MULTILAYER WEFT-KNITTED FABRICS FOR MATTRESS COVERS

Abstract

A multilayer weft-knitted fabrics for mattress covers is provided, which comprises a 3D spacer fabric with at least two textile layers. The cover fabric is weft-knitted 3D and comprises openings or recesses at the outer layer thereof.

Claims

1. Mattress cover comprising: a cover fabric that forms an upper face and a lower face that are each dimensioned as a lying surface for a user, wherein the cover fabric is formed having a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric at least on an outer face thereof and comprises a honeycombed mesh structure having outwardly open recesses on the outer face thereof, wherein the cover fabric is formed in at least two layers from a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric, having an upper layer that consists of textured yarn, which forms the outer face, and a layer of polyester yarn which forms an inner layer of the cover fabric; and wherein the recesses are only formed in the upper layer.

2. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover fabric is formed in three layers, comprising a middle layer that is knitted to the upper layer and comprises a monofilament yarn as a filling material.

3. The mattress cover according to claim 2, wherein the monofilament yarn of the middle layer is formed of polyester or polyamide.

4. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the recesses extend at least over a thickness of the upper layer or over a thickness of the upper layer and over a thickness of the middle layer.

5. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the upper layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 50% to 70%.

6. The mattress cover according to claim 5, wherein the upper layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 55% to 60%.

7. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 20% to 30%.

8. The mattress cover according to claim 7, wherein the inner layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 25% to 30%.

9. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the middle layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 10% to 20%.

10. The mattress cover according to claim 9, wherein the middle layer has a weight portion of cover fabric ranging from 15% to 20%.

11. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover fabric has a weight ranging from 250 g/m.sup.2 to 300 g/m.sup.2.

12. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover fabric is the same on all faces.

13. The mattress cover according to claim 1, wherein said cover comprises a fastener that is peripheral at least in part and that is openable in order to insert or remove a mattress core.

14. The mattress cover according to claim 13, wherein the fastener is a zip fastener.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a mattress cover that is designed according to the invention and has been put onto a mattress core;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a highly simplified plan view of a detail of an outer face of the mattress cover; and

[0042] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view through a region of a cover fabric of the mattress cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] With reference to FIG. 1, a mattress cover 1 can be seen in a state when stretched over a mattress core 2, the mattress cover 1 forming, for a user sleeping thereon, a first lying surface on an upper face 3 and a second lying surface on an opposing lower face 4.

[0044] The mattress cover 1 is formed by the same cover fabric 5 all the way around, lateral transverse surfaces 6 and longitudinal surfaces 7 also transitioning seamlessly, in the present case, into the upper face 6 and lower face 7.

[0045] Deviating therefrom, however, in other embodiments the surfaces of the cover fabric 5 may also be separated by stitched seams and a welting band may optionally also be provided.

[0046] In order to insert and remove the mattress core 2, a peripheral fastener 8 in the form of a zip fastener is sewn into the mattress cover 1 on the transverse surfaces 6 and longitudinal sides 7. In addition, a plurality of grips 9 for lifting the mattress core 2, encompassed by the mattress cover 1, are provided on the lateral longitudinal surfaces 7, just one of said grips or handles 9 being shown by way of example.

[0047] As can be seen in a detail X in FIG. 1, which detail represents the entire surface of the mattress cover 1, and in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the cover fabric 5 is formed having a weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric 10 as far as the outer face 11 thereof, the cover fabric 5 having a honeycombed mesh structure having a regular, delicate arrangement of outwardly open recesses 12 or openings 12. In this case, the recesses 12 preferably have an oval cross section towards the outside, which cross section can be approximately 2 mm to 4 mm wide and approximately 3 mm to 5 mm long when unstretched. The widths of the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10 material projections 13 located between the mutually offset and regular recesses 12 are at least approximately the same.

[0048] In the example shown in the figures, the cover fabric 5 of the mattress cover 1 is designed as a three-layer weft-knitted 3D spacer fabric comprising an upper layer 14 that forms the outer face 11 and is formed of a textured, twisted polyester multifilament yarn; a middle layer 15 that is made of a coarse polyester multifilament yarn, is knitted to the upper layer 14, jointly forms the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10 and is used as a filling material; and a layer of smooth or non-textured polyester yarn that is knitted to the upper layer 14 and the middle layer 15 and forms an inner layer 16.

[0049] In this case, the upper layer 14 has a finely knitted structure 17 on the outer face 11 thereof, which structure provides the surface with a soft feel.

[0050] Each of the outwardly open recesses 12 may extend from the outer face 11 of the mattress cover 1 through the upper layer 14 or through a thickness of the upper layer 14 and through the middle layer 15, and each recess may adjoin the inner layer 16 of the cover fabric 5. Further, each recess 12 may be surrounded along a circumference of the respective recess 12 and/or its open cross-section or cross-sectional area by material or fabric of the upper layer 14 and of one or more middle layers 15 of the cover fabric. Accordingly, each of the outwardly open recesses 12 may be surrounded by a plurality of stitches of the upper layer 14, and the middle layer 15.

[0051] For example, a cross-sectional area of each of the recesses 12 may be substantially identical in the upper layer 14 and in one or more middle layers 15. Accordingly, a cross-sectional area of each recess 12 may be constant along a direction parallel to a surface normal vector of the outer face 11, for example along an orthogonal or vertical direction from the upper layer 14 or outer face 11 of the cover fabric towards the inner layer 16 of the cover fabric 5. Alternatively, a cross-sectional area of each recess 12 may be larger in the upper layer 14 compared to the cross-sectional area of the corresponding recess 12 in one or more middle layers 15 of the cover fabric 5. For example, the recesses 12 may extend in a V-shape, U-shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, or a triangular shape from the upper layer 14 of the cover fabric 5, optionally through one or more middle layers 15 of the cover fabric 5, and towards or to the inner layer 16, wherein the cross-section or cross-sectional area of each recess 12 may decrease from the upper layer 14 towards the inner layer 16 of the cover fabric.

[0052] Adjacent or neighbouring recesses 12 in the upper layer 14, and optionally in one or more middle layers 15, may be separated from one another by material or fabric of the upper layer 14, and optionally of the one or more middle layers 15.

[0053] The inner layer 16 of the cover fabric 5 may be or form a continuous and/or recess-free layer of woven fabric or material, such as for example knitted or weft-knitted material or fabric. Accordingly, the inner layer 16 may form a closed surface of the cover fabric 5, for example which may not comprise outwardly open recesses 12. In other words, the inner layer 16 may be recess-free or a substantially smooth layer of fabric or material, for example knitted or weft-knitted fabric or material. Accordingly, the recesses 12 may only or solely be formed in the upper layer and optionally one or more middle layers 15.

[0054] With regard to the thickness, in the advantageous embodiment shown, the upper layer 14 is dimensioned so as to occupy at least 70% to 80% of the total thickness of the cover fabric 5, in order make use, as far as possible, of the microclimatic advantages of the weft-knitted spacer fabric 10.

[0055] In order to allow as much air circulation as possible and optimal moisture removal at the outer face, the honeycombed recesses 12 extend substantially over the thickness of the upper layer 14 and of the middle layer 15 until adjacent to the lower layer 16 such that, as a result of the recesses 12, the cover fabric is very flexible and stretchable in the width direction. The springiness in the height direction achieves a softness which can be defined, according to the desired degree of softness, by means of the filling material of the middle layer 14.

[0056] Of course, depending on the application, the cover fabric 5 can be produced using all known methods for weft-knitting spacer fabrics on circular knitting machines, and using all known finishing methods, such as a washing, bleaching and shrinking process following the knitting process.