CA1182225A - Waterbed mattress with baffle structure - Google Patents
Waterbed mattress with baffle structureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1182225A CA1182225A CA000386869A CA386869A CA1182225A CA 1182225 A CA1182225 A CA 1182225A CA 000386869 A CA000386869 A CA 000386869A CA 386869 A CA386869 A CA 386869A CA 1182225 A CA1182225 A CA 1182225A
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- pad
- mattress
- sheet
- buoyant
- surface area
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
A waterbed mattress has a baffle structure com-prising a horizontally extending buoyant pad. The pad is anchored to an underlying anchor sheet that is not secured to the walls of the mattress. A pourous mass of bound together fibers can be positioned between the anchor sheet and the pad and/or between the pad and the top wall of the mattress. Alternatively, the buoyant pad can be anchored to the side walls of the mattress, or a non-buoyant sheet can be anchored to the top wall and/or side walls of the mattress.
A waterbed mattress has a baffle structure com-prising a horizontally extending buoyant pad. The pad is anchored to an underlying anchor sheet that is not secured to the walls of the mattress. A pourous mass of bound together fibers can be positioned between the anchor sheet and the pad and/or between the pad and the top wall of the mattress. Alternatively, the buoyant pad can be anchored to the side walls of the mattress, or a non-buoyant sheet can be anchored to the top wall and/or side walls of the mattress.
Description
z~
This applica-tion is related to United Sta-tes Patent No. 4,247,962.
This invention pertains generally to waterbeds, and more par-ticularly to a waterbed mattress having a baffle structure for preventing excessive undulations of water in the mat-tress.
Al-though waterbeds have enjoyed wide populari-ty in recent years, some persons are dis-turbed by the wave-like motion or undulations of the water within the ma-t-tress. There have been many attemp-ts to reduce the wa-ter movement, for example, by employing vertically extending baffles inside the mattress. Carson in Uni-ted States Patent No. 3,736,60'1 describes a waterbed mattress having perforated, freely swingable vertical flaps to resist excessive motion of fluid within the mattress.
In addition, Fogel in United States Patent No. 4,145,780 de-scribes a waterbed mattress having a baffle dampener comprising an upstanding plastic sheet and a horizontal flotation rod.
Improvements in dampening wave motion have been obtained by using horizon-tally ex-tending baffles. Such bafEles are described in my aforementioned patent 4,247,962. These horizontally extending baffles can comprise a pad of buoyan-t material anchored to the bottom wall of the mattress so that -the pad floats between the -top and bo-t-tom walls. Fogel in United States Patent No. 4,192,031 describes a baffle comprising a horizontally extending piece of foam anchored to the bottom of the mattress. Although horizon-tally extending baffles can be eflective in reducing water wave motion, baffles welded to a wall of the mattress such as taught by Fogel can form a leak path at the weld due to stresses on the weld.
J~
My United States Patent No. 3,585,356 shows a waterbed mattress having a plurality of solid particles of a material *
such as Styrofoam floating in the water for dampening shock waves in the water. Although the particles of Styrofoam can reduce wave motion~ if the Styrofoam is provided as a solid block more effective wave reduction results. However, it is difficult to fold a solid block of Styrofoam in a mattress for storage or shipping.
In place of Styrofoam use could be made of a mass of nonwoven polyester fiber bound together with acrylic resin.
This material has been used in waterbed mattresses marketed by Vinyl Products under the trade mark Dream ~eaver. An advantage of using this material for a baffle is that i-t can be compac-ted due to its porosity so tha-t a ma-ttress containing the material can be folded for shipping and storage. However, the material when used by itself in a Dream Weaver mat-tress has a significant disadvantage; it is more dense than water and thus is in contact with the bottom surface of the mattress, including where the mattress is in contact with a heater. Because the bottom sur-face adjacent the heater is in contact with the baffle material,hot spots can develop. Such hot spots can shorten the useful life of the mattress and can lead to water leaks.
Therefore, it is apparent tha-t there is a need for a baffled waterbed mattress that (i) can be folded, (ii) has the advantages of a horizontally extending baffle, (iii) does not require the baffle to be secured to any of the walls of the mattress, and (iv) has a baffle that floats spaced apart from the bottom wall of the mattress.
*Trade Mark The present invention is directed to a novel waterbed mattress satisfying these requirements. The mattress has a novel baffle structure that prevents excessive undulations of water in the mattress. The mattress comprises an enclosing structure having a horizontally extending top wall, a horizon-tally extending bottom wall and side walls. Within the enclos-ing structure is a freely floatable baffle structure that preferably is unattached to the enclo.sing structure.
The baffle structure comprises a horizontally extending buoyant pad disposed within the enclosing structure for limiting the motion of water in the mattress, the pad having a horizontal extent corresponding substantially to the horizontal extent of the sleeping surface of the mattress, The baffle structure also comprises a means anchoring the pad comprising a plurality of depending members made of a flexible plastic denser than water and positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchoring means being unsecured to the enclosing structure, In a preferred embodiment, the said means anchoring the pad further comprises a horizontally extending, flexible anchor sheet that is denser than water and is positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchor sheet not being secured to the enclosing structure, and the said depending members connecting the anchor sheet to the buoyant pad.
~L~8~22S
A porous mass of bound together fibers preferably is located between the anchor sheet and the pad.
