Abstract:
Device for insertion in bedsteads for use as lying surface with mattress on top. Prior art according to, e.g., German product testing institute Stiftung Warentest almost don&#39;t accomplish lying profile adaptation to human body as function of changing between supine or lateral position. This invention achieves said adaptation perfectly; furthermore its individual customisability is superior to prior art. Particularly people with deseases of spinal column, shoulder and hip joints will largely benefit. Device, lying surface for one person, has preloaded lever system and two independently from each other movable longitudinal halves, which in turn consist of always five elements. Four out of these five can significantly change their height resp. their tilt. By body turn into lateral position resp. onto mainly one longitudinal half, a body weight dependently adjustable limit load gets exceeded on this half so that it converts from upper into lower end position profile.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    I claim priority for this invention from a previous German patent application with the application number 10 2012 005 989.2 and the filing date Mar. 23, 2012. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Known as prior art on the market are sprung slatted bases, sprung slatted bases with resilient plates above, waterbeds, airbeds, and sprung edge divan bases resp. box spring bases. According to the German product testing institute Stiftung Warentest all of them don&#39;t make much for a favorable lying surface profile; in a mattress test report in their monthly magazine “Test” 2010/February they wrote, that an inelastic rollable duckboard mechanically performed nearly as well as expensive sprung slatted bases with resilient plates above. Using a mattress with a height of 20 cm, an effect of the device underneath could hardly be found. A waterbed test report in “Test” 2005/September concluded, that movements were impeded by a very deep sinking of the body, and that only heavy parts of the body sank deep, not those, which should do so. Special edition 97/May: The spine was formed in a wrong way by waterbeds. Other disadvantages of waterbeds are a very high weight, an excess width because persons must change their position by rolling, the need of heating the bed, missing aerial circulation, possible leakages, limited adjustability to a changing body weight since their stabilization isn&#39;t changeable, and usage of Cadmium, other heavy metals or organic plasticisers in the vinyl of water mattresses. 
         [0005]    The devices known as prior art almost don&#39;t bring about lying profile adaptation as a function of a person changing between supine, lateral or prone position. These adaptations are just achieved insufficiently and almost merely by the mattress. Expensive viscoelastic foam mattresses, according to a report on viscoelastic mattresses in “Test” 2008/September didn&#39;t solve the problem. If the devices known as prior art formed a stress-relieved S-shaped spine in supine position, they would effect a hollow back and a back-bent head in prone position, and in lateral position a waist sinking too deep, a strongly pressure-loaded shoulder not sinking deep enough, and often an arm fallen asleep. In lateral position, the leg placed at the top disturbs the blood circulation of the leg placed below, and the bent knee of the leg placed above lies on a too low level in front of the leg placed below. This makes either the pelvis turn, resulting in a twisted spine, or the upper hip joint gets stressed unfavorably by inward rotation of the leg placed above, i.e., by the leg&#39;s rotation downward to the other side of the body. 
         [0006]    An ideal level of the head in supine position would cause the head being placed too high in lateral position with the same pillow if at the same time the shoulder—impossible as to prior art devices—sank deep enough. But if the shoulder sank deep enough in lateral position, in supine position the shoulder girdle would sink too deep causing a hollow back and a too high head position. In lateral position the elbow and forearm of the lower placed arm are too lightweight to sink, while the shoulder of this arm sinks. Therefore either the depicted torsion of the spine gets amplified, or the joint of the lower placed shoulder is unfavorably stressed in a pulled-forward position. 
         [0007]    Joints and spinal disks are insufficiently relieved by devices known as prior art and currently on the market. This way nightly regeneration is hindered and thus arthrosis and wear of the spinal discs are facilitated. These devices favor muscle tenseness since, by night, muscles have to work against malpositions. 
         [0008]    An invention not found on the market with the IPC-Code A47C 31/12 follows, like the present invention, the basic idea that the prior art characteristic passive separate reaction of each lying surface area to a respective separate body part, is not sufficient. But A47C 31/12 comprises, in contrast to the current invention, pressure sensors, electric motors, and a controller. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The Prevention of the above-mentioned nightly malpositions of the human body is the key task of the “device for the insertion in bedsteads, bedding boxes or bed frames for use as a lying surface with a mattress on top of it for primarily a single person” with the elements and limitations of the independent claim  1  and further advantageous embodyments specified via dependant claims. The invention furthermore has to improve the lying comfort and shall be fully individually adaptable. 
