Patent Publication Number: US-2015074906-A1

Title: Incontinence Bed Cover

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/878,785 filed on 17 Sep. 2013, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mattress covers. More particularly, the present invention relates to incontinence mattress covers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Caregivers often find sleep times challenging when caring for patients or loved-ones who suffer from incontinence. Sleep is frequently interrupted for both patient and caregiver. Soiled mattresses are nearly impossible to clean. Existing incontinence covers fail to provide washable covers that don&#39;t soak through, which cover the whole mattress, and which absorb the wetting completely. What is needed is a washable cover that the covers the whole mattress without getting messed up, that does not soak through to the mattress, which absorbs the wetting completely to prevent skin breakdown, and controls odor and mess. 
     SUMMARY 
     The incontinence bed cover includes a stretchable three layer cover with elastic corner straps, constructed of three separate, high-quality durable materials, sewn together to provide comfort and complete protection. The incontinence bed cover has elastic corner straps attached to said stretchable three layer cover for fitting around the corners of a mattress. The incontinence bed cover may be made for any size mattress, including the four standard sizes of mattresses—twin, twin XL, queen, and king The stretchable three layer cover has a top layer made of flexible, breathable 100% poly-mesh fabric that wicks moisture and enhances evaporation, helping to guard against potential skin breakdown. The stretchable three layer cover has a middle layer made of quilted polyester batting for maximum absorbency and reduced drying time. The stretchable three layer cover has a bottom layer that is waterproof. 
     The incontinence bed cover is designed to provide complete overnight mattress protection from accidents and leaks, to help control odor and mess, assist in preventing skin breakdown, and improve quality of life. Unlike other plastic mattress covers that are stiff and rustle upon changes in sleeping positions, incontinence bed cover  100  has an impermeable barrier that is soft and flexible, providing quiet, comfortable waterproof protection. 
     The incontinence bed cover fits securely with elastic fasteners, is reusable and can be laundered daily, or as needed, is easy to put on when making up the mattress and easily removed when in need of washing, is can be made in any size, including sizes to fit the four standard mattress sizes—twin, twin XL, double, king, and queen. It can be washed and dried at home or in commercial machines. 
     The incontinence bed cover is made of materials that meet commercial specifications, with durable knit-fabric textiles and a waterproof polymer coating. The waterproof barrier maintains its suppleness and impermeability through repeated commercial launderings. The barrier is also shrink-resistant, meets flame-retardant requirements, and is environmentally friendly, containing no heavy metals. 
     The incontinence bed cover has many advantages, including: 3 layers sewn together (poly-mesh, absorbent polyester batting, waterproof polymer); Covers entire mattress edge to edge; More absorbent surface area; Quilting keeps batting from shifting and clumping; Waterproof polymer layer is soft, flexible, and quiet and is less likely to disrupt sleep; Absorbs quicker on contact than other competitive products; Polyester materials reduce machine drying time; Better stain removal with polyester than with cotton; Can be used under or over existing fitted sheet; Stretch poly-mesh top layer is breathable, assists with evaporation, and helps maintain skin integrity; Made from durable materials; Elastic bands on corners keep cover secure; Easy on, Easy-off; Washable, Reusable; Home or commercial launderable on high temp; Withstands repeated washings; Bamboo batting has odor absorbent properties; and, among others, it can be made in any size, including the 4 standard mattress sizes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which: 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  shows the incontinence bed cover in use on a mattress. 
         FIG. 2  is a view of the incontinence bed cover showing the attachment to a mattress. 
         FIG. 3  is a view showing all three layers of the incontinence mattress cover. 
         FIG. 4  is a view showing the first layer folded back from the second layer of The incontinence mattress cover 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing the first and second layers folded back from the third layer of 
       The incontinence mattress cover 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before beginning a detailed description of the subject invention, mention of the following is in order. When appropriate, like reference materials and characters are used to designate identical, corresponding, or similar components in different figures. The figures associated with this disclosure typically are not drawn with dimensional accuracy to scale, i.e., such drawings have been drafted with a focus on clarity of viewing and understanding rather than dimensional accuracy. 
     In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations of the invention are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with application and business related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     Use of directional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below”, “in front of,” “behind,” etc. are intended to describe the positions and/or orientations of various components of the invention relative to one another as shown in the various Figures and are not intended to impose limitations on any position and/or orientation of any embodiment of the invention relative to any reference point external to the reference. 
     The incontinence bed cover  100  includes a stretchable three layer cover  102  with elastic corner straps  104 . The stretchable three layer cover  102  is constructed of three separate, high-quality durable materials, sewn together to provide comfort and complete protection. The elastic corner straps  104  attached to said stretchable three layer cover  102  are configured for fitting around the corners of a mattress. The incontinence bed cover  100  may be made to fit any size mattress, including the four standard sizes of mattresses—twin, twin XL, queen, and king The incontinence bed cover  100  has three layers sown together including a top layer  106 , a middle layer  108  and a bottom layer  110 . The top layer  106  is made of flexible, breathable 100% poly-mesh fabric that wicks moisture and enhances evaporation, helping to guard against potential skin breakdown. The middle layer  108  may be made of quilted polyester batting for maximum absorbency and reduced drying time. In alternative embodiments, the middle layer  108  may be made of bamboo batting. The bottom layer  110  is waterproof layer. 
     The incontinence bed cover  100  is made of materials that meet commercial specifications, with durable knit-fabric textiles and a waterproof polymer coating. The bottom layer  110  is a waterproof barrier that maintains its suppleness and impermeability through repeated commercial launderings. The bottom layer  110  is also shrink-resistant, meets flame-retardant requirements, and is environmentally friendly, containing no heavy metals. 
       FIG. 1  shows incontinence bed cover  100  in use on a mattress  112 .  FIG. 2  shows the incontinence bed cover  100  attaching to a mattress  112 .  FIG. 3  shows all three layers of the stretchable three layer cover  102 .  FIG. 4  shows the top layer  106  folded back from the middle layer  108 .  FIG. 5  shows the top layer  106  and middle layer  108  folded back from the bottom layer  110 . 
     The top layer  106  is preferably a 100% Polyester mesh, such as the 100% Polyester Coolpass Mesh manufactured from Pacific Tech in China. The middle layer  108  is preferably a 100% Polyester Batting, such as the 100% Polyester batting manufactured by Fabri-Quilt. The bottom layer  110  is the waterproof barrier which is preferably a blend of Vinyl and Polyester, such as that 71% Vinyl and 29% Polyester Barrier manufactured by Vintex in Canada. 
     The incontinence bed cover  100  fits securely with the elastic corner straps  104 . The incontinence bed cover  100  is reusable and can be laundered daily, or as needed. The incontinence bed cover  100  is easy to put on when making up the mattress and easily removed when in need of washing and can be washed and dried at home or in commercial machines. The incontinence bed cover  100  may be sized for twin, twin XL, double, and queen mattress sizes. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications and changes may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. It will, of course, be understood that modifications of the invention, in its various aspects, will be apparent to those skilled in the art, some being apparent only after study, others being matters of routine mechanical, chemical and electronic design. No single feature, function or property of the preferred embodiment is essential. Other embodiments are possible, their specific designs depending upon the particular application. As such, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the particular embodiments herein but should be defined only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.