Preferably, for most effective reduction of wave motion, the pad and/or the anchor sheet is disposed to float horizon-tally spaced apart from the top wall and the bottom wall.
The materials for the baffle structure are chosen so that the entire waterbed mattress, including the baffle structure, can be folded for storage. For example, the anchor means can be flexible vinyl and the pad can comprise closed cell polymeric foam.
In use, the combination of the horizontally extending pad, horizontally extending anchor sheet, and the porous mass of fibers quickly and effectively dampen wave action. With a horizontal surface (the anchor sheet and/or pad) spaced apart from the top and bottom walls of the mattress, any waves re-flected from top surface or the bottom surface of the mattress are quickly dampened. Because the pad and the fiber are spaced apart from the bot-tom surface, including where the heater is located, formation of hot spots is avoided.
In a less preferred version of the invention, the baffle structure can comprise a horizontally extending sheet or pad anchored to the bottom, side and/or top walls of the mattress. When a pad is attached only 22~ii to the bottom wall of the mattress it must be buoyant.
When a sheet is attached only to the top wall, it cannot be buoyant.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawin~s where:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a waterbed mattress according to the present invention, 10 having a free-floating baffle;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mattress of Fig. 1 taken along line 2-2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of another waterbed mattress according to the present invention taken in a direction corresponding to line 2-2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the waterbed mattress of Fig. 3 taken on line 4-4 of Fig.
3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of 20 a waterbed mattress where the bafEle surEace is anchored to the side walls cf the mattress;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a waterbed mattress where a baffle surface is anchored to the top wall of the mattress; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a simpli-fied version of the mattress of Fig. 1.
The present invention is directed to a folda~le waterbed mattress 10 that has significantly less wave-like motion at the surface of the mattress than con-30 ventional waterbed mattressesO This novel waterbed mattresses has an enclosing structure 11 containing a body ofwater 12. The enclosing structure is fabricated of a flexible material and includes a top wall or surface 13, a bot-tom wall or surface 14, and side walls 16. The top surface is adapted for receiving persons in sitting and reclining posi-tions and is referred to as the sleeping surface of the mattress. The en-closing struc-ture can be formed in any suitable manner, for example, by bonding two planar sheets together along their peripheries or by bonding upstanding sheets between the edges ln of the top and bottom walls -to form a contoured or fitted structure. Water is introduced into and removed from -the mattress through a valve 18 located toward a corner of the top wall.
The enclosing structure can be made of a flexible material such as polyvinylchloride or polyethylene. The mattress can comprise an internal enclosing struc-ture made of a material that is unaffected by long-term direct contac-t with water, such as polyethylene. The internal enclosing structure can be provided with an exterior envelope of a material such as polyvinylchloride. Between the envelope and -the internal enclosing structure can be an internal layer of viscous, wa-ter-resis-tant sealing material for sealing leaks in the envelopeO
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the waterbed mattress is provided with a baffle structure 20 within ,,: ., ... ..
~,'6~5 the enclosing structure. The baffle structure 20 is unattached to the enclosing structure, i.e., it can Eloat freely in -the mattress when the mattress is filled with water, and is not anchored to the side, bottom, or top walls. The baffle structure 20 generally comprises a horizontally extending buoyant pad 22, anchor means 23, and a layer 24 comprised of a porous mass of bound together fibers. The baffle structure 20 is positioned within the mattress to reduce the wave-like motion of the water.
The baffle structure 20 has a horizontal extent corresponding ~eneral]y to the sleeping surface of the mattress.
The pad 22 is preferably formed of a closed-cell polymeric foam such as polyurethane foam, Styrofoam*, or polyethylene foam.
The fibrous layer 24 can be of the same surface area as the pad 20 with coinciding edyes. Preferably, as shown in Figure 3, the fibrous layer has the same surface as the sleeping surface, i.e., it is coextensive with the top wall 13 of the mattress. This locates the baffle structure relative to the sleepiny surface. A preferred material for the fibrous layer 24 is 45 denier non-woven polyester fibers bound together with acrylic resin, which is available from E. R. Carpenter of La Mirada, California. This material is foldable so that the mat-tress can be stored easily. Because of the porosity of the fiber, the material is extremely effective in dampening water wave-action. The material is sufficiently porous that it is possible to pour water right through it. A particular advantage of the material available from E. R.
*Trade Mark ~ ~322;~
Carpenter is that it is produced by an air-lay process, where the fibers are both vertically and horizontally oriented before they are bound together with resin.
Because the fibers are vertically oriented, the layer 24 is stronger and has more loft per pound of fiber than if the fibers were only hori~ontally oriented. Because of the extra loft, it is possible to obtain more dampening per pound of fiber compared to a layer made only of horizontally oriented fibers.
If desired, a plurality of individual pads can be used in place o~ the buoyant pad 22 and/or a plurality o~
individual pads of fiber can be used in place of the layer 24.
The figures show four different anchor structures.
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the anchor structure comprises a Elexible sheet 28 overl~ing the pad 22~ a flexible horizontally extending anchor sheet 30 under-lying and spaced apart from the pad 22, and a plurality of flexible straps 32. The straps 32 extend through 20 openings 33 in the pad. As illustrated, the straps 32 are formed as loops which are bonded at the top to the overlying sheet 28 at spaced apart points as indicated at 40. Similarly, the straps are bonded at the bottom to the anchor sheet 30 at spaced apart points as indicated at 41.
