Beds – Mattress – Having innerspring-type core
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-13
2001-06-12
Grosz, Alexander (Department: 3628)
Beds
Mattress
Having innerspring-type core
C005S727000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243900
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mattress assemblies and, more particularly, to one-sided mattress assemblies that offer significant reduction in the amount of permanent deflection resulting from the compaction of padding materials under normally encountered loads.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional inner spring mattress as known in the bedding industry generally comprises a resilient construction consisting of two sleep surfaces (top and bottom) enclosing an assembly of wire springs. The springs are typically covered over with padding on the top and bottom surfaces and the whole assembly is encased within a ticking, often quilted, that is sewn closed around its periphery to a border or boxing. For many years one preferred form of spring assembly construction has been known as Marshall construction. In Marshall construction individual wire coils are each encapsulated in fabric pockets and attached together in strings which are arranged to form a closely packed array of coils in the general size of the mattress. Examples of such construction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 685,160, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,983, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,984, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,946, U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,344, U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,834, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,305 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,935, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Conventionally, inner spring mattresses have identical top and bottom surfaces. During normal life of such conventional mattresses some degree of permanent deflection, or sag, can develop in the mattress surfaces due to compaction of the component padding materials. This permanent deflection can interfere with the mattresses' intended function of providing a supportive and resilient sleep surface. Inner spring mattress manufacturers recommend periodically rotating and turning over the mattress utilizing the top and bottom sleep surfaces in order to counteract, minimize and/or delay the aforementioned permanent deflection. Under continued use, this compaction becomes more permanent. The degree of permanent deflection is directly related to the type and amount of padding installed both over and under the wire spring assembly. To remedy this shortcoming, manufacturers utilize materials that produce less permanent compaction. These materials are generally more dense, but can be less comfortable and more expensive.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an inner spring mattress assembly which exhibits a reduced amount of permanent deflection due to compaction of padding materials while at the same time exhibiting substantial comfort in use. It is further desirable to provide such a mattress assembly that can be constructed by conventional known manufacturing techniques. Still further, it is desirable to provide such a mattress assembly that is cost-effective to produce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention improves over the prior art by providing a one-sided mattress assembly including a core of pocketed coil springs having a layer of resiliently compressible material covering the upper surface thereof and having a bottom surface constructed of a substantially rigid material without a compressible layer. The core of coil springs is preferably attached to the bottom surface only around its periphery. By such a construction the amount of compressible padding is reduced by one-half and consequently the mattress is capable of exhibiting a substantial reduction in the amount of permanent deflection in use. Maintenance of the mattress such as by rotating or turning the mattress over is also avoided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 685160 (1901-10-01), Marshall
patent: 1321095 (1919-11-01), Genge
patent: 1459540 (1923-06-01), Labenz
patent: 3031690 (1962-05-01), Ramsay
patent: 4234983 (1980-11-01), Stumpf
patent: 4234984 (1980-11-01), Stumpf
patent: 4439977 (1984-04-01), Stumpf
patent: 4451946 (1984-06-01), Stumpf
patent: 4523344 (1985-06-01), Stumpf
patent: 4578834 (1986-04-01), Stumpf
patent: 5016305 (1991-05-01), Suenens et al.
patent: 5621935 (1997-04-01), St. Clair
patent: 5787532 (1998-08-01), Langer et al.
Gladney Rick F.
Kinde Douglass D.
Ling Kurtis
Grosz Alexander
Simmons Company
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
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