Mattress Cover For Mattresses of Different Heights

Abstract

A removable mattress cover adapted to fit mattresses of different heights and keep bed bugs out of the mattress. The mattress cover has three different zipper tracks, two of which may be combined to form a zipper. One of the zipper tracks is around the perimeter of a removable top which may quickly and easily be removed and be laundered without moving the mattress. The cover has a zipper closure which utilizes hook and loop fasteners to cover a zipper opening, regardless of which two zipper tracks are combined. The zipper closure prevents bed bugs from penetrating the cover and getting into the mattress.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bedbugs have become increasingly common throughout the United States. In order to protect against bedbugs entering a mattress or box spring, covers have been manufactured to encase a mattress. Such covers have traditionally been manufactured and offered for sale for a mattress of a particular height. For example, one cover is made for a nine inch high mattress; another for a mattress having a 12 inch height; and lastly, a mattress having a 15 inch height.

One difficulty in selling three such products is that retailers have to stock and maintain a sufficient inventory of all three size covers. Another difficulty encountered by customers is difficulty in removing the mattress cover for washing.

Therefore, there is a need for a mattress cover designed to keep bedbugs away from a mattress which may be used with mattresses of different heights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a removable mattress cover adapted to fit mattresses of different heights. The mattress cover comprises a generally rectangular, removable top having a zipper track around its perimeter, a slider attached to the zipper track and a pull tab attached to the slider. The mattress cover further comprises a bottom, including a floor portion and a continuous sidewall portion extending upwardly from the floor portion. The sidewall portion has an extension secured to an upper portion of the sidewall portion. The sidewall portion has a zipper track around its perimeter and the extension has a zipper track around its perimeter, wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together. The floor portion and the continuous sidewall portion may be made of one piece of material.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the removable mattress cover comprises a generally rectangular, removable top having a zipper track around its perimeter, a slider attached to the zipper track and a pull tab attached to the slider. The mattress cover further comprises a one piece bottom having a zipper track around its perimeter. The mattress cover further comprises an extension secured to an upper portion of the bottom, the extension having a zipper track around its perimeter, wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together to encase a mattress.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the removable mattress cover comprises a top having a zipper track around its perimeter and a bottom having a zipper track around its perimeter. The mattress cover further comprises an extension secured to an upper portion of the bottom, the extension having a zipper track around its perimeter wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together to encase a mattress.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the removable mattress cover comprises a zipper closure adapted to cover a zipper opening. The zipper closure includes a hook and loop fastener for purposes of keep bed bugs from entering the cover through a zipper opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mattress cover of the present invention encasing a “short” mattress;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mattress cover of FIG. 1 encasing a “tall” mattress;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of the encircled area 1A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the encircled area 2A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 1B is a cross sectional view of a portion of the mattress cover of FIG. 1 showing the mattress cover in an open condition;

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view of a portion of the mattress cover of FIG. 2 showing the mattress cover in an open condition;

FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of the encircled area 1C of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2C is an enlarged view of the encircled area 2C of FIG. 2B; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged and partially disassembled elevational view of a portion of the mattress cover of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a removable mattress cover 10 for covering a mattress 12 of a first height H1 and a mattress 12a of a second height H2 greater than the first height H1. Each mattress 12 and 12a has length L and a width W and may be made of any desired materials. The invention described herein is not intended to limit the mattress or bedding product 12 or 12a.

The cover 10 comprises a generally rectangular top 14 having a zipper track 16 comprising multiple teeth 17 sewn or otherwise secured around its perimeter via sewn seam 15. See FIG. 3. For purposes of this document, a zipper track is half of a zipper. As best shown in FIG. 3, the zipper track 16 has a stop 18 and a slider 19 attached to the zipper track 16. Slider 19 is movable along the teeth 17 of zipper track 16, as is known in the art. A pull tab 20 is attached to the slider 19, also as known in the art, for purposes of moving the slider 19 along the teeth 17 of zipper track 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cover 10 further comprises a one piece bottom 22 having a floor portion 24 located underneath the mattress 12 and a continuous sidewall portion 26 extending around all four sides of the mattress 12. The continuous sidewall portion 26 extends upwardly from the floor portion 24 of the bottom 22.

A zipper track 28 comprising multiple teeth 29 and having a starter 30 adapted to engage the slider 19 is sewn or otherwise secured via sewn seam 32 to the perimeter of the bottom 22 and, more particularly, to an upper portion of the sidewall portion 26 of the bottom 22. See FIG. 3. The sewn seam 32 attaches the zipper track 28 to the bottom 22. In order to fit the mattress cover 10 over a “short” mattress 12 of a height H1 as shown in FIG. 1, the zipper track 28 of the bottom is combined with the zipper track 16 of the top 14 to make a zipper 34 which extends around the upper portion of the mattress 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, an extension 36 is secured via a sewn seam 38 to an upper portion 40 of the bottom 22 and, more particularly, to an upper portion 40 of the continuous sidewall portion 26 of the bottom 22. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the extension 36 is tucked inside the continuous sidewall portion 26 of the bottom 22 when the cover 10 is used on a “short” mattress 10, i.e., when zipper track 28 of bottom 22 and zipper track 16 of top 14 are joined.

