Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a baby crib sheet that prevents the possibility of the sheet from shifting and entangling the arms or legs of the baby as the baby moves in the crib.  
           [0002]    Conventional crib mattress sheets are constructed from one panel that has fitted corners to accommodate a rectangular mattress. The fitted corners engage the corners of a crib mattress, similar to a conventional fitted sheet designed for adults. Oftentimes, the elastic that gathers the corners of the sheet becomes stretched and does not secure the sheet on the mattress in a desired manner. When the child rolls, the sheet may disengage from one or two corners of the mattress and cause injury or even suffocation of an infant. Even small babies weighing less than 15 pounds can pull off most of their sheets from the mattresses when shifting in their sleep or trying to move.  
           [0003]    Another disadvantage of conventional baby sheets is that when they get soiled they have to be quickly changed, sometimes in the middle of the night. In such cases, the baby has to be lifted form the crib, placed on a safe surface, the soiled sheet has to stripped from the mattress and a new sheet posited thereon. Obviously, this procedure takes time and energy of a sometimes-exhausted baby care giver.  
           [0004]    The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a crib mattress cover that would be securely positionable on a crib mattress without the possibility of the baby removing or significantly shifting the sheet.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a sheet covering for a crib mattress, which cannot be unraveled by an infant.  
           [0006]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet covering that is easily positionable and removable from the mattress for washing.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sheet covering that would allow the baby&#39;s caretaker to turn over the mattress and position the baby on an unsoiled cover panel.  
           [0008]    These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through the provision of a crib mattress cover that comprises a top panel and a bottom panel sewn together along three edges. The panels are configured to form an opening that accommodates a crib mattress therein. One end of the generally rectangular cover is open; it is defined by opposing edges of the panels.  
           [0009]    A plurality of securing members, such as hook and loop fasteners are attached along the open edges of the panels. When the securing members are joined together, the panels are stretched to tightly fit the crib mattress. If desired, the closed end of the cover may be fitted to accommodate the rectangular end of the mattress. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals and wherein  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a side view of the sheet cover in accordance with the present invention positioned over a mattress.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the securing members attached to opposing edges of the open end of the cover.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a top view of the crib mattress cover secured over the mattress.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the crib mattress cover secured over the mattress.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    Referring now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates the crib mattress cover in accordance with the present invention. The mattress cover is comprised of a first top panel  12  and a second bottom panel  14 . The panels  12  and  14  have a generally rectangular configuration as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0016]    The panels  12  and  14  have elongated sides  16 ,  18 , and shorter ends  20  and  22 . The panels  12  and  14  are secured together along side  16 ,  18  and along the closed end  22 . The cover is open along the end  20  of the panels  12  and  14 . The edge of each end  20  of the panels  12  and  14  is hemmed, forming a double thickness material that extends from the edge of the panels to a seam  24  stitched 1-2 inches from the edges.  
         [0017]    The opposing edges of the panels  12  and  14  along the open ends  20  are generally parallel to each other. The length of the panels  12  and  14  is slightly greater than the length of the mattress, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. As a result, the edges of the open ends extend slightly father than the end of the mattress.  
         [0018]    A plurality of securing members  26 , which may be hook and loop fasteners, is secured along the edges of the opposing end portions of each panel  12  and  14 . The hook and loop fasteners  26  may be pieces of Velcro® material with mating surfaces facing the inner surfaces  28 ,  30  of the panels  12  and  14 .  
         [0019]    When the cover  10  is slipped over a mattress  32 , the ends  20  of the panels  12  and  14  are secured together, causing the securing members  26  to engage with each other and enclose the mattress  32  entirely. The body of the cover  10  is sized to fit over a standard crib mattress with elongated sides  16  and  18  being slightly longer than the length of the mattress extending outwardly from the end  34  of the mattress. The end  22  of the cover  10 , as shown in the drawings, covers the second end  36  of the mattress  32 .  
         [0020]    The panels  12  and  14  extend over the top and bottom of the mattress  32 . If desired, the end  22  of the cover  10  may be made fitted by application of inner seams to the end  22 , so that a better fit is achieved over the rectangular end  36  of the mattress  32 .  
         [0021]    Alternatively, the cover  10 , in addition to the panels  12  and  14 , may be formed with side inserts  38  fitted between the panels  12  and  14  and secured thereto by conventional running seams. The panels  38  accommodate the height of the mattress  32 , enclosing the side vertical portions  40  of the mattress  32 .  
         [0022]    In operation, the user slips the open end  20  of the cover  10  first over the end  36  of the mattress  32 , then pulls the cover  10  along the mattress length, until the free ends  20  of the cover  10  extend outwardly from the end  34  of the mattress  32 . The user then brings the ends  20  together, applying slight pressure to the hook and loop fastener elements  26 , causing them to attach to the opposing securing members of the mating panel.  
         [0023]    The mattress, with a crib cover  10 , positioned thereon, is then positioned in the usual manner in the crib, with the user pulling up any excess length of the cover  10  to the end  20  where the panels  12  and  14  are secured. An infant resting in the crib with the cover  10  therein, no matter how vigorous he/she moves, will not be able to disengage the cover  10  from the mattress  32 .  
         [0024]    Turning now to FIG. 4, an alternative closure member is illustrated as used on the crib mattress. As can be seen in the drawing, the cover  50  envelopes the mattress  52  on three sides where it is closed by stitching. One open side of the cover carries a zipper  54 , which closes the opposing edges  56  and  58  of the cover  50 . When the zipper  54  is closed, the cover  50  forms two “flaps”—the first flap  60  and the second flap  62 . These flaps are formed by an excess material that presents itself when the cover  50  is placed over a mattress that has a generally parallelepiped shape.  
         [0025]    To secure the flaps  60  and  62 , the cover  50  is provided with a pair of hook and loop members  64  and  66  on each flap. A corresponding hook-and-loop member (not shown) is secured on the outer surface of the cover  50  adjacent to the location where the edges  68  and  70  of the flaps  60  and  62  are located when folded over the mattress, as shown in FIG. 4. In operation, the user pulls the cover  50  over the mattress  52  and extends the open end a distance from the narrow end of the mattress  52 .  
         [0026]    The user then closes the zipper  54 , folds the flaps  60  and  62  over at least a portion of the zipper and secures the flaps  60  and  62  by pressing the hook-and-loop members  64  and  66  on the underside of the flaps to the hook-and-loop members on the body of the cover adjacent the zipper  54 . In this manner, the tab of the zipper  54  is covered by one of the flaps and will not scratch or injure the infant.  
         [0027]    An additional advantage of the two-sided covers  10  and  50  is that in case the top panels gets soiled, the infant&#39;s caregiver will be able to simply turn the mattress over and place the child on the unsoiled panels until a convenient time for washing the covers  10  and  50  presents itself.  
         [0028]    The mattress cover of the present invention is made from a flame retardant, safe fabric suitable for baby sheets. In the preferred embodiment, the Velcro® fasteners positioned on the inside surfaces of the hemmed portions are preferred since they will not scratch the infant even if the cover gets shifted to expose the ends  20  to the top of the mattress  32 .  
         [0029]    Since baby crib mattresses are manufactured of standard dimensions, the crib mattress cover  10  will accommodate all types of mattresses and is easily positioned and removed, it can be cleaned in a standard washing machine without a worry about elastic stretching, as would be the case with conventional sheets. Of course, the cover  10  may be made from highly decorative fabric, if desired, as long as it is safe for use in place of baby crib sheets.  
         [0030]    Many changes and modifications may be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 4