AU2006100897A4

AU2006100897A4 - A bedding assembly

Info

Publication number: AU2006100897A4
Application number: AU2006100897A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Milomirka Radovic
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-10-19
Filing date: 2006-10-19
Publication date: 2006-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-19

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT A BEDDING ASSEMBLY The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: IND 2

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A BEDDING ASSEMBLY 0 THIS INVENTION relates to a bedding assembly.

0 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bedding assemblies generally have a bed cover sheet for positioning on the top surface of a mattress. To retain this sheet on the mattress, it is made substantially larger than the mattress so that it's side edges and ends can be tucked under the mattress.

00 Tucking the cover sheet under a mattress is a difficult and frustrating task as the sides and ends of mattress must be lifted in turn for the corresponding edges and ends of the sheet to be tucked. Where a person must remain in bed, tucking presents a relatively heavy stress on the hands and back of the person performing tucking. Often, parts of the edges and ends of the cover sheet would slip back during tucking, especially when rubber or plastic gloves are worn by the person performing tucking. The tucked cover sheet may become loose and thereby not being smooth. Tucking would then need to be repeated in order to smoothen the sheet. The tucked edges and/or ends of the sheet are sometimes caught in the rails of a bed of that type and it may be torn when removing the sheet.

When the person lying on the bed moves, some sections of the tucked cover sheet would become wrinkled and untucked. The wrinkled sections cause discomfort and would often cause the person's feet to be directly on the mattress.

Fitted cover sheets are known to be better than tucked sheets in regard to staying smooth during a person's movement in bed. One disadvantage of these fitted sheets is that as elasticised corners are employed to contract onto mattresses, the elastics of the fitted sheets would fail in a relatively short time due to repeated laundering such as bed sheets for use in a hospital or nursing home.

Bedding assemblies for bed ridden persons also have a draw sheet positioned crosswise over the cover sheet and a waterproof layer on the cover sheet. The draw sheet is used to absorb any leakage from the incontinence pads worn by bed ridden persons. Turninga bed ridden person is typically required in changing the cover sheet and the draw sheet and to prevent bed sores in elderly people. A slip sheet provides assistance in turning the bed ridden person. Where the bed ridden person is incontinent, a water proofing layer is always placed under the draw sheet. A kylie may ID 3

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be used in place of the draw sheet. Currently, the draw sheet or kylie is simply Spositioned at a location on the mattress based on judgement of the person making the 0 bed and ends or wings of the draw sheet or kylie are tucked under the mattress. The location is not always correct for preventing wetting of the cover sheet and mattress.

In addition, the draw sheet/kylie would tend to become loose or wrinkled when the bed ridden person moves or turns. As such, the draw sheet/kylie would need to be 00

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repositioned by the nurses in the following shift, usually night shift.

As the water proofing layer is not attached to the draw sheet/kylie, it would move independently. As such, it is often not in position to prevent wetting of the cover sheet and mattress.

When changing an incontinence pad and turning the bed ridden person with a slip sheet, a loose and wrinkled cover sheet, the draw sheet/kylie and/or plastic water proofing layer are in the way when performing these tasks. They would need to be tightly tucked before using the slip sheet. Loose and wrinkled draw sheets and water proofing sheets cause discomfort and imprints on person's skin even after only two hours of sleep on one side.

As the cover sheets, draw sheets and plastic layers must be much larger than the width of the mattresses for tucking, the costs of these items are relatively high.

Because of their size and weight, fewer of them can be laundered and dried in one washing cycle.

OBIECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a bedding assembly which alleviates or reduces to a ceratin level one or more of the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in a bedding assembly for a bed having a mattress with a top exposed surface, opposed sides, opposed ends and a bottom surface. The assembly comprises a cover sheet configured for covering at least the top surface of the mattress, and a first retention arrangement adapted to retain the cover sheet in position relative to the mattress. The first retention arrangement has one or more first retention elements fixed to the cover sheet, and one or more corresponding second compatible retention elements fixed to a frame of said bed or IND 4

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a first panel arranged to engage said bottom surface. The compatible first and second o retention elements are configured to be releaseably coupled for retaining the cover 0 sheet in position. Said assembly further comprises a draw sheet arranged for positioning across said cover sheet and ends thereof configured to extend over respective opposed sides of the mattress, and a connection arrangement adapted for the draw sheet to be releaseably connected to the first panel or a second panel 00

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positioned under the mattress and in engagement with said first panel or said bottom surface.

