Abstract:
A mattress clip is provided which, when used in pairs, secures a mattress to an adjustable bed to prevent the mattress from sliding off leg, thigh, hip and back supports of the adjustable bed. Two clips are secured to the thigh support in cantilever fashion with opposing free ends projecting toward each other and being received in axial open ends of a tube sewn to a cover of the mattress. Though limited transverse and longitudinal motion of the mattress relative to the leg, thigh, hip and back supports can take place during adjusting movements of the adjustable bed, the mattress is precluded from excessive shifting and cannot inadvertently or accidentally slide off the supports. Each mattress clip includes elongated openings through which bolts are passed for reception in aligned openings of the thigh support to permit limited transverse adjustment of the mattress clips.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention is directed to an adjustable bed and specifically to a pair of identical mattress clips which are associated with a mattress to prevent the mattress from sliding off the adjustable bed, particularly when the adjustable bed is moved between its various positions of adjustment.  
           [0002]    A conventional adjustable bed includes an adjustable frame which is utilized in conjunction with several supports upon which a mattress rests. The adjustable frame can be adjusted to move between a substantially horizontal planar position to one of several positions in which leg, thigh and back supports are inclined at an angle to the horizontal to provide appropriate adjustment while a person sleeps, eats, reads, watches television or is otherwise required to spend considerable lengths of time in bed for therapeutic purposes, as might occur should such a person be injured or is suffering from physical or mental problems. Typical of such adjustable or articulated beds are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,381,571; 4,385,410; 4,407,030; 5,537,701; 5,870,784 and 6,276,011 B1. In such articulated beds a foot retainer is generally used to prevent the mattress from sliding off the mattress supports. Side mattress retainers have also been utilized to prevent mattresses from sliding laterally off mattress supports. Whether in the form of a foot or base retainer or a side retainer, such retainers are visible to the consumer and immediately “earmark” the bed as being adjustable. As such, adjustable beds have a bad connotation with a percentage of the bed purchasing public because purchasers believe adjustable beds appear “medical” and are designed for older or geriatric users. By virtue of the adjustable bed mattress clips of the present invention, an adjustable bed appears to be a conventional “normal” bed because the mattress clips are sandwiched between the mattress and the mattress supports and permits the adjustable bed to appear mainstream and in turn becomes more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    In keeping with the foregoing, a primary object of the invention is to provide an adjustable bed which is of a conventional construction insofar as it includes the typical supports and adjusting mechanisms of the latter-identified patents, but significantly differs therefrom by providing a novel mattress clip which is utilized in pairs to retain a bed mattress supported upon supports of the adjustable bed to prevent the mattress from sliding off the latter either longitudinally or transversely. The adjustable bed preferably includes an adjustable bed frame defined by a backrest frame, a hip frame, a thigh frame and a leg frame which respectively support a back support, a hip support, a thigh support and a leg support. A mattress is supported atop the latter supports and the mattress clips of the present invention are sandwiched between an underside of the mattress and one of the mattress supports, preferably the thigh support.  
           [0004]    Each of the mattress clips is an elongated member having opposite ends with one end being adjustably secured to the thigh support and the opposite end being cantilevered and housed within an open end of a fabric tube sewn or otherwise secured to the underside of the mattress cover substantially normal to a longitudinal axis of the mattress. The latter arrangement of the mattress clips prevents the mattress from sliding off the mattress supports either transversely or longitudinally in any position of the adjustable bed whether stationary or during adjusting movement thereof.  
           [0005]    In lieu of a single fabric tube or sleeve secured to the underside of the mattress covering, two separate tubes can be secured in transverse alignment to the underside of the mattress covering. As a further embodiment, in lieu of a sleeve or tube, a strip of material can be sewn directly to an exterior of the mattress cover normal to the longitudinal axis of the mattress with opposite ends of the strip of material being open which allows the clips to be slid into these open opposite ends. Thus, the single strip of material is sewn only along longitudinal edges thereof to the mattress cover which in effect defines a “tube” between the strip of material and the mattress cover having axial open ends which can receive the mattress clips. As an alternative to the latter, the transverse edges of the strip of material can also be sewn to the cover and inboard of transversely sewn ends there is provided a slot for each mattress clip for entry into the sleeve or tube, again formed by the separate transverse strip of material and the portion of the mattress cover to which it is sewn. However, no matter the construction of the strip or tube, the same need but provide access therethrough for the oppositely opposing cantilevered ends of the mattress clips to thereby retain the mattress in position and prevent slippage thereof.  
