Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BEDDING FOR AN AIRBED
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to bedding, and
more particularly to bedding for air mattresses.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An air mattress, or airbed, is a large, rectangular
rubber or plastic sack that is filled with air so that a
person may use it as a bed. Airbeds are comfortable and
1C portable when deflated, and many contemporary airbeds are
sold with pumps so that they may be .inflated in a short
period of time. As such, airbeds are often used for camping
or as readily-available guest beds.
Airbeds come in many different sizes, but for the most
l~~ part, are sized to match conventional king, queen, double,
and twin-sized mattresses. The depth of airbeds varies, but
typically is four to eight inches.
Although air mattresses work well for their intended
purpose, one problem associated with their use is the
20 availability of suitable bedding. Conventional bedding
materials are sized for non-inflatable mattresses and do not
properly fit airbeds, because regular mattresses are
typically deeper than airbeds. The depth difference is
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especially a problem for fitted sheets. Most of the
presently-available fitted sheets cannot accommodate
mattresses having a thickness or shape different from a
thickness or shape for which the sheet is designed. Thus,
for example, fitted sheets are generally designed to
accommodate standard mattresses, however, if a mattress has
a non-standard thickness, the sheet may not even fit over
that non-standard mattress, or may be so loosely attached to
that mattress that it loses nearly all of the advantages
1C generally associated with fitted sheets.
Some users utilize connected sleeping bags with
airbeds, but this solution is inadequate because it does not
offer much temperature adjustability, i.e., a person is
either in a sleeping bag or not. In addition, because the
1'~ sleeping bag or bags are not attached to the airbed, the
person or persons sleeping on the airbed may find the use of
the sleeping bags to be far inferior to the use of fitted
bedding.
2 0 SUb~tAI~Y OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves many of the problems of
the prior art by providing airbed bedding that fits multiple
sizes of airbeds. To this end, the airbed bedding includes
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a first layer having drawstrings that extend around each
corner of the layer. The drawstrings may include locks,
such as barrel locks, which permit the drawstrings to be
cinched and locked into a position. To attach the first
layer to the airbed, a user simply places the bedding on top
of the airbed, with the four corners of the bedding hanging
below the four corners of the airbed, and tightens (e.g., by
cinching up with the barrel lock) the four drawstrings on
the first layer of the bedding until a desired fit is
achieved. The drawstrings may be cinched more or less
depending upon the size of the airbed. To this end, the
first layer is adjustable to fit multiple airbed thicknesses
and sizes. For example, the same first layer may fit a
double and a queen-sized airbed.
1~~ Although described in one embodiment as having four
corners and a drawstring for each corner, the airbed bedding
of the present invention may include any number of corners
and/or drawstrings or other cinching mechanisms. For
example, the airbed bedding may include multiple corners,
which may or may not match the corners of an airbed, and may
include a single drawstring that cinches the bedding to all
corners of the airbed, or may include two or more
drawstrings that cinch the bedding to a single corning of an
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airbed. Many variations are possible.
In accordance with another aspect of the present
invention, the airbed bedding includes a second layer. The
second layer also includes drawstrings at each of its
corners. The first layer and the second layer may be
attached, for example by a zipper, along one edge, usually
at the foot of the bedding. The use of a zipper to attach
these two layers makes the bedding function more like
conventional bedding, and permits detachment of the two
layers for easier laundering of the two layers.
The two layers may be used as a fitted cover for the
airbed, and a top sheet or cover. For example, if the first
layer is used as the bottom layer, it may be fitted to the
airbed by cinching all corners. The upper layer is then
usable as a top cover. For additional security, the
drawstrings at the corners of the foot of the top layer may
also be tightened around the airbed.
The two layers may be formed of two different bedding
materials. For example, the first layer may be made of
sheeting material, and the second layer may be an insulated
bedding material, similar to a comforter. If two different
materials are used, either of the materials may be used as
the fitted cover, and the other layer may be used at the top
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sheet. Thus, a user may want to use the comforter layer as
the fitted cover, and the sheet layer as a top cover.
