Patent Description:
Among bedding and medical bedding products, many manufacturers claim that products thereof have the function of radiating far-infrared rays and thus are capable of promoting the blood circulation or body metabolism of users. However, the manufacturers can hardly present actual research or test data to prove that these products indeed have the claimed efficacy.

Moreover, Far-Infrared (FIR) rays generally refer to infrared rays with a wavelength of <NUM> to <NUM> micrometers (µm), but in terms of efficacy, far-infrared rays with a wavelength of <NUM> to <NUM> micrometers can achieve the best effect of resonating with the molecules of the human body so as to promote microvascular expansion, smooth blood circulation and promote metabolism.

Some manufacturers in the market even arbitrarily fill the bedding and medical bedding products with special fibers or powders that are said being capable of radiating far-infrared wavelengths without awareness of the basic principle of far-infrared rays. Therefore, the claimed effect cannot be achieved, and moreover, the body may feel discomfortable due to excessive absorption of radioactive energy.

Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to provide a bedding product (e.g., a quilt structure) utilizing far-infrared fibers that can accurately radiate far-infrared rays with a wavelength of <NUM> to <NUM> micrometers and prove the efficacy thereof by actual research or test data to ensure the rights and interests of consumers.

<CIT> describes a manufacturing method for a non-powered energy layer, wherein the non-powered energy layer is adapted for being a warming layer of a bedquilt. When a user is covered with the bedquilt using the non-powered energy layer as the warming layer, the non-powered energy layer would emit a far-infrared ray, such that the far-infrared ray would excite the user's skin, so as to make the microvascular dilation and promote the blood circulation and metabolism of user body. Besides being used as the warming layer, the non-powered energy layer can also be applied as inner layers of a mattress or a U-shaped neck bolster. Moreover, through the proof of experiment results, this non-powered energy layer would not over excite human skin when it is in long-term use, and the non-powered energy layer would not bring about allergies, itchiness or swelling in human skin.

Further, far-infrared fibers, and components and uses of the same are described in <CIT>. The far-infrared fibers can be used together with other optional fibers to provide a product containing far-infrared fibers. The product does not emit harmful radiation and could raise a user's body temperature safely to increase the volume and rate of the user's blood flow without affecting the blood pressure and pulse of the user. Furthermore, the product can be male underpants that can improve male sexual function without affecting the physiological state. <CIT> discloses a quilt structure comprising a padding layer containing fibres including talc and magma stones.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a quilt structure with a non-powered energy layer, in which a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer may be disposed at two sides of an insulating layer so as to prevent materials inside the insulating layer from escaping or being exposed to the outside.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide far-infrared fibers that are used to make the quilt structure with a non-powered energy layer, and the far-infrared fibers may be woven into at least one of an insulating layer, a first barrier layer, a second barrier layer, a first fabric layer or a second fabric layer of the quilt structure to form a non-powered energy layer, thereby achieving the effect of radiating far-infrared energy in a non-powered manner during the use thereof.

To achieve the aforesaid objectives, a quilt structure according to claim <NUM> is provided. Therefore, according to the invention, a quilt structure with a non-powered energy layer is provided which comprises an insulating layer, a first barrier layer, a second barrier layer, a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer. The first barrier layer and the second barrier layer are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating layer. The first fabric layer is disposed on one of the first barrier layer or the second barrier layer opposite the insulating layer, and the second fabric layer is disposed on another of the first barrier layer or the second barrier layer opposite the insulating layer. At least one of the insulating layer, the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer has far-infrared fibers.

Preferably, the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are fleece fabric, breathable fabric or a combination thereof.

The first barrier layer and the second barrier layer are non-woven fabric or fabric containing printing paints.

Preferably, the insulating layer is made of wool, silk, cellucotton, cotton, down feather or a combination thereof.

At least one of the first barrier layer or the second barrier layer is a textile containing a metal material.

Preferably, the metal material is disposed in at least one of the first barrier layer or the second barrier layer by being formed into metal fibers.

Preferably, the metal material is disposed in at least one of the first barrier layer or the second barrier layer by a coating process.

Preferably, the metal material is disposed at a side towards the insulating layer.

Preferably, the metal material is particles of a metal selected from a group consisting of: gold (Au), platinum (Pt) and a combination thereof.

To achieve the aforesaid objectives, far-infrared fibers for making the quilt structure with a non-powered energy layer provided by the present invention comprise a first polymer matrix and a first far-infrared filler The first far-infrared filler is dispersed in the first polymer matrix, and the first far-infrared filler contains the following elements: titanium (Ti), germanium (Ge), zinc (Zn), aluminium (Al) and magnesium (Mg), and wherein the first bio-energetic filler or the first far-infrared filler does not contain the following elements: scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), and antimony (Sb).

