MATTRESS ENCASEMENT FOR PREVENTING BED BUG ESCAPEMENT VIA A ZIPPER OPENING

1 . A bed bug protective encasement for a mattress, said mattress having six sides, said encasement comprising:

(a) a fabric cover of a size for surrounding the six sides of a mattress, said cover formed of a bed bug impervious fabric;

(b) an opening formed in said cover and being of a size for receiving the mattress;

(c) a slide fastening mechanism disposed in said opening and operable to close said opening after the mattress has been received, said mechanism comprising:

(a) a zipper head; and

(b) a pair of zipper tracks having a longitudinal axis;

(d) a unitary and continuous barrier extending for a distance along said zipper tracks, said barrier disposed beneath said zipper tracks; and

(e) stitching attaching said barrier to said fabric cover, said stitching running relative to each side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, said stitching being formed so as to prevent traversal by a bed bug across said stitching; and

(f) a channel between said barrier and said fabric cover, said channel formed by said stitching, said barrier and said zipper tracks, said channel slidingly receiving a portion of said zipper head and said channel becoming an enclosed channel when said zipper tracks are mated together;

wherein said channel has a confined space of a size to thwart bug movement along the channel.

2 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 wherein the fabric cover, when surrounding said mattress, forms six sides of said cover; and wherein said opening is formed across the entire width of one of said sides.

3 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 wherein said barrier comprises a compressible material.

4 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3 wherein said barrier is of a thickness at least five times greater than the thickness of said bed bug impervious fabric when said barrier is in an uncompressed state.

5 . The bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3 , wherein said barrier comprises a foam material.

6 . The bed bug protective encasement according to claim 5 , wherein said barrier is a foam pad.

7 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 3 , wherein said barrier comprises a rubber material.

8 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 , wherein said barrier comprises a fabric material.

9 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 , wherein said stitching draws said barrier into contact with said zipper tracks.

10 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 9 , wherein said barrier exerts a pressure on said zipper tracks when said zipper head is approximately at said end location, said pressure sufficient to thwart bug movement along said channel.

11 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 10 , wherein said pressure is sufficient to prevent bed bug escapement from said mattress encasement.

12 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 10 , wherein said pressure is sufficient to prevent entry into said channel.

13 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 , wherein said barrier is of a length such that when said zipper head is approximately at said end location, said channel is at least two inches long along said longitudinal axis.

14 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 1 , wherein said stitching comprises a first row of stitching running relative to a first side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, and a second row of stitching running relative to a second side of said longitudinal axis of said zipper tracks, wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is at least one-sixteenth of an inch.

15 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 14 , wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is about one-sixteenth of an inch.

16 . A bed bug protective encasement according to claim 14 , wherein the distance between said first row of stitching and said second row of stitching is about five-sixteenths of an inch.

17 . A method of preventing bed bugs housed within a mattress from escaping said mattress, said mattress having a mattress encasement with an opening portion and a zipper closure, said zipper closure having a zipper head and a pair of zipper tracks, said opening portion constituting the unzipped portion of said zipper tracks, comprising the steps:

(a) providing a barrier along a portion of the longitudinal axis of the zipper tracks and the end location of said zipper tracks to prevent bugs from approaching said portion of the axis;

(b) providing a channel between said zipper tracks and said barrier having a confined space of a size to thwart bug movement into and along the channel;

(c) forcing said barrier toward said zipper track to guide bugs away from entering said channel and for creating a constant force of said barrier against said zipper track; and

(d) moving said zipper head along the channel toward the zipper end located at the end of the channel.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein said step of forcing said barrier toward said zipper track is accomplished by providing stitching between said barrier and said zipper closure along each side of the longitudinal axis of said zipper track.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein said stitching is formed so as to prevent traversal by a bed bug across said stitching.

20 . The method of claim 6 wherein said barrier provided is composed of a compressible material.

21 . The method of claim 9 wherein said barrier provided is a foam pad.

22 . The method of claim 10 wherein the material of said barrier provided is of a thickness at least five times as great as that of the material comprising said mattress encasement.