1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of mattresses for beds and is particularly directed towards a maternity mattress having provisions for accommodating the large abdomen of a pregnant woman.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Maternity mattresses per se are not new as evidenced by a patent to Skinner U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,862 dated Apr. 23, 1968. It should also be mentioned that applicant is aware of a patent to Talley U.S. Pat. No. 3,118,152 patented Jan. 21, 1964 for a maternity mattress pad. However, the above-mentioned patents do not suggest or disclose applicant's maternity mattress.
Certain problems or disadvantages prevail in prior maternity mattresses and/or maternity abdominal cushions or pads. A few of these problems are: structure for gradually changing the size of the cavity provided in the mattress either does not exist or is ineffective for accommodating the expanding abdomen of the pregnant woman as the months go by. Maternity abdominal cushions or pads for the most part do not offer a solution to this problem but may even be an aggravation thereto. In other words, the cushion or pad must from necessity have a cavity for accommodating the abdomen and the structure defining the cavity must either be somewhat rigid or somewhat soft and cushioning. On the one hand the rigid structure offers the advantage of maintaining the cavity but creates the problem of holding the torso of the woman upwardly in an uncomfortable position and would tend to irritate or cut the woman. On the other hand, the soft cushioning structure defining the cavity has the advantages of allowing the torso of the woman to sink downwardly to a normally comfortable position. However, in doing so it collapses or eliminates the cavity thus becoming totally ineffective. A particular problem with prior maternity mattresses is in connection with trying to use a bedsheet therewith. More specifically, these mattresses, like ordinary mattresses, are preferably covered with a tight fitting removable and washable bedsheet. The typical bedsheet stretches over the cavity provided in the mattress thus making the cavity ineffective. In other words, in order to utilize the concept of prior maternity mattresses it is almost a foregone conclusion that to do so would require the woman to sleep directly on the mattress, i.e., eliminating the advantages of the bedsheet.