Abstract:
A method for making a bed that includes a mattress and box springs includes positioning a bed skirt on a box spring to a desired position and placing a sheet of material on the bed skirt. The sheet has a specific thickness and four edges. The method also includes placing the mattress on the sheet. The mattress is covered with at least a fitted sheet. The method further includes removing the mattress at a subsequent time period from on top of the sheet. The bed skirt is held in place via the sheet while the mattress is removed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/018,419, entitled “BED SKIRT HOLDER,” filed on Jun. 27, 2014, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to a protective sheet between a bed skirt and a mattress, and more particularly to a sheet of material that is placed between the mattress and bed skirt which functions to hold a bed skirt in place while changing the linens. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    For some beds, a bed skirt is placed between the mattress and the box spring. The bed skirt does not serve a functional purpose for a bed. Still, the bed skirt is aesthetically pleasing. In some cases, such as for hotels or children&#39;s cribs, bed sheets are changed on an increased basis, such as daily, in comparison to other beds. 
         [0006]    When changing the bed, if the bed is large, then it may be difficult to lift the mattress to change the sheets and the sheets may be merely tucked underneath the mattress. Still, in some cases, such as for cribs, the size of the mattress is smaller in comparison to other mattresses. Therefore, the small mattresses allow for the mattress to be lifted while changing a sheet. When the mattress is lifted for changing the sheet, or for any other purpose, the bed skirt may be displaced as a result of moving and/or lifting the mattress. Thus, the time for changing sheets is increased because the bed skirt may also have to be re-positioned in its desired position. Therefore, to decrease the time for changing sheets for a mattress, it is desirable for the bed skirt to maintain a position when the mattress is moved. 
         [0007]    This has outlined, rather broadly, the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described below. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the teachings of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features, which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly throughout. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B,  2 - 5 ,  6 A- 6 D,  7 A,  7 B,  8 A,  8 B,  9 A- 9 D, and  10  are diagrams illustrating an example of a bed skirt holder according to aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 11  illustrates a flow diagram for using a bed skirt holder according to an aspect of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts. 
         [0012]    In some beds, the bed skirt may be attached to the bed frame or the mattress via an attachment mechanism, such as a latch, pins, and/or bands. Still, attaching the bed skirt to the mattress may make it difficult to change the sheets and/or the bed skirt. That is, a user must unattach the bed skirt each time they want to change the bed sheet and/or bed skirt. 
         [0013]    As previously discussed, it is desirable for the bed skirt to stay in place when moving a mattress to change the bed sheet or for any other purpose. According to an aspect of the present disclose, a bed skirt holder is proposed to hold the bed skirt in place when the mattress is moved. In the present application, the bed skirt holder may be referred to as the holder. 
         [0014]    The bed skirt holder may be a sheet of material that is placed between the mattress and the bed skirt. In one configuration, the holder is corrugated plastic, such as polypropylene. Still, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to corrugated plastic and are also contemplated for other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, or any other material. In one configuration, the holder has a thickness of  2  mm. Of course, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to a  2  mm thickness and are also contemplated for any desirable thickness. Still, it is desirable for the holder to have a small thickness, such as less than one inch, so that the occupant of the mattress does not feel discomfort when sleeping. Furthermore, the dimensions of the holder may vary based on the size of the beds.  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B, and  2 - 5  provide different sizes for the holder based on a size of the mattress. 
         [0015]    As shown in  FIG. 1A , for one size bed, such as a crib, the holder may be 50 inches by 27 inches.  FIG. 1B  illustrates another example of a bed skirt holder having squared edges. 
         [0016]    Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 2 , for another size bed, such as a twin bed, the holder may be 75 inches by 38 inches. Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 3 , for yet another size bed, such as a full bed, the holder may be 75 inches by 53 inches. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 4 , for still yet another size bed, such as a queen bed, the holder may be 60 inches by 80 inches. Finally, as shown in  FIG. 5 , for another size bed, such as a king bed, the holder may be 76 inches by 80 inches. Also, as shown in  FIG. 5 , for yet another size bed, such as a Cal king bed, the holder may be 72 inches by 84 inches. Of course, the dimensions provided in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B, and  2 - 5  are based on one aspect of the present disclosure and other dimensions are also contemplated. For example, the holder may be substantially smaller than the mattress. In one example, the size of the holder is one or more inches less than the size of the mattress on one or more sides. Additionally, the holder may come in a range of sizes for each mattress depending on the user&#39;s desires. 
         [0017]    Furthermore, in one configuration, the edges of the holder may be rounded so that the corners may not be visible. In one configuration, the corners are a two and a half inch radius. Of course, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to a two and a half inch radius and are also contemplated for any desirable radius. For example, the rounded corners may be defined on the sheet to match the position of the rounded edge of a mattress. 
         [0018]    In one configuration, one side of the holder may have a non-slip surface and the other side may have a different type of surface. The non-slip surface may face the bed skirt so that the holder does not move when the mattress is moved. In another configuration, both surfaces of the holder are non-slip surfaces. 