         [0010]    To achieve these aims, the invention provides prior art excelling, personally adaptable profile reshaping of the lying surface as a function of changes between supine position and lateral position. Supine- and lateral-position profile are individually adjustable partly independently from each other. 
         [0011]    Reflections in advance on the invention: A person in supine position typically lies almost in the middle of his or her lying surface because otherwise in sleep he or she would fall out of the bed by turning into lateral position towards the closer longitudinal edge (longitudinal edge always means longitudinal edge of the lying surface). However, a human in lateral position almost lies on merely one longitudinal half (longitudinal half always means longitudinal half of the lying surface resp. of the device), with the spine relatively close to the longitudinal center line (longitudinal center line always means longitudinal center line of the lying surface), given a lying surface not narrower than 90 to 100 cm, because in that case after turning into lateral position the person has enough arm- and knee space towards the longitudinal edge without having to stem him- or herself more than some centimeters back towards the middle of the lying surface. Exceeding a lying surface width of 110 cm most people haven&#39;t to make this effort at all and therefore after rolling back into supine position they are roughly lying in the middle again. 
         [0012]    Hence in supine position there are two imaginary longitudinal halves loaded by a person, however, in lateral position almost only one half. 
         [0013]    The invention takes advantage thereof as on one of two independently from each other movable and to each other axis-symmetric longitudinal halves a pre-adjustable body weight dependent limit load is exceeded by turning into lateral position onto that half. Thus the surface profile of that half changes because there are subareas, in the halves, which can change their levels, each in another and determined manner, and thereby sink down from an upper to a lower end position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  View from above, lower end position of left longitudinal half and upper end position of right longitudinal half;  FIG. 1  shows planes upon which sectional views U-U ( FIGS. 6 ,  7 ), V-Y ( FIGS. 10A ,  10 B), Z-Z ( FIGS. 11A ,  11 B) are taken. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  View from above, upper end position of both longitudinal halves, sectional view of left longitudinal half 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3A-3D  Detail of  FIG. 15A , four examples of individual lying surface profile pre-adjustment, effecting different heights of panels  5  and  4 , and different angles of inclination of panels  5  and  4   
           [0017]      FIG. 3A  Medium height; castor wheels  12  in left end position effecting most downward tilt of waist area of chest panel  5   
           [0018]      FIG. 3B  High position; castor wheels  12  in medium position 
           [0019]      FIG. 3C  Medium height; castor wheels  12  in right end position effecting most upward tilt of waist area of chest panel  5   
           [0020]      FIG. 3D  Low position; castor wheels  12  in medium position 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  Detail of  FIG. 2   
           [0022]      FIG. 5  View from above, upper end position of both longitudinal halves;  FIG. 5  shows planes upon which sectional views T-T ( FIGS. 16A ,  16 B), N-S ( FIG. 9 ), M-M ( FIG. 8 ), A-L ( FIGS. 15A ,  15 B) are taken. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 6 and 7  Main lever  30  actuated, corresponding to lower end position of one longitudinal half, caused by loading almost only this half with a person in lateral position 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  Position of slide  36  (see  FIG. 7 ) pre-adjusted to lightweight person 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  Position of slide  36  pre-adjusted to heavy person 
           [0026]      FIGS. 8 and 9  Main lever  30  not actuated, corresponding to upper end position of both longitudinal halves, caused by a person in supine position distributing her weight over both longitudinal halves 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  Position of slide  36  pre-adjusted to lightweight person 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  Position of slide  36  pre-adjusted to heavy person 
           [0029]      FIG. 10A  Side (sectional) view V-Y, head end-sided half 
           [0030]      FIG. 10B  Side (sectional) view V-Y, foot-sided half 
           [0031]      FIG. 11A  Side (sectional) view Z-Z, head end-sided half 
           [0032]      FIG. 11B  Side (sectional) view Z-Z, foot-sided half 
           [0033]      FIGS. 10A-11B  In the foreground one longitudinal half in lower end position, in the background the other longitudinal half in upper end position 
           [0034]      FIG. 12  Front Page View 
           [0035]      FIG. 13  View from above, upper end position of both longitudinal halves 
           [0036]      FIG. 14  Side view 
           [0037]      FIG. 15A  Side (sectional) view A-L, head end-sided half, upper end position 
           [0038]      FIG. 15B  Side (sectional) view A-L, foot-sided half, upper end position 
           [0039]      FIG. 16A  Side (sectional) view T-T, head end-sided half 
           [0040]      FIG. 16B  Side (sectional) view T-T, foot-sided half 
           [0041]      FIGS. 16A ,  16 B Both longitudinal halves in upper end position 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0042]      FIG. 1  shows the positions of the lying surface panels configuring the lying surface. 
