embodiments of the present invention pertain to a mattress that is configured to efficiently fit in the back of a vehicle so that the vehicle can be used as a comfortable and viable sleeping or resting location . the internal structure of the mattress is not critical to the present invention . in one embodiment , a stuffing or spring configuration is implemented . in a preferred embodiment , however , the mattress is an inflatable air mattress . in one embodiment , the mattress can be inflated utilizing an inflation mechanism that receives power from the vehicle ( e . g ., the device plugs into the cigarette lighter ). regardless of whether the mattress is a standard mattress ( e . g ., a spring mattress ) or an air mattress , it is illustratively sized and shaped to fit into the back of specific vehicles having pick - up like characteristics . as has been mentioned , the vehicle might be anything from a full - sized truck with a long or short bed to smaller truck vehicles . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , a range of mattresses are produced and provided to accommodate any pick - up - like vehicle ( i . e ., an el camino ). in addition , specialized units can be configured and customized to fit into sport utility vehicles and other vehicles . the mattress embodiments described herein can be utilized for many different purposes such as to accommodate sleeping in the back of a vehicle or providing a comfortable place to sit during outdoor sporting events . in one embodiment , specialized ( e . g ., heavy - duty ) materials are utilized to construct a mattress that provides a cushion for transporting fragile items or pets in the back of a vehicle . fig1 is a perspective view of a truck - bed mattress 102 in accordance with one aspect of the present invention . mattress 102 has indentations 104 that are configured to accommodate spacing for wheel well projections when the mattress is placed in the back of a pick - up truck or similar vehicle . a plurality of projections 106 are configured to extend on either side of the wheel well projections . although four projections 106 have been illustrated , fewer could be included without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , while mattress 102 is illustrated as having a “ i ” configuration , a “ t ” configuration is within the scope of the present invention . one or three projection configurations are also within the scope of the present invention . fig2 and 3 are top and side views , respectively , of mattress 102 . various dimensions are labeled in these figures and specific values will be provided as an example of one implementation for accommodation of a standard vehicle truck bed configuration . again , mattress 102 can be sized and shaped to fit any of a variety of vehicle configurations . length 206 is approximately 77 inches . length 204 is approximately 57½ inches . length 202 is approximately 21½ inches . width 208 is approximately 64 inches . width 210 is approximately 7½ inches . thickness 212 is approximately 6 inches . again , the measurements provided herein are exemplary only and can be modified to accommodate a particular vehicle configuration or preference ( e . g ., extra thickness ). it should also be pointed out that indentations 104 can be provided with a particular shape to accommodate a particular vehicle configuration . for example , a shape more complex than the illustrated approximate rectangles can be implemented to accommodate a particular wheel well protrusion configuration . fig4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a truck - bed mattress in accordance with one aspect of the present invention . mattress 402 includes extensions 404 that are designed to provide a layer of padded protection over wheel well protrusions when mattress 402 is placed in a vehicle . in one embodiment , extensions 404 are foldable so that they can be collapsed into an efficient profile configuration . in one embodiment , extensions 404 are incorporate a padding material to provide protection from bumps against a wheel well protrusion . in one embodiment , extensions 404 are attached to mattress 402 . in another embodiment , extensions 404 are separate from mattress 402 and are simply slid into place such that a portion of the protrusion is slid between the wheel well protrusion and the mattress to secure extensions 404 over the wheel well protrusion . fig5 is a top view of another embodiment of a truck - bed mattress 502 in accordance with another aspect of the present invention . mattress 502 is illustratively similar to mattress 102 ( fig1 ) but includes only one indentation , namely , indentation 504 . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
a mattress is disclosed having an overall size and shape that enable it to fit securely in the back of a pick - up truck , suv , mini - suv or some other vehicle . while the specifications and examples listed herein assume a full - size vehicle , a proportionally smaller mattress can be configured to accommodate mid - size or smaller vehicles .