US2757390A - Hood-forming attachment for sleeping bags - Google Patents

Description

HOOD-FORMING ATTACHMENT FOR SLEEPING BAGS Filed Sept l, 1953 SHOW H DS INVENTOR. ,M5597 /W/uE/Q A free/wwf United States Patent O HGOD-FRNIING ATTACHMENT FOR SLEEPING BAGS Albert Miller, Seattle, Wash., assigner to Seattle Quilt Manufacturing Co., lne., Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application September 1, 1953, Serial No. 377,836

4 Claims. (Cl. 5--343) This invention relates to improvements in outdoor sleeping bags and more particularly concerns an attachment by which the head and shoulders of the occupant may be covered and protected. The invention is herein illustratively described by reference to its presently preferred form. However it should be appreciated that certain modifications and changes therein may be made without departing from the characterizing features involved.

Hood-forming attachments for sleeping bags have been proposed in the past, However, most of these have had certain disadvantages greatly limiting their commercial acceptability. Those nearest in principle to the present invention have either been uncomfortable, awkward to operate or relatively expensive or complicated to manufacture. A general object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties While satisfying other well understood requirements of sleeping bag construction.

A specific object of the invention is a sleeping bag hood-forming attachment which, while comfortable and non-restrictive to necessary movements of the occupants head and shoulders, furnishes protection against rain and snow, as well as the Wind and cold. A related object is a device of this character which may be partially opened and still be comfortable in cool or Windy weather, and which may be fully opened and folded under to serve as a pillow in warm, clear weather when no head coverage is needed.

Another specic object of the invention is a sleeping bag attachment of the type described which is easily operated by a person occupying the bag in order to form a full hood, a partial hood, or simply a pillow from the ap of material comprising the attachment.

Still another object is an attachment of the type described having few and comparatively simple fastener elements used in making up the full or partial hood and which is comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture because of the uncomplicated shape of the flap comprising the body of the hood-forming attachment.

In achieving these and other objects, one edge of a substantially rectangular flap is attached to the bottom panel of the sleeping bag at the bag entrance and the opposite edge of this flap is provided with cooperating slide fastener elements which extend from the middle to the adjacent corners of the flap and are engaged progressively by drawing the slide element from its initial midposition along their length to bring such elements together and thereby form a hood. Such slide fastener elements may be brought together along their full length or along a portion of their length in which latter case a partial hood is formed, the flaps of which are folded back and secured where they will not rub against the occupants face. The full or partial hood thus formed opens toward the foot of the sleeping bag, hence forms a shield against precipitation while furnishing plenty of open space for fresh air to enter the hood.

Auxiliary fastener elements along opposite sides of the hood ap and cooperating fastener elements in the top panel of the bag near opposite sides thereof constitute a 2,757,390 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 means for closing the sides of the hood against drafts of cold air reaching the occupants shoulders, whereas in warm weather these fastener elements may be disengaged if desired.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully evident from the following description by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the head portion of a sleeping bag having the improved hood-forming attachment spread out in fully open position.

.Figure 2 is a similar view in which the cooperating slide fastener elements of the attachment flap have been fully engaged to form the full hood.

Figure 3 is a side elevation View of the hood as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan View in which the full hood of Figure 2 has been reduced to a partial hood by disengaging the fastener elements over a portion of their length.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the head portion of a double sleeping bag in which two similar hood-forming attachments are incorporated.

Referring to Figures 1 through 4, the sleeping bag proper 10 may be of any suitable construction. Typically it comprises a rectangular top panel 10a and a similar bottom panel 10b, the two of which are joined together at the sides and across the bottom of the bag and serve as an open-ended closure containing suitable quilting or insulating layers on the inside, often with .a pocket next tothe bottom panel for insertion of an air mattress.`

Usually the top and bottom panels 10a and 10b are formed of one piece of cloth or other flexible sheet material folded in half along a longitudinal midline and provided with a slide fastener or other fastening elements along the longitudinal edges, the bottom edges being similarly equipped or being merely sewn permanently together. The details of construction of the sleeping bag proper form no part of the present invention hence are not illustrated herein, except as specifically mentioned below.

