Beds – Bedclothing – Having pocket
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-21
2001-09-11
Trettel, Michael F. (Department: 3628)
Beds
Bedclothing
Having pocket
C005S496000, C005S497000, C005S499000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286163
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is by the same inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,147 issued Dec. 7, 1999, currently active, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a bedding, and more particularly, to a bedsheet that fittingly engages a mattress with releasable fasteners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The conventional unfitted or flat bedsheet has long been used as the bottom sheet to cover a mattress. This kind of sheet is desirable because it will fit various mattresses, is easily cleaned, handled, and stored. However, these sheets require the lifting of the mattress to tuck the sheet under it and can easily work loose and become creased during normal movement of a sleeping person.
Contoured or fitted sheets overcome some of the problems associated with flat bedsheets by sewing an elastic strip around the bottom corners of the sheet to create pockets which fit around the four corners of the mattress. The sheet is tucked under the mattress for three corners than on the forth corner, the mattress is lifted up to allow the pocket of the sheet to be slipped over the corner of the mattress. Principle disadvantages of fitted sheets are they often wear out at the pockets, are bulky to store, wash, and handle.
The use of hook and loop fastening materials (such as VELCRO) on bedding and mattresses is well known. However, the strips are usually positioned at each corner or the sheet so that when the sheet is put over a mattress a pocket is formed in each of the four corners of the sheet. As a result, a large portion of the force exerted by a mattress on a tight fitting sheet is at the sheet's corners. The combination of shear, torque, and outwardly pulling tensile forces often causes the hook and loop fastening strips to pull loose. Further, the hook and loop strips can become attached to each other and other material making it difficult wash, handle, and store.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved bedding in which the sheet doesn't work loose and become creased during use, the corners don't fray from use, and is easily washed, handled, and stored.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Conventional fitted sheets are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,179, which discloses fitted sheets having shoulders cut on each end and side panel which are subsequently sewn together and bordered with elastic strips. U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,832 discloses fitted sheets wherein triangular pieces of material are removed from the end and side panels, and the remaining material is folded and sewn to obtain the shaped or fitted corners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,832 discloses a fitted sheet with overlapping flaps having releasable strips made of VELCRO. The corners are constructed with cutouts through which a portion of the mattress corner extends when the sheet is in use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,323 discloses a fitted sheet with velcro strips attached to the mattress and the sheet such that they can be removable attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,371 discloses a fitted sheet utilizing adjustable, releasable corner fasteners. The VELCRO strips are situated such that when the sheet is folded to accommodate the mattress corner, the strips attach.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a sheet construction that engage a mattress securely. The sheet construction includes a main panel having mattress-encompassing pouches at opposite ends. One of the pouches is formed by two cooperating flaps that overlap and are detachably secured together. The pouches cooperatively secure the sheet construction to the mattress.
The flapped pouch aspect of the present invention makes the sheet easy to install. This feature also makes the sheet construction advantageously difficult to remove when the bed is occupied, yet promotes easy removal when the bed is empty. This prevents unwanted sheet removal and keeps bed occupants from being entangled in the sheet. The present invention is useful on both large and small beds, for children and adults.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet construction that is difficult to remove while a bed is occupied, but easy to install and remove when the bed is empty.
A further objective is to provide a sheet which is easy to wash, store, and handle.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1732663 (1929-10-01), Schimmel
patent: 4045831 (1977-09-01), Clark
patent: 4338693 (1982-07-01), Vitale
patent: 4488323 (1984-12-01), Colburn
patent: 4651371 (1987-03-01), Hahn
patent: 5491853 (1996-02-01), Turnbull
patent: 5996147 (1999-12-01), Trimble
patent: 6108836 (2000-08-01), Keene, III
McHale & Slavin
Trettel Michael F.
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