US2769989A - Bedclothes anchor - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 13, 1956 G. H. WOODFORD BEDCLOTHES ANCHOR Filed Jan. 22, 1954 Q no i T 0 F m5 n36 mm. V H m w 2 m u 6 Y m E W BEDCLOTHES ANCHOR George H. Woodford, Lexington, Va. Application-January 22, 1954, Serial No. 405,562

2 Claims. (Cl. -320).

This invention relates to a bedclothes anchor.

An object of the invention is to provide a bedclothes anchor which is adapted to hold bedclothes in place at the foot of a bed Without impinging upon the sleeping surface of the bed or interfering with the freedom of movement of the sleeper upon the bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bedclothes anchor which may quickly and easily be engaged with and disengaged from the bedclothes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bedclothes anchor which is simple in design, easy to apply to the bed, compact and inconspicuous, and inexpensive to produce.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the following description considered in conjunction with the attached drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the present invention mounted on a bed.

Figure 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale and showing in broken lines the position of the anchor of the present invention when disengaged from the bedclothes.

Figure 3 is a view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in more detail, the numeral 1 designates a bed having a pair of legs 2 supporting the foot thereof. An upstanding rod 3 is positioned at the laterally outward side of each of the legs 2 and is mounted thereon by an inverted L-shaped bracket 4 each of which consists of an upright bar 5 flattened at its lower end and a laterally outwardly projecting arm 6 connected at one end on the upper end of the bar 5 and having an aperture 6. A set screw 7 is threaded through the portion of the arm 6 surrounding the aperture 6'. The flattened lower portion of the bar 5 is secured to the laterally outward side of the related leg 2 by means of screws 8. The lower ends of the rods 3 depend through the apertures of the arms 6 and are held rigidly therein by set screws 7.

An inverted U-shaped frame 9 extends transversely of the foot of the bed 1. The frame 9 consists of a pair of depending spaced bars 10 having their upper ends bent toward each other and slidably received in the opposite ends of a sleeve 11, and the bent portions of the bars and the sleeve 11 constituting the bight 12 of the U-shaped frame 9. The sleeve 11 embodies an inner tube 13 of metal or other rigid material and an outer tube 14 of rubber or other resilient friction material. By virtue of the slidable connection between the bars 10 and the sleeve 11, the bars 10 may be moved toward or away from each other to adapt the widths of the frame 9 to the width of different beds. Each of the bars 10 of the frame 9 is connected to the related rod 3 for swinging movement of the frame 9 from its erect position, as shown in Figure l, to a depending inoperative position, as shown in broken lines in Figure 2. The lower ends of the bars 10 are flattened and overlap fiattened portions on the upper ends of. the rods 3. Pivot pins 15, enlarged at both ends to prevent displacement,

extend through the overlapping flattened portions of the legs'10 and the rods 3, as shown in Figure 3,.to mount theframe 9 hingedly on the upper ends of the rods 3;

When the frame 9 is in its erect position, the bight 12- lies along and'presses' against the adjacent-portion: of. 18 on the bed, as shown in Figures 1 and 2,. making; When. the position, it hangs freely, outofbedclothes the resilient outer covering 14 of the sleeve- 11! firm frictional contact with the'bedclothes. frame 9 is in its depressed contact with the bedclothes:

Means areprovided upon the bars 10, engageablewith.

the rods 3, for releasably holdingv theframe 9 iniits erect sleeve 16 carried position. The means consists: of a upon each bar 10 and slidable over the overlapping portions of the bars 10 and rods 3 to prevent the movement of the frame from its erect position. A lug 17 projects from each rod 3 adjacent and below its flattened upper portion thereof to prevent the sleeve 16 from sliding downwardly below the overlapping portions.

The above described device is particularly adapted for Hollywood type beds which have no upstanding framework at the foot thereof and whose supporting legs are customarily made of wood, but the anchor may be used with other types of beds. The frame 9 is placed on its pendant inoperative position, as shown in broken lines in Figure 2, when the bed is being made up. In beds of other than the Hollywood type, it may be impossible to move the frame 9 fully to the pendant position, but it is moved as far toward its pendant position as the foot structure of the bed will permit and will thus be sufficiently out of the Way to permit the making of the bed. After the bedclothes are in place, the frame 9 is raised to its erect position. With the frame in its erect position the sleeves 16 move down of their own weight to rest upon the lugs 17, covering the hinged connection between the frame 9 and the rods 3 and locking the frame in its erect position. In this position the bight 12 is pressed against the bedclothes along the line at which they are turned downwardly about the mattress or other upper surface of the bed, and the resilient outer tube 14 of the sleeve 11 engages the bedclothes and holds them firmly in place. The proper pressing contact between the bight 12 and the bedclothes may be insured by raising or lowering the rods 3 in the bracket arms 6, or lowering the level of the bight 12. The the bars 10 and the upper portionsof the the upright corners of the bedclothes at the foot of the bed supplement the grip of the bight 12 upon the upper surface of the bedclothes in holding them in place.

10 extend over the sleeping surface of the bed or are in a position in which a sleeper will come in contact with them in moving about on the bed. When it is next desired to make up the bed, the sleeves 16 are raised permitting the U-shaped frame 9 to swing away from its erect position and out of contact with the bedclothes. In either the erect position or the pendant position the anchor of the present invention is inconspicuous and compact.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bed, a frame having legs at one end thereof, a bracket on each of said legs, a vertical rod for each bracket having an upper end, means releasably mounting each rod on a related bracket for vertical adjustment elative thereto, an inverted U-shaped frame having depending bars having lower ends, said U-shaped frame having a bight portion extending between said bars, pivot means pivoting the lower ends of said bars to the upper ends of said vertical rods to swing on an axis extending along said one end of the bed frame from an erect opera- 3 tive position to a pendant inoperative position, holding means acting between said rods and said bars for holding said frame in erect position, and a resilient friction covering on said bight portion for frictional holding engagement with bed clothes on said one end of the bed frame. 2. In a bed, a frame having legs at one end thereof, a bracket on each of said legs, avertical rod for each bracket having an upper end, means releasably mounting each rod on a related bracket for vertical adjustment relative thereto, an inverted U-shaped frame having depending bars having lower ends, said U-shaped frame having a bight portion extending between said bars, pivot means pivoting the lower ends of said bars to the upper ends of said vertical rods to swing on an axis extending along said one end of the bed frame from an erect operative position to a pend-ant inoperative position, holding means acting between said rods and said bars for holding said frame in erect position, and a resilient friction cover- 7 ing on said bight portion for frictional holding engagement with bed clothes on said one end of the bed frame, said bight portion of the bed-frame comprising horizontal laterally inwardly projecting portions on said bars, and a sleeve having open ends in which the ends of said horizontal portions are slidably engaged, said sleeve carrying said resilient friction covering.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 229,146 Great Britain Feb. 19, 1925

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