System and method for thermoelectric personal comfort controlled bedding
AssigneeMarlow Industries, Inc.
InventorsOverton (Bud) Parish, Leonard Recine, Kevin Garrett, Mark L. Kutch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A distribution system is adapted for use with a mattress and a personal comfort system with an air conditioning system operable for outputting a conditioned air flow. The distribution system includes at least top and bottom layers of fabric material and a spacer structure disposed between the bottom and top layers. The spacer structure defines an internal volume within the distribution layer and is configured to enable the received conditioned air flow to flow therethrough. This flow of conditioned air has a cooling or heating effect on a body on the mattress.
Claims22
A distribution system adapted for use with a mattress and a personal comfort system having an air conditioning system operable for outputting a conditioned air flow, the distribution system comprising:
- a spacer panel comprising:
- a spacer structure defining an internal volume within the spacer panel and configured to enable the conditioned air flow to flow therethrough,
- a first bottom layer of impermeable material and disposed under the spacer structure, and
- a first top layer formed of impermeable material and disposed above the spacer structure at end sections of the spacer structure and not a middle section of the spacer structure;
- a mattress overlay layer configured to be disposed above the mattress, the mattress overlay layer comprising:
- a second bottom layer of material having low permeability,
- a second top layer of material having at least some permeability, wherein the second bottom layer and the second top layer define an internal space adapted and sized to receive therein the spacer panel, and
- an opening configured to enable the spacer panel to be removably inserted into the internal space between the second bottom layer and the second top layer of the mattress overlay layer and receive a conditioned air flow from an air conditioning system for delivery to the spacer panel;
- and
- wherein at least a portion of the second top layer is configured to enable at least a portion of the conditioned air flow to pass from the spacer structure into a surrounding atmosphere near a top surface of a mattress.
A distribution system adapted for use with a mattress and a personal comfort system having an air conditioning system operable for outputting a conditioned air flow, the distribution system comprising:
- a spacer panel comprising:
- a spacer structure defining an internal volume within the spacer panel and configured to enable the conditioned air flow to flow therethrough, the spacer structure comprising a three-dimensional (3D) mesh fabric configured to provide support to a body and resistance to crushing and blocking of the conditioned air flow,
- a first bottom layer of impermeable material and disposed under the spacer structure, and
- a first top layer formed of impermeable material and disposed above the spacer structure at end sections of the spacer structure and not a middle section of the spacer structure;
- a mattress overlay layer configured to be disposed above a mattress, the mattress overlay layer comprising:
- a second bottom layer of material having low permeability,
- a second top layer of material having at least some permeability, wherein the second bottom layer and the second top layer are configured to define a first and a second internal space adapted and sized each to receive therein a spacer panel,
- a first opening between the second bottom layer and the second top layer of a size that enables insertion or removal of a first spacer panel within the first internal space and configured to receive a conditioned air flow from an air conditioning system for delivery to the first spacer panel when disposed therein, and
- a second opening between the second bottom layer and the second top layer of a size that enables insertion or removal of a second spacer panel within the second internal space and configured to receive a conditioned air flow from an air conditioning system for delivery to the second spacer panel when disposed therein;
- and
- wherein at least a portion of the second top layer is configured to enable at least a portion of the conditioned air flow to pass from the spacer structure of the spacer panel into a surrounding atmosphere near a top surface of a mattress.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.