A VENTILATION OR HEATING/COOLING ELEMENT AND A VENTILATION OR HEATING/COOLING CLOTHING ITEM

Abstract

A ventilating or heating/cooling element having a first side having an air permeability of 15-800 m.sup.3/m.sup.2/h at 120 Pa. The first side is for directing an air flow toward a person. The ventilating/cooling/heating element may form or form part of a mattress, a duvet/blanket, a pillow, a sleeping bag, a seat, a clothes item or the like. A pump may be provided for providing air into the ventilating/cooling/heating element, or one or more openings may be provided for receiving air when a person is moving, such as when riding a motor cycle.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. An inflatable ventilation or heating/cooling element comprising a first side, a second side and an air inlet, the first side having an air permeability of 15-800 m.sup.3/m.sup.2/h at 120 Pa.

17. An element according to claim 16, wherein the second side is at least substantially air impermeable.

18. An element according to claim 16, wherein, in the first side, one or more first areas and one or more second areas are provided, the first and second areas not overlapping, where the first area(s) have a larger air permeability than the second area(s).

19. An element according to claim 18, wherein the first and second areas comprise a woven or nonwoven material and wherein the first areas further comprise one or more openings or channels through the material.

20. An element according to claim 16, further comprising a pump for providing air to the air inlet.

21. An element according to claim 16, the element comprising one or more element defining a maximum distance between a part of the first side and the second side.

22. An element according to claim 16, further comprising a spacer element provided between the first and second sides, the spacer element being configured to allow air to flow there through during compression thereof.

23. An element according to claim 22, forming one or more of: a mattress, where the first side is directed upwardly, a pillow, where the first side is directed away from a central portion of the pillow and/or part of a seat or chair, where the first side is directed away from a central portion of the seat/chair and toward a position of a sitting person.

24. An element according to claim 16, forming part of a duvet or blanket, the first side directed away from a central portion of the duvet/blanket.

25. An element according to claim 16, forming part of a sleeping bag comprising a sleeping cavity, the first side directed toward the sleeping compartment.

26. A clothing item adapted to be worn by a person, the clothing item having a ventilating/cooling/heating element having an inner surface and an outer surface defining there between a volume into which one or more air inlets may guide air, the inner surface having an air permeability of 15-800 m.sup.3/m.sup.2/h at 120 Pa.

27. An item according to claim 26, wherein the outer surface is air permeable or at least substantially air impermeable.

28. An item according to claim 26, wherein an air inlet comprises an opening through the outer surface and is positioned on a front of the clothing item when worn by a person.

29. An item according to claim 26, further comprising an air pump configured to provide air through the inlet(s).

30. A method of operating an element or an item according to claim 16, wherein air is fed to between the inner/first surface and the second/outer surface.

31. A method of operating an element or an item according to claim 26, wherein air is fed to between the inner/first surface and the second/outer surface.

Description

[0043] In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawing, wherein:

[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention in the form of a mattress,

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention in the form of a pillow,

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention in the form of a duvet,

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention in the form of a sleeping bag,

[0048] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the invention in the form of a vest,

[0049] FIG. 7 illustrates the air intake of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6,

[0050] FIG. 8 illustrates different manners of obtaining a gas permeable surface and

[0051] FIG. 9 illustrates the use of a spacer material within the embodiments.

[0052] In FIG. 1, a mattress 10 is illustrated having an upper side 12 and a lower side 14 as well as a rim portion 16 wherein an opening 18 is provided.

[0053] The upper side 12 is gas permeable whereas the lower side 14 and the rim portion 16 are at least substantially gas impermeable.

[0054] When providing air/gas into the mattress 10 through the opening 18, such as using a pump 15 and a hose 17, the mattress 10 will experience a higher gas pressure, and gas will exit the mattress 10 through the gas permeable surface 12.

[0055] Mattresses 10 with gas permeable upper sides are known in the art, but the present mattress 10 is novel in that the gas permeability of the upper surface 12 is rather low.

[0056] In this manner, it is ensured that the amount of gas actually exiting the surface 12 is sufficiently low to not cool the person lying on the mattress 10 too much. It has been found that the gas permeability or air permeability of the upper layer 12 actually should be rather low.

[0057] Presently, the air permeability of the upper surface 12 preferably is in the interval 50-750 m.sup.3/(hour*m.sup.2).

[0058] In FIG. 1, a standard mattress is illustrated in hatched lines, where the mattress 10 is provided on top of the mattress. Alternatively, all of the mattress illustrated may be formed by the ventilating/cooling/heating mattress 10 now also comprising other elements for generating the softness of the mattress.

[0059] Naturally, the present technology may be used also for a number of other purposes, such as a pillow 20 as is illustrated in FIG. 2, a duvet 30 illustrated in FIG. 3, and a sleeping bag 40 illustrated in FIG. 4, where the upper/inner side 12 again is air permeable and the lower side 14 and any sides 16 are at least substantially air impermeable.

[0060] FIG. 5 illustrates a very different embodiment of the invention, a vest 50 having an inner, gas permeable side 12 and an outer, at least substantially air impermeable side 14. The vest may itself be formed by a ventilating/cooling/heating element or such an element may be formed or provided within the vest—either between layers of fabric of the vest or on the inside thereof.

[0061] The vest may, as is also illustrated in FIG. 1, be provided with a pump or fan 15, but especially when for a person moving though the air, such as a motorcycle driver, a cyclist, a jogger, a moped driver, a person in an open vehicle, a parachute jumper or the like, no other manner may be required to force air into the vest than the force of the air caused by the movement.

[0062] In FIG. 5, two different types of air intakes are illustrated. Air intakes 18′ are illustrated on top of the shoulders which receive air and guides the air into distributing channels 13 (see FIG. 6) which guide the air into the vest between the surfaces 12 and 14.

[0063] In FIG. 5, another type of air intake 18′ is illustrated which are gas permeable areas 18′ on the chest of the vest, where air may be forced into the space between the layers 12 and 14.

[0064] In FIG. 7, the air entrance 18′ is illustrated as is a blocking layer 19 positioned between the air entrance 18′ and the layer 12 so as to prevent over-cooling at the surface 12 at the air entrance 18′ due to the air being forced from the outside directly toward the part of the surface 12 directly at the opening 18′. Also this air intake may be combined with air channels guiding the air to other parts of the vest.

[0065] Illustrated in FIG. 7 is also a thread 16′ connecting the first and second layers 12/14 to each other. The function of this thread 16′ is to prevent the vest from assuming a balloon shape when air is forced into the space 16.

[0066] The threads 16′ may be provided at any desired positions such as along lines in any desired pattern, such as a chequered pattern illustrated in FIG. 6. In this manner, the layers 12 and 14 form a relatively flat element even when air is forced into the space 16.

[0067] In FIG. 8, different manners are illustrated of providing an air permeable layer. A woven material 12′ is illustrated which, naturally, will be air permeable. Also, a surface 12 is illustrated wherein areas 12″ are provided with through-going bores through which air may escape the space between the layers 12/14.

[0068] Naturally, combinations of such layers may be preferred, such as when providing all of the surface 12 as a woven surface having an overall air permeability but then increasing the air permeability at predetermined areas, such as at the feet and head of a person lying on the mattress.

[0069] Different ventilating/cooling/heating elements may be configured for cooling persons at different positions. A vest, for example, may be configured to cool the back and neck of the person, where a seat may be configured to cool the neck, back and back side of the person.

[0070] In FIG. 9, a suitable inner structure of the embodiments illustrated is provided. Between the layers 12 and 14, a spacer material 11 is provided which is more or less un-compressible but, preferably, still bendable, and the function of which is to ensure that air within the space between the surfaces 12 and 14 is able to reach all parts of the surface 12, so that no parts thereof are inactive due to somebody or something blocking the air passage from the opening 18/18′ to this area. This blocking could be a person lying on the mattress 10 and compressing a part thereof or the folding thereof or any of the other embodiments to create a blocking of air passage toward a part of the surface 12.

[0071] Depending on the properties of the spacer material 11, it may be preferred to cover this with another, such as a softer or more pliable, material 11′. The presently preferred spacer material may have a tendency of making noises when bent/deformed, which may be undesired. Such noises or such bending/deformation may be reduced by providing a soft layer 11′, such as a foam, between the spacer material 11 and the surface 12. The foam 11′ may be an open foam or a woven/non-woven material or the like allowing air passage from the spacer material 11 to the surface 12 or may be a closed foam in which through-going channels 11″ are provided to allow for such air passage.