Patent ID: 7316039

Claim:
A fitted mattress covering being one of a fitted sheet, fitted mattress pad and other fitted bed clothing for a mattress, said covering comprising, a fabric body having a top portion, side portions and end portions, said side and end portions having lower edge portions defined by fabric from said side or end portions terminating at a lower edge, said side and end portion lower edges joining one another to form a continuous lower edge of the covering, an elastic binding being disposed in a folded configuration on inner and outer sides of said lower edge of the covering thereby defining inner and outer elastic binding layers, said elastic binding extending at least partially along the length of said lower edge of the covering, said binding being secured to said lower edge portions by stitching, an elastic band disposed at each corner of the covering, each band extending diagonally across the associated corner and having opposite ends secured adjacent one of said side portions and adjacent one of said adjacent end portions, respectively, said bands being secured in place by at least one of said stitching and by supplementary securing means to ensure that the bands do not pull away from the covering, wherein each end of each of said bands being sandwiched between one of said lower edge portions and said binding, terminating in an end edge which is disposed adjacent said lower edge of the covering, and contacting only a single surface of said binding, said supplementary securing means for each end of each of said bands comprising a secure stitch extending through said inner elastic binding layer, said layer of said band sandwiched between one of said lower edge portions and said binding, a layer of said lower edge portion, and said outer elastic binding layer.