Patent Publication Number: US-2023135719-A1

Title: Device for moving mattresses and other large objects

Description:
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This applications claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/273,367 filed on Oct. 29, 2021 and entitled “DEVICE FOR MOVING MATTRESSES AND OTHER LARGE FURNITURE,” such application being incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates generally to devices for moving large objects. 
     More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a device for moving larger and more cumbersome objects, including but not limited, pieces of furniture like mattresses, mirrors, table tops, pictures, art, mechanical or rigid bed frames, headboards, footboards, persons, animals, etc. Conventionally, when moving furniture, these items are carried manually by hand. Because of their size and shape it can be awkward to support and maneuver such devices simply by gripping these items with the mover&#39;s hands. 
     Some furniture carryings are currently in existence which include one or more straps that can be placed under the furniture item, the straps having handles or arm cuffs that allow the user to lift the furniture by the handles to facilitate moving the furniture. However, it can be difficult to balance or maintain the position of the furniture on the straps, which can cause the furniture to dislodge or slip-off from the device and/or damage the furniture, which is undesirable. This is particularly true when turning corners or going up and down stairs. Additionally, conventional strap systems create focalized points of pressure along the length of the furniture which can damage the furniture, and particularly the internal mechanics of mattresses. Other furniture carryings include a bag made of solid plastic, cloth or other suitable material which can be pulled up around the furniture and carried via handles. Such bag carryings are difficult to load furniture in, are size restrictive, and are difficult to clean. 
     What is needed then are improvements in furniture moving devices. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     This Brief Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     One aspect of the present disclosure is a device for moving furniture including a plurality of longitudinal straps, each of the plurality of longitudinal straps having a first end and a second end, and a plurality of lateral straps extending transversely to the plurality of longitudinal straps. The plurality of longitudinal straps and the plurality of lateral straps are secured together at each juncture of a longitudinal and lateral strap to form a carrying net or sling having a first end corresponding to the first ends of the plurality of longitudinal straps and a second end corresponding to the second ends of the plurality of longitudinal straps. A first handle strap can extend from the first end of the carrying net, and a second handle strap can extend from the second end of the carrying net. The device can be laid out in a generally flat orientation on the ground and a piece of furniture, such as a mattresses, mirrors, table tops, pictures, art, mechanical or rigid bed frames, headboards, footboards, etc. can be placed within the carrying net. Multiple users/movers can lift the carrying net via the handles which effectively folds or wraps the carrying net up against the side of the furniture, and the movers can lift and carry the furniture via the device. 
     The use of longitudinal and lateral straps on the carrying net or sling can provide improved support for items being carried by the carrying net. In some embodiments, at least one middle longitudinal strap can extend generally along a center portion of the carrying net. The longitudinal strap can help provide direct support along a length of the furniture object being moved which can help prevent localized stresses on the furniture from lateral support straps causing damage or undue pressure on the sides of the furniture. Additionally, side longitudinal straps can be positioned on opposing side of the middle longitudinal strap. The handles can be oriented such that as the handles are lifted, the side longitudinal straps can be folded up against the sides of the furniture to help provide lateral stability to the furniture as it is being carried. 
     Additionally, in some embodiments, each end of the carrying net can include an auxiliary handle strap that can allow a user to have different leverage points when lifting the furniture with the carrying net. For instance, a longer first or top handle can be grabbed when it is beneficial to have the furniture closer to ground to carry the furniture for instance under doorways or an interior of a home or building, and a second shorter handle can be used to raise the furniture higher to give the user more clearance at their feet when walking with the furniture in the carrying net, for instance when carrying items up stairs. Additionally, when the carrying device is used while carrying items up stairs, the upper mover carrying the furniture can use the longer handle so that the upper user doesn&#39;t have to bend over as far to lift the furniture via the carrying device, while the lower mover can use the shorter auxiliary handle so the lower mover doesn&#39;t have to lift the handle as high on the user to clear the stairs. Thus the primary and auxiliary handles can be beneficial to both movers in certain lifting operations, for instance where items need to be titled and lifted at an angle, such as on stairways or to maneuver through more confined spaces such as hallways and doorways, and particularly for taller items. 
     Numerous other objects, advantages and features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon a review of the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a top view of one embodiment of a carrying device of the present disclosure shown in a flat orientation. 
         FIG.  2    detailed view of several junctures between longitudinal and lateral straps of the carrying device of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a side of a mattress being positioned on the carrying device of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a side view of the mattress of  FIG.  3    being lifted by the carrying device. 