Preferably in the practice of the present :invention the sleeping bag is open across its full width at the head end. This is desirable for maximum roominess adding to the comfort of the bag. Thus a full-width bag of this type is much more comfortable than the so-called mummy type bag which is made deliberately snug in order to exclude cold air. One decided advantage of the present improvement is that it permits a full-width bag to be used While providing a means in conjunction with the hood-forming attachment for preventing drafts of cold air around the occupants shoulders. This result may be accomplished whether the full or partial hood is formed from the attachment device. Moreover, this result is accomplished without restricting the roominess of the bag to receive the occupants shoulders and without impairing the comfortable warmth and roominess of the hood formed to protect the occupants head and shoulders.

When laid `out flat as in Figure l the improved hoodforming attachment l2 comprises a flap of material in substantially rectangular form. Preferably the width of this flap measured lengthwise of the bag is approximately half its length measured transversely of the bag. 011e long edge of the attachment flap is secured to the bags bottom panel 10b along the bags entrance 10c. In the example this securement is effected by five snap fasteners. One, 14, is located centrally, two others, 16 and 19, are located a substantial small fraction of the distance inward from the side edges` of the bag, and the remaining two, 18 and Ztl, are located substantially in the corners. The complemental elements of the snap fasteners lll, 16 and )i9 may be engaged with the marginal edge of the attachment ap 12 overlapped slightly by the adjacent edge of the bottom panel b, such edge being shown by the dotted line 12a. However, in the case of the corner fasteners i8 and Ztl, the complemental fast ener elements are attached not directly to the marginal edge of the hood-forming dap 12 but rather to the marginal edge of a separate cover flap 22 which lies beneath the outstretched'tlap l2 and is sewn to the ap 12A along a4 portion of the marginal edge thereof overlapped by the bag bottom panel lilly as will be more fully explained later herein. The eifect, however, is to provide a substantially continuous attachment of the flap 12 along one ofv its edgesto the adjacent edge of the bottom panel 10b, as shown in Figure l. The nature of the securing means is immaterial for present purposes; in fact the overlapping edges may be sewn together if desired rather than; being interconnected by detachable means, except fork the use shown in Figure 5. y

The hood-forming tlap 12 may be stretched out as shown in Figure l and used as a pillow, if desired. For purposes of comfort in this usage as well as'for warmth when'formed into a-hood, this flap is preferably padded or quilted as indicated by the Zig-Zag seam lines 12b. When used strictly as a pillow its `outer half should be folded beneath its inner half joined to the bag panel 10b for increasingthe thickness of material beneath the occupants head. The hood-forming liap 12 may be folded back in this manner to form a pillow without soiling the soft lining material of the flap since the underlying cover tlap 22 prevents it from contacting the ground. This is oneof the multifold purposes of the cover ap 22.

The unsecured long edge of the rectangular lap 12, that is the edge parallel to the secured edge 12a, is preferably a straight, substantially continuous edge. the two halves of this free edge complemental slide fastener elements 24a and 24h are secured. These respective slide fastener elements extend substantially from the middle of the edge to the very corners `of the flap 12, as illustrated. The slider element 24e which brings these slide fastener elements 24a and 24h progressively together in the manner of a conventional slide fastener lies midway between the opposite sides of the flap 12 with the ap outstretched. The flap is formed into a hood simply by drawing the slider element 24C from its midposition along.

