METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING USED MATTRESSES

Technical field

This invention relates to a method for conditioning used mattresses.

In particular, the invention relates to a method for conditioning used mattresses, which is able to allow a practical and hygienic transport of the mattresses.

The invention also relates to a transportable system for conditioning used mattresses.

Background art

There are prior art methods for packaging mattresses, both of the spring type and of the type with synthetic resin foams and another, which provide for the reduction in the thickness of the mattress and the locking of the flattened arrangement of the mattress for dispatch.

The mattress is therefore, normally, pressed (but more than one mattress could easily be stacked) in suitable presses for reducing the height and locking it in the flattened arrangement which it has reached by means of suitable fixing means such as, for example, clips or straps.

If necessary, if an even more effective action for escape of the air is desired, it is known to perform the pressing with a simultaneous suction, after having clearly prepared a packaging for containing the mattress which is airtight.

Whilst the methods described above are used in the packaging of new mattresses, there are not currently valid packaging methods for the used mattresses which are, for example, withdrawn at the time of purchasing and delivering the new mattresses.

For the operators, as well as the practical difficulty of handling the used mattresses during their removal, especially double mattresses, due to their overall dimensions and weight, there is also a certain annoyance, or even danger in making contact with objects which are normally dirty and, even though they cannot be perceived with the naked eye, they are notoriously contaminated as they are full of mites, bacteria and other harmful elements such as fungi and moulds.

It is necessary to consider not only the individual mattress which has been used in a private-domestic environment but also the numerous mattresses, for example of a hotel or even a cruise ship which, at the moment of replacement may require, due to the large overall dimensions, a significant commitment in terms of labour and equipment.

In the latter case, given the large number mattresses handled, there is a very high risk of the operators coming into contact with potentially hazardous elements such as mites and bacteria but also germs, fungi and mould since the mattress has not been used by a single user but by a plurality of users during their working life.

In short, one is dealing with ecological bombs during both their replacement and their subsequent storage in a waste disposal area.

Aim of the invention The aim of this invention is to provide a method for conditioning used mattresses which allows the drawbacks of the prior art to be overcome and which is at the same time simple and practical to implement.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a system for conditioning used mattresses which is at the same time effective, practical to use and inexpensive to make. Yet another aim of the invention is to provide a system for conditioning mattresses which is easily transportable and of limited dimensions.

According to the invention, these aims and others are achieved by a method and a system for conditioning used mattresses comprising the technical features described in the accompanying claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical features of the invention, according to the above-mentioned aims, are clearly described in the appended claims and its advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate non-limiting example embodiments of it, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a system for conditioning used mattresses according to the invention in a first step of use and

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a system for conditioning used mattresses according to this invention in a first step of use;

- Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a further embodiment of a conditioning system according to the invention and - Figure 4 is a schematic side view and partly in cross- section of a suction valve of a conditioning system according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

The object of the invention is therefore a method for conditioning used mattresses, comprising the steps of:

- providing a container 2 made of soft material designed to contain a used mattress 1 in an airtight fashion;

- providing air suction means 3 designed to be placed in fluid connection with the container 2 made of soft material;

- placing a used mattress 1 inside the container 2 made of soft material and sealing it in an airtight manner;

- sucking the air present inside the container 2 made of soft material, also including air contained inside the used mattress 1, using the air suction means 3;

- filtering the air sucked by the container 2 made of soft material, and the air coming from the inside of the used mattress 1, using the air suction means 3. Advantageously, after the step of placing the mattress 1 in the container 2 made of soft material, the method according to this invention also comprises a step of thermally sealing, using a sealing device 18, the open side of the container 2 so as to make a substantially closed containment body.

Advantageously, the step of providing a container 2 made of soft material comprises the step of placing on a lateral surface of the container 2, that is to say, corresponding to a lateral surface of a mattress 1, made of soft material a suction valve 4 designed to allow only the outflow of air from the container 2 made of soft material towards the outside.

Advantageously, the suction valve 4 may be of the one way type, in such a way that it prevents the entry of air inside the container 2 once the suction operation has been completed.

According to the embodiment comprising the valve 4, the step of connecting the air suction means 3 to the suction valve 4 is performed.

Preferably, the intake step is actuated by a volumetric vacuum pump 5.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a suction valve 4 according to the invention.

The suction valve 4 advantageously comprises a first base portion 20 and a second engagement portion 21 which can be mutually engaged in a manner impermeable to air to form a single body.

The airtightness's is achieved by means of a sealing gasket 22 interposed between the first base portion 20 and the second engagement portion 21.

The connection between the first portion 20 and the second portion 21 is advantageously performed by means of a bayonet coupling.

The second engagement portion 21 advantageously comprises a knurled zone 23 configured to be inserted in a pneumatic conduit 9 for connecting the vacuum pump 5 to the container 2 made of soft material. Advantageously, the valve 4 also comprises a secondary filter 24 positioned on the first base portion 20 and in use, that is to say, during the suction step, in contact with the mattress 1, as shown in Figure 4. The secondary filter 24 makes it possible to retain inside the container 2 any large residue and particles such as, for example, skin or hair.

An example of a vacuum pump 5 suitable for the above- mentioned suction step has a speed of between 1200 and 2000 revolutions per minute, a motor with a power of at least 0.5 kW and a flow rate of at least 30 cubic metres per hour.

A further embodiment comprises the use of the container 2 made of soft material without the presence of any valve 4; in this case the user keeps the container 2 manually wrapped around the suction means 3 in such a way as to guarantee an adequate seal.

The container 2 made of soft material must be flexible so that it can follow the curvature of the used mattress 1 during suction whilst at the same time having an adequate mechanical strength to prevent breaks and tears.

The container 2 made of soft material may be made of nylon with a thickness of at least 1 mm.

Advantageously, the material of the container 2 is plastic and heat-sealable.

Advantageously, the above-mentioned step of filtering the air sucked from the container 2 made of soft material is actuated by a filtering device 6 comprising a photocatalytic filter 7 and a light source 8. Advantageously, also, the photocatalytic filter 7 comprises a plurality of filtering partitions arranged in series and spaced by respective light sources 8.

The filtering step also comprises the step of irradiating the photocatalytic filter or plurality of photocatalytic filters 7 with luminous radiation emitted from the light source (s) 8 so as to allow the photocatalytic filter 7 to degrade and oxidise polluting compounds and/or bacteria present in the air sucked, that is to say, present inside the used mattress 1.

The light sources 8 are advantageously of the UV type. Advantageously, moreover, the step of sucking the air contained inside the container 2 made of soft material comprises the step of reducing the volume of the mattress 1 by at least 1/2 of its initial volume. Clearly, the above-mentioned reduction in the volume of the used mattress 1 is the consequence of the suction of the air contained inside the used mattress 1.

In order to further improve the transport and storage of the used mattress 1, the method according to the invention may also comprise the step of folding, or preferably rolling on itself, the assembly consisting of the mattress 1 and the container 2 made of soft material. Advantageously, during the folding or rolling up step the suction step is not interrupted.

In this way it is possible to further optimise the quantity of air sucked from the inside of the mattress

1.

In order to keep the assembly folded or rolled the method also comprises the step of fixing it in the folded or rolled up position, preferably comprising the application of sealing means which cannot be extended longitudinally, for example a strap or a clip or a second container made of soft material but with reduced dimensions with respect to the first container 2. In particular, the second container made of soft material must have the dimensions corresponding to those of the used mattress 1 which has already been subjected to the suction step.

In Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 100 indicates in its entirety a transportable system for conditioning used mattresses 1 according to the invention.

The transportable system 100 for conditioning used mattresses comprises a container 2 made of soft material designed to contain a used mattress 1 in an airtight fashion; air suction means 3 designed to be placed in fluid communication with the container 2 made of soft material for sucking the air present in the used mattress 1 contained in the container 2 made of soft material and a filtering device 6 for filtering the air sucked by the air suction means 3.

Advantageously, the air suction means 3 comprise a vacuum pump and a pneumatic conduit 9 connecting the vacuum pump 5 with the container 2 made of soft material.

The vacuum pump 5 is advantageously of the volumetric type with a speed of between 1200 and 2000 revolutions per minute, a motor with a power of at least 0.5 kW and a flow rate of at least cubic 30 metres per hour.

The above-mentioned vacuum pump 5 allows the complete suction of a container 2 containing a single mattress in approximately 2 minutes and a double in approximately 4 minutes.

The filtering device 6 comprises at least one photocatalytic filter 7 and at least one respective light source 8 configured to irradiate the photocatalytic filter 6 with a light radiation designed to allow the photocatalytic filter 7 to degrade and oxidise polluting compounds and/or bacteria present in the air sucked in. Advantageously, also, the photocatalytic filter 7 comprises a plurality of filtering partitions arranged in series and spaced by respective light sources 8. Advantageously, the filtering device 6 also comprises a further filtering element 14, for example of the type made of fabric or porous material, configured to retain any medium-large particles without them contaminating the photocatalytic filters 7.

In this regard, the further filter 14 is positioned upstream, relative to the direction of travel of the air sucked, of the photocatalytic filters 7.

In short, the air sucked by the container 2, through the valve 4, if present, passes through the pneumatic conduit 9 entering the pump 5 and then through the filtering device 6, meeting firstly the filtering element 14 and then the photocatalytic filters 7.

Downstream of the filtering device 6, the air, which is already filtered and purified, exits from the outlet opening 10 to disperse into the surrounding environment. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, advantageously, the pump 5 and the filtering device 6 are enclosed inside a main containment body 13 made, for example, of plastic or metal.

The containment body 13 advantageously comprises a gripping element 11 to facilitate the transport operations by a user.

The gripping element 11 is advantageously positioned at an upper surface of the main containment body 13.

The main containment body 13 also comprises a plurality of wheels 12 to facilitate its movement on a supporting surface.

According to a further embodiment, shown in Figure 3, the pump 5 and the filtering device 6 are installed on a trolley 15 equipped with respective wheels 16. Advantageously, the control and drive unit 17, both of the pump 5 and of the filtering device 6, is installed on the trolley 15.

Advantageously, moreover, the conditioning system 100 according to the invention also comprises a sealing device 18, which is also installed on the trolley 15. The sealing device 18 is also connected to the control unit 17.

Advantageously, the sealing device 18 is of the type comprising an electrical heating element positioned at a contact bar 19 made of thermally conductive material. The bar is advantageously made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or even more advantageously Teflon, in such a way that by means of its heat resistance and, at the same time, anti-adherence properties, there is no gluing between the soft container 2 and the bar 19 during the sealing operation.

This embodiment makes it possible to transport by moving a single trolley 15 all the components necessary for completing the method according to the invention.

The container 2 is made, for example, of nylon or of air impermeable fabric or of another plastic material.

The material with which the container 2 is made must be impermeable to the passage of air (and therefore also of liquids) and must have a mechanical strength such as to withstand the step of sucking and compacting the used mattress 1.

Advantageously, moreover, the material the containment body 2 is made of is a heat-sealable material.

The invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and brings important advantages.

A first advantage consists in the fact that by means of the method and the system according to the invention it is possible to facilitate the operations for transporting and storing used mattresses both because the dimensions of the used mattress are considerably reduced and because it is closed inside a container which is impermeable to air and liquids.

This allows, for example, for the mattress to be easily transported inside a traditional lift.

The reduction in the dimensions of the mattress also makes it possible to optimise the space inside vehicles for transporting used mattresses, considerably reducing the transport costs.

A further advantage consists in the fact that by means of a method and a system according to the invention any possible contamination of the environment, and therefore also of the operators, from bacteria, fungi or moulds, present in the used mattress is excluded.

In fact, the mattress is not only enclosed inside the container but the air sucked from the container is first filtered and purified and then reintroduced into the surrounding environment.

A further advantage of a transportable conditioning system according to the invention consists in the fact that the entire system 100 comprises all the components designed for safely conditioning a mattress, thereby reducing the overall dimensions and operating times.