BEDSHEET COMPRISING REGION OF REDUCED FRICTION

Description

STATEMENT OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/861,984, filed Jun. 14, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present invention relates to bedsheets. More specifically, the present invention is, in aspects, concerned with bedsheets comprising a region of reduced friction and related methods and devices comprising same.

BACKGROUND

Silk and satin pillowcases are known and commonly used to reduce tangling of the hair of older children and adults while sleeping. However, babies should not sleep with pillows in their cribs and often suffer from tangled hair. Furthermore, some adults prefer to sleep without pillows and suffer from tangled hair. Silk and satin bedsheets are known, however, they can be expensive and some people prefer sleeping on cotton or flannel bedsheets.

Small children especially tend to have very fine hair that is prone to tangling, which can lead to not only painful sessions of hair-brushing but hair loss and even regions of balding.

There is a need for alternatives to conventional silk and satin pillows and bedsheets that would be useful for people, such as infants and small children, who sleep without pillows.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a bedsheet comprising a first fabric region and a second fabric region, wherein the first fabric region exhibits reduced friction as compared to the second fabric region.

In an aspect, the first fabric region is configured to underlay the head of a user when sleeping and thereby reduce hair tangling.

In an aspect, the first fabric region comprises from about 5% to about 75% of the surface area of the bedsheet.

In an aspect, the first fabric region comprises from about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, and 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, or about 70% to about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, and 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 70%, or about 75% of the surface area of the bedsheet.

In an aspect, the bedsheet is a fitted bedsheet.

In an aspect, the bedsheet is a flat bedsheet.

In an aspect, the bedsheet is lined with a water-impermeable lining.

In an aspect, the bedsheet is sized to fit a bassinet, crib, or toddler bed.

In an aspect, the first fabric region comprises reduced friction fibers.

In an aspect, the reduced friction fibers are selected from the group consisting of silk, polyester, nylon, acetate, acrylics, polyethylene, polyurethane, bamboo, and combinations thereof.

In an aspect, the first fabric region is treated with a friction reducing component.

In an aspect, the friction reducing component is selected from the group consisting of fluorocarbon polymers, boron, molybdenum sulfide, silicone, siloxane, fluoroesters, fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymers, perfluoroelastomers, polychloro, trifluoroethylene homo- and copolymers, silicone/silane modified polymers, graphite, fluorinated high molecular weight polyolefins or cyclic organic compounds, non-modified polyolefins, fluoropolymers, homopolymers thereof, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof.

In an aspect, the second fabric region comprises fibers selected from the group consisting of cotton, nylon, polyester, acetate, acrylics, polyethylene, polyurethane, bamboo, and combinations thereof.

In an aspect, the second fabric comprises a fabric selected from the group consisting of Egyptian cotton, flannel, percale, jersey, sateen, satin, fleece, or combinations thereof.

In an aspect, the first fabric region comprises silk and the second fabric region comprises cotton.

In an aspect, the first fabric region consists of silk and the second fabric region consists of cotton.

In an aspect, the first fabric region is configured to resemble a cartoon or item pleasing to a child, such as an animal face or an object from nature.

In an aspect, the first fabric region is removably attached to the second fabric region.

In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a bedsheet set comprising the bedsheet described herein.

In an aspect, the bedsheet set further comprises crib items such as bumper pads, decorative pillows, a blanket, a quilt, and/or a mobile.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples while indicating aspects of the invention are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from said detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a picture of a bedsheet described herein;

FIG. 2 shows two different top view diagrams of the bedsheet described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein, in aspects, are bedsheets, typically fitted bedsheets, that contain a region of slippery fabric, such as silk or satin. The remainder of the bedsheet can be of any fabric, such as cotton or bamboo. While these bedsheets can be used on any size of bed and any age of user, they are particularly well-suited for infant and toddler beds, such as bassinets, crib, playpens, toddler beds, etc.

Infants and toddlers should not be put to sleep with pillows, as they can be suffocation hazards. Therefore, there are no known suitable solutions for reducing tangles that appear in their hair after sleeping on conventional cotton sheets. While making crib sheets entirely out of silk or satin may reduce tangling, this is not particularly useful for young children as these sheets are too slippery overall under the body of the user and the user may suffer undesirable slipping and sliding while sleeping. The bedsheets described herein mitigate these issues by making the majority of the bedsheet of a higher friction fiber, such as cotton, and a smaller portion, typically only that region under which the head of the user would substantially lay while sleeping, of a reduced friction or slippery fabric, such as silk or satin. This maintains a safe sleeping area for a small child or infant while also reducing tangles that appear in hair after sleeping for a period of time.

Definitions

In understanding the scope of the present application, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Additionally, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives.

It will be understood that any aspects described as “comprising” certain components may also “consist of” or “consist essentially of,” (or vice versa) wherein “consisting of” has a closed-ended or restrictive meaning and “consisting essentially of” means including the components specified but excluding other components except for materials present as impurities, unavoidable materials present as a result of processes used to provide the components, and components added for a purpose other than achieving the technical effects described herein.