The straps are arranged in rows which extend length-wise to the mattress. In a king-sized mattress, for example, there can be six rows of straps, with eight straps in each row. In this embodiment, the straps are 30 spaced about 10 inches apart in either lateral direction, but other strap arrangements and spacings can be uti-li~ed, if desired. There are holes 42 cut in the layer 24 of fiber through which the straps pass.
The straps, overlying sheet, and anchor sheet are fabricated of a flexible material such as 8 to 20 mil vinyl. The bonds between the straps and overlying sheet and the anchor sheet are formed by suitable rneans such as RF welding. The straps can be of any suitable width. In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, they are in the order 10 of 3 inches wide.
The version oE the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a baffle structure similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that elongated tubular members 50 are used in place of the individual straps. The tubular members are fabricated of a flexible material such as vinyl and are affixed at spaced apart points 52t 53, to the overlying sheet 28 and anchor sheet 30, respectively. Each tubular member corresponds to one row of straps, and a king-sized mattress can, for example, have eight tubular members 20 positioned side by side and extending lengthwise within the mattress. The tubular members are bonded to the overlying sheet 28 through openings 63 in the buoyant pad 22. The tubular members are bonded to the anchor sheet 30 through openings 64 in the fiber layer 24. The ends of the tubular members 50 are open, and vent holes 7Q can be formed in the side walls of the members for water circulation. The vent holes 70 can be in the order of 3 inches in diameter and spaced apart about 10 inches along the tubes. The tubes can be about 4-5 inches in diameter, 30 having a vertical extent of about 6 inches within the
This applica-tion is related to United Sta-tes Patent No. 4,247,962.
This invention pertains generally to waterbeds, and more par-ticularly to a waterbed mattress having a baffle structure for preventing excessive undulations of water in the mat-tress.
Al-though waterbeds have enjoyed wide populari-ty in recent years, some persons are dis-turbed by the wave-like motion or undulations of the water within the ma-t-tress. There have been many attemp-ts to reduce the wa-ter movement, for example, by employing vertically extending baffles inside the mattress. Carson in Uni-ted States Patent No. 3,736,60'1 describes a waterbed mattress having perforated, freely swingable vertical flaps to resist excessive motion of fluid within the mattress.
In addition, Fogel in United States Patent No. 4,145,780 de-scribes a waterbed mattress having a baffle dampener comprising an upstanding plastic sheet and a horizontal flotation rod.
Improvements in dampening wave motion have been obtained by using horizon-tally ex-tending baffles. Such bafEles are described in my aforementioned patent 4,247,962. These horizontally extending baffles can comprise a pad of buoyan-t material anchored to the bottom wall of the mattress so that -the pad floats between the -top and bo-t-tom walls. Fogel in United States Patent No. 4,192,031 describes a baffle comprising a horizontally extending piece of foam anchored to the bottom of the mattress. Although horizon-tally extending baffles can be eflective in reducing water wave motion, baffles welded to a wall of the mattress such as taught by Fogel can form a leak path at the weld due to stresses on the weld.
J~
My United States Patent No. 3,585,356 shows a waterbed mattress having a plurality of solid particles of a material *
such as Styrofoam floating in the water for dampening shock waves in the water. Although the particles of Styrofoam can reduce wave motion~ if the Styrofoam is provided as a solid block more effective wave reduction results. However, it is difficult to fold a solid block of Styrofoam in a mattress for storage or shipping.
In place of Styrofoam use could be made of a mass of nonwoven polyester fiber bound together with acrylic resin.
This material has been used in waterbed mattresses marketed by Vinyl Products under the trade mark Dream ~eaver. An advantage of using this material for a baffle is that i-t can be compac-ted due to its porosity so tha-t a ma-ttress containing the material can be folded for shipping and storage. However, the material when used by itself in a Dream Weaver mat-tress has a significant disadvantage; it is more dense than water and thus is in contact with the bottom surface of the mattress, including where the mattress is in contact with a heater. Because the bottom sur-face adjacent the heater is in contact with the baffle material,hot spots can develop. Such hot spots can shorten the useful life of the mattress and can lead to water leaks.
Therefore, it is apparent tha-t there is a need for a baffled waterbed mattress that (i) can be folded, (ii) has the advantages of a horizontally extending baffle, (iii) does not require the baffle to be secured to any of the walls of the mattress, and (iv) has a baffle that floats spaced apart from the bottom wall of the mattress.
*Trade Mark The present invention is directed to a novel waterbed mattress satisfying these requirements. The mattress has a novel baffle structure that prevents excessive undulations of water in the mattress. The mattress comprises an enclosing structure having a horizontally extending top wall, a horizon-tally extending bottom wall and side walls. Within the enclos-ing structure is a freely floatable baffle structure that preferably is unattached to the enclo.sing structure.
The baffle structure comprises a horizontally extending buoyant pad disposed within the enclosing structure for limiting the motion of water in the mattress, the pad having a horizontal extent corresponding substantially to the horizontal extent of the sleeping surface of the mattress, The baffle structure also comprises a means anchoring the pad comprising a plurality of depending members made of a flexible plastic denser than water and positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchoring means being unsecured to the enclosing structure, In a preferred embodiment, the said means anchoring the pad further comprises a horizontally extending, flexible anchor sheet that is denser than water and is positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchor sheet not being secured to the enclosing structure, and the said depending members connecting the anchor sheet to the buoyant pad.
