PROTECTIVE PAD FOR DISPLAY MATTRESSES

Abstract

A removable protective pad for the foot portion of mattresses that includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape of the foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive material is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that permanently adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches the sheet to the mattress foot portion. The polymeric sheet includes marketing information.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the protection of mattresses in a showroom environment. A releasably attachable polymeric mattress foot protector carrying marketing information is attached across the foot portion of a mattress to protect the decorative cover from soiling, damage, and wear.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mattresses are sold in retail showrooms. Typically, display mattresses are arranged on the floor so that the prospective purchaser can peruse the various types of mattresses offered by that retailer. In addition to evaluating various promotional materials in the showroom, the prospective buyer might “test” the mattress. This “test” involves lying on the mattress to evaluate softness, firmness or other attributes desirable to the purchaser. Lying on the mattress can result in damage, soiling, wear and tear. Retail showrooms are high traffic areas, and mattresses may be repeatedly tested and damaged.

Foot protectors for mattresses have been used to minimize damage to display mattresses in retail showrooms. Protectors used to date are expensive, cumbersome to place and secure on the mattress, and may unduly damage or compromise the visual appearance of the mattress. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,532; 6,216,292; and 6,014,782.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improvement in protective pads that are easily removable and more economical to manufacture, because they require less material and no additional attachment mechanisms to hold them in place.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the protective pad includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape of the foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive material is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that permanently adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches the sheet to the mattress foot portion without marring of the mattress cover or ticking. The polymeric sheet includes marketing information.

The term “foot portion,” as used herein, means the lower inches (10-30 inches) of the upper surface of the mattress where a customer's feet would rest if the customer were to fully lie on the mattress to test the comfort and support. The term “marketing information” refers to any of the following including: advertising material, sales material, manufacturer's logos and trademarks, promotional materials or the like, in the form of pictures, and/or any other form of media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a removable protective pad on a mattress.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a protective pad.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, modifications, and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a removable protective pad 10 is releasably attached to the mattress 40, such as a display mattress in a retail showroom. The protective pad 10 includes a polymeric base sheet 12 carrying marketing information 20, a first or protective film 11 in the form of a transparent polymeric overlaminate on top of the base sheet 12, adhesive material 15 on the underside of base 12, and a removable film or liner 16 (illustrated by dashed lines in FIG. 2). The protective pad 10 minimizes damage, soiling or wear to the mattress when a prospective purchaser is testing the mattress in the showroom. The adhesive material is so selected as to prevent damage to the decorative mattress fabric when the protective pad 10 is removed from the mattress 40.

The releasability of the protective pad 10 allows a sales associate to easily change the marketing information 20 viewable by a prospective purchaser as needed. For example, as mattress products in the showroom change, or marketing programs change, a new protective pad 10 may be used on a mattress. To accomplish this, all that is necessary is to remove the peel off liner, protective layer, or film 16 from the adhesive material 15 and place the protective pad 10 on the desired mattress.

The protective pad 10 may be used on any type of mattress. For example, twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, the “California king,” are exemplary sized mattresses. The protective pad 40 may be sized to substantially cover the foot portion of any mattress, or other mattress shapes and sizes that may be developed. The protective pad 40 may be used on any mattress including, but not limited to, innerspring, foam (viscoelastic and/or latex), air, futons, and waterbeds. Further, the protective pad 40 may be used on any mattress cover or mattress ticking. Mattress ticking as used herein refers to decorative woven or knit fabrics, or any other materials, that is the outer surface of the mattress.

As shown in FIG. 2, the removable protective pad 10 includes the polymeric base sheet 12 having top and bottom surfaces 13 and 14, respectively. The polymeric sheet 12 may be flexible to conform to the outer surface 42 of the mattress 40 or it may be a stiffer material. In other alternate embodiments, the polymeric sheet 12 may be malleable. An exemplary polymeric sheet 12 is polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In other alternate embodiments, however, the polymeric sheet 12 may be polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). An exemplary polymeric sheet 12 has a thickness between about 2.0 and about 5.0 mils, preferably about 3.7 mils.

The first or protective film (or overlaminate) 11 may be any transparent polymeric film for protecting the top surface 13 of the base sheet 12. The overlaminate 11 also includes an adhesive for permanent attachment to the polymeric sheet 12. Alternatively, the overlaminate may be applied by heat and pressure, or any other technique that will affix the film 11 to the base sheet 12. Exemplary overlaminates include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP).

Marketing information 20 is included on the upper surface of protective pad 40 for viewing by a prospective customer. The overlaminate 11 is affixed to the top surface of polymeric sheet 12 to protect the marketing information 20. The marketing information 20 is printed or otherwise applied directly to the polymeric sheet 12. In an exemplary embodiment, the marketing information 20 is printed on the sheet 12 with solvent/UV based ink jet media. In other embodiments, the ink jet media may be water based. In other embodiments, the marketing information may be printed on with any suitable types of inks and/or pigments. In alternate embodiments, the marketing information is integrally formed with the polymeric sheet 12. For example, a logo or trademark may be formed in the polymeric sheet 12 during manufacture. In other embodiments, the marketing information may be printed onto a separate sheet, film or material, that is then applied to the polymeric sheet 12 using any suitable adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pressure sensitive adhesive material 15 is applied to the bottom surface 14 of the polymeric sheet 12. A second, removeable, peel off liner or film 16 is applied and protects the adhesive material 15 prior to its emplacement on the mattress 40. The second film 16 is removable and is discarded upon removal from the protective pad 10.

