Not Applicable.
This invention relates to bed linens and more particularly to therapeutic anti-ligative bed linens.
Annually, there are over 30,000 deaths due to suicide in the United States. More than 90 percent of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder. Bedding and bed sheets are the number one item used to fashion a lanyard for hanging. Bedding and bed sheets are used in 53% of all inpatient suicide completions and attempts. Therefore, there is a need to provide an attractive and safe alternative to the standard bed linens and sheets that hospitals and institutions use. The focus areas would be psychiatric units or any institution that houses people with suicidal and self-harm behaviors or thoughts.
To reduce the ability to form a lanyard from bed linen, the bed linen should be difficult to remove from the bed, including the sheets and any blankets. Therefore, using a one-piece blanket and mattress cover would be safer as it would be more cumbersome to remove from a bed than individual sheets or blankets. Even better, the bed linens should incorporate an alarm to warn staff that bed linens are being removed. Also, pillow cases create additional suffocation risks and should not be provided to suicidal patients. Therefore, a bed linen system is needed that incorporates a washable pillow that avoids the need for a pillowcase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,543 shows a bed linen sheet design that has an attached top sheet and bottom sheet the point of attachment between the two is at the foot of bed top edge. This patent does not address the issue of the danger of loose blankets and does not address how to safely provide blankets to a patient. In fact, the '543 design does not allow a separate top and bottom sheet set to be placed over an existing top and bottom sheet set.
Another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 7,810,184 shows the top and bottom sheet being attached at the side. This design could be problematic as the elderly or confused individual might try to exit the bed on the seamed side and create a fall hazard. The optimal design is for attachment towards the foot of the bed allowing ease of entry and exit from either side. The '184 design also does not allow for multiple sets to be fitted to the mattress and thus not providing the ability to meet different patients' needs for more warmth.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,836 shows a bed sheet top and bottom point of attachment at the bottom edge the inventor explains this feature allows the persons foot to extend pass the mattress, this would be an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,543. However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,836 does not deal with the problem of placing multiple bed linens on one mattress and does not suggest any structures to make a bed linen layerable, especially a bed linen that incorporates a blanket.
Therefore, there is a need for a one-piece bed linen solution that is not easily removed, yet is layerable to address the warmth needs of different patients. Additionally, the bed linen should be made out of thicker, tear resistant fabrics, such as quilted materials, that are difficult to convert into a lethal lanyard. Also, a bed linen system is needed that alerts staff when a patient is attempting to remove the bed linen from a mattress. Furthermore, such a bed linen system would avoid using pillow cases that can be easily converted to deadly objects. Additionally, the bed linen system needs to be easily washed to be hygienic for numerous uses by numerous people. The present invention accomplishes these objectives.
The anti-ligative bed linen system provides structures for bed linens including pillows to prevent using them for suicide or bodily harm. The invention provides many benefits: ease of bed making, comfort, flexibility to safely have more than one blanket, and added aesthetic of the living environment. The bed linen system includes a bed line made from thicker material, such as quilted material. A one-piece design includes a cover portion fitted directly over the mattress and a blanket portion that covers a person in bed. The one-piece design has an increased degree of bulkiness, making it difficult to roll or fold. With the blanket connected to the mattress cover, the entire bed linen has to be removed to attempt using parts of it as a lanyard. In addition, the linen system may be equipped with an alarm system, which activates if the bedding is removed for tampering, thus triggering a response from hospital staff members.
The bed linen includes a structure that allows a main portion of the blanket to overhang the sides of the mattress easily. This natural drop is aesthetically appealing as well. The attribute of having the top blanket and bottom cover connected means the blanket will not come out loose during sleeping hours. When combined with not having to tuck the corners of sheets or blankets, the bed becomes easier to make. Less effort to make the bed has the potential for even depressed and unmotivated individuals to complete a bed making task.
The bed linen system includes a bi-fold pillow made from thicker fabrics, such as a quilted material. The bi-fold design compartmentalizes stuffing into smaller sections thereby stabilizing the pillow stuffing. The stuffing resists clumping, which can occur when laundering the pillow. The quilted pillow eliminates the asphyxiation hazard associated with vinyl pillows and eliminates the danger of a pillowcase being used as a ligature for suicide. In addition, the use of thicker fabrics and quilted fabric makes the bed linens tamper resistant and tear resistant.
There are a number of advantages of the structures of the anti-ligative bed linen system. The primary advantage is the elimination of safety hazards that are associated with standard bed linens and pillows. The system includes a one-piece bed linen that is not easily removed, yet is layerable to address the warmth needs of different patients. Additionally, the bed linen system is made out of thicker, tear resistant fabrics, such as quilted materials, that are difficult to convert into a lethal lanyard. The one-piece linen system eliminates the need for fitted sheets and blankets allowing staff and patients to manage an easier one-piece system. Also, the bed linen system includes an alarm system that alerts staff when a patient is attempting to remove the bed linen from a mattress.
The bed linen system eliminates using pillow cases that can be easily converted to deadly objects. Furthermore, since the washable pillow is flatter and the pillow stuffing resists clumping, it allows for multiple launderings and infection control. In addition, the bed linen system is structured for comfort and is aesthetically pleasing to patients (allowing potential color and design customization for patients), which improves the therapeutic environment for the patients. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list.
With respect to the drawings, the invention includes an anti-ligative bed linen system 5 for a mattress 11, as illustrated in
In
In one embodiment, the lower portion 16C of the blanket 16 includes an extended flap 20 having a width W2 narrower than the width W1 of the main portion 16D of the blanket 16, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the bed linen 10 is made of a material having a thickness that hinders persons from rolling the bed linen 10 to use as a ligature to commit suicide. In another embodiment, the bed linen 10 is made of a material having a strength that hinders persons from tearing the bed linen 10 to use as a ligature to commit suicide. This bed linen system 5 is structured to eliminate the use of sheets and be used in place of sheets. Preferably, the bed linen 10 is made of a quilted material, with the quilting strengthening the material. The material is preferably a washable durable material, such as a cotton polyester blend, but other suitable materials with similar properties may be used. A quilted cotton material adds to a person's comfort and the quilted bed linen 10 provides aesthetic and therapeutic value as well. Threads used for the quilting are preferably heavy polyester threads to make the bed linen system 5 tough and resistant to tearing.
In one embodiment in
One embodiment of the bed linen system 5 further includes an alarm system 30 (
One embodiment of the alarm system 30 further includes a setting switch 36 (
In one embodiment in
In
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention.
The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.
Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.” While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.
While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications 61/637,814 filed on Apr. 24, 2012; 61/637,836 filed on Apr. 24, 2012; and 61/647,504 filed on May 15, 2012, and they are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130278431 A1 | Oct 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61637814 | Apr 2012 | US | |
61637836 | Apr 2012 | US | |
61647504 | May 2012 | US |