Backfolded Pocket Mattress Seams for Smooth Surface Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pocket mattresses with coil springs enclosed in pockets suffer from 'false lofts,' which create an uneven surface, reducing comfort and making it difficult to attach additional layers, leading to deformation and a less appealing appearance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of back folded transverse seams in the pocket mattress, where the covering material is folded towards the middle portion of the seams, effectively reducing protruding material and creating a smooth, even surface, allowing for better attachment of additional layers and maintaining mattress appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional transverse seams are used to enclose coil springs in pockets, then the springs are individually resilient and distribute weight uniformly, but the covering material protrudes from the surface creating false lofts and an uneven surface
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse seam is inverted by backfolding the covering material towards the middle portion, so instead of the seam creating a protruding false loft, the folded material lies flat against the mattress surface, eliminating the unevenness while preserving the pocket structure
Solution Approach 2:
The transverse seam is transformed from a linear attachment into a three-dimensional folded structure by backfolding the covering material, allowing the seam to attach multiple layers while maintaining a smooth external surface
2Ease of operation
If additional layers are attached to the pocket mattress surface, then the mattress comfort is improved, but the additional layer becomes poorly adhered and deforms due to false lofts
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the transverse seam structure through backfolding, the surface becomes smooth and uniform, providing a proper substrate for attaching additional layers without the interference of protruding false lofts that cause poor adhesion and deformation
3Strength
If multiple layers of covering material are attached at transverse seams, then the structural integrity is improved, but the surface becomes lumpy and deformed during use
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse seam is transformed from a linear attachment into a three-dimensional folded structure by backfolding the covering material, allowing the seam to attach multiple layers (at least twice as many layers) while the folded structure lies flat against the mattress surface, maintaining smoothness
Solution Approach 2:
The backfolded covering material creates nested layers where the folded portion is contained within the overall seam structure, allowing multiple layers to be attached at the seam while maintaining a compact, smooth external surface
Data Source
AI summary
A pocket mattress includes coil springs arranged as spring units, arranged successively in elongate strings, enclosed in a covering material forming pockets. A plurality of the strings are arranged side by side, the strings including a plurality of transverse seams arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the coil springs to separate the pockets. A middle portion of the transverse seams attaches at least a layer of covering material from either side of the spring unit to each other. At least some of the seams are back folded seams, in which the covering material proximate to an end portion of the back folded seams is back folded towards the middle portion of the transverse seams. As such, the back folded transverse seams each have at least one end portion attaching at least twice as many layers of covering material as in a corresponding transverse seam which is not back folded.