Patent Application
20210169247
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
As standards of living improved over the last hundred years, the art of bed making evolved to provide ever more comfort and pleasing aesthetics. The bed sheet, a large, rectangular, flat piece of soft cloth hemmed on its four sides, in its simplest form, became a regular part of the bed linens. A standard bed sheet set includes one bed sheet, herein referred to as the lower bed sheet, used to wrap the mattress, and another, herein referred to as the upper bed sheet, to be placed beneath a duvet, comforter, quilt or blanket and to fold back over the head end of the duvet. The purpose of the upper bed sheet is to form a barrier between the duvet and a sleeping person, improving comfort and hygiene, as bed sheets are cool and smooth, and can be frequently washed.
In hotels and other commercial lodgings, another flat bed sheet, herein referred to as the cover sheet, is often placed above the duvet to protect the duvet from wear and tear, keep it clean, and often to serve a decorative purpose since it is the item most visible in a made-up bed.
Flat bed sheets have inherent problems since they have no structure to assist in bed making. They are hard to handle as they are large and soft, and they easily come loose when the sleeping person moves about during sleep. The lower bed sheet was much improved by the advent of the fitted sheet with preformed corners and elastic bands to help a bed maker put on the sheet and help the sheet stay in place when slept upon.
The upper bed sheet saw no equivalent advance, thus its performance remains unsatisfactory: A flat upper bed sheet and the duvet it is meant to shield almost always separate during the night with a sleeping person's movements. The barrier between the duvet and the person is broken, and the sleeping person is bothered by the layers at the neckline slipping apart.
An alternative to the upper bed sheet and cover sheet combination is provided by a duvet cover, which is a full casing for a duvet, sewn at head end and sides, and often fastened at the foot end. The duvet cover provides an effective barrier and there are no untidy layers at the neckline to bother the sleeping person. The disadvantage of duvet covers is that they are difficult to put on, making them impractical for daily changing, as necessary in most hotel settings. Duvet covers are sometimes used in homes and cruise ship cabins, where they can be changed less frequently, for example, weekly instead of daily.
To date, retail bed sheet sets, as well as made-up beds in hotels, still include a flat bed sheet as the upper bed sheet despite its ineffectiveness in keeping the duvet protected and the sleeping person comfortable.
Over the years, various attempts have been made to bring to market a better article to shield the duvet or blanket:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,409,961 to McKinney, issued Mar. 21, 1922, describes a sanitary shield to protect the bed clothing from being soiled or contaminated by coming into contact with the head or face of the bed occupant, which is especially desirable for use in hotels, lodging houses, hospitals and sleeping berths. The invention is an independent shield applied to quilts, blankets, comforters and the like, that can be readily removed and laundered. The main shield promoted is a flat piece folded over to encase the head end of one or several articles of bed clothes, and safety pinned in place to the bedclothes themselves. This shield covers only the head end, unlike an upper bed sheet that extends to the foot end. Supplemental shields may be used to cover the sides and foot end of the bed clothes.
This invention predates common use of bed sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,831 to Clark, issued Sep. 6, 1977, describes a bed sheet with a pair of facing, open pockets at opposite ends, that can be used both as a lower bed sheet and as an upper bed sheet. This dual use bed sheet has a fabric panel sized to the length of the mattress and the width of the blanket with which it is to be used. Open pockets at each end of the bed sheet serve to enclose the head and foot portions of a mattress when used as a bottom sheet. When used as a top sheet, one pocket is used to enclose the foot portion of the mattress while the second pocket is used to enclose the head portion of a flattened blanket such that the movement of a sleeping person is insufficient to pull the blanket out of the pocket, thereby preventing the person from coming into contact with the blanket.
This invention has not been commercially exploited thus the practicality of its construction in actual use and durability is not known to have been tested.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,095,230B2 to Shattuck et al., issued Aug. 4, 2015, discloses a mock duvet bed-covering system that includes a blanket segmented into a plurality of portions and a cover sheet. The blanket includes a foot skirt flap, a right side flap and a left side flap that each extends from a flat portion that lies over a mattress, and are configured to drape over the edges of the mattress. A cover sheet for this segmented blanket includes one or more pockets at its underside. A wide pocket at the head end of the cover sheet is meant for tucking in a portion of the blanket opposite the foot skirt flap. Other embodiments of the cover sheet include one with two opposite pockets, at head end and foot end, respectively, and one with a four-sided pocket to receive corresponding segments of the blanket, all beneath the cover sheet. The purpose of the pocket or pockets is to provide a retention mechanism between the cover sheet and the blanket. This system of making a bed may include placing a flat upper bed sheet on the mattress below the segmented blanket and cover sheet assembly, in which case the flat sheet is either tucked into the head end pocket together with the blanket, or only the blanket is tucked into the head end pocket while a portion of the flat sheet is tucked into the foot end pocket.
