Abstract:
A fitted wrap device ( 10 ) is provided for covering sides ( 106  and  108 ) and ends ( 10  and  112 ) of the base unit ( 102 ) of an ensemble bed ( 100 ). The device is formed of a panel ( 12 ) of fabric with joined or adjustable joined ends ( 22  and  24 ). The panel provides an opening ( 17 ) for slipping over a mattress ( 104 ) on the base unit. A retaining arrangement ( 30 ) retains the device about the base unit.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     THIS INVENTION relates generally to a wrap device for a bed ensemble.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Bed ensembles have a base unit with a top surface and a bottom surface, and a compatible mattress resting on the top surface. Some bed ensembles have a set of legs arranged to support the base unit above the floor level, while others are arranged with the bottom surface of the base unit on the floor.  
         [0003]     While the mattress is usually covered with a bed sheet, the base unit is either uncovered or covered by a dust ruffle. The ruffle has a panel configured to cover the top surface and a skirt surrounding the sides and at least one end of the base unit, and generally extending from said panel to about the floor level. To fit the ruffle on the base unit, the mattress must be moved from the base unit so that the panel of the ruffle can be positioned on the top surface of the base unit. The mattress must then be lifted and carefully positioned on the panel.  
         [0004]     Positioning the mattress on the panel invariably causes the ruffle to move and the ruffle would need to be repositioned a number of times before it is in position for its panel to cover the whole top surface of the base unit.  
         [0005]     The mattress is relatively heavy for a single person to lift it and is of a shape and size that it is difficult for a single person to carry the mattress in an appropriate posture for carrying heavy articles. Accordingly, many people sustain injury in attempting to move mattresses from the base units of bed ensembles.  
         [0006]     The covers for the base units of ensemble beds currently available in the market place have dust ruffles that extend to the floor. The problems with these ruffles are various:  
         [0007]     1. When making a bed and tucking in the top sheet and/or blanket, the dust ruffle invariably gets caught up in the sheet/blanket and tucked under the top mattress. To avoid this, it is necessary to try to lift the top mattress prior to tucking in the sheet/blanket or holding the dust cover down whilst trying to tuck the sheet/blanket under the mattress. These tasks are difficult and cause frustration when making a bed.  
         [0008]     2. Dust ruffles known to the inventor generally have an attached panel arranged to extend over the top surface of the base unit and fit in between the mattress and the base unit. It is necessary to remove the mattress in order fit or remove the dust ruffles. This creates obvious problems not only for the elderly but also for any person of average strength. In addition to the difficulty of removing the mattress, when replacing the mattress, if it is not lowered carefully into place the dust cover has a tendency to slip out of place. Two or more people are required to move the mattress to minimise the tendency of the dust cover slipping out of place.  
         [0009]     3. When an ensemble bed with a base unit supported by wheeled support legs is moved, the wheels invariably get caught in the dust ruffle causing soiling and in some cases, tearing of the fabric.  
         [0010]     4. The aesthetic look of the dust ruffles currently in the market are loose or gathered and falling to the floor. In particular, they are not suitable for contemporary homes, boy&#39;s rooms and casual homes such as beach houses. In some cases, the bed is so structured that the legs are exposed when the known dust ruffles are fitted.  
         [0011]     5. Generally, dust ruffles available on the market place are designed to exactly fit the size of the base unit. This does not allow for any flexibility in relation to fitting more than one bed size in the household, hotel or hospital and the like. A dust ruffle which is too big for a bed tends to drape on the floor where it gets dirty and is trodden on; whereas one which is too small will not reach the floor thereby defeating its purpose as a dust ruffle. In both cases the overall look is unsatisfactory.  
         [0012]     6. The dust ruffles known to the inventor trap and hold dust due to the fullness of fabric and length from the base unit. This escalates breathing difficulties suffered by people with allergies to dust or certain illness such as asthmatics. In addition, as the known bed ruffles can not be easily removed from the bed for laundering, people tend to leave them in situ for a considerable long time between laundering. Accordingly, the breathing difficulties become increasingly more serious due to increasing amount of dust trapped by the dust ruffles. There needs to be free flow of air under the bed and easy access under the bed so that cleaning or vacuuming is done regularly. In addition, the bed needs to be moved easily without the wheels caught in the bed ruffle.  
         [0013]     7. As the known dust ruffles require a lot of fabric, the costs of manufacturing are relatively high. As a result, the retail cost of the product is high.  
       OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
       [0014]     An object of the present invention is to alleviate or to reduce to a certain level one or more of the above prior art disadvantages.  
       OUTLINE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
       [0015]     In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in a wrap device for a bed ensemble having a base unit with a top surface, a bottom surface, opposed sides and opposed ends, and a compatible mattress configured to rest on the top surface, the device comprising a wrap member configured to form an opening for the wrap member to slip over the mattress and to be positioned to wrap about the opposed sides and at least one of said opposed ends, the wrap member having an upper edge or flange and a lower edge or flange, and retaining arrangement arranged to retain one or both of said upper edge or flange and lower edge or flange in engagement with the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the base unit to thereby retaining the wrap member about the base unit.  
         [0016]     In preference, the retaining arrangement includes a first retaining member provided at said upper edge or flange. More preferably, the retaining arrangement further includes a second retaining member provided at said lower edge or flange. The or each said retaining member may have an elastic element fixed to said upper or lower edge/flange, or a fastening element or elements fixed to the top or bottom surface and a compatible removable fastening element or elements fixed to the upper or lower edge/flange of the wrap member.  
         [0017]     Where an elasticised edge/flange or edges/flanges are deemed unsuitable, for example in the case of commercial laundering where the elastic element(s) may not be able to withstand the very high temperatures used in laundering, the elasticised edges/flanges may be replaced with an alternative retaining member(s). This may be by way of snap fasteners or ties along spaced points along one or each of the upper and/or lower edges/flanges, or by a draw string along one or each of the upper and/or lower edges/flanges to allow the device to fit firmly to the base unit.  
         [0018]     The lower edge may extend towards the floor. Alternatively, an extension member may be formed along or attached to the lower edge/flange.  
         [0019]     The wrap member may be formed of connected or removably connected sections that are dimensioned to wrap respective sides and at least one end of the base unit.  
         [0020]     The wrap device may have one or more pockets fixed to the wrap member. The pocket(s) is(are) preferably configured to hold items including any one or more of books, toys, a remote control for a television set, a torch, slippers, reading glasses and other personal items.  
         [0021]     One of said opposed ends is arranged as a head end. Adjustment means may be provided said head end for selectively tightening or loosening the wrap member about the base unit. The adjustment means may include one or more ties, or one or more paired Velcro strips. Accordingly, the adjustment means can be used to increase firmness of fit of the wrap device.  
         [0022]     The device having its lower edge extending towards the floor or including the extension member may have its second retaining member(s) arranged for fixing to the legs of the base unit. Preferably, said second retaining member(s) are provided on the inside surface of the extension member. The second retaining member(s) may be in the form of tie(s).  
         [0023]     The wrap member may be padded or quilted or enhanced in some way as to render the device more attractive to the consumer or may be manufactured in a fabric which coordinates with the bed linen, in particular the doona cover or bed spread being difficult to tuck in and becoming untucked.  
         [0024]     The wrap member may be fabricated from a fabric of natural or synthetic fibre.  
         [0025]     The wrap member may be arranged to have a certain flexibility in fit so that it is suitable for use with the base units of ensemble beds of various sizes. The base units may have different depths, or widths or lengths. The wrap member may have a width allowing it to fit over and under the base unit with a varying amount of fabric allowance depending on the depth, width and length of the base unit. The elasticised upper and/or lower edges/flanges retains the wrap device fitted on the base unit of the bed ensembles of various sizes.  
         [0026]     In the case of asthmatics and those with dust allergies, the wrap device being fitted to the base and not hanging to the ground, allows easy access under the bed and thereby results in ease of cleaning such as vacuuming or sweeping. In addition, the bed can be moved easily without the wheels getting caught in the wrap device. Furthermore, the wrap device being tightly fitted and not hanging to the floor, does not collect dust easily as it is with the prior art dust ruffles. If there is a need to remove the wrap device from the base unit for laundering, it can be removed with ease. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0027]     In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the present invention and wherein:  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a wrap device according to the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the wrap device shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing showing the wrap device shown in  FIG. 1  in a position to be fitted to a bed ensemble;  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing showing the wrap device shown in  FIG. 1  being slipped over the mattress of the bed ensemble;  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing showing the wrap device shown in  FIG. 1  fitted to the base unit of the bed ensemble and retained thereat;  
         [0033]      FIG. 6  shows the wrap device shown in  FIG. 5  with the mattress of the bed ensemble removed;  
         [0034]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the wrap device according to the present invention, with the device fitted to the base unit of a bed ensemble;  
         [0035]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the wrap device according to the present invention, with the device fitted to the base unit of a bed ensemble;  
         [0036]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the wrap device according to the present invention, with the device fitted to the base unit of a bed ensemble; and  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the wrap device according to the present invention, with the device fitted to the base unit of a bed ensemble. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0038]     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a first embodiment of a wrap device  10  according to the present invention. The wrap device  10  has a wrap member which in this case is a panel of fabric  12 . The wrap panel  12  has an upper edge flange  14  and a lower edge flange  16 . The device  10  has a retaining arrangement  30 . In this embodiment, the retaining arrangement  30  has an elastic band  18  fixed to the upper edge flangel 4  and another elastic band  20  fixed to the lower edge flange  16 . When unfolded as shown, the panel  12  defines a through opening  17 .  
