Patent Publication Number: US-2004055086-A1

Title: Collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)  
     [0001] The present non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/412,737, entitled “R.T.A. Mattress Support System,” filed Sep. 23, 2002, which is herein incorporated in full by reference. 
    
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The present invention relates generally to a foundation system for supporting a bed mattress. More specifically, the present invention relates to a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress, such as an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like. Advantageously, the collapsible foam foundation system of the present invention is modular in nature and may be shipped in a plurality of compact boxes and quickly and easily assembled by a retailer, a consumer or the like.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003] Conventional foundation systems for supporting a bed mattress typically consist of a rigid frame including a plurality of wood and/or metal slats and/or support members. This rigid frame is disposed beneath and provides support for the bed mattress, which may be an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like. There are a number of patent applications and patents related to such foundation systems which are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.  
       [0004] For example, United States Patent Application No. 2003/0028963 discloses a floating slat frame adapted to provide additional flexibility within mattress foundations of various configurations. The floating slat frame is constructed for attachment to a core assembly, and has a series of slats in a first plane, at least some of which are resiliently supported relative to a second series of slats in a second plane. United States Patent Application No. 2002/0069463 discloses a nestably stackable assembly for use in a bedding foundation. The assembly has a rectangular border wire with parallel sides and ends. Transversely-spaced, parallel and longitudinally-extending support wires are connected at their ends to the border wire ends. The support wires are formed so as to be generally corrugated along their lengths with peaks and valleys. United States Patent Application No. 2002/0069462 discloses a bed foundation which is constructed of blow-molded plastic and which may be assembled without using tools. One embodiment provides a bed foundation that, when assembled, has a top panel which overhangs side rails to permit an oversized mattress to be placed thereon.  
       [0005] Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,086 discloses a bed system having a rectangular frame, with a mattress assembly mounted on the frame. The mattress assembly has upper and lower wood strip layers and intervening foam blocks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,849 discloses a sectional bed having a bed frame, a mattress section holder attached to the bed frame and a number of independent mattress sections for support removably attachable to the mattress section holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,140 discloses a bed foundation for supporting a mattress in a raised position relative to a floor that includes a frame assembly, mattress support panels and retaining elements shiftably carried by the frame assembly for securing the mattress support panels against movement in the longitudinal and transverse axes of the bed foundation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,706 discloses a plurality of foundation sections that are interlocked with releasable latch devices to form a mattress support. The foundation sections include two center sections that are shorter than end sections to enable the center sections to be packed within the end sections. U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,064 discloses a nestably stackable bedding foundation assembly that may be nestably stacked with numerous other such assemblies for transportation, thereby avoiding the need to compress and tie the assembly for shipping. U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,214 discloses an improved mattress adapted to sleep two or more people in side by side relation, each person being supported on resilient means defining a separate area of preselected firmness, the two areas being disposed lengthwise of the mattress in essentially parallel relation and being of different firmnesses. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,991 discloses an improved mattress foundation particularly suited for use with foam mattresses to provide proper support for the mattress and to duplicate the feel of box springs. The mattress foundation utilizes an upper and lower frame assembly separated by a flexible, resilient material, which may be in the form of blocks, strips or slabs of flexible, resilient material, with the upper frame assembly preferably being somewhat flexible so as to be capable of deforming from its normal planar condition when subjected to more concentrated loads.  
       [0006] Because many of these conventional foundation systems consist of a rigid frame including a plurality of wood and/or metal slats and/or support members, the fabric material covering the rigid frame is often prone to sagging or puncturing between the plurality of wood and/or metal slats and/or support members, detracting from the appearance of such foundation systems and reducing their useful life.  
       [0007] As described above, many of the conventional foundation systems also incorporate a resilient foam material. A thin layer, typically about ¼ inch thick, of this resilient foam material is dispersed between or disposed on top of or about the plurality of wood and/or metal slats and/or support members and is primarily used to provide an anti-slip layer, frictionally preventing movement of the fabric material with respect to the plurality of wood and/or metal slats and/or support members. Most of the conventional foundation systems, however, do not use the resilient foam material to meaningfully support the bed mattress.  
       [0008] Many of the conventional foundation systems are further difficult to ship and/or assemble. One such conventional foundation system, manufactured by FloBeds Sleep Shop (Fort Bragg, Calif.), consists of a plurality of foundation modules, each module consisting of a rigid frame including a plurality of wood slats and support members. These foundation modules are bolted together and covered with a resilient foam material and a fabric material to form the foundation system. This foundation system may be used in conjunction with a conventional metal bed frame, well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The foundation system, although capable of being shipped relatively easily, is time-consuming and difficult for a retailer, consumer or the like to assemble/disassemble. Further, the foundation system suffers from the sagging and puncture problems described above.  
