Bed rail webbing

Abstract

A bed rail having a rail portion for confronting a first side of a bed, a leg portion for being disposed between a mattress and a box spring, a proximal anchor adjacent to at least one of the rail portion and leg portion, a distal anchor spaced from the proximal anchor, webbing between the first and second anchors, the webbing being fixable in a first configuration at a first distance to engage mattresses and box springs of a first width, and the webbing being fixable in a second configuration at a second distance to engage mattresses and box springs of a second width.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A combination comprising:
 a) a first mattress and a second mattress, the first mattress having a head end, a foot end, a near side, a far side, and a sleeping surface, the second mattress having a head end, a foot end, a near side, a far side, and a sleeping surface, the first mattress having a first width defined by a distance between the near side and the far side of the first mattress, the second mattress having a second width defined by a distance between the near side and the far side of the second mattress, the second width being less than the first width; and   b) a bed rail apparatus comprising:
 i) a proximal anchor that engages the near side of the first mattress at a first time and the near side of the second mattress at a second time; 
 ii) a distal anchor that engages the far side of the first mattress at the first time and the far side of the second mattress at the second time; 
 iii) a rail portion engaged to the proximal anchor and extendable to and beyond the sleeping surface of the first mattress at the first time and at the second time; 
 iv) a leg portion engaged to the proximal anchor and extending in a direction toward the distal anchor at the first time and at the second time; 
 v) a flexible strap extending from the distal anchor to at least one of the proximal anchor and leg portion at the first time and at the second time, the flexible strap being drawable in a proximal direction such that the proximal and distal anchors hug the first mattress securely at the first time and hug the second mattress securely at the second time, the flexible strap having a proximal end and a distal end; 
 vi) at the first time the flexible strap extends directly from the distal anchor to one of the leg portion and proximal anchor where the distal end of the flexible strap is adjacent to the far end of the first mattress and where the proximal end of the flexible strap is adjacent to the near end of the first mattress; and 
 vii) at the second time the flexible strap extends indirectly from the distal anchor to one of the leg portion and proximal anchor, where the distal end of the flexible strap is adjacent to the far end of the second mattress and where the proximal end of the flexible strap is adjacent to the near end of the second mattress. 
   
     
     
         2 . The combination of  claim 1 , wherein the leg portion includes a guide defining a slot that receives the flexible strap and wherein the flexible strap includes a stopper nonremovably engaged thereon, the stopper having a dimension greater than the slot such that the guide stops the stopper from passing through the slot when the flexible strap is drawn in the proximal direction such that any further drawing of the flexible strap in the proximal direction is stopped. 
     
     
         3 . The combination of  claim 1 , wherein one of the leg portion and proximal anchor includes a first connection and wherein the flexible strap includes a second connection, the first and second connections being connectable to each other at the second time to shorten an effective length of the flexible strap such that the proximal and distal anchors securely hug the second mattress having the second width. 
     
     
         4 . The combination of  claim 1 , and further comprising:
 a) a first configuration where the proximal and distal anchors engage respectively the near and far sides of the first mattress at the first time;   b) a second configuration where the proximal and distal anchors engage respectively the near and far sides of the second mattress at the second time; and   c) a third configuration at a third time where the proximal anchor is adjacent to the near side of the second mattress and the distal anchor is spaced from the far side of the second mattress such that the proximal and distal anchors are disengaged from the second mattress, where in the third configuration the distal anchor is undrawable in a proximal direction and drawable in a distal direction.   
     
     
         5 . The combination of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible strap at the second time includes:
 a) a first strap portion extending in a distal direction from a location adjacent to the near side of the second mattress, the first strap portion having an end;   b) a second strap portion engaged to the end of the first strap portion, the second strap portion extending in a proximal direction and having an end;   c) a third strap portion engaged to the end of the second strap portion, the third strap portion extending in a distal direction and having an end engaged to the distal anchor.   
     
     
         6 . The combination of  claim 5 , wherein one of the leg portion and proximal anchor includes a first connection and wherein the flexible strap includes a second connection, the first and second connections being connectable to each other at the second time to shorten an effective length of the flexible strap such that the proximal and distal anchors securely hug the second mattress having the second width, with the second connection being disposed adjacent to the end of the second strap portion. 
     
     
         7 . The combination of  claim 1 , and further comprising a third time where:
 a) the proximal anchor is adjacent to the near side of the second mattress;   b) the distal anchor is spaced from the far side of the second mattress;   c) the flexible strap is undrawable in a proximal direction; and   d) the flexible strap is drawable in a distal direction.   
     
     
         8 . The combination of  claim 7 , wherein the flexible strap includes a stopper and wherein the bed rail apparatus includes a slot through which the flexible strap extends, the stopper having one of a width and height greater than, respectively, a width or height of the slot such that the stopper is stopped from traveling through the slot by a portion of the bed rail apparatus forming the slot. 
     
     
         9 . A bed rail apparatus for engaging a bed having a mattress and box spring, the mattress having a near side, a far side, a head end, a foot end, and a sleeping surface, the bed rail apparatus comprising:
 a) a first base engagable adjacent to the near side of the mattress, the first base being a proximal anchor;   b) a second base engagable adjacent to the far side of the mattress, the second base being a distal anchor;   c) a flexible strap extending from the first base to the second base, the flexible strap having a proximal end adjacent to the first base and a distal end adjacent to the second base;   d) a leg portion engaged to the first base and extending in a distal direction;   e) a rail portion engaged to the first base and extending to and beyond the sleeping surface of the first mattress;   f) a slider engaged on the flexible strap, the slider being slideable axially along the flexible strap, the slider being engagable to one of the leg portion and first base, the flexible strap having an indirect path from the first base to the second base when the slider is engaged to said one of the leg portion and first base such that the bed rail apparatus is engagable to a first mattress having a first width or a second mattress having a second width less than the first width, the slider being unengaged to the leg portion or first base when the bed rail apparatus is engaged to the first mattress, the slider being engaged to one of the leg portion and first base when the bed rail apparatus is engaged to the second mattress, the slider being at first location on the flexible strap when the slider is engaged to said one of the leg portion and first base; and   g) a stopper engaged to the flexible strap, the stopper being nonremovably engaged to the flexible strap at a second location, the second location being between the first location and the distal end of the flexible strap.   
     
     
         10 . A bed rail comprising:
 a) a rail portion for confronting a first side of a bed;   b) a leg portion for being disposed between a mattress and a box spring;   c) a proximal anchor adjacent to at least one of the rail portion and leg portion;   d) a distal anchor spaced from the proximal anchor;   e) webbing between the first and second anchors;   f) the webbing being fixable in a first configuration and having a first length to engage a first mattress of a first width; and   g) the webbing being fixable in a second configuration and having a second length to engage a second mattress of a second width, the second length being less than the first length, and the second width being less than the first width.   
     
     
         11 . The bed rail of  claim 10 , and the webbing having a third configuration having a third length, where the third length is defined by a closest location of the distal anchor to the proximal anchor, the webbing being undrawable in a proximal direction when the distal anchor is at said closest location, and the webbing being drawable in a distal direction when the distal anchor is at said closest location, such that the webbing cannot engage the second mattress.