Plastic back absorption pad sheet assembly

[57] ABSTRACT

A plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assembly adapted for use upon beds to overlie mattresses and sheets of the bed which can be disposed of when becoming soiled and which will prevent the soiling of the bed sheets and mattress. A stack of these assemblies is provided and the assemblies held in place in stack relation by the heat sealing together of rolled over edges of the backing sheet but permitting detachment of the assemblies when removing a soiled one from the others. This stack of absorbtion pad sheet assemblies can be assembled upon the mattress by means of a large bottom underlayer sheet which can be tucked in at the sides of the mattress or upon a contour sheet which is automatically tucked in by the elastic pull corners when placed over the corners of a mattress. The underlying support sheets for the stack assemblies can also be secured to side edges of a contour sheet by snap fastening elements. The assemblies can be arranged in row fashion with perforations separating one sheet assembly from the other which renders the same easy for one assembly to be torn away from the other assemblies. A device is provided for supporting the roll of assemblies on a bed including a casing and a turn wheel on the end of the casing for turning the roller of assemblies.

Claim, 18 Drawing Figures

<img file="US3761973A_D0001.tif" />

PATENTEDOCT' 2®73

SHEET 1 Of 4

3,761,973

<img file="US3761973A_D0002.tif" />

PATENTED OCT 21973

SHEET 2 OF 4

3,761,973

<img file="US3761973A_D0003.tif" />

ATTORNEYS

PATENTEOOCT 21973

SHEET 3 OF 4

3,761,973

<img file="US3761973A_D0004.tif" />

FIG.II.

<img file="US3761973A_D0005.tif" />

PATENTEDOCT 21973 3,761,973

SHEET U OF 4

<img file="US3761973A_D0006.tif" />

3,761,973

PLASTIC BACK ABSORPTION PAD SHEET ASSEMBLY

This invention relates to a plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assembly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbtion pad sheet assembly that can be stacked one upon the other and the soiled one readily removed to expose a clean absorbtion Pad sheet.

It is another object of the invention to provide an absorbtion pad sheet assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture and yet to have good capacity for the absorbtion of moisture.

It is another object of the invention to provide stacked plastic back absorbtion sheets which can be heat sealed with one another along their edges And yet permit easy separation of each assembly from the other.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a stack of plastic backed absorbtion pad sheets which can be easily arranged upon a contour type sheet either by adhesion or heat sealing of the foremost sheet assembly to the contour sheet or by use of snap fastening elements where only a partial sheet is used to extend across only the mid portion of the bed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assembly which can be used in the form of a roll and perforated along a line to divide one sheet assembly from the other and with the roll being adapted to be mounted at the end of the bed at a location where the sheet assembly can easily be detached from another sheet assembly about to be spread over the bed.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assembly which can be dispensed from a roller and to provide with such roller a casing adapted to be secured to a bed to support the roller therefrom and wherein the casing will have means for turning the roller for the dispensing or tightening of the sheet assembly.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assembly having the above objects in mind, which is inexpensive, easily disposed of, light in weight, of pleasing appearance, durable, easy to be provided upon the bed, and effective and efficient in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bed and a mattress over which there is extended a stack of plastic backed absorbant layer sheets, with illustration being made as to the manner in which a separate absorbant sheet is torn away from the other sheets to provide for a new and clean top absorbant sheet assembly.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a single absorbant sheet assembly having a bottom plastic sheet and absorbant sheets lying thereabove.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of one absorbant sheet assembly.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of three different absorbant sheet assemblies having plastic backing sheets overlying one another and heat sealed to one another at one edge of the stacked assembly and a bottom plastic sheet for assembling the entire stack to a mattress.