           [0006]    A less desirable alternate to the latter constructions would be to provide the mattress covering with such transversely aligned slits and sew a separate piece of fabric transversely to an interior surface of the mattress covering. The cantilevered end of each mattress clip would then enter each slit of the mattress cover from the exterior and enter the sleeve or tube interiorly of the mattress covering. The latter construction obviously hides the transverse strip interiorly of the mattress which provides aesthetic benefits, particularly if the mattress covering is reinforced in the area of the slits.  
           [0007]    No matter the construction for the tube, pocket, sleeve or the like, with or without mattress cover slits, such can be provided at both top and bottom cover portions of the mattress cover to permit the mattress to be “flipped,” and in either position the mattress clips are operative to prevent the mattress from slipping off the mattress supports.  
           [0008]    With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a novel adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates an adjustable bed including a main frame, a plurality of relatively movable mattress supports, a mattress supported atop the mattress supports, and opposing cantilevered mattress retention clips carried by one of the mattress supports and received in axially opposite open ends of a lower tube, sleeve or pocket secured to an underside of a cover of the mattress.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the adjustable bed of FIG. 1 with the mattress removed, and illustrates the mattress supports in one of a multiplicity of adjusted positions and two transversely aligned mattress retention clips.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic end view of the adjustable bed, and illustrates the manner in which the mattress is secured to and retained upon one of the mattress supports through the cantilevered mattress retaining clips and the tubes, sleeves or pockets of the mattress cover.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse cross sectional view taken generally along line  4 - 4  of FIG. 1, and illustrates one of the cantiievered mattress retaining clips received in an end of the underside or lower tube, sleeve or pocket with the upper side or upper tube, sleeve or pocket being substantially flattened.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the mattress retaining clips or brackets of the invention, and illustrates opposite end portions disposed in substantially parallel planes and an offset medial portion therebetween.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another adjustable bed, and illustrates a mattress having pairs of transversely aligned pockets secured to a mattress cover at upper and lower surfaces of the mattress with cantilevered mattress retention clips being received in a lower pair of the pockets.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken generally along line  7 - 7  of FIG. 6, and illustrates an end of one of the cantilevered mattress retention clips housed within one of the mattress cover lower side pockets.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another adjustable bed, and illustrates transversely disposed pockets or tubes each formed by a single strip of fabric material carried by upper and lower portions of the mattress cover with the lower tube receiving opposing ends of cantilevered mattress retention clips in open ends thereof.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view taken generally along line  9 - 9  of FIG. 8, and illustrates details of an end of the cantilevered mattress retention clip being received in the pocket or tube.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another adjustable bed, and illustrates pairs of transversely aligned pockets at upper and lower surfaces of a mattress cover or covering of the mattress and ends of cantilevered mattress retention clips being received in the lower pockets.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 11 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view taken generally along line  11 - 11  of FIG. 10, and illustrated details of an end portion of one of the cantilevered mattress retention brackets being received in one of the pockets.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another adjustable bed, and illustrates a mattress having transversely aligned inner pockets in upper and lower portions of the mattress cover and ends of cantilevered mattress retention brackets being received in the pockets through slits or openings in the mattress cover.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 13 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view taken generally along line  13 - 13  of FIG. 12, and illustrates the end portion of one of the cantilevered mattress retention clips being received in one of the inner mattress pockets through an associated slit or opening in the mattress cover.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another adjustable bed, and illustrates upper and lower interior transversely aligned pairs of pockets associated with the mattress and ends of cantilevered mattress retention clips being received in the lower pockets through slits in the mattress cover.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along line  15 - 15  of FIG. 14, and illustrates details of the cantilevered mattress retention bracket or clip relative to its associated pocket and mattress cover slit. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    An adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  10 .  
         [0025]    The adjustable bed  10  includes a frame or foundation  15  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  16  and a peripheral wall  17  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  18  (FIG. 2) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism  20  (FIG. 3). The bed adjusting mechanism  20  forms no part of the present invention but may include all of the frames, cross-bars, linkages, pivots, pivoting mechanisms and drive motors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,011 B1 granted to Santino Antinori on Aug. 21, 2001, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The bed adjusting mechanism  20  further includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 1 and 3) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (FIG. 2).  
         [0026]    A mattress  25  (FIGS. 1, 3 and  4 ) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  21  (FIG. 4) and a fabric cover or covering  22  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  23  and a lower fabric covering portion  24 .  