In preference, said first or second panel has opposed flaps arranged to be positionable along the respective sides of the mattress for the connection arrangement to connect the draw sheet thereto.

The draw sheet may have a water proofing layer releaseably connected to it.

Alternatively, the draw sheet and water proofing layer may be releaseably connected to the second panel.

In preference, the cover sheet is a fitted type with flanges extending from said top surface, and the first retaining element(s) are fixed along the flanges. The flanges may be arranged to cover at least parts of said opposed sides and/or said opposed ends.

Adjacent flanges may form corners. Preferably, each said corner has a rounded edge.

Preferably, said assembly further comprises a tensioning arrangement for applying a tension on said cover sheet. The tensioning arrangement may include adjustable compatible connection members on said cover sheet and said frame or panel. Adjustability may be necessary due to the variation in mattress sizes.

Said connection arrangement for the draw sheet may also be configured to adjustably tension said draw sheet. Typically, said connection arrangements include adjustable compatible connection members on said draw sheet and said frame or panel.

Examples ofsaid adjustablecompatible connection members include hookand loop strips, or sets of eyelets and ties threading through said sets of eyelets for adjustably tensioning the cover sheet by pulling and tying the ties.

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The cover sheet and said first panel may be joined or formed integrally along acorresponding side edges thereof. Thus, the cover sheet and the first panel form a clam- 0 shell body which can open for receiving the mattress. The retention arrangement may be in the form of a zip fastener, a hook and loop type fastener(s) or snap fasteners.

The first panel may have a fixing arrangement for fixing end edges and/or side edges thereof while the first panel is in a folded position.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein: Figure 1 schematically illustrates a typical prior art bedding assembly; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the bedding assembly according to the present invention, the assembly being positioned on a mattress; Figure 3 shows the lower panel of the assembly shown in Figure 2 positioned under the mattress; Figures 4 shows the cover sheet positioned to cover the mattress and fixed to the panel; Figure 5 shows details at a corner of the assembly; Figure 6 shows a part of the tensioning arrangement for the cover sheet; Figure 7 is a partial view of the draw sheet of the assembly shown in Figure 2; Figure 8 shows the connection arrangement for the draw sheet; Figure 9 is a perspective view of one form of the combined cover sheet and under panel for the embodiment of the bedding assembly shown in Figure 2; Figure 10 is a partial view showing details of the retention arrangement for the combined cover sheet and under panel shown in Figure 9; Figures 11 and 12 respectively show alternative forms of the retention arrangement for the combined cover sheet and under panel shown in Figure 9; Figure 13 is a perspective view of another form of the combined cover sheet and under panel for the embodiment of the bedding assembly shown in Figure 2; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the bedding assembly according to the present invention; IND 6 Figure 15 is a cross-section view of the further embodiment of the bedding a assembly shown in Figure 14;

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Figure 16 is a perspective view of the under panel for the bedding assembly shown in Figure 14 to be retained in the folded position; Figure 17 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the bedding assembly according to the present invention; 00

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Figure 18 is a cross-section view of the assembly shown in Figure 17; and Figure 19 is a partial cross-section view showing details of the connection arrangement for the draw sheet of the bedding assembly shown in Figure 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1, there is shown a prior art bedding assembly 10 positioned on a bed 12. The bed 12 has a head end frame 14.

a leg end frame 16, both on castor wheels 18. A support frame 20 is arranged between the end frames 14 and 16, and a mattress 58 (see Figure 3) is positioned on the support frame. A cover sheet 22 is positioned to cover the exposed top surface of the mattress.