the flaps edge towards the corners of the ap and thereby drawing the complemental fastener elements 24a and 24h progressively together. In so doing, the two corners of the flap 12 are progressively folded over the still outstretched portion of the flap and when the slider element 24C reaches the ends of the fastener elements 24aand 2411 i a full hood is formed as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

lf the slider 24e is drawn only a fraction the length of the complemental fastener elements 24a and 24h, a

partial hood is formed as shown in Figure 4. In this case. the unconnected corners of the ap 12 are foldedback and held by suitable means such as the snap fasteners comprising complemental elements 26a, 26b and 28a, ZSb. The elements 26a and 28a are located in the very corners of the ap 12 whereas the elements 26h and 2813 are located approximately midway along the length of the diagonal folds formed in the flap 12 when converted into a hood, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 for instance. It is essential that these corners be held back as by the fasteners 26 and 28 in the partial-hood formation of the ap 12 (Figure 4) otherwise the main advantage of a. partial hood is lost, namely a partial uncovering of the occupants head for moderate exposure.

`Itwill be seen from Figures 2 and 3 that complete interengagement of the slide fastener elements 24a and 24b forms a protective hood which completely covers the head and shoulders of the occupant of the bag. At the same time, however, a spacious opening 30 is formed between the canopy portion of the hood and the top bag panel 10a'so as to permit plenty of fresh air to enter the hood and to afford a large degree of roominess in the Along hood for turning of the head into the various positions normally assumedY in sleep. Thus while maximum protection against rain and `other forms of precipitation is afforded by the full hood, comfortable breathing is readily possible.

It will be observed in Figures 2 and 3 especially that interengagement of the complemental slide fastener elements 24a and 24b to form the hood causes theopposite side edges of the flap 12 near the base of the flap to lie closely adjacent or even to overlap the bags top panel 19a near opposite sides of the bag. Thus, While a. spacious hood opening 30 is formed centrally of the hood and bag, the gap between the edge of the hood and the top panel of the bag is narrowed or even closed near the sides of the occupied bag. This arrangement is of decided advantage in that it excludes cold air drafts from reaching the occupants shoulders.

More effective exclusion of cold air from the hoods interior at the opposite sides of the combinedy bag and hood ,is achieved by the provision of fastener elements adapted for securing together the overlapping edges' ofV the'hood and top bag panel lila near the sides of the bag which will not unduly restrict or close the central hood opening 30. Thus innermost snap fastener elements32a and 36a, and outermost snap fastener elements 34a and 38a are installed along the marginal edge of the top bag panel 10a near respectively opposite sides of the bag whereas the:correspondingly numbered complemental snap fastener elements 3217, 36h, 34h, and 38h are installed along-the respectively opposite edges of the flap 12 in locations which correspond to their mates with the hood formed. If desired, none of these draft-exclusion fasteners need be engaged. On the other hand, any or all may be engaged either in the full hood formation shownin Figure 2 or in the partial hood formation shown in Figure 4.

Preferably all of the snap fastener elements on the two panels 10a and 10b located along the edge of the entrance opening 10c are either male or female, but notv mixed. This applies to the elements 34a, 32a, 36a, 38a and to a fifth centrally located element 40a on the top panel 10a, as well as to the similarly located elements of the fasteners20, 19, 16, 18, and 14 0n the bottom panel 10b. Furthermore, the bag-attachedelements of the snap fasteners 16 and 18 are located the same distances from the adjacent side of the bag as the overlying snap fastener elements 36a and 38a, respectively. The same holds true of they bag-attached elements of fasteners 19 and 20 withrelation to the overlying elements 32a and 34a. The

purpose of theser provisions as to the type and locationof the fastener elements on the bag panels is made clear in Figure 5 where-the top and bottom panels 10a and 10b have -been stretched out in coplanar relationship to form the bottom-of a double-width bag in the usual manner. This is accomplished, of course, by opening up the bag along one full side and along the bottom, and spreading out the panels so that asimilar sleeping bag, likewise opened up, may be laid over the top and fastened thereto along the side and bottom edges to form the double bag. When this has been accomplished, hood-forming aps 12 and 12" are secured to the respective halves of the bottom panel in sidebyside relationship, so that hoods may be formed for the two occupants of the double-width bag just as in the case of a single-width bag as previously described. The snap fastener elements of the bottom panel of the double-widthbag and the snap fastener'elements on the top vpanel of such bag are so located in relation to the snap fastener elements of the two hoods that these results are achieved. Hence each of the two occupants hasV an individual hood, the nature and functions of'which correspond to the similar hood used on a singlewidth bag. The various elements of the hood-forming aps 12v and 12"'bear numerals corresponding to the r similarelernents ofk the flap 12 in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, with the prime and double prime notations added for the sake of consistency.

