Patent Description:
Therapeutic beds are well known in order to provide treatment and relief for sickness related symptoms and discomfort. It is often an advantage if the treatment of a patient is performed with the patient arranged in face down position, enabling the patient to relax. However, care has to be taken to relax the head of the patient particularly and to enable relaxed breathing.

<CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> disclose different types of moxibustion beds, each of which comprise a face hole into which the patient's or user's face is positioned. Air enriched with fume or steam is provided through the hole.

<CIT> discloses a multifunctional treatment bed for medical nursing appliance. The treatment bed comprises a face hole.

<CIT> discloses a bed for massage, acupuncture and moxibition. The bed is provided with an arm groove and a face hole, so that a patient can conveniently place the arm in the arm groove in the treatment process, and the comfort of the patient in the treatment process is improved through the face down position.

<CIT> discloses a massage bed, relating to the field of massage healthcare. The massage bed comprises a bed body provided with an air hole.

<CIT> refers to a ventilated ergonomic mattress that allows the user to sleep with the face down.

<CIT> discloses is a multifunctional massage bed. The multifunctional massage bed comprises a massage bed body, two breast press avoiding holes, a face press avoiding hole and a removable pillow pad for covering the face press avoiding hole.

<CIT> discloses a massage table equipped with a face acceptation hole and a chest accommodating grove.

<CIT> discloses a stream therapy health-care bed comprising a fixed bed board, a movable bed board, a stream therapy hole and a face air vent.

<CIT> and <CIT> refer to beds comprising a recess that can be used with advantage by pregnant women when lying on their stomachs. The recess can be adapted to the size of the stomach.

None of the therapeutic beds and tables discloses a bed suitable for lying and/or sleeping in a relaxed position for longer periods than a typical massage treatment or similar. There is a need for beds in which a user can conveniently stay and/or sleep in a relaxed position in an everyday (or every night) use.

It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a bed suitable for convenient stay of a sleeper in an everyday use.

It is a further objective to provide a bed in which sleepers can stay in a relaxed face down position.

The above mentioned objects are achieved by a fastening device as defined in claim <NUM>.

Preferred embodiments of the different aspects of the invention are disclosed by the dependent claims.

The present invention relates to a bed for everyday use by at least one user. In order to provide a convenient sleep of the user the bed exhibits an anisotropic density and/ or elasticity distribution along an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the largest surface of the bed. The bed comprises at least one mattress which in case constitutes the first or upper layer of the bed. The bed comprises at least a first or upper layer and at least a second or lower layer, which are located at different positions or levels of the axis and which incorporate at least one mattress. The first layer and the second layer have different densities and/ or elasticities. The first layer comprises a first recess, which optionally proceeds into the lower layer. The recess enables the users head to rest in a face down position. The recess is designed to be supplied with an air stream. The first layer covers at least a distance of <NUM> along the axis.

By the term "density and/ or elasticity" is understood that these properties are inevitably correlated for one and the same material, while elasticity change may nonetheless be obtained without necessarily changing density when different materials or material structures are used for different layers.

Different densities and/ or elasticities of different layers of the bed enable a convenient lying of the sleeper since these properties can be easily adjusted to a given sleeper's need. The density of a material is frequently directly correlated to the stiffness of the material. The higher the density, the higher the stiffness and the lower the elasticity since stiffness and elasticity are reciprocal (inverse) properties. The change of density throughout the layers may be gradually or distinct. Different parts of a mattress with different densities may be described as different layers with different densities and elasticities.

In a first embodiment the first layer covers at least a distance of <NUM>, preferably at least <NUM>, more preferred at least <NUM> and particularly preferred at least <NUM> along the axis. In another embodiment, the first recess is designed with a circular, oval, or polygonal cross-sectional area.

In another embodiment, the first recess is arranged to be reversibly closable with a closure, typically designed to provide an about even surface on the top and in the circumference of the closure and/ or recess.

In yet another embodiment the first recess is arranged to penetrate the first layer and the second layer.

In another embodiment a support for the head is arranged in the vicinity of the first recess.

In another embodiment a second recess is arranged in a relative position to the first recess, said relative position reflecting the relative positions of the head and the right or left arm of the user. In another embodiment a part of the mattress is designed in order to provide the second recess in a removable fashion by removing said part from the mattress, wherein said part optionally can be arranged below the feet of the user in order to further improve the relaxing position of the user.

