Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Mattress Construction
and Mattress Cover Therein
Technical ~ield Of The Inventio_
The prevent invention is in the technical field of
mattress constructions and mattress covers incorporated into,
and forming a part of, mattress constructions, and more parti-
S cularly, this invention is within the technical field ofheat mattress constructions, and mattress covers incorporating
into, and forming a part of, heated mattress constructions.
Background And General Description Of The Invention
Mattress constructions integrated with heat generat-
ing units are known in the art. For instance, various heata-
ble mattress constructions are disclosed in U.S. Patents
Nos. 4,162,393 (Balboni), 4,047,254 (Hamasu), 3,924j284
(Nelson), 2,606,996 (Westerbery et al.), 2,376,902 (Clark),
and 1,957,401 (Wiedenmann). These patents disclose various
lS heating units, which generally are electric resistance ele-
ments encased in layers of insulating materials that are
integrated into the mattress construction. As an example,
the Balboni U.S. Patent No. 4,162,393 discloses a mattress
having one or more heating pads overlyiny an innerspring
unit and covered by a fire-retardant pad. The fire-retardant
pad in turn is covered by a mattress cover which encases the
entire assembly and forms an inteyral portion of the mattress.
As another example, the Nelson U.S. Patent No. 3,924, 284
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discloses a mattress having a slab core of foam rubber
topped with a thermostatically controlled heating element
interposed between protective pads, with a fabric cover
disposed about the entire assembly. Heating units such as
these are integrated with, and made a portion of, the
mattress construction at least by virtue of their
disposition below the mattress cover.
Heating units embedded into a mattress construction
are desirable. They provide localized heat, i.e., heat which
is generally localized at the sleeping surface of the mat-
tress. This localized heat can provide a suitable sleepiny
temperature in the immediate environment, reducing the need
to heat the entire room. This localized heat is often needed
for therapeutic purposes, stimulating the blood circulation
and relaxing the muscles of a body reclining on such a heated
surface.
Heating units embedded into a mattress construction
avoid the disadvantages of using a separate heating pad over
a conventional mattress. Integrated units yenerally can not
slide out from under a user, or bunch-up as can a separate
unit. Integrated units also are generally more
aesthetically pleasing. They do not require either daily
removal of the heating unit during periods of non-use or,
alternatively, arranging the bedding over a heating unit
which generally does not blend with the lines of the
mattress.
Mattresses with integrated heating units, nonethe-
less, have disadvantages stemming from their permanency. If
the heating unit fails, the entire mattress assembly must be
discarded and replaced. Alternatively, if the heating unit
failure is repairable, the entire mattress assembly would
have to be shipped or delivered to the repair service loca-
tion, so that the heating unit can be repaired. Repair or
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replacement of the heating unit thus is very cumbersome when
the heating unit is integral with the mattress. Such an
integrated construction also tends to complicate the
manufacturing process.
The present invention provides a mattress cover
for a mattress, and a mattress incorporating a mattress cover,
including at least one heating panel that is detachably se-
cured to a facing panel of the mattress cover. More specifi-
cally, the invention provides a heat panel, i.e., an upper
section, a backing section, and means for generating heat
sandwiched therebetween, and means for removably fastening
the heat panel to one of the facing panels of a mattress
cover.
This invention accordingly allows the heating panel
to be removed from the mattress and serviced, repaired or
replaced. The entire mattress assembly thus need not be
handled or replaced if a heating panel malfunctions.
Further, the heating panel is attached to a facing
panel of a mattress cover in~a manner which allows the mat-
tress to be flipped and used with either side up. The heat-
ing panel hence does not interfere with the desirable prac-
tice of periodically turning a mattress to preserve its shape.
In fact, the heating panel makes it convenient to turn the
mattress so that the heating panel is downward in the summer
and upward in the winter.
The heating panel preferably should be attachable
about or close to its perimeter, in such a matter as a main-
tain the heating panel under tension and to-well integrate
the heating panel into the mattress and provide an aestheti-
cally pleasing appearance. Also, in the preferred embodi-
ments the heating panel is attached to the mattress and
secured in a manner which makes it difficult for anyone
other than an authorized service representative to remove
t~e panel from the mattress. Unskilled people are thereby
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discouraged from tampering with and possibly damaging the
heating elements of the panel.