         [0043]    Description of One Longitudinal Half: 
         [0044]    It consists of five panels with the reference signs  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 . The lying profile for supine position i.e., of the upper end position is nearly plane. The lying profile for lateral position, i.e., the lower end position, evolves from it as the head panel  2  sinks with its head end-sided end (“head end” always means the end of the device in the direction of the lying person&#39;s head), the pelvis panel  4  with its foot-sided end (“foot” always means the end of the device in the direction of the lying person&#39;s feet), the leg panel  3  with its foot-sided end, as the main panel  1  sinks without rotation and as at the same time the average level of the chest panel  5  remains roughly unchanged. 
         [0045]    All subareas of the lying surface are separated from each other by gaps for aeration and action. 
         [0046]    The main panel  1  is the lying surface for half the shoulder girdle and one leg in supine position and for the whole shoulder girdle, 1 to 2 arms and 4/3 to 2 legs in lateral position. It extends almost over the whole length of the lying surface, first less wide than half the longitudinal half from the head end to the hip region alongside of the longitudinal edge. Then in the lower hip region it changes to the longitudinal center line of the lying surface, alongside of which it extends nearly to the foot, about ⅗ as wide as the longitudinal half. In the shoulder region the main panel  1  has a broadening extending to the longitudinal center line. 
         [0047]    Between the head end and the broadening of the main panel  1  there is the head panel  2  alongside of the longitudinal center line. Between the broadening of the main panel  1  and the lower hip region of the main panel  1  there are alongside of the longitudinal center line the chest panel  5  for the middle and lower chest and the pelvis panel  4  foot-sided of it. In lateral position, a person loads the head panel  2 , chest panel  5  and pelvis panel  4  of the currently described one longitudinal half almost twice as much as in supine position—without importance to the chest panel  5 , because it nearly can&#39;t change its medium level. 
         [0048]    Alongside of the longitudinal edge in the leg region there is the leg panel  3  for the bent knee and the shank of the leg which is in lateral position the upper one and lying in front of the lower leg. During supine position usage the leg panel  3  is not loaded. The leg panel  3  has notches on the side of the longitudinal center line for better aeration and a better surface profile for the leg lying on it. 
         [0049]    The head panel  2 , The chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  have each a respective cut-out for aeration. The main panel  1  has cut-outs for aeration in the leg region. Due to the human anatomy the ends of the foot-sided edge of the head panel  2  and of the head end-sided edge of the chest panel  5 , which are closer to the longitudinal edge, are closer to the foot. 
         [0050]    In  FIG. 1  there are also the reference signs for the first time mentioned in the following paragraph. 
         [0051]    On each side of the lying surface there is one respective rigid longitudinal member  20 , about 2 cm broad in the topview (looking onto the lying surface). At the foot centered between the two leg panels  3  is the transversally mounted main lever  30 . Next to it head end-sided between the two main panels  1  is the compression spring  32  and head end-sided of the latter is a base plate, which is part of the foot cross member  21  and contains a joint socket for one of the ball heads of the compression spring  32 . The longitudinal member  20 , the main lever  30 , the compression spring  32  and the base plate are not covered by lying surface elements: 
         [0052]    The leg panel  3  and the main panel  1  can move into the lower end position beside the longitudinal member  20 , the main lever  30 , the compression spring  32  and the base plate without colliding with these elements. So the device is built very flat which is an important criterion for its application in bedsteads, bedding boxes or bed frames. 
         [0053]    Both longitudinal members  20  are rigidly fixed to one another by four cross members: 
         [0054]    Foot cross member  21 , hip cross member  22 , shoulder cross member  23  and breast cross member  8 , see also  FIG. 11A . Six levers are fixed at the cross members  21 ,  22  and  23 , always two levers at each of these cross members, each lever mounted by a hinge at the head end side of its cross member, every lever at the same height and of equal length, three levers in the right half and three levers in the left half of the device: Two foot levers  24  (see also  FIG. 11B ), two hip levers  25  and two shoulder levers  26 . They are pivotable about transversal axes (“crosswise, crossing the device” or “transversal” always means horizontally crossing a person lying in normal direction on the bed). 
