US20130205509A1

US20130205509A1 - Cushion structure

Info

Publication number: US20130205509A1
Application number: US13/659,232
Authority: US
Inventors: Fu-Chieng Chen
Original assignee: Forsound Corp
Current assignee: Forsound Corp
Priority date: 2012-02-15
Filing date: 2012-10-24
Publication date: 2013-08-15
Also published as: TWM440042U

Abstract

A cushion structure, comprising: a foam cushion having a bottom surface and a supporting surface disposed parallel to the bottom surface; a plurality of gel supports, distributed dispersively over the supporting surface, the gel support is a conical component, the top and bottom surfaces of which are mutually parallel to each other, the area of the bottom surface is larger than the area of the top surface, the bottom surface of the gel support is each attached to the supporting surface of the foam cushion, and a spacing is kept between any two adjacent gel supports; and a covering sheet for wrapping together the foam cushion and the gel support.

Description

The current application claims a foreign priority to the patent application of Taiwan No. 101202769 filed on Feb. 15, 2012.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The current invention relates to a cushion, and, more specifically a cushion structure adapted for use as a mattress, a sitting pad, a repose pad, and a pillow for supporting or redistribute a human weight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The shift of lifestyle in modern society has had an effect on people's exercise habits, and prolonged posture in a fixed style has been identified to be a cause for muscle sore problems. Keeping up with regular physical exercises, maintaining proper posture and seeking appropriate body support are some of the solutions for solving the abovementioned problem. With the rising demand for pursuing health care and comfort, it is now common to see various cushions or pads aiming for supporting human bodies, for example: mattress, sitting pad, repose pad, and pillow. As such, the functional requirements of a cushion should include not only the ability to distribute an applied weight and sufficiently support a human's weight, but also offer a comfort sense of softness.
The commonly seen cushions achieve the effect of support, pressure relief, and soft comfort through using different materials and structure design. Such material can be commonly seen in various forms: foam, memory foam (polyurethane material), natural cotton, latex, and gel, with each having different physical properties and applicability. The gel herein is a polymeric compound having excellent pressure conductivity and excellent shock absorptivity and may also be a polymeric copolymer., which may include thermal plasticity. A demonstrating example is SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene), for which a reasonable amount of mineral oil may form a plastic gel having flexibility when it is evenly plasticized and frozen before going through calcined, in addition its level of hardness may adjust according to surrounding demands, for possessing low resilience which would make for higher applicability in manufacture highly soft sitting/lying/reposing pads. Therefore there is an increasing trend for using gel material in cushions.
Since gel has excellent physical property, it is suitable for use as a pressure relief material for cushion. A known cushion structure using gel as a material is shown in FIG. 1, and generally uses a single and large-area gel material 40 to carry the weight. The cushion made by such single and large-area gel material 40 would weigh heavier than the cushion made by foam material. Since gel is itself not breathable, some cushions using gel materials will cover on their exterior surface a layer of fabric or other breathable material 41 (see FIG. 1), but a large-area and non-breathable gel material 40 is still deposited underneath the layer of fabric or non-breathable material. A disadvantage of this setup is that a humid sensation is easy at the contact surface between the user and the cushion; in another perspective, the mineral oil component of the gel, in order to prevent it from seeping out, some known cushions will use gel membrane or other covering material to securely wrap around the gel, to create a sealed membrane, whereas this structure will restrict the gel's form changing capacity when subject to an external applied force, and affecting the gel's absorbability and pressure relief effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In consideration of an overweight disadvantage presented in the traditional setup of using gel material in a cushion, the present invention proposes a cushion structure capable of distributing human weight and features light weight and gel material saving mechanism, comprising:
a foam cushion having a bottom surface and a supporting surface located on an opposite side of the bottom surface;
a plurality of gel supports, distributed on the supporting surface of the foam cushion, the gel support is a conical component, a top surface and a bottom surface of the gel support each run parallel to each other, wherein the area of the bottom surface is larger than the area of the top surface, the bottom surface of the gel support is fixed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion, and there is a spacing kept between any two adjacent gel supports;
and a covering sheet for wrapping together the foam cushion and the gel support, wherein the gel support can support an applied weight, and evenly distribute weight to the underlying foam cushion through the top and bottom surfaces, thereby providing a cushion structure of a lighter weight and cost-effective fashion, adapted for distributing human weight. any two neighboring gel support.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, many of the gel support has identical size and height, these gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein for the gel support there are two or more sizes, and wherein the height of a gel support of a particular size is relatively smaller than the height of a gel support of another particular size.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the plurality of gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion in a matrix arrangement.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein the plurality of gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion in an intertwining arrangement.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the covering sheet is made from a material selected from a group consisting of a man-made fabric cloth, natural fabric, man-made leather, and natural leather, or any combination thereof.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of gel supports of different heights are arranged on the supporting surface of the gel support to provide a receiving surface whose gel supports gradually decrease in height from a rim of the cushion to a center of the cushion.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there further comprises a first support , the first support body is disposed underneath the bottom surface of the foam cushion, the first support body has at least a hollow space, the hollow space is located on a major location of the cushion for supporting weight.
According to yet a further embodiment of the present invention, there further comprises a spacer underneath the first support body, subject to purpose of the cushion and demand, it is customizable to add spacers for increasing height of the cushion.
In another consideration of the humid sensation created by the traditional use of single large-area gel material, the present invention proposes a cushion structure capable of breathing and ventilating heat; according to an embodiment of the invention, comprises:
a foam cushion having a bottom surface and a supporting surface located on an opposite side of the bottom surface;
a plurality of gel supports, distributed on the supporting surface of the foam cushion, the gel support is a conical component, a top surface and a bottom surface of the gel support each run parallel to each other, wherein the area of the bottom surface is larger than the area of the top surface, the bottom surface of the gel support is fixed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion, and there is a spacing kept between any two adjacent gel supports; and
a covering sheet for wrapping together the foam cushion and the gel support, wherein the covering sheet has a plurality of pores, the pores 31 are located on a surface between the cushion and the user or a surface receiving weight. There are some pores 31 located on a side surface of the cushion. When the cushion structure is subjecting to weight compression and therefore the shape thereof is forced to contract and restore, the air entrapped inside the covering sheet may be led out through the pores 31, enabling effects of ventilation and heat venting; the pores 31 are of especial interest and demonstrative of such feature when the less favorably breathable leather type materials are selected to make the covering sheet 30.
Since the foam cushion shows porosity, the and a spacing is kept between any two adjacent gel supports; and the covering sheet has a plurality of pores, when these cushion structures are subject to weight compression and is led to contract and restore, this contraction and restoration can make air inside an interior space of the cushion to flow, and therefore achieve a ventilation and heat release effect.
Attention is now directed to other benefits and embodiments of the present invention, the following figures will be referred below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a cushion of a prior art, and shows an exploded view of a portion of the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a structure of the embodiment of the present invention, and shows a three-dimensional structural diagram for the cushion structure.

