Quilt filled with different materials

The invention relates to the production of quilts for beds and similar goods. The quilt comprises a central zone (18) designed to cover the top of the bed and a peripheral zone (20). The central zone is filled with at least two layers of different filling materials. The peripheral zone is filled with with at least one layer of one filling material.

The present invention relates to quilts or similar goods designed to cover 
the top of a bed and to drop down the sides and foot of said bed in order 
to ensure the comfort of the sleeper. 
As conventionally known, quilts are produced from a bag receiving a filling 
material. Mainly, said material is constituted by acrylic or polyester 
fibers, wool or down. The assembly is then put together and stitched, and 
placed in a quilt cover. 
In the most conventionally known quilts, the filling material is the same, 
whether it is used in pure or mixed form, throughout the whole quilt. 
Therefore a quilt, measuring for example 2.20 m.times.2.40 m, requires a 
relatively large quantity of filling material, which can make the quilt 
very expensive if such material is itself expensive, such as down for 
example. 
To overcome this drawback, it has already been proposed to produce the part 
of the quilt corresponding to the top of the bed with a first material and 
the peripheral parts with a second filling material. Such a step makes it 
possible to restrict the quantity of expensive filling material to the 
part of the quilt which is effectively useful and to fill the peripheral 
parts with less expensive filling materials. 
An object of the present invention is to provide a quilt which is further 
improved over the abovementioned prior art quilts. 
According to the invention, the quilt which comprises a central part 
intended to cover the top of the bed and a peripheral part intended to 
drop down the sides and the foot of the bed, is characterized in that the 
central part is filled with at least a first layer of a first padding 
material and a second layer of padding material, different from the first, 
and in that said peripheral part is filled with at least one layer of 
padding material. 
It is obviously possible, with this method, to obtain all the possible 
combinations of the different materials, as a function of their specific 
quality, their cost and the comfort that they provide. Indeed, the 
sleeper's comfort can be analyzed according to three parameters: 
the thermal comfort: the quilt must isolate sufficiently the sleeper's body 
from the outside atmosphere so that the temperature of the micro-climate 
created under the quilt reaches a sufficient level; 
the physiological comfort: if the quilt meets the first requirement, it 
must not however stifle the micro-climate. Indeed, the steam which is 
continuously released by the body increases the moisture which is present 
under the quilt. It is therefore important for said quilt to be able to 
absorb the excess moisture while retaining the warmth; the created heat 
must be healthy to obtain a total thermi-physiological comfort; 
finally, a textile comfort: this comfort consists in the lightweight, the 
softness, the pleasant feel, the snugness which result from the choice of 
the materials used for making the quilt. 
Another problem which the present invention has been able to solve is that 
of choosing the fabric constituting the quilt cover. Indeed, with certain 
filling materials, notably, it is necessary to use fabrics which have 
special properties and therefore which are relatively expensive. It is 
obvious that if two layers of materials are used in the central part of 
the quilt, and if one of these layers does not present such drawbacks, it 
will be possible to use, at least partly, a less expensive fabric. 
Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more 
readily understood on reading the following description of several 
embodiments of the invention given by way of example and 
non-restrictively. The description is given with reference to the 
accompanying drawings in which: 
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a quilt according to the invention; and 
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1.

As already explained briefly, the principle of the invention consists in 
providing in the central part of the quilt corresponding to the top of the 
bed, a double filling layer of two different materials, and in the 
peripheral part of the quilt, a single filling layer of one of the two 
materials used in the central part. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the quilt is constituted by two pieces of 
fabric 10 and 12 which constitute a bag inside which is placed the filling 
material. Once the filling material is in position, the two pieces of 
fabric 10 and 12 are stitched together so as to ensure a good distribution 
of the filling material when the quilt is used. The stitching lines made 
after the positioning of the filling material, as well as a stitching zone 
16 separating the central zone of the quilt 18 from its peripheral zone 
20, are symbolized in broken lines 14. The central zone 18 of the quilt is 
designed to cover the top of the bed whereas the peripheral zone 20 is 
designed to drop down the sides and the foot of the bed. 
In FIG. 2, the upper filling layer in the central zone 18 is referenced 21, 
the lower filling layer in that same central zone is referenced 22 and the 
filling layer in the peripheral zone is referenced 20. 
In a first embodiment, the lower filling layer 22 and the peripheral 
filling layer 24 are in wool. The upper filling layer of the central zone 
is in camel hair, cashmere, silk, cashegora, Merino wool, alpaca, llama, 
yak, synthetic fibers and cotton. A high adiathermal (thermal insulating) 
power is thus obtained, in the central part of the quilt, namely in that 
part which rests over the sleeper's body, which adiathermal (thermal 
insulating) power is increased by the addition of fine fibers while the 
lightness of the peripheral zone is preserved, the whole assembly 
remaining lightweight. 
In a second embodiment, the lower layer 22 of the central zone is produced 
in cotton while the upper layer 21 of the central zone and the peripheral 
layer 24 are in wool. With the obtained quilt, the physiological comfort 
in summer, and in a humid climate, is increased due to the presence, in 
the central zone, of cotton, which is very hydrophilous and faces directly 
towards the sleeper's body. 
In a third embodiment, the lower filling layer 22 of the central zone and 
the peripheral filling layer 24 are in wool. The upper layer 21 of the 
central zone is in down or half in down, or three-quarters in down and in 
small feathers. This particular disposition offers an added advantage. 
Indeed, the down requires the use as fabric forming the bag of the quilt, 
of down-proof percale to prevent the down from slipping through the cover. 
The wool, on the contrary, can easily be contained in a percale that is 
less tight or simply in a knitted material. It is therefore clear that, 
according to the embodiment just described, the lower piece of fabric 12 
can be in porous percale or in knitted material, as only the top piece of 
fabric 10 needs to be in special down-proof percale. 
With this disposition, a saving is made on the fabric used for producing 
the lower part of the bag 12 of the quilt, and for the same adiathermal 
power, a saving is made on the down, not only on the periphery of the 
quilt, but also in the central zone 18. Moreover, the physiological 
comfort is improved thanks to the use as the piece of fabric 12 facing 
towards the sleeper's body, of a more breathable material. 
Other suitable materials are synthetic fibers, such as polyester or 
polyacrylics, or feathers. 
Obviously, every filling layer 21, 22, 24 could be constituted by a mixture 
of filling materials. In other words, by filling material is meant, not 
only single materials but also mixtures of materials, each mixture being 
homogeneous. 
In the foregoing description, the material filling the peripheral part is 
identical to that used'for constituting one of the filling layers 21 or 22 
of the central part. But, it would not be outside the scope of the 
invention to fill the peripheral part with a third material. For example, 
an inexpensive synthetic fiber could be used for the layer 24. Similarly, 
the central part 18 could comprise three superposed filling layers or an 
even greater number of layers. For example, the two outermost layers would 
be relatively thin and in wool while the intermediate layer would be in 
down. This kind of solution makes it possible to use an ordinary percale 
or similar fabric for the pieces 10 and 12 while authorizing the presence 
of a layer of down.