Waterbed and frame assembly

Abstract

Waterbed and frame assembly in which the frame rails are provided with cushioning pads and covered with a decorative fabric cover which is attached to the safety liner and to the lower portions of the rails to form an integrated liner, cover and rail structure. The cover is detachably connected to the liner and frame and is readily installed and removed for cleaning or to change the look of the bed. The tops of the pads on the side rails are substantially level with the top surface of the mattress, and the pads are thick enough to prevent discomfort to a person sitting on the edge of the bed from the relatively rigid rails. In one disclosed embodiment, the safety liner is attached to the outer sides of the rails, and in another it has self-standing side panels of a pliant material which yields with the pads when someone sits on the edge of the bed. The upper portions of the rails have an increased lateral dimension which provides a seating ledge and resists bowing due to pressure from the water in the mattress. The rails are connected together at the corners by fasteners which are installed from the outside, and pins hold the midpoints of the rails in position on the deck, which facilitates assembly of the frame and prevents bowing of the rails due to pressure of the water once the mattress is filled. The deck extends under the side rails as well as the end rails, and all four rails are thus fully supported. In some disclosed embodiments, mounting brackets are attached to one or more of the rails for attaching a headboard and/or a footboard to the bed, and in others the side rails or extensions thereof extend beyond the head rail to support a headboard.