FIG. 3 shows a structure of the embodiment of the present invention, and shows cross-sectional views from the III-III line of the cushion structure of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, and shows that the covering sheet of the cushion structure has a plurality of pores;

FIG. 5 illustrates the deformation of the gel support in accordance with the cushion structure of the present invention, and more specifically traversal deformation of any two adjacent gel supports in the side direction and close in toward each other;

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram showing an embodiment of a gel support of the cushion structure of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram showing an embodiment of a gel support of the cushion structure of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, showing a plurality of gel supports disposed evenly over a supporting surface of a foam cushion in an intertwining arrangement;

FIG. 9 is a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, showing gel supports of two different sizes evenly disposed over the supporting surface of the foam cushion in a matrix arrangement;

FIG. 10 is a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, showing gel supports of two different sizes evenly disposed over the supporting surface of the foam cushion in an intertwining arrangement;

FIG. 11 is a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, showing a plurality of gel supports arranged on the supporting surface of the foam cushion to form a receiving surface whose gel supports gradually decrease in height from a rim of the cushion to a center of the cushion;

FIG. 12 is a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, showing cross-sectional view of the structure of the first support body and the hollow space;

FIG. 13 is a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, showing cross-sectional view of the structure of the spacer located beneath the first support body;

FIG. 14 is a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, displaying a three dimensional perspective of the gel support layer having a base layer and gel supports;