         FIG.  5    is a detailed side perspective view of the mattress of  FIG.  4    showing the primary and auxiliary handles on the carrying device. 
         FIG.  6    side view of the mattress and carrying device of  FIG.  4    being carried up a flight of stairs. 
         FIG.  7    is a side view of the carrying device being used to carry a flatter and thinner piece of furniture such as a mirror. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that are embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific apparatus and methods described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims. 
     In the drawings, not all reference numbers are included in each drawing, for the sake of clarity. In addition, positional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” etc. refer to the apparatus when in the orientation shown in the drawing. A person of skill in the art will recognize that the apparatus can assume different orientations when in use. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 - 5   , one aspect of the present disclosure is a carrying device  10  for moving furniture including a plurality of longitudinal straps  12 , each of the plurality of longitudinal straps having a first end  14  and a second end  16 , and a plurality of lateral straps  18  extending transversely to the plurality of longitudinal straps  12 . In some embodiments, at least three longitudinal straps  12  and at least three lateral straps  18  can be utilized. The plurality of longitudinal straps  12  and the plurality of lateral straps  18  are secured together, for instance by sewing, welding, adhesives, etc., to form a carrying net  20  having a first end  22  corresponding to the first ends  14  of the plurality of longitudinal straps  12  and a second end  24  corresponding to the second ends  16  of the plurality of longitudinal straps  12 . In some embodiments, the plurality of lateral straps  18  includes first and second end lateral straps  18   a  positioned on the first and second ends  22  and  24  of the carrying net  18 , respectively, and at least one middle lateral strap  18   b  positioned between the first and second end lateral straps  18   a . In some embodiments, the carrying net  20  can include at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more middle lateral straps  18   b.    
     In some embodiments, the plurality of longitudinal straps  12  and lateral straps  18  can be sewn and cross woven together to form the carrying net  20 . Cross woven straps means that longitudinal straps  12  are woven in an alternating under, over, under, over, etc. fashion through at least some of the sequential lateral straps  18  from one end of the carrying net  20  to the other. The sewn and cross woven pattern can help provide increased strength and resilience to the carrying net  20  when carrying a piece of furniture. In some embodiments, the carrying net  20  can include a plurality of holes  31  formed between adjacent longitudinal and lateral straps, which can allow carrying net  20  to be more easily cleaned by a spray hose, a damp cloth or any other cleaning device. 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of longitudinal straps  12  and lateral straps  18  are cross stitched together at each intersection of the longitudinal and lateral straps to form the carrying net. As shown in  FIG.  2   , the cross stitch can include showing a perimeter stitch  60  around the perimeter of the cross over sections between the longitudinal straps  12  and lateral straps  18 , with one or more cross or diagonal stitches  62  extending across the perimeter stitch. Such stitching patterns can help provide strength and durability to the carrying net  20 . In other embodiments, the longitudinal straps  12  and lateral straps  18  can be spot welded, adhered, or otherwise secured together by any other suitable method in a cross stitched type pattern, including but not limited to the patterns shown in  FIG.  2   . 
     In some embodiments, the longitudinal straps  12  can extend substantially parallel to one another, the lateral straps  18  can extend substantially parallel to one another, and the lateral straps  18  can be oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal straps  12  to form a substantially rectangular lattice of straps. However, in other embodiments, the longitudinal straps  12  and lateral straps  18  can be placed in varying orientations or angles with respect to one another, with the longitudinal straps  12  generally extending along or in a direction of the length  21  of the carrying net  20 , and the lateral straps  18  can extend in extending along or in a direction of the width  23  of the carrying net  20 , the length  21  being longer than the width  23 . 
     In some embodiments, the length  21  of the carrying net  20  is greater than or equal to 5 feet and the width  23  of the carrying net  20  is greater than or equal to 2.5 feet. In some embodiments, the length  21  of the carrying net  20  is greater than or equal to 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, or 8 feet. In some embodiments, the width  23  of the carrying net  20  is greater than or equal to 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, or 4 feet. 
     A first handle  26  can extend from the first end  22  of the carrying net  20 , and a second handle strap  28  can extend from the second end  24  of the carrying net  20 . The device  10  can be orientable in a generally flat orientation on the ground and a piece of furniture  30 , such as a king, queen, full or twin mattress, large or sizeable mirror, mechanical or solid bed frame, glass table top, dining table tops, headboard, footboard, painting, etc. can be placed within the carrying net  20 . As shown in  FIGS.  4 - 7   , multiple users/movers can lift the carrying net  20  via the handles  26  and  28  which effectively folds the carrying net  20  up and against the side of the furniture  30 , and the movers can lift and carry the furniture  30  via the device  10 . 
