Patent Publication Number: US-2004045091-A1

Title: Hinged mattress and cover combination

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] This invention relates to a hinged mattress and cover used in combination to place a cover on, and remove the cover from, a mattress.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art  
       [0004] Hingeable mattresses have been used in a number of applications. These range from hospital mattresses that a patient can manipulate to customized mattresses for space conscience areas such as for a boat. In the case of a mattress on, for example, a boat, the mattress is usually designed to fit into an area that may be of an unusual shape and perhaps difficult to access. The hinge on such mattresses is designed to allow a section of the mattress, generally the end farthest away from a boat occupant, to be rotated upwardly to provide access to a storage compartment located within the bed frame.  
       [0005] It is often difficult for one to reach the front of the mattress to remove and replace a mattress pad and sheet without crawling on the top of the mattress because of the structure of the bulkhead. In such an environment, it would be useful to have a way to conveniently manipulate the mattress position and the mattress pad and/or sheet so that the person changing the mattress pad and/or sheet can do so in an efficient manner and with as little difficulty as possible, i.e. without the need to crawl on top of the mattress. The present invention provides a solution to this need.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The hinged mattress and cover combination has a hinged mattress with at least a base section hingably connected to a pivotable section, top and bottom surfaces, and front, rear and side walls extending between the top and bottom surfaces. The mattress defines a header as part of the pivotable section and a footer as part of the base section. The cover is adapted to overlay at least the top, header and footer, and preferably the side walls of the mattress. The cover can be in the form of a mattress pad, sheet or a combination sheet and pad.  
       [0007] One or more straps, each having a length and two ends, extends along the top surface of the mattress with a first end of the straps being attached to the pivotable section of the hinged mattress. Preferably the first end of the straps is connected, via a buckle, to the bottom of the front wall, i.e., adjacent the bottom surface, with the buckle allowing for an adjustment of the length of the straps. While the second (or other) end of the straps may be loose, it is preferably attached to the bottom of the rear wall of the mattress. When sufficient force is applied to an intermediate portion of the straps the pivotable section will pivot about the hinge from a substantially reclined position to a position where a person can grasp the header of the hinged mattress.  
       [0008] The cover has a pocket adapted to receive, or fit over, the header of the pivotable section when a person has a grasp of the header. After the pocket is placed over the header of the pivotable section the pivotable section is reclined and the cover is fitted over the mattress top surface, the side walls and the footer which includes the rear wall. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hingeable mattress and straps of the present invention with the mattress being positioned in a bed frame mounted to a bulkhead section of a boat;  
     [0010]FIG. 2 is a top schematic view of the mattress of FIG. 1 showing the hinge line;  
     [0011]FIG. 3 is a top schematic view of a mattress where a portion of the side walls are not oriented parallel to each other;  
     [0012]FIG. 4 a  is a bottom view of a cover for use with the mattress of FIG. 1 or  3  displaying the pocket that receives the header of the hingeable mattress;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 b  is a bottom view of an alternative cover where the pocket bottom is formed by strip-like connector sections with openings therebetween;  
     [0014]FIG. 4 c  is a bottom view of another cover where the pocket is delineated by a T-shaped strip arranged to be secured to the sides of the cover;  
     [0015]FIG. 4 d  is a bottom view of another cover arrangement where the pocket is delineated by a single connector strap;  
     [0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic view of the hingeable mattress of FIG. 1 showing the first end of the straps attached via a buckle, to the bottom of the front wall of the mattress;  
     [0017]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cover in the form of a mattress pad illustrating the quilt-like padding which obscures the straps when in place over the mattress;  
     [0018]FIG. 7 a  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress in a reclined position on a bed frame;  
     [0019]FIG. 7 b  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress with force being applied to an intermediate portion of the straps and the pivotable section rotating counterclockwise and moving rotationally upwardly;  
     [0020]FIG. 7 c  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress when the force applied to the straps is sufficient to pivot the pivotable section of the mattress so a person can grasp the header;  
     [0021]FIG. 7 d  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress where the pocket of the cover is placed over the header;  
     [0022]FIG. 7 e  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress where the pocket of the cover is placed over the header and the footer with the footer raised above the edge of the bed frame;  
     [0023]FIG. 7 f  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress in a reclined position with the footer raised above the bed frame;  
     [0024]FIG. 7 g  is a schematic side view of the hingeable mattress with the cover in a reclined position; and  
     [0025]FIG. 7 h  is a cross-sectional side view of the hingeable mattress and cover, without the bed frame, identifying the cover fitted over the header and footer. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0026] The present invention may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Referring now to the FIG. 1 a hinged mattress  10  is set within a bed frame  12 . A lip  14  of the frame restricts the horizontal movement of the mattress. A pair of straps  16  lie on the top surface  13  of the mattress and are connected at one end (first end)  18  to a pivotable section  20  at approximately the front end thereof and preferably on the front wall  22  (FIG. 5) adjacent the bottom surface  15  (FIG. 7 h ) of the mattress as will be explained. The second end of the straps  24  is attached adjacent of the bottom  25  of the rear wall  26  by suitable means such as sewing. The mattress includes sidewalls  30 . The top surface may include conventional padding designated at  32 . The rear wall  26  may be provided with handles  34  to enable a user to lift the rear end of the mattress above the lip of the frame when changing the mattress cover and/or sheets. The bed frame  12  is shown positioned between curved cabinet wall sections  36  adjacent the boat hull at the front of the mattress as is illustrated.  
     [0027] Referring now to FIG. 2, which is a schematic top view of the mattress with the exception that the lower end  24 ′ of straps  16 ′ are loose and not secured to the base section as is illustrated. The hinge line  38  of the mattress separates the pivotal section  20  from a base section  40 . Such a hinge line is common in mattresses for boats so that the boat owner or user can lift up a section of the mattress and a hinged section of the bed frame which overlays a storage area under the bed. In the case shown in FIG. 1, the base section would probably overlie a storage area.  
     [0028] The pivotal section  20  defines a header  42  comprising the front wall  22 , a portion of the top and bottom surfaces and a portion of the side walls  32  as is illustrated in FIG. 2. The side walls  32  include upper sections  32   a  which are oriented at an angle to the lower section  32   b  to fit into a bed frame such as that illustrated in FIG. 1. A footer  46  comprises the rear wall  26 , a portion of the top and bottom surfaces and a portion of the side walls  32  as is shown on FIG. 2. As pointed out previously, the second end  24 ′ of the straps  16 ′ in the mattress of FIG. 2 remain loose and are not affixed to the mattress as is the case with the arrangement in FIG. 1.  
     [0029]FIG. 3 illustrates a hinged mattress similar to the one shown in FIG. 1 except that the mattress has a rectangular shape with parallel side walls.  
     [0030] Turning to FIG. 4 a , a cover  47  is displayed which includes a pocket  48  at the front section thereof. The cover  47  is used in conjunction with the hinged mattress  10  to enable a user to readily place a mattress cover and/or a fitted sheet on the mattress or remove the same as will be explained subsequently. The pocket  48  is adapted to receive, or fit over the header  42 . The pocket  48  has a depth d preferably with the range of about 8 to 20 inches and most preferably within the range of about 10 to 15 inches. The depth of the pocket may be dependent to some extent on the size of the mattress.  
     [0031] The lower surface  49  of the pocket may be made out of webbing, straps, etc. FIG. 4 b  identifies the use of strip connectors  50  leaving open spaces  52  along the bottom of the pocket. Any combination of strip connectors (or webbing) can be used to form the bottom  49  of the pocket. For example, FIG. 4 c  shows another arrangement of strip connectors  50 ′ forming the bottom of the pocket  48 .  
     [0032] The strip connectors can be attached to the cover/sheet  47  in a number of ways. While FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  show the strip connectors formed integrally with the pocket  48 , FIG. 4 c  shows a button type assembly  54  connecting a T-shaped strip  50 ′ to the bottom edge  56  of the cover. FIG. 4 d  displays a belt buckle type connection  57  that performs the same function. While these figures are illustrative of a number of ways the pocket can be formed in the bottom of the cover  46 , these figures are not exhaustive of all possible equivalent ways to form the pocket.  
     [0033]FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective diagrammatic view of the mattress of FIGS. 1 and 2 and in particular shows a pair of conventional buckles  62  for securing the first end  18  of the straps  16  to the front wall of the mattress. The buckles permit a user to adjust the length of the straps, preferably to cause the straps to lie firmly against the top surface of the mattress as is illustrated. The buckles also allow the first end of the straps to be released from the front wall and the length of the straps to be adjusted. FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the cover  47  including padding  51  on the top surface. The padding  51  provides a cushion between the person sleeping and the straps  16 . Thus, a person lying on the mattress pad would not discern, or not easily discern, the presence of the straps  16 .  
     [0034] Turning now to FIGS. 7 a  through  7   f , the process for using the hinged mattress  10  and cover  47  is disclosed. In FIG. 5 a , the hinged mattress  10  is setting within the bed frame  12  with the straps  16  (not shown) laying on the top surface of the mattress. FIG. 7 b  shows a person&#39;s hand grasping, or holding, an intermediate section of the straps  16  and pulling on that section to rotate the pivotal section  20  upwardly and rearwardly (counterclockwise in FIG. 7 b ) toward the footer  46 . Force thus applied to the straps  16  causes the pivotable section  20  to rotate with the header  42  moving toward the person. FIG. 7 c  shows the person grasping the header  42  when the pivotable section  20  is in a convenient position. The exact location of the header  42 , when grasped or held by the person in reference to the bed frame  12 , will vary according to the desires of the person installing or removing the cover.  
     [0035] The pocket  48  of the cover  47  in FIG. 7 d  is placed over the header  42 . In FIG. 7 e  the footer  46  is raised above the lip  14  to allow the operator to conveniently place the lower end of the cover  47  over the footer  46 . Once the cover is attached to the header  42  (and the footer  46 , if desired), the pivotable section  20  is reclined and is supported by the bed frame  12  as is shown in FIG. 7 f . In FIG. 7 g , the mattress  10  with cover  47  thereon is slid back into position on the bed frame  12  where the lip  14  now restrains the movement of the hinged mattress  10 . It should be noted that the cover  47  may be placed over the footer  46  after the pocket  48  has been placed over the header  42  and the pivotable section  20  allowed to recline.  
     [0036]FIG. 7 h  is a cutaway view of the hinged mattress  10  with the cover  47  in place. The cover goes around the footer  46 , header  42 , top surface  13 , front and rear walls  22 ,  26 , a portion of the bottom surface  15  and opposing side walls  32  of the hinged mattress  10 . Note, in this figure, the cover  47  includes as a top layer the quilted pad  49 . This pad assists in masking the existence of the straps  12 .  
     [0037] While the cover  47  normally fits over the opposing sides  32 , it need not be so configured. The cover  47  could be secured in place by utilizing the header  42  and footer  46 . Further, the cover  47 , when in the form of a mattress pad or combined pad and fitted bottom sheet preferably includes a padded surface  51  so that when the cover  47  is in place the straps  12  virtually disappear.  
     [0038] There has thus been described a novel hinged mattress and cover combination. It is important to note that many configurations can be constructed from the ideas presented. Thus, nothing in the specification should be construed to limit the scope of the claims.