         [0055]    Each element with the exception of the cross members and the main lever assembly group exists twice in one specimen of the invention because the device has a longitudinal vertical plane of symmetry—hereinafter only referred to as “plane of symmetry”. Therefore the following provides only a description of one longitudinal half. 
         [0056]    The reference signs for the first time mentioned are in the  FIGS. 4 ,  7  and  11 A unless other figures are mentioned explicitly. 
         [0057]    A spacer is fixed pivotably about a transversal axis at the head end side of each of the levers  24 ,  25  and  26 : A foot spacer  27  at the foot lever  24 , a hip spacer  28  at the hip lever  25  and a shoulder spacer  29  at the shoulder lever  26 . These spacers are rigidly fixed at the main panel  1 , which is always horizontally on top of them. The foot lever  24 , the hip lever  25  and the shoulder lever  26  have always one common rotary orientation. Their pivotal axes, by which they are connected with the cross members  21 ,  22  and  23 , and by which they are connected with the spacers  27 ,  28  and  29 , have all one common mean height, so that during the lifting and lowering of the main panel  1 , i.e., during the turning of the levers  24 ,  25  and  26  between the end positions, there is almost no movement of the main panel  1  in the longitudinal direction of the device. Bigger horizontal movements of the main panel  1  would either cause friction forces between a lowering or lifting longitudinal half and the mattress or additional deformation resistance forces inside the mattress. Thus more force would be necessary so as to reach the upper or the lower end position of the longitudinal half—a critical factor for the proper functional reliability of the device. The upper end positions of the foot lever  24 , the hip lever  25  and the shoulder lever  26  are determined by the upper stops  39 , rigidly mounted at these levers (see also  FIG. 15B ), and by the upper stops, cams  14 , see  FIG. 10A . When the upper end position is reached, these upper stops push against the foot cross member  21 , the hip cross member  22  and the shoulder cross member  23 . 
         [0058]    A special embodiment of the main panel  1  provides the pre-adjustability of the lift height of the main panel  1 . In this case there are three vertical through-hole threads in the main panel  1 , always one thread over the foot cross member  21 , the hip cross member  22  and the shoulder cross member  23 . Grub screws in the through-hole threads lessen the lift height, if they are screwed in so deep, that they protrude out of the bottom side of the main panel  1 . Then in the lower end position it&#39;s not anymore the main panel  1 , that lies on the cross members  21 ,  22  and  23 , but the grub screws. 
         [0059]    Under the main panel  1 , there is always horizontal and parallel to the devices longitudinal axis an inelastic tensile element  40 , advantageously a threaded rod (see also  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 10A ). The tensile element  40  is connected by a rotary axis  41  with the foot lever  24 , by a rotary axis  42  (see  FIG. 10A ) with the hip lever  25  and by a rotary axis  43  (see  FIG. 10A ) with the shoulder lever  26 . The rotary axis  41  is nearer to the head end than the rotary axis, which connects the foot cross member  21  to the foot lever  24 . The same—and also the same lever length—applies for the relationship of the rotary axis  42  and the rotary axis between 22 and 25 resp. of  43  and the rotary axis between 23 and 26. 
         [0060]    The more the main panel  1  is lifted into the direction of the upper end position, the longer becomes the horizontal route section covered by the tensile element  40  versus the vertical route section. The tensile element  40  is triaxially pivotable connected to one end of the main lever  30 , favorably by a ball joint  37 . 