         [0027]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  25  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  30  and includes identical means  31 ,  32  for defining respectively upper and lower pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes defining axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in each of which is received a cantilevered end  41  of clip means or bracket means  40  (FIG. 5) for retaining the mattress  25  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  40  further includes an end  42  remote from the end  41  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  43 . The end portion  42  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  40  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  44 ,  45  through which pass respective bolts  46 ,  47  (FIG. 4) which pass through respective openings  51 ,  52  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  48 ,  49 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 1, with the end portions  41 ,  41  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  40 ,  40  being received in the opposite ends of the lower tube or pocket  32  (FIG. 4), the mattress  25  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  30  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot and/or side mattress retainers and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  10  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 1) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  10  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0028]    Each of the pockets or tubes  31 ,  32  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn to the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  23 ,  24  of the mattress cover  22 . The fabric material of the pockets  31 ,  32  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pocket  31  of FIGS. 1 and 3) and cannot be readily visually seen or discerned when the mattress  25  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  25 , no matter which covering portion  23 ,  24  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective tube or pocket  31 ,  32 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  23 ,  24  of the fabric cover  22  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost pocket, tube or sleeve  31  or  32  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower tube or pocket  31  or  32  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  40 ,  40 .  
         [0029]    The mattress  25  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  10  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof by first drilling two pairs of the holes  51 ,  52  in transverse alignment with each other at opposite longitudinal edges (unnumbered) of the thigh support Ts at a distance prescribed by the manufacture of the adjustable bed  10  depending upon a number of factors, such as the bed size (single, double, queen, king, etc.), the overall end-to-end length of the tubes, sleeves or pockets  31 ,  32 , etc. However, the transversely spaced pairs of openings  51 ,  52 ;  51 ,  52  are spaced a distance such that ends  41 ,  41  of the opposing cantilevered mattress retention clips  40 ,  40  are fully housed in the pockets or tubes  31  or  32  (FIG. 4) whereby lateral or transverse and longitudinal shifting or movement of the mattress  25  is virtually eliminated. After establishing such distances, the pairs of holes  51 ,  52 ;  51 ,  52  are drilled through the thigh support Ts.  
         [0030]    Reference is made to FIG. 3 which illustrates as STEP  1  the securement of the right-hand mattress retention clip  40  to the thigh support Ts by passing the bolts  46 ,  47  through the respective slots  44 ,  45  of the mattress retention clip  40  and through the respective openings  51 ,  52  (FIG. 4) of the thigh support Ts. The wing nuts  48 ,  49  are then threaded to the respective bolts  46 ,  47  (FIG. 4). Thereafter, STEP  2  is performed, namely, the mattress  25  is bodily slid from left-to-right, as viewed in FIG. 3, with the pocket or tube  32  being aligned with the end portion  41  of the right-hand cantilevered retention clip  40  allowing the ready insertion of the end portion  41  of the retention clip  40  progressively into the pocket  32  until the position shown in FIG. 4 is reached. Thereafter, bolts  46 ,  47  are inserted into the respective openings  44 ,  45  of the left-hand mattress retention bracket  40 , as indicated in STEP  3 , and the left-hand mattress retention bracket  40  is aligned with and moved toward the left-hand end of the pocket  32  until the end portion  41  thereof has been fully inserted into the pocket  32 . During the latter insertion, the left end of the mattress  25 , as viewed in FIG. 3, can be lifted slightly (5-15 degrees) which is sufficient to view the left side openings or holes  51 ,  52  and align the bolts  46 ,  47 , respectively, therewith. Thereafter the left-hand end of the mattress  25  can be progressively lowered to progressively introduce the bolts  46 ,  47  into and through the left-hand pair of openings  51 ,  52  in the thigh support Ts. The wing nuts  48 ,  49  are then hand-tightened upon the left-hand pair of bolts  46 ,  47  resulting in the structural relationship of the retention system  30  illustrated in FIG. 1 and the attendant functions of maintaining longitudinal and transverse stability of the mattress  25  with respect to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs.  
         [0031]    Another adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  110 .  
         [0032]    The adjustable bed  110  includes a frame or foundation  115  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  116  and a peripheral wall  117  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  118  (FIG. 6) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism corresponding to the bed adjusting mechanism  20  of FIG. 3. The bed adjusting mechanism includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 6 and 7) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (FIG. 2).  
         [0033]    A mattress  125  (FIGS. 6 and 7) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  121  (FIG. 6) and a fabric cover or covering  122  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  123  and a lower fabric covering portion  124 .  
