Patent Application
20240206630
The disclosed technology relates to beds. More specifically, the disclosed technology relates to a device for temporarily separating two beds on a single bed frame.
Sleep eludes many individuals. For married couples, who spend years or decades sleeping next to each other, sleep may be especially difficult when one's partner tosses and turns or snores all night. Some bedmates may also find it difficult to sleep when their partners roll onto them or otherwise shake the bed while asleep.
Additionally, there are those for whom there exists a religious mandate for spouses to spend at least some time in separate beds. Beds which connect to each other, even if only on one side, may be considered a single bed according to, for example, Jewish law. Thus, it is desirable to be able to have a single bed between which a barrier may be placed, such that the single bed may be regarded as two separate beds and/or such that the movements and actions of a sleeper on one side of the barrier do not affect a sleeper on the other side, without requiring movement of beds or impeding the beds' use for sleeping.
A bed system of embodiments of the disclosed technology has an exterior bed frame that has a left side, right side, front side, and back side. A height adjustable platform extends between the front side and the back side of the exterior bed frame substantially or fully, connectedly or disconnectedly, depending on embodiment. “Fully” is defined as “without space between”. “Connectedly” and “attached” is defined as “physically attached”. “Disconnectedly” and “unattached” are defined as “placed adjacent (within 6 inches) or touching and lacking physical attachment thereto but for, in some cases, friction”.
A left bed can be placed on the left side of the height adjustable platform (herein, “platform”). A right bed can be placed on the right side of the platform. The left bed and right bed are unattached to each of the bed frame and the platform. The beds can further be spaced apart from each of the bed frame and platform on one or more sides (“spaced apart” being defined as “at least one inch”). The purpose of this spacing is to prevent movement, or feeling of movement, by someone on one bed when the movement is caused by someone on the other bed for reasons of undisturbed sleep and/or for religious reasons.
A headboard can be fixedly attached to the back side of the exterior bed frame, and a maximum height of the height adjustable platform can be limited to a height below a top of the headboard by a height altering mechanism or a height altering device to change the height of the platform (the terms “height altering mechanism” and “height altering device” being used interchangeably and synonymously). In this manner, the headboard can be used to stabilize or connect to the platform for further support of the platform. In other versions or configurations of the devices, the platform height can have a minimum height equal to a top side of the beds or top side of a mattresses placed on a top side of the bed(s). The platform can be connected to both the front and back side of the bed frame.
The beds can be disconnected from the bed frame. That is, the bed or beds can be placed within the bed frame while the bed frame is a separate and disconnected unit from the bed or beds. As such, the interior side of an entirety of the bed frame, a left side of the height adjustable platform, and a right side of a height adjustable platform have planar sides lacking indentations or protrusions in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The beds can then be placed against/adjacent to the bed frame or be spaced apart from the bed frame on two, three, or four sides. The platform can extend horizontally to cover the gaps between the beds in embodiments of the disclosed technology.
The bed frame can be designed to hold two twin mattresses, one on each side of the bed frame, i.e. on either side of the platform. Other sized mattresses/beds can be used in embodiments of the disclosed technology such as single, queen, king, regular, tall, and other sizes. The exterior bed frame can have a height level with a top side of each of the left bed, the right bed, and the height adjustable platform. The exterior bed frame can extend to the floor, reach just below a mattress, or reach to the upper edge of a mattress.
The platform can be adjusted in height via mechanical (crank) or electrical mechanisms with “stops” (device to prevent the change of height past a point of placement of said device) at lower and upper ranges of mobility of the platform. The lower range can be at a height of the bed frame at which the bed frame has a flat upper side (exclusive of a headboard which may be higher). The lower range can instead be a height of a mattress placed on one of the beds. The maximum height can be one foot, two feet, or three feet above one of the lower ranges.
Any device or step to a method described in this disclosure can comprise or consist of that which it is a part of, or the parts which make up the device or step. The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically and each item by itself. “Substantially” is defined as at least 95% of the term being described and/or “within a tolerance level known in the art and/or within 5% thereof. Any device or aspect of a device or method described herein can be read as “comprising” or “consisting” thereof.
A bed frame with two mattresses and a height-adjustable platform is described herein. The bed frame contains two separate portals sized to fit a bed, with each bed having a mattress. The platform placed there-between. The respective beds and mattresses are placed such that the beds and mattresses do not touch each other or any part of the bed frame and movable platform. The platform, however, can be integrated into, and be a connected part of the bed frame or separately placed within a portal between the two separate portals for the beds.
The bedframe may include a headboard. The platform may have a range of heights such that, at a lowest height thereof, its top level is substantially level with a top level of the bedframe and such that, at a highest height thereof, its top level is substantially higher than a top level of one or both of the mattresses such as 6 inches, 12 inches, or 2 feet higher than a top level of the mattresses.
