Mattress structure having a foam mattress core

USRE38135E1 · kind E1 · reissue

Assignee

• Hill-Rom Services, Inc. · US

Inventors

• James R. Stolpmann · Lawrenceburg, US
• Gary W. Ferdon · Charleston, US
• Roger D. Dalton · Moncks Corner, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 7, 2000
• Grant date: Jun 10, 2003
• Expiry date: Sep 7, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

An elongated mattress core for a mattress structure includes a foam core having an upwardly-facing top surface, a bottom surface spaced apart from the top surface, and first and second elongated sides connecting the top and bottom surfaces. The foam core is formed to include a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart transverse slits extending downwardly from the top surface. Each slit terminates at a lower end spaced apart from the bottom surface by a first distance and extending transversely from a first slit end spaced apart from the first side of the foam core to a second slit end spaced apart from the second side of the foam core. Each adjacent pair of slits defines a foam column so that the foam core has a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending foam columns. Each foam column has a pair of generally vertical column side walls defining the slits. Each column side wall includes a shear coating having a low coefficient of friction so that each column can compress and decompress without drag forces resulting from frictional engagement with adjacent column side walls interfering with the compression and decompression.