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view showing a complete stack of absorbant pad sheet assemblies secured to the sides of a mattress by an extension thereunder of a bottom plastic sheet that has its edges tucked under the mattress at the sides of the bed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a contour sheet having a stack of absorbant pad sheet assemblies carried thereon.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary corner view of the contour sheet taken at one corner of the same with an internal rubber stretch pull corner.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top perspective view of a corner of a contour sheet displayed as being extended over the corner of a mattress and bearing a stack of plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assemblies.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 9—9 of FIG. 7 and through the rubber pull corner.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the contour sheet and displaying the rubber pull corner.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a mattress and of an assembly of plastic backed absorbtion pad sheets overlying one another and secured by snap fasteners at the opposite sides of the bed to the bed sheet.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the assembly plastic back absorbtion pad sheet assemblies as viewed on line 12—12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view of a stack of assemblies assembled to one another by a plastic side strip extended from the top and downwardly over and under the bottom and which side strip is perforated separate and apart from heat sealing to remove the absorbant pad assemblies one from the other.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a bed and mattress with a roller mounted by fixtures at one end of the bed and extendable upwardly and over and along the top of the mattress where it can be tucked in at the opposite end but the material being perforated to the given length of the mattress.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the roller fixture and its mounting upon the bed.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a roller of the absorbant pad sheet assembly and looking upon one end of the roller and into the square opening of the roller bar.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the drive connection between a wind wheel for the roller and a detent latch engageable between the wheel and wall enclosure of the fixture to hold the roller and the absorbant sheet pad assembly tight.

FIG. 18 is a vertical elevational view looking upon the front face of the fixture housing wall and upon the several holes angularly spaced from one another for receiving the detent latch of the winding wheel.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 to 5, 20 generally represents a bed having a longitudinally extending frame 21 a headboard 22 and a footboard 23. Upon the longitudinally extending frame 21 is supported a mattress 24 over which there is extended a stack of plastic sheet backed absorbant pad sheet assemblies indicated generally at 25, as can best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 and each assembly being indicated at 26 which is held by heat sealing or perforations fixing one to the other and which can be torn as illustrated in FIG. 1 to expose a further individual assembly. The entire assembly 25 is held in place over the mattress 24 by a bottom plastic sheet 27 that is sufficiently wide so that its edges can be extended downwardly at 28 and 29 and tucked

3,761,973 under the bottom face of the mattress 21. Each of the individual absorbtion pad sheet assemblies may be heat sealed to one another as best seen in FIG. 4 and to the supporting plastic sheet 27.

Each assembly 26 has a plastic backing sheet 31 upon which arc disposed several layers of absorbant sheets 32. The plastic sheet 31 at the side is folded upwardly over the edges of the absorbant pad sheets 32 as seen at 33 in order to hold the edges of the absorbant pad sheets together and to provide an inturned edge 34 by which the assemblies 26 can be sealed to one another and when one of the sheet assemblies 26 is torn from the other it will be torn along the heat sealing with the inturned end 34.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 to 10 there is shown a contour sheet 36 that is pulled down over the sides of a mattress and snapped thereunder by pull rubber corners 37 that will pull inwardly bottom flanges 38 and 39 that run along the side and ends of the mattress as by a hem 41' at the corner of the mattress enclosing a rubber strip 42 conforming to the corner whereby the contour sheet is pulled inwardly about the mattress to contain the sheet upon the mattress sheet. This contour mattress 36 is provided with a stack of plastic back absorbant pad sheets indicated generally at 41 made up as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing of a stack of individual assemblies 26, each stack having a plastic backing 31 and several layers of absorbant sheets. As desired one of the absorbtion pad assemblies 26 can be separated from the stack 41 to be disposed and to expose the absorbtion pad assembly lying thercbeneath. The assemblies are held to one another preferably by heat sealing along dotted lines 42 and 43 at opposite sides of the stack 41 of absorption pad assemblies 26. It can thus be seen that a stack of these absorption pads can be readily provided on a contour sheet and attached to the mattress in the same manner that the sheet is attached to the same, the stack 41 of the absorbtion pad assemblies being adhered or heat sealed to the upper surface of the contour sheet. The individual assemblies 26 of the stack 41 are removed one at a time from one another, these being adhered to one another as by heat sealing as described in connection with FIG. 4.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, there is shown provided upon the sides of a contour sheet 45 secured by pull corner members to a mattress 46, snap fastening elements 47 laterally spaced laterally one another along the sides of the contour sheet and accessible from the side of the mattress with the sides of the contour sheet extending down under the mattress as indicated at 48. A stack 49 of individual absorbtion pad sheet assemblies 51 heat sealed together at their edges and heat sealed to the bottom plastic sheet 52 that has a cooperating snap fastener 53 for securing the absorbtion pad stack 49 over the top face of the contour sheet, this unit 49 running only about onethird of the length of the bed and merely covering the intermediate portion of the contour sheet and the mattress thereunder. As desired the individual assemblies 51 can be lifted from one another as they are used so that a clean sheet assembly 51 can be made available. These pad sheet assemblies are heat sealed to one another as indicated by dotted lines 54 and 55 at the opposite sides of the contour sheet 45.

