Patent Publication Number: US-2013239328-A1

Title: Slip-resistant fitted sheet

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application for patent claims the benefit of priority to, and incorporates herein by reference, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/611,451, entitled “Slip-Resistant Fitted Sheet,” filed Mar. 15, 2012, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field of Invention 
     The embodiments disclosed and taught herein relate generally to a contoured fitted sheet and specifically to a slip-resistant contoured fitted sheet. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Fitted bed sheets, also called contoured fitted sheets, are sheets with sides or skirt portions that closely hug the sides of the mattress to keep the sheets from slipping off the mattress. Existing fitted sheets are typically made from a single piece of fabric with elastic bands sewn into the corner edges of the skirt portions. The elastic bands cinch underneath the mattress to help retain the sheets on the mattress. In some instances, the elastic bands may also be sewn along the entire edge of the skirt portion. 
     Many bed sheet manufacturers make the sides or skirt portions of these fitted sheets to be oversized/overlong so they can be used with several different mattress depths or thicknesses. As a result, the skirt portions of the sheets do not cling well to the sides of the mattress in many cases and tend to shift and slide around on the mattress. This can cause the sheets to bunch up in certain places, reducing the comfort level for the user and generally giving the appearance of untidiness. In addition, the elastic bands around the skirt portions can wear out over time with washing and use, making the shifting and sliding worse. 
     Accordingly, what is needed is a fitted bed sheet that hugs, clings to, and otherwise remains securely in place on a mattress without the aid of elastic or other stretchable materials sewn into the edges of the skirt portions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosed embodiments provide a fitted bed sheet that overcomes the problems with existing fitted sheet mentioned above as well as other problems. 
     In general, in one aspect, the disclosed embodiments are directed to a fitted sheet for a mattress. The fitted sheet comprises, among other things, a top portion cut substantially to the same dimensions as the top of the mattress for covering the top of the mattress, and an elastic-free skirt portion attached to the top portion that substantially matches the contour of the mattress, for covering the sides of the mattress. The attachment of the skirt portion to the top portion results in a seam around the edges of the top portion in some embodiments, and the skirt portion has a non-slip material on at least a portion of the interior surface of the skirt portion in some embodiments, to assist in gripping the mattress. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other aspects of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of an exemplary fitted bed sheet on a mattress in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein; and 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary fitted bed sheet on a mattress in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of an exemplary corner piece that may be used with the exemplary fitted bed sheet in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of other exemplary corner pieces that may be used with the exemplary fitted bed sheet in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS 
     The drawings described above and the written description of specific structures and functions below are presented for illustrative purposes and not to limit the scope of what has been invented or the scope of the appended claims. Nor are the drawings drawn to any particular scale or fabrication standards, or intended to serve as blueprints, manufacturing parts list, or the like. Rather, the drawings and written description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. 
     Persons of skill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actual, real commercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the inventions will require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer&#39;s ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related, government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a developer&#39;s efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, such efforts would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of skill in this art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Thus, the use of a singular term, such as, but not limited to,  104  and the like, is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Similarly, any relational terms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like, used in the written description are for clarity in specific reference to the drawings and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims. 
     As alluded to above, embodiments of the invention relate generally to a contoured fitted sheet that hugs, clings to, and otherwise remains securely in place on a mattress without the aid of elastic or other stretchable materials. The disclosed contoured fitted sheet is elastic-free and cut substantially to the exact size of the top of the mattress and substantially to the exact radius of the corners of the mattresses. Such a fitted construction leaves almost no room for the sheet to shift or move, either around or off, the mattress. As used herein, the term “substantially” means within 0 to 5 percent of the target measurement of the disclosed embodiments, depending on the fabric material used to construct the contoured fitted sheet. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate an example of a bed  100  having a mattress  100   a  and box springs  100   b.  An elastic-free contoured fitted sheet  102  in accordance with the disclosed embodiment is shown placed over the mattress  100   a.  As can be seen, in general, in one aspect, the elastic-free contoured fitted sheet  102  may be comprised of two portions: a first or top portion  104  cut substantially to the same dimensions as the top of the mattress  100   a,  for covering the top of the mattress  100   a;  and a second or skirt portion  106  attached to the top portion  104  that substantially fits to the contour of the mattress  100   a,  for covering the sides of the mattress  100   a.  In some embodiments the skirt portion  106  may have a width that is substantially equal to the thickness of the mattress  100   a.  In alternative embodiments, the skirt portion  106  may have a width that is greater than the thickness of the mattress  100   a,  resulting in an overhang that may be tucked underneath the mattress  100   a  as needed. Note also that the attachment of the skirt portion  106  to the top portion  104  naturally results in a seam around the edges of the top portion  104 , as indicated by the shaded border around the top portion  104 . 
