Abstract:
A removable protective pad for the foot portion of mattresses that includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape of the foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive material is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that permanently adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches the sheet to the mattress foot portion. The polymeric sheet includes marketing information.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the protection of mattresses in a showroom environment. A releasably attachable polymeric mattress foot protector carrying marketing information is attached across the foot portion of a mattress to protect the decorative cover from soiling, damage, and wear. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Mattresses are sold in retail showrooms. Typically, display mattresses are arranged on the floor so that the prospective purchaser can peruse the various types of mattresses offered by that retailer. In addition to evaluating various promotional materials in the showroom, the prospective buyer might “test” the mattress. This “test” involves lying on the mattress to evaluate softness, firmness or other attributes desirable to the purchaser. Lying on the mattress can result in damage, soiling, wear and tear. Retail showrooms are high traffic areas, and mattresses may be repeatedly tested and damaged. 
         [0003]    Foot protectors for mattresses have been used to minimize damage to display mattresses in retail showrooms. Protectors used to date are expensive, cumbersome to place and secure on the mattress, and may unduly damage or compromise the visual appearance of the mattress. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,532; 6,216,292; and 6,014,782. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention is directed to an improvement in protective pads that are easily removable and more economical to manufacture, because they require less material and no additional attachment mechanisms to hold them in place. 
         [0005]    According to the illustrated embodiment, the protective pad includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape of the foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive material is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that permanently adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches the sheet to the mattress foot portion without marring of the mattress cover or ticking. The polymeric sheet includes marketing information. 
         [0006]    The term “foot portion,” as used herein, means the lower inches (10-30 inches) of the upper surface of the mattress where a customer&#39;s feet would rest if the customer were to fully lie on the mattress to test the comfort and support. The term “marketing information” refers to any of the following including: advertising material, sales material, manufacturer&#39;s logos and trademarks, promotional materials or the like, in the form of pictures, and/or any other form of media. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a removable protective pad on a mattress. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a protective pad. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, modifications, and improvements are within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0010]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a removable protective pad  10  is releasably attached to the mattress  40 , such as a display mattress in a retail showroom. The protective pad  10  includes a polymeric base sheet  12  carrying marketing information  20 , a first or protective film  11  in the form of a transparent polymeric overlaminate on top of the base sheet  12 , adhesive material  15  on the underside of base  12 , and a removable film or liner  16  (illustrated by dashed lines in  FIG. 2 ). The protective pad  10  minimizes damage, soiling or wear to the mattress when a prospective purchaser is testing the mattress in the showroom. The adhesive material is so selected as to prevent damage to the decorative mattress fabric when the protective pad  10  is removed from the mattress  40 . 
         [0011]    The releasability of the protective pad  10  allows a sales associate to easily change the marketing information  20  viewable by a prospective purchaser as needed. For example, as mattress products in the showroom change, or marketing programs change, a new protective pad  10  may be used on a mattress. To accomplish this, all that is necessary is to remove the peel off liner, protective layer, or film  16  from the adhesive material  15  and place the protective pad  10  on the desired mattress. 
         [0012]    The protective pad  10  may be used on any type of mattress. For example, twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, the “California king,” are exemplary sized mattresses. The protective pad  40  may be sized to substantially cover the foot portion of any mattress, or other mattress shapes and sizes that may be developed. The protective pad  40  may be used on any mattress including, but not limited to, innerspring, foam (viscoelastic and/or latex), air, futons, and waterbeds. Further, the protective pad  40  may be used on any mattress cover or mattress ticking. Mattress ticking as used herein refers to decorative woven or knit fabrics, or any other materials, that is the outer surface of the mattress. 
         [0013]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the removable protective pad  10  includes the polymeric base sheet  12  having top and bottom surfaces  13  and  14 , respectively. The polymeric sheet  12  may be flexible to conform to the outer surface  42  of the mattress  40  or it may be a stiffer material. In other alternate embodiments, the polymeric sheet  12  may be malleable. An exemplary polymeric sheet  12  is polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In other alternate embodiments, however, the polymeric sheet  12  may be polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). An exemplary polymeric sheet  12  has a thickness between about 2.0 and about 5.0 mils, preferably about 3.7 mils. 
         [0014]    The first or protective film (or overlaminate)  11  may be any transparent polymeric film for protecting the top surface  13  of the base sheet  12 . The overlaminate  11  also includes an adhesive for permanent attachment to the polymeric sheet  12 . Alternatively, the overlaminate may be applied by heat and pressure, or any other technique that will affix the film  11  to the base sheet  12 . Exemplary overlaminates include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). 
         [0015]    Marketing information  20  is included on the upper surface of protective pad  40  for viewing by a prospective customer. The overlaminate  11  is affixed to the top surface of polymeric sheet  12  to protect the marketing information  20 . The marketing information  20  is printed or otherwise applied directly to the polymeric sheet  12 . In an exemplary embodiment, the marketing information  20  is printed on the sheet  12  with solvent/UV based ink jet media. In other embodiments, the ink jet media may be water based. In other embodiments, the marketing information may be printed on with any suitable types of inks and/or pigments. In alternate embodiments, the marketing information is integrally formed with the polymeric sheet  12 . For example, a logo or trademark may be formed in the polymeric sheet  12  during manufacture. In other embodiments, the marketing information may be printed onto a separate sheet, film or material, that is then applied to the polymeric sheet  12  using any suitable adhesive. 
         [0016]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , a pressure sensitive adhesive material  15  is applied to the bottom surface  14  of the polymeric sheet  12 . A second, removeable, peel off liner or film  16  is applied and protects the adhesive material  15  prior to its emplacement on the mattress  40 . The second film  16  is removable and is discarded upon removal from the protective pad  10 . 
         [0017]    The adhesive material  15  releasably attaches the protective pad  10  to the mattress  40 . The adhesive material  15  is permanently affixed to the polymeric sheet  12  while allowing for the releasable attachment of the protective pad  10  to the outer surface  22  of the mattress  40 . The adhesive material is selected to prevent damage, e.g., marring of the fabric or pattern, abrasion, etc., to the outer surface  42  of the mattress  40 , which might otherwise occur when removing an adhesive from the mattress  40 . 
         [0018]    The adhesive material is a chemical, polymer, copolymer, polymer or co-polymer blends, a composition, resin, or any combinations thereof, that forms a temporary bond with the mattress. An exemplary adhesive material is an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive. As used herein, a “pressure sensitive adhesive” refers to an adhesive that forms a temporary bond upon the application of pressure. In other alternate embodiments, however, a non-pressure sensitive adhesive is used. 
         [0019]    The adhesive material may be a natural or synthetic adhesive. Exemplary natural adhesives include, but are not limited to, starch, animal or vegetable resins. Exemplary synthetic adhesives include, but are not limited to, acrylic and/or other acrylate based adhesives, rubber based adhesives, polyvinyl acetate, epoxy, or polyurethane. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive material is acrylic based. 
         [0020]    The adhesive material  15  is applied to the polymeric sheet  12  with a liquid carrier, or in solid form. Preferably the adhesive material is a liquid carrier or solvent based adhesive. For liquid carrier adhesives, the adhesive is coated onto the polymeric sheet  12 , and the solvent, or water carrier is dried off. Additional heat may be applied to the adhesive and polymeric sheet  12  to initiate a cross-linking reaction and increase molecular weight of the adhesive. The solid adhesives may be low viscosity polymers. The solid adhesive materials are also coated onto the polymeric sheet  12  and reacted with radiation to increase molecular weight and form the adhesive thereon. In other embodiments, the solid-type adhesives may be high viscosity materials that are heated to reduce viscosity enough to allow coating, and then cooled to their final form on the polymeric sheet  12 . 
       EXAMPLE 
       [0021]    In one example of the invention, the protective pad includes a polyvinyl chloride sheet  12  with an acrylic based, pressure sensitive adhesive  15  applied thereto. A peel off liner is included on the adhesive material, and is discarded prior to application on the mattress. An exemplary product is product no. JTS828 HTO, available under the Mac Tac® brand (A Bemis Company). This product is a 3.7 mil matte white, soft calendared PVC film coated on one side with a high tack, permanent, opaque, solvent acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive, supplied with a Kraft liner. Marketing information may be printed thereon using solvent-based ink jet printing media. A vinyl overlaminate, such as Print Shield® SEAL®, available from Neschen Americas, Inc, is used to protect the marketing information. 
         [0022]    Although the present invention has been described with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.