Beds – Bedclothing – Pillow sham
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-05
2004-07-20
Trettel, Michael F. (Department: 3673)
Beds
Bedclothing
Pillow sham
C005S633000, C005S907000, C005S658000, C005S308000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06763535
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of decorative pillows, in particular, to a unitary pillow display composed of multiple sub-units.
BACKGROUND
Contemporary home decorating often involves the use of multiple pillow displays on beds and other furniture articles. Generally, a selection of pillows of various shapes, sizes, and often with varied pillow covers or shams, are artfully arranged to produce a desired effect. By stacking pillows of different sizes and shapes in rows upon each other, three dimensional displays are created that display a pleasing variety of shapes and textures.
A shortcoming of the current art is that these displays must be painstakingly created and re-created over and over again when the bed or other furniture items are used. A typical display may be two or three pillows deep. To create the display, the pillows must, in the current state of the art, be stacked artfully upon each other in a side by side manner, whereby they are also generally overlapping. When the bed or furniture item is used, the pillows must be removed, one by one, and stored, and then the entire process must be repeated to re-create the display after use. Should anyone, particularly children or pets, sit on the pillow display, they are likely to disturb the arrangement of the individual pillows and destroy the aesthetic value of the display. The instant invention, due to its unitary nature, resists such disruption. Additionally, the instant invention has advantages in storage. The pillow display may be removed from the bed or furniture item as a unit without having to handle individual pillows, can be stored easily as a unit, and can be replaced as a unit. Significant time is saved in re-establishing the pillow display, and the pillows are not subject to scattering or loss.
Segmented pillows that lack this essential aesthetic preserving quality exist in the art. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,070 where a segmented pillow has a center section with radial cushioned extensions that creates surface cavities to promote pressure free areas for a user to sit or lie on, in contrast to the instant invention, which is designed to preserve an aesthetic effect and be a labor saving device in creating that aesthetic effect.
Pillows are also known to be joined by varying types of straps or other joining devices. This general class of pillows, which might be described as “tethered” pillows, can be constructed to allow for two pillows to be separated by a space designed to accommodate a body part, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,904. A tethered pillow is also seen in U.S. Pat. No. 830,970, where rigid hinges attached to blocks fixed at the edge of two opposing sides of a pair of pillows serves to anchor the pillow shams together. Such a design in unsuitable for the rows of stacked pillows common in contemporary decorating, and introduce hard elements into an otherwise soft fabric design. Similarly incapable of stacking in other than a side by side manner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,529 teaches a series of pillow sections interconnected in a chain of hexagonal shapes. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,268 teaches a side by side segmented pillow that lacks the extensive three dimensional relief of the display of the instant invention.
Accordingly, the art has needed a means for improving pillow displays. Prior art devices have failed to recognize the importance of presenting a unitary display composed of multiple sub-sections to form a fixed, pleasing, display having the appearance of multiple individual elements. With these capabilities taken into consideration, the instant invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art and offers significant benefits heretofore unavailable. Further, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations. In variable configurations, the unitary pillow display incorporates a visual trick upon the eye of a viewer. A single unitary pillow display appears to be formed of a number of individual and non-joined pillows, as the unitary display cleverly mimics the contemporary decorating technique of stacking a plurality of individual pillows on a furniture surface.
The unitary pillow display mimics the possible appearance of different pillows of varying sizes, shapes, and textures. Variations in the material of the sham enclosing the unitary display heighten the illusion by providing the possibility of radical differences in coverings of varying parts of the display. The sham may enclose the unitary display in a highly permanent manner, or it may have an opening to allow it to slip over the display. The display may have sleeping pillow recesses sculpted into the body of the display, so that sleeping pillow may be left in place on a bed while the display is in its functional position. A wide variety of textures and materials may form the display surface of the unitary display, and the display may be provided with a wide variety of optional accessories, such as pockets and means for hanging storage of the display.
These variations, modifications, alternatives, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments, arrangements, and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings.
An object of the invention is to provide a unitary pillow display such that the display can be easily and quickly removed from its display location, which is an improvement over the technique of using a plurality of separate and unjoined pillows to create such a display, each of which must be removed and replaced individually into a display configuration. As one example, in use the unitary pillow display can be placed over the sleeping pillows and generally untidy upper end of a bed. To ready the bed for use, one can easily remove all of the apparent plurality of pillows in a single motion, since they are, in fact, a unitary display, and then conveniently store the unitary display until the user decides to restore the display to the bed.
A further object of the invention is to provide a unitary pillow display that will be, storable in a fixed configuration, and will not be subject to scattering and possible loss of the elements of the display.
Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary pillow display that mimics the appearance of separate pillows, yet will not be vulnerable to shifting disarrangement, as can easily happen with a plurality of separate pillows.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novelty pillow display, cleverly mimicking the appearance of a plurality of pillows, while in fact being of unitary construction.
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Dawsey David J.
Gallagher Michael J.
Gallagher & Dawsey Co. LPA
Trettel Michael F.
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