Field of endeavor relates to cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shapes of foam cushions for toe-rest/blanket lift to be removable, or installed, or permanent to the bed. No prior art has been found for partially round shaped protrusions and or method of cushion arrangement specifically for the toes to rest upon in bed.
Novel is claimed in the concept for a toe-rest as inventor differentiates this from the prior art of foot rests and foot stops in bed which focused claims on medical applications such as foot drop, patient exercise or for patient repositioning by pushing against the apparatus to assist patients sliding down in the bed (U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,251, February 1975, Pounds). Prior art for foot rest also claimed for warming the feet (U.S. Pat. No. 1,067,733, July 1913, Hassel), or vibrating the feet in bed (U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,401, December 2003, Waters). Whereas inventor's removable bolsters focus on a simple, yet effective, affordable, comfort pillow to gently rest the toes against to support the toes from gravity's downward pull and is not intended for pushing feet against.
Inventor's installed version of a bolster that is partially round and sloping to meet base that attaches to blanket lift frame reduces space at the foot of the bed for taller people to be able to toe-rest and improves prior art in ease of use, installation, and affordability of cushioned foot supports (U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,817, November 1966, Landwirth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,251, February 1975, Pounds, U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,899, January 1993, Lou) when used as a toe support for comfort.
Prior art found for foot rests, foot stops, blanket-lift frames or blanket lift foam wedge, exercise kick bags, and round shaped pillows is riddled with incompatibilities in either, size, shape, resiliency, pillow use methods, and pillowcase fabrics to serve as a toe-rest which simultaneously is also a blanket support. Related prior art is problematic in not accommodating a range of body sizes, and not being user friendly or affordable.
In general, prior art for foot-rest devices needing installation, or containing attachments, make them harder and more expensive to mass produce, and not user friendly. Other problems with prior art relate to materials used as being cold or hard to the human touch. Still, other incompatibilities found with prior art containing suitable foam (reference foam, wedge shape blanket lift U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,401, December 2003, Waters) did not have the round design whose function is to reach out to the toes to be rested against. Also prior art foam, wedge, blanket lift also has problems accommodating medium to tall people in bed in requiring feet to be placed in front of the cushion.
Inventor's dual pillow configuration accommodates medium to tall people in bed with a toe-tent and baby toe rest when the feet are placed between two said cushions in the supine position with the option to baby toe rest which is desirable to support the toes in the upright position (U.S. Pat. No. 2,095,459, October 1937, Tottenham).
Prior art found for cylindrical, multiple, foam pillows lack the dual pillow configuration and sizing specifications of invention needed to function as toe-rest/blanket support (U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,981, July 1985, Behar & U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,757, December 1996, O'Sullivan).
To accommodate medium to tall people in bed with a frontal toe-rest blanket lift where the feet are placed in front of a single cushion, prior art found for half-round bolsters as free standing cushions lack stability in keeping the curved edge facing the toes. Invention for an installed version of a toe-rest/blanket lift improves on prior art blanket lift frames (U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,403, December 2004, Elliott), by adding a partially round cushion whose pillowcase has the means to be fastened to the stabilizing frame. Also, inventor has unique shaped, partially round bolster and sloping to meet with a flat base that is designed to be used with a more affordable blanket lift frame that is not adjustable in height where the flat edge rests on the bed while being stabilized by the blanket lift frame.
Inventor recognized the need for a permanent, partially round and sloping to meet base protrusion to be manufactured into longer beds to accommodate taller people to place their feet in front of the cushion to toe-rest while utilizing the blanket lift. Therefore, this invention is broad in covering specialty mattresses and box springs to be manufactured in longer lengths. This improves prior art for the combination foot rest and blanket lift that is built into the mattress (U.S. Pat. No. 1,972,673, September 1934, Baird) whose trapezoidal shape protrusion does not promote toe resting. Patent search information of related prior art is as follows . . . .
U.S. Pat. No. 1,210,019, December 1916, Truman
Round pillow built into mattress; designed for head. Not for toe resting.
