MATTRESS ENCASEMENT FOR PREVENTING BED BUG ESCAPEMENT VIA A ZIPPER OPENING
A mattress encasement made of bug impervious fabric provides a zipper opening for removal of the mattress. A foam pad is stitched at an end of the zipper closure such that when the zipper is located at or near the end, a channel is provided to prevent or obstruct the escapement of bed bugs via the channel and out from a mattress encased by the mattress encasement.
This application makes reference to, and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/255,913 filed Oct. 22, 2008 titled “Mattress Encasement For Preventing Bed Bug Escapement Via A Zipper Opening,” which, in turn, claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/756,249 filed May 31, 2007 titled “Mattress Encasement For Preventing Bed Bug Escapement Via A Zipper Opening,” which issued on Jun. 30, 2009 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,489. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/756,249, in turn, claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/895,011, filed Mar. 15, 2007 and titled “Mattress Encasement For Preventing Bed Bug Escapement Via A Zipper Opening”. Each of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 12/255,913, 11/756,249 and 60/895,011 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to an apparatus and method for preventing bed bugs from escaping out of a bed mattress. More particularly, the invention relates to a zipper closure structure on a mattress encasement which, while allowing removal of the mattress from the encasement, prevents the escapement of bed bugs out of the mattress and past the encasement.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBed bugs, commonly known as cimex lectularis, are a type of insect that commonly hides within bed mattresses. Such bed bugs are found in homes, cruise ships, motels, hostels or boarding houses where itinerant travelers find overnight lodging. Bed bugs will feed off of the blood of humans sleeping on the mattresses that harbor these insects. Typically, a bed bug will crawl out of the mattress during the night, bite the sleeping victim, and then return to the safe confines of the mattress.
To prevent the escapement of bed bugs from the mattress, and thus contain and starve the bugs, a technique has been devised in which the mattress is surrounded with a fabric cover or encasement to seal the exit of the bugs. The encasement is slipped onto the mattress and closed via a slide fastening mechanism such as a zipper. Bugs escaping from the mattress will encounter the barrier of the fabric cover, and thus will be prevented from reaching a human sleeping on the mattress.
Problems exist, however, with the use of such protective mattress covers or encasements. For example, a user may fail to completely close the zipper on the encasement, or the zipper may become partially unzipped through movement or rustling of the mattress, as for example, when the bed is made and remade. This results in an opening at the zipper end through which bed bugs may escape. Indeed, even zippers that have been carefully and completely closed may still leave a narrow opening at the end of the zipper that is a large enough opening for a small bed bug to crawl through and escape.
Accordingly, there exists a need to prevent the escapement of bed bugs from a zipper opening in a mattress protective encasement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mattress encasement structure which prevents bed bug escapement from the zipper opening of the encasement.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of preventing bed bugs from exiting a mattress encasement at the zipper end of the encasement.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a mattress encasement having a zipper opening for receiving a mattress. A barrier structure is disposed at the zipper end of the encasement in order to thwart bed bug travel to any small opening which may form at the zipper end.
In addition, objects of the invention are achieved in a method for guiding bed bugs housed within a mattress relative to a zipper portion of a mattress encasement. The bugs are channeled away from the zipper end of the encasement using a barrier structure.
Referring to
An opening 103 is shown in one form as being located at one end 105 of the encasement, and extending along the entire width of end 105 and a short distance along each of sides 107, 109 of the encasement. In a second form the opening 103 extends along the entire width of end 105 and along most of the two sides 107, 109, so as to start and stop approximately six inches from the top end 106 of the encasement. Opening 103 allows mattress 101 to slide into and out of encasement 100 so that the encasement may be laundered from time to time.
Opening 103 may be closed by a zipper closure 111 to seal the entire encasement opening 103. Zipper closure 111 includes a zipper head 120 and a pair of zipper tracks 121, 123. Tracks 121, 123 are disposed around opening 103 in a confronting relationship and are zipped together in a conventional fashion. Tracks 121, 123 have meshable teeth which interleave together as caused by zipper head 120 guiding the two tracks 121, 123 together. The meshable teeth are very tight fitting in order to prevent bed bugs from moving between the meshed teeth.
Referring to
As shown in
Foam pad 140 may be made from a flexible resilient foam material, but other materials may be used as well. For example, foam pad 140 may be a fabric material, a rubber material, or any other material which may be stitched to fabric 102. In addition, foam pad 140 may be compressible such that contact made by mattress 101 against the lower surface 141 of pad 140 causes the pad to compress between the mattress and the encasement fabric 102, forcing the top surface 143 of pad 140 into contact with fabric 102 as well as into contact with portions of the zipper structure disposed above pad 140.
As shown in
Stitching is applied so as to securely attach foam pad 140 to encasement fabric 102. The stitches are sufficiently close together so as to prevent a bed bug from passing through any of the stitched rows. For example, referring to
Stitching patterns of a rectangular shape are thus formed on each side of the zipper track, attaching foam pad 140 to encasement fabric 102. As will suggest itself, other stitching patterns may be used. For example a stitching pattern of an “X” shape, or diagonal lines may also be employed. In addition, stitching may encompass end location 125, as shown at 185. As shown in
Referring to
Referring now to
As seen in
Foam pad 140 is of a length such that when zipper 120 is at a location at or near end point 125, channel 151 is relatively long making it difficult for a bed bug to crawl through channel 151 to reach the zipper end 125.
