US20180213952A1

US20180213952A1 - Multi-Purpose Blanket

Info

Publication number: US20180213952A1
Application number: US15/886,827
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Justin Penn; Susan H. Coughlin
Original assignee: DENOVO BRANDS LLC
Current assignee: DENOVO BRANDS LLC
Priority date: 2017-02-01
Filing date: 2018-02-01
Publication date: 2018-08-02

Abstract

A multi-purpose blanket has been designed that provides the owner with, among other things, a pillow, a blanket, a hammock, a tarp, a canopy, a poncho, a hammock liner and a hammock underquilt. The blanket has a base member having at least two opposing edges, each of the opposing edges having a casing along at least a portion thereof. A strap is inserted into each of the casings, each of the straps being secured to the base member at one end of the casing. The blanket also has a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member. To allow for different configurations, there is a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED CASE

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) to provisional application No. 62/453,241 filed on Feb. 1, 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While spending time in the outdoors, several different pieces of equipment may be needed depending on the weather and location. While hiking or camping, a person may need to be sheltered from the cold, wind, rain or other elements. However, carrying a jacket, poncho, sleeping bag, blanket, pillow, etc., could be too difficult and cumbersome. Similarly, while attending sporting events or visiting a beach, the same equipment could be used to protect one from the elements (wind, rain, sunshine, cold temperatures, etc.). Carrying a single piece of equipment that can provide all of these services would greatly reduce the burden on the user and also allow a user to go outdoors when they otherwise may decide to stay home because of the potential weather issues that may be presented.
Thus, a multi-purpose blanket has been designed that provides the owner with, among other things, a pillow, a blanket, a sleeping bag, a hammock, a tarp, a canopy, a poncho, a hammock liner and a hammock underquilt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a multi-purpose blanket that includes a base member having a width and a length and having at least two opposing edges, each of the opposing edges having a casing along at least a portion thereof, a strap inserted into each of the casings, each of the straps being secured to the base member at one end of the casing, the straps having a plurality of webbing loops disposed along a length thereof, a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member along a plurality of edges and leaving an opening along one side thereof, and a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.
In some embodiments, a hood is attached to the inner layer of the base member adjacent to the bag.
In some other embodiments, there are a plurality of accessory hoops disposed around a periphery of the base member, the loops having an opening therein to provide a location to attach fixation elements.
In another embodiment, there is a handle affixed to one of the portion of one side of the base member and the bag panel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a multi-purpose blanket that includes a base member having a width and a length and having at least two opposing edges, each of the opposing edges having a casing along at least a portion thereof, a means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a hammock, a means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a sleeping bag, a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member along a plurality of edges and leaving an opening along one side thereof, and a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a multi-purpose blanket that includes a base member having a width and a length and having at least two opposing edges, each of the opposing edges having a casing along at least a portion thereof, a strap inserted into each of the casings, each of the straps being secured to the base member at one end of the casing, the straps having a plurality of webbing loops disposed along a length thereof, a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member along a plurality of edges and leaving an opening along one side thereof, a hood attached to the inner layer of the base member adjacent the bag, a plurality of accessory hoops disposed around a periphery of the base member, the loops having an opening therein to provide a location to attach fixation elements, a handle affixed to one of the portion of one side of the base member and the bag panel, and a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present embodiments of the invention are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a inside view of one embodiment of a multi-purpose blanket according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an outside view of the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 along the lines 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a side view of a strap used with the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the strap in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a strap and accessory hoop secured to one corner of the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A illustrates the casing of the multi-purpose blanket slid along the strap;

FIG. 6B is a detailed view showing the use of the straps to configure the multi-purpose blanket into a hammock;

FIG. 7 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being used as a hammock;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross section through the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 at the bag and hood;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 inserted into the attached bag and usable as a pillow;

FIG. 10 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being configured as a poncho;

FIG. 11 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being used as a tarp;

FIG. 12 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being used as a shade canopy;

FIG. 13 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being used as a hammock liner;

FIG. 14 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 1 being used as a hammock underquilt;

