WO1995028862A1

WO1995028862A1 - A bed cover

Info

Publication number: WO1995028862A1
Application number: PCT/AU1995/000228
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott Alexander Bremner
Original assignee: Scott Alexander Bremner
Priority date: 1994-04-21
Filing date: 1995-04-20
Publication date: 1995-11-02

Abstract

A bed cover (10) is disclosed for covering a person or persons in a bed, in which the cover (10) includes at least one releasably attachable securing means (15 or 16, 18) along at least a part of each side (13, 14) of the cover, which can be releasably attached to and detached from complimentary releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of other bedding material of the bed. The bed cover (10) is most desirably a duvet or duvet and duvet cover.

Description

A BED COVER

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to improvements in bed covering materials and relates particularly but not exclusively to bed covering materials such as duvets ("continental quilts"), duvet covers, sheets, fitted sheets and blankets which are intended to be under or over (as the case may be) a person or persons whilst in bed to provide warmth and/or shelter during sleeping hours. Bed covering materials such as duvets, duvet covers, sheets, fitted sheets and blankets are well known. Sheets, fitted sheets and blankets are designed to be tucked under the mattress of a bed to provide warm cover to the occupant(s) of the bed during sleeping hours. Duvets (with or without duvet covers) are designed to provide similar cover but are not intended to be tucked under the mattress. Sheets and blankets, in particular are prone to become untucked during sleeping hours, move with the movement of the occupier of the bed and fall away from the occupier of the bed leaving the occupier partially uncovered. Duvets, as they are not intended to be tucked in may also move with the movement of the occupier of the bed and fall away from the occupier of the bed leaving the occupier partially or completely uncovered. This problem is particularly relevant in the case of young children or the sick or elderly, who may be unable to pull the bed covers back in place if they become uncovered during sleeping hours.

Brief disclosure pf the prior art

There is much prior art in relation to bedding materials and the fixing of the materials to a bed. Such art includes patent specifications GB-A 2,023,419,

Malordean; AU-B-30990/89 (614340), AU-A-48633/93 and AU-A-48634/93,

Etherington; AU-A-36876-93, Wauchope; AU-A-22442/88, Peverell; AU-A- 55161/94, Nu-Wool; AU-A-75854/91 , Lazar and US 2,662,234; 2,799,870; 2,942,280; 3,273,175; 3,438,068; 4,035,854; 4,384,380; 4,461 ,049; 4,703,530 and 4,495,233.

Malordean British Patent Application No. 2,023,419,discloses a "duvet" (or similar) which is attachable to a bed to retain the duvet in place and to stop the duvet from moving or slipping from the bed during the night. The duvet is attached to the bed along at least a portion of the edge (or adjacent to the edge) by means of flaps which are tucked under the mattress. The flaps may be attached to the duvet by buttons, loops, hooks or toggles. The attachment means may also be "touch and close" fastenings such as press stud fastenings or "filamentous loop and hook ('Velcro') fastenings".

AU-A-36876/93 (Wauchope), for example, discloses a bed covering having an elasticised body section around a mattress with a cover section to provide a sleeping cavity and adapted to extend down the sides and ends of the mattress and at least partially under the mattress. Etherington AU-A-48634/93 discloses a duvet having a flap of material fastened across the foot end of the duvet having releasable fastening means to releasably attach the duvet to the foot of the bed.