The adhesive material 15 releasably attaches the protective pad 10 to the mattress 40. The adhesive material 15 is permanently affixed to the polymeric sheet 12 while allowing for the releasable attachment of the protective pad 10 to the outer surface 22 of the mattress 40. The adhesive material is selected to prevent damage, e.g., marring of the fabric or pattern, abrasion, etc., to the outer surface 42 of the mattress 40, which might otherwise occur when removing an adhesive from the mattress 40.

The adhesive material is a chemical, polymer, copolymer, polymer or co-polymer blends, a composition, resin, or any combinations thereof, that forms a temporary bond with the mattress. An exemplary adhesive material is an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive. As used herein, a “pressure sensitive adhesive” refers to an adhesive that forms a temporary bond upon the application of pressure. In other alternate embodiments, however, a non-pressure sensitive adhesive is used.

The adhesive material may be a natural or synthetic adhesive. Exemplary natural adhesives include, but are not limited to, starch, animal or vegetable resins. Exemplary synthetic adhesives include, but are not limited to, acrylic and/or other acrylate based adhesives, rubber based adhesives, polyvinyl acetate, epoxy, or polyurethane. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive material is acrylic based.

The adhesive material 15 is applied to the polymeric sheet 12 with a liquid carrier, or in solid form. Preferably the adhesive material is a liquid carrier or solvent based adhesive. For liquid carrier adhesives, the adhesive is coated onto the polymeric sheet 12, and the solvent, or water carrier is dried off. Additional heat may be applied to the adhesive and polymeric sheet 12 to initiate a cross-linking reaction and increase molecular weight of the adhesive. The solid adhesives may be low viscosity polymers. The solid adhesive materials are also coated onto the polymeric sheet 12 and reacted with radiation to increase molecular weight and form the adhesive thereon. In other embodiments, the solid-type adhesives may be high viscosity materials that are heated to reduce viscosity enough to allow coating, and then cooled to their final form on the polymeric sheet 12.

EXAMPLE

In one example of the invention, the protective pad includes a polyvinyl chloride sheet 12 with an acrylic based, pressure sensitive adhesive 15 applied thereto. A peel off liner is included on the adhesive material, and is discarded prior to application on the mattress. An exemplary product is product no. JTS828 HTO, available under the Mac Tac® brand (A Bemis Company). This product is a 3.7 mil matte white, soft calendared PVC film coated on one side with a high tack, permanent, opaque, solvent acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive, supplied with a Kraft liner. Marketing information may be printed thereon using solvent-based ink jet printing media. A vinyl overlaminate, such as Print Shield® SEAL®, available from Neschen Americas, Inc, is used to protect the marketing information.

Although the present invention has been described with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A protective pad for mattresses on display in a showroom, wherein the pad is releasably attached to the foot portion of a mattress to protect the mattress from customer soiling, wear and damage when testing the mattress in the showroom comprising:

a. a polymeric sheet of such size and shape as to, when applied to a mattress, substantially covers the foot portion of the mattress, the sheet having a top surface and an undersurface;

b. the polymeric sheet having marketing information visible on the top surface of the sheet;

c. an adhesive material on the undersurface of the sheet, the adhesive having the characteristic of being permanently adhered to the undersurface of the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attachable to the surface of the mattress without marring the decorative surface thereof.

2. The protective pad of claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

3. The protective pad of claim 1, further comprising a transparent film affixed to the top surface of the polymeric sheet to protect the marketing information thereon.

4. The protective pad of claim 1, wherein the polymeric sheet is selected from the group consisting of a polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terepthalate.

5. The protective pad of claim 1, further comprising a removable liner on the adhesive material.

6. The method for protecting a mattress in a showroom while also displaying marketing information, the method comprising:

a. providing a mattress;

b. providing a protective pad to protect the mattress from customer soiling, wear and damage when testing the mattress in the showroom, the removable protective pad comprising: i. a polymeric sheet of such size and shape as to, when applied to the mattress, substantially cover the foot portion of the mattress, the sheet having a top surface and an undersurface; ii. the polymeric sheet having marketing information visible on the top surface of the sheet; iii. an adhesive material on to the undersurface of the sheet, the adhesive having the characteristic of being permanently adhered to the undersurface of the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attachable to the surface of the mattress without marring the decorative surface thereof.

c. removeably attaching the removable protective pad to the mattress.

7. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising removing the removable protective pad and replacing the protective pad with another removable protective pad having different marketing information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the protective pad further comprises a transparent film affixed to the top surface of the polymeric sheet to protect the marketing information thereon.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the polymeric sheet is selected from the group consisting of a polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terepthalate.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the protective pad further comprises a removable liner on the adhesive material.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising removing the removable liner from the adhesive material.