U.S. Pat. No. 243,868, July 1881, Doremus
Drawing shows fabric rolled and sewn together into longer than round shape. No suggested diameter or length sizing or body part usage indicated. Not resilient, has no pillowcase for easy washing, and is not easily manufactured.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,067,733, July 1913, Hassel
Curved shape foot warmer in bed w/attachments to bed frame. Covering for padding is to be wool like, warm fabric. Stated foot rest/foot stop option in the dotted line of drawing in the down position is then not tall enough to be a simultaneous blanket lift.U.S. Pat. No. 1,211,257, January 1917, ThomasCylindrical pillow with coils & springs with a hollow center and can be fitted with lace to be used as a decorative sham. Has no suggested diameter/length sizing, or body part usage indicated. Not easily manufactured.U.S. Pat. No. 1,547,879, July 1925, LambertCombination foot rest/blanket lift in bed. Made of wood slats and is wedge shaped. Not curved to reach out to the toes.U.S. Pat. No. 1,972,673, September 1934, BairdCombination trapezoidal shaped foot rest and blanket lift manufactured into mattress. Not curved to function as a toe rest.U.S. Pat. No. 2,095,459, October 1937, TottenhamWooden footboard attached to bed rail, is a foot protector and foot rest to keep toes pointing in the upward position that requires installation. Material is not of comfort to the touch. Not flexible to various sleep positions.U.S. Pat. No. 2,160,443, May 1939, SchadellWedge shaped blanket lift, made of wood with light bulb inside of case for warmth-no claim to foot-rest in bed. Not easily manufactured. Material is not of comfort to the touch.U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,536, January 1941, WilkichConcave shape built into mattress. Not shaped for toe resting.U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,151, July 1965, Boyer and U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,993, December 2002, AllenSliding footboard is to increase bed length that requires an expensive, custom frame. Has no curved shape bolster for toe resting.U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,569, February 1966, StewartNeck, and back bolster, made of fiber filling with ties. Not made of supportive material.U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,817, November 1966, LandwirthFoam wedge with attached bolster roll for footrest of bedridden patient to be used in the sitting up in bed position. Not easily used or manufactured. Not for the supine position.U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,861, April 1968, LousbergUpper body elevating mattress with built in foot rest. Not round to serve as toe rest.U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,185, November 1970, HanesNeck bolster formed by rolling fabric or foam and has semi rigid tubular core. Harder to manufacture.U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,645, April 1975, OliveriusInflatable blanket lift for hosp bed & foot support for drop foot with fasteners. Not easy to use and tend to loose air.U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,251, February 1975, PoundsHalf round, foam, foot rest with board attached to hospital frame for patient prevention of sliding down the bed by pushing against. Not easy to install and expensive to manufacture.U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,733, November 1976, RacinePouffe pillow constructed from square or rectangular shaped foam that is covered with elastic fabric pillow case that contorts foam into rounded shaped edges using the tension created by the drawstring closures on opposing ends. Not easily mass manufactured, no uses or sizes indicated. Fabric is not suitable for pillowcase for human touch.U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,327, July 1980, SmithNinety degree angle support board blanket lift. Has no means to attach bolster for toe rest.U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,344, September 1981, Ikeda and U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,924, June 2001, KluftBuilt in protrusions on the sides of the mattress to keep patients from rolling out of bed. Pillow configuration and diameters not suited for toe-rest/blanket lift.U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,981, July 1985, BeharDual bolster head restraint for a stretcher with adjustable straps. Not easily manufactured.U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,402, August 1986, Pollard and U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,228, October 1989, BishopBed side rail cushion cylindrical guards added to bed to prevent person from falling out of bed. Pillow configuration and diameters not suited for toe-rest/blanket lift.U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,899, January 1993, LouMattress with means for installation of blanket support, with pivot functions and has optional heating device. Custom mattress needed to attach bolster frame. Not easily manufactured or affordably priced. Not easy to install.U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,757, December 1996, O'SullivanDouble and triple half round cushions joined by zipper for head, neck and back support, not for blanket lift or toe-rest use. Pillow configuration not suited for toe-rest/blanket lift.U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,571, April 1998, TyraPivoting, cylindrical shaped padding attached to bed for invalid exercise and repositioning in bed that requires installation and is more expensive to manufacture.U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,939, May 1998, Flick et al.Three piece foam set to keep patient's feet in supine position. Pillow configuration is not suitable for toe-rest/blanket lift and does not allow for side sleeping flexibility.U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,679, May 2000, RicePillow rolled into cylindrical shaped bolster with flap for patient propping on their side. Flap is not useful in application as toe-rest/blanket lift and makes it harder to manufacture. Has no pillow configuration for dual use toe-rest/blanket lift that accommodates tall people.U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,622B2, June 2002, Nichols, Jr.Round, boxing bag on a base with vinyl covering is more expensive and not suitable for bed use.U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,401, December 2003, WatersTriangular wedge, U, or L shaped foam blanket lift with options for pockets for herbal scents and foot vibrator. Not ideal as a toe rest because edges facing the toes are flat and need to be round to reach out to the toes. Has no pillow configuration for dual use toe-rest/blanket lift that accommodates tall people.U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,353 B2, March 2004, HanSpine aligner columnar shaped. Not ideal as toe-rest because edges are not round.U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,990 B1, September 2004, HutchinsonSet of cylindrical shaped pillows t shaped with straps for arm and back support. Not easily manufactured. Has no pillow configuration for dual use toe-rest/blanket lift that accommodates tall people.U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,572, August 2004, JonesDisposable travel pillow for neck, head and back that is hollow and cylindrical composed of stuffing with fasteners. Fabric not resilient enough for blanket lift. Not easily manufactured.U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,403, December 2004, ElliottFrame blanket lift has handles on bed and overhead bars. Obstructs bed space. Has no comfort cushion to rest toes on.U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,699 B2, January 2006, HedgesPneumatic free air chamber hollowed, foam bolster for various body parts to rest against-foam plugs allow for different grades of foam to be plugged into part of the hollow space air chamber. Not easily manufactured.U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,382, March 2007, Taylor, et al.Ankle or arm elevator with fasteners that wrap around. Slit and hollowed groove in foam reduces it's resiliency to be supportive as blanket lift. Has no pillow configuration for dual use toe-rest/blanket lift that accommodates tall people.U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,930, April 2007, BonuttiExercise balls in a two set configuration, not suited for bed use.