Alternatively, the sheet may be used as the fitted cover,
with the comforter as the top cover. In this manner, the
airbed bedding provides flexibility in temperature and/or
comfort.
Other advantages will become apparent from the
following detailed description when taken in conjunction
with the drawings, in which:
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of airbed bedding
formed in accordance with one aspect of the present
invention, with the bedding fitted onto an airbed;
FIG. 2 is a partial cutaway view of one corner of the
airbed bedding of FIG. 1, showing attachment of a bottom
layer of the airbed bedding to a large airbed, with a
drawstring for the corner of the bedding fully extended;
FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway view of one corner of the
bottom layer of the airbed bedding of FIG. 1, similar to
FIG. 2, with the drawstring cinched;
FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway, bottom view of the airbed
bedding of FIG. 1, with the airbed bedding on a smaller
airbed than the airbed in FIG. 2, and showing a first,
1~~ bottom layer attached to the airbed and a second, top layer
partially attached to the airbed;
FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the airbed bedding
of FIG. 1, with the top layer of the bedding in FIG. 1
serving as the bottom layer in FIG. 5, and the bottom layer
in FIG. 1 serving as the top layer in FIG. 5;
FIG. 6 is a partial cutaway view of an alternate
embodiment of airbed bedding made in accordance with one
aspect of the present invention, where the airbed bedding
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includes two drawstrings for cinching to a corner of an
airbed; and
FIG. 7 is a partial cutaway view of the airbed bedding
of FIG. 6, shown cinched onto a corner of an airbed.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description, various aspects of the
present invention will be described. For purposes of
explanation, specific configurations and details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
present invention. However, it will also be apparent to one
skilled in the art that the present invention may be
practiced without the specific details. In addition, to the
extent directional references are used, such as top, bottom,
forward, rearward, or the like, the references are for ease
of illustration, and a person of skill in the art may
reorient the elements of the invention as necessary.
Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or
simplified in order not to obscure the present invention.
Briefly described, with reference to FIG. 1, the
present invention is directed to airbed bedding 20 for
fitting on an airbed A (shown in phantom in FIG. 1). The
airbed bedding 20 includes a first layer 22 and a second
2C layer 24. In FIG. 1, the first layer 22 is fitted to the
airbed A and serves as a bottom layer. The second layer 24
is fitted over the first layer 22, and serves as a top cover
for a user sleeping on the airbed A.
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The first layer 22 is substantially rectangular in
shape, and may be sized, for example, to fit a queen-sized
bed. The sizing of the first layer 22 and the second layer
24 is described further below. Although sized to fit a
particular bed, as described below, the first layer 22 and
the airbed bedding 20 is adjustable to fit onto several
different sizes of airbeds. The airbeds onto which the
airbed bedding 20 may fit may, for example, have different
depths and/or widths and lengths.
The first layer 22 includes four sleeves 26, located at
each of the four corners of the first layer (two of which
are shown in FIG. 4, and one of which is shown in FIGS. 2
and 3). The sleeves 26 are sewn into, or otherwise attached
to the corners of the first layer 22, so that they extend
around the corners and up the adjacent sides of the first
layer. The sleeves 2~ may be sized as desired, but in one
embodiment are forty-six (46) inches in length. In this
embodiment, the sleeves 26 run twenty-three inches along
each of the adjacent sides, but the length along the
adjacent sides need not be equal.
Drawstrings 28 extend through the sleeves 26. The
drawstrings 28 may be cords, rope, or other suitable
material. Each sleeve 26 has its own drawstring 28, which
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is attached at one end of the respective sleeve (e.g., by
sewing), and extends slightly out of the other end of the
sleeve. A lock, such as a barrel lock 30 is provided on
the ends of the drawstrings 28. The barrel locks 30 are
S preferably sized so that they cannot be pulled into the
sleeves 26. The drawstrings 28 are slightly longer than the
sleeves 26, for example an inch longer, to permit the free
end of the drawstrings to thread through the respective
barrel lock 30 on the outside of the sleeve.