     The use of separate top portion  104  and skirt portion  106  provides a marked advantage over existing contoured fitted sheets that are composed of a single piece of material. In particular, the top portion  104  and skirt portion  106  allow the elastic-free contoured fitted sheet  102  to be matched almost exactly with the dimensions of the mattress  100   a,  including corners that have substantially the same radius as the mattress  100   a.  This snug fit leaves the elastic-free contoured fitted sheet  102  with little room to move relative to the mattress  100   a , causing the sheet to hug the mattress  100   a  without the aid of elastic or other stretchable materials (i.e., elastic-free). 
     To keep the elastic-free contoured fitted sheet  102  further from moving or coming off the mattress  100   a,  in some embodiments, the skirt portion  106  may be provided with an additional non-slip and non-stick material  108  on the interior or back side thereof for gripping the mattress  100   a.  The additional material may be applied, adhered, or otherwise attached (e.g., sewn), for example, near the gusset area of the sheet and/or at other strategic locations on the interior surface of the skirt portion  106 . Such materials may include, for example, a rubber-backed material, a flannel material, and other high-friction materials (or a combination thereof) that have non-slip and non-stick properties for increasing the amount of friction between the sheet  102  and the mattress  100   a.    
     In some embodiments, rather than an additional layer of material, the non-slip and non-stick material  108  may be a coating of non-slip skid-resistant material  110  that may be applied to the interior surface of the skirt portion  106 . A close-up view of the non-slip skid-resistant material  110  is shown in  FIG. 2 . As can be seen, in some embodiments, the non-slip skid-resistant material  110  may be in the form of dots spaced apart at regular intervals that help hold the contoured fitted sheet  102  securely on the mattress  100   a.    
     In one embodiment, the spaced-apart dots of non-slip skid-resistant material  110  may be a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) material, such as Eco PVC, and the like. The process of applying such rubberized dots to a fabric sheet material is well known to those having ordinary skill in the art and is therefore omitted here for economy of the description. Such an arrangement allows the skirt portion  106  to be made from the same material as the top portion  104  without interposing a separate piece of material in between the skirt portion  106  and the side of the mattress  100   a.  Of course, other non-slip skid-resistant materials  110  besides the exemplary material disclosed herein may also be used without departing from the scope of the disclosed embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, it is also possible to use a rigid corner piece made of a plastic or other light but stiff material, for example, that is applied, adhered or otherwise affixed (e.g., inserted in a pocket) on the interior surface of the skirt portion  106  at or near the gusset areas, one of which is labeled as  112  in  FIG. 2 . 
     An enlarged view of a gusset area  112  looking down over the mattress  100   a  is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . As can be seen, in some embodiments, a corner piece  114  may be adhered or otherwise affixed on the interior surface of the skirt portion  106  at or near each gusset area  112 . The corner piece  114  may be a unitary piece forming a corner or bend having substantially the same radius as the corner or bend of the mattress  100   a  and extending either part of the depth or the entire depth of the skirt portion  106 . Once such a corner piece  114  is in place at one or more of the gusset areas  112 , the stiffness of the corner piece  114  helps keep the skirt portion  106  from sliding around the corners or bends of the mattress  100   a.    
     In other embodiments, instead of (or in addition to) a rounded or curved corner piece  114 , a flat corner piece  116  (i.e., no radius) may also be used, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Like the rounded or curved corner piece  114 , the flat corner piece  116  may also be made of a plastic or other light but stiff material. When such a flat corner piece  116  is positioned on either side, or on both sides, of one or more corners or bends of the mattress  100   a,  the stiffness of the flat corner piece  116  helps prevent the sheet  102  from sliding around the corners or bends of the mattress  100   a.    
     While the disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to one or more particular implementations, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.