US3023429A - Mattress - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1962 Filed July 50, 1958 HENRIETTE BOROTRA BORN CHAUVAC MATTRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 6, 1962 HENRIETTE BOROTRA BORN CHAUVAC MATTRESS Filed July 30, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Uited States Patent 3,023,429 MATTRESS born Chauvac, Paris, Tous Soins, Paris,

Henriette Borotra, to Societe le Lit of France Filed July 30, 1958, Ser. No. 752,075 Claims priority, application France Aug. 5, 1957 5 Claims. (Cl. 5-90) France, assignor France, a company the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to solve the above problem by providing a bed with a means capable of directing eliminations from human bodies to a suitable receptacle while at the same time making it very easy to keep the bed clean and to guarantee the comfort of the occupant of the bed.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a structure of the above type which is capable of preventing drafts from reaching the occupant of the bed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the above type where components of the assembly can be easily mounted in position without the use of special fasteners.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide the structure of the invention in all types of mattresses.

With the above objects in view the present invention includes in a hospital bed or the like a mattress formed between its ends and between its sides with an opening passing through the mattress from the top to the bottom face thereof. A tubular layer of compressible resilient material is fixed to the mattress in the opening thereof and extends between the top and bottom faces of the mattress. A flexible liquid-impervious cover sheet covers the mattress at the top face thereof at least in the region of the opening thereof, and this cover sheet also covers the inner surface of the tubular layer of compressible material. Within the opening of the mattress is located a funnel member having an upper open end which is larger than a bottom open end of the funnel member, and adjacent its upper open end the funnel member has an outwardly directed annular flange of substantially rigid material engaging along its entire length the cover sheet in the opening of the mattress and pressing the cover sheet into the tubular layer of compressible material so as to provide a connection of the funnel member to the mattress which requires no fastening devices of any kind and so as to provide a fluid-tight engagement all around the periphery of the flange of the funnel member. The frame which supports the mattress includes an annular frame member engaging the underside of the mattress and surrounding the opening theerof, and a suitable means releasably fixes to this frame member a catch basin or the like which is located beneath the funnel member. The rim of the catch basin is fluid-tightly fixed to the frame member, and the frame member engages the mattress in a fluid-tight manner, so that with the catch basin attached to the frame member it is not possible for drafts to flow through the opening of the mattress.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of one possible construction according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of one side of a mattress according to the present invention showing the opening of the mattress and the structure of the mattress at the region of this opening;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing in addition to the structure of FIG. 2 the funnel member, the frame member, and the catch basin fixed to the frame member;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the structure of the invention used with a mattress of a different type from that shown in FIGS. 1-3; and

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the invention used with still another type of mattress.

Referring now to the drawings, the particular mattress which is shown in FIG. 1 includes three sections 1, 2, and 3, with the intermediate section 1 located between the end section 2 and 3, although it is also possible to practice the invention with a one-piece mattress. Between its ends and between its sides the mattress 1-3 is formed with an opening 4 passing through the mattress from the top to the bottom face thereof. In the particular example shown in FIGS. 1-3 the entire mattress is made of a fairly solid matting. A tubular layer of resilient compressible material 5, such as foam rubber, for example, is fixed to the mattress in the opening 4 thereof, as by being glued to the exterior surface of the mattress, and in the illustrated example the layer 5 extends over the top face of at least the intermediate section 1 of the mattress.

A flexible cover sheet 6 of a liquid-impervious material, such as a suitable plastic, for example, covers the top face of the mattress at least in the region of the opening 4 thereof and also covers the tubular layer 5 in the opening 4. Thus, the cover 6 in the illustrated example includes a central tubular portion 7 which is stitched at its top end along a line of stitches 20 shown in FIG. 1 to the uuper portion 6 of the cover member, and the bottom end of the tubular member 7 of the cover member 6 is stitched to the bottom part of the cover member with a similar line of stitches located at the bottom end of the opening 4. At the exterior part of the intermediate section 1 of the mattress the free edges of the cover 6 are fastened together in any suitable way as by the releasable snaps 8 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Of course, where the mattress is made in one piece the snaps 8 would be located along the entire outer periphery of the mattress between the top and bottom faces thereof.