For purposes of this disclosure, “top” is defined as farthest upward along a vertical axis, where the vertical axis is substantially parallel to an axis along which the height-adjustable platform extends. “Bottom” is defined as farthest downward along a vertical axis, where the vertical axis is substantially parallel to an axis along which the height-adjustable platform extends. An “upward direction” is defined as a direction moving from legs of the bed frame to a bed and/or mattress placed thereon, and a “downward direction” is defined as an opposite direction relative to an upward direction.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology will become more clear in view of the following discussion of the figures.
“Mattress” is defined as a fabric case filled with deformable or resilient material, used for sleeping on. “Bed” is defined as a structure for sleep and/or rest.
The movable platform 70 is movable along a vertical axis 130 thereof. In the embodiment shown, the movable platform 70 is in a lowered position thereof. In the lowered position shown, a top level 120 of the platform 70 is substantially level with a top level 90 of the bed frame 10, and is lower in height than a top level 100 of both mattresses of both beds 50, 60 as well as a top level 110 of the headboard 20. In various embodiments, while the movable platform 70 is in a lowered position thereof, its top level 120 may be at a height lower than that of the top level 90 of the bed frame 10; a height between the top level 90 of the bed frame 10 and the top level 100 of both mattresses of both beds 50, 60; or a height substantially level with the top level 100 of one or both mattresses of both beds 50, 60. In some embodiments, the platform 70 is adjustable between some or all of these potential lowered positions. In other embodiments, the platform 70 is adjustable along the axis 130 to any height above its lowest height. In this manner, with the lowered platform 70, the mattresses of the left bed 50 and the right bed 60 can be pushed together forming a larger mattress based on the abutment of the two mattresses, such as when occupants of each bed desire to be next to each other.
In embodiments not shown in the figures, a removable insert may be insertable between the mattresses of both beds 50, 60 when the movable platform 70 is in a lowered position thereof. The insert may be padded, and may be shaped such that a top surface thereof is level with both top levels 100 of the mattresses of both beds 50, 60. In embodiments in which the top levels 100 of the mattresses of both beds 50, 60 are not of equal heights, the insert may be shaped such that its surface is substantially flat, with a left side thereof being equal in height to the height of the top side 100 of the mattress of the left bed 50 and a right side thereof being equal in height to the height of the top side 100 of the mattress of the right bed 60. In some embodiments in which the lowest height of the movable platform 70 is a height substantially equal to the height of top levels 100 of the mattresses of both beds 50, 60, the top side 120 of the movable platform 70 may be padded.
In various embodiments, the beds 50, 60, and/or the mattresses thereof, are spaced apart at sides thereof from the bed frame 10, the headboard 20, and/or the platform 70 and sides thereof. Each of a distance between a side of the bed 50, 60 and/or the mattress thereof and the bed frame 10, the headboard 20, and/or the platform 70 may be ¼ inch, ½ inch, 1 inch, or any other distance.
In the embodiment shown, each of the left side 30 and the right side 40 of the bed frame 10 includes at least one outer leg 80 and at least one inner leg 80, where “outer” is defined as being farther from the platform 70 and “inner” is defined as being closer to the platform 70. In the embodiment shown, all internal legs are spaced apart from the platform 70 while the platform 70 is in a lowered position. In various embodiments, the internal legs 80 may be at any distance from the platform 70, or may be in contact on one side thereof with the platform 70 while the platform 70 is in its lower position, so long as movement of the platform 70 along the axis 130 is not impeded by friction due to the contact.
In the embodiment shown, the headboard 20 is spaced apart from the side of the platform 70 closest thereto, and is also spaced apart from sides of each of the mattresses of the beds 50, 60 closest thereto. In some embodiments the headboard 20 is removably attachable to the bed frame 10. The headboard 20 may be any distance from the sides of the mattresses of the beds 50, 60 and the platform 70 closest thereto, so long as vertical movement of the platform 70 along the axis 130 is not impeded by friction due to the contact. Furthermore, the headboard 20 may comprise one or more separate and removable individual components.
The legs 80, in the embodiment shown, are placed internally relative to the sides of the bed frame 10. In embodiments, the legs 80 may simultaneously form sides of the bed frame 10, rather than being entirely internal relative thereto.
In some embodiments, the platform 70 is vertically movable along the axis 130 into a single pre-fixed raised position and a single pre-fixed lowered position. The term “pre-fixed” is defined as “chosen and established during design of the present invention” or as “chosen and established once or more by users of the present invention.” In other embodiments, the platform 70 is vertically movable along the axis 130 into one or more pre-fixed raised positions and one or more pre-fixed lowered positions. In further embodiments, the platform 70 is positionable at any position vertically between a pre-fixed lower-most vertical bound and a pre-fixed upper-most vertical bound.
In the embodiment shown, the mattresses of the beds 50, 60 are placed on their respective sides, 30, 40 such that they are spaced apart at each side from edges of the bed frame 10. In other embodiments, the sides of the bed frame 10 may be arranged and or spaced such that one or more sides 30, 40 of the mattresses of the beds 50, 60 are flush therewith when placed thereon.
While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.