Illustrative Embodiments
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mattress and
mattress cover embodying the removable heating panel of the
present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmented cross-sectional view of
the mattress and mattress cover of FIGURE 1, taken along
line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the
head of the mattress and mattress cover as viewed along the
line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the
foot of the mattress and mattress cover as viewed along the
line 4-4 in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the heating panel
embodying features of the present invention, as viewed along
the line 5-5 in FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 5a is a removed sectional view of a portion
of the heating panel, taken along the line 5a-5a in FIGURE
5, showing the location of a pull stop on the electrical
wires of the heating panel;
FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a mattress and
mattress cover provided with a second embodiment of the
heating panel is accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the juncture
between the mattress and the heating panel, as viewed along
the line 7-7 in FIGURE 6;
FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the
mattress illustrating one form of tool for use in removing
the heating panel from the mattress in accordance with the
present invention;
FIGURE 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of
the junction between the heating panel and the mattress, as
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seen along the line 9-9 in FIGURE 8, showing the manner in
which the tool releases the heatiny panel from the mattress;
FIGURE 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of a
mattress similar to FIGURE 8, showiny a further modification
of the junction between the heating panel and the mattress
before the installation of the heating panel is completed;
and
FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view of the assembly show
in FIGURE 10 illustrating the completion of the installation
of the heating panel on the mattress.
The invention, as shown in FIGURE 1, includes a
mattress, designated generally by the reference numeral 10,
which has a mattress cover, designated generally by the refer-
ence numeral 12, to which is secured a detachable heat panel,
designated generally by the reference number 14. The mat-
tress cover 12 is formed of an upper or first facing panel
16 and is interconnected to the heat panel 14 by a fastening
means in the form of a zipper 22.
Referring now to FIGURE 2 also, a border panel 20
extends between the first and second facing panels 16, 18,
and covers the sides of the mattress 10, while the first and
second facing panels 16, 18 cover the supportive surfaces of
the mattress 10. The edges of the border panel 20 are se-
cured to the edges of the adjacent facing panel, typically
by sewing together. These interconnections ar finished by
enveloping in a cording cover forming cord trims 24, 26 in
the perimeter edges of the mattress 10.
The zipper 22 is formed of a complementary pair of
interlocking members, _.e., a first zipper ribbon 28 and
zipper teeth 30 and a second zipper ribbon 42 and zipper
teeth 44. One half of the zipper 22 is secured to the first
facing 16 by sewing the edge of the zipper's first ribbon 28
together with the edges of the first facing panel 16 and
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border panel 20; positioning the zipper's first alignment of
teeth 30 inward on the first cord trim 24 (See FIG. 2).
The heatiny panel 14 is formed of an upper section
32, a backing section 34, and heating elements 36 sandwiched
therebetween. The heating elements 36 are preferably
electrical resistance wires encased within suitable flexible
electrical insulation material. The elements 36 are
positioned between heat insulation sheets 38 and protected
by a suitable deformable padding material 40.
lQ The edges of the upper and backing sections 32, 34
of the heating panel 14 are sewn together with the edges of
the insulation sheets 38 and the second ribbon 42 of the
zipper 22. The zipper teeth 44 are disposed inwardly of the
peximeter of the panel 14, as seen in FIGURE 2. This inter-
connection is also encased in a cording cover to form a heat
panel cord trim 46. When the first and second zipper teeth
30, 44 are aligned and interlocked, the heat panel cord trim
46 lies closely adjacent the first facing panel cord trim
24, an thus presents an appearance of a unified border edge
trim.
The insulation sheets 38 need not be sewn together
with other components along the edges of the heating panel.
It is, however, preferred to sew the sheets 38 together with
other components, as shown, so as to anchor their edges, and
thus prov.ide tension across the sheets. If the insulation
sheets 38 were allowed to bunch-up or fold upon themselves,
the insulation sheets 38 and the elements 36 would be more
subject to cracking. Further, a bunching of the insulation
sheets 38 would cause the heating elements 36 to be spaced
more closely together in some areas, as compared to a uniform
spacing when the insu]ation sheets 38 are fully extended.
As a result, a bunching of the sheets 38 could cause
undesirable and potentially dangerous concentrations of
heat.