FIG. 15 is an inside view of another embodiment of a multi-purpose blanket according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is an outside view of the multi-purpose blanket of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 is a cross section view along the lines 17-17 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is an view of the multi-purpose blanket with the hood stored in a pocket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is one embodiment of a multi-purpose blanket 100 according to the present invention. The multi-purpose blanket 100 has a base member with an inside surface 102 and an outside surface 104 (FIG. 2) and has a length L and a width W (where the length corresponds to the longer side and the width to the shorter side in this description). While the multi-purpose blanket 100 is illustrated is rectangular in configuration, it may also be square or one of any number of shapes. The multi-purpose blanket 100 has a first fabric piece that provides the inside surface 102 and a second fabric piece that provides the outside surface 104. In between the two fabric pieces is a batting material 106 (FIG. 3) to provide thickness, insulation and comfort during use. The fabrics for inside surface 102 and the outside surface 104 may be the same or different material. One fabric that can be used for both is 210T nylon rip stop material and is preferably treated to be water resistant. The batting material 106 is preferably a 60-100 gm polyester fill. To keep the batting material 106 in position, the multi-purpose blanket 100 has a diamond quilt pattern stitched to keep the inside surface 102, outside surface 104, and batting material 106 in constant relation to each other. Any appropriate stitch pattern could be used. The two fabric pieces for the inside surface 102 and outside surface 104 are also stitched around the periphery with a triple seam stitching. As illustrated the multi-purpose blanket 100 has four sides or edges: the top edge 108, a bottom edge 110, a right side edge 112, and a left side edge 114. It is noted here that the edges are enumerated as if a person were wearing the multi-purpose blanket 100.
Along the right 112 and left 114 edges are two casings 116,118, respectively. The casings 116,118 are formed by folding a width of the multi-purpose blanket 100 (the inside and outside portions together) over along the right 112 and left 114 edges so that the inside surface 102 faces itself (and a portion of the outside surface 104 is now visible from the inside (FIG. 1) and sewing the folded portion to the multi-purpose blanket 100. See FIG. 3. The casings 116,118 are illustrated as running the entire width W of the multi-purpose blanket 100. The casings 116,118 may also only run along a portion of the width W on each of right 112 and left 114 edges.
Inserted into each of the casings 116,118 is a strap 120, 122, respectively. The strap 120 and strap 122 are preferably of the same construction. The straps 120, 122 are preferably 25 mm wide webbing and have a finished length of about 180 cm, which generally corresponds to the width of one embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the straps have a base portion 124 and a top portion 126. The base portion 124 is generally flat while the top portion has 126 been folded over the base portion 124 and sewn at intervals to provide a number of loops 130. There are two end loops 130 a, one at each end of the straps, and then a plurality of middle loops 130 b between the end loops 130 a. Preferably there are about 8 middle loops, although there could be more or fewer. The straps 120, 122 can be made by taking one end of the webbing and folding it back over on itself to make the first end loop 130 a at first end 132 of the strap. The first end loop 130 a is preferably 5-6 cm long and there needs to be an additional strap length for sewing to the base portion 124. About 2 cm is sufficient for sewing to the base portion 124, which means that about 8-9 cm of the first end of the webbing is folded over and sewn to the base portion 124. The second end of the webbing is folded over the second end 134 of the strap and the second end loop 130 a is made by sewing the top portion 126 to the base portion 124 at the second end 134 of the straps. Preferably the second end of the webbing material is secured to the base portion 124 immediately adjacent the end of the webbing that was used to make the first end loop 130 a. Between these two end loops 130 a the webbing can be sewn to make the other middle loops 130 b. The sewing of the top portion 126 to the base portion 124 should be done in a zig-zag pattern to ensure sufficient strength of the loops. There are other ways of making the straps with the loops and those could also be used with the present invention. As will become clear below, the straps 120,122 use the end loop (usually the loop 130 a at first end 132) at one end and the other end loop or middle loops as a way to secure the multi-purpose blanket 100 in a hammock configuration. Thus, the straps 120,122 and the sewing must be sufficient to hold the weight of a person using the multi-purpose blanket 100 as a hammock.
