Patent Publication Number: US-6216292-B1

Title: Protective mattress cover with apron

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/109,421, filed on Jul. 2, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/045,934, filed on May 8, 1997. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a combined mattress cover with an attached apron for covering the foot end of a mattress and, more particularly, to a combined mattress cover and apron for use in retail showrooms which not only protects a mattress from being soiled while it is tested by a customer, but also serves to clearly identify the brand name and other information relating to the demonstrated mattress. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Before a customer purchases a new mattress, retailers and manufacturers recommend that the customer “test rest” the mattress. That is, the customer should fully lie on the mattress. By fully lying on the mattress, the customer can better compare the comfort of one mattress to another. However, some customers are reluctant to fully test rest a mattress because their shoes tend to soil or damage the mattress surface. Instead, such customers simply sit on anedge of the mattress or partially lie on the mattress with their feet dangling over a side of the mattress. 
     To encourage customers to test rest mattresses, some retailers and manufacturers have provided protective coverings placed over the foot end of the mattress. Such coverings include fitted sleeves which slide onto the end of the mattress. However, a disadvantage of these fitted sleeves is that they tend to easily fall off the end of the mattress after one or more customers test the mattress. One reason the fitted sleeves fall off is because mattresses vary in thickness. Although the width and length of mattresses have been standardized to fit available bed frames, the thicknesses of mattresses can vary between eight inches to fifteen or more inches. This makes it difficult for a sleeve cover to adequately fit various sized mattresses. As an alternative, vinyl covers have been sewn on the foot ends of mattresses for protection. However, such construction necessarily adds to manufacturing expense and consequent cost of the mattress. Also, a sewn vinyl cover can be ripped by a consumer testing the mattress. When this happens, the mattress must be sent back to the manufacturer for recovering and repair. 
     As a separate matter, retail showrooms for mattress sales typically contain a large number of mattresses having different characteristics and quality and also representing different manufacturing entities and brand names. As a consequence of the variety of available mattresses on display at the typical retail outlet, a consumer can easily become confused as to which product he or she has tested and finds preferable. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a means for prominently displaying the brand, logo or product destination of a mattress in a showroom in direct association with a particular mattress product. It is further desirable to display such information in not only an attractive and tasteful manner, but also in a manner which will not interfere with the consumer&#39;s testing of the mattress. Further, it is desirable to display such information in a convenient and cost-effective manner. Still further, it is desirable to provide a means for prominently displaying the brand and other source identifying information of a mattress while at the same time providing means for protecting the foot end of the mattress effectively against soiling during testing by the consumer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention improves over other known mattress covers by providing a combined cover and apron for the foot of a mattress which can fit mattresses having varying thicknesses. The mattress cover wraps around the foot of the mattress and adjustably connects to itself underneath the mattress or to the box spring decking material beneath the mattress. In this way, the mattress cover can firmly wrap mattresses having vary thicknesses. The mattress cover is preferably made of a clear material so that the mattress appearance, product information, labels and manufacturer&#39;s logos are not obscured. A separate apron is attached to the mattress cover once the cover is in place. The apron hangs down over the foot end of the bed and is provided with manufacturer&#39;s logos, brand name identification and the like such that a consumer can easily recognize a mattress that he or she has tested. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other novel features and advantages of the invention will be better understood upon a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings wherein. 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of mattress cover constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an end view of a mattress having the cover of FIG. 1 installed thereon; 
     FIG. 3 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of a mattress cover shown as installed on a mattress and box spring; and 
     FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a mattress and box spring having a combined mattress cover and attached apron constructed in accordance with the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a mattress cover constructed in accordance with one form of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral  10  and includes as a principal component a generally elongate, rectangular web  12  of flexible material. A currently preferred material for the web  12  is a clear vinyl having a thickness of 10 gauge, although other thicknesses may perform quite adequately. The 10 gauge material is sturdy, wears well and is readily available. A clear material also permits the mattress appearance to be readily visible as well as allowing the consumers to view any labels attached to the mattress bearing product information and manufacturer&#39;s logos, for example. 
     A web width, as measured at “A”, of 20 inches is most desirable because the vinyl material is available in standard 40-inch wide rolls. The length of the web  12 , as measured at “B”, can vary depending upon the particular size of the mattress to be covered. For example, for a twin-size mattress which typically measures 39 inches wide, a preferred length for the web is 104 inches. For a queen-size mattress which typically measures 60 inches in width, a preferred web length is 160 inches. For a king-size mattress which typically measures 76 inches in width, a preferred web length is 195 inches. These preferred web lengths assure that the web overlaps itself sufficiently when wrapped around a given mattress, as will be described hereinafter. 
     As seen in FIG. 1, the cover  10  is provided in one form of the invention with hook and loop fastening means. A pair of hook strips  14  may be secured at one end of the web  12  as by sewing or the use of an adhesive. At the opposite end of the web  12  and on the opposite side thereof a pair of loop strips  16  may be similarly secured. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover may thereby be firmly wrapped around the foot of a typical mattress  18  with the hook and loop strips in engagement with one another thereby securing the cover  10  to the mattress. It has been found that hook and loop strips  14 ,  16  of 14 inches in length perform acceptably in securing the cover  10 . The strips  14 ,  16  may be spaced slightly inwardly of the edges of the web  12 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated showing a cover  20  which is shorter than the cover  10  illustrated in FIG.  1 . In this embodiment, the cover  20  is designed to wrap around the foot of a mattress  22  and to be secured in place by attachment to the decking cloth on the top of an associated box spring  24 . Instead of having hook strips on one end of the mattress cover and loop strips on the other end, the cover  20  is provided with hook strips  26  at both ends. This configuration allows the mattress cover  20  to wrap around the mattress and attach directly to the decking cloth on the box spring underneath the mattress. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred form of the invention wherein a mattress cover  20  is provided with an associated skirt  30  designed to overhang both the end of a mattress  22  and the associated box spring  24 . In accordance with the invention, the skirt  30  may be provided with a panel  32  having suitable indicia thereon intended to identify the source, style, price and other information about the associated mattress  22 . In a preferred form, the skirt  30  is attached to the cover  20  by hook and loop fastening means adhered to the end of the cover  20  such as is shown generally by the reference numeral  34  in FIG.  1 . 
     It can now be appreciated that the cover  20  and skirt  30  assembly of the invention provides a highly effective means for preventing the mattress from being soiled during consumer testing and also for identifying the associated mattress characteristics in a prominent manner not heretofore achieved in the art. Consumers who test a particular mattress can readily identify the mattress even though it may be one of many mattresses on display in a showroom. While the invention is shown in its preferred form as provided with hook and loop fastening material, it will be appreciated that other means may be used to connect both the cover and the apron. For example, a grommet and hook arrangement may also be used if properly designed. Also, it has been found that where vinyl is used for the cover web, no fastening system at all may be required because vinyl would tend to adhere to itself at the overlap of the cover beneath the mattress. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.