The first far-infrared filler further contains silicon (Si), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), barium (Ba), potassium (K) and sodium (Na).

Preferably, the first far-infrared filler further contains elements selected from a group consisting of: manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), gallium (Ga), and a combination thereof.

Preferably, the far-infrared fibers further comprise a second polymer matrix, the second polymer matrix covers the first polymer matrix, and the second polymer matrix has a second far-infrared filler dispersed therein.

Preferably, the second far-infrared filler contains the following elements: titanium, germanium, zinc, aluminium and magnesium.

The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention.

Please refer to <FIG> is a perspective view of a quilt structure <NUM> with a non-powered energy layer according to the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the quilt structure <NUM> is depicted as a quilt in this embodiment, but it is not limited thereto. In other words, the quilt structure <NUM> may also be used as a mattress or cushion.

Please continue to refer to an embodiment shown in <FIG>, wherein the quilt structure <NUM> comprises an insulating layer <NUM>, a first barrier layer <NUM>, a second barrier layer <NUM>, a first fabric layer <NUM> and a second fabric layer <NUM>, and arrangement relationships among these elements will be further described hereinafter.

First, in the present invention, the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM> are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating layer <NUM>, and the first fabric layer <NUM> is disposed on one of the first barrier layer <NUM> or the second barrier layer <NUM> opposite the insulating layer <NUM>, while the second fabric layer <NUM> is disposed on another of the first barrier layer <NUM> or the second barrier layer <NUM> opposite the insulating layer <NUM>. In other words, in the embodiment as shown in <FIG>, when the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> cover the insulating layer <NUM> respectively from the upper side and the lower side, the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM> may be adapted to be interposed respectively between the first fabric layer <NUM> and the insulating layer <NUM> and between the insulating layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM>.

Moreover, at least one of the insulating layer <NUM>, the first fabric layer <NUM> or the second fabric layer <NUM> comprises far-infrared fibers <NUM> so that the specific layer comprising the far-infrared fibers <NUM> may be formed into a non-powered energy layer. In other words, the specific layer comprising the ar-infrared fibers <NUM> can achieve the effect of radiating far-infrared energy in a non-powered manner (i.e., without applying an additional power) during the use thereof.

Furthermore, the positions of the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM> in <FIG> may also be exchanged. That is, as shown in an embodiment of <FIG>, when the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> cover the insulating layer <NUM> respectively from the upper side and the lower side, the second barrier layer <NUM> is interposed between the upper first fabric layer <NUM> and the insulating layer <NUM>, and the first barrier layer <NUM> is interposed between the insulating layer <NUM> and the lower second fabric layer <NUM>.

Specifically, the insulating layer <NUM> comprised in the quilt structure <NUM> of the present invention may comprise wool, silk, cotton, down feather or a combination thereof When cotton is taken as an example of the insulating layer <NUM> of this embodiment, the denier of the cotton is preferably <NUM>. In this way, by using cotton of lower denier, the overall softness of the quilt structure <NUM> can be increased while maintaining the insulating effect of the insulating layer <NUM>.

Moreover, the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> are fleece fabric, breathable fabric or a combination thereof, and the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM> are non-woven fabric or fabric containing printing paints.

In the present invention, at least one of the first barrier layer <NUM> or the second barrier layer <NUM> is a textile containing a metal material <NUM>. That is, the metal material <NUM> may be disposed in at least one of the first barrier layer <NUM> or the second barrier layer <NUM> by being formed into metal fibers, or the metal material <NUM> may also be disposed in at least one of the first barrier layer <NUM> or the second barrier layer <NUM> by a coating process.

As for the use of the fabric layers, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first fabric layer <NUM> may adopt breathable fabric, while the second fabric layer <NUM> may adopt fleece fabric. In this way, the quilt structure <NUM> of this embodiment may be used as a dual-purpose quilt that is cool in summer and warm in winter.

In another embodiment, both the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> of the quilt structure <NUM> may adopt the breathable fabric so that the quilt structure <NUM> is only used as a breathable quilt or sleeping mat used in summer.

In yet another embodiment, both the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> may adopt the fleece fabric so that the quilt structure <NUM> may be used as a warm quilt or mattress used in winter.

In other words, no matter the first fabric layer <NUM> and the second fabric layer <NUM> adopt the same or different fabric, consumers may select depending on different use requirements thereof.

