US20120124741A1

US20120124741A1 - Fitted Sheet with Adjustable Hook and Latch Closures

Info

Publication number: US20120124741A1
Application number: US12/953,508
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael J. Okrzesik; Robert Alex Okrzesik
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-11-24
Filing date: 2010-11-24
Publication date: 2012-05-24

Abstract

A fitted bed sheet attachment and securing system that allows for the coupling of sheet to mattress as disclosed. The bed sheet of the present invention comprises a sheet base with at least one sheet corner harboring a notched edge bordering sheet sides that is configured in a reverse L-shaped fashion. The notched edge is characterized by a hook and latch system where a male closure strip is adhered to one leg of the right angle and a female closure strip is adhered to the opposite leg of the right angle. The sheet also consists of sheet extensions that project away from the sheet base and sides. These sheet extensions also contain male and female hook and latch type closures that are designed to mate with one another. During the use of the present invention, the flat sheet is draped over the mattress with the notched edge aligned with its respective corner, male and female closures are made to mate around the mattress corner and sheet side extensions are tucked in between mattress and box springs and joined under the mattress corner via similar male and female closures.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61,281,906 filed Nov. 23, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to secure attachment of a fitted sheet to a mattress. More specifically, this invention relates to the positioning and tightening of sheet corners of a fitted sheet to a corresponding mattress and/or box spring corners via Velcro® hook and loop type fasteners attached to mating flaps located at each corner of said fitted sheet for a snug fit of sheet to mattress. The mattress is further secured to the mattress via sheet side extensions tucked between mattress and box spring and attached via similar hook and loop type fasteners to perpendicularly running sheet side extensions.
2. Description of Relevant Art
When a fitted sheet is attached to a mattress, the smooth mattress surface naturally gives way to sheet slippage and at times total displacement of the sheet corner(s) via insufficient friction between mattress surface and the fitted sheet. The addition of bed occupant agitation enhances sheet slippage over the course of a night and results ultimately in complete removal of sheet corners from the mattress.
To this point, solutions to secure sheet placement have consisted of anything from elastic gathers, to large bands, and/or elaborate riggings and mechanisms that hold the sheet steadfastly to the mattress. By way of example, Roddey—U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,179—details sheet placement relying on elastic gather. Foster—U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,391—seeks to relieve sheet slippage through a stiff, inelastic band (placed between mattress and box spring) with elastic straps exhibiting griping closures attached to the sheet edges to thwart slippage. Similarly, Ota—U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,260—attempts to utilize hook and fastening devices in combination with a belt toward the same end. Frasier—U.S. Pat. No. 7,698,759—similarly employs a mechanism of clamp attachment but of sheet to the bed frame in an attempt to hold sheet to mattress. In yet another instance, inventor Schiebert—U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,670—relies upon a system of anchor plates and elastic bands to maintain sheet position.
Other inventions have even gone so far as to augment the configuration of the mattress cover itself. Wyatt—U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,578, illustrated a sheet that could be gathered at the corners of the mattress and actually tied to a strap underneath each corner of the mattress. And Limb—U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,238, designed a coverlet, albeit for a waterbed, that uses straps directly attached to the mattress pad to cover a base mattress.
Additionally, the use of Velcro® hook and latch type fasteners has been employed in various inventions in an attempt to remedy sheet slippage and displacement. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,832,743 and 4,241,466 describe releasable fasteners that are utilized to assure that the top sheet does not become dislodged from the bottom sheet. Too, these closures have been used to secure a fitted sheet to a mattress. U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,832, issued to DiForti, describes a Velcro® closure only underneath the corner of the mattress with a conventional partially stitched meeting of sheet sides at the actual corner edge reminiscent of convention fitted sheets. This design does little to allow for corner adjustment or proper folding and storage. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,371, Hahn seeks to address both flat folding and adjustment at corners through the use of releasable corner fasteners. While Hahn's invention addresses flat construction and adjustable corners, the bulky configuration and excess use of material under the closure system confounds the ease of use that even a convention sheet addresses. Further, the Hahn invention lacks any support for securing sheet to mattress underneath the mattress corner—an essential component keeping sheet movement and ruffling to an absolute minimum—allowing for the riding up of even the most tightly secured sheet corner.
While each of the aforementioned mechanisms accomplishes the goal of secure sheet placement with decreased slippage and lessened sheet movement, the complicated employment of the aforementioned devises and use of complex closure systems is less than desirable. These inventions are either deficient in ease of use and storage or are, at their core, ergonomically inferior to present elastic gathers that are donned by the majority of all of today's mattresses. Clearly, there persists an unmet need not yet addressed in the world of bedding manufacture. The present invention does not suffer the infirmities of the latter means to securely attach sheet to bed. This invention overcomes the limitation of all existing means of attachment of sheet to mattress by providing superior secure attachment through an innovative system that allows for ease of placement, positioning, and tightening with the addition of flat-folding sheet storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improved mechanism for attaching and securing a fitted sheet to a mattress of any number of varying sizes and depths through the use of mating male and female hook and latch closures positioned on each corner of a fitted sheet. The present invention further allows for positioning and repositioning of the fitted sheet securely to the mattress through said closures. Moreover the invention also allows for tightening and adjustment of said sheet at each individual corner thus preventing the sheet from being pulsed or corners loosened during attachment, positioning, repositioning or tightening of said sheet around and under the mattress corners.
Of no less importance, the construction of the fitted sheet corners affords the present invention superior ease in folding and storage. The customary elastic gathers at each corner of a conventional fitted sheet disrupts flat folding and storage. Other mechanisms of sheet attachment employ devices and mechanisms such as clamps, bands, and fasteners that require special maintenance, storage, or replacement. These riggings are expressly removable and detachable which inevitably leads to loss of parts and extra expenditures along with increased frustration. The present invention allows for flat folding, ease in storage, and decreased exasperation in folding laundered bedding as its flat design is a complete unit with assemblages incapable of being separated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the top view of the top left notched edge of a mattress sheet at the head of the bed. The sheet is flat and the corners are not yet folded.

