US2572490A - Combination sleeping bag and blanket - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 23, 1951 J. KAPLAN COMBINATION SLEEPING BAG AND BLANKET 2 SHEETS'SHEET 1 Filed March 20, 1951 III-1| I INVENTOR. MK A BY I Oct. 23, 1951 J. KAPLAN 2,572,490

' COMBINATION SLEEPING BAG AND BLANKET Filed March 20, 1951 2 Sl-[EET SSHEET 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION SLEEPING BAG AND BLANKET 2 Claims.

This invention relates to newand useful improvements in .a combination blanket or comforter, sleeping bag, and shelter member which is adapted to serve both military and non-military requirements in combination devices of this general type and is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 201,794, filed December 20, 1950. I

My invention relates to an improved and novel construction which permits use of the structure for a multiplicity of purposes. That is to say, the device may be used as a blanket or comforter or, as a sleeping bag, all as may be desired. The need for a Structure having a multiplicity of uses especially in the military service, is so obviously desirable as to require no further comment.

By means of the novel features of my invention, the airing and/or laundering thereof is greatly facilitated inasmuch as it is possible to open same. For this and other purposes of my invention, the device consists of a structure of a water repellent material which is suitably reinforced with a layer or layers of padding so as to provide the various features above referred to.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a multipurpose bag which is readily adapted to be transformed from a blanket to a sleeping bag, for example, or to be changed from any one of the above mentioned constructions to any other of the above mentioned possible constructions, all as may be desired.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a novel and improved multipurpose device of the type above referred to which will eliminate the now present objectionable inconveniences inherent in devices of this general type and which is operable with a maximum amount of ease and a minimum degree of effort.

One of the primary purposes of my invention i to provide structural and operational improvements in devices of the class to which reference has been made, which improvements not only simplify the structure as such, but also provide important distinct advantages in strength, durability, and the like.

My invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed in conjunction with the annexed drawings which illustrate a certain form of embodiment thereof, which form is deemed preferable and is specifically disclosed for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of the invention by way of an example since the same has been found in practice a 2 to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various parts of which the invention consists, can be variously changed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the broad aspects and spirit of the invention and that same is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

All of the above cited objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by other various specific features as will be hereinafter set forth and claimed. In the following description and claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. These names. however, are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention in view as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the new combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the outer side of my improved combined blanket and sleeping bag structure;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are small scale diagrammatic plan views of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with parts thereof in progressively folded relation; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are other small scale diagrammatic plan views on another scale showing the parts of the structure at the head and thereof in progressively folded relation.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention selected for illustrative purposes, I have shown a combination blanket and sleeping bag which includes a sheet or member 2 of substantially rectangular form, which member is of any suitable water repellent material.

The member is of such dimensions as to accommodate completely the body of the user with sufficient additional length and width remaining at the opposite ends and sides thereof to serve to enclose the body within a bag-like structure when the device is in the assembled bag position as will subsequently be described. Likewise the member is of such dimensions as to provide an adequately sized blanket or comforter when the structure is in the open position shown in Fig. 1.

In reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that a sheet of a soft fabric 4 of any of the well known types such as cotton or wool is disposed under the water repellent member 2.

Another layer of soft fabric 6, similar to the sheet 4, is also provided. Serving as a ply between the members t and 6 is a layer of padding or filling 8. The layer 8 may be of any conventional soft material such as kapok, wool down, cotton, feathers, or the like.

The members 2, 4, 6 and 8 are all of substantially the same over-all dimensions.

If desired, an additional layer H) of soft material similar tothe layer 8 may be disposed between the members 4 and 6 and adjacent the member 8 if it is desired to offer an increased softness to any particular area of the structure.

'In'the form shown in Fig. 1, a triangular shaped area beneath member 2 is reinforced with this additional layer ll! so as to provide an increased softness and thermal insulation within a specific area on which the user rests when in the sleeping position, all as will presently be observed.

The members 4, 6, 3 and it are secured to each other by means of stitching i2 disposed over the entire area of the members as desired so as to provide the conventional quilted structure.

The outermost edges of members 2, ll, '5 and 8 are secured to each other by means of a webbing or binding tape 14 of cotton fabric or other suitable material which is stitched as at It around the perimeters thereof and holds the members fixed relative to each other at the edges and prevents raveling thereof.

In other words, the plurality of layers are superposed one above another and are secured at the edges of the plurality to each other with one of the layers being made of a waterproof material.

Member 2, it will be appreciated, serves as the outermost layer and member 6 serves as the innermost layer of the structure when same is in use. That is to say, the water resistant layer 2 will ordinarily be exposed to the outside and the layer will ordinarily be adjacent the therewith, are provided. Each is secured to the member 2 (and if desired to the members S and 8 also) adjacent the marginal edge of what will be referred to as the foot portion 30 of the structure and continues in a curving manner at first transversely and then substantially longitudinally therefrom to a point adjacent what will be referred to as the head end portion 32 of the structure.

The stringer slide construction may be of the well known forms used in connection with clothing and the like and is preferably of the type known as the zipper fastener. That is, each of the stringers includes the conventional series of spaced fastener elements which are constructed to interlock with the fasteners of the other series, each series extending from substantially one end of its stringer to the other end thereof. The slider 24 is shiftable along the stringers to cause interlocking engagement of the fastener elements to hold the parts of the structure in a predetermined relation as will subsequently be observed.