Within the opening 4 of the mattress is located a funnel member 9 having an upper end which is larger than its bottom end. This funnel member 9 may be made of any substantially rigid plastic material so that it can be easily cleaned. Adjacent its top end the funnel member 9 is provided with an outwardly directed annular flange 10, and the outer periphery of this flange 10 has the same general configuration as the inner surface of the tubular layer 5 in the opening 4 in a plane located between and substantially parallel to the top and bottom faces of the mattress, except that this outer periphery of the flange 10 is somewhat larger than the area defined by the inner surface of the tubular layer 5 in this plane between the top and bottom faces of the mattress. Thus, when the funnel member 9 is introduced into the opening 4, the flange 10 will necessarily press into the tubular layer 5 of foam rubber or the like, pressing the tubular portion 7 of the cover 6 into the foam rubber 5, and the material of the mattress 1 is rigid enough to resist the expansion of the tubular layer 5 so that the funnel member 9 is not only frictionally held at a desired elevation without any particular fastener devices provided for this purpose, but in addition there is a fluid-tight engagement between the outer periphery of the flange and the surface of the tubular part 7 of the cover 6 so that on the one hand drafts cannot flow through any spaces between flange 10 and cover 7 and on the other hand it is impossible for foreign matter to become located between the flange 10 and the cover 7, so that the illustrated assembly can be very efficiently cleaned. The bottom end of the funnel member 9 is located approximately at the elevation of the bottom face of the mattress, and the funnel member 9 has a height which is approximately two-thirds the thickness of the mattress.

FIG. 2 shows in detail the structure of the mattress 1, the layer 5, and the flexible cover 6, 7, whileFIG. 3 indicates the position of the funnel member 9 within the opening 4 of the mattress. In addition FIG. 3 shows a frame member 12 which forms part of the frame of the bed which supports the mattress. This frame member 12 is annular and surrounds the opening 4 at the bottom end thereof. The top surface of the frame member 12 presses against the bottom face of the mattress so that there is a fluid-tight connection between the mattress and the frame member 12 at this point.

A catch basin 11 is joined releasably to the underside of the frame member 12 in any suitable way. For example, any suitable additional frame may be turnably connected with the frame member 12 and may releasably hold the catch basin 11 so as to maintain the rim thereof against the bottom surface of the frame member 12 in a fluid-tight manner, so that on the one hand no drafts can flow through any spaces between the basin 11 and the frame 12 and on the other hand no unpleasant odors can escape. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, one of a plurality of resilient clips 21 which are fixed to the frame member 12 is illustrated, and a pair of these clips may be located 180 apart from each other with a third clip located between these pair of clips, so that with such an arrangement of clips the rim of the catch basin 11 can be very easily slipped between the clips and the bottom surface of the frame member 12 to releasably hold the basin 11 in position while at the same time providing the fluid-tight engagement between the upper rim of the basin 11 with the annular frame member 12. With such an arrangement it is very easy to remove the basin and to replace it, and furthermore it is very easy to clean both the cover 6, 7 and the funnel member 9, 10.

Where the bed includes a spring mattress such as the spring mattress 13 shown in FIG. 4, a somewhat different construction may be used, as indicated in FIG. 4. Thus, the spring mattress is enclosed within a suitable cover 14, and is provided with an opening 4 identical with the opening 4 of the embodiment of FIGS. l-3. The opening 4' has a tubular layer 5 of a compressible resilient material such as foam rubber located therein and fixed to the cover 14 in any suitable way as being glued thereto, and this layer 5 extends over the top of the mattress, in the same way as described above in connection with FIGS. 1-3. Also, this layer 5 is covered with a sheet 6, 7 of the same construction as that described above. However, since there are free spaces in the mattress 13, the material of the mattress itself will not provide suflicient resistance to the expansion of the tubular portion of the layer 5, and therefore there is fastened to the portion of the cover 14 which defines the opening 4 a ring 15 which is made of any substantially nonstretchable or substantially rigid material, and FIG. 4 shows straps 18 fixed to the inner surface of the cover 14 at the portion thereof which defines the opening 4' and holding the ringlS in position. This ring 15 may be a metal ring, or it may be made of any suitable substantially rigid plastic or the like, for example. It is apparent that this ring 15 will limit the annular expansion of the tubular layer 5 within the opening 4, so that when the funnel member 9 is introduced into the opening 4' in the manner shown in FIG. 4, only the portion of the layer 5 adjacent to the tubular part 7 of the cover 6 will yield so as to provide the frictional and fiuid-tight mounting of the periphery of the flange of the funnel member 9.

Instead of providing a ring 15 of substantially rigid material, it is possible to wrap around the tubular portion of layer 5 within the opening 4 a substantially nonstretchable but flexible tape or the like, such as an adhesive tape or a cellophane tape so as to limit the expansion of the tubular layer 5 with such a construction, and in this case the ring 15 would be replaced with such a substantially non-stretchable tape.

