Patent Application
20150020311
None.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of sheets for mattresses. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of a fitted sheet for a child's sleeping mattress.
2. Description of Related Art
Fitted sheets having elastic strips sewn into the bottom in order to gather the bottom of the sheet inward thereby securely holding the sheet onto a mattress are well known.
The present invention is of a fitted sheet for a child's sleeping mattress. The sheet has an elasticized portion for the purpose of gathering the mattress inward in order to securely hold the sheet onto the mattress on which the sheet has been installed. However, only a portion of the bottom panel of the sheet is elasticized, defining an elasticized portion of the bottom panel of the sheet. The bottom panel also has an unelasticized portion which does not have an elastic strip on it. In an illustrative embodiment, the unelasticized portion extends inward toward the center of the bottom of the mattress farther than does the unelasticized portion. The unelasticized portion defines a pocket part of the sheet.
In an illustrative embodiment the pocket part serves three functions. First, the pocket part can be more easily slipped over an edge of the mattress, and particularly over the edge of a child's sleeping mattress, than if the entire bottom panel of the sheet were elasticized. That is because the elastic in a fully elasticized fitted sheet tends to gather the entire bottom of the sheet inward thus closing off to some extent the opening between the top and bottom panels of the sheet into which a leading edge of the mattress is to be inserted. By eliminating the elastic from a portion of the bottom panel of the sheet, the unelasticized portion remains more open and freely accessible to the user, thus making it easier to insert the leading edge of the mattress into that unelasticized portion.
Second, in an illustrative embodiment, the unelasticized portion of the sheet extends inwardly toward the center of the mattress's bottom more than does the average or even the maximum inward extend of the elasticized portion. The unelasticized portion thus defines a deeper pocket than the rest of the sheet. The deeper pocket securely holds the first-installed portion of the sheet, designated the leading portion of the sheet, over the respective portion of the mattress, designated the leading portion of the mattress, while the user slips the elasticized portion over the remainder of the mattress. The sheet thus overcomes a problem in prior art mattresses in which the user would place a leading portion of the sheet over a leading portion of the mattress, but while the user was stretching the remainder of the sheet over the bottom of the mattress, the leading portion could slip back off the mattress.
Third, the unelasticized portion of the mattress serves as a visual index that helps the user easily identify which portion of the sheet goes on which portion of the mattress. This eliminates a disadvantage that was observed with prior art mattresses in which the sheet in its unstretched state was gathered by the elastic strip sewn into the sheet into a somewhat amorphous form in which it was not easy to see at a glance which part of the sheet should be placed over which part of the mattress.
In one aspect therefore, the invention is of a fitted sheet, especially but not exclusively a fitted sheet for a child's sleeping mattress. The fitted sheet has a top panel having a periphery, a side extending around the top panel periphery, and a bottom panel extending from a bottom part of the side panel inward toward a center of the mattress. The bottom panel has a first and elasticized portion, the elasticized portion being drawn inward by an elastic member such as an elastic strip sewn or otherwise affixed around part of the inner edge of the bottom panel. The bottom panel also has an elongated and unelasticized portion that itself has no elastic drawing it inward. The unelasticized portion, together with an adjacent portion of the side and top panel, forms an unelasticized pocket capable of securely holding a side of the mattress while a user stretches the unelasticized portion over a bottom of the mattress. The pocket can extend to, or can extend past and thus over, at least one angled or curved side surface of the mattress.
In another aspect, the invention is of a fitted sheet for a mattress such as but not necessarily a child's sleeping mattress, the fitted sheet having a top panel, a side, and a bottom panel. The bottom panel has an inner edge in which one or more elastic strips are incorporated along some, but not all, of the inner edge. The portion of the bottom panel inner edge that does not have an elastic member incorporated therein defines at least 10% of the bottom panel inner edge, and preferably at least 20% of the bottom panel inner edge, and extends inward toward a center of the bottom of the mattress a distance that is greater than the inward extent of the elasticized portion(s).
In yet another aspect, the invention is of a method of placing a fitted sheet onto a mattress, the fitted sheet having both an elasticized portion and an unelasticized portion. The user optionally places a first side of the mattress on a surface with a second side of the mattress opposite the first side tilted upward to raise it above the surface. The user places an unelasticized and preferably extended pocket portion of the sheet over the second portion of the mattress. The pocket portion holds the second portion of the mattress securely while the user then stretches the elasticized portion over the remainder of the mattress.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts. The drawing figures might not be to scale, and certain components may be shown in generalized or schematic form and identified by commercial designations in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
In a preferred embodiment the fabric of which sheet 10 including top panel 12 is formed is breathable, so that the sheet will allow flow of air therethrough and will thus be suitable for use on mattresses designed to increase air flow around the child and thus reduce incidences of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), such as the SIDS-preventative mattress disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,691 to Bensoussan.
Fitted sheet 10 includes a bottom panel 20 having an inner edge 28. An elastic member or strip 34 is sewn or otherwise affixed to or incorporated within bottom panel 20 around a portion of inner edge 28. Bottom panel 20 has an elasticized portion 22 which includes elastic strip 34, and an unelasticized portion 24 which does not include elastic strip 34. Inner edge 28 therefore has an elasticized portion 22 which includes some or most, but not all, of inner edge 28 of the bottom of fitted sheet 10. Unelasticized portion 24 defines a pocket or pocket portion 26 of fitted sheet 10. As shown more clearly in
In the embodiment shown, unelasticized portion 30 of inner edge 28 defines at least 10% by distance of inner edge 28, and more preferably at least 20% by distance of inner edge 28. Further in the embodiment, the unelasticized portion covers approximately one full side, or more than one full side, of a multi-sided mattress such as multi-sided mattress 40 shown.
Sheet 10 may optionally also have a visual index 70 on pocket part 26 that facilities easy identification of the part of the sheet that is to be slipped onto the mattress first. As shown, visual index 70 is a printed bar on pocket part 26 near inner edge 28. The index could take any visually identifiable form.
The mattress has a first end 50, and a second end 52 opposite the first end. Sheet 10 is shown partially installed on second end 52. Second end 52 on which fitted sheet 10 is first placed defines what will be referred to herein as a leading end 52 of mattress 40, and the portion of fitted sheet which is first placed onto leading end 52 of mattress 40 will be referred to herein as a leading portion of fitted sheet 10. In the figure, pocket 26 has been placed over leading end 52 of mattress 40. Once the leading end 52 has been placed within pocket 26, the elasticized portions 22 of the sheet can be stretched and fitted over the other ends of the mattress without pocket 26 slipping off, as had been a problem sometimes observed with prior art fully elasticized fitted sheets.
It is not necessary for elastic strip 34 to extend all the way around inner edge 28 except for the pocket part 26, and thus extend from a first end of pocket part 26 to a second and opposite end of pocket part 26. Alternatively, elastic strip(s) could extend only at and around sheet corners 60 and 62, or only at and around corners 60, 62, 64, and 66, or other portions of inner edge 28 sufficient to hold fitted sheet 10 on mattress 40, and thus the elastic strip(s) do not extend all the way to both ends of pocket part 26.
A method of using and installing the sheet is as follows. The user positions mattress 40 so that one end 50 is resting on a surface and opposite end 52 is raised above the surface. The user inserts the unelasticized pocket part 26 of fitted sheet 10 over end 52 of the mattress that is raised above the surface, and then stretches the elastic strip 34 in elasticized portion 22 over the remaining portion of mattress 40 including mattress end 50 that is opposite end 52.
All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
It will be appreciated that the term “present invention” as used herein should not be construed to mean that only a single invention having a single essential element or group of elements is presented. Although the present invention has thus been described in detail with regard to the preferred embodiments and drawings thereof, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the detailed description and the accompanying drawings as set forth hereinabove are not intended to limit the breadth of the present invention, which should be inferred only from the following claims and their appropriately construed legal equivalents.