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As seen in FIGURES 5 and 5a, an aperture 48 is
provided in the backing section 34 of the heat panel 14.
The electrical cord 49, ending in an electrical plug 52 and
adapted to provide current to the heating elements 36, passes
through this aperture 48 to the outside of the heating panel
14. This aperture 48 is preferably set in a distance of
several inches from the second alignment of zipper teeth 44.
In the preferred embodiment the aperture 48 is
provided with a grommet 51 extending through the backing
section 34 of the heating panel 14. As shown in FIGURE 5a,
a rectangular pull stop 53 is positioned inside of the sec-
tion 34 in engagem`ent with the grommet 51. By this arrange-
ment, the provision of a simple knot "K" in the electrical
cord 49, inside of the section 34, prevents the cord 49 from
being pulled out of the heating panel 14. The co-operation
of the knot "K" and the pull-stop 53 thereby prevents damage
to the heating elements 36 from tension on the co~d 49.
When the mattress 10 is an innerspring unit, as
shown in FIGURE 2, a mattress pad 54 underlies the first
facing panel 16. Below the mattress pad 54 are a plurality
of spiral coil springs 56, each having two opposed end or
terminal convolutions 58. The spiral coil springs 56 are
generally arranged in a plurality of rows extending head to
foot of the mattress 10. The spiral coil springs 56 are
interconnected to adjacent spiral coil springs 56 in the
same row by cross helicals 60 that lace about adjacent ter-
minal convolutions 58. The cross helicals 60 thus extend
across the rows of spiral coil springs 56, transversely of
the mattress lO.
An innerspring mattress 10 is thus symmetrical
about the plane midway between its support surfaces. For
even wear resulting in increased life, the mattress 10 can
be turned at regular intervals so as to alternate use of its
two support surfaces. Since the heating panel 14 is joined
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to one surface of the mattress 10, it is convenient to use
the mattress with the heating panel 14 up in the winter and
turned down in the summer.
The means, such as the zipper 22, for securing the
heating panel 14 to the mattress facing panel 16 preferably
extends about he entire periphery of the heating panel 14.
This zipper 22 can be a single zipper element, or as shown
in FIGURE 4 and 5, can be comprised of two zipper segments
22a and 22b. The two zipper segments 22a, 22b each have end
stops 23a and 23b and closure members 62a and 62b respec-
tively. The closure members 62a, 62b are mounted preferably
on the second alignment of zipper teeth 44, and thus are
attached to the heat panel 14. The closure members 62a, 62b
are slideable along the teeth 44, to interlock the zipper
teeth 30 and 44 and secure the edges of the heat panel 14 to
the first facing panel 16 of the mattress.
As shown in FIGURES 3 - 5, when the zipper 22 is
formed of two zipper segments 22a, 22b, the end stops 23a,
23b are disposed back-to-back at the foot of the mattress.
The closure member 62a, 62b substantially meet upon closure
at the head of the mattress 10. The electrical cord 49
preferably passes b.etween the closure members 62a, 62b. As
seen in FIGURE 3, the closure members 62a, 62b are provided
with pull tabs 63 and a locking means 64 for locking the
tabs together. The locking means 64 allows passage of the
cord 49 between the closures 62a, 62b, but must be destroyed
to move the closures. The heating panel 14 is thus secured
to the mattress 10, but can be removed for repair or
replacement by an authorized service representative.
Referring to FIGURE 5, the electrical heating ele-
ments 36 can be formed as a single resistance wire 36 laid
out in a serpentine configuration, i.e., running
transversely across the mattress 10. The area encompassed
by the serpentine configuration of the resistance wire 36 is
preferably set-in from the edges of the heating panel 14.
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g
For heatin~ panels 14 substantially coextensive with the
support surface of a standard size mattress, a set in
distance of 10 to 20 inches is sufficlent. In a preferred
embodiment, a set-in distance of 12 to 15 inches from the
side edges of the heat panel 14, and a set-in distance of 15
to 19 inches from the head and foot edges of the heat panel,
are provided. For instance, in a preferred embodiment with
a heat panel 14 having dimensions of 39 by 80 inches along
the trim, the electrical resistance wire 36 should be
preferably confined to a centered area of 25 inches by 63
inches. For such embodiment, a 2 to 4 inch spacing between
segments of the serpentine configuration is preferred, and a
3 inch spacing is optimum.