This patent is assigned to Sysco Guest Supply. A search of the Sysco Guest Supply online store did not find this type of mock duvet bed-covering system currently available.
US2017/0071368A1 to Pelaez, issued Mar. 16, 2017 discloses a mock duvet cover consisting of a rectangular flat sheet, corresponding in size to a duvet having a defined size, and a pocket attached to one edge of the flat sheet wherein a portion of a duvet having the defined size is insertable. The pocket depth may be half the length of the flat sheet portion or less, such that the pocket may hold the duvet in place when the duvet and associated mock duvet cover are placed on a bed. Other embodiments include more than one pocket, for example, there may be two pockets along opposite edges (top and bottom, right and left) or on two adjacent edges. Thus the duvet may be tucked into one or more pockets. The mock duvet cover may appear like a standard duvet cover from the top side, but is less time-intensive to change as the pocket allows for only part of a duvet to be inserted vs. completely enclosing the duvet. Such a mock duvet cover may be used with a separate flat sheet to prevent the duvet from coming into contact with users. The mock duvet cover may further comprise one or more fasteners that attach to a duvet insert.
This patent is assigned to Sobel Westex. A search of the Sobel Westex online store did not find this type of mock duvet cover currently available.
U.S. Ser. No. 10/413,099B2 to Stewart, issued Sep. 17, 2019, discloses a simulated duvet cover system in which the cover layer has a top fabric sheet attached on all four edges to a bottom fabric sheet with a square central opening, into which the fill layer (blanket or comforter) can be inserted through and then tucked into the peripheral pocket. A further backing layer may be connected to the cover layer with fasteners to cover the central opening.
This patent is assigned to Standard Textile Company. A search of the Standard Textile Company online store did not find this type of simulated duvet cover currently available.
Non-patent prior art: The last reference cited above recalls a traditional design of the cover for a Japanese futon, which is similar to a stuffed duvet. The futon cover is a rectangular closed casing (four sewn edges) with a large round hole on the top side into which the futon is inserted. Since the sleeping apparatus in a traditional Japanese house or inn is stored away in cupboards during the day, the top of the covered futon does not need to look attractive; the utility of the futon cover is only to protect the futon from contact with the sleeping person. Unlike the simulated duvet cover described by Stewart, the Japanese futon cover's peripheral pocket faces up.
This non-patent prior art mention is from personal experience.
Some of the patents cited above have been assigned to bed linen suppliers but commercial exploitation has been limited. Others included features that may have rendered the whole impractical. Most describe an article that is foreign to the wide audience of bed linen users, thus would require mass conversion for general acceptance.
None of the patent references cited above have proven to be popularly competitive with the flat upper bed sheet. Even the mock duvet covers indicated that they may be used together with a flat upper bed sheet, the latter to provide the barrier between the duvet and the sleeping person.
The shortcomings of the flat upper bed sheet have not yet been solved.
The pocket sheet changes the customary fold at the head end of an upper bed sheet by fastening in place the side hems of a defined fold by sewing or using press buttons, creating a pocket. The pocket fixes the fold and especially if made deep, and tight to a duvet at the sides, helps to keep the bed sheet wrapped around the head end of the duvet when a sleeping person moves about. The problem of the upper bed sheet separating from the duvet, impairing the shield between the person and the duvet, and causing discomfort to the sleeping person as the layers at the neckline slip apart, is solved.
For hotels and other commercial lodgings, a cover sheet is needed to protect the top of the duvet from dirt and wear. The cover sheet has a similar problem of displacement when the sleeping person tosses and turns, causing untidiness and discomfort. A pocket sheet can be converted into a simplified duvet cover by adding releasable points of attachment between a matched-size cover sheet and the flat portion of the pocket sheet at their side hems. Once attached at bed-making, the pocket sheet and cover sheet will stay in place relative to each other and the duvet will be kept securely sandwiched between them. The means of attachment may be as simple as press buttons. The minimum number of press buttons recommended is three sets on each side, but more sets may be sewn all along the side hems at any desired interval. More press buttons on each side reinforce holding the sheets together and the duvet within, the trade-off being some extra time in bed-making. Other types of cloth fastener may be used for attachment, as long as they are easy to use and sturdy to laundering. Both the duvet and cover sheet are securely tucked into the pocket at the head end. This is the most important place for the assembly to hold together as hotel guests particularly dislike facial contact with duvets and cover sheets which may not be changed between guests. The pocket sheet, converted into this simplified duvet cover, causes minimal change to the bed-making process but solves the problem of the bed linens falling apart during sleep.
Drawings are not to scale.
Part 1 Pocket Sheet
a (prior art) show fold 10 of a flat sheet in its usual configuration relative to duvet 12.
The depth of fold over the duvet at the head end is subject to the bed maker's preference for the day.
a and 2b illustrate a pocket sheet, in which a defined fold has been fastened in place by sewing together a part of the left and right side hems, forming pocket 20 for securing the head end of a duvet. Sewnsegment 22 that fastens the fold portion of the sheet to the flat portion of the sheet is accentuated in
The pocket should be made sufficiently deep so that the duvet is retained in place securely, but not so deep as to make insertion of the duvet difficult or inconvenient. The pocket depth suggested is 35 cm to 45 cm, but is not limited to this range. The pocket should be snugly fitted to the duvet, preferably the same width as the duvet. Since soft materials have some give, the duvet will tuck easily into the pocket without the pocket being any wider. A deep, snug pocket holds the duvet in place firmly when the assembly is tossed about. The pocket sheet should be a few cm longer than the duvet to adequately shield the duvet at the foot end.
The pocket sheet is best made with materials like cotton and cotton blends, that are soft, yet handle well. Cotton blends, with built-in wrinkle-resistance are especially desirable. On the other hand, slippery, formless materials like bamboo rayon, jersey, silk and microfiber do not have suitable properties for making pocket sheets.
Simple single-fold pocket 20 shown in
Double-fold pocket 30 shown in
Although not illustrated, the pocket may have a triple fold, such that the upper part of the pocket is three-layered, hemmed neatly together at the open edge.
Both easy access pocket 32 and fastened pocket 34 can have single-layered or double-layered fold portions.
The pocket sheet solves the problem of an upper bed sheet separating from a duvet when a sleeping person pulls the assembly up to his or her chin when cold and tosses the assembly aside when hot. Instead of loosely folding a flat upper bed sheet over the duvet at the head end, the duvet is securely held within a defined structure, which is a deep, snugly fitted pocket. By its ability to retain the duvet within the pocket even when the assembly is tossed about during sleep, the pocket sheet maintains the hygienic barrier between the person and the duvet, and prevents the layers at the neckline slipping apart, which causes such discomfort to the sleeping person.
In a home setting, bed and breakfast or air B&B, a pocket sheet can be used with a duvet, blanket, comforter, quilt or even a duvet already within a duvet cover, effectively keeping them clean. Housekeepers will further appreciate the usefulness of the pocket sheet in helping them consistently make up a neat bed. Bed users should be the most satisfied constituent of all, as the best part is the enhanced and peaceful sleep experience when they no longer need to fidget with layers slipping apart at the neckline, and are assured of hygienic protection.
Part 2 Pocket Sheet, Converted into a Simplified Duvet Cover
In hotels, inns and motor lodgings, in addition to an upper bed sheet placed beneath the duvet, a cover sheet is placed above the duvet to protect its top surface from wear and tear.
a (prior art) illustrate the typical arrangement of these layers in a contemporary hotel setting. Cover sheet 40 wraps around duvet 12 at the head end, and fold 10 of the upper bed sheet wraps back over both the duvet and the cover sheet. This assembly looks quite neat when made up, but falls apart easily when a hotel guest pulls it up to his chin when cold, or tosses it aside when hot.
Although not illustrated, some hotel housekeepers wrap the upper bed sheet around the duvet first, then the cover sheet around both duvet and upper bed sheet, with the hem of the cover sheet facing the guest's body. This makes the top surface of the assembly look like a duvet cover but is the most uncomfortable one of all for hotel guests.
The portion of any flat sheet that is wrapped around at the head end is subject to the size of the sheets provided relative to the duvet size, as well as the technique and temperament of the housekeeper for the day.
a (prior art) show duvet cover 50, which is a full casing, sewn at head end and sides, and open at the foot end for inserting a duvet. After duvet 12 has been inserted, the hems at the foot end may be fastened, commonly with buttons, to hold the duvet in.