         [0039]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the wrap device  10  is to be fitted to a bed ensemble  100  having a base unit  102  and a mattress  104 . The base unit  102  has opposed sides  106  and  108 , a head end  110 , and a foot end  112 . The base unit  102  also has a top surface  114  and a bottom surface  116  spanning its sides and the ends. A set of support legs  118  arranged to support the base unit  102  above the floor level. Each support leg  118  has a castor wheel or roller  119  to enable the bed ensemble  100  to be easily moved along the floor surface.  
         [0040]     The panel  12  is configured to wrap around the sides and the ends of the base unit  102 . The retaining arrangement  30  is for retaining the wrap panel  12  about the base unit  102 . In use, the wrap device  10  is unfolded to reveal the opening  17  which is configured so that the wrap device  10  can be slipped over the mattress  104  on the base unit  102 .  
         [0041]     To fit the wrap device  10  onto the base unit  102 , the device  10  is simply positioned so that the mattress  104  is in the opening  17 . The wrap panel  12  is then slipped over the mattress  104  as shown in  FIG. 4  and then manoeuvred to move in a downward direction until the panel  12  is around the sides and ends of the base unit  102 , and the elastic bands  18  and  20  of the retaining arrangement  30  engage respective top surface  114  and bottom surface  116  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Thereby, the wrap device  10  is retained about the base unit  102 . In  FIG. 6 , the mattress  104  is removed in order to reveal the elastic band  18  at the upper edge flange  14  of the wrap panel  12 . As shown, the elastic band  18  is extended and in engagement with the top surface  114  of the base unit  102 . The elastic band  20  at the lower edge  16  is also extended and in engagement with the bottom surface  116  of the base unit  102 . The wrap device  10  thus fits snugly on the base unit  102  and covers the opposed ends and the opposed sides of the base unit  102 .  
         [0042]     The embodiment of the wrap device  10  shown in  FIG. 7  has a wrap panel  12  with end edges  22  and  24  which can be spaced from each other or overlapping depending on the size of the bed ensemble  100 . Adjustment means  26  are provided at the end edges  22  and  24  for adjusting tension of the bed wrap device  10  to ensure a snug fit on the base unit  102 . The adjustment means may be in the form of ties or Velcro strips.  FIG. 7  shows two sets of Velcro strips  27  and  28  employed as the adjustment means  26 .  
         [0043]     Thus, the wrap device  10  can be fitted to the base unit  102  with the mattress  104  in situ on the base unit  102 . This device  10  fits snugly to the sides and the ends of the base unit  102  and thus avoids the disadvantages associated with known dust ruffles.  
         [0044]     The embodiment of the wrap device  10  shown in  FIG. 8  has a retaining arrangement  30  in the form of ties  32  at respective corners of the upper edge flange  14 . The lower edge flange  16  may hang to the floor or be fixed under the base unit  102  with one or other of the various fixing devices. Pockets  21  (one only shown) for holding items such as a remote controller, books, and reading glasses are formed on the panel  12 .  
         [0045]     In  FIG. 9 , the retaining arrangement  30  includes snap fasteners  34  at respective corners of the upper edge flange  14 . The retaining arrangement  30  of the embodiment of the wrap device  10  shown in  FIG. 10  has a draw string  36  threaded through a casing  38  formed at the upper edge flange  14 . The draw string  36  is tied at one or more points  40  to retain the wrap device  10  on the base unit  102 .  
         [0046]     Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative examples of the present invention, many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth in the following claims.