It Was previously mentioned that the hood-forming flap 12 was sewn to the cover flap 22 along but a portion of the formers edge 12a overlapped by the bottom panel b and that the respective elements of fasteners 18 and were actually secured to the marginal edge of the cover ap 22 rather than to the corresponding edge of the hood-forming ap 12. The reinforcing seams 12d and 12C transverse to the edge 12a terminate the sewn connection between the two flaps and prevent them from ripping apart easily. The free length of the edge 12a between the seams 12b and 12e` and the respectively adjacent corners of the flap 12 is sufficient to minimize binding and gathering of the cloth in the flap 12 at the sides of the hood when the hood is formed in the manner previously described. In other words, the root corners of the flap 12 are unsecured for reasons of added flexibility in forming the hood.

The cover ap 22 underlying the outstretched hood ap 12 is secured to the root edge of the latter, hence to the bottom panel of the bag 10 but is otherwise free. It is provided with drawstrings 22a and 22h extending through edge hems formed in the side edges of the llap and is of a sufcient size that it may be used as a protective cover for the bag which has been folded in two longitudinally and rolled up in the conventional manner. As previously mentioned, this cover flap protects the soft lining material of the hood flap 12 when the latter is folded under for use as a pillow. It has the further use of serving as a canopy overlying the entire hood and even partially covering the breathing opening in case of severe precipitation. lts length in the direction longitudinally of the bag is sufficient to permit its being folded back over the hood and affording this additional protection when needed. For this purpose its length should be more than twice the width of the hood-forming fiap measured lengthwise of the bag, and the term materially (or substantially) greater as used in the claims in reference thereto has that connotation.

I claim as my invention:

l. The sleeping bag combination comprising a bag having top and bottom panels and an entrance opening at one end, a hood-forming device comprising a substantially rectangular flap having an inner edge secured to the bottom panel of the sleeping bag across the width of the bag opening, opposite side edges extending substantially lengthwise of the bag with said ap outstretched, and an outer edge, a slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to one outer corner of the ap, a complemental slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to the other outer corner of the flap, a fastener-operating slider `initially positioned substantially at the middle of said outer edge with the flap outstretched, said fastener elements being interengageable over any selected portion of their length by moving said slider from its initial position progressively to said outer flap corners, thereby folding over said flap along two oppositely inclined diagonals substantially intersecting the middle of said outer flap edge and forming an overhead hood extending across the width of the sleeping bag and opening toward the foot of the bag, fastener elements fixed to the respective outer corners of the flap, complemental fastener elements fixed to the flap at generally intermediate locations along the fold lines thereof, said complemental fastener elements being respectively engageable by said corner fastener elements for holding down the corners of said flap folded back in order to form a partial hood with said slide fastener elements interengaged over only a fraction of their length, the width of the ap measured lengthwise of the sleeping bag `is approximately half the length of such Hap, whereby the side edges of the flap extend along the top panel of the bag across the width of the bag opening withthe flap i formed in a hood, fastener elements xed to the `side edges of the ap, and complemental fastener elements engageable thereby respectively fixed to the top panel of the bag adjacent the bag opening, said top panel fastener elements being located near the respectively opposite sides of the bag for closing the hood along the sides without restricting the opening thereof centrally of the bag.

