fabric 50 may be positioned over the side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20.

[0037] In some embodiments, the inner side edge 50i of the strip of scrim fabric 50 is located about 0.75 inch (about 2 cm) to about 6 inches (about 15 cm) interior to the side edge 22, 23 of the primary cushion 20. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the inner side edge 50i of the strip of scrim fabric 50 overlaps the side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 by about four buckling columns 104, or by about 4 inches (about 10 cm) to about 6 inches (about 15 cm). It will be appreciated that each strip of scrim fabric 50 may extend a lesser distance or a greater distance over a side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 or lesser distance over each side rail 30. The distance each strip of scrim fabric 50 extends over the side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may depend on the width of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20. A central portion 26c of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may remain exposed beyond the strip of scrim fabric 50.

[0038] With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in embodiments where the mattress assembly 10 also includes one or more end rails 35, at least part of an end portion 50e of each strip of scrim fabric 50 that extends over a side rail 30 may be positioned over a portion of the upper surface 36 of an end rail 35. As illustrated by FIG. 1, each strip of scrim fabric 50 that extends over the upper surface 31 of a side rail 30 and an adjacent side portion 26s of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may also extend over end rails 35 positioned adjacent to both end edges 24 and 25 of the primary cushion 20.

[0039] Turning now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of a mattress assembly 10 that includes a primary cushion 20, side rails 30, end rails 35, and strips of scrim fabric 50. In addition, the mattress assembly 10 of FIG. 4 includes strips of scrim fabric 55.

[0040] Each strip of scrim fabric 55 may comprise a fabric that may receive (e.g., engage, be impregnated with, etc.) an adhesive material (e.g., a glue), a material that forms the primary cushion 20, or the like. In some embodiments, the fabric of the strip of scrim fabric 55 may comprise cotton, such as a blend of cotton with a synthetic material (e.g., a cotton spandex blend, etc.). The fabric of the strip of scrim fabric 55 may be woven or non-woven. In a specific embodiment, each strip of scrim fabric 55 may comprise a 90% cotton/10% spandex blend with a weight of 100 GSM (grams per square meter).

[0041] Each strip of scrim fabric 55 may include an outer side edge 550, an inner side edge 55i, and ends 55e. A strip of scrim fabric 55 may be positioned over the interface, or seam 44, 45, between each end rail 35 and an end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 adjacent to the end rail 35, as well as over at least portions of the upper surface 36 of the end rail 35 and the end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20. The outer side edge 550 of the strip of scrim fabric 55 may be positioned over or adjacent to the outer edge 350 of the end rail 35. The inner side edge 55i of the strip of scrim fabric 55 may be positioned over the end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20.

[0042] In some embodiments, the inner side edge 55i of the strip of scrim fabric 55 is located about 0.75 inch (about 2 cm) to about 6 inches (about 15 cm) interior to the end edge 24, 25 of the primary cushion 20. More specifically, the inner side edge 55i of the strip of scrim fabric 55 may overlap the end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 by about four buckling columns 104, or by about 4 inches (about 10 cm) to about 6 inches (about 15 cm) (see FIG. 3). It will be appreciated that each strip of scrim fabric 55 may extend a lesser distance or a greater distance over an end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 or lesser distance over each end rail 35. The distance each strip of scrim fabric 55 extends over the end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may depend on the length of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20. A central portion 26c of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may remain exposed beyond the strip of scrim fabric 55.

[0043] In other embodiments, a single sheet of scrim fabric that extends across and beyond an entire width and/or length of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may be used in place of two or more strips of scrim fabric 50, 55.

[0044] With continued reference to FIG. 4, at least part of an end portion 55e of each strip of scrim fabric 55 that extends over an end rail 35 may be positioned over a portion of the upper surface 31 of a side rail 30. As illustrated by FIG. 4, each strip of scrim fabric 55 that extends over the upper surface 36 of an end rail 35 and an adjacent end portion 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 may also extend over side rails 30 positioned adjacent to both side edges 22 and 23 of the primary cushion 20 and/or over an end portion 50e of a strip of scrim fabric 50 over a side rail 30 and an adjacent side portion 26s of upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20.

[0045] Referring generally to FIGS. 1-4, each strip of scrim fabric 50, 55 may be secured directly or indirectly (e.g., through an overlapping portion of another strip of scrim fabric 50, 55, etc.) to the upper surface 31, 36 of the rail 30, 35, respectively, the strip of scrim fabric 50, 55 overlies and to a portion 26s, 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 it overlies. Without limitation, each strip of scrim fabric 50, 55 may be glued or otherwise adhesively secured to the upper surface 31, 36 of the rail 30, 35 it overlies. Each strip of scrim fabric 50, 55 may be directly or indirectly (e.g., through an overlapping portion of another strip of scrim fabric 50, 55, etc.) to the portion 26s, 26e of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 it overlies with an adhesive material, such as a glue, or by being bonded (e.g., melt bonded, in which the elastomeric material of the primary cushion 20 may impregnate the strip of scrim fabric 50, 55; etc.) by a material of the upper surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 that engages (e.g., has impregnated, etc.) the strip of scrim fabric 50, 55.

[0046] A mattress assembly 10, 10 of this disclosure may be incorporated into a mattress, which may be used in an adjustable bed. Each strip of scrim fabric 50, 55 of such a mattress assembly 10, 10 may keep the top surfaces 31, 36 of the rails 30, 35, respectively, substantially flush with the top surface 26 of the primary cushion 20 of the mattress assembly 10, 10 while the mattress of which the mattress assembly 10, 10 is a part is adjusted (e.g., its contour is changed, etc.).

[0047] Although this disclosure provides many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the claims that follow, but merely as providing illustrations of some embodiments of elements and features of the disclosed subject matter. Other embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, and of their elements and features, may be devised which do not depart from the spirit or scope of any of the claims. Features from different embodiments may be employed in combination. Accordingly, the scope of each claim is limited only by its plain language and the legal equivalents thereto.