Bedding having no foot-end corners
Improved bedding, more particularly institutional and hotel top and/or bottom sheets and blankets having a specially contoured foot section that provides for faster changing, ease of tucking under a mattress, and less pressure on the feet of the occupant (sleeper) or bed-ridden patient. The best mode embodiment comprises a bedding sheet or blanket having the foot-end, or/and the head end corners cut away, and those edged secured with binding tape, selvage edge sewing or the like to prevent raveling or tearing at the juncture of the cuts. For a top sheet or blanket, only the foot corners are cut away, and for a bottom sheet both the foot and head ends are cut away. The resulting bedding can be tucked without extra, folded-over bedding in the corner tuck.
This is the Regular U.S. Application of Provisional Application 60/507,989 filed on Oct 1, 2003 under the same title by the same inventor, the benefit and priority of which application is claimed under 35 US Code §§119, 120 et seq.
FIELDThe invention relates to bedding, and more particularly to institutional and hotel top and/or bottom sheets and blankets having a specially contoured foot section that provides for faster changing, ease of tucking under a mattress, and less pressure on the feet of the occupant (sleeper) or bed-ridden patient.
BACKGROUNDConventional bedding (sheets and blankets) have long been tucked under and around mattresses to confine the feet of the occupant(s) of the bed while keeping them snug and warm. However, changing bedding is a chore, at best, as it typically requires securing the bedding by tucking it underneath the end of a raised mattress, making the corner pleats, tucking in the sides, and finally lowering the mattress back into place.
To change a typical sheet or blanket, a person must be able to bend over, lift the corner of a mattress, tuck in the foot, and simultaneously fold and tuck the corner of the bedding under the mattress. Thereafter, the person must lower the mattress onto the folded corner to secure the bedding. The sides may then be tucked under the mattress, all or partially toward the pillow end.
Significant strength and agility is required to hold up a mattress with one hand (arm and/or knee) while using the other hand (or hands) to fold and tuck in corners of the bedding, then lowering the mattress back in place. This lifting/folding/tucking maneuver is even more difficult when the mattress is surrounded by a deep bed frame or is the upper bunk of a bunk bed. Changing sheets is viewed as a difficult, time-consuming, and back-wrenching chore. In institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, there are a significant number of employee injuries related to this work, leading to employer costs for lost time and workers compensation claims.
Another difficulty with changing bedding is orienting the bedding properly over the mattress to determine which end goes to the foot of the mattress, as opposed to the head of the mattress, and how far each side of the bedding should fall laterally and longitudinally across the mattress edges so that the sheets or blankets are even on each side. Uneven blankets or sheets result in migration to one side during sleep which results in loss of sleep.
Changing conventional bedding is particularly onerous for the elderly or anyone who cannot easily stand and use both arms simultaneously to lift a mattress, and fold and tuck in bedding at each mattress corner. In addition, any public or private facility that provides beds, including hotels, hospitals, hospices, assisted living and elder care facilities, has a need for bedding that is quick and easy to change, and which may be changed with the least amount of impact on an employee's back and arms. Bedding that can be changed with less effort and more quickly would be cost-saving to these industries.
Finally, the tucked foot corners of the top sheet and blanket results in pressure on patients or the elderly. A number of solutions have been proposed, including complex folding of sheets to provide foot space (U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,869) or flapped pouches (U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,163). Both of these still require foot folds and the sheets must be extra long to provide coverage to the pillow end of the bed.
Other sheet configurations are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,765,241, 5,628,077, 5,615,425, 5,515,799, 5,491,853, 5,042,098 and 4,937,904.
Accordingly, there is a need in the field for an improved design for sheets and blankets that allows for easy orientation of the bedding over a mattress as well as faster, less strenuous and easy fitting and tucking around mattress corners, as well as providing foot pressure relief.
THE INVENTIONThe invention comprises bedding covers (sheets or blankets) with opposed, relieved corners (or notches) where material would otherwise be pleated, folded and tucked under the mattress corners. For a bottom sheet, there are four relieved corners or notches. For top sheets and blankets, there are two at the foot end of the sheet. The cut edges of the notches are secured, e.g., with selvedge edge sewing or glued or sewn tapes to prevent unraveling of the cut fabric and to prevent ripping of the sheet material at the juncture of the cuts forming the relieved corners.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention is described in detail by reference to the following drawings:
The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example, not by way of limitation of the scope, equivalents or principles of the invention. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best modes of carrying out the invention.
