1. Field of the Invention
The claimed invention generally relates to ornamental and protective covers for bedding. More specifically, the claimed invention relates to an improved cover having structure providing easy insertion and removal for bedding such as pillows and blankets.
2. Background
It is common place practice to place protective or decorative covers such as pillow shams and duvet covers over bedding articles such as pillows or blankets by creating a pocket between two pieces of material having an opening along one seam for placing a bedding article within the pocket. Covers of this type are often hard to put into place due to difficulties associated with placing an easily deformable item such as a pillow or blanket within a cover made of pliable material. Further, the opening providing access to the pocket is typically either left open or secured with a fastener such as an eyelet and button arrangement resulting in an unpleasant appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,410 issued to Schaechter is an example of the prior art relating to bedding covers. Schaechter discloses a quick sealing pillow cover having a hook and loop closure on the inside flaps of the opening along one seam of the pillow cover. Pillow covers of this type, as previously mentioned, are difficult to put into place and present unsightly closure seams.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,268 issued to Davis is another example of the prior art relating to bedding covers. Davis discloses a unitary pillow sham for covering a plurality of pillows in individual pockets within one collective unit. The pillows within the pockets of the sham are held in place by overlapping lips within the back face of the pillow sham. Pillow shams of this type of construction provide only one aesthetically presentable side due to the unsightly access opening across the middle of one side of the sham.
In order to address the problem of providing a decorative and protective bedding cover that is both easy to put into place and aesthetically pleasing from all sides, the present invention provides an. The Easy On/Easy Off Pillow and Blanket Cover as here disclosed differs from the previously used pillow and bedding covers and employs a number of novel features and improvements that render it highly advantageous over the aforementioned prior art, as such improvements are hereafter described in further detail.
It is a primary object of the claimed invention to provide a pillow sham or duvet cover with improved access to the pocket within the cover.
It is another object of the claimed invention to provide a pillow sham or duvet cover that has an aesthetically pleasing appearance from all sides.
It is a further object of the claimed invention to provide making a pillow sham or duvet cover with improved access to the pocket within the cover while having an aesthetically pleasing appearance from all sides.
The claimed invention provides a bedding cover such as a pillow sham or duvet cover that provides improved access to the pocket within the cover as well an aesthetically pleasing appearance from all sides. A pillow sham or duvet cover embodying the claimed invention generally comprises a front panel and a back panel having an access flap with a vertical hidden zipper and a horizontal hidden zipper for securing bedding such as a pillow or blanket within the pocket of the pillow sham or duvet cover.
The back panel having an access flap capable of being opened along two perpendicular seams of the cover provides improved access. A cover of this type can be placed on a flat surface such as a bed or table with the access flap facing up. The access flap can be opened along the two perpendicular seams allowing the access flap to be folded back so that a bedding item such as a pillow or blanket can be placed properly within the pocket of the cover. After the bedding item is placed in the pocket, the access flap can be secured shut with hidden zippers. Providing a cover that allows a portion of the cover to be folded away during placement of a bedding item within the pocket of the cover eliminates problems in the prior art associated with having a single seam opening, such as having to shake the bedding item into place within the pocket.
The hidden zippers are generally oriented adjacent a break line or hem line in the cover such that the hidden zippers are not readily noticeable, lending to the overall aesthetic appearance of the cover. A flap that is created by a hemmed portion of the back panel hides the zippers from view and provides a side of the cover that can be readily displayed without sacrificing the aesthetic appearance of the cover.
Turning now to the drawings,
The front panel 20 and back panel 30 shown in
The multisided access flap 40 within the back panel 30 is generally sized so that the access flap 40 lies within the vertical stitching 100 and horizontal stitching 110 to allow access to the pocket 50 surrounded by the tailored flange 120. The access flap 40 is shaped to have a first side vertical edge 130 parallel to the vertical stitching 100 and a second side horizontal edge 140 parallel to the horizontal stitching 110 that are securable by zippers 60, 70 beneath the fastener hiding flaps 150.
The fasteners shown in
The fastener hiding flaps 150 are created from the back panel 30 by hemming the opposing edges 200, 210 of the access flap 40 with the vertical and horizontal stitching 100, 110 holding the stationary tapes 160, 170 and forming the tailored flange 120.
Another embodiment of the bedding cover 300 is shown in
The pillow sham or duvet cover 10 as shown in
After the front panel 20 and back panel 30 have been cut, the perimeter edges of the front panel 20 and perimeter edges of the back panel 30 are hemmed while simultaneously stitching the front panel 20 and back panel 30 together to provide the pocket 50 as shown in
Although the invention has been described by reference to some embodiments it is not intended that the novel device be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and the appended drawings.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/458,527 filed Mar. 28, 2003.
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830970 | Cary | Sep 1906 | A |
1261314 | Stoddard | Apr 1918 | A |
2637860 | Lehigh | May 1953 | A |
2736043 | Temple | Feb 1956 | A |
2759200 | Johnston | Aug 1956 | A |
3241161 | Dashosh | Mar 1966 | A |
4480346 | Hawkins et al. | Nov 1984 | A |
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4631765 | Casey | Dec 1986 | A |
4903361 | Tang | Feb 1990 | A |
5157799 | Aird | Oct 1992 | A |
5279009 | Putka, Jr. | Jan 1994 | A |
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6032308 | Chuang | Mar 2000 | A |
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6427268 | Davis | Aug 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040187210 A1 | Sep 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60458527 | Mar 2003 | US |