FIG. 2 is the top view as in FIG. 1 in greater detail.

FIG. 3 (Step One) exhibits the flat sheet top and the folding down of sheet sides that allows for corresponding male and female closures to meet and become forcibly attached.

FIG. 3 (Step Two) depicts the underside of the mattress, as if one were lying underneath the bed looking up, and the communication of the male closure strip tail and the female tab extension exhisting on perpendicular sheet side extensions.

FIG. 4 shows initial placement of sheet onto mattress.

FIG. 5 is sheet placed upon mattress and exhibits the folding down of sheet sides.

FIG. 6 is the initial sheet side flush against the mattress side and the beginning of sheet side extension tucking between mattress and box spring.

FIG. 7 is sheet side completely down, sheet side extension in a tucked position, and sheet side flaps turning in toward perpendicularly running mattress side.

FIG. 8 is side sheet A, facing the viewer, and side sheet A (not shown), that is a mirror image snugly fit to mattress, side extensions connected to side sheets tucked between mattress and box spring, and side sheet flaps flat against perpendicularly running mattress side. Sheet side B, and mirror image, are being lowered toward mattress.

FIG. 9 shows all sheet sides flat against mattress and sheet side A extensions tucked between mattress and box spring. Sheet side extensions of Side B and mirror image are in transition downward toward box spring.