       [0009] Thus, what is needed is a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress, such as an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like, that comprises a plurality of foundation modules that may be shipped in a plurality of compact boxes and quickly and easily assembled/disassembled by a retailer, a consumer or the like. What is also needed is a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress that may be used in conjunction with a conventional metal bed frame. Advantageously, such a collapsible foam foundation system may be easily stored/inventoried by a manufacturer or distributor, sold via a global communications network, such as the Internet, and shipped to a retailer, a consumer, or the like.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010] In various embodiments, the present invention provides a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress, such as an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like, that comprises a plurality of foundation modules that may be shipped in a plurality of compact boxes and quickly and easily assembled/disassembled by a retailer, a consumer or the like. The present invention also provides a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress that may be used in conjunction with a conventional metal bed frame. Advantageously, the collapsible foam foundation system of the present invention may be easily stored/inventoried by a manufacturer or distributor, sold via a global communications network, such as the Internet, and shipped to a retailer, a consumer, or the like.  
       [0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, a collapsible foundation system for supporting a bed mattress includes a plurality of rigid members. The system also includes a plurality of attachment mechanisms, each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms for attaching the plurality of rigid members to one another. The system further includes a plurality of resilient foam members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members fixedly attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members for supporting the bed mattress.  
       [0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, a collapsible foundation system for supporting a bed mattress includes a plurality of rigid members, wherein each of the plurality of rigid members comprises a rigid member selected from the group consisting of a substantially-rigid plate, a substantially-rigid frame, and a combination of a substantially-rigid plate and a substantially-rigid frame. The system also includes a plurality of legs, each of the plurality of legs removably attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members, each of the plurality of legs for supporting the corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members. The system further includes a plurality of attachment mechanisms, each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms for attaching the plurality of rigid members to one another, wherein each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms comprises an attachment mechanism selected from the group consisting of a hinge, a bolt and wing nut, a hooking mechanism, and a male-female-type snapping mechanism. The system still further includes a plurality of resilient foam members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members fixedly attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members for supporting the bed mattress, wherein each of the plurality of resilient foam members comprises a resilient foam block having a thickness greater than about ¼ inch. Finally, the system includes a plurality of fabric covers, each of the plurality of fabric covers disposed about a corresponding one of the plurality of resilient foam members and at least a portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members.  
       [0013] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a method for packaging and delivering a collapsible foundation system for supporting a bed mattress includes providing a plurality of rigid members. The method also includes providing a plurality of attachment mechanisms, each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms for attaching the plurality of rigid members to one another. The method further includes providing a plurality of resilient foam members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members fixedly attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of rigid members, each of the plurality of resilient foam members for supporting the bed mattress. The method still further includes disposing the plurality of rigid members, the plurality of attachment mechanisms and the plurality of resilient foam members in a box. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pair of foundation modules associated with the collapsible foam bed foundation system of the present invention;  
     [0015]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of one of the foundation modules of FIG. 1;  
     [0016]FIG. 3 is a top planar view of a plurality of embodiments of a rigid frame associated with each of the foundation modules of FIG. 1;  
     [0017]FIG. 4 is a top planar view of a plurality of embodiments of a pair of rigid frames of FIG. 3 in an assembled configuration;  
     [0018]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pair of foundation modules of FIG. 1 in an assembled configuration, highlighting the use of a conventional metal bed frame;  
     [0019]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the collapsible bed foundation system of the present invention in an assembled configuration;  
     [0020]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the collapsible bed foundation system of FIG. 6, highlighting the use of a partially or fully-elastic fabric cover; and  
     [0021]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pair of foundation modules of FIG. 1 in a shipping configuration. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0022] In various embodiments, the present invention provides a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress, such as an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like, that comprises a plurality of foundation modules that may be shipped in a plurality of compact boxes and quickly and easily assembled/disassembled by a retailer, a consumer or the like. The present invention also provides a collapsible foam foundation system for supporting a bed mattress that may be used in conjunction with a conventional metal bed frame. Advantageously, the collapsible foam foundation system of the present invention may be easily stored/inventoried by a manufacturer or distributor, sold via a global communications network, such as the Internet, and shipped to a retailer, a consumer, or the like.  
     [0023] Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10  includes a plurality of foundation modules  12  for supporting a bed mattress (not shown), such as an air mattress, a foam mattress, an innerspring mattress, a waterbed or the like. The plurality of foundation modules  12  are attached to one another via a plurality of attachment mechanisms  14 . The plurality of attachment mechanisms  14  may include, for example, a plurality of hinges, bolts and wing nuts, hooking mechanisms, male-female-type snapping mechanisms or the like (a plurality of hinges attached to the bottom surface  18  of each of the plurality of foundation modules  12  are shown in FIG. 1). Preferably, the plurality of foundation modules  12  are attached in pairs, however, the plurality of foundation modules  12  may also be attached in groups of three or more. A leg  16  is removably attached to the bottom surface  18  of each of the plurality of foundation modules  12 . The leg  16  may be removably attached to the bottom surface  18  of each of the plurality of foundation modules  12  via a screw, a male-female-type snapping mechanism or the like. The leg  16  may be attached to any portion of the bottom surface  18  of each of the plurality of foundation modules  12  but, preferably, the plurality of legs  16  are collectively positioned such that they provide support to the center portion  20  of the plurality of foundation modules  12 . Accordingly, each of the plurality of legs  16  may be of any length suitable to accomplish this purpose. Each of the plurality of legs  16  may be made of wood, plastic, metal or the like.  