Where the mattress is made entirely of foam rubber, then it may have the construction shown in FIG. 5 where such a foam rubber mattress 22 is illustrated. As may be seen from FIG. 5 there is joined to the foam rubber of the mattress 22 at the opening 4" thereof, which is identical to the opening 4 of FIGS. 1-3, a ring 17 of rubber which is substantially but not entirely rigid. FIG. 5 shows the tubular layer 5 of foam rubber or the like located within the opening 4- and fixed to the foam rubber of the mattress 22 as well as to the inner surface of the ring 17 as by being glued thereto, for example, and FIG. 5 furthermore shows the flexible liquid-impervious cover 6 covering the mattress 22 as well as the layer 5. With this construction when the funnel member 9 is introduced into the opening 4", the periphery of the funnel member 9 at the upper flange thereof will press the tubular portion of the cover 6 into the compressible tubular layer 5 in the manner shown in FIG. 5 so as to provide the frictional fluid-tight mounting of the funnel member 9, and it will be noted that while the inner surface of the ring 17 yields to a slight degree, the outer surface of the ring 17 does not yield at all because of the fact that the material of the ring 17 is of substantially greater rigidity than the material of the layer 5, and thus with this construction there is also provided suflicient resistance to the expansion of the layer 5 so as to guarantee the desired frictional mounting of the funnel member 9.

The above described mattress openings can be circular or oval, and the upper end of the funnel 9 has a corresponding configuration. The flange end of the funnel 9 need not be absolutely rigid and can have some degree of yieldability, the only requirement being that it be rigid enough to press into the tubular layer of foam rubber or the like in the manner described above. By making the funnel member 9, 10 of a relatively rigid plastic or the like, it is possible to efiiciently clean the funnel member with a brush.

Instead of providing snaps 8, the free edges of the cover 6 can be laced together, for example, or any other suitable means for connecting together the free edges of the cover 6 may be used.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of mattresse differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in mattress assemblies for hospital beds, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. For use in a hospital bed or the like, in combination, a mattress formed between its sides and between its ends with an opening passing through the mattress from its top to its bottom face; a tubular layer of resilient compressible material fixed to said mattress in said opening thereof and extending between said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said layer when it is unstressed having an inner surface which defines an area of a given size and configuration in a plane located between and being substantially parallel to said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said opening having from said annular portion to the bottom end of said opening a lower portion having a free and unobstructed cross sectional area being at least as large as said area of given size and configuration of said inner surface of said tubular layer within said annular portion of said opening; and a funnel member having upper and lower open ends, said upper end of said funnel member being larger than said lower end thereof and said funnel member having at said upper end thereof an outwardly directed annular flange having an outer periphery of the same general configuration as said area, but larger than said area, said flange being substantially rigid and being located in said opening of said mattress between said top and bottom faces thereof with the outer periphery of said flange pressing into said layer and compressing the same so that said tubular layer and flange cooperate for frictionally holding said funnel member at a predetermined elevation solely by the frictional mounting of said funnel member in said opening of said mattress and said funnel may be removed from said opening of said mattress by moving it downwardly with the flange thereof first sliding along said inner surface of said tubular layer and then through said lower portion of said opening to be finally withdrawn through the bottom end thereof.

2. For use in a hospital bed or the like, in combination, a mattress formed between its sides and between its ends with an opening passing through the mattress from its top to its bottom face; a tubular layer of resilient compressible material fixed to said mattress in said opening thereof and extending between said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said layer when it is unstressed having an inner surface which defines an area of a given size and configuration in a plane located between and being substantially parallel to said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said opening having from said annular portion to the bottom end of said opening a lower portion having a free and unobstructed cross sectional area eing at least as large as said area of given size and configuration of said inner surface of said tubular layer within said annular portion of said opening; a funnel member having upper and lower open ends, said upper end of said funnel member being larger than said lower end thereof and said funnel member having at said upper end thereof an outwardly directed annular flange having an outer periphery of the same general configuration as said area but larger than said area, said flange being substantially rigid and being located in said opening of said mattress between said top and bottom faces thereof with the outer periphery of said flange pressing into said layer and compressing the same so that said tubular layer and flange cooperate for frictionally holding said funnel member at a predetermined elevation solely by the frictional mounting of said funnel member in said opening of said mattress; and a cover sheet of flexible liquid-impervious material covering the top face of said mattress at least in the region of said opening and also covering the inner surface of said tubular layer, said cover sheet being located between and in engagement with said tubular layer and the periphery of said flange and said funnel may be removed from said opening of said mattress by moving it downwardly with the flange thereof first sliding along said inner surface of said cover sheet and then through said lower portion of said opening to be finally withdrawn through the bottom end thereof.

