FOOT WARMER SECURABLE TO A MATTRESS ON A BED

Abstract

A foot warmer securable at the foot of a bed includes a fabric pocket having a front edge with an opening extending along the front edge, a closed rear edge, and first and second side edges extending between the front and rear edges. The foot warmer includes a first attachment flap having a first end that is connected with the first side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom, and a second attachment flap having a first end connected with the second side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom. The free ends of the respective first and second attachment flaps are inserted between a mattress and a box spring for securing the foot warmer to the bed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present application is directed to sleeping and is more specifically related to foot warmers securable to beds.

2. Description of the Related Art

During cold weather, individuals often place additional blankets atop a bed to stay warm. The additional blankets may only be necessary to warm the feet, however, and not the rest of the body. Thus, there may be a tradeoff between warming the feet warm and excessive heating of the remainder of the body.

In view of the above, there have been a number of efforts directed to devices that are used with beds for warming a user's feet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,156 to Smith discloses a foot blanket that is incorporated into a sheet securable atop a bed. The foot blanket encases the foot end of the bed and allows the occupant of the bed to place his or her feet under the blanket or on top of the blanket.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,521 to Waits discloses a foot warmer for use with a conventional bed having a pocket for receiving a user's feet, attachment straps that extend from the sides of the bottom, and expansion straps that connect the ends of the attachment straps and that are placed beneath a mattress for holding the pocket in place atop the mattress. The expansion straps are expandable in order to accommodate mattresses having varying sizes. The expansion straps make it difficult to adjust the location of the foot warmer on the mattress or to move the foot warmer to another bed.

Thus, there remains a need for improved foot warmers that are easy to secure to a bed, that may be easily positioned at different locations along the length of the bed, and that may be easily moved to other beds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a foot warmer securable at the foot of a bed includes a fabric pocket having a front edge with an opening extending along the front edge, a closed rear edge, and first and second side edges extending between the front and rear edges. The foot warmer has a first attachment flap having a first end connected with the first side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom, and a second attachment flap having a first end connected with the second side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom. The free ends of the respective first and second attachment flaps are insertable between a mattress and a box spring for securing the foot warmer to the bed. In one embodiment, the free ends of the attachment flaps are tucked between a bottom surface of the mattress and a top surface of the box spring.

In one embodiment, the fabric pocket is preferably made of a fabric material. In one embodiment, the rear edge and the first and second side edges of the fabric pocket are closed.

In one embodiment, the fabric pocket may have a rectangular shape. The fabric pocket preferably has a width that matches the width of the mattress of the bed. In one embodiment, the fabric pocket has a length that is substantially shorter than the length of the mattress of the bed.

In one embodiment, the fabric pocket is located adjacent a foot of the bed and the free ends of the attachment flaps are tucked between a mattress and a box spring of the bed. The opening extending along the front edge of the fabric pocket desirably faces toward a head of the bed and away from the foot of the bed.

In one embodiment, a foot warmer securable to a mattress on a bed has a fabric pocket having a front edge with an opening extending along the front edge, a closed rear edge, and closed first and second side edges extending between the front edge and the closed rear edge. The foot warmer desirably has a first attachment flap having a first end connected with the first side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom, and a second attachment flap having a first end connected with the second side edge of the fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom. The free ends of the respective first and second attachment flaps are tucked between the mattress and a box spring for securing the foot warmer to a foot of the bed.

These and other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A shows a top plan view of a foot warmer including a fabric pocket and a pair of attachment flaps extending from the side of the fabric pocket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a front perspective view of the foot warmer shown in FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 2A-2B show a method of securing the foot warmer of FIGS. 1A-1B to a mattress, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A-3B show a method of using the foot warmer shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, in one embodiment, a foot warmer 10 adapted to be secured to a bed includes a fabric pocket 12 having a generally rectangular shape. The fabric pocket 12 is preferably made of a flexible fabric. In one embodiment, the fabric pocket 12 includes a front edge 14 having an opening 16, a closed first side edge 18, a closed second side edge 20, and a sealed rear edge 22.

The foot warmer 10 also preferably includes a first attachment flap 24 having an inner end 26 that is secured to the first side edge 18 of the fabric pocket 12 and an outer end 28 that is free for being disposed or tucked between an underside of a mattress and a top side of a box spring. The foot warmer 10 includes a second attachment flap 30 having an inner end 32 secured to the second side edge 20 of the fabric pocket 12 and an outer end 34 that is free for being disposed between an underside of a mattress and a top side of a box spring.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the fabric pocket 12 preferably has a width W₁ of about 36-80 inches, and a length L₁ of about 24-36 inches. The width W₁ of the fabric pocket 12 is substantially the same as the width of a mattress. The length L₁ of the fabric pocket 12 is substantially less than the length of a mattress. In one embodiment, foot warmers may be provided that have fabric pockets 12 having various widths and/or lengths for accommodating mattress of various sizes, e.g. single, twin, queen, and king size mattresses.

In one embodiment, the first and second attachment straps 24, 30 are centered between the front edge 14 and the rear edge 22 of the fabric pocket 12. Centering the attachment flaps 24, 30 between the front and rear edges of the fabric pocket 12 provides better control of the fabric pocket as a user inserts and removes his or her feet from the pocket opening. In one embodiment, the first and second attachment flaps 24, 30 have respective length L₂, L₃ that are slightly smaller than the length L₁ of the fabric pocket 12. In one embodiment, the respective heights of the first and second attachment flaps 24, 30 may substantially match the length L₁ of the fabric pocket 12.