As shown in FIGS. 2B, 2C and 3, a zipper track 42 comprising multiple teeth 44 and having a starter 46 adapted to engage the slider 19 is sewn or otherwise secured via sewn seam 48 to the perimeter of the extension 36 and, more particularly, to an upper portion of the extension 36. See FIG. 3. The sewn seam 48 attaches the zipper track 42 to the extension 36. As shown in FIG. 2, in order to fit the mattress cover 10 over a “tall” mattress 12a of a height H2, greater than the height H1 of the mattress 10 shown in FIG. 1, the zipper track 42 of the extension 36 is combined with the zipper track 16 of the top 14 to make a zipper 50 which extends around the upper portion of the mattress 12a.

In addition to being able to fit correctly over mattresses of different heights, another advantage of the mattress cover 10 of the present invention is its ability to prevent bed bugs from penetrating the cover via a zipper opening. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, a zipper closure 52 may be used to cover an end of zipper 34, including slider 19 and pull tab 20. The zipper closure 52 comprises a rectangular piece of material 54 having an outer surface of hook material 56 sewn or otherwise secured to an outer surface of the sidewall portion 26 of the bottom 22, as shown in FIG. 3. Another rectangular piece of material 58 having an outer surface of hook material 56 is sewn or otherwise secured to an outer surface of the top 14 of the cover 10, as shown in FIG. 3. A third rectangular piece of material 60 having an inner surface of loop material 62 is sewn or otherwise secured to the top 14 of the cover 10, as shown in FIG. 3. The hook and loop materials 56, 62, respectively, are adapted to engage one another to cover a portion of the zipper 34, as shown in FIG. 1. If desired, the hook and loop materials may be reversed.

Similarly, for use when the cover 10 is used to cover a “tall” mattress 12a, another rectangular piece of material 64 having an outer surface of hook material 56 is sewn or otherwise secured to an outer surface of the extension 36, as shown in FIG. 3. The rectangular piece of material 60 having an inner surface of loop material 62 sewn or otherwise secured to the top 14 of the cover 10 via sewn seam 63 is adapted to engage the hook material 56 of the piece 58 of top 14 and piece 64 of extension 36 to create a zipper closure 66 used to cover an end of zipper 50, including slider 19 and pull tab 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A.

While I have described several preferred embodiments of the present invention, persons skilled in the art will appreciate changes and modifications which may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although one configuration of zipper closure is illustrated and described, the zipper closure of the present invention may be other configurations. Therefore, I intend to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A removable mattress cover comprising:

a generally rectangular, removable top having a zipper track around its perimeter, a slider attached to the zipper track and a pull tab attached to the slider;

a bottom, including a floor portion and a continuous sidewall portion extending upwardly from the floor portion, the sidewall portion having an extension secured to the sidewall portion, the sidewall portion having a zipper track around its perimeter and the extension having a zipper track around its perimeter wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together.

2. The cover of claim 1 wherein the floor portion and continuous sidewall portion are made of one piece of material.

3. The cover of claim 1 further comprising a zipper closure adapted to cover a zipper opening, the zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.

4. The cover of claim 1 further comprising a pair of zipper closures, each of the zipper closures being adapted to cover a zipper opening, each zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.

5. The cover of claim 1 wherein the bottom is made of polyester fabric.

6. The cover of claim 5 wherein the polyester fabric has a polyurethane laminate backing.

7. A removable mattress cover comprising:

a generally rectangular, removable top having a zipper track around its perimeter, a slider attached to the zipper track and a pull tab attached to the slider;

a one piece bottom having a zipper track around its perimeter;

an extension secured to an upper portion of the bottom, the extension having a zipper track around its perimeter wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together to encase a mattress.

8. The cover of claim 7 wherein the top is made of polyester fabric.

9. The cover of claim 7 wherein the bottom is made of polyester fabric.

10. The cover of claim 9 wherein the polyester fabric has a polyurethane laminate backing.

11. The cover of claim 7 further comprising a zipper closure adapted to cover a zipper opening, the zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.

12. The cover of claim 7 further comprising a pair of zipper closures, each of the zipper closures being adapted to cover a zipper opening, each zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.

13. A removable mattress cover comprising:

a top having a zipper track around its perimeter;

a bottom having a zipper track around its perimeter;

an extension secured to an upper portion of the bottom, the extension having a zipper track around its perimeter wherein the zipper track of the top and one of the zipper tracks of the bottom may be zipped together to encase a mattress.

14. The cover of claim 13 further comprising a slider attached to the zipper track of the top and a pull tab attached to the slider.

15. The cover of claim 13 wherein the top is made of polyester fabric.

16. The cover of claim 13 wherein the bottom is made of polyester fabric.

17. The cover of claim 16 wherein the polyester fabric has a polyurethane laminate backing.

18. The cover of claim 13 wherein the extension is located inside the bottom when the zipper track of the bottom and the zipper track of the top are zipped together.

19. The cover of claim 13 further comprising a zipper closure adapted to cover a zipper opening, the zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.

20. The cover of claim 13 further comprising a pair of zipper closures, each of the zipper closures being adapted to cover a zipper opening, each zipper closure including hook and loop fasteners.