~L~8~22S
A porous mass of bound together fibers preferably is located between the anchor sheet and the pad.
Preferably, for most effective reduction of wave motion, the pad and/or the anchor sheet is disposed to float horizon-tally spaced apart from the top wall and the bottom wall.
The materials for the baffle structure are chosen so that the entire waterbed mattress, including the baffle structure, can be folded for storage. For example, the anchor means can be flexible vinyl and the pad can comprise closed cell polymeric foam.
In use, the combination of the horizontally extending pad, horizontally extending anchor sheet, and the porous mass of fibers quickly and effectively dampen wave action. With a horizontal surface (the anchor sheet and/or pad) spaced apart from the top and bottom walls of the mattress, any waves re-flected from top surface or the bottom surface of the mattress are quickly dampened. Because the pad and the fiber are spaced apart from the bot-tom surface, including where the heater is located, formation of hot spots is avoided.
In a less preferred version of the invention, the baffle structure can comprise a horizontally extending sheet or pad anchored to the bottom, side and/or top walls of the mattress. When a pad is attached only 22~ii to the bottom wall of the mattress it must be buoyant.
When a sheet is attached only to the top wall, it cannot be buoyant.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawin~s where:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a waterbed mattress according to the present invention, 10 having a free-floating baffle;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mattress of Fig. 1 taken along line 2-2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of another waterbed mattress according to the present invention taken in a direction corresponding to line 2-2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the waterbed mattress of Fig. 3 taken on line 4-4 of Fig.
3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of 20 a waterbed mattress where the bafEle surEace is anchored to the side walls cf the mattress;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a waterbed mattress where a baffle surface is anchored to the top wall of the mattress; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a simpli-fied version of the mattress of Fig. 1.
The present invention is directed to a folda~le waterbed mattress 10 that has significantly less wave-like motion at the surface of the mattress than con-30 ventional waterbed mattressesO This novel waterbed mattresses has an enclosing structure 11 containing a body ofwater 12. The enclosing structure is fabricated of a flexible material and includes a top wall or surface 13, a bot-tom wall or surface 14, and side walls 16. The top surface is adapted for receiving persons in sitting and reclining posi-tions and is referred to as the sleeping surface of the mattress. The en-closing struc-ture can be formed in any suitable manner, for example, by bonding two planar sheets together along their peripheries or by bonding upstanding sheets between the edges ln of the top and bottom walls -to form a contoured or fitted structure. Water is introduced into and removed from -the mattress through a valve 18 located toward a corner of the top wall.
The enclosing structure can be made of a flexible material such as polyvinylchloride or polyethylene. The mattress can comprise an internal enclosing struc-ture made of a material that is unaffected by long-term direct contac-t with water, such as polyethylene. The internal enclosing structure can be provided with an exterior envelope of a material such as polyvinylchloride. Between the envelope and -the internal enclosing structure can be an internal layer of viscous, wa-ter-resis-tant sealing material for sealing leaks in the envelopeO
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the waterbed mattress is provided with a baffle structure 20 within ,,: ., ... ..
~,'6~5 the enclosing structure. The baffle structure 20 is unattached to the enclosing structure, i.e., it can Eloat freely in -the mattress when the mattress is filled with water, and is not anchored to the side, bottom, or top walls. The baffle structure 20 generally comprises a horizontally extending buoyant pad 22, anchor means 23, and a layer 24 comprised of a porous mass of bound together fibers. The baffle structure 20 is positioned within the mattress to reduce the wave-like motion of the water.
The baffle structure 20 has a horizontal extent corresponding ~eneral]y to the sleeping surface of the mattress.
The pad 22 is preferably formed of a closed-cell polymeric foam such as polyurethane foam, Styrofoam*, or polyethylene foam.
The fibrous layer 24 can be of the same surface area as the pad 20 with coinciding edyes. Preferably, as shown in Figure 3, the fibrous layer has the same surface as the sleeping surface, i.e., it is coextensive with the top wall 13 of the mattress. This locates the baffle structure relative to the sleepiny surface. A preferred material for the fibrous layer 24 is 45 denier non-woven polyester fibers bound together with acrylic resin, which is available from E. R. Carpenter of La Mirada, California. This material is foldable so that the mat-tress can be stored easily. Because of the porosity of the fiber, the material is extremely effective in dampening water wave-action. The material is sufficiently porous that it is possible to pour water right through it. A particular advantage of the material available from E. R.
*Trade Mark ~ ~322;~
Carpenter is that it is produced by an air-lay process, where the fibers are both vertically and horizontally oriented before they are bound together with resin.
Because the fibers are vertically oriented, the layer 24 is stronger and has more loft per pound of fiber than if the fibers were only hori~ontally oriented. Because of the extra loft, it is possible to obtain more dampening per pound of fiber compared to a layer made only of horizontally oriented fibers.
If desired, a plurality of individual pads can be used in place o~ the buoyant pad 22 and/or a plurality o~
individual pads of fiber can be used in place of the layer 24.
The figures show four different anchor structures.
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the anchor structure comprises a Elexible sheet 28 overl~ing the pad 22~ a flexible horizontally extending anchor sheet 30 under-lying and spaced apart from the pad 22, and a plurality of flexible straps 32. The straps 32 extend through 20 openings 33 in the pad. As illustrated, the straps 32 are formed as loops which are bonded at the top to the overlying sheet 28 at spaced apart points as indicated at 40. Similarly, the straps are bonded at the bottom to the anchor sheet 30 at spaced apart points as indicated at 41.
