Green Tea Memory Foam for Odor and Microbe Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foam mattresses, pillows, and cushions do not effectively incorporate plant-based materials like green tea, which can provide therapeutic benefits, without compromising comfort and durability, as loose tea leaves or dust often seep out and detract from the product's quality.
Innovation Solution
A method of integrating green tea powder into the foam manufacturing process using polyol raw materials, silicone surfactants, and catalysts to create antimicrobial and antiodorant green tea foam, ensuring even distribution and therapeutic benefits without the need for separate structures or receptacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crushed tea leaves are placed in pillow fillings or mattress coverings, then therapeutic benefits are provided, but tea leaf dust is formed and seeps out, detracting from comfort and quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines tea leaves with foam materials to create a unified composite structure. The tea leaves are integrated into the foam matrix, eliminating the need for separate pillow fillings or mattress coverings. This merging prevents tea leaf dust from separating and seeping out while maintaining the therapeutic benefits of the tea leaves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material by combining foam with tea leaves. This composite structure integrates the beneficial properties of both materials: the foam provides structural integrity and comfort, while the tea leaves provide therapeutic benefits. The composite prevents the tea leaves from breaking down into dust that would detract from comfort.
2Reliability
If plant raw materials are added to pillow fillings, then therapeutic functions are generated, but the comfort of the pillow is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining plant-based tea leaves with foam. This composite structure maintains the therapeutic functions of the plant materials while the foam component ensures comfort. The integration of these materials in a composite form allows both therapeutic and comfort requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
3Reliability
If tea leaves are placed directly into pillow fillings, then benefits of tea leaves are achieved, but tea leaf dust seeps out of the pillow case
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges tea leaves with foam materials to create an integrated structure. This combination prevents the tea leaves from breaking down into dust that would seep out of the pillow case. The foam matrix holds the tea leaves in place, eliminating the loss of substance while maintaining the therapeutic benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam acts as a flexible matrix that encloses and holds the tea leaves. This flexible structure prevents the tea leaves from escaping as dust while allowing the pillow to maintain its comfort and shape. The foam matrix effectively contains the tea leaves without requiring rigid enclosures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The green tea foam exhibits measurable antimicrobial and antiodorant properties, reducing chemical odors and bacteria/mold growth, enhancing user comfort and product durability while maintaining the foam's breathability and elasticity.
Implementation Method 1
Bacteria, mites and mold that live in the fabric of a pillow case are killed when they come into contact with the green tea foam
Implementation Method 2
the green tea additive decreases the smell of the memory foam chemicals in the memory foam pillow
Implementation Method 3
The silicone surfactant is mixed with the polyol raw materials
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making foam imparts antimicrobial and antiodorant qualities to the foam. Green tea powder is added to the polyol raw materials for making memory foam. The green tea memory foam is used to make pillows, cushions and mattresses. Green tea foam in the top layer of a mattress acts as an antiodorant such that less of the chemical smell of the memory foam is perceived by the user. In addition, the bacteria and mold that would otherwise develop in the moist warmer sleeping environment on memory foam are killed by the green tea additive to the foam. Measurable antimicrobial and antiodorant qualities in the green tea foam are achievable by adding green tea powder constituting less than 2% of the weight of the resulting green tea foam. A neck-support contour pillow is made using memory foam that contains green tea and a green dye.