Patent ID: 8613120

Claim:
A cushioning device, comprising: a first foam layer having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a second foam layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and wherein the lower surface of the first foam layer is a contoured lower surface defining multiple zones of foam projections having free end projection surfaces connected to the lower surface of the second foam layer, with the projections within at least some of the zones having a different maximum projection height relative to a maximum projection height of the projections in another one or more of said zones, the different maximum height projections of said zones resulting in one or more crowns being formed in the upper surface of said first foam layer upon connection of the end projection surfaces to the upper surface of the second foam layer, and wherein there are 5 or more zones arranged in sequence along a longitudinal direction of elongation of said cushioning device, such that there is, in sequence, a first end zone of height H 1 , a first intermediate zone of height H 2 , a generally central region zone of height H 3 , a second intermediate zone and a second end zone, and wherein one of said one or more crowns is defined by said central region zone by having maximum height projections of said intermediate zones and end zones of lesser height than that of the central region zone and wherein H 1 <H 2 <H 3 and wherein a height of projection of the projections in said end zones being 30 to 50% of overall height H 1 ; the intermediate zones having a projection height of 40 to 60% of H 2 and the central region zone having projections of 55 to 75% of H 3 .