Bed Skirt

Abstract

A bed skirt, comprising a fitted sheet including a continuous pocket of fabric and a securing mechanism (e.g. elastic member, drawstring) disposed about the mouth of the pocket such that a user can secure the fitted sheet about a box spring mattress. The continuous pocket of fabric includes a top portion circumscribed by side portions that completely covers the top and sides of a box spring mattress while in use. A skirt is fixedly coupled to the pocket of fabric near a junction of the top portion and the side portion of the continuous pocket of fabric, wherein the skirt extends down along the side portion when in use.

Claims

1. A bed skirt, comprising: a. a fitted sheet including a continuous pocket of fabric and a securing mechanism disposed about the mouth of the pocket such that a user can secure the fitted sheet about a box spring mattress, wherein the continuous pocket of fabric includes a top portion circumscribed by side portions that completely covers the top and sides of a box spring mattress while in use; and b. a skirt fixedly coupled to the pocket of fabric near a junction of the top portion and the side portion of the continuous pocket of fabric, wherein the skirt extends down along the side portion when in use.

2. The bed skirt of Claim I, wherein the skirt includes three separate skirts, one at each of three sides of the fitted sheet.

3. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt couples to the fitted sheet at the top portion above the junction between the top portion and the side portion.

4. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the securing mechanism is a securing mechanism selected from the group of securing mechanisms consisting of elastic members and drawstrings.

5. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt is a multi-layered skirt.

6. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the top portion of a material with a lower coefficient of friction than that of the skirt and that of the side portions.

7. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt mates to the fitted sheet at a seam between the top portion and the side portions.

8. The bed skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt is coupled to the side portion below the junction between the top portion and the side portion.

9. A bed skid, consisting of: a. a fitted sheet including a continuous pocket of fabric and a securing mechanism disposed about the mouth of the pocket such that a user can secure the fitted sheet about a box spring mattress, wherein the continuous pocket of fabric includes a top portion circumscribed by side portions that completely covers the top and sides of a box spring mattress while in use; and b. a skirt fixedly coupled to the pocket of fabric near a junction of the top portion and the side portion of the continuous pocket of fabric, wherein the skirt extends down along the side portion when in use.

10. The bed skirt of claim 9, wherein the securing mechanism is a securing mechanism selected from the group of securing mechanisms consisting of elastic members and drawstrings.

11. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the skirt includes three separate skirt panels, one at each of three sides of the fitted sheet

12. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the skirt is a multi-layered skirt.

13. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the top portion is of a material with a lower coefficient of friction than that of the skirt and that of the side portions.

14. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the skirt a o the fitted sheet at a seam between the top portion and the side portions.

15. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the skirt couples to the fitted sheet at the top portion above the junction between the top portion and the side portion.

16. The bed skirt of claim 10, wherein the skirt is coupled to the side portion below the junction between the top portion and the side portion.

17. A bed skirt comprising a fitted sheet with a whole top portion from which a skirt extends downwardly.

18. The bed skirt of claim 17, wherein the securing mechanism is a securing mechanism selected from the group of securing mechanisms consisting of elastic members and drawstrings; and wherein the skirt includes three separate skirt panels, one at each of three sides of the fitted sheet.

19. The bed skirt of claim 18, wherein the top portion is of a material with a lower coefficient of friction than that of the skirt and that of the side portions.

20. The bed skirt of claim 19, wherein the skirt is a multi-layered skirt.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawing(s). It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are mere schematics representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not, therefore, to be considered to be limiting its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing(s), in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a multi-layered bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention; and

[0027] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a multi-layered bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing(s), and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

[0029] Reference throughout this specification to an “embodiment,” an “example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or combinations thereof described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases an “embodiment,” an “example,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, to different embodiments, or to one or more of the figures. Additionally, reference to the wording “embodiment,” “example” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are necessarily related, dissimilar, the same, etc.

[0030] Each statement of an embodiment, or example, is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The features, functions, and the like described herein are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.

[0031] As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “is,” “are,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view thereof; and FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof. There is shown a bed skirt 10 including a fitted sheet (12, 18 and 22, together a continuous pocket of fabric) having a top portion 12, side portions 18, and bottom portions 22 (mouth of the pocket of fabric), wherein a securing mechanism 30, disposed at a mouth of the pocket of fabric, allows a user to secure the fitted sheet to a box spring mattress 20. The top portion is circumscribed by the side portions. A skirt 16 is fixedly coupled to and extends downwardly, while in use, from a position (crown 14) near a junction between the op portion 12 and the side portions 18 of the fitted sheet. The bed skirt is fitted about a genericized box spring mattress 20 having a length 13, width 11, and a depth 15 (details regarding the structure of the box spring mattress are not illustrated in order to focus on the structure of the bed skirt itself).