As for the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM>, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first barrier layer <NUM> may adopt non-woven fabric, and the second barrier layer <NUM> may be a textile containing a metal material <NUM>. More particularly, referring to <FIG>, if the cotton of the insulating layer <NUM> has a lower denier, the softness thereof is better; however, the cotton fibers are finer, so the cotton of the insulating layer <NUM> is more likely to escape from gaps of the first fabric layer <NUM> and/or the second fabric layer <NUM> without the arrangement of the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM>. After the arrangement of the first barrier layer <NUM> and the second barrier layer <NUM>, the non-woven fabric of the first barrier layer <NUM> and the textile containing the metal material <NUM> of the second barrier layer <NUM> can effectively prevent the fine cotton fibers from escaping from the gaps of the first fabric layer <NUM> and/or the second fabric layer <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the metal material <NUM> of the second barrier layer <NUM> is coated on the second barrier layer <NUM>, the metal material <NUM> also has the effect of radiating far-infrared rays, and the metal material <NUM> is disposed on the second barrier layer <NUM> by facing a side of the insulating layer <NUM>. In detail, in the embodiment of <FIG>, by disposing the metal material <NUM> on a side of the second barrier layer <NUM> that faces the insulating layer <NUM> through a coating process, even if the metal material <NUM> falls off after the quilt structure <NUM> has been used for a long time, the part of the metal material <NUM> that falls off will not escape from the gaps of the second fabric layer <NUM> and thus influence the user.

Additionally, in another aspect shown in <FIG>, the metal material <NUM> shown in <FIG> is simply changed to be coated on a side of the first barrier layer <NUM> that faces the insulating layer <NUM>, so the coated metal material <NUM> also avoids the drawback of escaping from the gaps of the second fabric layer <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the metal material <NUM> is disposed within the second barrier layer <NUM> by being formed into metal fibers, so the second barrier layer <NUM> at this point is a blended fabric, and falling-off of the metal material <NUM> will not occur to the second barrier layer <NUM> as a blended fabric.

The metal material <NUM> described above is metal particles comprising a group consisting of: gold (Au), platinum (Pt) and a combination thereof.

Next, referring to <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the quilt structure <NUM> according to the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the far-infrared fibers <NUM> comprises a first polymer matrix <NUM> and a first far-infrared filler <NUM>, and the first far-infrared filler <NUM> is dispersed in the first polymer matrix <NUM>. The first far-infrared filler <NUM> contains the following elements: titanium (Ti), germanium (Ge), zinc (Zn), aluminium (Al) and magnesium (Mg), and the first far-infrared filler <NUM> does not contain the following elements: scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), and antimony (Sb).

Additionally, the first far-infrared filler <NUM> further contains silicon (Si), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), barium (Ba), potassium (K) and sodium (Na). Furthermore, the first far-infrared filler <NUM> also contains elements selected from a group consisting of: manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), gallium (Ga), and a combination thereof, thereby achieving the effect of radiating far-infrared rays.

Further speaking, the first far-infrared filler <NUM> further comprises a second polymer matrix <NUM>, and the second polymer matrix <NUM> is disposed to cover the first polymer matrix <NUM>, and the second polymer matrix <NUM> has a second far-infrared filler <NUM> dispersed therein. Additionally, the second far-infrared filler <NUM> also contains the following elements: titanium, germanium, zinc, aluminium and magnesium.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the quilt structure <NUM> according to the present invention, which differs from <FIG> only in that: the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of <FIG> are hollow fibers in order to achieve a light weight and good elasticity.

Regarding the function of radiating far-infrared rays by the quilt structure <NUM> of the present invention which is achieved by using the far-infrared fibers <NUM>, the following experiments (<NUM>), (<NUM>) and (<NUM>) have been disclosed.

First, the experimental method adopted in Experiment (<NUM>) is as follows: during the test, a subject lay down and was covered by the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> for <NUM> minutes, and then the blood flow volume, the blood flow rate and the skin temperature of the subject were measured, and the results were recorded in Table <NUM>.

As can be seen from Table <NUM>, after the subject was covered by the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention, the blood flow volume and the blood flow rate of the abdomen, waist and shoulder were all significantly increased, and the skin temperature was not changed significantly but only slightly increased. This result shows that the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention can effectively improve blood circulation while raising the body surface temperature of the user within a safe range and maintaining a normal blood pressure pulse.

The experimental method adopted in Experiment (<NUM>) is as follows: differences between a mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention and a general mattress were compared in terms of improving the surface microcirculation effect of diabetic patients (type <NUM>). Measurement positions were the shoulder and the anterior tibial muscle at the maximum circumference of the shank. The subject had a rest in a sitting position after coming to the clinical trial room, and the ambient room temperature was controlled at <NUM> ± <NUM>. First, the blood pressure and the heartbeat of the subject were measured. Next, the subject lay down to rest for <NUM> minutes, and then the physiological data thereof was measured for <NUM> seconds before being covered by the mattress. After the measurement, the whole body of the subject in the experimental group was covered by the experimental mattress for <NUM> minutes, and the subject in the control group was covered by a general mattress, and then the subjects were measured in the covered state for <NUM> seconds.

