Mattress including flat springs
View Patent ↗Mattresses including a chassis core including a rigid or semi-rigid base sheet; a plurality of flat springs spaced apart from one another in parallel rows, wherein each one of the plurality of flat springs comprises a first terminal end, a second terminal end, and a flexible arcuate member extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, and wherein a center of an arc defined by the arcuate member is fixedly attached to the rigid base sheet; a body support disk disposed on each one of the first and second terminal ends. The body support disk supports the load of an individual. In some embodiments, the body support disk is pivotably connected to each terminal end.
1. A mattress comprising:
a rigid or semi-rigid base sheet;
a plurality of flat springs, wherein each one of the plurality of flat springs is of a single piece construction consisting of a first terminal end, a second terminal end, and a flexible arcuate member having a parabolic shape extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, wherein the first and second terminal ends both extend outwardly and at an equal distance from a vertex of the arcuate member, and wherein an arc defined by the arcuate member is fixedly attached at the vertex to the rigid or semi-rigid base sheet; and
a body support disk disposed on each one of the first and second terminal ends, wherein the body support disk comprises a top having a substantially planar surface and a stem, wherein the stem is pivotably attached to the terminal end and can tilt 360 degrees about an axis perpendicular to the base sheet.
2. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flat springs are linearly arranged end-to-end in a first row and at least one parallel adjacent row, wherein the plurality of flat springs in each parallel adjacent row are staggered relative to the first row such that a selected one of the flat springs has the first or the second terminal end in alignment with center of the flat spring in the first row.
3. The mattress of claim 2 , wherein an arrangement of the first row and the adjacent row is repeated to define a mattress dimension corresponding to a standard, queen, king, or custom sized mattress.
4. The mattress of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of flat springs are longitudinally arranged side-to-side in a first row and at least one parallel adjacent row, wherein the plurality of flat springs in each parallel adjacent row are staggered relative to the first row such that a selected one of the flat springs has the first or the second terminal end in alignment with center of the flat spring in the first row.
5. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the stem is cone shaped.
6. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the body support disk top has a circular shape.
7. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the body support disk top has a polygon shape.
8. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the flexible arcuate member comprises a plastic or a reinforced plastic or a fiber reinforced polymer.
9. The mattress of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible top sheet in sliding engagement with the body support disk.
10. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the body support disk laterally moves from a first position to a second position in response to an applied load.
11. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the body support disk comprises a top portion having a substantially planar surface and a compression spring, wherein the compression spring is pivotably attached at one end to the terminal end and at another end to the top portion, wherein the top portion can tilt 360 degrees about an axis.
12. The mattress of claim 2 , wherein the linear arrangement of the flat springs extends from a head end to a foot end of the mattress.
13. The mattress of claim 2 , wherein the linear arrangement of the flat springs extends from side to side of the mattress.
14. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of flat springs further comprises an elastomeric member attached to the arcuate member, wherein one end of the elastomeric member is proximate and/or at about the first terminal end and another end is proximate and/or at about the second terminal end.
15. The mattress of claim 1 , further comprising an inverted flat spring coupled to the arcuate member of at least one of the plurality of flat springs, wherein one end of the inverted flat spring is coupled proximate to and/or at about the first terminal end and another end is proximate to and/or at about the second terminal end; and a body support disc disposed at about an apex of the inverted spring.
16. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the body support disk comprises a top having a substantially planar surface and a stem, wherein the stem is pivotably attached to the terminal end and can tilt 360 degrees about an axis, and wherein the height of the body support disc is adjustable.
17. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the arc defined by the arcuate member is fixedly attached to the rigid or semi-rigid base sheet at a center point.
18. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the arc defined by the arcuate member is fixedly attached to the rigid or semi-rigid base sheet at an off-center point.
19. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the flat spring has a variable thickness.
20. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the arc defined by the arcuate member is axisymmetric.
21. The mattress of claim 1 , wherein the arc defined by the arcuate member is non-axisymmetric.
22. The mattress of claim 1 , further comprising an elastomeric top sheet that is fixed to the body support disk.
23. A process for manufacturing one or more flat springs for a chassis core, the process comprising:
providing a sheet;
forming one or more flat springs in the sheet, each flat spring consisting of first and second arcuate portions extending from and continuously joined to the sheet with each arcuate portion having a terminal end configured to support a body support disc, wherein the first and second arcuate portions define a parabolic shape and are continuously joined at a vertex to the sheet, wherein the terminal ends extend outwardly and at an equal distance at a center point defined by the first and second arcuate portions extending from and continuously joined to the sheet, wherein the one or more flat springs being compressible along a longitudinal axis in response to a force applied along the longitudinal axis; and
securing an inverted flat spring to the first and second arcuate portions to form an arcuate bridge therebetween for each of the one or more of flat springs in the sheet, wherein an apex of the inverted flat spring is configured to support the body support disc and is at a height about equal to the terminal end of each arcuate portion of the one or more flat springs.
24. The process of claim 22 , wherein the one or more flat springs is composed of a plurality of layers.
25. The process of claim 23 , wherein the one or more flat springs comprise multiple layers at least one of the multiple layers is a heterogeneous material.
26. The process of claim 23 , wherein the first and second arcuate portions extending from and continuously joined to the sheet are at a center of an arc defined by the first and second arcuate portions.
27. The process of claim 23 , wherein the first and second arcuate portions extending from and continuously joined to the sheet are off-center of an arc defined by the first and second arcuate portions.