U.S. patent application number 12/652285 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-07 for protective pad for display mattresses.
This patent application is currently assigned to Wright of Thomasville, Inc.. Invention is credited to Kimberly Lynn Grubb, Garry Wayne Jones.
Application Number | 20110162139 12/652285 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44223820 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110162139 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grubb; Kimberly Lynn ; et
al. |
July 7, 2011 |
PROTECTIVE PAD FOR DISPLAY MATTRESSES
Abstract
A removable protective pad for the foot portion of mattresses
that includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape
of the foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive
material is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that
permanently adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches
the sheet to the mattress foot portion. The polymeric sheet
includes marketing information.
Inventors: |
Grubb; Kimberly Lynn;
(Trinity, NC) ; Jones; Garry Wayne;
(Winston-Salem, NC) |
Assignee: |
Wright of Thomasville, Inc.
Thomasville
NC
|
Family ID: |
44223820 |
Appl. No.: |
12/652285 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/499 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/008
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/499 |
International
Class: |
A47C 31/00 20060101
A47C031/00 |
Claims
1. A protective pad for mattresses on display in a showroom,
wherein the pad is releasably attached to the foot portion of a
mattress to protect the mattress from customer soiling, wear and
damage when testing the mattress in the showroom comprising: a. a
polymeric sheet of such size and shape as to, when applied to a
mattress, substantially covers the foot portion of the mattress,
the sheet having a top surface and an undersurface; b. the
polymeric sheet having marketing information visible on the top
surface of the sheet; c. an adhesive material on the undersurface
of the sheet, the adhesive having the characteristic of being
permanently adhered to the undersurface of the polymeric sheet, yet
releasably attachable to the surface of the mattress without
marring the decorative surface thereof.
2. The protective pad of claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is
a pressure sensitive adhesive.
3. The protective pad of claim 1, further comprising a transparent
film affixed to the top surface of the polymeric sheet to protect
the marketing information thereon.
4. The protective pad of claim 1, wherein the polymeric sheet is
selected from the group consisting of a polyvinyl chloride,
polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terepthalate.
5. The protective pad of claim 1, further comprising a removable
liner on the adhesive material.
6. The method for protecting a mattress in a showroom while also
displaying marketing information, the method comprising: a.
providing a mattress; b. providing a protective pad to protect the
mattress from customer soiling, wear and damage when testing the
mattress in the showroom, the removable protective pad comprising:
i. a polymeric sheet of such size and shape as to, when applied to
the mattress, substantially cover the foot portion of the mattress,
the sheet having a top surface and an undersurface; ii. the
polymeric sheet having marketing information visible on the top
surface of the sheet; iii. an adhesive material on to the
undersurface of the sheet, the adhesive having the characteristic
of being permanently adhered to the undersurface of the polymeric
sheet, yet releasably attachable to the surface of the mattress
without marring the decorative surface thereof. c. removeably
attaching the removable protective pad to the mattress.
7. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising removing
the removable protective pad and replacing the protective pad with
another removable protective pad having different marketing
information.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material is a
pressure sensitive adhesive.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the protective pad further
comprises a transparent film affixed to the top surface of the
polymeric sheet to protect the marketing information thereon.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the polymeric sheet is selected
from the group consisting of a polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene,
polypropylene, and polyethylene terepthalate.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the protective pad further
comprises a removable liner on the adhesive material.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising removing the
removable liner from the adhesive material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the protection of
mattresses in a showroom environment. A releasably attachable
polymeric mattress foot protector carrying marketing information is
attached across the foot portion of a mattress to protect the
decorative cover from soiling, damage, and wear.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Mattresses are sold in retail showrooms. Typically, display
mattresses are arranged on the floor so that the prospective
purchaser can peruse the various types of mattresses offered by
that retailer. In addition to evaluating various promotional
materials in the showroom, the prospective buyer might "test" the
mattress. This "test" involves lying on the mattress to evaluate
softness, firmness or other attributes desirable to the purchaser.
Lying on the mattress can result in damage, soiling, wear and tear.
Retail showrooms are high traffic areas, and mattresses may be
repeatedly tested and damaged.