According to the present invention, the bed comprises an air supply source, movable into and out from a void arranged in the bed.

In yet another embodiment the air stream is selected from the group consisting of oxygen enriched air stream, pollen filtered air, air enriched with volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds.

One layer of the bed, arranged below the top layer, may have the form of a rigid plate.

Below a more detailed explanation of the present invention is provided in the form of exemplary embodiments with reference to enclosed drawings. All the drawings are schematic and simplified in the sense that they only show features of importance for their function as defined herein, not necessarily all functions in real life embodiments and that the scale of the individual elements and details may vary from real life embodiments.

<FIG> is a top view of a bed <NUM> according to the present invention and more precisely a bed for one person, with a mattress constituting a first layer <NUM> of the bed. In this first layer <NUM>, a first recess <NUM> is provided with a size adapted to a person's head. Within the recess <NUM>, a passage or through opening <NUM> is provided to a source of air, thereby allowing a supply of a controlled "atmosphere" to the user in terms of oxygen, moisture, temperature etc..

A second recess <NUM> is also provided in at least the first layer <NUM> of the mattress, arranged to accommodate the right arm of a user resting face down on the mattress with his or hers head positioned in the first recess <NUM>. Furthermore, <FIG> shows a support <NUM>, which may or may not be divided into separate sections, allowing small items to be placed thereon. The support <NUM> may have a fixed position or it may have the form of a tray which is slidingly attached to the bed frame and which may be pushed thereunder when not in use.

<FIG> is a side sectional view of an embodiment of the bed shown in <FIG>. The first layer <NUM> of the bed has the form of a mattress in which the recesses <NUM> and <NUM> are through openings. As illustrated, the bottom of the recesses may be curved to provide a best possible support for the user's head and arm respectively. The passage <NUM> has fluid connection to a void <NUM> in which a box or the like for adjusting a controlled air flow to the first recess <NUM> may be arranged.

The void <NUM> may be arranged wholly below the second layer of the bed, wholly or partly within the second layer and preferably at least within the second layer and optionally extending through or from the second layer into the first layer of the bed, depending a. of the number of layers encountered. An air supply source is part of the bed according to the present invention.

The air supply source, when encountered, may have the shape of a rigid box, thereby being able to serve as supporting element for the bed and/ or the mattress. The change of density throughout the layers including the box is distinct in this embodiment, thereby providing anisotropy along the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the largest surface of the bed. Such an air supply box is designed removable from the bed, thereby facilitating an exchange of different boxes.

<FIG> is a side sectional side view of a bed <NUM>' similar to <FIG> with the exception that the bed includes an additional mattress constituting a second layer <NUM> of the bed <NUM>, the second layer typically having an elasticity different than the elasticity of the first layer <NUM>.

<FIG> are side views of two mattress parts <NUM> and <NUM>, fitting into the recesses <NUM> and <NUM> respectively, to allow the first layer <NUM> of the bed to assume an even, flat surface in cases where use of the recesses is not required and/ or not wanted such as, for instance, when the user prefers to rest sideways or on his/ hers back and when supply of controlled air is not considered an issue of importance. Mattress parts <NUM> and <NUM> are also denoted closure elements.

<FIG> is an embodiment of a bed <NUM>" similar to the bed shown in <FIG> with the exception that it exhibits an extended width, allowing the user to roll away from the part having recesses <NUM> and <NUM> to use the bed as a conventional bed when so desired.

<FIG> shows the bed <NUM> in a side view with a user <NUM> resting thereon face down, the mattress parts <NUM> and <NUM> removed. Mattress part <NUM> is positioned near the user's feed to provide support at the ankles. User's head <NUM> is positioned in first recess <NUM> while his right arm <NUM> is positioned in second recess <NUM>. The user may in this position breath air provided through passage <NUM> in the bed. In <FIG>, the first recess <NUM> is shown as a through opening through first layer <NUM> and as a recess in second layer <NUM>, while the passage <NUM> penetrates second layer <NUM> of the bed as well as the bed frame there below. In other embodiments this may be different. The first recess <NUM> may be confined to the first layer <NUM> only and the passage <NUM> may be confined to the second layer <NUM> or may penetrate part of layer <NUM> and all of or part of second layer <NUM>, depending upon the thickness of each of the layers and the particular arrangement of the source of the controlled air.