In this regard, the invention is illustrated in the figures, and is of sufficient complexity that the many parts, interrelationships, and sub-combinations thereof simply cannot be fully illustrated in a single patent-type drawing. For clarity and conciseness, several of the drawings show in schematic, or omit, parts that are not essential in that drawing to a description of a particular feature, aspect or principle of the invention being disclosed. Thus, the best mode embodiment of one feature may be shown in one drawing, and the best mode of another feature will be called out in another drawing.
All publications, patents and applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication, patent or application had been expressly stated to be incorporated by reference.
The Figures are numbered and annotated so that one skilled in the art of bedding design, use and construction, by reference to the attached parts list will easily be able to understand the materials and method of construction to achieve the functionality shown.
Referring to
The relieved corners 4, 4′ are right-angled, but may be curved, serrated, or any other suitable shape. Between the relieved corners 4, 4′ remains a foot-end tuck panel 32.
The bedding may comprise a top or bottom sheet, a blanket, a mattress cover, a mattress pad, or any bed covering that is fitted or tucked around a mattress. As best seen in
In addition, by orienting the lateral ends 8, 8′ of the bedding 2 flush with the terminal edge (foot end) of the mattress 20, the head-end of the bedding 16 will automatically align to the preferred position (shown in
Tucking the inventive bedding 2 around the mattress 10 is significantly easier because there is less material to insert underneath the mattress 10 corners. The inventive bedding 2 foot tuck panel 32 may be simply pushed underneath the mattress 10 for proper fit without having to lift the mattress, where the base of the mattress 10 is accessible, whether the mattress 10 is elevated on box springs or resting on the upper tier of a bunk bed (not shown).
It is clear that the inventive bedding without relieved corners of this application has wide applicability to the hotel, hospital, hospice, assisted living and elder care industries, namely by providing an easier and quicker method for changing bedding, and lessening the pressure on the feet of the occupant (sleeper). The inventive bedding design not only allows for quick, accurate orientation of the bedding over a mattress, but also makes for significantly easier, less strenuous and quicker tucking underneath the mattress, given that the corners of the bedding do not have to be folded and tucked under the mattress. In addition, the inventive bedding is simple to design and manufacture, and existing bedding can easily be modified to the inventive design, if desired.
Thus the inventive bedding with relieved corners has the clear potential of becoming adopted as the new standard for bedding design, including the method of production of such inventive bedding design, and the method for application to a mattress.
It should be understood that various modifications within the scope of this invention can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit thereof and without undue experimentation. For example, the relieved corners of the bedding could be of various shapes (e.g., curved, serrated) and the edging of the corners could be reinforced and/or elasticized to provide the functionalities disclosed herein. This invention is therefore to be defined as broadly as the prior art will permit, and in view of the specification if need be, including a full range of current and future equivalents thereof.
Parts List: This list is provided to assist examination and may be cancelled upon case allowance.
Claims
1. Improved bedding comprising in operative combination:
- a) a sheet of material selected from a sheet or blanket, generally rectangular shape and having a foot end and a head end, and having four marginal edges;
- b) said foot ends have generally square relieved portions removed therefrom to provide an end flap that can be tucked under a mattress, and two, opposed side flaps that can be tucked under a mattress or let hang free over the sides of the mattress and box springs or bed side rails when installed; and
- c) said end flap is dimensioned to extend substantially the full width of the mattress; and
- d) said relieved portion edges are secured to prevent unraveling and to prevent tearing of the bedding sheet material at the juncture of orthogonal cuts forming the square portions so that upon making up the bed, no corner tuck need be formed at the foot end and making the bed is faster and the bedding does not cause foot discomfort to the sleeper.
2. Improved bedding as in claim 1 wherein said sheet material is selected from bed sheet fabric and blanket material.
3. Improved bedding as in claim 2 wherein said head end also has generally square relieved portions with secured edges.
4. Improved bedding as in claim 3 wherein said sheet material is bed sheet fabric.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2004
Publication Date: Apr 7, 2005
Inventor: Christine Ratigan (Sequim, WA)
Application Number: 10/953,777