[0003] Foot protectors for mattresses have been used to minimize
damage to display mattresses in retail showrooms. Protectors used
to date are expensive, cumbersome to place and secure on the
mattress, and may unduly damage or compromise the visual appearance
of the mattress. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,845,532; 6,216,292; and 6,014,782.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is directed to an improvement in
protective pads that are easily removable and more economical to
manufacture, because they require less material and no additional
attachment mechanisms to hold them in place.
[0005] According to the illustrated embodiment, the protective pad
includes a polymeric sheet of the approximate size and shape of the
foot portion of the mattress to be protected. An adhesive material
is applied to the undersurface of the sheet that permanently
adheres to the polymeric sheet, yet releasably attaches the sheet
to the mattress foot portion without marring of the mattress cover
or ticking. The polymeric sheet includes marketing information.
[0006] The term "foot portion," as used herein, means the lower
inches (10-30 inches) of the upper surface of the mattress where a
customer's feet would rest if the customer were to fully lie on the
mattress to test the comfort and support. The term "marketing
information" refers to any of the following including: advertising
material, sales material, manufacturer's logos and trademarks,
promotional materials or the like, in the form of pictures, and/or
any other form of media.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a removable protective pad
on a mattress.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a protective pad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are
described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The
embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the
present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the
scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the
claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain
modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will
occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate
embodiments, modifications, and improvements are within the scope
of the present invention.
[0010] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a removable protective pad 10 is
releasably attached to the mattress 40, such as a display mattress
in a retail showroom. The protective pad 10 includes a polymeric
base sheet 12 carrying marketing information 20, a first or
protective film 11 in the form of a transparent polymeric
overlaminate on top of the base sheet 12, adhesive material 15 on
the underside of base 12, and a removable film or liner 16
(illustrated by dashed lines in FIG. 2). The protective pad 10
minimizes damage, soiling or wear to the mattress when a
prospective purchaser is testing the mattress in the showroom. The
adhesive material is so selected as to prevent damage to the
decorative mattress fabric when the protective pad 10 is removed
from the mattress 40.
[0011] The releasability of the protective pad 10 allows a sales
associate to easily change the marketing information 20 viewable by
a prospective purchaser as needed. For example, as mattress
products in the showroom change, or marketing programs change, a
new protective pad 10 may be used on a mattress. To accomplish
this, all that is necessary is to remove the peel off liner,
protective layer, or film 16 from the adhesive material 15 and
place the protective pad 10 on the desired mattress.
[0012] The protective pad 10 may be used on any type of mattress.
For example, twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, the "California
king," are exemplary sized mattresses. The protective pad 40 may be
sized to substantially cover the foot portion of any mattress, or
other mattress shapes and sizes that may be developed. The
protective pad 40 may be used on any mattress including, but not
limited to, innerspring, foam (viscoelastic and/or latex), air,
futons, and waterbeds. Further, the protective pad 40 may be used
on any mattress cover or mattress ticking. Mattress ticking as used
herein refers to decorative woven or knit fabrics, or any other
materials, that is the outer surface of the mattress.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the removable protective pad 10 includes
the polymeric base sheet 12 having top and bottom surfaces 13 and
14, respectively. The polymeric sheet 12 may be flexible to conform
to the outer surface 42 of the mattress 40 or it may be a stiffer
material. In other alternate embodiments, the polymeric sheet 12
may be malleable. An exemplary polymeric sheet 12 is polyvinyl
chloride (PVC). In other alternate embodiments, however, the
polymeric sheet 12 may be polyethylene terepthalate (PET),
polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). An exemplary polymeric
sheet 12 has a thickness between about 2.0 and about 5.0 mils,
preferably about 3.7 mils.
[0014] The first or protective film (or overlaminate) 11 may be any
transparent polymeric film for protecting the top surface 13 of the
base sheet 12. The overlaminate 11 also includes an adhesive for
permanent attachment to the polymeric sheet 12. Alternatively, the
overlaminate may be applied by heat and pressure, or any other
technique that will affix the film 11 to the base sheet 12.
Exemplary overlaminates include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE)
or polypropylene (PP).
