US20230210279A1

US20230210279A1 - Blanket with ventilation holes

Info

Publication number: US20230210279A1
Application number: US17/922,369
Authority: US
Inventors: Yuliya Evgen'evna KUZ'MINA
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-08-11
Filing date: 2020-12-14
Publication date: 2023-07-06
Also published as: EP4115774A4; EP4115774A1; EP4115774B1; WO2022035346A1

Abstract

The proposed blanket includes at least one flexible layer including an upper and a lower fabric, between which a filler made of fibers is arranged. The flexible layer includes a plurality of holes. The blanket has stitched seams, the intersections of which coincide with the centers of the holes. The holes of smaller dimensions occupy up to two thirds of the length of the blanket, and the holes of larger dimensions occupy up to one third of the length of the blanket. The ventilation holes are furnished around the perimeter with blanket stitches.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national stage application of an international application PCT/RU2020/000681 filed on 14 Dec. 2020, published as WO2022035346, having priority of RU2020126805 filed on 11 Aug. 2020.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The proposed invention is related to the industry of household articles, particularly to bedclothes, and more specifically to designing of blankets for household use that create optimal microclimate under the blanket and thereby provide more comfortable sleeping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A quilted blanket with ventilation holes arranged at intersections of stitched seams is designed for everyday use during sleep to protect the human body against overheating.
A ventilated blanket comprising a sheet of material with a lot of holes spaced apart (patent application US No. 20030028964) is known in the prior art. Each hole allows the air to pass through the blanket. The blanket may also include a strengthening section integrated into the perimeter of the sheet of material. The strengthening section may be a tube that contains entrapped air. The blanket may comprise supports joined with a collar section. The supports allow the blanket to be lifted to a certain distance over the person laying under it. A drawback of this solution is non-uniform air circulation over different parts of the body that creates discomfort during sleep.
Another thermal insulation article provided with ventilation (patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,287A) is also known. It has intermediate thermal insulating layer with a lot of through-thickness holes. A heat-releasing ring is inserted into each hole and can open and close in response to temperature increase or decrease inside the article in order to keep the sleeping person warm or to release excessive heat.
At night, the human body produces up to approximately 500 ml of water as sweat. This water or water vapor must leave the entire bedding set to avoid moisture residing directly at the skin or the inner side of the blanket. As major portion of moisture must be removed through the cover, in the existing embodiment, the heat-releasing rings will account for major load. Exposure of mechanisms (including heat-releasing rings) to moisture is detrimental to them, therefore they cannot remain serviceable for long time, and as a result, the blanket will lose its function.
Thus, the drawback of the existing blanket is that it does not provide for long-term retention of its functional properties due to short life of the heat-releasing rings.
The most similar prior art solution chosen as a prototype is a bedcover (patent RU 2287312, issued to Zanders GmbH (DE)) which comprises at least one flexible layer of light-weight insulating material provided with ventilation holes.
According to the prototype, the ventilation holes of the bedcover are sheathed with a broad network or coarse-meshed material in order to assure integrity of the bedcover with large or elongated holes.
A drawback of this prototype is a complexity of its design, in particular, the network which covers the holes is susceptible to looping and deformation during use that jeopardize comfort of a person during sleep. A great deal of discomfort is associated with the fact that the filler creates significant volumes and sections adjoining the perimeter of ventilation holes, partly overlaps the holes and restricts heat exchange with surrounding air, and as a result, the person eventually starts to feel uncomfortable.

OBJECT AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the proposed invention is to design a blanket which provides comfort due to creation of optimal microclimate for every body part.
The result achieved by the invention is the enhancing of comfort during sleep due to consistent temperature conditions for corresponding body parts.
In order to achieve the aforementioned result, the author of the invention proposes a blanket with ventilation holes, which includes at least one flexible layer comprising upper and a lower fabric with a fiber filler between them; in accordance with the invention, the blanket is made with stitched seams, the intersections of which coincide with the centers of ventilation holes, wherein the holes of smaller dimensions occupy up to two thirds of the blanket length and the holes of larger dimensions occupy the space of up to one third of the blanket length with all of the holes finished around the perimeter with blanket stitches.
Wherein the following design options can be utilized:

- large holes are preferably located in the lower part of the blanket;
- holes have a circular shape;
- holes have an elliptical shape;
- holes have a rectangular shape;
- holes have a square shape;
- holes have a triangular shape;
- stitched seams are perpendicular to the blanket edge;
- stitched seams are at a certain angle to the blanket edge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS OF THE INVENTION

The proposed blanket is illustrated in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the cross-section of the blanket.

FIG. 2 shows top view of the blanket.

FIG. 3 shows an area of the blanket with a ventilation hole.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The blanket includes a flexible layer consisting of upper 1 and lower 2 fabric with a filler 3 between them. The blanket is quilted with intersecting stitched seams 4 (FIG. 2 ) which may be both vertical and horizontal or made at a certain angle to each other. The flexible layer includes a plurality of holes 5. Centers 6 of the holes 5 coincide with the points of intersection of the stitched seams 4.
As it has been shown in studies, the air heated by the human body expands and creates an increased pressure in the space under the blanket. The air rises up and due to this pressure tends to escape outside, through any leakage point, through the ventilation holes in particular. In this case, the air at the blanket surface cools down, and air circulation occurs inside the space under the blanket. When the person moves, the space under the blanket continuously changes, and air heating gradually increases. Due to temperature difference between the room and the space under the blanket, moisture condenses on the lower surface of the blanket, creating a greenhouse effect. This significantly reduces air permeability of fabric, which leads to overheating of the body and to further overcooling when the blanket is lifted or flung off, and cold ambient air is allowed to enter the space under the blanket.
The proposed arrangement of the ventilation holes in the blanket allows for reducing the temperature in the space under the blanket by 4-5° C. in the back area and by 3-4° C. in the leg area. Combination of ventilation holes of different sizes allows for reducing the temperature by 7-8° C. Relative air humidity in the space under the blanket also reduces from 90-100% to 60-70%. Due to ventilation process enhanced by the movements of the sleeping person, the body is kept dry.
The ventilation holes on the quilted blanket may have various geometrical shapes and be spaced at a different distance between them. In the preferable embodiment, the holes have square shape. The size of the holes varies from 5 to 10 mm depending on their arrangement on the blanket surface.
Heat exchange process is very peculiar for every person, and it is difficult to consider individual needs in commercial production. The proposed solution provides for making a general-purpose bedcover with holes of different sizes. The optimal arrangement is as follows: holes of smaller dimensions (5×5 mm) located in the upper part of the blanket and occupy about ⅔ of the entire volume; holes of larger dimensions (10×10 mm) are located in the lower part of the blanket and occupy about ⅓ of the surface. Thus, the holes in the leg area are larger than those in the upper body area. At consumer's option, depending on whichever way is more comfortable, the blanket may be turned over by placing large holes in the upper part, near the back and neck, and holes of smaller dimensions—in the leg area, depending on human body individual peculiarities.
Stitched seams with ventilation holes made at their intersections, as well as ventilation hole finishing around the perimeter with blanket stitches provide stiffness to these sections of the blanket allowing it to avoid deformation in these areas thereby enabling unhindered heat exchange between the body and ambient air, which, in turn, provides comfort during sleep.
The distance between ventilation holes is determined by the blanket size and the stitched seams at the intersections of which they are made.
The proposed invention meets the criterion of novelty, as the prior art does not offer any technical solution with the proposed combination of features, which provides for achieving the inventive result and meeting the criterion of industrial applicability.
The ventilation holes are perforations punched through the blanket, finished around the perimeter with blanket stitches and fixed with grommets, thus providing for the adequate air conditioning.
The quilted blanket with ventilation holes is quite simple in manufacturing. Its cost makes it affordable to any population group depending on the quality of materials used for upper and lower layers and the filler.

Claims

1. Blanket with ventilation holes, which comprises at least one flexible layer containing upper and lower fabric with a fiber filler between them and is characterized in that it is made with stitched seams the intersections of which coincide with the centers of holes, wherein the holes of smaller dimensions occupy up to two thirds of the blanket length, and the holes of larger intersections occupy the space of up to one third of the blanket length, and ventilation holes are finished around the perimeter with blanket stitches.

2. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes of larger dimensions are preferably arranged in the lower part of the blanket.

3. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes have a circular shape.

4. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes have an elliptical shape.

5. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes have a rectangular shape.

6. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes have a square shape.

7. The blanket according to claim 1 characterized in that the holes have a triangle shape.