Patent Application
20130097904
The present invention relates to a mattress foot protector and to the concept of illuminating a side panel thereof.
Mattresses are sold in retail showrooms. Typically, display mattresses are arranged on the floor so that the prospective purchaser can peruse the various types of mattresses offered by that retailer. In addition to evaluating various promotional materials in the showroom, the prospective buyer might “test” the mattress. This “test” involves lying on the mattress to evaluate softness, firmness or other attributes desirable to the purchaser. Lying on the mattress can result in damage, soiling, wear and tear. Retail showrooms are high traffic areas, and mattresses may be repeatedly tested and damaged.
Foot protectors for mattresses have been used to minimize damage to display mattresses in retail showrooms. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,532; 6,216,292; and 6,014,782. It is also known to provide indicia, such as product information, on foot protectors so that they also serve to advertise and market the mattress on which the foot protector is placed.
Retail showrooms for mattress sales are usually quite crowded with a large number of mattresses of different brands and having different characteristics. The lighting in certain areas of these showrooms is often inadequate for a potential consumer to see and read product information which is displayed on the mattress.
In the display and sale of mattresses in showrooms, a potentially good area for advertising or product information is on the generally vertically extending side panels of the increasingly popular foot protectors. However, because the panel hangs vertically, this area is generally not well illuminated and hard to see. This invention addresses this situation by providing a linear light source at or across the top of that side panel.
According to one aspect, the foot protector includes a generally elongated fabric panel of such width as to cover the lower end of a mattress on display, and hang down from an upper perimeter of the mattress on either side a distance long enough to cover at least a substantial portion of a mattress side. The portion of the fabric panel which extends over at least one side has visual indicia either formed thereon, or affixed thereto, and includes at least ornamentation, advertising media, product information (pricing, product specifications and the like), or combinations thereof. In this aspect, the linear light source is a linear array of light emitting diodes (hereinafter LEDs) which extends across at least some of the width of the fabric panel at a point immediately above the visual indicia in such manner as to provide a light source illuminating the visual indicia. In this embodiment, the linear array of LEDs may be in the form of a flexible LED strip with the LEDs arranged in series, and wherein the strip also comprises a printed circuit board (PCB). Other linear arrangements of LED's are possible, or even linear arrangements of other types of lamp(s).
According to another aspect, in some situations only a fabric panel may extend over one side of the mattress, which may also include at least ornamentation, advertising media, product information, and combinations thereof. Again, a linear light source such as a linear array of LED light sources extends across at least some of the width of the fabric panel. The fabric panel and linear array of LEDs attaches to the mattress proximate the upper perimeter of the mattress with a hook and loop or other suitable fastener. Again, the linear array of LEDs is located on the fabric panel at a point immediately above the visual indicia in such a manner as to illuminate the visual indicia.
In yet another aspect, just the linear array of LEDs or other linear light source with one type of means for attachment to the foot protector at the appropriate location might be separately provided.
The term “foot portion,” as used herein, means the lower inches (10-30 inches) of the upper surface of the mattress where a customer's feet would rest if the customer were to fully lie on the mattress to test the comfort and support. The term “foot protector,” as used herein, means a device used to cover at least part of the foot portion of a mattress. The term “marketing information” refers to any of the following including: advertising materials, sales materials, manufacturer's logos and trademarks, promotional materials or the like, in the form of pictures, and/or any other form of media. The term “LED,” as used herein, refers to a light-emitting diode, which is a semiconductor light source well known in the electronic arts. The term “linear array of LEDs,” refers to multiple LEDs which are interconnected in series. “Linear light source” on the other hand is intended to be any lighting arrangement that provides effective lighting across and down the side panel to illuminate the indicia thereon sufficiently for customers to more adequately see it. The term “PCB,” as used herein, means a printed circuit board, which is commonly known as a support for a variety of electronic components and circuitry, having one surface printed with electrically conductive pathways between the components. As used herein, PCB is also understood to include flexible strips capable of performing the same function.
Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, modifications, and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.
Referring first to
The foot protector 100 is shown having a length at least as wide as the mattress 200 so that ends, or side portions, 104 of the foot protector 100 will hang over the sides 204 of the mattress to a length sufficient to provide a suitably sized surface for affixing indicia thereon. Sometimes the side portions 104 are tucked beneath the mattress 200 and sometimes they just hang down loosely. Mechanical fasteners (not shown) may be used in conjunction with the foot protector 100 to secure the foot protector 100 to the mattress 200, without distracting from the aesthetic effect of the display mattress 200 and foot protector 100 combination.
It is to be understood that the foot protector 100 of the present invention may be used on any type of mattress. For example, twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and the “California king” are exemplary sized mattresses. Further, the shape and size of the foot protector 100 may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.
As best shown in
In order to illuminate the indicia 105 on side portion 104, a linear light source 110 extends across the width of side portion 104 at a location above the indicia 105. While the preferred embodiment utilizes a linear array of LED's, other light emitting devices may be used, such as EL material, EL wire, neon tubes, fluorescent tubes, etc.
In
Turning now to
Dual-sided tape (not shown) provides an easy alternative installation onto multiple types of surfaces. Strips of 30 LEDs 310a are available which utilize an InGaN material, have a dominant wavelength of about 5500° K, and produce an average illumination of about 68 lux at 0.5 meters. In the embodiment shown in
The elongate tubular enclosure 320 in this embodiment is an opaque polyvinylchloride (PVC) tube that is dimensioned with a length substantially equal to the width of the sleeve 106, and an inner diameter sufficient to hold DC batteries 330 capable of providing the required 12V power supply. For example, the elongated tubular enclosure 320 may be sized to hold eight 1.5 v batteries, or four 3.0 v batteries, among others. Electrical connections 340 provide electrical connectivity between the batteries 330 and the flexible printed light strip 310, as is well known in the art. So that the linear array of LEDs 300 is a self-contained unit, and to facilitate ease of operation of the assembly 300, a conventional on-off switch 340 may be mounted on the exterior of the elongated tubular enclosure 310.
Turning now to
In circumstances where a foot protector 100 is not used, where the display is to be used with a side panel that is not part of a foot protector, or in the case where additional illuminated indicia is desired, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is provided. Referring now to
Turning again to
Lastly, the present invention may further comprise a motion sensing device, i.e., a motion detector, so that at least one of the 12 v LED printed circuit strip and/or an audio device will be automatically powered/activated. The Panasonic MN34111 is an example of an appropriate motion sensor design. So arranged the motion sensor would be activated as persons approach the mattress/display.
The above descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention are intended to illustrate various aspects and features of the invention without limitation. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that certain changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims. Features from one embodiment or aspect may be combined with features from any other embodiment or aspect in any appropriate combination. For example, any individual or collective features of method aspects or embodiments may be applied to apparatus, product or component aspects or embodiments and vice versa.
