Bed Sheet Pocket Layout for Easier Access and Secure Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bed sheets with pockets face challenges in ease of access, particularly when objects are co-located or serially located, as the angled openings hinder ingress and egress, and the designs often obscure usable space, making it difficult to locate items, especially when not in a prone position.
Innovation Solution
The bed sheet features co-located pockets with angled openings that are counter-angled to each other, allowing for easy identification and access from both vertical and prone positions, along with gusseted sides and elastic rims to secure objects without external bulging, maximizing usable space and allowing for irregular object sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pockets are designed with diagonal openings at an angle relative to the sheet edge, then object retention is achieved, but ease of access and ingress/egress of objects is hampered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional diagonal opening design by providing pocket openings that are substantially parallel to the sheet edge rather than angled. This reversal allows objects to be easily inserted and removed by simply sliding them in and out along the parallel opening, eliminating the need to angle objects during access while maintaining secure retention through the pocket structure and elastic band.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the pocket opening from an angled/diagonal orientation to a substantially parallel orientation relative to the sheet edge. This parameter change fundamentally improves accessibility while the elastic band and pocket structure maintain the retention function, resolving the contradiction between secure retention and ease of access.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple pockets are co-located or serially located next to one another, then storage capacity is increased, but access to specific pockets becomes difficult when not in prone position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the side panel into multiple distinct pocket locations (first, second, third, and fourth pockets) with clearly separated parallel openings. Each pocket is positioned at a different location along the side panel, allowing users to access specific pockets from various positions on the bed without needing to be in a prone position. The segmentation of storage space into multiple accessible pockets increases capacity while maintaining ease of access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges pockets in different spatial dimensions along the side panel - some pockets are positioned higher, some lower, and some toward the corners. This dimensional distribution allows users to access different pockets depending on their position on the bed, solving the problem of accessing multiple co-located pockets without being in a specific position.
3Shape
If pocket openings are diagonal, then pocket structure is formed, but usable space is obscured and total access to pocket interior is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the diagonal opening design to provide substantially parallel openings that extend the full width of the pocket. This allows complete visual and physical access to the entire pocket interior, eliminating the obscured space problem while maintaining the pocket structure through the back wall and elastic band retention mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the opening parameter from diagonal to substantially parallel with the sheet edge, and extends the opening to provide full access to the pocket interior. This parameter change maximizes the usable area of each pocket while the back wall and elastic band maintain the structural integrity and retention function.
4Reliability
If gusseted sides and elastic rims are used to secure objects, then retention without fasteners is achieved, but external bulging may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses elastic bands wrapped around the pocket openings to provide retention without fasteners. The elastic material flexes to accommodate objects of various sizes while maintaining secure retention. The gusseted sides provide structural support that contains the expansion, minimizing external bulging while allowing the elastic to perform its retention function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the retention mechanism from rigid fasteners to flexible elastic bands, allowing the pocket to adapt to different object sizes and shapes. The elastic material's ability to stretch and retract provides secure retention without the need for buttons, zippers, or other fasteners, while the gusseted construction manages the external profile.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables easy placement and retrieval of objects, maximizes storage space, and maintains a minimal external profile, ensuring secure retention of items without the need for fasteners, while allowing for easy identification of specific pockets in a grouping.
Implementation Method 1
The bed sheet itself is a conventional fitted sheet having an elastic band circumferentially located on an outer perimeter of the bed sheet
Data Source
AI summary
A bed sheet is made of: a material body with inner and outer surfaces configured to substantially cover a mattress. The sheet is provided with at least one pair of co-located pockets provided on the material body. The pockets are substantially rectangular and are placed one on top of the other. The outermost pocket has a height less than that of the inner pockets. The top edges of each pocket are open and slope in opposite direction to facilitate selective placement of objects in one pocket or the other.