2. The sleeping bag combination comprising a bag having top and bottom panels and an entrance opening at one end, a hood-formingdevice comprising a substantially rectangular ap having an inner edge secured to the bottom panel of the sleeping bag across the width of the bag opening, opposite side edges extending substantially f lengthwise of the bag with said flap outstretched, and

an outer edge, a slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to one outer corner of the flap, a complemental slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to the other outer corner of the flap, a fastener-operating slider initially positioned substantially at the middle of said outer edge with the flap outstretched, said fastener elements being interengageable over any selected portion of their length by moving said slider from its initial position progressively to said outer Hap corners, thereby folding over said flap along two oppositely inclined diagonale substantially intersecting the middle of said outer flap edge and forming an overhead hood extending across the width of the sleeping bag and opening toward the foot of the bag, wherein the width of the flap measured lengthwise of the sleeping bag is approximately half the length of such flap,l whereby the side edges of the flap extend along the top panel of the bag across the width of the bag opening with the flap formed in a hood, and fastener elements fixed to the side edges of the flap, and complemental fastener elements engageable thereby respectively fixed to the top panel of the bag adjacent the bag opening, said top panel fastener elements being located near the respectively opposite sides of the bag for closing the hood along the sides without restricting the opening thereof centrally of the bag.

3. The sleeping bag combination comprising a bag having top and bottom panels and an entrance opening at one end, a cover ap secured to the bottom panel across the entrance opening of the bag and forming a substantial continuation of said bottom panel lengthwise of the bag, a substantially rectangular hood-forming flap having an inner edge secured to the bottoni panel of the bag across the width of the bag opening but otherwise separate from said cover flap, said hood-forming ap having a width measured lengthwise of the bag approximately half the length of such flap, said cover ap having a width measured lengthwise of the bag materially greater than the corresponding width of said hood-forming flap, said hoodforming flap having an outer edge substantially parallel to the inner edge thereof, a slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to one outer corner of the flap, a complemental slide fastener element extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to the other outer corner of the flap, a fastener-operating slider initially positioned substantially at the middle of said outer edge with the flap outstretched, said fastener elements being interengageable by moving said slider from its initial position progressively to said outer liap corners, thereby folding over said flap along two oppositely inclined diagonals Isubstantially intersecting the middle of said outer flap edge and forming an overhead hood extending across the width of the sleeping bag and opening toward the foot of the bag, and fastener elements fixed to the side edges of the flap, and complemental fastener elements engageable thereby respectively fixed to the top panel of the bag adjacent the bagopening, saidtop panel fastener elements ybeing, located near the respectively opposite sides of the bag for closing the hood alongthe sides without restrictingv the opening thereof centrally of the bag.

4. The sleeping bag combination comprising a sleeping bag having top and bottom panels and an entrance opening at one end, a hood-forming device for such bag comprising a substantially rectangular ap having an inner edge secured to the bottom panel of the bag across the width of the bag opening, opposite side edges extending substantially lengthwise of the bag with said iap ontstretched, and an outer edge, the Width of. said flap measured lengthwise of the sleeping bag being approximately half the length of such flap, fastener means extending substantially continuously along saidouter edge substantially from the middle thereof to one outer corner of the flap, complemental. fastener means extending substantially continuously along said outer edge substantially from the middle thereof to the other outer corner of the flap, said respective fastener means being progressively interengageable commencingwith their ends at the middle of said outer edge along any selected portion of their length to the respective outer corners of said flap for securing the two halves of said outer edge substantially continuously together and thereby folding over said ap 25 along two oppositely'inclined diagonals substantially intersecting the middle of said outer flap edge and forming an overhead closed hood extending across the width of the sleeping bag and opening towardthe foot of the bag,

fastener elements fixed to the respective outer corners of.'

thevap, complemental fastener elements fixed to the ap atJV generally intermediate locations along the fold lines thereof,said complemental fastener elements being respectively engageable by said corner fastener elements for holdingtdown the corners of said flap folded back in order-to forma partial hood with said slide fastener References Cited in the flle ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,051 Miller May 29, 1951 2,581,357 Burstein Jan. 8, 1952 2,588,536 Kaplan Mar. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,579 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1887 186,829 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1937

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