In <FIG> the source of the controlled air is shown. It may have the form of a separate box arranged below the bed or a source arranged at a distance from the bed, fluidly connected to the passage <NUM>.

<FIG> is a side sectional view of a bed <NUM>‴ constituting an embodiment somewhat different from the embodiments shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. In this embodiment the first layer <NUM>' of the bed is a thicker mattress, i.e. a mattress having a more substantial extension along the axis <NUM> in a large part of its horizontal extension, an exception with regard to the thickness being that it is much thinner in the region in which the first recess <NUM> for the face of the user is arranged.

<FIG> is a side sectional view of a bed <NUM>"" similar to that of <FIG> with the exception that the single mattress <NUM>" exhibits an inherent density anisotropy, the density continuously increasing from a low density at the mattress top to a higher density at the mattress bottom. Such a continuously varying density (and elasticity) is an option with all mattresses constituting part of the bed according to the present invention, whether used alone or as one of two or more mattresses.

In general, persons of highly different size and weight may require quite different elasticity for the part of the bed supporting their torso, while the difference is much smaller when it comes to the part supporting their heads. The option of particularly thick mattress parts as illustrated by <FIG> may therefore be particularly welcomed by large people and less required by smaller people. An advantage of the present invention is, that the density and along with it the elasticity of the first layer <NUM> may be chosen independently from the size of the recess <NUM>. In order to experience increased well-being, users with small heads and high torso weight may request a lower elasticity of the first layer <NUM> than users with small heads and low torso weight, yet at a similar size of the recess. On the other hand, users with large heads and low torso weight may at a similar size of the recess, experience increased well-being by requesting an elasticity of the first layer <NUM>, which is higher than the preferred elasticity of the first layer <NUM> for users with large heads and large torso weight.

Production costs will typically be higher for a mattress having varying density and one may therefore often prefer embodiments exhibiting at least two mattresses, each having homogenous density and elasticity but mutually different densities and elasticities.

<FIG> is a slightly enlarged top view of the head end of a bed <NUM> according to the present invention, showing a first recess <NUM> for a user's head and a second recess <NUM> for the user's right arm, mainly similar to <FIG>. The difference from <FIG> is the presence of a couple of inserts <NUM>, <NUM> for recess <NUM>, to accommodate its size to the size of the user's head as well as a couple of inserts <NUM>, <NUM> for recess <NUM> to accommodate the size of the recess to the user's arm.

<FIG> illustrates same principle as <FIG>, though seen in a side sectional view.

<FIG> illustrated possible configurations of the first recess <NUM> seen as top views. <FIG> shows a first recess <NUM> as having a circular <NUM>' cross-section, <FIG> shows a first recess having an elliptical <NUM>" cross-section, while <FIG> shows a first recess having one of many possible polygonal <NUM>‴ cross-sections.

<FIG> is a graphic and simplified illustration of feedback from users on their subjective well-being when resting in beds having mattresses of different elasticity. It comes as no surprise that hard beds (low elasticity mattresses) are not experienced as comfortable, and worth noticing is also the fact that the same is the case for beds with very elastic mattresses.

Claim 1:
Bed (<NUM>) for everyday use by at least one user (<NUM>), said bed exhibiting an anisotropic density and/ or elasticity distribution along an axis (<NUM>) perpendicular to a plane (<NUM>) defined by the largest surface of the bed, said bed comprising at least a first layer (<NUM>) and at least a second layer (<NUM>) located at different positions of the axis (<NUM>), wherein the first layer (<NUM>) and the second layer (<NUM>) have different densities and/ or elasticities, wherein the first layer (<NUM>) exhibits a first recess (<NUM>) enabling to rest and support the users (<NUM>) head (<NUM>) in a face down position, wherein the first recess (<NUM>) is at least partly arranged in the first layer (<NUM>) , wherein the first layer (<NUM>) covers at least a distance of <NUM> along the axis (<NUM>), wherein the first recess (<NUM>) is designed to be supplied with an air stream, wherein a passage (<NUM>) is arranged from the first recess (<NUM>) to a void (<NUM>) arranged in the bed to receive a source for air supply, characterized in that the bed further comprises an air stream supply designed as a modular box (<NUM>), which is arranged to be moved in and out of the void (<NUM>).