The present invention concerns a bed mattress having channels and having a valve for filling air into said channels.

The invention also concerns a method for manufacturing a bed mattress provided with channels and having a preferably self-closing valve for filling air into said channels.

Air-beds are today used as bed mattresses, wherein the air-bed, which consists of welded together plastic foil portions having channels provided between said plastic foil portions and which is provided with an air filling valve of the preferably self-closing kind. A surrounding removable and washable textile material envelope forms in that connection covering for said mattress .

Upon air leakage, such a bed mattress collapses and becomes unusable, which however is a less common problem.

However, such a mattress emits a rustling sound when the person who is lying or sitting on the mattress changes position, which may be disturbing both to the person carried by the mattress and to the environment. This rustling sound, which is a more serious problem, emanates primarily from the air-bed but also from the abutment of the envelope against the outside of the air bed .

In visco-elastic bed mattresses, for instance of the type that consists of plastic material such as silicone, a serious problem, especially to

rheumatic patients, is when these persons desire to change position and turn around on the mattress. Namely, the body of the person lying on such a visco-elastic bed mattress sinks down into the mattress material and prevents, or at least makes more difficult, position change of the body. Such bed mattresses are also heavy to handle because of their compact structure and thereby greater weight. Air beds, which are light to handle, allow turning around easily when you are lying on an air-bed, however with said sound problem and with risk of collapse upon air leakage.

Known is to use foam plastic and different types of fibres to provide the sound reduction. However, it has turned out that the material has a number of negative properties such as it being time-consuming to get the material into the mattresses, that it is not

environmental-friendly and that it has high weight. The material is in addition expensive, which leads to a more expensive final product.

Thus, the main object of the present invention is, among other things, to solve at least the problems mentioned above by simple means and cost- effectively.

Said object is achieved by means of a bed mattress according to the present invention comprising a foil mattress of plastic in a surrounding envelope of textile material, the foil mattress comprising channels, which extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the mattress, and having a preferably self-closing valve for filling air into said channels, which are

interconnected via air passages, which essentially is characterized in that in the channels of the bed mattress, there is received polyethylene foam having open cells, at least in such an amount that the plastic material in the foil mattress is mutually separated, in addition to air. A further object is also to manufacture such a bed mattress easily and efficiently.

Said further object is achieved by means of a proceeding according to the invention, which

essentially is characterized in that plastic foil is welded so that the frame of the mattress is formed apart from one or more certain passages to produced channels being left open from the side of the channels, that said channels are filled entirely or partly with polyethylene foam having open cells, at least in such an amount that the plastic material in the mattress is mutually

separated, the valve being welded in place on the mattress before the closure of said channels.

The invention is described below in the form of a number of preferred embodiment examples, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig 1 shows a perspective view of a bed mattress according to the invention, where a filling is shown how it is stuffed or blown into intended air

channels of an air-fillable bed mattress in shown open position along one long side,

Fig. 2 shows a valve mounted on the bed mattress before welding together the side edge thereof,

Fig 3 shows a cross-section of completed bed mattress, and

Fig 4 shows the bed mattress put into a surrounding envelope having partly upturned envelope portion .

The present invention concerns a bed mattress wherein an air-bed which is filled with

polyethylene foam having open cells, in order to, among other things, prevent rustle sound from the foil of the air-bed when someone is sitting or lying on the mattress.

* The filling in the mattress affords an efficient sound reduction and, in addition, the comfort is improved and accordingly affords a double effect.

* The air-bed should preferably be formed with transverse air channels for the best comfort and an even support to the body.

* The valve for filling air and emptying should preferably have a self-sealing function so as to easily be able to adjust the mattress to desired softness degree.

* Another advantage of the filling of polyethylene foam having open cells is that it is quick and easy to fill the mattresses with the material and having low weight.

* The material can be re-used.

* Upon incineration, no poisonous gases arise .