The straps are arranged in rows which extend length-wise to the mattress. In a king-sized mattress, for example, there can be six rows of straps, with eight straps in each row. In this embodiment, the straps are 30 spaced about 10 inches apart in either lateral direction, but other strap arrangements and spacings can be uti-li~ed, if desired. There are holes 42 cut in the layer 24 of fiber through which the straps pass.
The straps, overlying sheet, and anchor sheet are fabricated of a flexible material such as 8 to 20 mil vinyl. The bonds between the straps and overlying sheet and the anchor sheet are formed by suitable rneans such as RF welding. The straps can be of any suitable width. In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, they are in the order 10 of 3 inches wide.
The version oE the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a baffle structure similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that elongated tubular members 50 are used in place of the individual straps. The tubular members are fabricated of a flexible material such as vinyl and are affixed at spaced apart points 52t 53, to the overlying sheet 28 and anchor sheet 30, respectively. Each tubular member corresponds to one row of straps, and a king-sized mattress can, for example, have eight tubular members 20 positioned side by side and extending lengthwise within the mattress. The tubular members are bonded to the overlying sheet 28 through openings 63 in the buoyant pad 22. The tubular members are bonded to the anchor sheet 30 through openings 64 in the fiber layer 24. The ends of the tubular members 50 are open, and vent holes 7Q can be formed in the side walls of the members for water circulation. The vent holes 70 can be in the order of 3 inches in diameter and spaced apart about 10 inches along the tubes. The tubes can be about 4-5 inches in diameter, 30 having a vertical extent of about 6 inches within the
2~;
., mattress. There can be about eight equally spaced apart tubes.
For effective reduction of the wave motion, prefer-ably the baffle structure 20 has a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the horizontal e~tent of the top surface 13 of the mattress. In a king-sized mattress having a sleeping area measuring 84 x 72 inches, the baffle structure can have a length of 76 inches and a width of 64 inches. It is important that the baffle 10 structure has a large horizontal extent to obtain ade-quate dampening of the wave-like motion of the water in the ~a~erbed. To obtain adequate dampening, pre-ferably the pad and the anchor sheet have a horizontal extent such that their top surface area is equal to at least about two thirds of the surface area of the sleeping surface, and more preferably is equal to at least about three quarters of the surface area of the sleeping surfacer and most preferably is coextensive with the sleeping surface to positively locate the baffle struc-20 ture.
If desired, more than one baffle structure 20 canbe used, so that the total surface area of the baffles is equal to at least about two-thirds of the surface area of the sleepin~ surface. Preferably only one baffle structure is used for ease of fabrication and folding.
Preferably the pad 22 is spaced apart from the top wall 13 and/or the anchor sheet 30 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 14. This provides effective wave dampening action in that waves reflected off the top and 39 bottom walls of the mattress are dampened. To achieve this result, it is necessary that the total vertical extent of the baffle structure 20 be less than the total vertical extent or height, H, of the mattress 10 when filled with water.
The exact free-floating position of the baffle structure 20 depends upon the relati~e size and relative densities of the ma~erials used. However, as long as the total height of the baffle structure 20 is smaller than the height of the mattress, there is at least one baffle 10 surface having a horizontal extent corresponding general-ly to the sleeping surface oE the mattress where the baffle surface permits water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above it.
In both versions of Figs~ 1-4, the anchor sheet 30 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 14 because of the buoyancy of the foam pad 22. In the version of Figs. 1 and 2, the pad 22 is maintained spaced apart from the top wall 13 by means of a layer or sheet 80 oE a porous, compressible mass of boundtogether fibers of the same 20 material as used for the fibrous layer 24. Thus, in the version of Figs. 1 and 2, there are two horizontally-ex-tending ba~fle structures, each having a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface o~ the mattress, and each permitting water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above it.
Because of the porosity of the fibrous mass of layer 80, water can circulate from above the pad 22 to below it.
Layer 80, top sheet 2~, and pad 22 can be secured 30 together by sewing the layers together.
- -:~8~25 In a preferred version of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the overlying sheet ~8 and anchor sheet 30 are formed of 8 mil polyvinylchloride. The buGyant pad 22 is formed of one-quarter inch thick polyethylene closed-cell foam. There are eight tubular ~embers, each having a vertical extent of about six inches when the mattress is filled with water. The fibrous layer 24 is about one and one-half inches thick and is positioned on top of the anchor sheet 30.
10 In addition, fibrous material can be placed within the tubes 50.
The bafEle structure 20 and the waterbed mattress 10 having the baffle structure 20 have substantial advantages compared to prior art structures. For ex-ample, the baffle structure 20 is free-floating and is not secured to the enclosing structure. This eliminates the welds required for anchorings which can be the source of water leaks. In addition, stress caused on the waterbed mattress resulting from anchoring is eliminated.
A further advantage of the baffle structure 20 is that it can be used with mattresses which are incapable of having baffles requiring anchoring to the enclosing structure.