     The use of longitudinal and lateral straps  12  and  14  on the carrying net  20  or sling can provide improved support for items being carried by the carrying net  20 . In some embodiments, at least one middle longitudinal strap  12   a  can extend generally along a longitudinally oriented center portion of the carrying net  20 . The middle or central longitudinal strap  12   a  can help provide direct support along a length of the furniture  30  or object being moved which can help prevent localized stresses being produced on the furniture from lateral support straps  14  causing damage to an edge of the furniture  30  supported by the carrying net  20 . In some embodiments, multiple middle longitudinal straps  12   a  can extend along a longitudinally oriented center portion of the carrying net  20  to provide additional support along the supported edge or side of the furniture positioned against the carrying net  20  during a moving operation, in order to help further distribute the weight of the furniture across multiple middle longitudinal straps. 
     In some embodiments, two middle longitudinal straps  12   a  can be positioned centrally between the first and second side longitudinal straps  12   b , the two middle longitudinal straps spaced apart from one another by a separation distance  15 . In some embodiments, the middle longitudinal straps  12   a  are spaced less than or equal to 12 inches apart from one another. In some embodiments, the middle longitudinal straps  12   a  are spaced less than or equal to 8 inches apart from one another. In other embodiments, the longitudinal straps  12   a  are spaced less than or equal to 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 inches apart from one another. The separation distance  15  can be sized such that at least a portion of each of middle longitudinal straps  12   a  can be positioned under the furniture object  30  when it is being carried in the carrying device  10 . For instance, in mattress with a 12-14 inch thickness, the separation distance  15  can be less than or equal to 12 inches, 8 inches, 6 inches, etc. such that both straps can be positioned beneath a mattress being carried on its side, as shown in  FIG.  4   . 
     Two side longitudinal straps  12   b  can also extend along lateral edges or sides of the carrying net  20 . The side longitudinal straps  12   b  can fold or bend upwards when handles  26  and  28  are lifted, such that the side longitudinal straps  12   b  can extend along sides of the furniture  30  during a moving operation. The side longitudinal straps  12   b  can provide stability on the sides of furniture  30  during transport to help prevent the furniture  30  from tipping within the carrying net  20  or sling when carried. In some embodiments, handles  26  and  28  can be connected to the ends  14  and  16  of the two side longitudinal straps  12   b  such that when the handles  26  and  28  are lifted they produce a lifting force on the ends of the side longitudinal straps  12   b  to lift the side longitudinal straps  12   b  against the furniture and provide tension to the two side longitudinal straps  12   b  to help provide a lateral or side retention force on the furniture during a moving operation. In some embodiments, the side longitudinal straps  12   b  can be symmetrically spaced about the one or more middle longitudinal strap or straps  14 , such that the middle longitudinal straps  14  can be centrally located within the carrying net  20 . In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , spacings between successive side and central longitudinal straps  12   b  and  12   a  respectively can be substantially equal. In other embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the spacing between central longitudinal straps  12   a  and adjacent side straps  12   b  can be larger than the spacing between adjacent central longitudinal straps  12   a , in order for the longitudinal side straps  12   b  to extend higher up on the sides of the furniture  10  for additional side support. 
     In some embodiments, the first and second handle straps  26  and  28  are each handle loops extending from respective ends  22  and  24  of the carrying net  20  and connected to opposing lateral sides  32   a  and  32   b  of the carrying net  20 . In some embodiments, the device  10  can further include a first auxiliary handle strap  34  extending across or within the first handle loop  26 , and a second auxiliary handle strap  36  extending across or within the second handle loop  28 . In some embodiments, the first and second auxiliary straps  34  and  36  can extend across the first and second handle loops  26  and  28 , respectively, while in other embodiments, the first and second auxiliary handles  34  and  36  can also be connected to the first and second ends  22  and  24  of the carrying net  20  directly. In some embodiments, the auxiliary straps  34  and  36  can be oriented to help retain furniture items  30  within the carrying net  20  when the primary handles  26  and  28  are used to carry the furniture item  30 , the auxiliary straps  34  and  36 , for instance when lifting objects up a flight of stairs at an angle, the auxiliary straps  34  and  36  can act as a stop-gap for the person at the bottom going up and help prevent the object from sliding off of the carrying net  20 , or towards the primary handles  26  and  28 . 