         [0061]    At the foot is the main lever  30 . It&#39;s exactly oriented crosswise and centric to the plane of symmetry, if both longitudinal halves are in the upper end position. It&#39;s mounted on top of the foot cross member  21 . At its foot-sided lower area the main lever  30  is connected to the foot cross member  21  by a ball joint  31  in the plane of symmetry. When one of the two longitudinal halves which are in the upper end position, is sinking into the lower end position, the main lever  30  is pivoting simultaneously about two axes that are crossing the middle of the ball joint  31 : About the transversal rotary axis h and the rotary axis k, wich is pivoting about the rotary axis h in the plane of symmetry. To the left and to the right of the plane of symmetry there is, rigidly fixed on top of the foot cross member  21  and as a support for the main lever  30 , one respective cylinder surface segment  38  of one and the same cylinder (see also  FIG. 11B ). The related cylinder axis is the transversal rotary axis h. The main lever  30  has at both of its ends one respective plane surface lying on always one of the cylinder surface segments  38 . When actuating the main lever  30 , these plane surfaces slide on the cylinder surface segments  38 . In this way additional degrees of freedom for the movements of the main lever  30  are suppressed. 
         [0062]    In the plane of symmetry a compression spring  32  with a ball head at each end, space-saving as a column of disc springs according to DIN 2093, pushes with its foot-sided ball head  18  against the main lever  30 , into the foot direction. The head end-sided ball head  19  of the compression spring  32  is seated in a joint socket in the foot cross member  21 . The application point of the ball head  18  on the main lever  30  is located on a lever K. K is identical to the aforementioned rotary axis k and therefore equally pivotable about the aforementioned transversal rotary axis h. The ball joint  31  is closer to the foot than the ball head  18  and always below the extended line of the compression spring force vector, which crosses the center of the ball head  18 . In contrast, an imaginary connecting-line between the two ball joints  37  is always above this force vector. Therefore the compression spring  32  is tensioned by the two tensile elements  40  and the ball joint  31 . 
         [0063]    The height of the application point of the ball head  18  on the lever K is pre-adjustable by changing the height of the ball joint socket  34  of the ball head  18  on the main lever  30 . 
         [0064]    Advantageous embodiment: A round rod  35  with a rotary handle  33  at its upper end is vertically and only rotatably mounted at the main lever  30 . Its rotary handle is seated on top of the main lever  30 . The threaded central section of the round rod  35  is outside the main lever  30  and screwed into the internal thread of the slide  36 . The aforementioned ball joint socket  34  is in the slide  36 . The slide  36  gets height-adjusted by turning the rotary handle  33 . Thus the length of the lever K gets changed and the body weight (and personal preferences) dependent limit load pre-adjusted. A low position of the slide  36 , corresponding to a lightweight person, requires less weight force for leaving the upper end position than a high position of the slide  36 . 
         [0065]    If, on one of the two main panels  1 , the body weight dependent, pre-adjusted limit load is exceeded by turning from supine into lateral position, then this main panel  1  is, supported by the other body weight loaded, height-variable lying surface elements of the same longitudinal half, sinking from the upper into the lower end position by actuating that end of the main lever  30 , which is on the same longitudinal half. Thereby the compression spring  32  is increasingly compressed and the concerned of the two ball joints  37  is performing an arc-shaped movement nearly identical to the movements of the rotary axes  41 ,  42 , and  43 . As a result there are almost no bending forces in the foot-sided section of the tensile elements  40  which thus can be space-saving threaded rods. 
         [0066]    The  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8 , and  9  show the main lever  30  actuated and not actuated with always two adjustments of the slide  36 : one for lightweight persons and one for heavy persons. 
         [0067]    The necessary pressing, by a person in lateral position, of a mattress into a lying surface profile underneath, which has the height differences appropriate for lateral position, leads, inside a mattress, to shear and flexural forces which set about 200 N against this moulding into an underlying profile, even if a high-quality cold-foam mattress is used. In order to make up for these forces, during the movement of a longitudinal half to the lower end position, the lever arm of the lever K is strongly shortening just like those lever arms of the foot lever  24 , the hip lever  25 , and the shoulder lever  26 , which are constituted by the tensile element  40 , whereas those lever arms of  24 ,  25 , and  26 , constituted by the main panel  1 , aren&#39;t shortening. This change of the transmission ratio has a much stronger effect than the counteracting spring rate of the compression spring  32 , and the resulting change of the transmission ratio on the way to the lower end position is referred to as degression in this specification. By means of the degression the increasing resistance of a mattress against the deformation of its underside on the way of one longitudinal half to the lower end position is compensated. Thereby is ensured that the lower end position resp. the lying surface profile for lateral position gets fully reached. In order to reach a high degression, the compression spring  32  has a low spring rate. When the body weight dependent limit load is getting pre-adjusted to a lower body weight, the degression thereby increases without any other adjusting element having to be manipulated. This increase of the degression is necessary because the absolute value of the degression depends among others on the product of the body weight and the degression factor, and because the absolute value of the degression has to offset the growth of a mattress&#39; deformation resistance while the lying surface profile for lateral position is developing. 
         [0068]    If a lightweight person uses the device, not only the degression factor but also the absolute value of the degression is the highest because lightweight persons have to get by with a low weight force difference (weight force difference: The difference between exceeding and deceeding the body weight dependent limit load on the height-variable lying surface elements of one longitudinal half, sufficient to move these elements from one stable end position to the other). By contrast, for a heavy person the absolute value of the degression is the lowest in order to avert hard collisions with the end positions. The degression fully offsets the deformation resistance of a mattress when the device is used by a lightweight person, but not when it is used by a heavy person. 
         [0069]    What follows is the further description of the mechanics of one longitudinal half. 
         [0070]    In  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  You will find the rest of the reference signs mentioned for the first time, unless other figures are quoted explicitly. 
         [0071]    The chest panel  5  can perform little tilting movements under the trunk of a lying person, stirred by its body movements and favorable for its spinal column, by tilting around a transversal axis  6 . In the figured embodiment the axis  6  is actually constituted by castor wheels  12  as the chest panel  5  and the axis  6  are shifting among each other in the longitudinal direction. The element named the axis  6  is a panel which supports the axis  6  resp. the castor wheels  12 . You can see the castor wheels  12  also in the  FIGS. 2 ,  10 A,  15 A, and  16 A. The chest panel  5  is connected to the pelvis panel  4  by a transversal hinge. A plate  7  is, pivotably about a transversal axis, connected to the foot-sided edge of the shoulder cross member  23  and protrudes to the hip cross member  22 . The plate which is referred to as the axis  6  is mounted adjustably in the longitudinal direction on top of the plate  7  by a parallel guide, by an elongated hole in the axis  6 , by a through-hole thread in the plate  7  with preferably a carriage bolt referred to as screw  10  turned in from the underside, and by a nut  13  with a washer  16  for securing the position of the axis  6 . The mean, i.e., the most likely angles of inclination of the chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  while a person is lying on the device, get individually pre-adjusted via shifting the axis  6  longitudinally. The height of the axis  6  is pre-adjustable by turning the screw  10 , the bottom end of which, protuding out of the underside of the plate  7 , is resting on top of the chest cross member  8 , see also  FIG. 11A . The foot-sided edge of the pelvis panel  4  is, pivotably around a transversal axis, connected to the main plate one. Thus the pelvis panel  4  and the chest panel  5  are secured on their positions within the lying surface. 
         [0072]    Above the foot-sided end of the plate  7  is an end position damper  9  with a special height adjustment: If the pre-adjusted height of the axis  6  changes, the mean angles of inclination of the chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  shall change too. Thereby the angle of inclination of the swivel range changes, within which the mean inclinations of the chest panel  5  shall be. Hence the end position damper  9 , limiting the downward pivoting of the foot-sided end of the chest panel  5 , must get repositioned on the respective target limit of the new swivel range when the height of the axis  6  gets pre-adjusted. Hence the height adjustment of the end position damper  9  shall be the 1.5-fold value of the height adjustment of the axis  6 . This is achieved because the axis  6  is placed on the plate  7  on two third of the way from the pivot axis of the plate  7  to the end position damper  9 . 
         [0073]    The following mean inclinations of the chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  are the preferable default settings for supine position, dependent on the individual pre-adjustment of the height of the axis  6 : When the chest panel  5 , the pelvis panel  4  and the main panel  1  are at the same level, the mean inclinations of the panels  5  and  4  shall be zero, i.e., the horizontal position. When the chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  are on a lower level than the main panel  1 , the panels  5  and  4  shall on an average be inclined in such a manner that their deepest points are in the waist area and the head end-sided edge of the chest panel  5  shall be a bit lower than the main panel  1 . When the chest panel  5  and the pelvis panel  4  are positioned higher than the main panel  1 , only the edges of the panels  5  and  4  constituting the waist area of a person shall protrude over the level of the main panel  1 . Examples for the pre-adjustment options regarding the heights and angles of inclination of the panels  5  and  4  are shown in the  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D. 
         [0074]    Used in lateral position, the head end-sided edge of the chest panel  5  is placed lower than in supine position if the user prefers, in lateral position, to have his waist strongly elevated rather than to have his shoulder lowered very deep, which is more likely as to women; but it might also be wanted that in lateral position the head end-sided edge of the chest panel  5  is placed higher than the foot-sided edge, or even higher than in supine position. This is the case if the user prefers, in lateral position, to have his shoulder relatively lowered very deep rather than to have his waist strongly elevated, which is more likely as to men. In this case another feature of the invention applies: A stop element  11  (see  FIG. 10A ), adjustable in the longitudinal direction and head end-sided of the castor wheels  12 , is fixed on the underside of the chest panel  5 . The stop element  11  gets pre-adjusted so close to the castor wheels  12  that it collides with the castor wheels  12  before the lowering main panel  1  has reached the lower end position. The stop element  11  does collide because, while the main panel  1  is lowering, the tilt angle of the pelvis panel  4  enlarges, causing a movement of the chest panel  5  towards the foot. During the further sinking of the main panel  1  towards the lower end position the foot-sided end of the chest panel  5  is lowering since its further movement towards the foot is stopped by the stop element  11 . 
         [0075]    The pelvis panel  4  can be folded up into the vertical position and the chest panel  5  can at the same time be folded into the horizontal position directed towards the foot in order to enable the access to the screw  10 , the nut  13  and the stop element  11 . Over the main panel  1  lies, at the head end pivotably connected with the main panel  1  about a transversal axis, the head panel  2 . Favorably, in the upper end position, the upper surface of the main panel  1  and of the head panel  2  are substantially offset-free via a recess in the main panel  1  underneath the head panel  2  so as to achieve a full integration of the head panel  1  into the lying surface, and an air gap between the main panel  1  and the head panel  2 . Below the head panel  2  and near to its foot-sided edge, there are two cut-outs in the main panel  1  straight through which upper stops/cams  14 , see  FIG. 10A , which are rigidly mounted on the shoulder lever  26 , support spacers  17  which are fixed at the underside of the head panel  2 . An alternative embodiment of the spacer  17  is height-adjustable, so that the height of the foot-sided edge of the head panel  2  can get adjusted. While the main panel  1  and the head end-sided edge of the head panel  2  are sinking, the foot-sided edge of the head panel  2  is substantially kept at its level by the shoulder lever  26 , the upper stops/cams  14  and the spacers  17 . Thus, in lateral position, an upward-bending of the head to the upper, unloaded shoulder is prevented. 
         [0076]    The knee of the leg which is in lateral position placed on top, bent and resting in front of the leg placed below, is due to the leg panel  3  resting on a higher positioned surface than the pelvis and the leg placed below. This largely prevents the rotation of the thigh of the leg placed on top, towards the half of the body placed below and so it prevents a rotation of the pelvis and this way a torsion of the spine. The leg panel  3  is near to its head end side pivotably about a transversal axis connected to the hip cross member  22 . Near to the foot side of the leg panel  3 , rigidly fixed on its underside, there is a spacer  44 , see  FIG. 4 . It&#39;s supported by a cam  15 , which is rigidly fixed on top of the foot lever  24 , see  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 11B . Thereby the foot-sided edge of the leg panel  3  can sink to a lower end position and the leg panel  3  is thus enabled, to generate some of the weight force difference (see top of page  9 ). This is an advantage versus a rigid embodiment of the leg panel  3 . 
         [0077]    One problem related to the devices known as prior art is that a change of the lying position of a person does not necessarily generate such relative pressure changes under the respective parts of the body which could effect the intended height and tilt differences between lying surface elements. The invention solves this problem by its force transmission between the lying surface elements of a longitudinal half whereby these elements move in a determined relation to each other between the end positions, notwithstanding the share of the weight force difference of a person which is acting directly on each of the lying surface elements. Even the application of the whole weight force difference to any single, height variable lying surface element causes the change of the end position of every height variable lying surface element on the same longitudinal half. The shoulder arm area in lateral position does benefit most from this synchronisation: This part of the body needs its whole weight force just to curve the underside of the mattress downwards into a space, out of which the device&#39;s lying surface extensively retracts only driven by the partial weight force differences of other areas of the body. And besides, said extensiveness of the retraction allows large bending radii of the mattress&#39; respective shoulder area, which reduce the deformation resistance in a way to allow the shoulder to sink deep enough. The shoulder arm area of the main panel  1  doesn&#39;t provide any counterpressure against the sinking shoulder arm area of the body until the lower end position is reached. 
