Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
130z86o
DESCRIPTION
The inv~ntion relates to a system for p~ckaging
sin~le ma~tresse~ in such a ~ay as to ensure ease o`f
transport in small overall size also, and above all,
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for the final purchaser so that he may be relieved from
the difficulties o~ carrying the mattre s home. This
brings about considerable SAving6~ to which there i8
added the further saving deri~ing ~rom small volume
storage.
Methods are known for the packi~g of spring mattresses
or other modern type mattresses made with synt~ctic resin
foam and other materials, providing for the reduction of
thickness of the ~attreRs and fixing the squeezed shape
of the mattress for the simultaneous despatch of a plu-
rality of mattresses. In the majority of cases a
stack of msttresses is compressed to reduce height and
secure the mattresse~ - in the squeezed shape they have
thus been given - with mechanical means such as straps
or re-~istant wrappers; it is thus possible, within
restricted space, rOr e~ample in a container, to despatch
a plurality Or mattresses to the point Or ~ale, while
the final user i8 supplied ~ith a mattress that has
again expanded.
There exist a number of syYtems for the reduction
Or the volume Or pillows and the like by suction and low
vacuu~ in a container containing a single pillow or
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eushion. A system of this kind cannot be adapted to the single
mattress, because of teehnical and economic diffieulties.
According to the invention the problem is solved in
economie and technically satisfactory fashion to provide the
redueed overall-size paeking of an individually wrapped mattress.
According to one broad aspect of the present in-
vention, there is provided a method of individually packaging
a mattress comprising the steps of: inserting the mattress into
a flexible and sealable wrapper; eompressing the wrapped mattress
by squeezing eompression means to reduee the thickness of the
mattress within limits eompatible with the elastie strueture of
the mattress, and to remove air from the inside of the wrapper;
sealing the wrapper; rolling up the squeezed and sealed mattress;
applying means to retain the rolled, wrapped mattress in the
rolled up shape; and placing the rolled mattress in a eontainer
therefor.
Aeeording to another broad aspeet of the present
invention, there is provided a paekage for an individual mattress
eomprising an outer eontainer, a mattress, a wrapper enelosing
said mattress and sealingly holding said mattress in a compressed
condition with at least a partial vacuum within said wrapper, and
retaining means holding said mattress and wrapper in a rolled up
configuration, said retained, rolled and wrapped mattress being
received in said outer container.
In practice, for reducing the thickness of the
mattress, it is possible to proceed with compression
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with tbe compression means to effect squeezing~ and to the
subsequent removal of air by suction with a suction or
vacuum pump, to rari~y the air which was not expelled as
a result of the compressi~n. In some cases, welding !
i8 effected even without re~oval of air by s~ction~ ¦
expulsion with the press being ~ufficient. '1
The wrapper shall be air_tight~ and it may be of ~f
double type~ i.e. there being two wrappers one inside the
other~ welded separately or together ffDr sealing.
The welding of the wrapper may be effected after the
removal of air by suctio~, or in two stage~, effecting a ;
partial closure and allowing passage for the suction
operations~ which pa~sage is subsequently sealed.
The stabilization of the rolled-up shape ~ay be
obtained with tapes with closing rings surrounding the
rolled-up mattress, or also with adhesive tape which may
be disposed around the rolled-up ~attress or, simply, as
strips facing the ~utside edge ~hich extends lonfgitu-
dinally in the r~lled-up mattress.
The method of packi~g according to the invention may
be adopted for ~any types of mattresses, and particularly
for those which have an intermediate thickness of rubber
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or other synthetic elastic foam resin and, possibly, outer
layers of artificial or natural fibres along the surfaces ensur-
ing the comfort of the user. A mattress of this type can resume
its normal expanded, smooth shape after tearing off the wrapper
which has kept it in a low vacuum within the space of a few
hours.
By way of illustration but not limitation, embodiments
of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference
to the drawings, in which:
Figs. 1 and 2 show the mattress inserted in its
wrapper, in perspective and partial section;
Fig. 3 shows an intermediate stage of compression;
Fig. 4 shows an air removal stage after compression;
Fig. 5 shows a partial cross-section of the squeezed
product subjected to vacuum;
Fig. 6 shows a stage of rolling up of the flattened
item;
Fig. 7 shows the flattened item rolled up,
Fig. 8 shows the rolled-up item packed in its
individual packing.
As illustrated on the attached drawing, 1 denotes
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the s ttress in its normal presentation and 3 a wrapper
intended to house it, said wrapper being mostly a film
o~ synthetic air-proof, ~eldable material~ with a consis-
tency adequate to withdtand the stresses it will be ex-
pected to undergo. This wrapper may al60 constitute a
sh0ath forstoring the re-expanded mattress in the h~me.
The wrapper may also be a do~ble one. The mattress 1 with
its sheath 3 is placed in a press 5A, 5B which is able
to compress it from the normal size denoted by 1 through
a si~e lN to the squeezed size denoted by lS, squeezing
being effected by mechanical action between the two parts
5A~ 5B of the pre~s; with the pressing operation - the
~rapper 3 being still at lea~t partly open - the greater
part of the air contained in the wrapper 3 is squeezed out.
Immediately after pressing, and before the action of the
press has been stopped and, anyhow, before a re-expan~ion
of the mattress~ with a suction pump or a ~acuum pump,
the remaining air may be rarefied from the wrapper 3 to
a degree of ~acuum kept within the reasonable limits for
the purposes mentioned.
At the end o~ the squeezing and the desired suction
the wrapper 3 is sealed, and then the mattress u~it
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remains squeezed inside the wrapper without any po-~sibi_
lity of re-expansion.
The mattress thus squeezed and secured inside the
wrapper is relatiYely tightly rolled up as ~hown at 7,
until the shape sh~wn at 9 is reached, a ~hape which is
stabilized with the application of means ~or holding the
outside edge 9A of the mattress and its wrapper; theoe
retaining means may be represented by two or more pieces
10 of relatively strong adh~si~e tape, applied transver-
sally and facing the edge 9A.
In the pre~entation sho~n at 9 the squeezed mattress
assumes ~ very limited and compact overall size and may
th~refore be inserted in a container 12 which may be
cylindrical or parallelepipedic. Thi~ container is not
intended to withstand a thrust from the outside towards
the inside of the ~queezed and rolled-up mattress which
is stabilized by retaining means such as means 10. The
container ~ay be of cardboard or synthetic resin, as a
box, a cube or other shape, to be opened at the end or
longitudinally, all these containers being equivalent one
with the otber. A container of this type msy be advan-
tageously fittod with a grip 14 for eace of transport
in a horizontal position.
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_ 8 -
Arter having been rolled up, the mattres6 held by
the retaining ~eans ~ay be in such a condition as to no
longer require the low vacuum conditions.
The ~attress re~oved from the container may be re-
leased from the means 10 and stretched out, and the
wrapper 3 may be opened in ~uch a manner as to allow the
entry of air and thus permit the re-expansion of the
mattress which, more or less speedily, re6umes the thick-
ness intended for use.
Mattresses packed as indicated above may be stored
for shipment ~nd warehousing in relatively very economic
man~er, and are ~aleable individually al50 in the packed
presentation, as a result of which the final uscr ~an
conveniently carry the mattress purchased with the mean~
at his own disposal, without:diffiCulty or extra expense.
The drawing ~ho~8 only one example of the invention
which ~ay vary as to shapes and arrangements.
