DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following description, various aspects of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In addition, to the extent directional references are used, such as top, bottom, forward, rearward, or the like, the references are for ease of illustration, and a person of skill in the art may reorient the elements of the invention as necessary. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the present invention.

[0020] Briefly described, with reference to FIG. 1 , the present invention is directed to airbed bedding 20 for fitting on an airbed A (shown in phantom in FIG. 1 ). The airbed bedding 20 includes a first layer 22 and a second layer 24 . In FIG. 1 , the first layer 22 is fitted to the airbed A and serves as a bottom layer. The second layer 24 is fitted over the first layer 22 , and serves as a top cover for a user sleeping on the airbed A.

[0021] The first layer 22 is substantially rectangular in shape, and may be sized, for example, to fit a queen-sized bed. The sizing of the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 is described further below. Although sized to fit a particular bed, as described below, the first layer 22 and the airbed bedding 20 is adjustable to fit onto several different sizes of airbeds. The airbeds onto which the airbed bedding 20 may fit may, for example, have different depths and/or widths and lengths.

[0022] The first layer 22 includes four sleeves 26 , located at each of the four corners of the first layer (two of which are shown in FIG. 4 , and one of which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The sleeves 26 are sewn into, or otherwise attached to the corners of the first layer 22 , so that they extend around the corners and up the adjacent sides of the first layer. The sleeves 26 may be sized as desired, but in one embodiment are forty-six (46) inches in length. In this embodiment, the sleeves 26 run twenty-three inches along each of the adjacent sides, but the length along the adjacent sides need not be equal.

[0023] Drawstrings 28 extend through the sleeves 26 . The drawstrings 28 may be cords, rope, or other suitable material. Each sleeve 26 has its own drawstring 28 , which is attached at one end of the respective sleeve (e.g., by sewing), and extends slightly out of the other end of the sleeve. A lock, such as a barrel lock 30 is provided on the ends of the drawstrings 28 . The barrel locks 30 are preferably sized so that they cannot be pulled into the sleeves 26 . The drawstrings 28 are slightly longer than the sleeves 26 , for example an inch longer, to permit the free end of the drawstrings to thread through the respective barrel lock 30 on the outside of the sleeve.

[0024] Other cinching mechanisms (i.e., mechanisms that a user uses to cinch fabric together) and locks may be used. As an example, FIG. 6 shows a layer 122 for airbed bedding having two drawstrings 128 , 138 for cinching a corner of the layer to a single corner of an airbed. The drawstrings 128 , 138 are attached by bar tacks 124 , 134 to the distal ends of sleeves 126 , 136 . The opposite ends of the two drawstrings 128 , 138 extend out of the sleeves 126 , 136 , and through a barrel lock 140 . As can be seen in FIG. 8 , the barrel lock 140 and the two drawstrings 128 , 138 align with a corner of an airbed to which the layer 122 is to be attached, and the two drawstrings 128 , 138 may be cinched to connect the layer 122 to the corner of the airbed. Other cinching mechanisms may be used.

[0025] In any event, returning now to FIG. 1 , the second layer 24 is preferably sized the same as the first layer 22 , and includes similar sleeves 32 , drawstrings 34 , and barrel locks 36 at each of the four corners of the second layer. The second layer 24 is attached along a foot end to the foot end of the first layer 22 . This attachment is preferably something that may be disconnected, such as a zipper 38 . The zipper may be, for example, a # 5 nylon coil zipper, attached (e.g., by sewing) at the foot of each layer, half of the zipper attached to the first layer 22 and the mating half of the zipper attached to the second layer 24 . A zipper pull 40 is provided for attaching or disconnecting the two zipper halves. The use of a zipper 38 to attach the two layers 22 , 24 allows the airbed bedding to function more like conventional bedding, and permits detachment of the two layers for easier laundering of the two layers.

[0026] To provide versatility for the airbed bedding 20 , the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are preferably formed of different materials. The first layer 22 , for example, may be a sheet, such as a 180-count 65/35 polyester/cotton sheeting material. If a sheet is used as the first layer 22 , the second layer 24 may be an insulated comforter layer, for example with a 180-count 65/35 polyester/cotton sheeting cover and a 240-g knitted polyester fleece liner. This cover and liner form a shell that enclose insulation, such as forty-eight (48) ounces of solid-core, 100% polyester insulation for bedding to fit a queen-sized airbed. Other materials may be used. As non-limiting examples, either the first layer 22 or the second layer 24 may be constructed of cotton flannel, cotton twill, poly-cotton, a rubber sheet, or the like. One, both, or none of the layers may be insulated. For example, the two layers 22 , 24 may both be sheets, or one of the layers may be a sheet and the other a fleece blanket.

[0027] To attach the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 to an airbed, the two layers are connected (e.g., by the zipper 38 ) along their foot. One of the layers is chosen as the bottom layer, and the other layer is the top layer. For ease of illustration, to describe the attachment of the airbed bedding 20 , in the following example the first layer 22 is the bottom layer, and the second layer 24 is the top layer.