         [0034]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  125  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  130  and includes identical pairs of means  131 ,  131 ;  132 ,  132  for defining respectively upper and lower pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes each defining axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in one of which is received a cantilevered end  141  of clip means or bracket means  140  (FIG. 7) for retaining the mattress  125  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  140  further includes an end  142  remote from the end  141  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  143 . The end portion  142  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  140  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  144 ,  145  through which pass respective bolts  146 ,  147  (FIG. 7) which pass through respective openings  151 ,  152  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  148 ,  149 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 6, with the end portions  141 ,  141  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  140 ,  140  being received in the opposite ends of the lower pair of tubes or pockets  132  (FIG. 7), the mattress  125  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  130  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot and/or side mattress retainers and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  110  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 6) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  110  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0035]    Each of the pockets or tubes  131 ,  132  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn to the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  123 ,  124  of the mattress cover  122 . The fabric material of the pockets  131 ,  132  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pockets  131  of FIGS. 6 and 7) and cannot be readily visually seen or discerned when the mattress  125  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  125 , no matter which covering portion  123 ,  124  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective pairs of tubes or pockets  131 ,  132 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  123 ,  124  of the fabric cover  122  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost pair of pockets, tubes or sleeves  131  or  132  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower pair of tubes or pockets  131  or  132  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  140 ,  140 .  
         [0036]    The mattress  125  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  110  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof in the manner heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The later descriptions (and corresponding reference numerals) are hereat incorporated by reference.  
         [0037]    Another adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  210 .  
         [0038]    The adjustable bed  210  includes a frame or foundation  215  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  216  and a peripheral wall  217  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  218  (FIG. 8) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism corresponding to the bed adjusting mechanism  20  of FIG. 3. The bed adjusting mechanism further includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 9 and 9) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (such as FIG. 2).  
         [0039]    A mattress  225  (FIGS. 8 and 9) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  221  (FIG. 9) and a fabric cover or covering  222  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  223  and a lower fabric covering portion  224 .  
         [0040]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  225  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  230  and includes identical means  231 ,  232  for defining respectively upper and lower pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes defining axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in each of which is received a cantilevered end  241  of clip means or bracket means  240  (FIG. 9) for retaining the mattress  225  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  240  further includes an end  242  remote from the end  241  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  243 . The end portion  242  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  240  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  244 ,  245  through which pass respective bolts  246 ,  247  (FIG. 9) which pass through respective openings  251 ,  252  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  248 ,  249 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 8, with the end portions  241 ,  241  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  240 ,  240  being received in the opposite ends of the lower tube or pocket  232  (FIG. 9), the mattress  225  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  230  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot retainer brackets and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  10  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 8) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  210  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0041]    Each of the pockets or tubes  231 ,  232  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn along opposite longitudinal edges thereof to the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  223 ,  224  of the mattress cover  222 . The fabric material of the pockets  231 ,  232  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pocket  231  of FIGS. 8 and 9) and cannot be readily visually seen or discerned when the mattress  225  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  225 , no matter which covering portion  223 ,  224  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective uppermost tube or pocket  231 ,  232 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  223 ,  224  of the fabric cover  222  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost pocket, tube or sleeve  231  or  232  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower tube or pocket  231  or  232  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  240 ,  240 .  
         [0042]    The mattress  225  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  210  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof in the manner heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The latter description (and corresponding reference numerals) are hereat incorporated by reference.  
         [0043]    Another adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  310 .  
         [0044]    The adjustable bed  310  includes a frame or foundation  315  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  316  and a peripheral wall  317  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  318  (FIG. 10) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism corresponding to the bed adjusting mechanism  20  of FIG. 3. The bed adjusting mechanism further includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 10 and 11) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (such as FIG. 2).  
         [0045]    A mattress  325  (FIGS. 10 and 11) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts,. Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  321  (FIG. 11) and a fabric cover or covering  322  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  323  and a lower fabric covering portion  324 .  
         [0046]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  325  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  330  and includes identical pairs of means  331 , 331 ;  332 ,  332  for defining respectively upper and lower pairs of pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes each defining axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in one of which is received a cantilevered end  341  of clip means or bracket means  340  (FIG. 11) for retaining the mattress  325  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  340  further includes an end  342  remote from the end  341  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  343 . The end portion  342  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  340  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  344 ,  345  through which pass respective bolts  346 ,  347  (FIG. 11) which pass through respective openings  351 ,  352  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  348 ,  349 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 11, with the end portions  341 ,  341  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  340 ,  340  being received in the opposite ends of the lower tube or pocket  332  (FIG. 10), the mattress  325  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  330  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot retainer brackets and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  310  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 10) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  310  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0047]    Each of the pockets or tubes  331 ,  332  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn along opposite longitudinal edges thereof to the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  323 ,  324  of the mattress cover  322 . The fabric material of the pockets  331 ,  332  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pocket  331  of FIG. 11) and cannot be readily visually seen or discerned when the mattress  325  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  325 , no matter which covering portion  323 ,  324  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective uppermost tube or pocket  331 ,  332 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  323 ,  324  of the fabric cover  322  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost pocket, tube or sleeve  331  or  332  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower tube or pocket  331  or  332  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  340 ,  340 .  
         [0048]    The mattress  325  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  310  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof in the manner heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The latter descriptions (and corresponding reference numerals) are hereat incorporated by reference.  
         [0049]    Another adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  410 .  
         [0050]    The adjustable bed  410  includes a frame or foundation  415  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  416  and a peripheral wall  417  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  418  (FIG. 12) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism corresponding to the bed adjusting mechanism  20  of FIG. 3. The bed adjusting mechanism further includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 12 and 13) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (such as FIG. 2).  
         [0051]    A mattress  425  (FIGS. 12 and 13) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  421  (FIG. 13) and a fabric cover or covering  422  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  423  and a lower fabric covering portion  424 .  
         [0052]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  425  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  430  and includes identical means  431 ,  432  for defining respectively upper and lower interior or inner pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes defining axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in each of which is received a cantilevered end  441  of clip means or bracket means  440  (FIG. 13) for retaining the mattress  425  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  440  further includes an end  442  remote from the end  441  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  443 . The end portion  442  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  440  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  444 ,  445  through which pass respective bolts  446 ,  447  (FIG. 13) which pass through respective openings  451 ,  452  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  448 ,  449 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 12, with the end portions  441 ,  441  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  440 ,  440  being received in the opposite ends of the lower tube or pocket  432  (FIG. 13), the mattress  425  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  430  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot retainer brackets and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  410  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 12) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  410  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0053]    Each of the pockets or tubes  431 ,  432  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn to inner surfaces (unnumbered) of the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  423 ,  424  of the mattress cover  422 . Slits or openings S 1 , S 1  are formed through the uppermost and lowermost fabric portions  423 ,  424  of the mattress cover  422  immediately adjacent the openings (unnumbered) of the pockets  431 ,  432 . The end portions  441 ,  441  of the mattress retention clips  440 ,  440  pass through the slits S 1 , S 1  (FIG. 13) during the introduction thereof into the interior pockets  431 ,  432 . The fabric material of the inner pockets  431 ,  432  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pocket  431  of FIGS. 12 and 13) and cannot be readily discerned, particularly when the mattress  425  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  425 , no matter which covering portion  423 ,  424  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective uppermost inner tube or pocket  431 ,  432 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  423 ,  424  of the fabric cover  422  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost inner pocket, tube or sleeve  431  or  432  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower tube or pocket  431  or  432  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  440 ,  440 .  
         [0054]    The mattress  425  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  410  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof in the manner heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The latter descriptions (and corresponding reference numerals) are hereat incorporated by reference.  
         [0055]    Another adjustable bed constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  510 .  
         [0056]    The adjustable bed  510  includes a frame or foundation  515  of a relative rigid construction which may include casters or legs  516  and a peripheral wall  517  which preferably includes a quilted covering Qc and defines an interior chamber or housing  518  (FIG. 14) in which is conventionally supported a bed adjusting mechanism corresponding to the bed adjusting mechanism  20  of FIG. 3. The bed adjusting mechanism further includes four relatively movable mattress supports, namely, a leg support Ls, a thigh support Ts, a hip support Hs and a back support Bs, which are movable between a horizontal uniplanar position (FIGS. 14 and 15) and any one of a number of relatively adjusted positions (such as FIG. 2).  
         [0057]    A mattress  525  (FIGS. 14 and 15) is supported upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs and includes a one-piece foam latex core  521  (FIG. 15) and a fabric cover or covering  522  defined in part by an upper fabric covering portion  523  and a lower fabric covering portion  524 .  
         [0058]    A hold-down system constructed in accordance with this invention for holding the mattress  525  upon the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs, and Bs is generally designated by the referenced  530  and includes identical pairs of means  531 ,  532  for defining respectively upper and lower pairs of inner or interior pocket means, pockets, sleeves or tubes each defining transversely remote axially opposite openings (unnumbered) in one each of which is received a cantilevered end  541  of clip means or bracket means  540  (FIG. 15) for retaining the mattress  525  relatively immobile relative to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs irrespective of the position of the mattress supports when moving or in any stationary position of adjustment thereof. Each of the clip means or cantilevered mattress retention clips  540  further includes an end  542  remote from the end  541  and offset relatively thereto by an offset medial portion  543 . The end portion  542  of each of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  540  includes a pair of aligned elongated slots  544 ,  545  through which pass respective bolts  546 ,  547  (FIG. 15) which pass through respective openings  551 ,  552  of the thigh support Ts and are held thereto by thumb screws  548 ,  549 , respectively. As is most readily apparent from FIG. 15, with the end portions  541 ,  541  of the cantilevered mattress retention clips  540 ,  540  being received in the opposite ends of the lower tube or pocket  532  (FIG. 15), the mattress  525  is rendered substantially immobile and cannot slip from or off the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs, no matter the positions of the latter. The hold-down system  530  thereby eliminates the use of conventional foot retainer brackets and absent the latter, the adjustable bed  510  has the appearance of a conventional “normal” bed (FIG. 14) which renders the same much more marketable because the adjustable bed  510  appears to be a mainstream conventional bed and thus is more marketable to a larger customer base.  
         [0059]    Each of the pockets or tubes  531 ,  532  is preferably made of relatively strong fabric material which is adhesively bonded or sewn to the respective upper and lower fabric covering portions  523 ,  524  of the mattress cover  522 . Slits or openings S 1 , S 1  are formed through the uppermost and lowermost fabric portions  523 ,  524  of the mattress cover  522  immediately adjacent the openings (unnumbered) of the pockets  531 ,  532 . The end portions  541 ,  541  of the mattress retention clips  540 ,  540  pass through the slits S 1 , S 1  (FIG. 15) during the introduction thereof into the interior pockets  531 ,  532 . The fabric material of the pockets  531 ,  532  is very thin, lies substantially flat (pocket  531  of FIG. 15) and cannot be readily visually seen or discerned when the mattress  525  is covered by a mattress overlay, a sheet, blanket and/or the like, and more importantly a person lying atop the mattress  525 , no matter which covering portion  523 ,  524  is uppermost, cannot “feel” the respective uppermost tube or pocket  531 ,  532 , respectively. Thus, the mattress can be occasionally “flipped” or turned, as is conventional, and no matter which covering portion  523 ,  524  of the fabric cover  522  is uppermost or lowermost, the uppermost pocket, tube or sleeve  531  or  532  will not be readily seen or felt by a person while the then lower tube or pocket  531  or  532  can be connected to the mattress retention clips  540 ,  540 .  
         [0060]    The mattress  525  is also readily assembled to the adjustable bed  510  and specifically to the mattress supports Ls, Ts, Hs and/or Bs thereof in the manner heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The latter descriptions (and corresponding reference numerals) are hereat incorporated by reference.  
         [0061]    Various structural alternatives will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after having reviewed the latter descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention. For example, though the mattress retaining clips  40 ,  40 ;  140 ,  140 ; etc., have been described as being secured in pairs to the thigh support Ts, the same can be as well secured to any one of the other mattress supports Ls, Hs and/or Bs. Furthermore, instead of utilizing two opposing pairs of mattress retention clips  40 ,  40 ;  140 ,  140 , two or more pairs of the mattress retention clips  40 ,  40 ;  140 ,  140 , etc., can be utilized with each pair being preferably secured to one of the supports Ls, Ts, Hs and Bs. For example, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, a second pair of the mattress retention clips  40 ,  40  can be secured to the back support Bs or to the leg support Ls or to both.  
         [0062]    The strip of material  231 ,  232  of FIGS. 8 and 9 of the mattress  225  which are sewn or otherwise secured to the exterior of the mattress cover  222  can as well be sewn to the interior surfaces thereof which would merely require a slit S 1  to be formed in the cover portions  223 ,  224  adjacent the ends (unnumbered) of the interior “tubes” or “pockets  231 ,  232 . The latter structure would correspond substantially identically to that heretofore described with respect to the respective sleeves, tubes or pockets  431 ,  432  of FIGS. 12 and 13.  
         [0063]    The pairs of tubes or pockets  131 ,  132 ;  333 ,  332  can also be closed at innermost ends by transverse stitching such that each of the latter pockets has a closed or “blind” end. The transverse stitching achieves additional reinforcement. Like reinforced stitching may also be applied in the area of the slits S 1 , S 2  for reinforcement purposes.  
         [0064]    Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.