The present invention relates to a duvet and bedding.

Various duvets and bedding exist. However, the present inventor has devised improved duvets and bedding.

In one aspect the present invention provides a duvet comprising an outer envelope which includes first and second main sheet sections, and an insulating material which is disposed between the main sheet sections, wherein one and only one of the main sheet sections includes a thermally- reflective membrane.

In one embodiment the outer envelope is formed of a flexible sheet material.

In one embodiment the insulating material is sandwiched between the main sheet sections, optionally being stitched thereto.

In one embodiment the main sheet sections are joined at the peripheral edges thereof by pleats, which allow for separation of the main sheet sections at the peripheral edges thereof.

In another embodiment the main sheet sections are bonded together at the peripheral edges thereof.

In one embodiment the outer envelope is formed of spunbond olefin sheet.

In one embodiment the insulating material comprises at least one sheet of a compressible insulation material.

In another embodiment the insulating materia! comprises at least one sheet of a compressible multi-foil insulation material, which comprises layers of foil and insulation, wherein the one or more layers of foil are dis-continuous so as to be air permeable.

In one embodiment the one or more layers of foil include apertures, optionally the one or more layers of foil are perforated.

In one embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane is substantially impermeable to air.

In one embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane is substantially continuous.

In one embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane comprises a film.

In one embodiment the film is a metallized film, optionally a metallized polymeric film.

In one embodiment the outer envelope defines at least one enclosed, airtight chamber.

In one embodiment the duvet further comprises a pump unit for adjusting the volume of the at least one chamber so as to regulate a thermal resistance of the duvet.

In one embodiment the pump unit comprises a pump which draws air into the at least one chamber so as to increase the volume of the at least one chamber and cause expansion of the insulating material, providing increased thermal resistance, and draws air from the at least one chamber so as to reduce the volume of the at least one chamber and cause the compression of the insulating material, providing reduced thermal resistance.

In one embodiment the pump is manually operated by a user to provide a desired thermal resistance. In another embodiment the pump unit includes at least one temperature sensor which senses a temperature of one or both of an external environment at an upper surface of the duvet and an internal environment at a lower surface of the duvet, and a controller which controls the pump to adjust the volume of the at least one chamber in response to the one or more sensed temperatures.

In one embodiment the controller is set to control the pump to regulate the volume of the at least one chamber to maintain the lower surface of the duvet at a desired temperature.

In one embodiment the pump unit is integrated within the duvet.

In one embodiment the outer envelope defines a plurality of airtight chambers, and the pump unit includes a plurality of temperature sensors, each associated with a respective one of the chambers, whereby the volume of the chambers can be separately adjusted.

In another aspect the present invention provides a method of using the above-described duvet comprising arranging the duvet in a first orientation so that the one main sheet section of the outer envelope is a lower surface of the duvet when a user requires a lower thermal resistance and arranging the duvet in a second orientation so that the one main sheet section of the outer envelope is an upper surface of the duvet when a user requires a higher thermal resistance.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a duvet comprising an outer envelope which defines at least one enclosed, airtight chamber, an insulating material within the outer envelope, and a pump unit for adjusting the volume of the at least one chamber so as to regulate a thermal resistance of the duvet. In one embodiment the outer envelope is formed of a flexible sheet material.

In one embodiment the outer envelope comprises first and second main sheet sections, between which the insulating material is sandwiched.

In one embodiment the main sheet sections are joined at the peripheral edges thereof by pleats, which allow for separation of the main sheet sections at the peripheral edges thereof.

In another embodiment the main sheet sections are bonded together at the peripheral edges thereof.

In one embodiment the outer envelope is formed of spunbond olefin sheet.

In one embodiment the insulating material comprises at least one sheet of a compressible insulation material.

In another embodiment the insulating material comprises at least one sheet of a compressible multi-foil insulation material, which comprises layers of foil and insulation.

In one embodiment the pump unit comprises a pump which draws air into the at least one chamber so as to increase the volume of the at least one chamber and cause expansion of the insulating material, providing increased thermal resistance, and draws air from the at least one chamber so as to reduce the volume of the at least one chamber and cause the compression of the insulating material, providing reduced thermal resistance.

In one embodiment the pump is manually operated by a user to provide a desired thermal resistance.

In another embodiment the pump unit includes at least one temperature sensor which senses a temperature of one or both of an external environment at an upper surface of the duvet and an internal environment at a lower surface of the duvet, and a controller which controls the pump to adjust the volume of the at least one chamber in response to the one or more sensed temperatures.

In one embodiment the controller is set to control the pump to regulate the volume of the at least one chamber to maintain the lower surface of the duvet at a desired temperature.

In one embodiment the pump unit is integrated within the duvet.

In one embodiment the outer envelope defines a plurality of airtight chambers, and the pump unit includes a plurality of temperature sensors, each associated with a respective one of the chambers, whereby the volume of the chambers can be separately adjusted.

In a further aspect the present invention provides bedding formed of a spunbond olefin.

In one embodiment the bedding is a bed sheet. In one embodiment the bedding is a pillow case.

In a still further aspect the present invention provides bedding comprising a main sheet section and at least one draw string attached to a peripheral edge of the main sheet section, which allows for the main sheet section to be fitted to a mattress by drawing the at least one drawstring beneath a lower surface of the main sheet section and to be drawn closed, providing an enclosed volume, by drawing the at least one drawstring above an upper surface of the main sheet section.

In one embodiment the main sheet section is formed of a spunbond olefin sheet. In one embodiment the at least one drawstring extends through at least one channel at peripheral edges of the main sheet section.

In one embodiment the at least one channel is formed by an enclosed fold in the main sheet section.

In another embodiment the at least one channel is formed by a plurality of loops.

In one embodiment the bedding includes a plurality of channels at respective peripheral edges of the main sheet section.

In one embodiment the bedding includes a plurality of drawstrings.

In one embodiment the bedding is a bed sheet.

In another embodiment the bedding is a pillow case.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described hereinbelow by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :

Figure 1 illustrates a duvet in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a vertical sectional view (along section I-I in Figure 1) through the duvet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the duvet of Figure 1 in an expanded state ; Figure 4 illustrates a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the duvet of Figure 1 in a compressed state;

Figure 5 illustrates a duvet in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 illustrates bedding in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 illustrates the underside of a mattress having the bedding of Figure 6 fitted thereto;

Figure 8 illustrates the bedding of Figure 6 when tied up using the draw strings; and

Figure 9 illustrates bedding in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a duvet in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

The duvet comprises an outer envelope 2 which is formed so as to define at least one enclosed, airtight chamber 7, an insulating material 9 within the outer envelope 2, and a pump unit 10 which regulates the volume of the chamber 7, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow.

In this embodiment the outer envelope 2 is formed of a flexible sheet material.

In this embodiment the outer envelope 2 comprises upper and lower sheets 15, 17, defining first and second main sheet sections, between which the insulating material 9 is sandwiched. In this embodiment the sheets 15, 17 are joined at the peripheral edges thereof by pleats 19, which allow for movement of the sheets 15, 17 in a generally parallel manner at the peripheral edges thereof.

In an alternative embodiment the sheets 15, 17 could be bonded together at the peripheral edges thereof.

In this embodiment the outer envelope 2 is formed of spunbond olefin sheet. This material advantageously is very light and allows for the transfer of moisture, but prevents the transfer of liquids which could contaminate the inner insulating material 9.

In this embodiment one and only one of the sheets 15, 17, here the first sheet 15, includes a thermally-reflective membrane 20.

In this embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane 20 is substantially impermeable to air, here air impermeable.

In one embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane 20 is substantially continuous.

In one embodiment the thermally-reflective membrane 20 comprises a film.

In one embodiment the film is a metallized film, optionally a metallized polymeric film.

With this configuration, the duvet can be orientated to provide for two different levels of thermal insulation. When the duvet is arranged in a first orientation so that the one sheet 15 of the outer envelope 2 is a lower surface of the duvet, the duvet provides a lower thermal resistance, as heat is not contained within the insulating material 9 thereabove. When the duvet is arranged in a second orientation so that the one sheet 15 of the outer envelope 2 is an upper surface of the duvet, the duvet provides a higher thermal resistance, as heat is contained within the insulating material 9 thereabove.

In this embodiment the outer envelope 2 includes at least one port 23 through which air can pass into and out of the at least one chamber 7 as defined by the outer envelope 2.

In this embodiment the insulating material 9 comprises at least one sheet of a compressible multi-foil insulation material, which comprises layers of foil and insulation 9a, 9b, such as Actis TRISO-SUPER 10+ (RTM).

In one embodiment the one or more layers of foil 9b of the insulating material 9 are dis-continuous so as to be air permeable.

In one embodiment the one or more layers of foil 9b of the insulating material 9 include apertures 24, optionally the one or more layers of foil 9b are perforated

In another embodiment the insulating material 9 could comprise at least one sheet of a compressible insulation material, such as Actis Hybrid (RTM).

In this embodiment the pump unit 10 comprises a pump 31 which is fluidly connected to the at least one port 23 for drawing air into the at least one chamber 7 so as to expand the same, thereby increasing the spacing of the sheets 15, 17 and the thickness of the insulation material 9, and drawing air from the at least one chamber 7 so as to compress the same, thereby decreasing the spacing of the sheets 15, 17 and the thickness of the insulation material 9.

With this configuration, the effective insulation or TOG value of the duvet can be regulated by controlling the volume of the at least one chamber 7. Figure 3 illustrates a first, expanded configuration, in which the at least one chamber 7 is inflated, so as to have a larger spacing d l between the sheets 15, 17, which allows the insulation material 9 to expand to fill the available volume, and by virtue of the greater trapped volume of air provides a greater thermal resistance. Figure 4 illustrates a second, compressed configuration, in which the at least one chamber 7 is deflated, so as to have a smaller spacing d2 between the sheets 15, 17, which causes the insulation material 9 to be compressed, and by virtue of the greater trapped volume of air provides a greater thermal resistance.

Also, with this configuration, operation of the pump 31 to deflate the at least one chamber 7 acts to vent moisture, which passes into the at least one chamber 7 from the user through the lower sheet 17, to atmosphere.

In one embodiment the pump 31 can be manually operated by the user to provide a desired TOG value.

In this embodiment the pump unit 10 includes at least one temperature sensor 33 which senses a temperature of one or both of the external environment at an upper surface of the duvet and the internal environment at the lower surface of the duvet, which represents the temperature of the user, and a controller 35 which controls the pump 31 to regulate the volume of the at least one chamber 7, and so the TOG value of the duvet, in accordance with a predetermined protocol, based on the one or more sensed temperatures.

In one embodiment the controller 35 can be set to control the pump 31 to regulate the volume of the at least one chamber 7, and so the TOG value of the duvet, to maintain the internal environment at the lower surface of the duvet at a desired temperature.

In one embodiment the controller 35 can provide for operation of the pump 31 to re-fresh the volume of air in the at least one chamber 7, by a deflation and inflation cycle, so as to expel moisture-laden air from the at least one chamber 7 and re-fill the at least one chamber 7 with fresh ambient air. In one embodiment this operation can be manually triggered by a user. In another embodiment this operation can occur automatically at periodic intervals.

In this embodiment the pump unit 31 is powered by a battery 37.

In this embodiment the pump unit 10 is integrated within the duvet.

In an alternative embodiment the pump unit 10 could be remote from the duvet.

Figure 5 illustrates a duvet in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The duvet of this embodiment is very similar to the duvet of the above- described embodiment, and, in the interests of expediency, only the differences will be described in detail, with like parts being designated by like reference signs.

The duvet of this embodiment differs from that of the above-described embodiment in that the outer envelope 2 defines a plurality of separate airtight chambers 7a -f, each having an associated port 23a-f, and in that the pump 31 of the pump unit 10 includes a plurality of temperature sensors 33a- f, each associated with a respective one of the chambers 7a -f, whereby the volume of the chambers 7a-f can be separately controlled.

With this configuration, desired temperature distributions can be achieved, such as providing for the region adjacent the feet of a user at a lower temperature, or for regions to opposite sides, corresponding to separate users, at different temperatures.

Figure 6 illustrates bedding in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The bedding of this embodiment has particular use in hospital or care applications.

In this embodiment the bedding is a bed sheet.

In an alternative embodiment the bedding could be a pillow case.

The bedding comprises a main sheet section 101 and at least one draw string 103 attached to a peripheral edge of the main sheet section 101, which allows for the main sheet section 101 to be fixed to a mattress 105 by drawing the at least one draw string 103 beneath the mattress 105, as illustrated in Figure 7, and to be drawn closed, providing an enclosed volume 106, by drawing the at least one draw string 103 tight above the mattress 105, as illustrated in Figure 8.

With this configuration, if the bedding becomes contaminated, such as by personal waste, the at least one draw string 103 can be drawn tight above the mattress 105 and encloses the personal waste, allowing an operative to dispose of the contaminated bedding without any risk of spilling the waste.

In this embodiment the main sheet section 101 is formed of spunbond olefin sheet. This material advantageously is very light, but prevents the transfer of liquids which could contaminate the mattress 105.

In this embodiment the at least one draw string 103 extends through at least one channel 107 at peripheral edges of the main sheet section 101.

In this embodiment the at least one channel 107 is formed by an enclosed fold in the main sheet section 101. In this embodiment the bedding includes a plurality of channels 107, here four channels 107, at respective peripheral edges of the main sheet section 101.

In this embodiment the bedding includes a plurality of drawstrings 103, here two drawstrings 103.

Figure 9 illustrates a bedding in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

The bedding of this embodiment is very similar to the bedding of the above- described embodiment, and thus, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of description, only the differences will be described in detail, with like parts being designated by like reference signs.

The bedding of this embodiment differs from that of the above-described embodiment in that the at least one channel 107 is formed by a plurality of loops 109.

Finally, it will be understood that the present invention has been described in its preferred embodiments and can be modified in many different ways without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.