The straps 120,122 are also sewn to the multi-purpose blanket 100 or the casing 116,118 for two reasons. First, by sewing the straps 120,122 to the multi-purpose blanket 100 or the casing 116,118 on one end, the straps are not lost during use, transport or storage. Second, the sewn end of the strap becomes a part of the anchor for making the multi-purpose blanket 100 into a hammock. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the casing of the multi-purpose blanket 100 is gathered at the end where the strap is sewn to the multi-purpose blanket 100. The exposed portion of the strap (including the end loop 130 a at the second end 134 and the middle loops 130 b) is fed through the end loop 130 a at the first end 132 of the strap. The second end 134 can now be attached to a carabiner or other securing device. The same procedure is performed on both straps, turning the multi-purpose blanket 100 into a hammock. See FIG. 7.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 also includes a bag 140 into which the multi-purpose blanket 100 can stored. The bag 140 is formed by a bag panel 142 being sewn to the inside surface 102 of the multi-purpose blanket 100. The bag panel 142 is preferably a rectangular shape and the top edge 144 is left open, while the other three edges 146 of the bag panel 142 are sewn to the inside surface 102. In the configuration of FIG. 1, it is an inside surface 148 of the bag panel 142 that is visible. Between the inside surface 102 of the multi-purpose blanket 100 and bag panel 142 is a handle 150 that is used to carry the multi-purpose blanket 100 when folded into the bag 140 and to invert the bag when the multi-purpose blanket 100 is ready to be stored. The handle 150 may be attached to either the inside surface 102 of the multi-purpose blanket 100 or the bag panel 142 or even sewn into the seam along the bottom edge 152. As explained below, the handle 150 is used to begin the process of storing the multi-purpose blanket 100 and turning the bag 140 inside out.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 also has a hood 160. The hood is connected to the the inside surface 102 of the multi-purpose blanket 100 adjacent the top edge 144 of the bag. The hood 160 has a soft inner surface 162 and a more durable outside surface 164. Preferably the outside surface 164 is made from the same material as the outside surface 104 of the multi-purpose blanket 100—210T nylon rip stop and may also be treated to be water-resistant.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 8, the hood 160 is disposed adjacent the bag 140 to allow the hood 160 to be stored in the bag 140 while it is in the configuration shown in FIG. 1. The top edge 144 of the bag panel 142 has a first portion 166 of a zipper closure. The hood 160 has two zipper portions 168, 170 (second and third portions) that are connected to the hood 160. These other two zipper portions may directly connect to the hood or may be attached adjacent the hood by a strip of material that is attached to the hood 160 or inside surface 102. The second zipper portion 168 is on the inside of the hood 160. See FIG. 8. The second zipper portion 168 is attached to the first zipper portion 166 to close off the storage area of the multi-purpose blanket 100 and bag panel 142 when the multi-purpose blanket 100 is to be worn by a person. See FIG. 1. This requires that the hood 160 to be exposed, but the storage area closed.
The third zipper portion 170 is attached on the opposite side of the hood 160 from the second zipper portion and may be connected in the same manner as the second zipper portion 168. To connect the first portion 166 and the third portion, the hood 160 must be stored away. This allows the multi-purpose blanket 100 to be used in many different configurations (hammock, ground cover, tarp, sleeping bag, etc.) without the hood 160 being in the way.
When the multi-purpose blanket 100 is stored into the bag 140, then the first zipper portion 166 is connected to the second zipper portion 168 to close the bag 140.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 also has a plurality of snap members 170 disposed around the periphery thereof. The snap members or snap fasteners 170 include male snap members 172 and female snap members 174. The snap members 170 allow the multi-purpose blanket 100 to be arranged in a number of different configurations. Therefore, the positioning of the snap members 174 (male and female) relative to one another is important. It is also possible that the male snap members 172 and female snap members 174 can be replaced with the other type. For the multi-purpose blanket 100 to have all of the same functions as noted herein, all of the male snap members 172 and female snap members 174 would have to be replaced with the other type. However, it would be possible for only some of the male snap members 172 and female snap members 174 to be switched out and still retain some of the same functions.
Turning to FIG. 1, the multi-purpose blanket 100 has 12 snap members 170—6 male snap members 172 and 6 female snap members 174. In the top right corner (top edge 108 and right side 112) is a female snap member 174 a. Moving across the top edge 108 toward the left side is a second female snap member 174 b about a quarter of the way across the top edge 108. Then at the midpoint, three quarters of the way across the top edge 108, and in the top right corner (top edge 108 and left side 114) are male snap members 172 a, 172 b, and 172 c. Continuing in a clockwise fashion around the multi-purpose blanket 100, another male snap member 172 d is half way down the left side edge—inside from the casing 118. At the bottom left corner (again inside the casing 118) is a female snap member 174 c. Moving across the bottom edge 110 of the multi-purpose blanket 100 there are two female snap members 174 d one quarter and one 174 e half the way across the bottom. Two male snap members 172 e,172 f are at three quarters point and at the bottom right corner. Finally there is a female snap member 174 f at the half way point between the bottom right corner and the top right corner.