Other cinching mechanisms (i.e., mechanisms that a user
uses to cinch fabric together) and locks may be used. As an
example, FIG. 6 shows a layer 122 for airbed bedding having
two drawstrings 128, 138 for cinching a corner of the layer
to a single corner of an airbed. The drawstrings 128, 138
are attached by bar tacks 124, 134 to the distal ends of
sleeves 126, 136. The opposite ends of the two
drawstrings 128, 138 extend out of the sleeves 126, 136, and
through a barrel lock 140. As can be seen in FIG. 8, the
barrel lock 140 and the two drawstrings 128, 138 align with
a corner of an airbed to which the layer 122 is to be
attached, and the two drawstrings 128, 138 may be cinched to
connect the layer 122 to the corner of the airbed. Other
cinching mechanisms may be used.
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In any event, returning now to FIG. 1, the second
layer 24 is preferably sized the same as the first layer 22,
and includes similar sleeves 32, drawstrings 34, and barrel
locks 36 at each of the four corners of the second layer.
The second layer 24 is attached along a foot end to the foot
end of the first layer 22. This attachment is preferably
something that may be disconnected, such as a zipper 38.
The zipper may be, for example, a #5 nylon coil zipper,
attached (e. g., by sewing) at the foot of each layer, half
of the zipper attached to the first layer 22 and the mating
half of the zipper attached to the second layer 24. A
zipper pull 40 is provided for attaching or disconnecting
the two zipper halves. The use of a zipper 38 to attach the
two layers 22, 24 allows the airbed bedding to function more
like conventional bedding, and permits detachment of the two
layers for easier laundering of the two layers.
To provide versatility for the airbed bedding 20, the
first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are preferably formed
of different materials. The first layer 22, for example,
may be a sheet, such as a 180-count 65/35 polyester/cotton
sheeting material. If a sheet is used as the first layer
22, the second layer 24 may be an insulated comforter layer,
for example with a 180-count 65/35 polyester/cotton sheeting
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cover and a 240-g knitted polyester fleece liner. This
cover and liner form a shell that enclose insulation, such
as forty-eight (48) ounces of solid-core, 1000 polyester
insulation for bedding to fit a queen-sized airbed. Other
~i materials may be used. As non-limiting examples, either the
first layer 22 or the second layer 24 may be constructed of
cotton flannel, cotton twill, poly-cotton, a rubber sheet,
or the like. One, both, or none of the layers may be
insulated. For example, the two layers 22, 24 may both be
sheets, or one of the layers may be a sheet and the other a
fleece blanket.
To attach the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 to
an airbed, the two layers are connected (e.g., by the
zipper 38) along their foot. One of the layers is chosen as
the bottom layer, and the other layer is the top layer. For
ease of illustration, to describe the attachment of the
airbed bedding 20, in the following example the first layer
22 is the bottom layer, and the second layer 24 is the top
layer.
The first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are stacked
on top of one another, so that the edges align. The first
layer 22 is centered over the airbed, and the corners are
allowed to hang below the corners of the airbed (FIG. 2).
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The loose end of each of the drawstrings 28 is pulled until
tight, and the barrel locks 30 are cinched to hold the
corners in place (FIG. 3). In this manner, the corners of
the first layer 22 are pulled around and beneath the corners
of the airbed. This arrangement holds the first layer 22 in
place on the airbed.
The amount that the sides and corners of the first
layer 22 extend under the airbed when attached depends on
the size of the airbed and the size of the first layer. For
example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the corners of the first
layer 22 may extend only slightly below the corners of a
larger airbed, such as a queen-sized airbed. However, as
shown in FIG. 4, on a smaller airbed D, such as a double-
sized airbed, the corners and the sides of the first layer
may extend under the airbed a substantial amount, such as a
few inches. In either case, the first layer 22 is securely
attached to the airbed. This feature permits the airbed
bedding 20 to fit on multiple sizes of airbeds. For
example, a single airbed bedding 20 may be sized to fit unto
double-sized airbeds and a queen-sized airbeds, despite the
thickness of the airbeds.