     [0024] In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, incorporating a queen-size bed mattress, each of the plurality of foundation modules  12  has an overall length  22  of between about 30 and 50 inches, an overall width  24  of between about 20 and 40 inches and an overall thickness  26  of between about 5 and 10 inches.  
     [0025] Referring to FIG. 2, each of the plurality of foundation modules  12  includes a rigid member  30 , a resilient foam layer  32  and a fabric cover  34 . The rigid member  30  may be made of wood, plastic, metal or the like and, as will be described in greater detail herein below, may take the form of a substantially-rigid plate, frame or any combination thereof. Preferably, the resilient foam layer  32  is made of a substantially-resilient foam rubber material which is suitable for supporting the bed mattress. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the thickness  36  of the resilient foam layer  32  is greater than about ¼ inch. Preferably, the thickness  36  of the resilient foam layer  32  is between about 3 and 6 inches. The thickness  38  of the rigid member may be between about ¼ and 2 inches. The resilient foam layer  32  is fixedly attached to the rigid member  30  using, for example, an adhesive or the like. The fabric cover  34  is disposed about the resilient foam layer  32  and the rigid member  30  and a portion of the fabric cover  34  may be fixedly attached to the bottom surface  18  of the rigid member  30  using an adhesive and/or a plurality of staples or nails. Advantageously, the fabric cover  34  is puncture resistant and protects the resilient foam layer  32 . The fabric cover  34  may also be made of a material having any desired pattern or design, enhancing its aesthetic appeal.  
     [0026] As described above, the rigid member  30  may take the form of a substantially-rigid plate, frame or any combination thereof. Referring to FIG. 3, the rigid member  30  may include a substantially-rigid plate  40  made of wood, plastic, metal or the like. A plurality of border members, including, for example, a top border member  42 , a bottom border member  44  and a plurality of side border members  46 , may be fixedly attached to the substantially-rigid plate  40  using an adhesive and/or a plurality of nails. A plurality of slats  48 , cross-members  50  or corner pieces  52  may also be fixedly attached to the substantially-rigid plate  40  and the plurality of border members  42 , 44 , 46  using an adhesive and/or a plurality of nails. Advantageously, the rigid member  30  serves to support the resilient foam layer  32  (FIG. 2) and hold it in a plane parallel to the ground or a floor. Collectively, the plurality of rigid members  30  support the plurality of resilient foam layers  32  and hold them in a plane parallel to the ground or a floor, providing a stable support surface for the bed mattress.  
     [0027] Referring to FIG. 4, the plurality of rigid members  30  may be attached to one another via a plurality of attachment mechanisms  14 , such as a plurality of hinges  60  which are screwed into the bottom surface  18  of each of the plurality of rigid members  30  or a plurality of bolts and wing nuts  62  which are disposed through each of the plurality of rigid members  30 . Although the use of a plurality of hinges  60  and a plurality of bolts and wing nuts  62  have been shown and described herein, any suitable attachment mechanisms  14  that allow a retailer, a consumer or the like to quickly and easily assemble the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10  (FIG. 1) may be used, preferably with a minimum number of tools.  
     [0028] Referring to FIG. 5, the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10  may be disposed on top of a conventional metal bed frame  70 , well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. A fully-assembled collapsible foam bed foundation system is shown in FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 7, a partially or fully-elastic fabric cover  80  may be disposed about the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10 . The fabric cover  80  may have elastic side panels  82  and an inelastic top panel  84  or, alternatively, may be made entirely of an elastic material. In the former case, the elastic side panels  82  serve to hold the fabric cover  80  securely about the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10 . Advantageously, the fabric cover  80  may be made of a material having any desired pattern or design, maximizing its aesthetic qualities. For example, the fabric cover  80  may be made to match the bed mattress or any bedding that will be used thereon.  
     [0029] Referring to FIG. 8, the collapsible foam bed foundation system  10  of the present invention may be collapsed, preferably without the legs  16  (FIG. 1) attached, and shipped in a sturdy plastic bag (not shown) or the like and a standard, compact box  90 . Advantageously, because of its modular nature, the collapsible foam bed foundation system of the present invention  10  may be shipped in a plurality of relatively-lightweight packages, via a carrier well known to those of ordinary skill in the art (such as the United States Postal Service, United Parcel Service, Federal Express, etc.), at a relatively low cost.  
     [0030] Although the collapsible foam bed foundation system of the present invention has been shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments and examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve similar results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and are intended to be covered by the following claims.