Effortless Crib and Bed Skirting

Abstract

Bed dust ruffles, or bed skirts, made from fabric that encloses the open area under a crib or bed. The invention comes in five pieces, one is the base, which is placed on top of the box spring or frame and under the mattress, two skirting pieces are for the ends of the head and foot and two skirting pieces are for the sides. The skirting pieces connect to the base using hook and loop strips which are securely sewn to each piece. Because bed's range in height off the floor and crib springs are adjusted as the child grows, the skirts have adjustable lengths. Each of the skirt pieces have a removable section attached to the bottom edge using hook and loop. For cribs this piece is eight inches and for regular beds the piece is six inches.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR COMPUTERPROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of decorative dust ruffles for standard beds and cribs. Conventional bed skirting, or dust ruffles, are made as one piece. They are placed between the mattress and spring with a thin fabric covering the spring area and the skirting hanging down over the sides. Traditionally the fit is never exact and the fabric meant to cover only the spring area is usually seen along the top edges of the skirt, requiring continual adjustment. The invention eliminates this issue as the skirting is sewn to a drapery tape strip and then attached to the base at the exact edge of the spring using hook and loop. Current bed skirting is available for cribs in two lengths, one for when the springs are set at the highest and one for the lowest. Currently the consumer needs to buy two different skirts to cover the two years or so the child is in the crib. Current standard bed skirting is available from higher end bedding manufacturers in 2 or 3 lengths, but in the most common department stores it is available in one length. The mattress and box springs market however have a minimum of 2 common heights available. Currently there is no product made or patented that resolves all of these issues.

BRIEF SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION

It is the intention of the invention to provide bed dust ruffles, or bed skirts for standard beds and cribs which are capable of perfect placement along the perimeter of a box spring or spring frame. It is a further intention of the invention to provide dust ruffles or bed skirts that are adjustable in length and the design or color can be changed without the removal of the mattress. The adjustable length is done easily with removable strips that are adhered with loop and hock strips. The inventions design is such that it can be economically produced and marketed, not requiring any special hardware. The invention covers both the variables for the crib spring settings in one product with a removable eight inch strip for when the crib is lowered. For standard beds one bed skirt is purchased and the removable strip can be taken off or added again if you purchase a new higher mattress. The invention also eliminates having to remove the mattress from the box springs to put on a new bed skirt. If the consumer likes to change the bedding with the seasons they can simply remove the skirt pieces and replace with another color from the invention collection of colors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of the present invention as used in a child's crib, denoted as A; and how it is placed around the perimeter of the spring frame attaching to a sheet of non-woven fabric, denoted as B: and under the mattress, denoted as C. Also illustrated is the Heavy Drape header tape which has hook and loop sewn on to attach to non-woven fabric denoted as B.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view of the present invention, denoted as A; and in place around the perimeter of a standard crib

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view of the present invention as used in a child's crib, detailing the removable portion of the dust ruffle, denoted as A; to accommodate the shorter length when the crib is at the lowest setting

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of the present invention used in a standard bed, denoted as A; and how it is placed around the perimeter of the Box spring attaching to a sheet of non-woven fabric, denoted as B: and under the mattress, denoted as C. Also illustrated is the Heavy Drape header tape which has hook and loop sewn on to attach to non-woven fabric denoted as B

FIG. 5 is an illustrative view of the present invention as used in a standard bed, detailing the removable portion of the dust ruffle, denoted as A; to accommodate the various heights in Box springs and bed frames.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While researching for prior art similar to the present invention the inventors found three patents that were similar to the present invention

U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,086,531 1992
6,151,731 1998
4,897,891 1990

These patented products each state the purpose of the invention is similar to our intent, however the methods to accomplish the end result are different and none accomplish all of the objectives.

The current standard bed skirting or dust ruffle is fabric ruffles or skirt sewn to 3 sides of sheeting that is cut to the various sizes of standard bed sizes. The skirting hangs over the edge, covering the sides of the box springs and going to the floor. There are some inherent flaws in this design that the invention resolves. First is that while box springs are made in standard sizes they are not always true to size, and while current dust ruffles are made in standard sizes to fit these box springs, they are not always true to size. To match up these variances and make the product look right is tedious and very time consuming. All three of the prior art try to address this issue. Two of them have the skirting adhered to a strip and you place this as far under the mattress as needed to have the desired length covering the box springs and reaching the floor. This design as well is very time consuming and tedious to get the dust ruffle straight and the same length the entire way around the bed. The third prior art has a plastic mesh strip attached to the skirting and then special screw in fasteners that are adhered to the box springs to attach the mesh to. This prior art solves the issue of proper placement, but it involves special hardware and tools that not every consumer wants to deal with. It does not address the variance of bed heights nor is this prior art suitable for a crib.

The invention addresses all of the afore stated issues with current bed skirting or dust ruffles. The invention includes the base piece which is constructed from with a stiff nonwoven fabric, cut in the dimensions of standard bed sizes and cribs. Around the perimeter, set in approximately 2 inches from the edge will be strips of hook and loop. This base piece will need to be placed between the mattress and the box spring upon the initial purchase of the product. Because the skirting is adhering over the edge of the base an exact fit is not as critical. Once the mattress is replaced, the skirting is placed using the drapery header tape strip to wedge between the mattress and box springs, adhering it to the hook and loop strip on the base. The stiffness of the drapery header tape assures a clean sharp edge from which the skirt falls. To address the needed length variables, each skirting piece has two sections. The bottom one is adhered to the top using hook and loops and can be removed for the crib product line when the crib is lowered as the child grows, and on standard beds depending on the bed height. The measurements of these removable pieces are based on industry averages.

Claims

I. Crib and bed skirting which is made in 5 pieces

II. Piece one is the base and placed on top of the spring, under the mattress and is designed to never have to be removed. The size is determined by the standard width and length of all bed sizes and cribs

III. Pieces two through five are the skirting pieces, 1 for the head and foot and 1 for each side

IV. The base in claim II is made from stiff non-woven fabric and has hook and loop strips sewn around perimeter approximately 2 inches from the edge

V. The skirting pieces in claim III are all made with fabric. They are sewn at the top to a drapery header tape strip. This piece has hook and loop strips sewn on the bottom side.

VI. The skirt pieces in claim V attach to the base in claim IV along the edge of the springs using the hook and loop strips

VII. The skirting in claim III are made in two sections adhered together using hook and loop strips. The lower section can be removed to adjust the length of the skirt.

VIII. All pieces are washable.