None of the prior art adequately overcomes the disadvantages outlined above in a manner which is simple and effective to manufacture. None of the above prior art effectively solves the problem of providing a means to retain a duvet in place during the night whilst still allowing adequate freedom of movement during the sleeping hours and allowing ready access into and out of bed. The present invention seeks to overcome or reduce the disadvantages of prior bed coverings.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention therefore provides in one preferred form, a bed cover for covering a person or persons in a bed, in which the cover includes at least one releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of the cover, which can be releasably attached to and detached from complimentary releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of other bedding material of the bed to retain the duvet in place. The invention also provides a combination of a bed cover for covering a person or persons in a bed, and other bedding material, in which the cover and the other bedding material include complimentary releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of the cover and the other bedding material, which can be releasably attached to and detached from each other along at least a part of each side to retain the duvet in place. Preferably the bed cover is a duvet or duvet and duvet cover. Preferably the other bedding material is a flat or most preferably a fitted bottom sheet. Preferably the releasably attachable securing means extend along only a portion of each side of the covering material. Preferably the releasably attachable securing means extend in a longitudinal direction along only a portion of each side of the cover along a length from about the shoulder to about the hip location or along a length from about the waist to about the knee of the occupier of the bed when the bed is in use (or from the shoulder to the knee). Preferably the releasably attachable securing means is a fabric hook and eye fastener (such as those known by the Trade Mark "Velcro"), zip or press stud means. Preferably a spacing material is provided between the cover and the fixing means, between the other bedding material and the fixing means or between both the cover and the fixing means and the other bedding material and the fixing means, to provide sufficient space and comfort for the occupier of the bed.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically a duvet made in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows schematically a duvet made in accordance with another preferred embodiment o the invention; and Figure 3 shows schematically a duvet made in accordance the invention on a bed.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a duvet 10 (comprising a duvet inner and a duvet cover) of substantially rectangular shape, having a head end 11 , a foot end 12 and sides 13 and 14. The duvet 10 has zip fixing means 15 attached to each side 13, 14 of the duvet 10 extending over the area 17 from about the shoulder to hip of a person (not shown) when lying beneath the duvet 10. The zip fixing means 15 is releasably attachable to and detachable from complimentary zip fixing means on a fitted bottom sheet (also not shown). The zip fixing means 15 is a single zip fixing means attached to each side of the duvet and to each side of the fitted bottom sheet. The zip fixing means 15 are of the type which are separable so that the duvet 10 may be removed for whatever purpose such as for washing. The opposing pairs of zip fixing means are such that they are able to be attached one side to the other side to provide a temporary sleeping cover over and under (i.e. fully around a person) but preferably not continuously attached all the way around the cover. Second similar zip fixing means 16 may also be fitted to the duvet and in complimentary positions on the bottom sheet. Alternatively the zip fastening means may extend from shoulder to knee but not across the foot of the duvet.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown an alternative embodiment of duvet 20 (comprising a duvet inner and a duvet cover) of substantially rectangular shape, having a top or "head" end 21 , a bottom or "feet" end 22 and sides 23 and 24. The duvet 20 has fabric hook and eye fixing means 25 attached to each side 23, 24 of the duvet 20. The fixing means 25 in this embodiment, on the duvet and the fixing means on e.g. the fitted bottom sheet, are attached to the duvet 20 by means of a spacer 26 to provide the user with additional room and comfort when in bed. extending over the area 27 from e.g. the shoulder to hip of a person (not shown) when lying beneath the duvet 20. The fabric hook and eye fixing means 25 is releasably attachable to and detachable from complimentary fabric hook and eye fixing means on a fitted bottom sheet (also not shown). The fabric hook and eye fixing means 25 is preferably attached to each side of the duvet (as by line of sewing 29) and to each side of the fitted bottom sheet although more than one fixing means may be attached to the duvet and to the bottom sheet at or near the edge of the duvet and at a corresponding place on the bottom sheet. The fabric hook and eye fixing means 25 is, as is understood, separable so that the duvet 20 may be removed for whatever purpose such as for washing the duvet cover. The opposing pairs of fabric hook and eye fixing means are such that they are able to be attached one side to the other side to provide a temporary sleeping cover over and under (i.e. fully around a person) but preferably not continuously attached all the way around the edges of the cover.