The experimental results show that for diabetic patients, the mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention improved the microcirculation blood flow volume respectively by <NUM>%, <NUM>% and <NUM>% at the shoulder, the right leg and the left leg, and the results were shown in <FIG>.

On the other hand, for diabetic patients, the mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention improved the body surface temperature respectively by <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> at the shoulder, the right leg and the left leg, and the results were shown in <FIG>.

Based on the above research results, it is revealed that for a type <NUM> diabetic patient, the mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention was more effective in improving the blood microcirculation of the body surface than the general mattress. In particular, the mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention improved the microcirculation blood flow volume by more than <NUM>% when covered in the leg as compared to that of the general mattress, and reached statistical significance. In terms of the warming effect, the mattress provided with the quilt structure <NUM> having the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention was also more effective in improving the body surface temperature than the general mattress.

In addition, the quilt structure <NUM> made of the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention further has an effect of activating human cortical cells in addition to the above-described effects of improving the blood flow volume and the blood flow rate of the human body. Experiment (<NUM>) showing improvement in the skin texture of human body will be disclosed below.

The experimental method adopted in Experiment (<NUM>) is as follows: during the test, three zones of <NUM> × <NUM> were marked on the flexor side of the forearm of the subject. Among the three zones, the first zone (A) was "covered by the fabric containing no far-infrared fiber", the second zone (B) was "covered by the fabric with far-infrared fibers", and the third zone (C) was "not covered or coated by anything". Also, parameters of the above skin were measured and recorded by an instrument every seven days, and the statistical operation was continuously performed twice for a total of fourteen days. In addition, the experiment was divided into a youth group (<NUM> females, age <NUM>±<NUM> years old) and a middle-aged group (<NUM> females, age <NUM>±<NUM> years old), and the statistical results of the experiment on the youth group were recorded in Table <NUM> and <FIG>, and the statistical results of the experiment on the middle-aged group were recorded in Table <NUM> and <FIG>.

In more detail, this experiment used a roughness analyzer on the skin surface, a UV probe was used to capture a skin texture of high definition and contrast, then difference between the skin groove and the skin mound of the skin was calculated by software, and then the roughness of the skin was explained with a mathematical formula. In this experiment, a larger difference between the skin groove and the skin mound obtained through the calculation of the computer software represents rougher texture of the skin.

The research results of this experiment were shown in Table <NUM>, and after using the quilt structure <NUM> made of the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention for <NUM> days, the skin roughness of the subjects in the youth group was reduced respectively by <NUM>% (surface), <NUM>% (volume) and <NUM>% (R), and moreover, the skin roughness of the subjects in the middle-aged group was reduced respectively by <NUM>% (surface), <NUM>% (volume), and <NUM>% (R).

As can be proved by the above experiments, after using the quilt structure <NUM> made of the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention for a long time, the far-infrared rays radiated by the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention can generate a warming effect in the subcutaneous tissue layer although the far-infrared rays are completely absorbed at the epidermis layer based on the fact that the human skin can be divided into three layers of epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue from the outside to the inside. Therefore, part of energy of the wavelength emitted by the far-infrared rays radiated by the far-infrared fibers <NUM> of the present invention can be effectively absorbed by the tissue molecules and water molecules of the shallow skin, thereby achieving the effect of reducing the surface roughness of the skin.

Claim 1:
A quilt structure (<NUM>) with a non-powered energy layer, comprising:
an insulating layer (<NUM>);
a first barrier layer (<NUM>) and a second barrier layer (<NUM>), being disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating layer (<NUM>) respectively, wherein the first barrier layer (<NUM>) and the second barrier layer (<NUM>) are non-woven fabric or fabric containing printing paints;
a first fabric layer (<NUM>), being disposed on one of the first barrier layer (<NUM>) or the second barrier layer (<NUM>) opposite the insulating layer (<NUM>); and
a second fabric layer (<NUM>), being disposed on another of the first barrier layer (<NUM>) or the second barrier layer (<NUM>) opposite the insulating layer (<NUM>);
wherein at least one of the insulating layer (<NUM>), the first fabric layer (<NUM>) and the second fabric layer (<NUM>) has far-infrared fibers for radiating far infrared rays and at least one of the first barrier layer (<NUM>) and the second barrier layer (<NUM>) is a textile containing a metal material (<NUM>),
wherein the far-infrared fibers comprise a first polymer matrix and a first far-infrared filler dispersed in the first polymer matrix, the first far-infrared filler containing titanium (Ti), germanium (Ge), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), barium (Ba), potassium (K), and sodium (Na), and does not contain scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), and antimony (Sb).