~ith reference to Figure 5, a baffle structure comprises a flexible sheet 166 anchored to the side wall 16. Because the flexible sheet 166 is anchored to the side ~all 16, it need not be buoyant and can have a specific gravity greater than 1Ø Means are provided for anchoring the flexible sheet to the side walls in a 30 floating position between the top and bottom walls of the mattress. In Figure 5, the anchoring means comprise a plurality of flexible straps 168 formed as loops which are bonded at one end to the sheet 166 and at the other end to a side wall 16. The straps asre arranged around the entire periphery of the sheet 166 and can be spaced apart about ten inches from each other, although other strap arrangements and spacings can be utilized, if desired.
Openings, not shown, are provided in the flexible 10 sheet lS6 to assure good water circulation and heat distribution throughout the mattress. If desired, the flexible sheet 166 can be made rom a buoyant material.
In the version of the invention shown in Figure 6, the baffle surface again is a flexible sheet 167. The sheet 167 needs to be denser than water so that it does not float up to the top surface. The sheet is anchored to the top surface by straps 127 identical to the straps used in the version of the invention shown in Figures 1-2. The straps are formed as loops which are bonded at 20 the top oE the top surface 13 and at the bottom to the flexible sheet 167. In addition, the tubular member 50 used in the version of the invention shown in Figure 3 can be used for anchoring the sheet 167 to the top surface 13.
Preferably the flexible sheets 166 and 167 are anchored a vertical distance above the bottom wall of from 1/2 H to 15/16 H, and have a horizontal extent at least about 2/3, and more preferably at least about 3/4 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
The version of the invention shown in Fiy~ 7 is 2~Z5 substantially identical to the version shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except fiber layers 24 and 80 are no-t included.
Other anchoring systems rather than anchor sheet 30 can be used. In the versions of FigsO 1-4 and 7, for ex-ample, fishing weights can be secured to the straps and the straps themselves can be made of dense heavy plastic.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain prefer-red versions thereof, other versions are possible. For 10 example, the baffle structure 20 of Figs. 1-4 need not be provided or sold as an integral part of an existing mattress. Therefore the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not necessarily be limited to the descrip-tion of the preferred version contained herein.
--1~--
., mattress. There can be about eight equally spaced apart tubes.
For effective reduction of the wave motion, prefer-ably the baffle structure 20 has a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the horizontal e~tent of the top surface 13 of the mattress. In a king-sized mattress having a sleeping area measuring 84 x 72 inches, the baffle structure can have a length of 76 inches and a width of 64 inches. It is important that the baffle 10 structure has a large horizontal extent to obtain ade-quate dampening of the wave-like motion of the water in the ~a~erbed. To obtain adequate dampening, pre-ferably the pad and the anchor sheet have a horizontal extent such that their top surface area is equal to at least about two thirds of the surface area of the sleeping surface, and more preferably is equal to at least about three quarters of the surface area of the sleeping surfacer and most preferably is coextensive with the sleeping surface to positively locate the baffle struc-20 ture.
If desired, more than one baffle structure 20 canbe used, so that the total surface area of the baffles is equal to at least about two-thirds of the surface area of the sleepin~ surface. Preferably only one baffle structure is used for ease of fabrication and folding.
Preferably the pad 22 is spaced apart from the top wall 13 and/or the anchor sheet 30 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 14. This provides effective wave dampening action in that waves reflected off the top and 39 bottom walls of the mattress are dampened. To achieve this result, it is necessary that the total vertical extent of the baffle structure 20 be less than the total vertical extent or height, H, of the mattress 10 when filled with water.
The exact free-floating position of the baffle structure 20 depends upon the relati~e size and relative densities of the ma~erials used. However, as long as the total height of the baffle structure 20 is smaller than the height of the mattress, there is at least one baffle 10 surface having a horizontal extent corresponding general-ly to the sleeping surface oE the mattress where the baffle surface permits water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above it.
In both versions of Figs~ 1-4, the anchor sheet 30 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 14 because of the buoyancy of the foam pad 22. In the version of Figs. 1 and 2, the pad 22 is maintained spaced apart from the top wall 13 by means of a layer or sheet 80 oE a porous, compressible mass of boundtogether fibers of the same 20 material as used for the fibrous layer 24. Thus, in the version of Figs. 1 and 2, there are two horizontally-ex-tending ba~fle structures, each having a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface o~ the mattress, and each permitting water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above it.
Because of the porosity of the fibrous mass of layer 80, water can circulate from above the pad 22 to below it.
Layer 80, top sheet 2~, and pad 22 can be secured 30 together by sewing the layers together.
- -:~8~25 In a preferred version of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the overlying sheet ~8 and anchor sheet 30 are formed of 8 mil polyvinylchloride. The buGyant pad 22 is formed of one-quarter inch thick polyethylene closed-cell foam. There are eight tubular ~embers, each having a vertical extent of about six inches when the mattress is filled with water. The fibrous layer 24 is about one and one-half inches thick and is positioned on top of the anchor sheet 30.
10 In addition, fibrous material can be placed within the tubes 50.
The bafEle structure 20 and the waterbed mattress 10 having the baffle structure 20 have substantial advantages compared to prior art structures. For ex-ample, the baffle structure 20 is free-floating and is not secured to the enclosing structure. This eliminates the welds required for anchorings which can be the source of water leaks. In addition, stress caused on the waterbed mattress resulting from anchoring is eliminated.
A further advantage of the baffle structure 20 is that it can be used with mattresses which are incapable of having baffles requiring anchoring to the enclosing structure.