The stringer members 20 and 22 are secured to stringer tapes 2i and 23 respectively and the tapes are secured as by stitching to the member 2, and as aforesaid to the members 4, 6 and 8, if desired. For example, it will be noted, in Fig. 2, that the member 2 is shown as being secured to the members 6, 6 and 8 not only at the edge portions thereof but also along the lines where the stringer tapes 2| and 23 are stitched to the member 2.

In other words, the pair of stringers each "include a straight portion. These straight portions converge from corresponding points towards and terminate short of one end of the structure. Each stringer includes a second portion extending from the straight portion thereof toward the said one end and curves towards the corresponding portion of the other stringer and terminates short of the medial line of the structure.

It will be appreciated that there is no stitching in the water repellent member '2 except at the edges thereof and where the stringer tapes overlie the member '2 and that in both instances the binding tape l4 or stringer tapes 2| and 23, as the case may be, are disposed directly over and stitched to the member 2. This is for the reason that the member 2 ordinarily would lose its repellency due to the needle holes,which'loss is obviated herein, however, because of the employment of the webbing or tapes.

As explained above, each stringer member (20 or 22) has one of its ends secured adjacent the midpoint transversely of the member 2 at a point at or adjacent the foot end portion 3! of the structure as shown in Fig. 1.

The stringer members, when the structure is in the open or extended position substantially form an inverted U having transverse portions extending in opposite directions from near the midpoint of the foot end portion of the structure and having side portions extending towards the longitudinal side edges of the member 2 to points approximately near the head end portion of the structure, all as is substantially shown in Fig. 1.

The structure is pliable and foldable so that longitudinal side portions and the head and foot end portions may be relatively folded, all as will shortly appear.

The combined sleeping bag construction will be further described in connection with the small scale diagrammatic views, Figs. 3-6 inclusive, wherein various folding operations are shown, in order to explain how the structure may function as a sleeping bag.

The structure is laid upon the ground with the member 2 in contact therewith and the opposite longitudinal side portions 34 are folded over inwardly so as to lie over and upon the main body portion of the structure as shown in Fig. 3. This may be doneiso as to locate the stringer members at the outer sides or edges of the folds.

The slider is then brought into operativeengagement with the stringer members 25 and 22 and same is pulled therealong and relative thereto so as to bring the longitudinal side portions inwardly over the main body portion of the structure as shown in Fig. 5, whereby there is provided a longitudinal bag which is now open at the head end, i. e. the left hand end as shown in Fig. 4. That is, the stringer members 253 and 22 project outwardly towards the side of the bag so that when the bag is folded in the aforementioned manner the interlocking elements of the fasteners will be in the proper position to be brought into proper engagement.

A person may slide into this open end (the left hand end as shown in Figs. ie-6) and may move his feet inwardly toward the foot end (the right hand end as shown in Fig. 4)

In other words, the foot end and the sides of the device are shiftable one towards another into a predetermined relationship to form the wall structure of a sleeping bag.

It will be appreciated that the structure is of such dimension as to provide sufficient fullness and thereby to receive comfortably the body and feet of the user.

The additional layer it of padding, it will be noted, is so located in Fig. 1 as to provide an additional thickness beneath the body of the user when he is lying in the bag, and especially pro vides additional thermal insulation.

Additional features of construction at the head end of the structure will now be described.

The outer ends of the head end portion of the structure each carry a member 50 of a snap fastener. The snap fasteners employed are of any of the conventional types such as are found on gloves or the like and include a female member in which a male member is releasably receivable.

As the outer ends of the head end portion are folded inwardly upon the main body portion of the structure to assume the position shown in Fig. 4, the members 50 are engaged with the members 52 of the snap fasteners.

The head end portion is next folded inwardly along a line transversely of the structure to a position where the members 50, being of the double snap fastener type are engageable with members 54 of the snap fasteners, as is best shown in Fig. 5.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5, opposite sides of the head portion of the structure are folded under and are brought together beneath the main body portion of the structure. These ends are tied together by means of tapes 60 so as to hold same together. That is to say, the opposite sides are secured together centrally of and beneath the structure.

In this relation of the parts, the end portion 32 provides a hood for the head of the user and the underlapping sides of the head portion beneath the main body portion serve as a pillow for the head of the user.

The head end sections are folded as aforementioned. The bag now being ready for occupancy, the slider 24 is then moved toward the foot end to a point where a suflicient opening is made so as to permit entry into the bag by the occupant. With his feet in the foot end and his head inthe head end and beneath the folded over end portion 32 which serves. as a hood as aforementioned, the occupant pulls the slider toward the head end so as to enclose himself therewithin. That is to say, the bag is made ready for occupancy before the occupant enters thereinto.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a plurality of layers superposed one above another and secured, at the edges of said plurality, to each other, one of said layers being made of waterproof material, a pair of stringers each including a straight portion, said straight portions converging from corresponding points towards and terminating short of one end of said device, each stringer including a second portion extending from the straight portion thereof toward said one end and curving towards the corresponding portion of the other stringer and terminating short of the medial line of said device, said one end and the sides of said device being shiftable one towards another into a predetermined relationship to form the wall structure of a sleeping bag, each of said stringers including a series of spaced fastener elements constructed to interlock with the fasteners of the other series, each series extending from substantially one end of its stringer to the other end thereof, and slider mechanism shiftable along said stringers to cause interlocking engagement of the fastener elements to hold said one end and said side in said predetermined relation.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 which includes a head protecting portion having side edges extending from said corresponding points to the extremity opposite said one end, said head protecting portion including corner portions foldable under the adjacent part of the device to form a headrest.

JULIUS KAPLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,338,226 Bauer Jan. 4,1944 2,379,416 Clark July 3, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 50,503 Norway Apr. 4, 1932

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