The use of the snap members 170 will now be explained. In FIGS. 1 and 10, the multi-purpose blanket 100 is in the poncho configuration. A user can simply drape the multi-purpose blanket 100 over his/her shoulders with the top edge 108 positioned across the shoulders and behind his/her head. The hood 160 can be out and cover the head, or the hood could be inserted into the pocket/bag 140 as discussed above. If the multi-purpose blanket 100 is too long, such that the bottom edge 110 is dragging, the user can snap the snap members 174 c and 172 d together and snap members 172 f and 174 f together. This will reduce the width W by about 25%. To reduce it by 50%, snap members 172 c/174 c can be snapped together and snap members 174 a/172 f can be snapped together.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 can also be used to create a midlength poncho and allow the user's arms to be accessible. This begins with the hood 160 on the head of the user (and thus the left and right designation corresponding to that of the user). The snap members 172 c/174 c can be snapped together and 174 a/172 f can be snapped together. The user puts his/her arms through the openings along the sides 112, 114 created by snapping those snap elements together. Then snap members 172 b/174 b are snapped together in front of the user and then 174 a/172 c are snapped together to complete the midlength poncho.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 can also be used as a sleeping bag. In order to do so, the hood 160 should be stored away and the outside surface 104 positioned downward to the ground or other surface. The inside surface 102 is therefore facing upward and has thereon a sleeping bag zipper 180. The sleeping bag zipper 180 has two portions. A first portion 182 that begins adjacent the snap member 174 f and runs up toward and along the top edge 108. The first portion 182 is behind the hood 160 when the hood is not stored away. The first portion 182 then ends between the snap members 172 b and 172 c. The second portion 184 is separated (the slide from one portion is disconnectable from the other portion) from first portion 182 when the multi-purpose blanket 100 is not being used. This allows for the multi-purpose blanket 100 to lie flatter than if the two portions 182/184 were always connected. The second portion 184 also begins adjacent the snap member 174 f and runs up down and along the bottom edge 110. Folding the multi-purpose blanket 100 along a line that extends between snap members 174 f and 172 d and then connecting the two portions of zipper 182/184 completes the sleeping bag.
It is also possible to use the snap members to close the sleeping bag as well. For example, the following pairs of snap members can be snapped together to achieve almost the same effect: 174 a/172 f; 174 b/172 e; 172 a/174 e; and 172 b/174 d.
The multi-purpose blanket 100 also includes a number of accessory hoops 190 that are disposed around the periphery of the multi-purpose blanket 100. The accessory hoops 190 are folded over pieces of webbing material whose ends are then sewn into the multi-purpose blanket 100. The accessory hoops 190 are not as wide as the straps 120/122, but could be of any size. The accessory hoops 190 may also be secured at the same places as the snap members 170—with the snap members assisting to secure the accessory hoops 190 to the multi-purpose blanket 100. The accessory loops 190 are preferably at each of the four corners of the multi-purpose blanket 100 and at the midpoint of each of the edges or sides 108/110/112/114. The accessory hoops 190 can be used with a fixation element such as a stake, carabiner, rope, etc. to secure the multi-purpose blanket 100 in position. For example, when used as a ground cover, a wire stake can be inserted through a number of the accessory loops 190 to keep the multi-purpose blanket 100 from blowing away. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the accessory loops 190 along with a couple of stakes into the ground and a couple of carabiners on the fence turns the multi-purpose blanket 100 into a tarp or cover.
FIG. 12 illustrates the multi-purpose blanket 100 draped over a guy wire 300 strung between two trees, poles, etc. Stakes can be inserted through the accessory hoops 190 at each of the corners to hold it in place. FIGS. 13 and 14 show that the multi-purpose blanket 100 can also be used with another hammock to line the hammock as a liner or attach to the outside of the hammock to function as a hammock quilt through the accessory hoops 190.
A second embodiment of a multi-purpose blanket 200 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 15-18. The multi-purpose blanket 200 has a base member with an inside surface 202 and an outside surface 204 (FIG. 14) and has a length L and a width W (where the length corresponds to the longer side and the width to the shorter side). The multi-purpose blanket 200 has a first fabric piece that provides the inside surface 202 and a second fabric piece that provides the outside surface 204. In between the two fabric pieces is a batting material 206 (FIG. 16) to provide thickness, insulation and comfort during use. The fabrics for inside surface 202 and the outside surface 204 may the same or different material. One fabric that can be used for both is 210T nylon rip stop material and is preferably treated to be water resistant. The batting material 206 is preferably a 60-100 gm polyester fill. To keep the batting material 206 in position, the multi-purpose blanket 200 has a diamond quilt pattern stitched 228 to keep the inside surface 202, outside surface 204, and batting material 206 in constant relation to each other. Any appropriate stitch pattern could be used. The two fabric pieces for the inside surface 202 and outside surface 204 are also stitched around the periphery with a triple seam stitching. As illustrated the multi-purpose blanket 200 has four sides or edges: the top edge 208, a bottom edge 210, a right side edge 212, and a left side edge 214. It is noted here that the edges are enumerated as if a person were wearing the multi-purpose blanket 200.