     The first and second auxiliary straps  34  and  36  can allow a user to selectively hold the device  10  via different sets of handles, which can provide different leverage points or carrying heights for the furniture  30  during a moving operation. For instance, if a mover needs to move the furniture through a lower doorway, the main handles  26  and  28  can be utilized such that the furniture  30  can remain relatively low to the ground or tilted to pass through the doorway without having the movers uncomfortably lean down to place the furniture object in a desired position. Once the doorway is cleared, the movers can grab the auxiliary handles  34  and  36  to lift the furniture higher and make it easier for the movers to walk while carrying the furniture  30 . 
     Additionally, auxiliary handles  34  and  36  can allow movers when moving furniture  30  up and down stairs, or on uneven surfaces, to grab different handles to provide better leverage during moving up and down the uneven surfaces. For instance, as shown in  FIG.  6   , the “bottom mover”  52  on the stairs  54  can grab the auxiliary handle  34  and  36  on their side of the furniture  30 , and the “top mover”  54  on the stairs can grab the main handle  26  and  28  such the bottom mover can lift the furniture  30  higher without having to use as much arm strength, and the top mover  54  can keep the top end at a lower position and pull items upward without having to bend as much at the back while carrying the furniture item  30  up the stairs  54 . 
     In some embodiments, in addition to the handles  26  and  28  and auxiliary handles  34  and  36 , the carrying device  10  can include on or more lateral handles disposed adjacent or on the side longitudinal straps  12   b , to allow addition users to provide a lifting force on lateral sides of the carrying net  20 . 
     In some embodiments, the straps  12 ,  18  and handles  26 ,  28 ,  34 , and  36  are made from a cross woven plastic, resin, synthetic, fabric, or cloth material. The cross woven material forming the carrying device  10  can provide increase strength and durability. In some embodiments, the straps  12 ,  18  and handles  26 ,  28 ,  34 , and  36  can be made from a woven polyster similar to a “seatbelt” type material. Such material is strong, durable, and easy to clean, which can provide significant advantages the use of the material for the carrying device  10 . In one embodiment, a low coefficient of friction material can be used to make the carrying net  20  easier to clean. The material can provide scratch or tear resistance while providing sufficient strength to carry heavier furniture items. A cross woven material can also make the device  10  easy to clean and durable against heat and sun. 
     In some embodiments, a non-wicking “weldable webbing” can be utilized which includes a tightly woven polyester (PET) webbing fully coated and impregnated with thermo-plastic vinyl (PVC). Such material can achieve high strength welds using hot air, hot wedge, or high frequency welding techniques, it can be bonded using vinyl-solvent adhesives, or as a textile product, it can be sewn. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 - 6   , another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of carrying a mattress, the method including the steps of providing a carrying device  10  including: two side longitudinal straps  12   b  at least one middle longitudinal strap  12   a  extending between the side longitudinal straps  12   b , each of the side and middle longitudinal straps  12  respectively having a first end  14  and a second end  16 ; and a plurality of lateral straps  18  extending transverse to the plurality of side and middle longitudinal straps  12 , wherein the side and middle longitudinal straps  12  and the plurality of lateral straps  18  are secured together to form a carrying net  20  having a first end  22  corresponding to the first ends  14  of the longitudinal straps  12  and a second end  24  corresponding to the second ends  16  of the longitudinal straps  12 . The device  10  can include a first handle loop  26  extending from the first end  22  of the carrying net  20 , a first auxiliary handle  34  positioned within the first handle loop  26 , a second handle loop  28  extending from the second end  24  of the carrying net  20 ; and a second auxiliary handle  36  positioned within the second handle loop  28 . The method can include placing a piece of furniture  30  on the carrying device  10  with the piece of furniture  30  positioned on top of the middle longitudinal strap  12   a ; and lifting the first handle loop  26  and/or the first auxiliary handle  34  and lifting the second handle loop  28  and/or the second auxiliary handle  36  to lift the piece of furniture  30  via the carrying device  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the method can further include laying the carrying net  20  of the carrying device  10  in a substantially flat orientation before the piece of furniture  30  is placed on the carrying device  10 ; wherein the side longitudinal straps  12   b  are forced against lateral sides of the piece of furniture  30  when the respective handle loops  26  and  28  and/or auxiliary handles  34  and  36  are lifted to lift the piece of furniture  30  via the carrying device  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the lifting step can further include lifting the piece of furniture  30  at an angle up a flight of stairs by: lifting the first end  22  of the carrying net via the first handle loop  26 ; and lifting the second end  24  of the carrying net via the second auxiliary handle  36 . 
     Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful DEVICE FOR MOVING MATTRESSES AND OTHER LARGE FURNITURE, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention.