Mattress retainer

Abstract

A mattress retainer for use with an adjustable bed having a rectilinear foot-region frame section with a planar upper surface substantially operates to “clip” this frame section, extending upwards at the foot of the adjustable bed to retain the mattress. Preferably made from a contiguous piece of bent metal, the mattress retainer (1) ships inverted in position on the foot-region frame section of a modular adjustable bed, and (2) is erected to operational position upon the bed by one person without use of tools.

1 . A mattress retainer for use with a bed having a substantially rectilinear frame sections that have and present substantially planar upper surfaces upon which rests a mattress that is retained upon the bed, the mattress retainer comprising:
 a contiguous piece of tubular metal
 bent so as to clip a section of the bed frame in two spaced parallel regions, each spaced-parallel clip extending from an edge of the clipped section of the bed frame so as to act against top and bottom surfaces of the bed frame equivalently as a common paper clip would act to compressively clip a thick sheaf of papers; and 
   an upstanding “U”-shaped section between the two-spaced parallel clips that engages a mattress upon the bed at the edge of the clipped section, and that keeps the mattress from sliding off the section and off the bed.   
   
   
       2 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 1  for use at a foot of a foot-region frame section of the adjustable bed; wherein the retainer serves to prevent the mattress from sliding off the foot region of the bed. 
   
   
       3 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 1  for use at a side of a foot-region frame section of the adjustable bed; wherein the retainer serves to prevent the mattress from sliding off the side of the foot region of the bed. 
   
   
       4 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 1  for use at a head of a head-region frame section of the adjustable bed; wherein the retainer serves to prevent the mattress from sliding off the head of the bed. 
   
   
       5 . A mattress retainer for use with a bed having a substantially rectilinear foot-region frame section having and presenting a substantially planar upper surface upon which resides a foot region of the mattress that is retained, the mattress retainer comprising:
 a contiguous piece of bent metal
 partially disposed the foot-region frame section, partially under the foot region of the mattress, and partially upstanding at the foot of the mattress to retain the mattress upon the fame, and 
 symmetrical about an imaginary vertical plane along a longitudinal centerline of the bed, with 
 each symmetrical half of the bent metal piece proceeding from a vertically upstanding extension contacting the rectilinear foot region frame section in a position opposite to the foot of the bed, extending rearward under the foot frame section to the foot edge of the bed, there proceeding upwards and around the foot edge region of the foot frame section and then forming a substantial loop directionally first away from and then back to the foot of the bed and its foot frame section, finally extending first upwards and then laterally centrally so as to, in combination with the symmetrical half, produce a mechanically stable upstanding barrier at the foot of any mattress upon the foot frame section of the bed, retaining the mattress upon the foot frame section and upon the bed. 
   
   
   
       6 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 5  for use with an adjustable bed wherein the foot-region frame section is an adjustable section of the adjustable bed. 
   
   
       7 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 6  for use with an adjustable bed that is modular, the mattress retainer being shipped with the foot-region frame section of the modular adjustable bed. 
   
   
       8 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 7  for use with the adjustable bed that is modular wherein the mattress retainer is reversed relative to mattress surface of the foot-region frame section during shipping of the modular adjustable bed. 
   
   
       9 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 7  for use with the adjustable bed that is modular wherein the mattress retainer is assembled to the foot-region frame section of the modular adjustable bed by one person without use of tools. 
   
   
       10 . The mattress retainer according to  claim 5   wherein the substantial loop formed by the piece of bent metal directionally first away from, and then back to, the foot of the bed and its foot frame section is more particularly in the substantial shape of a single loop of a paper clip;   wherein it can be analogized that each symmetrical half of the bent metal piece serves to clip the foot-region frame section.