Easily stored pillow and blanket and method

Details Easily stored pillow and blanket and method Easily stored pillow and blanket and method

1994-08-08

1996-01-09

Grosz, Alexander

Beds

Bedclothing

5420, 5636, 297397, A47G 900, A47G 904

Patent

active

054817684

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blanket that can be converted into a pillow.
2. Description of Related Art
Traveling long distances in a plane or car can be quite tiresome. Consequently, some passengers sleep or rest during the trip. Pillows and blankets are used to increase the comfort of the journey. In fact, most commercial airlines provide blankets and pillows in the storage compartments of the passenger cabin. Additionally, it is quite common for the occupants of an automobile to bring pillows and blankets on a long trip.
Bringing both a pillow and a blanket can decrease the occupancy space of an automobile. Such additional luggage can be undesirable, particularly for a fully occupied car. Although a blanket can be folded into a pillow, blankets of the prior art are difficult to position and can become unfolded. U.S. Pat. No. 2,183,418 issued to Williams and British Patent No. 688,307 issued to Armstrong disclose blankets which can be folded into a pillow. The folded blanket sections can be inserted into pockets incorporated into the blankets. The pockets require additional stitching and material, and are therefore more expensive to assembly and produce. The incorporation of pockets also requires the user to fold the blanket small enough to fit within the inner cavity of the pockets. Such a procedure may result in several folding cycles to obtain a folded blanket of the proper size. It would therefore be desirable to have a relatively inexpensive blanket that can be converted into a pillow without using pockets. It would also be desirable to have a convertible pillow which can be attached to the seat of a car.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a blanket that can be converted into a pillow. The blanket includes a sheet of fabric that has a first surface and a second opposite surface. The blanket has a pair of straps extending from the first surface which can secure the blanket in a folded position.
In the unfolded position, the fabric sheet is defined by a first longitudinal strip that is separated from a second longitudinal strip by a center longitudinal strip. To fold the blanket into a pillow, the user folds the first longitudinal strip onto the center longitudinal strip and then folds the second longitudinal strip onto the first longitudinal strip. The folds occur on the second surface of the fabric sheet, opposite the straps.
The folded longitudinal strips form an intermediate pillow with a first side portion separated from a second side portion by a center portion that has a centerline. The first and second side portions are folded onto the center portion in a direction away from the straps. The center portion is then folded about the centerline so that the first side portion is adjacent to the second side portion.
The straps are then wrapped around the pillow and attached together to secure the blanket in the folded position. The straps prevent the blanket from becoming inadvertently unfolded during storage or use. The straps can also be wrapped around the seat of an automobile to provide an additional pillow for the seat.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a blanket that can be easily converted into a pillow.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a blanket that can be converted into a pillow and attached to the seat of a car.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a blanket of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the blanket of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the sides of the blanket being folded onto a center portion;
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the folded blanket of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the ends of the blanket folded onto the center portion;
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the folded blanket of FIG.

REFERENCES:
patent: 2344010 (1944-03-01), Walsh
patent: 3477552 (1969-11-01), Goldman
patent: 4468810 (1984-08-01), Longo
patent: 5048975 (1991-09-01), Holbrook
patent: 5088139 (1992-02-01), Bloom

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Easily stored pillow and blanket and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Easily stored pillow and blanket and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Easily stored pillow and blanket and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1295268