~ith reference to Figure 5, a baffle structure comprises a flexible sheet 166 anchored to the side wall 16. Because the flexible sheet 166 is anchored to the side ~all 16, it need not be buoyant and can have a specific gravity greater than 1Ø Means are provided for anchoring the flexible sheet to the side walls in a 30 floating position between the top and bottom walls of the mattress. In Figure 5, the anchoring means comprise a plurality of flexible straps 168 formed as loops which are bonded at one end to the sheet 166 and at the other end to a side wall 16. The straps asre arranged around the entire periphery of the sheet 166 and can be spaced apart about ten inches from each other, although other strap arrangements and spacings can be utilized, if desired.
Openings, not shown, are provided in the flexible 10 sheet lS6 to assure good water circulation and heat distribution throughout the mattress. If desired, the flexible sheet 166 can be made rom a buoyant material.
In the version of the invention shown in Figure 6, the baffle surface again is a flexible sheet 167. The sheet 167 needs to be denser than water so that it does not float up to the top surface. The sheet is anchored to the top surface by straps 127 identical to the straps used in the version of the invention shown in Figures 1-2. The straps are formed as loops which are bonded at 20 the top oE the top surface 13 and at the bottom to the flexible sheet 167. In addition, the tubular member 50 used in the version of the invention shown in Figure 3 can be used for anchoring the sheet 167 to the top surface 13.
Preferably the flexible sheets 166 and 167 are anchored a vertical distance above the bottom wall of from 1/2 H to 15/16 H, and have a horizontal extent at least about 2/3, and more preferably at least about 3/4 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
The version of the invention shown in Fiy~ 7 is 2~Z5 substantially identical to the version shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except fiber layers 24 and 80 are no-t included.
Other anchoring systems rather than anchor sheet 30 can be used. In the versions of FigsO 1-4 and 7, for ex-ample, fishing weights can be secured to the straps and the straps themselves can be made of dense heavy plastic.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain prefer-red versions thereof, other versions are possible. For 10 example, the baffle structure 20 of Figs. 1-4 need not be provided or sold as an integral part of an existing mattress. Therefore the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not necessarily be limited to the descrip-tion of the preferred version contained herein.
--1~--
Claims (33)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A waterbed mattress having an enclosing structure com-prising a horizontally extending top wall, a horizontally extending bottom wall, side walls and a freely floatable baffle structure comprising:
(a) a horizontally extending buoyant pad disposed within the enclosing structure for limiting the motion of water in the mattress, the pad having a horizontal extent corresponding sub-stantially to the horizontal extent of the sleeping surface of the mattress, and (b) means anchoring the pad comprising a plurality of depend-ing members made of a flexible plastic denser than water and positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchoring means being unsecured to the enclosing structure.
(a) a horizontally extending buoyant pad disposed within the enclosing structure for limiting the motion of water in the mattress, the pad having a horizontal extent corresponding sub-stantially to the horizontal extent of the sleeping surface of the mattress, and (b) means anchoring the pad comprising a plurality of depend-ing members made of a flexible plastic denser than water and positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchoring means being unsecured to the enclosing structure.
2. The mattress of claim 1 wherein the depending members are formed of vinyl.
3. The waterbed mattress of claim 1 wherein the anchoring means comprises a flexible sheet overlying the pad and the depending members are connected to the flexible sheet through openings in the pad.
4. The waterbed mattress of claim 3 wherein the depending members comprise a plurality of flexible straps affixed to the flexible sheet through the openings in the pad.
5. The waterbed mattress of claim 3 wherein the depending members comprise a plurality of elongated tubular members affixed longitudinally to the flexible sheet through the openings in the pad.
6. The waterbed mattress of claim 1 wherein the said means anchoring the pad further comprises a horizontally extending, flexible anchor sheet that is denser than water and is positioned below the buoyant pad, the anchor sheet not being secured to the enclosing structure, and the said depending members connecting the anchor sheet to the buoyant pad.
7. The waterbed mattress of claim 6 wherein the said means anchoring the pad further comprises:
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad;
(ii) the said anchor sheet having a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface of the mattress;
and (iii) the said depending members affixed to the overlying sheet and the anchor sheet and passing through the pad;
and wherein there is a porous mass of bound together fibers between the anchor sheet and the pad.
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad;
(ii) the said anchor sheet having a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface of the mattress;
and (iii) the said depending members affixed to the overlying sheet and the anchor sheet and passing through the pad;
and wherein there is a porous mass of bound together fibers between the anchor sheet and the pad.
8. The mattress of claim 7 wherein the pad is disposed to float spaced apart from the top wall and the bottom wall so that the pad permits water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above the pad.
9. The mattress of claim 7 or 8 wherein the anchor sheet is disposed to float spaced apart from the top wall and the bottom wall so that the anchor sheet permits water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above the anchor sheet.
10. The mattress of claim 7 or 8 wherein the pad has a horizontal extent such that its surface area is at least about 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
11. The mattress of claim 7 wherein the anchor sheet has a horizontal extent such that its surface area is at least about 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
12. The mattress of claim 7 wherein the said depending members comprise a plurality of vertically oriented flexible straps extending through the pad.
13. The mattress of claim 7 wherein the said depending members comprise at least one elongated tubular member affixed to the anchor sheet and secured to the overlying sheet at a plurality of spaced apart points through openings in the pad.