[0028] The first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are stacked on top of one another, so that the edges align. The first layer 22 is centered over the airbed, and the corners are allowed to hang below the corners of the airbed ( FIG. 2 ). The loose end of each of the drawstrings 28 is pulled until tight, and the barrel locks 30 are cinched to hold the corners in place ( FIG. 3 ). In this manner, the corners of the first layer 22 are pulled around and beneath the corners of the airbed. This arrangement holds the first layer 22 in place on the airbed.

[0029] The amount that the sides and corners of the first layer 22 extend under the airbed when attached depends on the size of the airbed and the size of the first layer. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the corners of the first layer 22 may extend only slightly below the corners of a larger airbed, such as a queen-sized airbed. However, as shown in FIG. 4 , on a smaller airbed D, such as a double-sized airbed, the corners and the sides of the first layer may extend under the airbed a substantial amount, such as a few inches. In either case, the first layer 22 is securely attached to the airbed. This feature permits the airbed bedding 20 to fit on multiple sizes of airbeds. For example, a single airbed bedding 20 may be sized to fit unto double-sized airbeds and a queen-sized airbeds, despite the thickness of the airbeds.

[0030] Preferably, at least a portion of the sides of the first layer 22 extends under the airbed when attached to the airbed. This feature additionally secures the airbed bedding 20 to the airbed, because at least a part of the airbed is resting on the overlapped corners and sides, and the overlapped corners and sides, because they extend under the airbed, are harder to dislodge. To this end, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are preferably sized so that their sides and ends may extend under the largest bed that is contemplated for the airbed bedding 20 to fit. For example, for an airbed bedding 20 that is sized for both double-sized airbeds and a queen-sized airbeds, the maximum dimensions of a queen-sized airbed are taken into account when sizing the airbed bedding 20 . For this example, if a manufacturer wants at least 6 inches of the sides to extend under the airbed, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 are made, for example, 7 feet, 4 inches wide. This dimension assumes that the maximum thickness of an airbed is 8 inches, and the width of a queen-sized bed is 5 feet. Thus, the width is calculated by: 5 feet (width), plus (8 inches) ×2 (height, both sides), plus (6 inches) ×2 (overlap, both sides) equals 7 feet, 4 inches. If a bed is smaller than these dimensions, then the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 extend more under the airbed. The measurements for the length may similarly be calculated. King-sized and twin-sized airbed beddings may be calculated in a similar way.

[0031] In any event, after the first layer 22 is attached, for additional security, the drawstrings 34 at the corners of the foot of the top, second layer 24 may also be tightened around the airbed. This feature helps to keep the foot of the bed tucked, so that a person sleeping on the airbed is more likely to remain covered.

[0032] If two different materials are used for the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 , either of the layers may be used as the fitted cover, and the other layer may be used as the top sheet. If, for example, the first layer 22 is a sheet, and the second layer 24 is an insulated comforter, the user may place the first (sheet) layer 22 on the bottom and cover up with the second (insulated comforter) layer 24 when the temperature is cooler (shown in FIG. 1 ), or reverse this configuration and sleep on the more comfortable second (insulated comforter) layer 24 , and cover up with the first (sheet) layer 22 (shown in FIG. 5 ) when the ambient temperature is warmer. In this manner, the airbed bedding 20 provides flexibility in temperature and/or comfort.

[0033] Variations are within the spirit of the present invention. For example, the layers of the airbed bedding may be formed without distinct corners, or may have multiple corners. In either event, at least one of the layers preferably includes at least one cinching mechanism for attaching the layer to all four corners of an airbed. In addition, another layer may be included that preferably has at least one cinching mechanism for cinching the layer to the foot of an airbed. In this manner, the two layers may be used as mattress cover and top bedding layer.

[0034] Alternatives also exist for the arrangement and selection of the cinching mechanisms. A single drawstring may be provided for cinching a portion of the first layer 22 (e.g., the two corners at the foot of the first layer) around the foot of an airbed so that cinching of the drawstring draws both corners of the foot of the first layer under the airbed and tightens the first layer to the airbed. A similar drawstring may be used for cinching a portion of the first layer (e.g., the two head corners of the first layer) to the head of an airbed, and/or for the foot and head of the second layer. In addition, a single drawstring may be used to cinch the bottom layer of the two layers of the airbed bedding 20 to all four corners of an airbed. This feature allows the layer to be cinched to all four corners by pulling on the single drawstring. A similar drawstring may be used on the other layer, but doing so makes it difficult to cinch only the foot of the upper layer.

[0035] In addition, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 may be attached at locations other than the foot, such as along one side. The additional or replacement attachment of the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 may be by a zipper or other closure mechanism, or may be permanent, such as by sewing.

[0036] If desired, the first layer 22 and the second layer 24 may be different sizes. This feature may permit, for example, the lower layer to barely extend under the airbed, and the upper layer to have large overlaps at the side, head and/or foot of the airbed.

[0037] Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.