In order to prevent bed bugs from escaping through the channel 151, it is preferred that the maximum height of the channel be small relative to the height of a crawling bed bug and yet provide a sufficient space to receive the lower portion 131 of zipper head 120. Accordingly, depending on the material of the foam pad 140 and the fabric cover 102, and the size of the zipper head 120 and zipper tracks 121, 123, the preferred distance between stitching segments 160 and 162, and the zipper tracks will vary. The size of the channel 151 may also vary depending on the size of the bed bugs intended to be prevented from escaping the mattress.
For example, the distance between stitching rows 160, 162, and respective tracks 121, 123 may be 1/16 of an inch. The distance between stitching rows 160, 162 may be 5/16 of an inch. The distance between stitching rows 164, 181 may be 2½ inches. The height of lower portion 131 of the zipper may be 1/32 of an inch.
Referring to
Accordingly, bed bugs attempting to escape the mattress encasement are impeded from crawling through zipper opening 110 (
While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A bed bug protective encasement for a mattress, said mattress having six sides, said encasement comprising:
- (a) a fabric cover of a size for surrounding the six sides of a mattress, said cover formed of a bed bug impervious fabric;
- (b) an opening formed in said cover and being of a size for receiving the mattress;
- (c) a slide fastening mechanism disposed in said opening and operable to close said opening after the mattress has been received, said mechanism comprising: (a) a zipper head; and (b) a pair of zipper tracks having a longitudinal axis;
- (d) a unitary and continuous barrier extending for a distance along said zipper tracks, said barrier disposed beneath said zipper tracks; and
- (e) stitching attaching said barrier to said fabric cover, said stitching running relative to each side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, said stitching being formed so as to prevent traversal by a bed bug across said stitching; and
- (f) a channel between said barrier and said fabric cover, said channel formed by said stitching, said barrier and said zipper tracks, said channel slidingly receiving a portion of said zipper head and said channel becoming an enclosed channel when said zipper tracks are mated together;
- wherein said channel has a confined space of a size to thwart bug movement along the channel.
2. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 wherein the fabric cover, when surrounding said mattress, forms six sides of said cover; and wherein said opening is formed across the entire width of one of said sides.
3. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 wherein said barrier comprises a compressible material.
4. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3 wherein said barrier is of a thickness at least five times greater than the thickness of said bed bug impervious fabric when said barrier is in an uncompressed state.
5. The bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3, wherein said barrier comprises a foam material.
6. The bed bug protective encasement according to claim 5, wherein said barrier is a foam pad.
7. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3, wherein said barrier comprises a rubber material.
8. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1, wherein said barrier comprises a fabric material.
9. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1, wherein said stitching draws said barrier into contact with said zipper tracks.
10. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 9, wherein said barrier exerts a pressure on said zipper tracks when said zipper head is approximately at said end location, said pressure sufficient to thwart bug movement along said channel.
11. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 10, wherein said pressure is sufficient to prevent bed bug escapement from said mattress encasement.
12. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 10, wherein said pressure is sufficient to prevent entry into said channel.
13. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1, wherein said barrier is of a length such that when said zipper head is approximately at said end location, said channel is at least two inches long along said longitudinal axis.
14. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1, wherein said stitching comprises a first row of stitching running relative to a first side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, and a second row of stitching running relative to a second side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is at least one-sixteenth of an inch.
15. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 14, wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is about one-sixteenth of an inch.
16. A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 14, wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is about five-sixteenths of an inch.
17. A method of preventing bed bugs housed within a mattress from escaping said mattress, said mattress having a mattress encasement with an opening portion and a zipper closure, said zipper closure having a zipper head and a pair of zipper tracks, said opening portion constituting the unzipped portion of said zipper tracks, comprising the steps:
- (a) providing a barrier along a portion of the longitudinal axis of the zipper tracks and the end location of said zipper tracks to prevent bugs from approaching said portion of the axis;
- (b) providing a channel between said zipper tracks and said barrier having a confined space of a size to thwart bug movement into and along the channel;
- (c) forcing said barrier toward said zipper track to guide bugs away from entering said channel and for creating a constant force of said barrier against said zipper track; and
- (d) moving said zipper head along the channel toward the zipper end located at the end of the channel.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of forcing said barrier toward said zipper track is accomplished by providing stitching between said barrier and said zipper closure along each side of the longitudinal axis of said zipper track.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein said stitching is formed so as to prevent traversal by a bed bug across said stitching.
20. The method of claim 6 wherein said barrier provided is composed of a compressible material.
21. The method of claim 9 wherein said barrier provided is a foam pad.
22. The method of claim 10 wherein the material of said barrier provided is of a thickness at least five times as great as that of the material comprising said mattress encasement.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 7, 2009
Publication Date: Nov 5, 2009
Inventors: James Bell (Glencoe, IL), Yueh-Jyh Chen (Shanghai), Ching-Yao Yeh (Shanghai)
Application Number: 12/498,863
International Classification: A47C 31/00 (20060101); A47G 9/00 (20060101);