Referring to FIG. 2A, in one embodiment, the foot warmer 10 is secured atop a mattress 40 having a top surface 42 and a bottom surface 44. The mattress 40 is positioned atop a box spring 46 having a top surface 48. In one embodiment, the foot warmer 10 is positioned atop the top surface 42 of the mattress 40 so that the fabric pocket 12 overlies the top surface 42 of the mattress 40, with the front edge 14 of the fabric pocket facing the head of the bed 36 and the closed rear edge 22 of the fabric pocket facing the foot of the bed 36. The fabric pocket 12 is preferably positioned adjacent the foot of the bed 36 so that an individual, when lying upon the mattress 40, may place his or her feet into the opening 16 at the front edge 14 of the fabric pocket 12.

In one embodiment, in order to secure the foot warmer 10 to the bed 36, the free end 28 of the first attachment flap 24 is inserted between the mattress 40 and the box spring 46. The first attachment flap 24 is desirably fully tucked between the mattress 40 and the box spring 46 for securing the foot warmer in place. The second attachment flap 30 (shown in FIGS. 1A-1B) may be tucked between the mattress 40 and the box spring 46 on the other side of the bed 36.

FIG. 2B shows the foot warmer 10 secured to the mattress 40 of the bed 36 with the fabric pocket 12 overlying the mattress 40, and the first and second attachment flaps 24, 30 tucked between the mattress 40 and the box spring 46 for holding the foot warmer in place adjacent the foot of the bed.

Referring to FIG. 3A, in one embodiment, after the foot warmer 10 is secured atop the mattress 40, an individual 50 may insert his or her feet 52 into the opening 16 accessible at the front edge 14 of the fabric pocket 12. The attachment flaps 24, 30 are tucked between the mattress 40 and the box spring 46 for holding the fabric pocket 12 in place at the foot of the bed 36. In one embodiment, the closed rear edge 22 of the fabric pocket insures that the individual's feet 52 do not extend beyond the rear edge 22 of the fabric pocket 12.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the fabric pocket 12 preferably has a width W₁ that spans the width of the mattress 40. In one embodiment, the opening 16 extending along the front edge 14 of the fabric pocket 12 also preferably spans the width of the mattress 40. As such, each of two individuals lying side by side atop the mattress 40 may insert his or her feet into the pocket opening 16 for warming the feet.

Although the present invention is not limited by any particular theory of operation, it is believed that providing a pair of flexible attachment flaps 24, 30 that have free outer ends enables the foot warmer 10 to be easily secured atop a mattress of a bed. The free ends of the flexible attachment flaps 24, 30 may be easily tucked between a mattress and a box spring. Moreover, the free ends of the flexible attachment flaps enable the position of the foot warmer 10 to be easily adjusted. For example, it may be desirable to make a quick adjustment regarding the location of the fabric pocket relative to the foot of the bed so that a child napping atop the bed may insert his or her feet into the fabric pocket 12 of the foot warmer 10. The easy adjustability of the location of the foot warmer also enables the foot warmer to be moved between beds that may have different lengths and/or widths.

The ability to easily move the foot warmer 10 disclosed herein from one bed to another is not possible with prior art devices that do not have flexible attachment flaps with free ends that may be easily tucked between a mattress and a box spring.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which is only limited by the scope of the claims that follow. For example, the present invention contemplates that any of the features shown in any of the embodiments described herein, or incorporated by reference herein, may be incorporated with any of the features shown in any of the other embodiments described herein, or incorporated by reference herein, and still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A foot warmer securable at the foot of a bed comprising:

a fabric pocket having a front edge with an opening extending along said front edge, a closed rear edge, and first and second side edges extending between said front and rear edges;

a first attachment flap having a first end connected with said first side edge of said fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom;

a second attachment flap having a first end connected with said second side edge of said fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom, wherein said respective first and second attachment flaps are centered between said front edge and said rear edge of said fabric pocket, and wherein said free ends of said respective first and second attachment flaps are insertable between a mattress and a box spring for securing said foot warmer to said bed.

2. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric pocket comprises fabric material.

3. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric pocket has a rectangular shape.

4. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric pocket is located adjacent a foot of said bed and said free ends of said attachment flaps are tucked between a mattress and a box spring of said bed.

5. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening extending along said front edge of said fabric pocket faces toward a head of said bed and away from said foot of said bed.

6. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear edge and said first and second side edges are closed.

7. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric pocket has a width that matches the width of said mattress of said bed.

8. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric pocket has a height that is substantially shorter than the length of the mattress of said bed.

9. The foot warmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said free ends of said attachment flaps are tucked between a bottom surface of said mattress and a top surface of said box spring.

10. A foot warmer securable to a mattress on a bed comprising:

a fabric pocket having a front edge with an opening extending along said front edge, a closed rear edge, and closed first and second side edges extending between said front edge and said closed rear edge;

a first attachment flap having a first end connected with said first side edge of said fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom;

a second attachment flap having a first end connected with said second side edge of said fabric pocket and a free end remote therefrom, wherein said respective first and second attachment flaps are centered between said front edge and said rear edge of said fabric pocket, and wherein said free ends of said respective first and second attachment flaps are tucked between said mattress and a box spring for securing said foot warmer to a foot of said bed.