US 2,010,011,502 · Filed 2009-07-17

The Smart Bed That Heats and Cools Your Sleep

Imagine a bed that adjusts its temperature to keep you comfortable all night — not by changing the room, but by pumping warm or cool air directly through the mattress itself. This patent describes how tiny channels inside the mattress work with a control box to heat or cool the surface where you sleep, like having an invisible climate system built into your pillow and sheets.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a bed structure with internal passageways (tiny channels) that run through the core of the mattress, combined with a fluid distribution layer that spreads air or liquid throughout those channels. What's protected is the specific arrangement of these channels, the distribution network on top of them, the comfort layer above that, and the external control box (fluid module) that pumps temperature-controlled air in and out. Anyone making a mattress with this exact system of internal climate zones would infringe.

Why it matters

This patent protects a core technology for beds that adapt to the sleeper's body temperature in real time — solving a real comfort problem without requiring a separate room thermostat or bedding adjustments. For a company like Amerigon, which specializes in thermal comfort devices, this locks down the architecture of smart mattresses as a product category, preventing competitors from copying the same passageway-and-distribution design.

Real-world use

Every night someone sleeps on a heated or cooled smart mattress with internal air channels, they're using the exact temperature-control mechanism this patent describes — adjusting firmness and warmth with a remote control.

Original USPTO abstract

According to certain arrangements, a climate controlled bed includes an upper portion comprising a core with a top core surface and a bottom core surface. The core includes at least one passageway extending from the top core surface to the bottom core surface. The upper portion of the bed further includes at least one fluid distribution member positioned above the core, wherein the fluid distribution member is in fluid communication with at least one passageway of the core. The fluid distribution member is configured to at least partially distribute fluid within said fluid distribution member. The upper portion of the bed further comprises at least one comfort layer positioned adjacent to the fluid distribution member. The bed also includes a lower portion configured to support the upper portion and at least one fluid module configured to selectively transfer air to or from the fluid distribution member of the upper portion. In some arrangements, the fluid module includes a fluid transfer device and a thermoelectric device for selectively thermally conditioning fluids being transferred by the fluid transfer device.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,010,011,502
Filing date: 2009-07-17
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Amerigon Incorporated
Inventor(s): BRYKALSKI MICHAEL J., TERECH JOHN, PETROVSKI DUSKO
CPC class: A47C21/04

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