Chairs and seats – Headrest – Portable – with seat attacher
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-04-17
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3627)
Chairs and seats
Headrest
Portable, with seat attacher
C297S220000, C005S656000, C005S644000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217116
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an inflatable pillow which is used in conjunction with furniture, and more specifically with outdoor furniture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Inflatable appliques for creating unique articles are known in the art and include a variety of features for converting articles such as towels, shirts, coats, and displays into uniquely configured articles with novel shapes and uses.
There are several U.S. Patents which teach the attachment or addition of a pillow to a towel for use in, for example, sunbathing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,944 (Yulish) discloses a stuffed pillow which is permanently formed in the top portion of a towel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,942 (Case) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,947 (Wolf) teach a towel with a removable pillow which is either inflatable or stuffed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,682 (Kwake) teaches an inflatable pillow which is attachable and detachable from a towel using snapping means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,315 (Freund) discloses a beach robe which doubles as a towel with an inflatable pillow. The article taught by Freund fails to teach a means for holding the pillow in place on a piece of furniture when the article is used in its towel configuration.
U.S. Pat No. 4,370,755 (Crumby) discloses a poncho which has a rear panel which can be inflated to create a seat cushion for sitting. Crumby fails to teach an inflatable pillow for the head for use on a piece of furniture which is held in place even when not in use.
I have previously obtained two U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,079,778 & 5,251,337 for inflatable appliques for clothing and towels and a method for producing those appliques. Those patents describe the production of an inflatable applique on material by sealing the pieces of the applique to the material and cutting away the excess. Because many of the techniques and materials described in those patents are also useful in conjunction with the teachings herein disclosed, they are incorporated by reference.
What is desired, therefore, is a pillow which retains its position on a piece of furniture even when not engaged by someone sitting on the furniture. Preferably, the pillow could be used with outdoor chairs or lounges and would be cheaply produced, portable and waterproof, yet comfortable for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a slipcover for furniture that incorporates an inflatable pillow so that the pillow retains its position on a piece of furniture even when not in use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a slipcover for furniture that contains an inflatable pillow and is relatively easily and inexpensively manufactured.
These and other objects are achieved by a first embodiment in accordance with the invention in which a slipcover is formed from a first sheet having an outer fabric layer that is attached to an inner thermoplastic layer. A second, smaller sheet is attached to the inner thermoplastic layer of the first sheet, and is fitted with a valve so as to form an inflatable pillow. The valve may also be located so that it pierces the first sheet so as to enable inflation outside the slipcover. A backing layer is attached to the first sheet to create a pocket-shaped slipcover inside of which is the inflatable pillow. The backing layer can be an extension of the first sheet which is folded over so that the inner thermoplastic layer overlaps itself, and the inflatable pillow, and is attached at opposing edges to form the pocket shape of the slipcover. Alternatively, a separate backing layer can be attached to cover the inflatable pillow and form the slipcover. The slipcover can then be slipped over a portion of a piece of furniture, such as the back of an arm chair, and thus, hold the inflatable pillow in place whether or not a person occupies the furniture.
Preferably, the outer fabric layer is made from a soft, water-absorbing material like terry cloth affixed to an inner thermoplastic layer made from vinyl. The outer fabric provides comfort to the user, since the user's head will not be in direct physical contact with the vinyl layer of the inflatable pillow, and further enables fast, economic processing.
Also preferably, when polymeric materials are used for the appropriate pieces, the process employed to attach the different components is either radio frequency (RF) sealing or sonic sealing. These methods both allow fast processing times and form strong, air impenetrable seals required for the inflatable pillow.
In a second embodiment, the slipcover with inflatable pillow can be formed by attaching an entirely fabric slipcover to a vinyl material inflatable pillow. The fabric is preferably either a cloth material such as T-shirting or terry cloth or a spunbonded polyolefin such as Tyvek™. This provides additional options for processing, starting materials, and final look of the slipcover with inflatable pillow.
In another aspect of the invention, the slipcover with its inflatable pillow is transformed into a tote bag. This is achieved by folding the slipcover and pillow to bisect the pillow and adding holes positioned so that when the slipcover is folded they align to create a handle at the open end of the slipcover.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3323151 (1967-06-01), Lerman
patent: 4518200 (1985-05-01), Armstrong
patent: 4815154 (1989-03-01), Grimes
patent: 4877288 (1989-10-01), Lee
patent: 5251337 (1993-10-01), Sloot
patent: 5281000 (1994-01-01), Ackley
patent: 5524308 (1996-06-01), Hwang
patent: 5567015 (1996-10-01), Arias
patent: 5850643 (1998-12-01), Brumfield
Printmark Industries Inc.
Saether Flemming
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
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