14. The mattress of claim 7 in which the pad is fabricated of a closed-cell polymeric foam.
15. The mattress of claim 7 or 8 wherein the pad has a horizontal extent such that its surface area is at least about 3/4 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
16. The mattress of claim 7 wherein the anchor sheet has a horizontal extent such that its surface area is at least about 3/4 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
17. The mattress of claim 8 including a porous mass of bound together fibers between the overlying sheet and the top wall.
18. The mattress of claim 17 in which the porous mass contacts the top sheet.
19. The waterbed mattress of claim 6 wherein the buoyant pad has a surface area of at least about 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface;
the said means anchoring the pad further comprises:
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad, (ii) the said anchor sheet which is floatable horizontally and spaceable apart from the top wall and the bottom wall so as to permit water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above the pad, and has a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface of the mattress such that its surface area is at least 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface; and (iii) a plurality of the said depending members which are elongated tubular members extending horizontally in the enclosing structure, each tubular member being secured to the anchor sheet and secured to the overlying sheet at a plurality of spaced apart points through openings in the pad;
and wherein there is a porous mass of bound together fibers between the anchor sheet and the pad.
the said means anchoring the pad further comprises:
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad, (ii) the said anchor sheet which is floatable horizontally and spaceable apart from the top wall and the bottom wall so as to permit water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above the pad, and has a horizontal extent corresponding generally to the sleeping surface of the mattress such that its surface area is at least 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface; and (iii) a plurality of the said depending members which are elongated tubular members extending horizontally in the enclosing structure, each tubular member being secured to the anchor sheet and secured to the overlying sheet at a plurality of spaced apart points through openings in the pad;
and wherein there is a porous mass of bound together fibers between the anchor sheet and the pad.
20. The mattress of claim 19 wherein the porous mass of bound together fibers has a horizontal extent substantially equal to the horizontal extent of the sleeping surface.
21. The waterbed mattress of claim 1 wherein the buoyant pad is vertically spaced apart from the bottom wall when the mattress is filled with water and permits water to circulate between the top wall and the bottom wall, and wherein anchoring means anchors the pad to the bottom wall of the enclosing structure.
22. The mattress of claim 21 wherein the buoyant pad is positioned between the top and bottom walls when the mattress is filled with water.
23. The mattress of claim 21 wherein the buoyant pad is positioned a vertical distance above the bottom wall of from 1/2 H
to 15/16 H, where H is the distance between the bottom wall and the top wall when the mattress is filled with water.
to 15/16 H, where H is the distance between the bottom wall and the top wall when the mattress is filled with water.
24. The mattress of claim 21 wherein the buoyant pad has a horizontal extent such that its surface area is at least about 2/3 of the surface area of the sleeping surface.
25. The waterbed mattress of claim 6 wherein the buoyant pad is vertically spaced apart from the bottom wall when the mattress is filled with water and permits water to circulate between the top wall and the bottom wall.
26. The mattress of claim 25 wherein the said depending members anchor the buoyant pad to the anchor sheet at a plurality of spaced apart locations.
27. The waterbed mattress of claim 25 wherein the anchoring means further comprises a flexible sheet overlying the buoyant pad and the said depending members connect the flexible sheet to the anchor sheet through openings in the buoyant pad.
28. The waterbed mattress of claim 27 wherein the said depending members comprise a plurality of flexible straps.
29. The waterbed mattress of claim 27 wherein the said depending members comprise a plurality of elongated tubular members affixed longitudinally to the anchor sheet and connected to the flexible sheet through the openings in the pad.
30. The waterbed mattress of claim 25 wherein the pad is fabricated of a closed-cell polyethylene foam.
31. The waterbed mattress of claim 6 wherein the said means anchoring the pad further comprises:
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad;
(ii) the said anchor sheet spaceable apart from the pad; and (iii) the said depending members affixed to the overlying sheet and the anchor sheet and passing through the pad.
(i) a flexible sheet overlying the pad;
(ii) the said anchor sheet spaceable apart from the pad; and (iii) the said depending members affixed to the overlying sheet and the anchor sheet and passing through the pad.
32. The mattress of claim 31 wherein the pad is disposed to float spaced apart from the top wall and the bottom wall so that the pad permits water to circulate between the volume below and the volume above the pad.
33. The mattress of claim 32 including a porous mass of bound together fibers between the overlying sheet and the top wall.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US20130480A | 1980-10-27 | 1980-10-27 | |
| US201,304 | 1980-10-27 | ||
| US06/250,888 US4467485A (en) | 1978-10-10 | 1981-04-03 | Waterbed mattress with free floating baffle |
| US250,888 | 1981-04-03 | ||
| US06/250,733 US4399575A (en) | 1978-10-10 | 1981-04-03 | Waterbed mattress with unattached baffle structure |
| US250,733 | 1981-04-03 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1182225A true CA1182225A (en) | 1985-02-05 |
Family
ID=27394280
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000386869A Expired CA1182225A (en) | 1980-10-27 | 1981-09-29 | Waterbed mattress with baffle structure |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1182225A (en) |
| NZ (1) | NZ198504A (en) |
-
1981
- 1981-09-29 CA CA000386869A patent/CA1182225A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-09-30 NZ NZ19850481A patent/NZ198504A/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| NZ198504A (en) | 1985-07-31 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |