Mattress assemblies including macroencapsulated phase change material

Abstract

Mattress assemblies include an upholstery foam layer including one or more channels, wherein at least a portion of the channels include a macroencapsulated phase change material at least partially filling the channel; and a pump including a conduit configured to exhaust air from the upholstery layer. The mattress assemblies can include an underlying layer including air bladders or cylindrical foam springs for adjusting firmness of the mattress assemblies

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mattress assembly comprising:
 an upholstery foam layer proximate to a sleeping surface of the mattress assembly comprising a plurality of channels and a macroencapsulated phase change material including a sealed capsulate and a bulk amount of phase change material within the sealed capsulate provided within at least one or more of the channels; and   an underlying layer including a pump and a plurality of conduits configured to exhaust air from the upholstery layer.   
     
     
         2 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the macroencapsulated phase change material further comprises a permeable material infused with the phase change material or a mixture of phase change materials within the sealed capsulate. 
     
     
         3 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the permeable material comprises foam. 
     
     
         4 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the phase change material comprises coconut oil. 
     
     
         5 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the phase change material or the mixture of phase change materials has a melting point in a range of about 22° C. to about 36° C. 
     
     
         6 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1  further comprising an additional layer underlying the upholstery layer comprising a plurality of air bladders fluidly coupled to the pump and configured to change a pressure within the plurality of air bladders. 
     
     
         7 . The mattress assembly of  claim 6 , wherein each of the air bladders comprises a sleeve about at least a portion of a periphery, wherein the sleeve comprises microencapsulated phase change material therein. 
     
     
         8 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1  further comprising an additional layer underlying the upholstery layer comprising a bucket assembly defining a cavity, and a plurality of removable cylindrical foam springs in the cavity, wherein one or more of the cylindrical foam springs comprises a central aperture and a tubular shaped macroencapsulated phase change material disposed within the central aperture. 
     
     
         9 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cylindrical foam springs are configured to provide the mattress assembly with different firmness zones. 
     
     
         10 . The mattress assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the macroencapsulated phase change materials partially fill the channels to create a space within the channel.