It will be understood that any component defined herein as being included may be explicitly excluded from the claimed invention by way of proviso or negative limitation, whether implicitly or explicitly defined herein. In addition, all ranges given herein include the end of the ranges and also any intermediate range points, whether explicitly stated or not.

Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms of degree should be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.

Bedsheet

FIG. 1 shows a bedsheet 10, which in this case is sized to fit a crib. The bedsheet 10 comprises a first fabric region 12 and a second fabric region 14. The first fabric region 12 is made of silk fibers and the second fabric region 16 is made of cotton fibers. In this way, the first fabric region 12 is slippery as compared to the second fabric region 14 and is described as exhibiting reduced friction as compared to the second fabric region 14.

Typically, the first fabric region 12 is configured to underlay the head of a user when sleeping. Thus, much in the way a silk or satin pillow reduces hair tangling, the first fabric region 12 will also reduce hair tangling and is suitable for use in situations in which pillows are not recommended or desired, such as in a bassinet, crib, or toddler bed.

The first fabric region 12 typically cover about a third or a quarter of the flat region of the bedsheet 10 to thereby undelay the user's head. It will be understood that the first fabric region could of course cover any desired proportion of the bedsheet 10, such as from about 5% to about 75% of the surface area of the bedsheet, or from about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, and 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, or about 70% to about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, and 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 70%, or about 75% of the surface area of the bedsheet.

In most typical aspects, the bedsheet 10 is a fitted bedsheet, which can be fitted in ways conventionally known, such as through the use of elastic sidewalls that extend down and around a mattress, through the use of elastic bands that extend around a smaller mattress such as a crib or bassinet, or elastic bands that extend around mattress corners, for example. The bedsheet 10 could also be a flat bedsheet that is simply folded around the mattress for use as desired. In certain aspects, such as when the bedsheet 10 is configured for use in a bassinet, crib, or toddler bed, the bedsheet 10 may be lined with a water-impermeable or water-resistant lining in order to protect the underlying mattress.

Thus, it will be evident that the bedsheet 10 described herein may be sized to fit any desired mattress, such as a twin, full, queen, king, or other sized mattress. However, in typical aspects, the bedsheet is sized to fit a bassinet, crib, or toddler bed mattress, and most typically a conventional crib mattress.

The first fabric region 12 may be designed to have reduced friction as compared to the second fabric region 14 by any known method. The most typical method is by designing the first fabric region 12 to comprise reduced friction fibers. Examples of such reduced friction fibers may be selected from the group consisting of silk, polyester, nylon, acetate, acrylics, polyethylene, polyurethane, bamboo, and combinations thereof, including satin and sateen, which may be formed from these fibers. Most typically chosen for the first fabric region 12 are silk, satin, and/or sateen.

Another method of rendering the first fabric region 12 to have reduced friction as compared to the second fabric region 14 is by treating the first fabric region 12 with a friction reducing component, which may be, for example, selected from the group consisting of fluorocarbon polymers, boron, molybdenum sulfide, silicone, siloxane, fluoroesters, fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymers, perfluoroelastomers, polychloro, trifluoroethylene homo- and copolymers, silicone/silane modified polymers, graphite, fluorinated high molecular weight polyolefins or cyclic organic compounds, non-modified polyolefins, fluoropolymers, homopolymers thereof, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof. Of course, of this list, only those that would be considered safe and suitable for use in a bedsheet 10 would be chosen.

The second fabric region 14 comprises fibers selected from the group consisting of cotton, nylon, polyester, acetate, acrylics, polyethylene, polyurethane, bamboo, and combinations thereof, generally resulting in fabrics selected from the group consisting of Egyptian cotton, flannel, percale, jersey, sateen, satin, fleece, and combinations thereof. Most typically chosen for the second fabric region 14 is cotton.

Thus, typically, the first fabric region 12 comprises or consists of silk and the second fabric region comprises or consists of cotton.

As the first fabric region 12 is differentiated from the second fabric region 14, it can be designed to simply be a conventional shape, such as a square, circle, oval, or rectangle, for example, in the same or a contrasting color. Alternatively, the first fabric region 12 could be designed to resemble a cartoon or item pleasing to a child, such as an animal face or an object from nature. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the first fabric region 12 is shown as a lion face or a cloud. Any desired picture or shape may be used for the first fabric region 12.

The first fabric region 12 may be applied to the second fabric region 14, much like an applique, in which the second fabric region 14 is a second layer underlying the first fabric region 12. Some padding may be included between the layers if desired and appropriate for the application. Alternatively, the first fabric region 12 may be applied to a void in the second fabric region 14, so that there is only a single layer of fabric. The first fabric region 12 may also be removably attached to the second fabric region 14, such that it is removable and attachable as desired with, for example, attaching means such as buttons, snaps, Velcro, or zippers.

Also provided is a bedsheet set comprising the bedsheet 10 described herein. The set may include any conventional additions to bedsheet sets, such as crib items including bumper pads, decorative pillows, a blanket, a quilt, and/or a mobile, for example.

The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. Changes in form and substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. Although specific terms have been employed herein, such terms are intended in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Although preferred aspects of the invention have been described herein in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.