Bedding attachment devices

A first embodiment of a bedding attachment device includes a strip of hook fastening material which is attachable to a bed frame and a further strip of loop fastening material which is selectively attachable to the bedding. Garter-like fastening straps are fixedly secured to the loop strip, and these straps are attached to the bedding at selected positions. The bedding may then be stretched over the mattress until the hook and loop fastening strips are engaged. A second embodiment makes use of the hook and loop fastening straps; however, the garter-like straps are replaced by a rigid plastic clamp which may be snap fitted over the bedding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to bedding fastening devices, and more 
particularly pertains to new and improved embodiments of bedding fasteners 
which are utilized to secure blankets, sheets, and other bed clothing over 
a bed. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Bedding fastening devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose 
of securing blankets, sheets, and the like to beds are known to consist 
basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations. In 
this regard, each embodiment of bedding attachment device according the 
present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and 
designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides apparatuses primarily 
developed for holding bedding securely in position on any type of bed. 
To more clearly understand the advantages of the present invention, a 
description of the most relevant prior art is provided. For example, U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,646,375, which issued to Parker on Mar. 3, 1987, discloses a 
typical known bed sheet fastener wherein first and second complementary 
pieces of adhesive material are arranged at each of the corners of sheets 
and at areas of a bed frame over which the mattress corners are 
positioned. In this respect, singular pieces of hook and loop fastening 
material are respectively provided on the bed sheets and frame, and are 
interconnected in an apparent manner to secure the bedding in place. While 
being functional for their intended purpose, the Parker fasteners provide 
only a singular tension point and cannot be adjustably tensioned without 
disconnecting the fastening materials. 
Another conventional type of bed sheet fasteners which utilize hook and 
loop fastening materials is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,323 which 
issued to Colburn on Dec. 18, 1984. As with the Parker device, the Colburn 
fasteners utilize singular points of attachment and cannot be readily 
adjusted in tension without a disconnection thereof. The same type of hook 
and loop fasteners are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,040,133 which issued 
to Gilreath on Aug. 9, 1977; 3,066,323 which issued to Kintner on Dec. 4, 
1962; and 4,015,299 which issued to Tinnel on Apr. 5, 1977. These patents 
also disclose fastening devices which possess the disadvantage of not 
being adjustably tensioned without a disconnection of the associated hook 
and loop fasteners. Further, all of the above-discussed bedding attachment 
devices provide for a stretched tensioning of an associated bed sheet in a 
single direction which can cause wrinkling of the bed, clothes, as well as 
user discomfort. 
Therefore, it can be appreciated there is a continuing need for new and 
improved bedding fastener devices which can be adjustably tensioned 
without the requirement of disconnecting the associated hook and loop 
fasteners, while also providing adjustable tensioning in multiple 
directions so as to maximize user comfort. In this respect, the present 
invention substantially fulfills this need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
bedding fastening devices now present in the prior art, the present 
invention provides for improved bedding fastening devices wherein the same 
can be adjustably tensioned in multiple directions without the necessity 
of having to lift a mattress within the bedframe structure. As such, the 
general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide new and improved bedding 
fastening devices which have all the advantages of the prior art bedding 
fastening devices and none of the disadvantages. 
To attain this, the present invention discloses two separate embodiments of 
bedding fastening devices which can be utilized to accomplish the desired 
multi-direction tensioning of bedding materials. A first embodiment of a 
bedding attachment device includes a strip of hook fastening material 
which is attachable to a bed frame and a further strip of loop fastening 
material which is selectively attachable to the bedding. Garter-like 
fastening straps are fixedly secured to the loop strip, and these straps 
are attached to the bedding at selected spaced-apart positions. The 
bedding may then be stretched over the mattress until the hook and loop 
fastening strips are engaged. A second embodiment makes use of the hook 
and loop fastening straps; however, the garter-like straps are replaced by 
a rigid plastic clamp which may be snap fitted over the bedding. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, 
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter 
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In 
this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out it various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those 
skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this 
disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing 
of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several 
purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the 
claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as 
they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide new and 
improved bedding fastening devices which have all the advantages of the 
prior art bedding fastening devices and none of the disadvantages. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
bedding fastening device which may be easily and efficiently manufactured 
and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved bedding fastening device which are of a durable and reliable 
construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved bedding fastening device which are susceptible of a low cost of 
manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly 
are then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, 
thereby making such bedding fastening devices economically available to 
the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved bedding fastening device which provide in the apparatuses and 
methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while 
simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated 
therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide new and 
improved bedding fastening device which allow for multi-directional 
tensioning of associated bedding. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved 
bedding fastening devices which permit adjustable tensioning of bedding 
without the necessity of lifting a mattress within a bed frame to 
accomplish such adjustable tensioning. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 
4 thereof, a first embodiment of a new and improved bedding fastening 
device embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention will 
be described. 