3. For use in a hospital bed or the like, in combina tion, a mattress formed between its sides and between its ends with an opening passing through the mattress from its top to its bottom face; a tubular layer of resilient compressible material fixed to said mattress in said opening thereof and extending between said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said layer when it is unstressed having an inner surface which defines an area of a given size and configuration in a plane located between and being substantially parallel to said top and bottom faces of said mattress, said opening having from said annular portion to the bottom end of said opening a lower portion having a free and unobstructed cross sectional area being at least as large as said area of given size and configuration of said inner surface of said tubular layer within said annular portion of said opening; and a funnel member having upper and lower open ends, said upper end of said funnel member being larger than said lower end thereof and said funnel member having at said upper end thereof and outwardly directed annular flange having an outer periphery of the same general configuration as said area but larger than said area, said flange being substantially rigid and being loacted in said opening of said mattress between said top and bottom faces thereof with the outer periphery of said flange pressing into said layer and compressing the same so that said tubular layer and flange cooperate for frictionally holding said funnel member at a predetermined elevation, the lower end of said funnel member being located at approximately the same elevation as the bottom face of said mattress solely by the frictional mounting of said funnel member in said opening of said mattress and said funnel may be removed from said opening of said mattress by moving it downwardly with the flange thereof first sliding along said inner surface of said tubular layer and then through said lower portion of said opening to be finally withdrawn through the bottom end thereof.

4. For use in a hospital bed or the like, in combination, a mattress formed between its sides and between its ends with an opening passing through the mattress from its top to its bottom face; a tubular layer of resilient compressible material fixed to said mattress in said opening thereof and extending between said top and bottom faces thereof; a flexible liquid-impervious cover sheet covering the top face of said mattress at least in the region of said opening thereof and also covering the inner surface of said layer, said cover sheet also covering the bottom face of said mattress at least in the region of said opening thereof; a funnel member having upper and lower open ends, said upper end being larger than said lower end of said funnel member and said funnel member having adjacent said upper end thereof an outwardly directed annular substantially rigid flange whose outer periphery engages said cover sheet in said opening along the entire length of said periphery and presses said cover sheet into said tubular layer for frictionally fixing said funnel member to said mattress at a pre-determined elevation in said opening and for providing a fluid-tight connection between said funnel member and mattress solely by the frictional mounting of said funnel member in said opening of said mattress; and an annular frame member forming part of a frame which supports the mattress, said annular frame member fluid-tightly engaging said cover sheet at the bottom face of said mattress and said annular frame member surrounding said opening of said mattress.

5. For use in a hospital bed or the like, in combination, a mattress formed between its sides and between its ends with an opening passing through the mattress from its top to its bottom face; a tubular layer of resilient compressible material fixed to said mattress in said opening thereof and extending between said top and bottom faces thereof; a flexible liquid-impervious cover sheet covering the top face of said mattress at least in the region of said opening thereof and also covering the inner surface of said layer, said cover sheet also covering the bottom face of said mattress at least in the region of said opening thereof; a funnel member having upper and lower open ends, said upper end being larger than said lower end of said funnel member and said funnel member having adjacent said upper end thereof an outwardly directed annular substantially rigid flange whose outer periphery engages said cover sheet in said opening along the entire length of said periphery and presses said cover sheet into said tubular layer for frictionaliy fixing said funnel member to said mattress at a pre-determined elevation in said opening and for providing a fluid-tight connection between said funnel member and mattress solely by the frictional mounting of said funnel member in said opening of said mattress; an annular frame member forming part of a frame which supports the mattress, said annular frame member fluid-tightly engaging said cover sheet at the bottom face of said mattress and said annular frame member surrounding said opening of said mattress; and means connected with said annular frame member for releasably fixing thereto a catch basin located beneath and communicating with said funnel, said means for releasably fixing said catch basin to said frame member also providing a fluid-tight engagement between an upper rim of said catch basin and said frame member, so that when the catch basin is attached to said frame member the opening of the mattress is completely closed at the bottom end of said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 229,910 Prince July 13, 1880 944,204 McKay Dec. 21, 1909 1,107,683 Malarkey Aug. 18, 1914 1,307,668 Henderson June 24, 1919 1,973,160 Wagner Sept. 11, 1934 2,533,774 Delisi et al. Dec. 12, 1950 2,615,175 Corakas Oct. 28, 1952

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