Abstract:
A wall mounted headboard is formed of a plurality of individual headboard cushion modules each sized so as to enable it to be used to form with suitable standard mattresses. Preferably each module is 21 inches by 21 inches, and this invention provides that velcro is used to attach the modules to a wall and that the velcro comprises no more than 25% and preferably less than 15% of the module.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Domestic priority is claimed from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/363,383 filed Jul. 12, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to an easy to install portable modular custom cushion/headboard. 
         [0003]    The invention allows for easy, quick and simple attachment of cushions to a suitable flat vertical or horizontal surface (receiving surface). The cushions are also referred to as headboard cushion modules. The individual cushions have attachment means on the rear, such as velcro, which are attached to corresponding velcro or attachment strips on the receiving surface. When used in this manner, they can serve as a headboard by attaching a plurality of modular cushions to the wall above a mattress. Additionally, the cushions covers may be able removable for suitable cleaning or for changing cushion covers. 
         [0004]    While the primary use for the portable attachable modular cushions of this invention is as headboards or banquettes in which the receiving surfaces are vertical, the cushions may also be used on horizontal surfaces such as a floor to create a protected play and/or rest area for children. Additionally, the portable attachable cushions may be used outdoors and attached to suitable receiving surfaces. 
         [0005]    The concept of attaching a wall mounted headboard to a wall has been previously described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,179 to Wilson. That patent discloses a single pillow as a backboard or headboard with the bottom portion substantially larger than the top portion. A rear panel attached to a velcro strip on the wall attaches the headboard to the wall. That patent has the entirety of the rear surface covered with velcro or most of it. The Wilson reference is deficient in that by attaching the velcro to the entirety of the rear surface of the headboard, accidental snagging or difficulty in placing and removing the headboard from the wall will be encountered. The velcro hooks easily attach and snag, and it would be desirable to minimize the use of velcro on the rear. Wilson has a single strip located on the wall to attach to the rear panel of the cushion. There is no other attaching member on the rear of the cushion. A single attaching structure whether of a large panel or as covering the entire rear surface has obvious limitations. Wilson further shows a single unit wall mounted cushion. 
         [0006]    There is also prior art showing attaching headrests to windows or car seats using velcro for such attachment, but these are not suitable for creating modular wall mounted headboards. 
         [0007]    The patent to Cohen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,349, teaches a metal frame knock down headboard in which portions of the headboard are assembled using velcro connectors. Cohen does not teach modular units to be wall mounted to form a headboard. Cohen does teach the ability to create such headboards for beds for full size, queen and king size by having larger outer segments and a smaller middle segment chosen to provide a width of the headboard to match the size of the mattress. 
         [0008]    An object of this invention is to provide an improved, easy to attach modular structure wall mounted headboard formed of a plurality of modular cushions. 
         [0009]    Another object of this invention is to provide such a structure in which all of the modular units are of substantially the same size, each of which is easily separably connected to a wall to form the decorative headboard. 
         [0010]    Another object of this invention is to provide such a wall mounted headboard in which minimal velcro is required but is uniformly distributed over the rear to ensure a uniform and smooth attachment to the wall surface. 
         [0011]    Still another object of this invention is to provide such a velcro structure in which less than 25% or preferably less than 15% of the rear surface has velcro members so that accidental snagging or difficulty in attachment or removal is avoided. 
         [0012]    Yet another object of this invention is to provide such a modular assembly in which individual module units are combined together both horizontally and/or vertically to present a uniform appearance yet be of appropriate size so that a headboard for any size mattress may be provided. 
         [0013]    Other advantages, features and benefits of this invention will become more apparent from the following description. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    In accordance with the principles of this invention, an easily attachable wall mounted headboard is provided comprising a plurality of substantially equally sized modules having velcro covering only a limited portion of the rear of the cushion, preferably symmetrically about a center line of the cushion so as to provide substantially uniform attachment of the cushion to the wall allowing for additional cushions to be so attached horizontally and/or vertically to form the headboard of a suitable size for any size mattress. 
         [0015]    The covers for the cushions may be removed to be cleaned, and the velcro strips are attached to the rear of the cushion by sewing or some other permanent attachment so as to ensure that the velcro members are permanently attached to the cushions during cleaning and laundering. Thereafter the modular covers are placed on the inner cushion so as to then again assemble the wall mounted headboard from the individual module units. 
         [0016]    Preferably the velcro members on the cushion are small patches uniformly spaced in the four corners, or the velcro members could be thin strips on top and bottom or on either side of the rear of the cushion. 
         [0017]    The velcro elements will cover no more than 25% of the rear surface and preferably less than 15%. 