[0015] Marketing information 20 is included on the upper surface of
protective pad 40 for viewing by a prospective customer. The
overlaminate 11 is affixed to the top surface of polymeric sheet 12
to protect the marketing information 20. The marketing information
20 is printed or otherwise applied directly to the polymeric sheet
12. In an exemplary embodiment, the marketing information 20 is
printed on the sheet 12 with solvent/UV based ink jet media. In
other embodiments, the ink jet media may be water based. In other
embodiments, the marketing information may be printed on with any
suitable types of inks and/or pigments. In alternate embodiments,
the marketing information is integrally formed with the polymeric
sheet 12. For example, a logo or trademark may be formed in the
polymeric sheet 12 during manufacture. In other embodiments, the
marketing information may be printed onto a separate sheet, film or
material, that is then applied to the polymeric sheet 12 using any
suitable adhesive.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, a pressure sensitive adhesive material
15 is applied to the bottom surface 14 of the polymeric sheet 12. A
second, removeable, peel off liner or film 16 is applied and
protects the adhesive material 15 prior to its emplacement on the
mattress 40. The second film 16 is removable and is discarded upon
removal from the protective pad 10.
[0017] The adhesive material 15 releasably attaches the protective
pad 10 to the mattress 40. The adhesive material 15 is permanently
affixed to the polymeric sheet 12 while allowing for the releasable
attachment of the protective pad 10 to the outer surface 22 of the
mattress 40. The adhesive material is selected to prevent damage,
e.g., marring of the fabric or pattern, abrasion, etc., to the
outer surface 42 of the mattress 40, which might otherwise occur
when removing an adhesive from the mattress 40.
[0018] The adhesive material is a chemical, polymer, copolymer,
polymer or co-polymer blends, a composition, resin, or any
combinations thereof, that forms a temporary bond with the
mattress. An exemplary adhesive material is an acrylic pressure
sensitive adhesive. As used herein, a "pressure sensitive adhesive"
refers to an adhesive that forms a temporary bond upon the
application of pressure. In other alternate embodiments, however, a
non-pressure sensitive adhesive is used.
[0019] The adhesive material may be a natural or synthetic
adhesive. Exemplary natural adhesives include, but are not limited
to, starch, animal or vegetable resins. Exemplary synthetic
adhesives include, but are not limited to, acrylic and/or other
acrylate based adhesives, rubber based adhesives, polyvinyl
acetate, epoxy, or polyurethane. In a preferred embodiment, the
adhesive material is acrylic based.
[0020] The adhesive material 15 is applied to the polymeric sheet
12 with a liquid carrier, or in solid form. Preferably the adhesive
material is a liquid carrier or solvent based adhesive. For liquid
carrier adhesives, the adhesive is coated onto the polymeric sheet
12, and the solvent, or water carrier is dried off. Additional heat
may be applied to the adhesive and polymeric sheet 12 to initiate a
cross-linking reaction and increase molecular weight of the
adhesive. The solid adhesives may be low viscosity polymers. The
solid adhesive materials are also coated onto the polymeric sheet
12 and reacted with radiation to increase molecular weight and form
the adhesive thereon. In other embodiments, the solid-type
adhesives may be high viscosity materials that are heated to reduce
viscosity enough to allow coating, and then cooled to their final
form on the polymeric sheet 12.
EXAMPLE
[0021] In one example of the invention, the protective pad includes
a polyvinyl chloride sheet 12 with an acrylic based, pressure
sensitive adhesive 15 applied thereto. A peel off liner is included
on the adhesive material, and is discarded prior to application on
the mattress. An exemplary product is product no. JTS828 HTO,
available under the Mac Tac.RTM. brand (A Bemis Company). This
product is a 3.7 mil matte white, soft calendared PVC film coated
on one side with a high tack, permanent, opaque, solvent acrylic
pressure sensitive adhesive, supplied with a Kraft liner. Marketing
information may be printed thereon using solvent-based ink jet
printing media. A vinyl overlaminate, such as Print Shield.RTM.
SEAL.RTM., available from Neschen Americas, Inc, is used to protect
the marketing information.
[0022] Although the present invention has been described with
exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications
and variations may be utilized without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will
readily understand. Such modifications and variations are
considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *