Tension relief foam and mattress constructions

Abstract

Engineered foam components for mattresses reduce tension forces in the foam and in the horizontal plane or block planar pieces, and improve the conformance and motion separation characteristics of foam support systems. The tension relief foam pad is a generally rectangular piece of foam having a top surface and a bottom surface. The length and width measurements of engineered foam pieces are substantially equal to that of a mattress with which it is to be used. Depending on the arrangement of the tension relief foam pad within the mattress construction, either the top or bottom surface contains a plurality of continuous cuts, slits or openings arranged in a checkerboard or other patterns with an opposite planar uncut surface.

1 . A tension relief mattress system comprising:
 an innerspring unit having a plurality of interconnected coils arranged in rows and columns;   a tension relief pad located directly above the innerspring, the tension relief pad having a top surface which is generally planar and a bottom surface, opposite the top surface, which has a plurality of cuts arranged to form a plurality of square or rectangles thereon;   wherein the tension relief pad is at least 1 inch thick, the width of the square or rectangles on the bottom surface is at least 2.5 inches and the distance between each adjacent square or rectangle is less than 0.75 inches.   
     
     
         2 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of square or rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad sits directly above each of the plurality of interconnected coils of the innerspring. 
     
     
         3 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of square or rectangles on the bottom of the tension relief pad sits directly above at least one coil of the innerspring. 
     
     
         4 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of square or rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad are uniform in size. 
     
     
         5 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of square or rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad are non-uniform in size. 
     
     
         6 . Then tension relief mattress system of  claim 1 , wherein a first group of square or
 rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad are of a first size which corresponds to three coils of the innerspring unit and a second group of square or rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad are of a second size which corresponds to two coils of the innerspring unit.   
     
     
         7 . The tension relief mattress of  claim 1 , wherein the square or rectangles located on a short edge of the bottom surface of the tension relief pad have a larger width than the remainder of the blocks located therebetween. 
     
     
         8 . The tension relief mattress of  claim 1 , wherein the space between each adjacent pair of squares or rectangles on the bottom surface of the tension relief pad is of uniform size. 
     
     
         9 . The tension relief mattress of  claim 1 , wherein the tension relief pad is made of polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         10 . The tension relief mattress of  claim 1 , wherein a spacer fabric is located between the tension relief pad and the innerspring unit. 
     
     
         11 . A tension relief mattress system comprising:
 an innerspring unit having a plurality of interconnected coils;   a tension relief pad having a top layer which is substantially planar and a bottom layer, opposite the top layer, which contains a plurality of cuts formed into a plurality of raised blocks;   wherein the thickness of the plurality of raised blocks is at least one inch, the width of the plurality of raised blocks is greater than or equal to the block height and the distance between each adjacent pair of the plurality of raised blocks is approximately 15% of the smallest block width.   
     
     
         12 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the size of the plurality of raised blocks is uniform. 
     
     
         13 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the size of the plurality of raised blocks is non-uniform. 
     
     
         14 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the size of the plurality of foam blocks corresponds to one or more coils of the innerspring unit. 
     
     
         15 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the tension relief pad is made of polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         16 . A tension relief mattress system comprising:
 an innerspring unit having a plurality of interconnected coils;   a comfort unit comprising two or more foam layers and a tension relief pad positioned between the two or more foam layers, the tension relief pad having a top surface which contains a plurality of cuts formed into a plurality of raised blocks;   wherein the thickness of the tension relief pad is at least one inch, and   wherein the tension relief foam pad is laminated.   
     
     
         17 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the size of the plurality of raised blocks is uniform. 
     
     
         18 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the size of the plurality of raised blocks is non-uniform. 
     
     
         19 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the tension relief pad is made of polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         20 . The tension relief mattress system of  claim 11 , wherein the height of the plurality of raised blocks is at least 2.5 inches.