         [0018]    By specifically forming a uniform module cushion structure in which each of the modules is of substantially the same size, and each of the modules is attached to the wall in substantially the same manner, a uniform headboard is easily assembled. The number of individual modules can be chosen to accommodate any conventional mattress. Preferably, the cushions are 21 inches by 21 inches and may be assembled edge to edge to form the wall mounted headboard structure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a front plan perspective view of one cushion module this invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a rear plan perspective view of the module with one velcro arrangement. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of velcro patches attached to the rear of the cushion module. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the cushion of  FIG. 1  showing a zipper at the bottom enabling the cushion cover to be removed. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a front plan view of a plurality of modules assembled on a wall to form a headboard, and 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a partial side plan view showing one module attached to the wall. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  shows cushion  10  preferably 21 inches by 21 inches of a square shape having straight sides  11 . The thickness of the cushion is much smaller than its width or height. Preferably, the cushion may be three inches thick. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of cushion  10  showing a zipper  12  on the bottom surface enabling the headboard cushion cover to be removed from the cushion within. The cushion cover is flexible and may be removed for cleaning, but the velcro strips or elements attached to the rear are permanently connected thereto to ensure that the slipcover may be removed, cleaned and put back on the cushion with the same orientation and location of the velcro elements so as to enable re-attachment of the modules to the wall. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of one embodiment of this invention showing a first set of velcro elements, namely parallel velcro strips  14  and  16  arrayed across the top and bottom, respectfully, of the rear surface  18  of the module. Velcro strips  14  and  16  are permanently attached to rear surface  18  by sewing or other suitable means. The strips  14  and  16  are uniformly symmetrically placed on the rear surface, although such exact symmetry is not required. Additionally, velcro strips  14  and  16  could be placed vertically rather than horizontally on either side of the rear surface  18  to effect securement of the cushion  10  to a wall. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is an alternative embodiment of velcro members on the rear surface of the module with small square velcro members  20  arrayed at the four corners of the rear surface  18 . Randomly spaced velcro members anywhere on the rear surface may be sufficient for attaching the cushion module  10  to the wall. The inner cushion chosen for the module will have a certain weight, and the number of velcro strips or members required on the rear surface to securely hold the module to the wall can be determined. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the velcro members are located spaced across the rear surface  18  and cover a very small portion of the rear surface thereby enabling the module to be easily attached to the wall surface without inadvertent snagging or catching. Since velcro members are easily snagged during normal handling, this invention minimizes the size of the velcro members with respect to the rear surface  18  to ensure minimum interference in normal attaching and detaching of the modules from the respective velcro members on the wall. By spacing the velcro members at the top and bottom of rear surface  18 , a secure attachment to the wall is ensured. 
         [0030]    In use, each velcro member in  FIGS. 2 and 3  has a corresponding attachable velcro member attached to the vertical wall to which the headboard is assembled. Such velcro members attached to the wall define the location of the modules attached thereto, and once such velcro members are attached to the wall, paper strips which cover the velcro connecting members are removed enabling the velcro members to be connected together to be attached to the wall to assemble the headboard. 
         [0031]    While  FIGS. 3 and 4  show a uniform attachment of velcro members to the rear surface, it is possible that the velcro small members such as  20  could be randomly attached to the rear surface. One problem with such random attachment is the difficulty in aligning the modules properly when reattaching the modules to the wall. But if one is careful, a minimal number of velcro members  20  could be attached to the rear surface in a random way so as to secure the module to the wall to form the headboard. Elements  20  are approximately, preferably, three inches square. 
         [0032]    As may be readily understood, using identically sized modules enable an extremely neat and attractive visual appearance to be achieved, and the interchangeability of one module with another enables long term use of such headboard assembly because if individual modules, themselves, can no longer be used, individual modules may be replaced but the entire headboard assembly remains intact. 
         [0033]    The design on the individual modules, preferably, is such that all modules have the same design. Piping may be employed around the edges, or any other suitable decorative element emphasizing the modular and uniform nature of each of the individual modules forming this invention. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  is a front plan view showing a plurality of cushion modules  10  attached side by side to form a two by three set of cushion modules having a width of 63 inches which is suitable for a queen size bed.  FIG. 6  is a sectional view showing a single illustrative cushion attached to the wall. The modules  10  are attached by velcro strips  14  and  16  which are connected to velcro strips  36  and  38 , respectively to wall  22  to create a headboard of a plurality of cushion modules  10 . 
         [0035]    In practice, when attaching the headboard cushion modules  10  to wall  22 , one method is to have the first and second sets of velcro elements  14  and  16  and  36  and  38 , respectively, attached to each other through respective mesh and hook connections. There is a covering strip (not shown) on the outer sticky surfaces of velcro elements  36  and  38  which is removed to permit the headboard cushion modules to be attached to the wall. Thereafter, any headboard cushion module can be removed from the wall by disengaging the meshed velcro elements  14  from  36  and  16  from  38 . 
         [0036]    It is also understood that the cushion for the modules can be of any thickness or of no thickness. The purpose of the cushion is solely to provide some protection for the person in the bed who leans back on the cushion. This invention may also employ such modular cushion elements with no cushioning other than the covering fabric. 
         [0037]    The size of 21″ for the width of the cushion enables it to be suitable for twin, standard, queen and king size mattresses. 
         [0038]    It should be understood that the preferred embodiment was described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly legally and equitably entitled.