Patent Publication Number: US-8122540-B2

Title: Bed headboard with ventilation system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention is directed to bed headboards and, more particularly, to bed headboards having individually adjustable ventilation ports. 
     Traditional beds are constructed of a mattress, box spring and frame. Headboards commonly add desirable design appeal to the beds, and in some cases can include additional features, such as storage areas, lighting systems, and electrical outlets. 
     Mattresses are available in a variety of styles and firmness levels. More recently, mattresses have been marketed with active systems for adjusting the firmness level of mattress portions, allowing one person to sleep on a section that is adjusted to be firmer or softer than another portion. This trends towards allowing individual adjustment to the preferences of individuals includes the provision of individual lighting systems on headboards. As such, when the couple sleep on the bed, one person can read or sleep on a mattress having a firmer support, while the other person sleeps on a softer support section without any light directed upon that person. 
     One area which contemporary bedding systems do not allow for individual adjustment concerns the ventilation or breeze felt by the individual users. Conventionally, one person may find it more comfortable to sleep with more of a breeze, whereas another person may be uncomfortable with the same level of breeze. As such, individuals may be forced to make uncomfortable compromises regarding how far open a window is kept, or how fast an overhead fan is operated. As with many such compromises, neither person may be very satisfied or comfortable with the results. 
     The present invention is directed towards a bed headboard that addresses these issues, to allow for individuals sleeping in the same bed to have different levels of breezes directed towards them. As described more below, the invention allows individuals to regulate functions such as the volume of breeze directed towards them, the direction of the breeze directed towards them, and allows for the complete exclusion of any breeze directed towards them. The present invention is, therefore, intended to allow each person to enhance the level of their sleep comfort, without detracting from the comfort of the other. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     A bed headboard is provided having output ports for directing individually adjustable airflows towards different areas of the headboard. A headboard comprises a headboard upper portion and an overhang disposed proximate the headboard upper portion. The overhang further includes a bottom surface and a pair of side surfaces, defining an overhang compartment. A blower is provided in the overhang compartment. A plurality of output ports are provided in fluid communication with the blower and extending through the overhang bottom surface. The output ports may be adjustable to regulate the direction of airflow therefrom and/or volume of airflow therethrough. 
     In the presently preferred embodiment the output ports are adjustable to regulate both the direction of airflow from the output ports and the volume of airflow through the output ports. As such, individuals lying on different areas of the bed may have cooling air directed towards them, at such a volume and at such a location as suits each individual. Each output port may be completely shut so that no airflow is directed to one individual. At the same time, the other individual can have airflow directed at such a volume and location as that individual deems most comfortable. 
     In addition to regulating airflow by adjusting the output ports, the blower may be implemented as a multi-speed blower which may be regulated by adjustment of the blower switch that is preferably disposed in the overhang lower surface. 
     In one embodiment the blower may be implemented as a blower/heater, to allow cool air or warm air to be directed at individuals on the bed as desired. The invention also contemplates the use of multiple blowers arrayed within the overhang compartment, such that each individual can operate a dedicated blower/heater. This allows one individual to have cooling, or unheated air directed at that individual, while another individual directs heated air to the selected area of the bed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a bed having a headboard made in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the headboard shown at  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear view of a blower unit mounted in the headboard overhang portion; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the headboard portion, with the upper surface removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the overhang portion; and 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of a vent port mounted in the overhang portion. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of constructing and arranging the vents and blower described herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments. 
     Referencing  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings, and exemplary bed  10  is illustrated which includes headboard  12 , footboard  14  and side rails  16 . The headboard  12 , shown in more detail at  FIGS. 2 ,  5  and  6 , includes a headboard panel  18  and headboard bottom portion or legs  20  and sideboards  17 ,  19 . 
     Overhang  22  is connected to the headboard proximate headboard panel  18 . The overhang  22  includes a bottom surface  24 , side portions  26 ,  28  and front portion  30 . The bottom surface  24 , side portions  26 ,  28  and front portion  30  define a compartment  34 . The overhang  22  may also include a top surface  32 , enclosing an interior compartment  34 . 
     As shown at  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a blower  36  is disposed within the compartment  34 . Where the compartment  34  includes top surface  32 , an input vent  38  is provided to facilitate the flow of air into the blower  36 . 
     As shown at  FIG. 3 , a blower output duct  42  is in fluid communication with the blower to communicate air outward from the blower  36 . The blower output duct  42  is engaged to output duct joint  44 , which is in communication with vent ducts  46 ,  48 . The vent ducts  46 ,  48  are in communication with vent apertures  50 ,  52 , respectively. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the vent ducts  46 ,  48  extend through the bottom surface  24  of overhang  22 . The vent ducts are engaged to rotatable vents or output ports  54 ,  56 , output ports  54 ,  56  are provided with adjustable vanes,  58 ,  60 . 
     The rotatable output ports  54 ,  56  are positioned adjustable to regulate the direction of airflow from the output ports. Each of the output ports  54 ,  56  is individually adjustable so that each person sleeping on the bed  10  adjust the direction of output airflow as individually desired. The rotatable output ports  54 ,  56  are preferably constructed to have a ball and socket configuration, so that yolk portion  74  may be rotated relative to aperture  76 , to allow the output airflow to be directed as desired. The adjustable vanes  58 ,  60 , are also individually adjustable, e.g. by rotation of knob  72 , so that each individual can regulate the volume of airflow through the output ports, and allows each individual to close the output port, if desired. 
     Blower switch  62  is in electrical communication with the blower  36 , and operates to activate the blower  36 . Where the blower  36  is implemented as a multi-speed blower, the blower switch  62  may be implemented as a multi-position switch, e.g. three or four positions, that operates to allow selection of the blower speed, in addition to turning the blower on and off. Blower  36  may also be implemented as a blower/heater that outputs heated or unheated air in response to operation of switch  62 . In another embodiment, multiple blowers may be provided, each connected to a dedicated blower vent. In such an embodiment each blower  36  may be individually operated so that one blower may output heated air and another blower may output unheated air. 
     As shown at  FIG. 5 , the overhang  22  may also include lights  64 ,  66 , which are regulatable by light switches  68 ,  70 , respectively. As with the vents  50 ,  52 , the lights  64 ,  66  are adjustable in direction, as desired by persons sleeping on the bed  10 . Moreover, the light switches  68 ,  70  may also be implemented as multi-level switches, allowing adjustment of the intensity of lights  64 ,  66 , as well as turning the lights  64 ,  66  on and off. 
     As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the drawings and accompanying description are illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, which may be implemented in alternative embodiments that are within the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The constructions of the output ports, blower and other features of the invention are exemplary, and different types of vents and vent systems may be implemented within the scope of the present invention.