To retain the cover sheet 22 in position, it is configured to be substantially wider and longer than the mattress so that its edges 24 can be tucked under the mattress. For a bed ridden incontinent person 26, the assembly 10 also has a draw sheet 28 and a water proofing plastic sheet 30 arranged on the cover sheet 22. As shown, the draw sheet 28 and the plastic sheet 30 are also made substantially larger than the width of the mattress so that they can be tucked under the mattress.

In the process of tucking, the mattress must be lifted off the support frame for the edges 24 of the cover sheet 22 to be inserted under the mattress. Likewise, the mattress must also be lifted when tucking in the draw sheet and the plastic sheet.

When the person 26 moves, invariably the cover sheet 22, and the draw sheet 28 and the plastic sheet 30 would move and some parts 32 thereof become folded and wrinkled. The folded and wrinkled parts 32 cause imprints on the body of the person 26 and can contribute to bed sores. The plastic sheet 30 being loose could move out of position where wetting was expected. As such, the whole bedding assembly would need to be changed and the mattress would need to be dried before it can be used again.

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Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown an embodiment of the bedding aassembly 50 according to the present invention. The assembly 50 has a fitted cover sheet 52 with side and end extension flanges 54, 56 configured to cover corresponding sides 60 and ends 62 of a mattress 58 (see Figure and an under panel 64 positioned underneath the mattress 58. The panel 64 is maintained in position due the engagement with the bottom face of the mattress 58. The panel 64 is, in use, 00

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sandwiched between the mattress and the bed frame As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the assembly 50 also has a retention arrangement 66 for retaining the cover sheet 52 in position on the mattress 58. The retention arrangement 66 has sets of compatible retention elements 68 and 70 at each corner and mid section of the assembly 50. In this embodiment, the compatible retention elements 68 and 70 are male and female press studs.

The assembly 50 has an adjustable tensioning arrangement 72 for adjusting tension in the cover sheet 52. In this embodiment, the tensioning arrangement 72 has a pair of eyelets 74 on either sides of each corner of the cover sheet 52 and a corresponding eyelet 76 on the lower panel 64. The corners of the cover sheet 52 are rounded so that they can be folded in neatly as shown in Figure 6. Ties 78 are threaded through the eyelets 74 and 76, The ties can adjust tension in the cover sheet 52 by adjustably pulling said corners while tying.

Referring again to Figures 2 to 4, the lower panel 64 has opposed flaps arranged for releaseable connection to a draw sheet 82. The connection removes any guess work in determining a position for efficient turning of a person and to prevent wetting of the mattress 58 and the cover sheet 52. As can be seen, the draw sheet 82 is arranged to extend across the cover sheet 52 and it has a water proofing plastic layer 84 removably fixed to a draw sheet textile panel 86 by compatible snap on studs 88 and 90 (see Figure The draw sheet 82 has a series of eyelets 92 at each end thereof and the flaps have groups of vertically spaced eyelets 94 arranged to be selectively threaded by a string 96. As such, draw sheets of different sizes can be used. The string 96 also provides a degree of tensioning of the draw sheet 82.

Referring to Figure 9, the embodiment of the bedding assembly 50 as shown has a combined cover sheet 52 and under panel 64 which are formed integrally along IO 8

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one side edge 65 forming a clam-shell like body which is openable to receive a c mattress 58. The retention arrangement 66 for this embodiment is a zipper 67 for

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opening and closing clam-shell like body. The part of the body that is openable extends substantially from a part of one end flange 56 that is adjacent to the side edge, along one side flange 54 to the opposed end flange 56. Details of the zipper 67 are \clearly shown in the enlarged partial view in Figure

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The zipper 67 of the retention arrangement 66 may be replaced by spaced sets of press studs 80,90 as shown in Figure 11 or spaced hook and loop fasteners 98 as shown in Figure 12.

The embodiment of the bedding assembly shown in Figure 13 also has a combined cover sheet 52 and under panel 64. The retention arrangement 66 for this embodiment is formed of hook and loop fasteners 98 which are located spacedly along the end flanges 56 and one side flange 54.

Loops 100 are provided on sides of the lower panel 64 for straps (not shown) to pass therethrough and over the patient. The patient is thus restrained when moving the patient.

In Figures 14 and 15, the embodiment of the bedding assembly 50 as shown has a fitted cover sheet 52 and a separate bottom panel 64 configured for engaging the bottom surface of the mattress 58. The retention arrangement 66 for this embodiment are hook and loop fasteners 100 arranged with one part thereof 102 on respective ends of the panel 64 and the other part thereof 104 on respective end flanges 56 of the bed cover 56. The bottom panel 64 has a further part 104 for at about the mid part of the panel 64. The further part 104 at the mid part is configured for maintaining the panel 64 in a folded position as shown in Figure 16.

Referring now to Figures 17 to 19, the cover sheet 52 and mattress 58 is protected by a draw sheet arrangement 82 which has a top draw sheet panel 86 of a textile material and a plastic layer or panel 84 underneath the draw panel 86, and a lower connection panel 106 adapted for positioning under the mattress 58.The connection panel 106 is of a length that its ends extend over the side edges 54 of the cover sheet 52. The top layers 84 and 86 are connected to the connection panel 106 by means of a connection arrangement 108. The connection arrangement 108 for this I9 embodiment has a hook part 110 of a hook and loop fastener secured to each end of o the connection panel 106. The hook parts 110 are relatively broad and extend over 0 upturned end sections of the connection panel 106. Each end of the plastic panel 84 is provided with a relatively narrow loop part 112 of the hook and loop fasteners, and each end of the draw panel 86 is provided with a relatively narrow loop part 114 of C" the hook and loop fasteners. The plastic layer 84 is slightly shorter than that of the draw 00

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panel 86 so that both the loop parts 112 and 114 can connect to the relatively broad hook part 110 on the connection panel 106.

The embodiments of the bed assembly as described above thus would alleviate at least one of the prior art disadvantages, namely: minimising skin imprints and discomfort of elderly residents at night caused by the loose and wrinkled draw sheets and plastic sheets substantially eliminating wetting of the cover sheet and mattress due to incorrect bed making and/or patient's movement in bed substantially eliminating slipping of the cover sheet and exposing the mattress on the head end while the bed is in the raised position substantially eliminating feet being on the bare mattress (rubbery surface) if the patient is restless or moves his legs to an extend causing the bed cover sheet to loosen and be messed up to thereby exposing the mattress minimising human errors in bed making such as incorrectly positioning the plastic panel and the draw panel in the center and not having sufficient lengths of the cover sheet ends to tuck under the mattress both lengthwise and widthwise minimising the time the patient being exposed during change of incontinence aids and/or turning the pressure area care relatively faster and more accurate application of incontinence aids rendering use of the slide sheets for turning over patients faster and easier as the cover sheets and the draw sheets are retained smooth and tight lighter sheets for washing as less fabric used for the draw sheets and ND c. only one version of the cover sheets need to be used S less frequent washing of the cover sheets as they remain dry Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth in the following claims.

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Claims

2. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein said first or second panel has opposed flaps arranged to be positionable along the respective sides of the mattress for the connection arrangement to connect the draw sheet panel thereto, and/or the draw sheet arrangement having a water proofing layer releaseably connected to the draw sheet panel or the water proofing layer and the draw sheet panel being releaseably connected to the second panel.
3. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the cover sheet is a fitted type with flanges extending from said top surface, and the first retention element(s) are fixed along the flanges.
4. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprising a tensioning arrangement for applying a tension on said cover sheet, the tensioning arrangement including adjustable compatible connection members on said cover sheet and said frame or first panel. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the cover sheet and said first panel being joined or formed integrally along corresponding side edges thereof to thereby form a clam-shell like body which can open for receiving the ND 12 O 1 mattress, and the retention arrangement being arranged to selectively open and close 0 said clam-shell like body. 0 SDATED this 19th day of October 2006 00 SMILOMIRKA RADOVIC 0 By her Patent Attorneys INTELLEPRO