FIG. 10 shows all sheet sides and extensions in place. Not visible is the mating of all male and female closures in a neatly wrapped present configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The fitted sheet is comprised of a base sheet 20 (FIG. 4) with a notched end 10 at each corner manifested at a right angle 15 at each corner as depicted in FIG. 1. Each corner consists of a female closure strip 40 placed exteriorly at the furthest ends of each sheet side A 45 onto flap 42 which exists perpendicular (at a right angle) to sheet side B 45 when the sheet is completely flat. Male closure 65 is adhered to the underside of mattress side B 50 at either end of said sheet side B 50. Each closure is attached only to each corresponding sheet side—flap 42 and flap closure strip 40 to sheet side A45 and male closure 65 to the underside of sheet side B50 respectively as detailed in FIG. 2. When sheet side A45 is folded down to meet the corresponding mattress side A 220 shown in FIG. 5, flap 42 is wrapped around corner C 200 (FIG. 7), folded in and onto mattress side B 210 (FIG. 7) where it is made to engage male closure 65. Male closure 65 is now overlapping, connected to, and lying on top of female flap 40 as illustrated in FIG. 8 and Step One in FIG. 3.
Extending beyond side sheet A 50 is a strip of material less than or equal to the width of side sheet A 50 which runs the length of sheet side A 50 minus the width of female closure strip 40 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). This strip can be seen in full as extension D 70 in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. Correspondingly, an identical strip, extension E 80, runs along sheet side B 45 and has a width less than or equal to the width of sheet side B 45, but running the entire length of side B 45 (as shown in FIG. 5). Extension 80 in FIG. 2 can be seen to exhibit the distal most portion of male closure strip 65 thus allowing the strip to run continuously to the outermost edge of the sheet side B 45. Conversely, female extension tab 85, displayed on the top, distal portion of extension D 70 exhibits a female tab constructed with similar female closure strip material that does not traverse sheet side A 50 and is not a part of female closure strip 40 thus maintaining a separate identity that is designed to engage that portion of male closure strip 65 that is tucked under the mattress, between mattress 125 and box spring 130.
In essence, after male closure 65 is securely fastened over and onto female closure strip 40 on female flap 42, sheet side A 50 will be adjacent to and parallel with mattress side A 220 (FIG. 7). Sheet side B 45 will be adjacent to and parallel to mattress side B 210 as in FIG. 9. Sheet side extension 70 is folded underneath the mattress, between the mattress 125 and box spring 130 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Likewise, extension 80 is similarly tucked between mattress and box spring in FIG. 9. Finally, female extension tab 85 is made to engage the distal most portion of male closure strip 65 (not shown). Sides and extensions connected, the sheet is now tightly secured to mattress in a configuration that matches a tightly wrapped present (FIG. 10).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In the following description, the use of the present invention will be discussed in the context of attaching and securing a fitted sheet to a mattress of various depths and sizes. It is evident, though, that the mattress covering is not limited to a fitted sheet and can be construed to include fluid retardant covers, mattress pads of varying thicknesses or any variation on such themes.
FIG. 4 shows atypical mattress 125 and box spring 130 combinations and the base fitted sheet 20 that is being lowered onto said mattress for attachment. Once the sheet base 20 is made to lay upon the upper portion of the mattress 12, sheet side A 50 is lowered and made to meet mattress side A 220 as in FIG. 5. Sheet side extension 70 is them tucked between mattress 125 and box spring 130 depicted in FIG. 6. Flap 42 is then then turned in toward sheet side B 210 and sheet side B 210 is lowered toward the mattress side engaging female closure strip 40 with male closure strip 65 illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.
As shown in FIG. 9, once each sheet extension 70 are tucked in between the mattress and box spring (FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) and male 65 and female closure 40 strips are made to overlap at each mattress corner (FIG. 8), the sheet extension 80, at either end of the fitted sheet, are wrapped under the mattress and made to engage sheet extension 70—male closure strip 65 to female extension tab 85 via hook and loop fasteners. All sides engaged and sheet extension tucked between mattress and box springs gives way to the “neatly wrapped present” aesthetic of FIG. 10.
It should be understood that the just described embodiments merely illustrate principles of the invention in a preferred form. Many other modifications, additions and deletions may be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A improved fitted sheet construction for removable attachment to a mattress covering mattress top and sides, said sheet comprising:

abase sheet;

notched sheet corners forming a right angle having a reverse L-shaped configuration with mating male and female hook and latch closures of sufficient length to engage corresponding arms existing at the opposite legs of right angle;

sheet side extensions running parallel to and extending away from sheet sides for tucking underneath mattress between mattress and box spring

hook and latch type male closures strips securely attached at exactly one arm of the notched right angle;

hook and latch type female closure strips securely attached to a flap at either end of a sheet side residing on the opposite arm of the notched right angle;

2. The improved fitted sheet of claim 1 further encompassing:

an extension of material running the length of each sheet side projecting from sheet base, less than or equal to the measure of the sheet depth, of sufficient width for tucking said sheet under said mattress;

an extension of sheet material running the length of the mattress sides harboring a hook and latch type closure at either mattress corner of sufficient length for engagement with a corresponding hook and latch type closure at the end of perpendicularly running sheet material extension;

a male hook and latch closure strip that runs the width of sheet side and sheet extension;

a female hook and latch closure strip residing on the opposite arm of the notched right angle that runs only the width of the fitted sheet side;

a female extension tab affixed to the sheet extension residing on the same side as the sheet side harboring the female closure strip;

said extension tab is designed to engage the most distal portion of the male closure strip underneath the mattress corner.