         [0078]    The part of the shoulder arm area of the main panel  1 , on which the shoulder in lateral position is resting, lies between higher, neighboring lying surface panels: The head panel  2 , the chest panel  5 , and the adjacent main panel  1  of the other longitudinal half. Towards the longitudinal edge the shoulder arm area of a main panel  1  broadens and even closer to that edge there aren&#39;t any neighboring lying surface panels. Thereby the mentioned curving of the mattress&#39; underside gets facilitated an the lower placed arm in lateral position can also sink, like the related shoulder does, because it&#39;s placed closer to the longitudinal edge where there aren&#39;t neighboring lying surface panels which could prevent the mattress from lowering. As a result, in lateral position the torsion of the spine and/or the pulling-forward of the lower placed arm towards the breast get prevented. This is not the case with the state-of-the-art devices since an arm is too lightweight to sink substantially into a mattress by its own weight or even to cause deflection differences between neighbouring springs of any kind under a mattress. 
         [0079]    A special embodiment of the device has an axis  6  and a plate  7  which are cut through in the plane of symmetry. This enables the heights and the tilts of the chest panels  5  and the pelvis panels  4  to get separately pre-adjusted on each longitudinal half in order to support the treatment of scoliosis. 
         [0080]    The upper stops  39  of the two foot levers  24  and the two hip levers  25  are identical to the components in which there are the two rotary axes  41  and the two rotary axes  42 , and the two upper stops/cams  14  of the two shoulder levers  26  are identical with the components in which there are the two rotary axes  43 . The invention can also be used without being inserted in bedsteads, bedding boxes, or bed frames. 
         [0081]    On the invention, independently from weight and proportions of a person, its vertebral column in supine as well as in lateral position is bedded in a way that it shows an ideal stress-free, not sideways bended S-shape. On the invention, the spine muscles relax and the forces between the vertebrae are slight as compared to prior art. The invention achieves these aims by its ability to automatically reshape its lying surface depending on whether a person is in supine or in lateral position. 
         [0082]    In lateral position, the spinal column doesn&#39;t bend sideways for the following three reasons: 
         [0083]    1.) In strong contrast to the state-of-the-art devices, the waist is never bedded too low since it gets, in relation to other parts, actively lifted onto its lateral-position height. 
         [0084]    2.) The lower placed shoulder is always embedded deep enough and much deeper than on the prior art devices, with the significant additional effect of lessening the load applicated to the shoulders. 
         [0085]    3.) The head end-sided edge of the head-supporting area gets lowered so that the head is not bended sideways towards the higher placed shoulder although the lower placed shoulder is embedded uncommonly deep. 
         [0086]    The other advantages of the invention for lateral position: 
         [0087]    The blood circulation in the lower placed arm is improved and the arm will hardly fall asleep. 
         [0088]    The spine gets barely twisted because of two reasons: 
         [0089]    Firstly, the lower placed arm, rested in front of the chest, sinks considerably deeper than its weight would allow on a state-of-the-art device and so it can&#39;t turn the chest. This fact also lessens the load applicated to the shoulder joints since the lower placed arm which cannot sink together with the lower placed shoulder, leads to a turn of this loaded arm towards the chest and thus to an additional shoulder joint stress, on prior art devices. 
         [0090]    Secondly, the knee of the leg on top, resting in front of the lower placed leg, is causing less turn to the pelvis, and that means also to the spine, because this knee is lying on an elevated position. Favorably for the hip joint of the higher placed leg, this elevated knee position also lessens the rotation of the higher placed leg towards the lower placed half of the body. Finally, because of the elevated knee position, the thigh of the lower placed leg must support less of the weight of the higher placed leg which improves the blood circulation in the lower placed leg. 
         [0091]    A total of six parameters can individually get pre-adjusted from the upside of the device. The customized lying surface profile for supine position is pre-adjustable partially independent from that for lateral position. Asymmetric settings are feasible to support the treatment of scoliosis. By means of a rotary handle on top of the invention&#39;s foot, the body weight of the user is exactly pre-adjustable without having to remove the mattress, i.e., without a person testing the device having to get up out of the bed.