US2653363A - Bedclothes holder - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1953 c. Um/SAY, JR 2,653,363

BEDCLOTHES HOLDERl Filed May l5, 1950 Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED srArss @TENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a bedclothes holder and has for an object to provide a means for holding the blankets, sheets or other bedclothes from either pulling away from the end of the bed or from creeping or falling off the end of the bed, particularly in the Hollywood style of bed wherein there is no footboard located at the end of the mattress.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bedclothes holder which in its preferred form when used on a Hollywood style bed may be placed in an upstanding operative position when in use for holding the bedclothes during the night and may be turned downwardly so as to be out of the way during the day time when the edge of the bed may be sat on and used as a couch.

A further obj ect of this invention is to provide a footboard bed clothes holding means which although particularly used in the Hollywood style bed is equally used in ordinary beds particularly where there is normally a substantial space between the ordinary footboard and the end of the mattress.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bedclothes holding footboard which may be made in several forms but which in each form serves to hold the bedclothes tucked or clamped against the end of the mattress.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as will hereinafter become apparent this invention provides the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a footboardless or Hollywood style of bed te which this invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred form of this invention. y Y Y Fig. 3 is a side edge view of the preferred form of this invention.

Fig. 4 is a side edge View of a modiiied form of this invention, and f Fig. 5 is a similar side edge view of still another modiied form of this invention.

For better understanding of the preferred form of this invention there is shown at ill a Hollywood bed or a bed lacking in the usual footboard The lbed lli when made up for use at night is provided with the usual blankets, sheets, or other bedclothes il which may be covered in the dav time with the usual bedspread I2.

Usually the ends of the bedclothes i i hang over the foot end of the mattress and, if of suiiicient length, a small ,portion may be inserted between the mattress and the spring. However, this small portion of the bedclothes under the mattress is usually not suiiicient to hold the bedclothes from creeping upwardly and exposing the feet of the sleeper or vice versa to keep the weight of the depending edge of the bedclothes from dragging the bedclothes down to the floor depending on the habits and movements of the sleeper. This invention in its several forms serves to clamp the depending edge of the bedclothes against the end of the mattress supporting its weight while it does so, thus preventing this end of the bedclothes from either creeping upwardly and exposing the feet of the sleeper or vice versa from acting as a weight to drag the bedclothes olf the upper body part of the sleeper.

in the preferred form for use on Hollywood beds the bedclothes holder consists of a footboard I4 of a length and height equal to or preferably very slightly' less than the length and height of the mattress with which it is to be used. Hinged to the ends of the bottom edge l5 as at IS are a pair of extending leaves il, being preferably although not necessarily rectangular in outline. Furthermore, if desired the two leaves il could be secured together or could even be a common single piece but for economy of manufacture and lightness of handling it is preferably in two leaves as shown.

The hinges I6 are of the type that the footboard ii) could pivot about the hinges substantially almost 360 for ease in shipping and storage. For use on the bed the hinges need becapable only of substantially slightly more than movement in either direction above and below the plane of the leaves Il.

Secured to each leaf i1 at the outside edge thereof by any suitable fastening means i8 is a tension coil spring 20 whose other end is conveniently secured at i8 to a similar fastening means to the side edge of the footboard le adjacent the top edge 22 thereof, the coil spring 2i! being of such a length and tension that the footboard I4 may rotate about its hinges I8 substantially almost 360 from the position flat against one surface of the leaves il to a position iiat aginst the other surface of the leaves il.

ln operation with this preferred form of the footlooard of this invention, the leaves l1 are inserted under the foot ends of the opposite sides of the mattress with the hinge I6 located just at the end of the mattress, the springs 2t being spaced far enough from each other so that the mattress and bedclothes will just t therebetween. When the bed is in the process of being made the footboard Hl will be located to the down position whereupon the blanket and sheets may be used to make up the bed in the conventional manner. During the daytime when the Hollywood bed may also be used as a sofa this footboard I4 will be left in the down position as it is not needed and is completely concealed by the bedspread I2 placed over the bed.

At night the bedspread I2 is removed so that the bed may be used. The footboard I4 is then merely rotated upwardly and outwardly away from the bottom of the bed and then upwardly, inwardly against the ends of the bedclothes hanging over the end of the mattress'. The coil springs resist the rst half of this rotation but yield to permit it and then assist the' second half of the movement and serve toy clamp the footboard I4 against the end of the bedclothes and against the end of the mattress, thus firmlyV tucking said ends against movement in any dif because of the fact that such bed is often used as a sofa during the daytime and the sharp end of a footboard would be undesirable for anyone sitting on the end of the bed.

There is shown in Figure 4 another form' of this invention which, while usable in a Hollywood style of bed, is also intended for usev in an ordinary bed. In the form in Fig. 4 the footboard I4 is pivotally secured to the leaves I1 by means of spring hinge I6" including' a coil spring 20' as a part of the hinge I6'. The coil spring 20 will cause ther board I4 to exert a clamping pressure against the end of the bed clothes hanging overY the end of the mattress in the same manner as iIi the preferred. form,A but due to the natureA of the coil spring 20" it would not permit the footboard I 4 to hang in a downward position as with the preferred form. Also, in this form, it is riot essential that there be two leaves I1' at opposite sides of the bed for it will be equally operative if' there isv only a single leaf I1 which mayV not be rotated at the end of the bed but couldA extend somewhere inbetween. This form of the invention is preferably usable for the conventional style of bed with the usual footboard but where the space between the end of the mattress and the usual footboard is too great t'o' exert a clamping or holding effect on the end of the bedclothes. Holes 29 are shown for increasing the friction between parts of the holder and the mattress,` particularly when the holder is madeI of. smooth material, such as metal;

In Fig. 5 there is shown sti-ll anotherY form of the invention. In this form the footboard is integrally secured to or integrally extends v from one or more leaves 26 at substantially a right angle thereto or very slightly less thany a right angle. The inner side of the footboard 25 has a fabric 21 glued or otherwise fastened thereto. The fabric 21 has a roughened grip-1 ping surface thereon. In this form the leaf 26, which may be only `a single leaf, is placed over the end of the bedspring with the footboard 25 extending upwardly, the end of the mattress is then placed in the angle between the leaf or leaves 26 and the footboard 25 with the rough surface 28 of the fabric 21 in contact with the end of the mattress. The bed is then made up in the usual Way, the ends of the bedclothes being tucked in between the end of the mattress and the fabric surface, thus serving to hold the bedclothes in place particularly in a conventional style of bedwherein the footboard and mattress end are normally too far apart to provide a clamping surface. It will be understood of course, that the rough surface fabric 21 could be added to the clamping surface of either footboard I4 or I4 if desirable in order to increase the frictional contact between the footboard andthe endV of the bedclothes but the coil spring or spring hinges usually make such additional friction surface unnecessary.

While the preferred form of this invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that this invention is not restricted to the particular details ofv construction and arrangementhereinbe'fore. set forth but that changes in such detail of construction may be made within the scope ofA what is hereinafter claimed.

Having thus.` set forth and disclosed the nature of this: invention, what is claimed is:

A bedclothes holder comprising a footboard for cooperation with the vertical foot end of a `mattress with which it is to be used, a leaf means, hinge means securing said footboard to said leaf means, spring means cooperating between said footboard and said leaf means yieldably urging said footboard to rotate toward said leaf means to a position substantially less than a right angle thereto, whereby, when said leaf means is placed under the foot end of the mattress and heldY byy theY mattress against the mattress supporting surface with said footboard forming approximately a right angle therewith aga-inst the vertical foot end of the mattress, said spring, means causes said footboard to exert a clamping force against the mattress vertical foot end and hold any bedclothes extending therebetween, said spring means being a pair 0f coil springs secured between the outer edges of said leaf means and the corresponding edges of said footboard a Substantial distance from said hinge means whereby said footboard may be rotated approximately downwardly away from the mattress foot end.

CLAUDE LIEVSAY, JR.

References Cited in the nie of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date 267,498 COX I; ;Y Nov. 14, 1882 420,083 McArthur 22 Jan. 28, 1890 953,536 Lofland Mar. 29, 1910 1,103,494 Ewald July 14, 1914 1,175,526 Jones 1 Mar. 14, 1916 1,371,880 Edlund e Mar. 15, 1921 1,606,367 H011; Nov. 9, 1926 2,018,947 Allen e Nov. 5, 1935 2,216,076 Herbeer Sept. 24, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8-,668 Netherlands Dec. 2l, 1922

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