More specifically, the first embodiment of the invention includes a strip 
12 of hook material of the type commonly referred to as VELCRO.RTM.. The 
flexible hook material 12 may have a rigid through-extending grommet 14 
which facilitates an attachment of the strip to a conventional bed frame. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a second part of the first embodiment of 
the invention includes a further flexible material strip 16 with such 
strip being formed of a loop material so as to be selectively attachable 
to the aforementioned hook material 12. The strip 16 further includes a 
plurality of garter-like connectors 18, 20, 22 which are sewn or otherwise 
attached to the strip 16. The connectors 18, 20, 22 extend radially 
outward from the material strip 16 and are selectively attachable to 
bedding in a now apparent manner. 
In use, it can be seen that once the connectors 18, 20, 22 are attached in 
three different positions on a corner of some bedding, the bedding may be 
stretched into position with the loop material forming the strip 12. As 
aforementioned, the strip 12 is attached by some conventional means to a 
bed frame. Once connected, adjustment rings 24, 26, 28 may be moved along 
the respective connectors 18, 20, 22 so as to adjust the tensioning of the 
bedding relative to the bed frame. Through the use of the adjustable 
garter-like connectors 18, 20, 22, a user need not lift a mattress 
upwardly out of the bed frame in order to adjust the tension on the 
bedding. More particularly, without the adjustable garter-like connectors 
18, 20, 22, it would be necessary to lift the mattress to adjust the 
connection between the hook and loop fasteners 12, 16. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified embodiment of the invention generally 
designated by the reference numeral 30. The embodiment 30 also utilizes a 
flexible strip 32 of loop fastening material which is engagable with the 
aforediscussed hook fastening material strip 12. In this embodiment 30 of 
the invention however, the garter-like connectors have been replaced with 
a first semi-circular rigid plastic ring 34 having a curved groove 36 
formed along a top surface thereof. The semi-circular ring 34 is connected 
to the flexible strip material 32 by a pair of further flexible strips 38, 
40. The connecting strips 38, 40 can be formed of any flexible material, 
to include flexible plastic so as to allow the entire construction of the 
second embodiment 30 of the invention to be formed in a thermoplastic 
molding process. 
With further reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, it will be noted 
that the semi-circular ring member 34 is hingedly connected to a further 
semi-circular ring 42 by means of a flexible plastic hinge member 44 
integrally or otherwise attached therebetween. The semi-circular member 42 
overlies the ring member 34 and has a downwardly extending ridge curved 46 
which conformingly fits within the groove 36. A through-extending aperture 
48 provided in the member 34 is designed to receive a flared connector 50 
integrally attached to and extending downwardly from the semi-circular 
ring member 42. When the connector 50 is snap-fitted into the aperture 48, 
the ring members 34, 42 are in abutting engagement and the ridge 46 is 
retained within the groove 36. 
With respect to the manner of usage of this second embodiment 30 of the 
invention, it can be seen that bedding may be positioned between the 
semi-circular ring members 34, 42 in a now apparent manner, and the 
connector 50 can then be forced into the aperture 48 to effect a secure 
engagement of the invention to the bedding. More specifically, the ridge 
member 46 will grippingly position the bedding within the groove 34 so as 
to effect a secure attachment of the invention thereto. Once the bedding 
has been attached between the ring members 34, 42, the loop material 32 
can be selectively attached to the hook material 12 in the manner of the 
first embodiment of the invention. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.