[0033] The illustrated fitted sheet is a continuous pocket of fabric (i.e. there are no significant gaps, holes, apertures, etc. through it such that the top mattress makes direct contact with the box spring mattress, even though some portions may be of a different material and/or stitched or otherwise fixedly coupled to each other) into which a box spring mattress may fit. The fitted sheet includes a securing device that allows the mouth of the pocket to open enough to allow the mattress inside, but then allows a user to close the mouth about the bottom thereof to secure the fitted sheet thereto. This is done in a manner very similar to how a fitted sheet is disposed over a top mattress. The fitted sheet completely covers the top of the box spring mattress as well as the sides thereof, but only covers a periphery of the bottom thereof.

[0034] The illustrated fitted sheet includes a top portion 12 coupled to a side portion(s) 18 which are coupled to bottom portion(s) 22 having securing devices 30 coupled thereto. The illustrated securing devices are bands of elastic material at interior corners of the bottom portions 22 that bias such corners into a contracted state such that the mouth of the fitted sheet is smaller than a circumference of a bottom of the mattress, but that expand sufficiently to allow the mattress to be inserted into the fitted sheet. Drawstrings or other similar bias members or cinching structures may be utilized to perform the same function. The illustrated top portion 12 is fixedly coupled to the skirt 16 and to the side portion 18 by stitching and/or adhesive or other methods for securing separate panels of material/fabric together, while the side portions 18 and the bottom portions are fixedly coupled together by being of the same woven material. The illustrated top portion 12 may be of a different material (e.g. satin, silk, or other material (e.g. treated fabrics and/or low friction weaves) that has a low coefficient of friction as compared to other more coarse materials) than that of the side/bottom portions 18, 22 and or than the skirt 16. The illustrated skirt 16 includes a bottom end 24 which extends below/beyond the depth of the fitted portion 18.

[0035] The illustrated skirt mates to the fitted sheet at a seam between the top portion and the side portions. The illustrated skirt also includes four separate skirt panels, one at each of four sides of the fitted sheet. It may be that, for beds that are up against a wall, as is common in hotels, such skirts may only circumscribe three sides of the fitted sheet, leaving a portion uncovered where the bed butts up against the wail. It may also be that the skirt is a continuous length of material that, as a single panel, covers more than one side of the fitted sheet.

[0036] The illustrated securing mechanism is a set of four elastic members sewn into the corners of the mouth of the fitted sheet such that the corners are biased in a contracted mode (see the ruffled material at those corners). Alternatively, the securing mechanism(s) selected from the group of securing mechanisms consisting of elastic member(s) and drawstrings and other bias members and/or cinching mechanisms. As a non-limiting example, instead of four elastic members, there may be a single elastic member that circumscribes the entire mouth of the fitted sheet.

[0037] In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a bed skirt comprising a fitted sheet with a whole top portion from which a skirt extends downwardly. It may be that the securing mechanism is a securing mechanism selected from the group of securing mechanisms consisting of elastic members and drawstrings; and/or it may be that the skirt includes three separate skirt panels, one at each of three sides of the fitted sheet. It may be that the top portion is of a material with a lower coefficient of friction than that of the skirt and that of the side portions. It may be that the skirt is a multi-layered skirt.

[0038] In another non-limiting embodiment, there is a bed skirt that stays in place. There is a fitted sheet that goes around the box spring and around the exterior of that fitted sheet is a skirt of material/fabric. This facilitates the bed-making process and allows for quick bed-making without having to fix the bed skirt. This is especially helpful for housekeepers, such as in hotels, since bed skirts often move or get fouled by when making a bed. Those problems eat up time for housekeepers.

[0039] In still another non-limiting embodiment., there is a bed skirt that has a fitted portion that fits around a box spring under what looks like a normal bed skirt. The fitted portion may go completely around a top portion of the box spring and/or may have elastic around the bottom to adjust its fit to various sizes of box spring mattresses. The draping for the skirt part may be attached to the top of the fitted portion so that it can lay flat to the box spring and look like a normal bed skirt.

[0040] In operation, one would take the mattress off the box spring and put the fitted portion of the present invention around the box spring edges and under the box spring, then smooth the “skirt” part down. Then, put, the mattress on top of the top portion of the bed skirt (thus also returning the same to the top of the box spring mattress). This allows for the skirt to stay in place, even when the top mattress shifts around.

[0041] Such may fit twin, full, queen, king, and/or California king sizes (and others) and may come in a variety of different colors and/or designs. The material that lays under the mattress, which goes across the entire box spring, may be made out of cotton, as may the fitted portion and/or skirt.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a multi-layered bed skirt installed on a box spring mattress, with FIG. 5 being a partial cross-sectional view thereof, according to one embodiment of the invention. There is shown a multilayered bed skirt having three distinct layers of skirt draping therefrom. There is a top skirt 40 disposed over a middle skirt 16 disposed over a bottom skirt 44. While particular skirt positions and lengths are illustrated in combination, it is understood that this embodiment describes a great variety of types of skirts and skirt combinations and couplings that may be used in any combination, not merely that which is illustrated. The bed skirt includes a top portion 12 fixedly coupled to a side portion 18 having a bottom portion 22 hat fits about a box spring mattress, thereby forming a continuous pocket into which the mattress may be disposed. The bottom portion includes a securing mechanism or system thereof that permits a user to secure the fitted sheet to the box spring mattress, thereby keeping the bed skirt in place even when the top mattress shifts/moves. The top portion of the fitted sheet is a continuous sheet of material that completely covers the top of the box spring mattress, thereby forming complete and whole layer between the box spring mattress and the top mattress.

[0043] Each of the illustrated skirts is coupled near a crown 14 of the fitted sheet, which is the junction between the top portion 12 and the side portion(s) 18. For purposes of this application, the teem “near” means closer to the junction than 50% of the distance to the middle of the top or side portion. As a non-limiting example, if a side portion has a depth of x centimeters, then “fixedly coupled near the crown/junction” would mean that, there is a fixed coupling that is within x/4 centimeters from the crown (even if such a coupling also extends below x/4 centimeters and/or there are additional couplings lower thereto), since x/2 centimeters of depth would be the middle of the side portion.

[0044] The illustrated top skirt 40 couples to the fitted sheet at the top portion near and above the junction between the top portion and the side portion. In doing so, it extends a portion of material 42 about a top region circumscribing the top portion 12 of the fitted sheet. It may be fixedly coupled to the top portion 12 by stitches, adhesive, soldering, welding, weaving, heat treatment, or the like or combination thereof. By extending coverage over a portion of the top 12 this allows the bed skirt to look good better than it otherwise would when the top mattress is off-center of the box spring mattress. The illustrated top skirt 40 only extends down a small depth of the side portion 18 and may be a different color/texture/fabric/weave/etc. than that of the other skirt(s) such as to provide a crown appearance.

[0045] The illustrated middle skirt 16 couples near and at the junction between the top portion 12 and side portions 18 of the fitted sheet. It may be fixedly coupled to the top portion 12 and/or the side portion 18 by stitches, adhesive, soldering, welding, weaving, heat treatment, or the like or combination thereof. The illustrated middle skirt 16 includes a bottom portion 24 that extends beyond the bottom of the fitted sheet so as to drape below the box spring mattress.

[0046] The illustrated bottom skirt 44 is coupled to the side portion near and below the junction between the top portion and the side portion. It may be fixedly coupled 46 to the side portion 18 by stitches, adhesive, soldering, welding, weaving, heat treatment, or the like or combination thereof. The illustrated bottom skirt extends lower than the middle skit 16 thereby allowing viewers to see an additional layer of skirt and further covering the region below the box spring mattress. Such a layer may be scalloped or otherwise shaped for decorative effect, as may any of the other skirt layers.

[0047] The illustrated skirts may be of different colors/fabrics/weaves/etc. from each other and/or may include portions that are of different colors/fabrics/weaves/etc.

[0048] In one non-limiting embodiment, the skirts extend just along the sides and not including the corners of the fitted sheet.

[0049] It may be that a skirt may combine, in any manner and/or combination, any of the characteristics of coupling position/type, length, proportion, portion covered, and the like as those described above and that such may be accomplished using 1, 2, 3 or more skirts and/or skirt panels/portions. As a non-limiting example, there may be a skirt that couples in a manner similar to the illustrated top skirt but extends down below the bottom of the fitted sheet as the illustrated middle and/or bottom skirts do.

[0050] In still another non-limiting embodiment, one or more skirts extend a portion of color that matches the skirt color up the top surface so you don't get a white strip if you have a colored skirt and a white top portion of the fitted sheet and the mattress is not on perfectly straight.

[0051] It is understood that the above-described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

[0052] For example, although the illustrated skirts have no hems or decorative ends, such may include hems and/or decorative portions, such as but not limited to particular decorative pleats, cuts, shapes, ruffles, and the like and combinations thereof.

[0053] Additionally, although the figures illustrate particular lengths or proportions of skirts and/or fitted sheets, it is understood that the lengths and proportions of such are plethoric and that the particulars of such may be dictated by the shapes/sizes of beds and/or box spring mattresses to be covered.

[0054] It is also envisioned that the skirt may cover a different number of sides of a box spring mattress than that illustrated and/or may be used to cover a mattress or similar structure that is not a box spring mattress.

[0055] It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention. An example is that the skirt may be one continuous skirt instead of a plurality of skirt sections, one for each side so covered.

[0056] Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials, including but not limited to natural fabrics/fibers (e.g. cotton, wool), synthetic fabrics/fibers (e.g. nylon, rayon), blends, metals/foils, rubbers, polymers, plastics, and the like and combinations thereof.

[0057] Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims. Further, it is contemplated that an embodiment may be limited to consist of or to consist essentially of one or more of the features, functions, structures, methods described herein.