Referring to Figure 3 there is generally shown in partial end view a bed fitted with a duvet 30 (comprising a duvet inner and a duvet cover). The bed includes a base 32, mattress 31 and a fitted sheet 33. The fitted sheet 33 has a spacer 35 attached to one side as shown. The spacer, which is merely a strip or rectangular piece of material, is releasably attached to the duvet by a pair of fabric hook and eye fixing means 35. In Fig. 3a the bed is shown schematically as being unoccupied whereas in Fig. 3b the bed is shown schematically as being occupied. The provision of the spacer 35 further permits the duvet 30 to rise and fall to provide additional room and comfort for the occupier without restricting movement to any great extent and whilst still permitting ready access into and out of bed by virtue of the releasable fixing means. The spacer 35 may also be attached to the sheet by additional releasable fixing means to provide further versatility by allowing the duvet to be used with or without a spacer.

It will be appreciated that the duvet 10, 20, 30 illustrated may be a single, double or any other size duvet and that the fixing means may extend over the area 18, 28 from e.g. the neck to foot of a person (not shown) when lying beneath the duvet 10, 20. The fixing means may also extend along the full length of each side of the duvet 10, 20. The fixing means may be continuous or in discrete sections along each side or part of each side of the duvet 10, 20 and may be as indicated either fabric hook and eye fasteners, zip fasteners or press stud or other known fasteners. The materials of the duvet or other bedding materials referred to herein may be of any standard bedding materials known in the bedding material art. The spacers on the covering material of the invention and the combination of covering material and other bed or bedding materials may be such that in the case of a bed base and mattress set, the fixing means (not on the covering material) may be attached directly to the base of the bed base and mattress set.

Whilst I have described preferred embodiments of my invention in detail, it will be appreciated that many variations from the preferred invention described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention broadly disclosed.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A bed cover for covering a person or persons in a bed, in which the cover includes at least one releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of the cover, which can be releasably attached to and detached from complimentary releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of other bedding material of the bed.

2. A bed cover as claimed in claim 1 in which the bed cover is a duvet or duvet and duvet cover.

3. A bed cover as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the other bedding material is a flat or a fitted bottom sheet.

4. A bed cover as claimed in claim 1 , 2 or 3 in which the releasably attachable securing means extend along only a portion of each side of the covering material.

5. A bed cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the releasably attachable securing means extend along only a portion of each side of the cover along a length from about the shoulder to about the hip location; or along a length from about the waist to about the knee location; or along a length from about the shoulder to about the knee of the occupier of the bed when the bed is in use.

6. A bed cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the releasably attachable securing means is a fabric hook and eye fastener, zip fastener or press stud means.

7. A bed cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 in which a spacing material is provided; between the cover and the fixing means; between the other bedding material and the fixing means; or between both the cover and the fixing means and the other bedding material and the fixing means; to provide sufficient space and comfort for the occupier of the bed.

8. A combination of a bed cover for covering a person or persons in a bed, and other bedding material, in which the cover and the other bedding material include complimentary releasably attachable securing means along at least a part of each side of the cover and the other bedding material, which can be releasably attached to and detached from each other along at least a part of each side.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8 in which the bed cover is a duvet or duvet and duvet cover.

10. A combination as claimed in claim 8 or 9 in which the other bedding material is a flat or a fitted bottom sheet.

11. A combination as claimed in claim 8, 9 or 10 in which the releasably attachable securing means extend along only a portion of each side of the covering material.

12. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 in which the releasably attachable securing means extend along only a portion of each side of the cover along a length from about the shoulder to about the hip location; or along a length from about the waist to about the knee location; or along a length from about the shoulder to about the knee of the occupier of the bed when the bed is in use.

13. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12 in which the releasably attachable securing means is a fabric hook and eye fastener, zip fastener or press stud means.

14. A combination as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13 in which a spacing material is provided; between the cover and the fixing means; between the other bedding material and the fixing means; or between both the cover and the fixing means and the other bedding material and the fixing means; to provide sufficient space and comfort for the occupier of the bed.

15. A combination of a bed cover for covering a person or persons in a bed, and other bedding material substantially as herein described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.