Along the right 212 and left 214 edges are two casings 216,218, respectively. The casings 216,218 are formed in the same manner as above by folding a width of the multi-purpose blanket 200 (the inside and outside portions together) over along the right 212 and left 214 edges so that the inside surface 202 faces itself and sewing the folded portion to the multi-purpose blanket 200. See FIG. 16. The casings 216,218 are illustrated as running the entire width W of the multi-purpose blanket 200. The casings 216,218 may also only run along a portion of the width W on each of right 212 and left 214 edges.
Inserted into each of the casings 216,218 is a strap, which are preferably the same as straps 120, 122, respectively, as described above. Again, the straps may have different construction, length, width, etc. as noted above. The straps 120,122 are also sewn to the multi-purpose blanket 200.
The multi-purpose blanket 200 includes a pocket 240 for a hood 260. The pocket 240 is formed by a pocket panel 242 being connected to the inside surface 202 of the multi-purpose blanket 200. The pocket panel 242 may be sewn to the inside surface 202 or attached in another manner. The pocket panel 242 is preferably a rectangular shape and can be made of one or two pieces. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the pocket panel is two pieces 242 a/242 b that are connected to one another by a zipper 266. The two pieces 242 a/242 b may be of different sizes as illustrated in FIG. 18 or the same size, meaning that the zipper 266 is in the middle of the pocket 240. Alternatively, the pocket panel 242 may be one piece having an opening 244 therein and the zipper 266 is used to open and close the opening.
The multi-purpose blanket 200 has a hood 260. The hood 260 is connected to the the multi-purpose blanket 200 inside the pocket 240. The hood 260 can be pulled outside through the open zipper 266. It can also be inserted back into the pocket 240 when necessary and the zipper 266 closes the pocket 240. The hood 260 has a soft inner surface 262 and a more durable outside surface 264. Preferably the outside surface 264 is made from the same material as the outside surface 104 of the multi-purpose blanket 100—210T nylon rip stop and may also be treated to be water-resistant.
The multi-purpose blanket 200 has two pockets 250 in the upper corners. The pockets 250 are preferably triangularly shape pieces of cloth 252 secured along the edges of the multi-purpose blanket 200. The pockets 250 are a two layer construction—one layer is the same material that is used for the inside surface 202 and also have an inner liner of fleece 254. See FIG. 17. The pockets 250 are provided for the user to put his/her hands in when the multi-purpose blanket 200 is used as a poncho. The pockets are connected to the multi-purpose blanket 200 along the top and side edges, leaving the edge 256 open for use.
The multi-purpose blanket 200 has snap members 270—4 male snap members 272 and 4 female snap members 274 that are, like in the embodiment above, used to change the width and hold the multi-purpose blanket 200 around the user. In the embodiment above, the male snap members 172 and female snap members 174 preferably all have their connection side on the inside surface 102. In this embodiment, there are two snap members that have their connection side on the outside surface 204 as discussed in more detail below.
With reference to FIG. 15, the snap members 270 are positioned as follows. Starting at the top right side of the multi-purpose blanket 200 is a male snap member 272 a and then the second male snap member 272 b is between the first snap member 272 a and the hood 260. These two male snap members preferably have their connection side on the outside surface 204. On the other side of the hood 260 and as a mirror image of the positioning of the male snap members are two female snap members 274 a and 274 b. Preferably the connection portion is on the inside surface 202. These four snap members are used by the user to close the multi-purpose blanket 200. Snap member 272 a is connected to snap member 274 b and 272 b is connected to 274 a. There are two other sets of snap members 270 that are used to shorten the multi-purpose blanket 200 if it is too long for the user. At the sides just below the pockets are snap members 274 c and 274 d. Then at the bottom are snap members 272 c and 272 d. Connecting these snap members (272 c/274 c and 272 d/274 d) will bring the bottom edge 210 up to almost shorten the multi-purpose blanket 200 by half.
The multi-purpose blanket 200 includes a number of accessory hoops 290 that are disposed around the periphery of the multi-purpose blanket 200. As with the embodiment above, a number of accessory hoops 290 are disposed around the periphery of the multi-purpose blanket 100 and in the middle of the top and bottom edges 208/210. The accessory hoops 290 are constructed the same way as noted above, but could be other widths and lengths and still fall within the scope of the present invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

We claim:

1. A multi-purpose blanket comprising:

a base member having a width and a length and having at least two opposing edges, each of the opposing edges having a casing along at least a portion thereof;

a strap inserted into each of the casings, each of the straps being secured to the base member at one end of the casing, the straps having a plurality of webbing loops disposed along a length thereof;

a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member and leaving an opening along one side thereof; and

a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.

2. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, wherein the base member has an inner layer, an outer layer, and a batting material disposed in between the inner and outer layers.

3. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 2, further comprising a hood attached to the inner layer of the base member adjacent the bag.

4. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of accessory hoops disposed around a periphery of the base member, the loops having an opening therein to provide a location to attach fixation elements.

5. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, wherein the casings are along the width of the base member.

6. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, wherein the casings are formed along an edge by folding a strip of the base member inward and over the base member to form a new edge and securing the edge folded over the base member to the base member thereby forming an opening along the base member to receive the strap.

7. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, further comprising a handle affixed to one of the portion of one side of the base member and the bag panel.

8. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 3, wherein one portion of a zipper is attached to the bag panel along the one side and a second portion of the zipper attached to an outside portion of the hood, the first and second portions of the zipper to be connected when the hood is inserted into the bag.

9. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, wherein connecting a first plurality of snap members configures the multi-purpose blanket into a poncho.

10. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 1, further comprising a first sleeping bag zipper portion on a first portion of the base member and a second sleeping bag zipper portion on a second portion of the base member, whereby connecting the first portion and the second portion makes the multi-purpose blanket into a sleeping bag.

11. A multi-purpose blanket comprising:

means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a hammock;

means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a sleeping bag;

a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member along a plurality of edges and leaving an opening along one side thereof; and

a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.

12. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 11, wherein the base member has an inner layer, an outer layer that is water-resistant, and a batting material disposed in between the inner and outer layers.

13. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 11, wherein the means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a hammock comprises straps disposed in casings along opposite sides of the base member.

14. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 11, wherein the means for turning the multi-purpose blanket into a sleeping bag comprises one of the group of attachment members comprising snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, hooks and eyelets, zippers, and buttons.

15. A multi-purpose blanket comprising:

a bag formed by a portion of one side of the base member and a bag panel attached to the one side of the base member, the bag panel being secured to the base member along a plurality of edges and leaving an opening along one side thereof;

a hood attached to the inner layer of the base member adjacent the bag;

a plurality of accessory hoops disposed around a periphery of the base member, the loops having an opening therein to provide a location to attach fixation elements;

a handle affixed to one of the portion of one side of the base member and the bag panel; and

a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.

16. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 15, wherein the base member has an inner layer, an outer layer that is water-resistant, and a batting material disposed in between the inner and outer layers.

17. A multi-purpose blanket comprising:

a strap inserted into each of the casings, each of the straps being secured to the base member at one end of the casing, the straps having a plurality of webbing loops disposed along a length thereof; and

a plurality of snap members disposed around a periphery of the base member.

18. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 17, further comprising pockets in at least two corners of the base member.

19. The multi-purpose blanket according to claim 17, further comprising:

a hood attached to an inner surface of the base member; and

a pocket member attached the inner surface of the base member adjacent the hood to received the hood therein.