         [0019]    In yet another configuration, the holder may be foldable in various directions.  FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate perspective views of a holder  600  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIGS. 6A-6D  the holder  600  may be divided into four sections. Alternatively, the holder  600  may be divided into three sections where sections  2  and  3  form one section and sections  1  and  4  are individual sections. The sections may fold on to adjacent sections. For example, section  1  may fold onto section  2 . The dashed lines in  FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate examples of creases specified for one section to fold onto an adjacent section. 
         [0020]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a top view of the holder  600  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure and  FIG. 6B  illustrates a bottom view of the holder  600  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure. Additionally,  FIG. 6C  illustrates a back view of the holder  600  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure. Finally,  FIG. 6D  illustrates a front view of the holder  600  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure. The thickness of the holder  600  shown in  FIGS. 6A-6D  is for illustrative purposes, of course the holder  600  is not limited to a specific thickness as shown in  FIGS. 6A-6D . It should be noted that the sections  1 - 4  in  FIGS. 6A-6D  may not be to scale such that for illustrative purposes some sections may have a length that is not equal to the other sections. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate perspective views of a holder  700  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure.  FIG. 7A  illustrates a perspective view of the holder  700  in which sections  1  and  4  are partially closed and sections  2  and  3  are flat.  FIG. 7B  illustrates a perspective view of the holder  700  in which sections  1  and  4  are partially open and sections  2  and  3  are flat. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  illustrate perspective views of a holder  800  in a partially opened position according to aspects of the present disclosure.  FIG. 8A  illustrates a top or bottom view of the view of the holder  800  in which section  3  is flat and sections  1 ,  2 , and  4  are positioned at various angles with respect to section  3 .  FIG. 8B  illustrates a top or bottom view of the view of the holder  800  in which sections  3  and  4  are flat and sections  1  and  2  are positioned at various angles with respect to sections  3  and  4 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate perspective views of a holder  900  in various closed positions according to aspects of the present disclosure.  FIG. 9A  illustrates a top or bottom view of the holder  900  in which sections  1  and  2  have been folded on to sections  2  and  3 . Specifically, section  1  has been folded on to section  2  and section  4  has been folded on to section  3 .  FIG. 9B  is a front view of the holder  900  in which sections  1  and  2  have been folded on to sections  2  and  3 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 9C  illustrates a top or bottom view of the holder  900  in which sections  1  and  2  have been folded on to sections  4  and  3 . As shown in  FIG. 9A , section  1  may fold on to section  2 , subsequently, the section combination of section  1  and  2  may be folded on to the combination of sections  3  and  4 .  FIG. 9D  is a front view of the holder  900  in which sections  1  and  2  have been folded on to sections  4  and  3 . 
         [0025]    In still yet another configuration, different holders may be attached to each other via an attaching mechanism to accommodate different mattress sizes. For example, two holders specified for a crib may be attached to accommodate a twin size bed. Of course, part of one sheet may be folded so as not to extend beyond the vertical plane of the bed. 
         [0026]      FIG. 10  illustrates an example  1000  of the holder  1002  placed on a bed skirt  1004  according to an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the holder  1002  is placed on top of the bed skirt  1004  so that a mattress (not shown) can be placed on top of both the holder  1002  and the bed skirt  1004 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 11  illustrates a flow diagram for a method  1100  of using the holder to prevent displacement of a bed skirt when moving a mattress according to an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 11 , at block  1102  a user places a bed skirt in a desired position over a box spring or other surface. It is assumed that the user has removed the mattress from on top of the box spring prior to placing the bed skirt in the desired position. Furthermore, at block  1104 , after the bed skirt is in the desired position, the user places the holder on top of the bed skirt. In one configuration, the side of the holder that touches the bed skirt is a non-slip surface. Moreover, in one configuration, the holder is unfolded prior to being placed on the bed skirt. Additionally, at block  1106 , the user places the mattress on top of the holder that is placed on top of the bed skirt. The holder, bed skirt, and box spring may be referred to as the lower half of the bed. 
         [0028]    In this configuration, because the holder is placed on top of the bed skirt, the bed skirt does not move when the mattress is placed on top of the lower half of the bed. Furthermore, because the holder has a surface that is more smooth in comparison to the surface of the bed skirt, the mattress may slide more easily onto the lower half of the bed. Additionally, the holder may prevent the coils or springs of the box spring to snag or tear the surface of the mattress when placing the mattress on the lower half of the bed and/or when lifting the mattress from the lower half of the bed. It should be noted that a fitted sheet may be placed on the mattress prior to the mattress being placed on top of the holder at block  1106 . 
         [0029]    Furthermore, at block  1108 , at a time when the user desires to change one or more of the sheets, such as the fitted sheet, the user removes the mattress from the lower half of the bed. As previously discussed, because the holder was previously placed on the bed skirt, the act of lifting, or pulling, the mattress from the lower half of the bed prevents the bed skirt from being displaced. Furthermore, the holder prevents the surface of the mattress from snagging on coils or springs of the box spring when the user lifts, or pulls, the mattress from the lower half of the bed. 
         [0030]    The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.