In FIG. 13 there is shown a stack of absorbtion pad sheet units indicated generally at 56 each units being indicated generally at 57 and formed like the absorb4 tion pad assembly 26 used in the first form of the invention and being an individual assembly comprising a bottom plastic sheet 59 that is turned over the edge of the absorbtion pads at 61, these turned over edges being assembled one upon the other loosely without being heat sealed and the assembly being held together by a side strip 62 folded inwardly over the top assembly 57 at 63 and under the bottom assembly 57 at 64 and assembled to these top and bottom assemblies by heat sealing with the turned over plastic sheet portions 61. The strip 62 is perforated along lines indicated at 65 so that each assembly 57 can be pulled separately from one another by tearing along the perforated lines 65. Any number of these absorbtion pad sheet assemblies can be assembled together in this manner. The entire unit 56 is thus merely laid on top of a mattress or sheet and without being anchored to the same, but nevertheless the individual pad assemblies can be readily disassembled one from the other.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 to 18, 70 represents a metal frame bed having a horizontal support 71 connected to a headboard 72 and to a footboard 73. A casing 74 extends across the foot of the bed and is supported from the horizontal frame 71 that is closed by end plates 75. The cover 76 extends across the rear face of the casing 74 that is hinged at 77 to the main body of the casing 74 and can be pulled down to provide an opening for the insertion and removal of a roller 78 containing a continuous plastic backed absorbtion pad sheet 79 that can be torn along a perforation 81 when desired to provide a new sheet assembly. Cover 76 is held in place against a gear member 75 by clip projections 82 engageable over the edges of the gear members 75. The absorbtion pad sheet assemblies can be pulled upwardly through a slot 83, and over the lower end of a mattress 84 pulled upwardly over the mattress, folded down over the upper ends of the mattress and under the same at 85 to hold the absorbtion pad sheet assembly in place. The sheet assembly 79 is notched along the perforation 81 until a new sheet is to be provided.

The sheet assembly 79 includes a plastic backing sheet 86 on which is assembled a series of paper absorption pads in sheet form as indicated at 87. After the first sheet assembly is used the next assembly is advanced by pulling the next sheet assembly 88 from the roll 78.

The end of the roller 78 has a square opening 89 into which the square hub 91 is extended. This square hub 91 is attached to a turn wheel 92 journaled in a bushing 93 in one casing end plate 75. On this wheel 92 is a spring detent latch device 94 which can register with any one of a series of circumferentially spaced holes 95 in the face of the end plate 75 so as to hold the roller against rotation. By the turn wheel 92 the roller can be turned so that the absorption pad sheet assembly can be tightened over the mattress after having first been made secure over the head of the mattress at 85.

It will thus be apparent that according to this last form of the invention a continuous supply of absorption pad sheet assemblies can be readily made by simply advancing them from a roll on which a continuous series of these assemblies is contained.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been illustrated for bed sheets suitable for bed mattresses, nevertheless on a smaller size scale the inven3,761,973 ⁵ tion is also applicable to crib mattresses, cots, and the like.

Also, the invention is applicable to pillow cases, for any one or more illustrated or equivalent embodiments. For example, a series of pillow cases with scored tear 5 lines between adjacent pillow-case bags in a roll or in a stack in the nature of disposable bag-containers may be utilized. Typically the tearing along the scored end serves to open the next-occuring container’s (pillowcase’s) openable end (for pillow insertion). Prior to 10 tearing-off the preceding cover, the next-occuring remaining—together with ail other remaining ones— was a closed container merely scored or best sealed at one end thereof. Such a roll or stack of pillow cases may be mounted on or within the head of the bed, con- 15 venient for bed-making, or may be mounted on a wall or in a drawer, for example.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction of the absorption pad sheet assemblies and in the manner of placing these assemblies together 20 either in stack formation or upon a roll and in the assembly of these absorption pad assemblies upon bed clothing or in the manner of dispensing these pad sheet assemblies from a roll. It shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.