FIG. 15 is a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, showing a cross-sectional view from the III-III line of the cushion support of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, showing multiple gel supports on the supporting surface that are arranged into a receiving surface that slopes downwardly from the outer periphery of the cushion toward the center of the cushion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 2, wherein a structure of an embodiment of the cushion structure of the present invention is shown, comprising:
a foam cushion 10, having a bottom surface 11 (see FIG. 3) and a supporting surface 12 located on an opposite side of the bottom surface 11;
a plurality of gel supports 20 a, distributed on the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, the gel support 20 a is a conical component, a top surface 21 and a bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a each runs parallel to each other, wherein the area of the bottom surface 22 is larger than the area of the top surface 21, the bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a is fixed onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, and there is a spacing kept between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a; and
a covering sheet 30 for wrapping together the foam cushion 10 and the gel support 20 a.
The foam cushion 10 is made up of polyurethane plastic (PU plastic), the foam cushion 10 has porosity and softness property, the bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a can be fixed onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 through taping, and an alternative is to make a portion of gel material seep into the pore opening of the foam cushion 10 before the gel of the gel support 20 a completely solidifies into a form shape and fixed onto the supporting surface 12. The gel material can be fixed onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 after the gel material solidifies into a form shape.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the covering sheet is made from a material selected from a group consisting of a man-made fabric cloth, natural fabric, man-made leather, and natural leather, or any combination thereof. The covering sheet 30 works to wrap together the foam cushion 10 and the plurality of gel supports 20 a. Depending on the purpose of the cushion and type, appropriate material may be selected to meet the desired needs, for example, for a cushion structure used as a sitting pad, leather material may be selected for better tactile experience and quality; for a cushion structure used as a mattress, man-made fabric cloth or natural fabric cloth may be selected; for a structure in another embodiment, a combination combining more than one of man-made fabric cloth, natural fabric cloth, man-made leather and natural leather may be selected. An example for the latter embodiment is to select a breathable man-made fabric cloth or natural fabric cloth as the internal layer material, then select less favorably breathable man-made leather or natural leather as the external layer material.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the covering sheet 30 has a plurality of pore wherein the gel support can support an applied weight, and evenly distribute weight to the underlying foam cushion through the top and bottom surfaces, thereby providing a cushion structure of a lighter weight and cost-effective fashion, adapted for distributing human weight. any two neighboring gel support.
According to a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of gel supports 20 a have identical size and height, these gel supports 20 a are evenly disposed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10; in an embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of gel supports 20 a is evenly disposed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 in a matrix arrangement. Another arrangement method for the plurality of gel supports 20 a is shown in FIG. 8, wherein the plurality of gel supports 20 a is evenly distributed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 in an intertwining arrangement.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein for more than two first gel supports 20 a (see FIG. 6) and second gel supports 20 b, a height of first gel support is relatively smaller than a height of second gel support, these first gel supports 20 a and second gel supports 20 b are evenly disposed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10; in an embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of first gel supports 20 a and second gel supports 20 b is evenly disposed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10. Another disposition arrangement is shown in FIG. 10 for the plurality of gel supports 20 a, wherein the plurality of first gel supports 20 a and second gel supports 20 b are evenly distributed over the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 in an intertwining arrangement.
The first gel support 20 a and second gel support 20 b are conical components. Taking the first gel support 20 a in FIG. 5 as an example, the top surface 21 and bottom surface 22 of first gel support 20 a run parallel to each other, and the area of the bottom surface 22 is larger than the area of the top surface 21. In other words, from a cross-sectional perspective, the width of the first bottom surface D1 of the bottom surface 22 is larger than the width of the first top surface of the top surface 21, the gel support 20 a is fixed with the larger bottom surface 22 onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, and there is a spacing between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a. The present invention depends on a structure comprising a plurality of dispersively disposed gel supports, as opposed to the known cushions using a single and large-area gel materials 10. The present invention benefits from an advantage of its being light weight, and in another perspective the spacing between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a offers the advantage of facilitating air flow and such can further provide a ventilation and heat-venting effect.
Gel material possesses elastic component and pressure relief ability. When it is subjected to an external applied force, the gel material will slowly deform according to such applied force, therefore such feature offers a pressure relief function and shock damping function. The gel supports 20 a and 20 b of the present invention are adapted to use a conical shape, using the bottom surface 22 having a larger area to fix the supports to the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, and further using the top surface having smaller area to directly bear the applied weight or force, the weight received by the top surface 21 is mostly a positive pressure, since the top surface 21 and bottom surface 22 are planes running parallel to each other, which by principle of material mechanics, can prevent the gel supports 20 a and 20 b from skewing into deformation, and can evenly distribute the weight to the foam cushion 10 underneath. In another perspective, the spacing exists between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a, when the gel support 20 a is subject to an external force or a weight to transform its shape, such will cause any two adjacent gel supports 20 a to deform laterally toward the side direction and even move closer toward each other. (as shown in FIG. 5). Each gel support 20 a can firmly support a weight applied onto the top surface 21; such can not only prevent the gel support 20 a from being subject to an external force or weight to become in a slanted position, the spacing between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a can also provide the required space for accommodating transformation of the gel support 20 a, improving the disadvantage found in the traditional arts wherein the transformation of the gel material is restricted during its transformation process.
According to another embodiment, the height H1 of the first gel support 20 a is preferred to be between 1-5 centimeters (cm), the width D1 of the cross-sectional shape of the bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a is about 7 centimeters (cm), the width D2 of the cross-sectional shape of the top surface 21 is preferred to be at 5 centimeter (cm); the width dl of the cross-sectional shape of the bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 b (see FIG. 7) is about 4.5 centimeter (cm), the width d2 of the cross-sectional shape of the top surface 21 is preferred to be about 3 centimeters (cm).
FIG. 11 shows a structure of another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of first gel support 20 a and second gel support 20 b having different heights are arranged on the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 to form a receiving surface F whose gel supports gradually decrease in height from a rim of the cushion to a center of the cushion, the perimeter of such receiving surface F is higher than the center of the receiving surface F, and such arrangement can provide to the buttock a better sense of covering; even though such embodiment considers a sitting cushion as an example, it will be easily understood by persons of ordinary skills in the relevant arts and therefore reapply the technical features of the abovementioned embodiment in other human body receiving cushions, such as a mattress, repose cushion, and a pillow, and in accordance with user's demand or principles of ergonomics, apply the plurality of first gel supports 20 a and second gel supports 20 b having different heights to form a receiving surface F of different curvatures, or directly set up by design the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10 to form a required curvature, and then form a required receiving surface F with the plurality of gel supports 20 a of identical heights.
FIG. 12 is yet another embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a first support body 40, the first support body 40 is disposed underneath the bottom surface 11 of the foam cushion 10. The first support body 40 has at least a first hollow space 41 a, and the first hollow space 41 a is disposed on a major location of the cushion for supporting weight. Taking the cushion for sitting pad in FIG. 12 as an example, wherein there are two hollow space 41 a and hollow space 41 b located respectively underneath the left and right sides of a user's buttock, which can offer the user a stable and preferred support assistance. By the same principle, the first hollow space 41 a will need to be adjusted in view of actual requirements in real life.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a spacer 50 located underneath the first support body 40 (see FIG. 13). The spacer can be selectively added to the cushion depending on the cushion's purpose and actual requirements, for increasing the height of the cushion, wherein the first support body 40 and the spacer can be made from a material selected from a foam (polyurethane) material.
Furthermore, the first gel support 20 a and the second gel support 20 b can be perpendicularly bore a longitudinal pore in order to enhance porosity.
Referring now to FIG. 14, an embodiment of the structure of the cushion support of the present invention is shown, which comprises:
a cushion support 10, having a bottom surface 11 (see FIG. 15) and a supporting surface 12 to an opposite side of the bottom surface 11;
a gel support layer 20′, being stacked on top of the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, wherein the gel support layer 20′ comprises a base layer 23 and multiple gel supports 24, the gel supports 24 are distributed on a top surface 231 of the base layer 23, the gel support 24 is a conical working piece having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion, wherein the top surface of the gel support 24 and the top surface 231 of the base layer 23 are in parallel to each other, and any two neighboring gel supports 24 are separated by a predetermined spacing; and