Preferably, at least a portion of the sides of the
first layer 22 extends under the airbed when attached to the
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airbed. This feature additionally secures the airbed
bedding 20 to the airbed, because at least a part of the
airbed is resting on the overlapped corners and sides, and
the overlapped corners and sides, because they extend under
the airbed, are harder to dislodge. To this end, the first
layer 22 and the second layer 24 are preferably sized so
that their sides and ends may extend under the largest bed
that is contemplated for the airbed bedding 20 to fit. For
example, for an airbed bedding 20 that is sized for both
double-sized airbeds and a queen-sized airbeds, the maximum
dimensions of a queen-sized airbed are taken into account
when sizing the airbed bedding 20. For this example, if a
manufacturer wants at least 6 inches of the sides to extend
under the airbed, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24
are made, for example, 7 feet, 4 inches wide. This
dimension assumes that the maximum thickness of an airbed is
8 inches, and the width of a queen-sized bed is 5 feet.
Thus, the width is calculated by: 5 feet (width), plus (8
inches) X 2 (height, both sides), plus i6 inches) X 2
(overlap, both sides) equals 7 feet, 4 inches. If a bed is
smaller than these dimensions, then the first layer 22 and
the second layer 24 extend more under the airbed. The
measurements for the length may similarly be calculated.
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King-sized and twin-sized airbed beddings may be calculated
in a similar way.
In any event, after the first layer 22 is attached, for
additional security, the drawstrings 34 at the corners of
the foot of the top, second layer 24 may also be tightened
around the airbed. This feature helps to keep the foot of
the bed tucked, so that. a person sleeping on the airbed is
more likely to remain covered.
If two different materials are used for the first
1C~ layer 22 and the second layer 24, either of the layers may
be used as the fitted cover, and the other layer may be used
as the top sheet. If, for example, the first layer 22 is a
sheet, and the second layer 24 is an insulated comforter,
the user may place the first (sheet) layer 22 on the bottom
1'_. and cover up with the second (insulated comforter) layer 24
when the temperature is cooler (shown in FIG. 1), or reverse
this configuration and sleep on the more comfortable second
(insulated comforter) layer 24, and cover up with the first
(sheet) layer 22 (shown in FIG. 5) when the ambient
2C) temperature is warmer. In this manner, the airbed bedding
20 provides flexibility in temperature and/or comfort.
Variations are within the spirit of the present
invention. For example, the layers of the airbed bedding
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may be formed without distinct corners, or may have multiple
corners. In either event, at least one of the layers
preferably includes at least one cinching mechanism for
attaching the layer to all four corners of an airbed. In
addition, another layer may be included that preferably has
at least one cinching mechanism for cinching the layer to
the foot of an airbed. In this manner, the two layers may
be used as mattress cover and top bedding layer.
Alternatives also exist for the arrangement and
selection of the cinching mechanisms. A single drawstring
may be provided for cinching a portion of the first layer 22
(e. g., the two corners at the foot of the first layer)
around the foot of an airbed so that cinching of the
drawstring draws both corners of the foot of the first layer
under the airbed and tightens the first layer to the airbed.
A similar drawstring may be used for cinching a portion of
the first layer (e. g., the two head corners of the first
layer) to the head of an airbed, and/or for the foot and
head of the second layer. In addition, a single drawstring
may be used to cinch the bottom layer of the two layers of
the airbed bedding 20 to all four corners of an airbed.
This feature allows the layer to be cinched to all four
corners by pulling on the single drawstring. A similar
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drawstring may be used on the other layer, but doing so
makes it difficult to cinch only the foot of the upper
layer.
In addition, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24
~~ may be attached at locations other than the foot, such as
along one side. The additional or replacement attachment of
the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 may be by a
zipper or other closure mechanism, or may be permanent, such
as by sewing.
If desired, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24
may be different sizes. This feature may permit, for
example, the lower layer to barely extend under the airbed,
and the upper layer to have large overlaps at the side, head
and/or foot of the airbed.
Other variations are within the spirit of the present
invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to
various modifications and alternative constructions, a
certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the
drawings and has been described above in detail. It should
be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit
the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but
on the contrary, the intention is to cover all
modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents
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falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as
defined in the appended claims.
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