* A further advantage is that the

polyethylene foam inside the channels of the mattress resumes its shape directly after the person has moved or moved the weight on the mattress in another way.

When the mattress has the desired amount of air and material in the channels, the valve is closed. When the body weighs on the mattress and the air is pressed through the cells in the foam, this results in the foam not becoming compressed.

The advantage of the construction is also that the mattress gets an essentially lower weight than visco-elastic mattresses of known type which lock the body since then one sinks down into the mattress in

correspondence with the shape of the body. For instance for rheumatic patients, which is a well-known problem when they should change position and turn around.

The mattress can be washed off and no skin deposits and mite can penetrate down therein, neither urine .

The mattress is excellent for medical treatment and has effective pressure relief capacity.

Between each transverse air channel, a ventilating channel is formed to get body heat and moisture to be removed.

The mattress will be much more inexpensive than the visco-elastic mattresses. Covering for the mattresses can be used in usual embodiments.

According to the invention, in the

production process of the air-bed, there is intended to create a number of air channels, which are provided by welding plastic foil so that an opening is formed at one end of each channel where filling of polyethylene foam having open cells can be effected to an amount and volume that is suitable to keep apart the plastic material in the channels of the air-bed. Next, the channels of the air-bed are welded up by a preferably self-sealing valve for filling air or emptying air according to needs and desire. Thereby, the problem of air-bed mattresses, that these rustle by the plastic foil material itself or from the material of the covering surrounding the plastic mattress when you are lying or sitting on the air-bed, is solved. Thus, the problem is solved thanks to the invention by filling the air-bed with polyethylene foam having open cells that efficiently damps the rustle sound, which is disturbing and solves thereby a serious problem existing today of air-bed mattresses.

A bed mattress 1, which is provided with a plurality of channels 2 and having a preferably self- closing valve 3 intended and adapted for filling air 4 into said channels 2, has, according to the present invention, received polyethylene foam having open cells 5 in said channels 2 of the bed mattress, in addition to air 4. Said channels 2 are entirely or partly filled with polyethylene foam having open cells 5 in the amount and volume that is suitable to at least keep apart the plastic material of the mattress 1 and the channels 2 thereof.

Air 4 may suitably flow between said channels 2 by said mattress channels 2 being

interconnected via air passages 6.

For the best comfort, said channels 2 extend transversely 7 to the longitudinal direction 8 of the mattress.

A suitable proceeding for manufacturing a bed mattress 1 which is provided with channels 2 and having a preferably self-closing valve 3 for filling air 4 takes place according to the present invention in such a way that plastic foil is welded so that the frame of the mattress 1 is formed, apart from one or more certain passages to produced channels 2 being left open from the side, so that communication between the channels 2 is allowed. Next, said channels 2 are filled entirely or partly with polyethylene foam having open cells 5, at least in such an amount that the plastic material 9, 10 of the mattress 1 is mutually separated. The valve 3 is also welded in place on the mattress 1 before the closure of said channels 2 and preferably before the filling of the same. In that connection, said channels 2 are welded transversely 7 with air passages 6 interconnecting a number of said channels 2. Suitably, the filling material is stuffed into said channels 2 whereupon the plastic foil is welded in a known way per se and by known means in the longitudinal direction 8 of the mattress along one long side of the mattress before putting the foil mattress 1 in a surrounding envelope 11 consisting of textile material. In that connection, polyethylene foam having open cells 5 is utilized to fill the channels 2.

In order to further increase the comfort of said bed mattress 1, polyethylene foam having open cells may also be placed between the outside of the mattress and the inside of the envelope before the closure of the envelope 11. Preferably, said polyethylene foam having open cells 5 is attached on the outside of the mattress and/or on the inside of the envelope.

The function and nature of the invention should have been clearly understood from the above- mentioned and also with knowledge of what is shown in the drawings but the invention is naturally not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications are feasible, particularly as for the nature of the different parts, or by using an

equivalent technique, without departing from the

protection area of the invention, such as it is defined in the claims.