- a covering sheet 30, which operates to wrap the foam cushion 10 and the gel support 20′ into a cushion support.

The foam cushion 10 has the features of porosity and softness; the base layer 23 of the gel support layer 20′ and multiple gel supports 24 may be made by a method of a unibody construction, such as injecting gel material in its molten state into a mold, and then allowing the gel material to cool and form into a unibody gel support layer 20′ comprising a base layer 23 and multiple gel supports 24.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the gel support layer 20′ is stacked onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, and the covering sheet 30 works to wrap the foam cushion 10 and the gel support layer 20′ into a cushion support; in another embodiment of the present invention the base layer 23 of the gel support layer 20′is glued to the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, wherein the foam cushion 10 and the gel support layer 20′ are altogether wrapped into a cushion support.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the material of the covering sheet 30 is selected from manmade fabric cloth, naturally occurring fabric cloth, manmade leather, and naturally occurring leather, or a combination thereof. Depending on the purpose and type of the cushion support, an appropriate material may be selected accordingly, for example, for a cushion support in use as a seating pad, leather may be selected for better tactile experience and product quality, for a cushion support in use as a bed mattress, manmade fabric cloth or naturally occurring fabric cloth may be selected; in yet another embodiment, it is possible to select one or a combination of manmade fabric cloth, naturally occurring fabric cloth, manmade leather, or naturally occurring leather, an example illustrating this idea is selection of manmade fabric cloth or naturally occurring fabric cloth having good porosity for use as internal layer material, then selection of manmade fabric cloth or naturally occurring fabric cloth having poor porosity for use as external layer material.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the multiple gel supports 24 has identical size and height, these gel supports 24 are evenly distributed on the top surface 231 of the base layer 23; for the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the multiple gel supports 24 featuring identical size and height are evenly distributed on the top surface 231 of the base layer 23 by way of a matrix array. Another manner of arrangement involves evenly distributing gel supports 24 having identical size and height by way of an interlocking pattern on the top surface 231 of the base layer 23.
FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of the present invention, wherein various gel supports 24 a and gel supports 24 b of different height and size are arranged into a receiving surface F sloping downwardly from the outer periphery of the cushion support toward the center of the cushion support, the outer periphery of this type of receiving surface F is higher than the center, and can be used to offer better buttocks wrapping functionality when it is used as a seat cushion.
Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to particular preferred and alternative embodiments, persons possessing ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, therefore the scope of protection defined by the patent of the present invention shall be governed by the Claims that follow in the current specification.

Claims

1. A cushion structure, comprising:

a foam cushion 10, having a bottom surface 11 (see FIG. 3) and a supporting surface 12 located on an opposite side of the bottom surface 11;

a plurality of gel supports 20 a, distributed on the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, the gel support 20 a is a conical component, a top surface 21 and a bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a each runs parallel to each other, wherein the area of the bottom surface 22 is larger than the area of the top surface 21, the bottom surface 22 of the gel support 20 a is fixed onto the supporting surface 12 of the foam cushion 10, and there is a spacing kept between any two adjacent gel supports 20 a; and

a covering sheet 30 for wrapping together the foam cushion 10 and the gel support 20 a.

2. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of gel supports have identical size and height.

3. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein many of the gel support has identical size and height, these gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion.

4. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion in a matrix arrangement.

5. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of gel supports are evenly distributed onto the supporting surface of the foam cushion in an intertwining arrangement.

6. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of gel supports of different heights are arranged on the supporting surface of the gel support to provide a receiving surface whose gel supports gradually decrease in height from a rim of the cushion to a center of the cushion.

7. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein the covering sheet is made from a material selected from a group consisting of a man-made fabric cloth, natural fabric, man-made leather, and natural leather, or any combination thereof.

8. The cushion structure according to claim 1, wherein the covering sheet has a plurality of pores.

9. The cushion structure according to claim 1, further comprising a first support , the first support body is disposed underneath the bottom surface of the foam cushion, the first support body has at least a hollow space, the hollow space is located on a major location of the cushion for supporting weight.

10. The cushion structure according to claim 9, further comprising a spacer underneath the first support body.

11. A cushion structure for use in supporting and distributing a weight mass, comprising:

a gel support layer, the gel support layer comprises a base layer and multiple gel supports, the multiple gel supports are distributed on a top surface of the base layer, wherein the gel support is a conical working piece having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion, and a top surface of the gel support and the top surface of the base layer are in parallel to each other and any two neighboring gel supports are separated by a predetermined spacing.

12. The cushion structure according to claim 11, wherein the multiple gel supports have identical size and height.

13. The cushion structure according to claim 11, wherein for the multiple gel supports having two or more size and height, height of a gel support of a size is relatively smaller than height of a gel support of a different size.

14. The cushion structure according to claim 11, wherein the multiple gel supports have different size and height, the multiple gel supports are arranged on a upper surface of the base layer into a receiving surface sloping downwardly from a outer periphery of the foam cushion toward a center of the foam cushion.

15. A cushion structure for use in supporting and distributing weight mass, comprising:

a foam cushion, having a bottom surface and a supporting surface to an opposite side of the bottom surface;

a gel support, stacked on the supporting surface of the foam cushion, wherein the gel support has a base layer and multiple gel supports, the gel supports are distributed on a upper surface of the base layer, the gel support is a working piece having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion, and a top surface of the gel support and top surface of the base layer are in parallel to each other and any two neighboring gel supports are separated by a predetermined spacing.