Bed pad with insect repellant |
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申请号 | US13290317 | 申请日 | 2011-11-07 | 公开(公告)号 | US09364096B2 | 公开(公告)日 | 2016-06-14 |
申请人 | Alan F. Smithson; | 发明人 | Alan F. Smithson; | ||||
摘要 | An insect-repelling bed pad to be located between the mattress and a box spring of a bed or laid upon the ground inside and out of doors for use by individuals and pets during sleep. The bed pad is manufactured from a porous or loosely-woven material (e.g., burlap) and includes a plurality of chambers. The chambers contain a natural (i.e., green) insect-repelling substance (e.g., cedar wood chips and/or dust) having a scent that is adapted to drive away insects without the use of chemicals. The scent and/or the dust is blown from the chambers of the bed pad to repel insects which may reside between the box spring and the mattress or around the bed site when a compressive force is applied by a user to the bed pad to correspondingly squeeze the chambers. | ||||||
权利要求 | The invention claimed is: |
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说明书全文 | 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a bed pad to be used both indoors (e.g., between a mattress and a box spring) or out of doors (e.g., laid on the ground) during sleep. The bed pad includes a plurality of porous chambers that are filled with a natural insect repellant that is adapted to repel insects without the use of chemicals or subjecting the user to a potentially hazardous environment. 2. Background Art Insect infestation is a problem facing residents of apartments and houses in big cities and rural areas. For example, bed bugs have found their way into bedrooms and hidden themselves within the bedding. During the night, such bed bugs are known to bite unsuspecting individuals while at sleep drawing the individual's blood and leaving bite marks. Common techniques for ridding an area of undesirable insects include spraying an insecticide, releasing a fog, and laying traps. In these cases, the insect-ridding means often contains toxic chemicals and/or a poison. Thus, one sleeping in an area that has been repeatedly treated over time may find himself in a potentially hazardous environment that could be especially inhospitable to small children and pets. In the case of bed bugs, an exterminator is sometimes summoned to use one of a variety of pesticides which tends to be expensive and may also expose the individual to an unhealthy environment while sleeping in his bedroom. What is desirable is an alternative to the conventional use of bug killing chemicals, poisons and the toxicity associated therewith by a safe and natural (i.e., green) material which repels rather than kills insects and which is suitable for use on and around an individual's bed and bedding during sleep. In general terms, a bed pad is disclosed that is adapted to repel (rather than kill) insects of the kind that are often found in the bedroom of a dwelling or at a campsite out of doors. The bed pad is suitable for use by both humans and pets to provide an insect-free bed site. In a preferred embodiment, the bed pad is laid flat between a mattress and a box spring of a typical bed. The bed pad includes a plurality of independent chambers. The bed paid is preferably manufactured from a porous or loosely-woven fiber material such as burlap, or the like. Each chamber is lined with a natural or “green” material which is known to repel insects. One example of a suitable insect repellant to fill the chambers of the bed pad is cedar wood which emits a scent or aroma (i.e., a fumigant) to drive away insects. Either cedar chips, cedar dust or a mixture of the chips and dust can be used to fill the chambers. With one lying upon and/or rolling over top the bed pad, a compressive or squeezing force is applied so that air will be forced through the porous chambers. Accordingly, the scent of the cedar wood will fumigate the interface between the mattress and the box spring. At the same time, a compression of the bed pad will also cause some of the cedar dust to be expelled from the chambers for receipt between the mattress and the box spring. The bed pad may have extensions which overhang the box spring so that the cedar dust will also be deposited around the bed. Thus, insects will be repelled from the bed site without having to use toxic chemicals or subjecting the user to a potentially hazardous environment during sleep. The bed pad 1 according to a preferred embodiment of this invention is initially described while referring concurrently to The bed pad 1 has a flat rectangular body that is sized to fit comfortably and unobtrusively between the mattress 3 and the box spring 5. In the example of As is best shown in A flat and relatively narrow (with respect to the chambers) midsection 14 extends laterally across the bed pad 1 to create a fold line between the upper and lower sets 10 and 12 of bed pad chambers 7. The stitching 9 between the individual chambers 7 forms relatively narrow seams to enable the bed pad 1 to be folded over itself at the midsection 14 so that the upper set 10 of chambers will lie over top and face the lower set 12 as shown in As an important detail of this invention, the bed pad 1 and the chambers 7 thereof are manufactured from a porous or loosely-woven fiber material. By way of example, jute is a suitable fiber that can be woven into burlap or the like in order to manufacture the bed pad 1. As another important detail, prior to being stitched closed, each of the chambers 7 of bed pad 1 is filled with a material which is known to repel insects. It is preferable that the insect repelling material be a natural or “green” insect repellant so as to avoid subjecting the user to chemicals and a possibly toxic sleeping environment. In particular, one example of a suitable natural insect repellant with which to fill the chambers 7 of the bed pad 1 is cedar wood. Cedar is known to have a characteristic aroma (i.e., a fumigant) which is capable of driving away insects. Eucalyptus is another example of a natural insect repellant that has an aroma which is capable of driving away certain insects. As shown in With the bed pad 1 located between the mattress 3 and the box spring 5 in the manner shown in As was earlier explained when referring to More particularly, flat, flexible extensions 36 depend outwardly from the opposite ends of the bed pad 30. A porous or loosely-woven compartment 38 is located at the end of each extension 36. The extensions 36 need be of sufficient length so that the compartments 38 at the ends thereof will reach below the bottom of the box spring 5. The compartments 38 can simply hang down below the box spring or be detachably connected to the underside of the box spring, as shown. A conventional fastener (not shown), such as the hook and loop material known commercially as Velcro, can be used to hold the compartments 38 against the bottom of the box spring 5. The compartments 38 are filled with a natural insect repellant 39 as earlier described, such as (e.g., cedar) chips, dust or a combination thereof. Depending upon whether the box spring 5 shown in In Although a bed pad has been described above, it is to be understood that the size of the pad can vary so as to be used with other articles of furniture, such as a chair or sofa. For example, in the case of a sofa, the inset-repelling pad herein disclosed may be placed below the seat cushions so as to be compressed and fumigate the area between the seat cushions and the cushion base whenever a user sits upon the cushions. |