A duvet cover provides good protection for a duvet and there are no layers at the neckline to bother a sleeping person, however duvet covers are limited in their use by the difficulty in putting them on. Inserting a duvet into a duvet cover requires considerable skill and time; think of putting what is essentially a huge pillow case neatly onto a floppy duvet exceeding the size of a Queen mattress, to understand why duvet covers are not more popular. Duvet covers are used where the cost in time and labor can be offset, for example, on cruise ship cabins that require weekly changing vs. daily changing, or in luxury hotels that can price in extra housekeeping personnel and time.
This is why bed sheet sets are still the linens of choice in most hotels and inns.
The sequence when making up a bed will be to lay down the pocket sheet, then the duvet above it, then the cover sheet on top. Tuck duvet and cover sheet neatly into the pocket, then button down the cover sheet to the pocket sheet at their side hems, securely sandwiching the duvet between them.
The embodiment shown in
Press buttons are suitably simple, inconspicuous, sturdy and inexpensive, but other kinds of releasable cloth fastener may be used, especially acknowledging that new reusable adhesives may eventually replace traditional fasteners. The method of fastening the cover sheet to the pocket sheet should be unobtrusive, simple to use and sturdy to laundering.
The cover sheet may be made of the same material as the pocket sheet, or of more decorative and durable materials, for example, those with patterns, texture or a sateen weave.
The duvet, pocket sheet and cover sheet purchased for a bed should be of the same specified width, and wide enough to exceed the mattress height on each side of the bed, so that the layers can be neatly tucked under the mattress. This would also provide adequate excess width to cover the sleeping person or persons when un-tucked. The specified length of the pocket sheet and cover sheet should be the same, and a few cm longer than the duvet length, to adequately shield the duvet at the foot end. All three should be long enough to tuck under the mattress at the foot end when the head end is correctly positioned on the bed.
The specificities in the above description shall not be construed as limiting, but as providing guidance and examples. Many other variations are possible. For example, the pocket sheet and cover sheet may have releasable fasteners between them at the head end of the pocket, or each may have releasable fasteners that attach directly to the duvet. The scope of the embodiments shall be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
The pocket sheet aims to advance the upper bed sheet in the same way that the fitted sheet did for the lower bed sheet. The function of an upper bed sheet is to provide a comfortable and hygienic shield between a duvet and a sleeping person, but utility is lacking in a flat sheet, especially at the head end where a portion of the sheet is simply folded back over the duvet. Of course the layers slip apart when the sleeping person pulls on the assembly or tosses it aside. The pocket sheet fixes the customary fold of the upper bed sheet by fastening the side hems of the fold portion to the adjoining hems of the flat portion it is folded over, by sewing or using press buttons, forming a pocket, that is further enhanced by specifying deep and snug dimensions, for retaining a duvet in place even when the assembly is tossed about. The effectiveness of the upper bed sheet in maintaining a protective barrier between the duvet and the sleeping person is significantly improved with a pocket sheet, and the comfort of the sleeping person is much enhanced when she is freed from constant fussing with the layers at her neckline.
Prior art did not focus on the shortcomings in the most widely used method of making up a bed, which is still using a flat upper bed sheet. Key to acceptance and adoption of any change is minimum deviation from the current method of doing things. The pocket sheet does not change the current method, but provides a tool to housekeepers for making up a neat and standardized bed. Bed occupants should not notice any difference in appearance but would find their sleep experience pleasantly enhanced.
Similarly, the contemporary method of making up beds in hotels and commercial lodgings is to wrap both a cover sheet and a flat upper bed sheet over a duvet at the head end, as shown in
Of further benefit, the pocket sheet will help to standardize bed linen sizing at the brand level. Presently, only mattress sizes are defined and standardized. Duvet and blanket sizes vary widely and flat bed sheets, even for standard mattress sizes, range from stingy to over-sized. Housekeepers are left to decide how much to fold over the duvet on a daily basis, and attempt to even out the excess width, if any, on the two sides. When ordering a pocket sheet, however, a hotel chain or brand name bed linen retailer will require the purveyor or manufacturer to properly size the pocket sheet and the cover sheet to their house duvet. Housekeeping staff will appreciate the better fit and predetermined pocket depth, and bed making will be more standardized. At the retail level, the brand name seller can use this feature to market a duvet and sheet set together, encouraging brand loyalty.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application U.S. 62/943,388, filed 2019 Dec. 4 by the present inventor.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62943388 | Dec 2019 | US |
