Patent Publication Number: US-6983500-B2

Title: Fitted sheets with elastic side segments

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/231,050, filed Aug. 30, 2002 (now abandoned), the priority of which is hereby claimed. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bedding, and in particular to fitted bedclothes for a mattress. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     Fitted bedclothes for mattresses, e.g., fitted sheets, mattress pads, blankets, anti-allergy covers and coverlets (hereinafter referred to as fitted bedclothing items, or in the singular as a fitted bedclothing item) are of course well known and conventionally provide a top portion which is sized to cover the top surface of the mattress, and side and end portions which cover the sides and ends of the mattress, the lower edges of the side and end portions usually including an elastic to cause the lower areas of the side and end portions to extend inwardly under the lower surface of the mattress to help tighten the fitted bedclothing item around the mattress and securely position it in place. The corners of the fitted bedclothing items, which are formed by connecting the side and end portions by stitching to form upwardly-extending seams, fit tightly against the corners of the mattress. In addition, it is known to connect elastic strips between the lower edges of respective adjacent side and end portions of a fitted sheet to better retain the sheet on the mattress (see my U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,403). 
     However, such prior art fitted bedclothing items are specifically sized to fit mattresses having certain horizontal dimensions (lengths and widths) and certain thicknesses, and cannot fit mattresses having differing horizontal dimensions and/or different thicknesses. This forces retailers and wholesalers of the bedclothing items to stock a large inventory sufficient to fit the different horizontal dimensions and vertical thicknesses of mattresses currently available, which in the U.S. market include twin, twin XL, full, full XL, queen, California queen, Olympic queen, Eastern king and California king, all of which can be purchased in vertical thicknesses from 4 to over 20 inches when taking into consideration pillow-top upper surfaces. It also forces purchasers to buy specifically-sized fitted bedclothing items for each size of mattress in their household or establishment. In addition, the sewn vertical corners of the fitted bedclothing items create undesirable ears or pockets (bulges) at the upper ends of the seams which extend upwardly of the upper surface of the bedclothing item when placed on a mattress. 
     A need exists for fitted bedclothing items which can be satisfactorily used with mattresses of at least two differing horizontal sizes and/or vertical thicknesses, thus reducing the number of sizes of fitted bedclothing items that the wholesaler and retailer must stock and the number of different sizes of bedclothing items that the purchaser needs to buy. A need also exists for fitted bedclothing items which, when mounted on a mattress, will have no seam ears or pockets at its corners. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to this invention, a fitted bedclothing item, such as a sheet, mattress pad, anti-allergy cover, blanket or coverlet which can be made of commonly used fabric materials, such as cotton, linen, flannel, satin, sateen, etc., includes a top portion, opposite side portions and opposite end portions, and elastic segments connected between adjacent edges of respective side and end portions, such elastic segments providing the flexibility to enable the bedclothing item to satisfactorily fit around and under mattresses of at least two differing horizontal sizes and/or vertical thicknesses. Such elastic segments will not create ears or pockets as with prior art bedclothing items. Each of the elastic segments is made of an elastic material containing elastic filaments that are preferably woven or knitted, such as SPANDEX® fabric. 
     A better understanding of the invention will be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the following discussion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a fitted bedclothing item in the form of a sheet according to a preferred embodiment of the invention when mounted on a mattress of a first horizontal size and thickness, 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the fitted sheet and mattress of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the fitted sheet of  FIG. 1  when mounted on a mattress of a second, larger horizontal size and thickness, 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the fitted sheet and mattress of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the fitted sheet and mattress of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of a corner of the fitted sheet and mattress of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 7  is a view of the fitted sheet in  FIG. 6  as seen along line  7 — 7 , and 
         FIG. 8  is a view of an elastic segment used in a corner of the fitted sheet of FIG.  1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A fitted sheet  10  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-7 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2  the sheet  10  is shown mounted on a mattress  80  having a first horizontal size and thickness, and in  FIGS. 3 and 4  it is shown mounted on a mattress  81  having a second horizontal size and thickness. More specifically, the mattress  80  is a full size having a thickness of 12 inches and mattress  81  is a queen XL (extra long) size having a thickness of 16 inches. The sheet  10 , which is made of a conventional fabric material, provides a top portion  11 , opposite side portions  12  and  13 , and opposite end portions  14  and  15 . An elastic binding  20  is attached to the lower edges of the side and end portions in a conventional manner to secure the sheet on the mattress, and elastic strips  25 - 28  are connected to the lower edges of adjacent side and end portions so as to help retain the sheet on the mattress. 
     The side and end portions of the sheet  10  are not straight edged and sewn together to form fixed upwardly-extending seams as in prior art fitted sheets, but instead define curved edges, and respective elastic segments  30 ,  31 ,  32  and  33  are connected therebetween and to the elastic band  20 . These elastic segments, which can be connected to the adjacent side edges of the side and end portions of the sheet  10  by stitching  50  (see FIG.  7 ), provide such flexibility along the sides of the sheet that the sheet can be easily stretched to fit a wider, longer and thicker mattress, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . For example, a sheet of the invention which fits a standard twin size mattress of a first thickness also fits a twin size XL of a second thickness, a sheet which fits a full size mattress of a first thickness also fits a queen size mattress of a second thickness, a sheet sized which fits a California queen mattress of a first thickness also fits an Olympic queen of a second thickness, a sheet which fits an Eastern king of a first thickness also fits a California king mattress of a second thickness, etc. As such, a retailer can stock far fewer sizes of fitted sheets and still accommodate all the mattress sizes on the market. 
     When the sheet  10  of the invention is fitted on a mattress for which it is designed, elastic band  20  will cause the tops of the segments  30 ,  31 ,  32  and  33  to be located below the upper corners of the mattress (see FIG.  6 ). As such, the sheet  10  can be termed cornerless, and no ears or pockets of sheet material will be created. It should be noted that the elastic segments  30 ,  31 ,  32  and  33  in fact need not be located relative to the sides and ends of the sheet so as to be exactly centered at the corners of the mattress on which the sheet is fitted but can be somewhat off centered relative thereto. This is advantageous because the lack of criticality in the location of these segments lowers the cost of production insofar as it reduces the number of products which must be considered irregular, miscut or poor fitting. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the unstretched elastic segments are shaped to have a generally straight lower edge  30   a  (the edge attached to the elastic band  20 ) and a curved upper edge  30   b , which extends from one end of the lower edge to an opposite end, generally conforms to the curve at an end of an ellipse. The opposite sides of the curved upper edge are connected to the respective side and end portions of the sheet  10 . The lower edge can, for example, be 28 inches long, and the maximum height of the upper edge thereabove can be, say, 24 inches. 
     Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has now been shown and described, modifications therein can be made and still fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the invention can be applied to fitted mattress pads of the type wherein the pad extends along the sides and ends of the mattress, fitted blankets, fitted anti-allergy covers and fitted coverlets such as comforters. And the elastic segments can have shapes other than as shown in  FIG. 8 , e.g., the upper edges  30   b  can be circular or crescent-shaped or some other curved configuration; indeed, the segments can be square or rectangular or any other shape which will provide the desired stetching ability. Furthermore, the bedclothing item need not include an elastic binding that extends along the entirety of the lower edges of the side and end portions, but can include separate elastic bindings in only the areas where the elastic segments are located. Also the elastic strips  25 - 28  are not essential but are optional for fitting purposes.