It has been found that 43 total watts in a 120
volt line, in such a configuration, provide a desired degree
of heat for the panel 14.
FIGURES 6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the
invention. There a mattress 80 having a mattress cover 82,
with a first facing panel 84 covering the upper support sur-
face of the mattress 80s, is provided with a heat panel 86.
The heat panel 86 is of suitable dimensions so that the heat
panel cord trim 88 substantially meets the first facing
panel cord trim 90. A zipper 92 is provided with a first
and second row of zipper teeth on first and second zipper
ribbons 98, lO0. In this embodimer.t the zipper ribbons 98,
100 are not sewn into the cord trims 88, 90. Instead, the
zipper ribbon 98 is secured to the back section of the
heating panel 86 inwardly from the cord trim 88. Likewise,
the zipper ribbon 100 is secured to the mattress facing
panel 84 inward of its edge. This second embodiment therebyrecesses the zipper 92 out of view under the heat panel 86.
FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate a further modification
of the invention disclosed in FIGURES 1 - 5. In this embodi-
ment the ends of the zippers 22a and 22b at the head of the
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mattress 10 are provided with modified slid closures 102a
and 102b. As compared to the closures 62a and 62b shown in
FIGURE 3, the closures 102a and 102b do not have a pull tab
comparable to the tab 63. Instead, a tool 104 is provided
to release and slide the closures 102a and 102b on the
respective zippers 22a and 22b.
A hook element 106 is provided on one end of the
tool 104 to engage with the closures 102a and 102b during
the releasing operation. As seen in FIGURE 9, the hook 106
can be extended into an opening 108 provided on a locking
member 110 in each closure 102a and 102b. Each closure lock-
ing member 110 is pivoted on a pine 112 at one end, and is
provided with a detent 114 at the other end. A spring 116
or other suitable means normally biases the detent 114 into
engagement with the teeth 30, 44 of the zipper 22a. However,
a pulling force on the tool 104 and hook 106, in the direc-
tion o the arrow in FIGURE 9, releases the detent 114 from
the zipper teeth 44. The closure 102a then can slide to
open the zipper 22a and remove the heating panel 14 from the
mattress 10. Of course, the other closure 102b is operated
by the tool 104 in the same manner.
The embodiment shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 eliminates
the need for seal 64 or the like, and prevents the heating
panel 14 from being removed from the mattress 10 by the normal
user by removing the pull tabs from the sliding closures
102a and 102b. The heating panel 14 can be removed from
service or replacement by an authorized service representa-
tive who has a toll 104.
FIGURES 10 and 11 illustrate a further embodiment
of the invention which also prevents the heating panel 14
from being tampered with or removed by unauthorized persons.
In this embodiment the zipper 22 is continuous around the
periphery of the mattress 10. The initial or starting end
of the zipper 22 is provided with a standard stop 112. A
closure element similar in all respects to elements 62a and
62b shown in FIGURE 3, is used to join the two halves of the
zipper 22 in the normal manner.
As seen in FIGURE 10, the trailiny end of the zipper
22 defines a free tail portion 23 of substantial length (e.g.,
12 to 18 inches). In this embodiment the closure joins the
two halves of the zipper 22 throughout this tail portion 23.
The zipper tape comprising the tail 23 is then cut, and the
closure removed. Next. a second end stop 114 is applied to
the tail portion 23 of the zipper, to lock the zipper 22 in
a closed position.
As seen in FIGURE 11, this closed tail portion 23
can be tucked under the heating panel 14 during normal use
of the mattress 10. The electrical cord 49 is readily ~x-
tended between end stop 112 and the zipper tail end 23. If
the heating panel 14 must be removed, an authorized service
representative can pull out the tail 23 and cut the end stop
114 from the tail. A slide closure then can be applied to
open the zipper 22 and remove the heating panel 14.
Although the invention has been described above
with a certain degree of particularity, it should be under-
stood that this dlsclosure is made only by way of example.
Consequently, numerous changes in the details of construction
and in the combination and arrangement of the components, as
well as in the possible modes of utilization, will be apparent
to those familiar with the art, and may be resorted to without
departing from the scope of this invention as claimed.
