US2711546A - Convertible comforter-blanket - Google Patents

Description

June 28, 1955 E. H. LICHT 2,711,546

CONVERTIBLE COMFORTER-BLANKET Filed Nov. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. l EMANUEL H- LIGHT June 28, 1955 E. H. LICHT 2,711,546

CONVERTIBLE COMFORTER-BLANKET Filed Nov. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTOR.

EMANUEL H. LIGHT $1 I. m 64 A United States Patent CONVERTIBLE COMFORTER-BLANKET Emanuel H. Licht, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Lewis F. Schleifer, Flushing, and one-half to Saul A. Licht, New York, N. Y.

Application November 15, 1952, Serial No. 320,783

3 Claims. (Cl. -334) This invention proposes the construction of a convertible comforter or blanket having the following applications:

The convertible comforter is a comforter designed for use in hospitals and camps to take the place of the ordinary blanket.

This comforter can be used as a blanket indoors, and as a sleeping envelope in the field. An ordinary blanket can be put to use as a blanket only, namely a cover, and a sleeping envelope cannot be put to the ordinary uses of a blanket. The value of this article, among other things, is its double utility.

The special feature of it is that it can replace the ordinary blanket With more comfort to the sleeper.

Another special feature of the comforter where used in the field, is that where a person has been injured and is helpless, he can be placed in the comforter so that he is sure of not being uncovered and subject to cold until he gets to a place where he can be taken care of. This makes it the ideal cover in ambulance and in field hospital work..

A feature of the convertible comforter is that it'can be converted into a sleeping envelope for the field. When so used, the sleeper can be assured of immunization from drafts, such as one is subject to when sleeping under blankets in the field.

When used as a blanket in a hospital, the straps can be used to anchor it to the foot of the bed, preventing it from being thrown off the patient by his tossing while asleep, thus preventing him from being subject to drafts.

The straps on the convertible comforter help to confine the very resilient contents of it to a roll, thin and light enough for the average person to be able to carry together with other field equipment. Another feature of the invention is the provision therein of a pocket for forming a pillow into which the sleeper may secure his valuables and by which he may obtain added comforts.

'A further feature of the invention is its extended utility, for it may in addition to use as a sleeping bag, be used as a mattress or'sleeping mat, or it may be readily unfolded from a sleeping bag and converted into a large blanket or comforter for indoor sleeping.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features ofthe invention are more particularly set forth.

onthe accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a plan view of the sleeping bag in unfolded condition and appearing as a large blanket.

Fig. 2 is a. perspective view of the sleeping bag in form for outdoor sleeping.

V, Fig. 3is a detail in. perspective illustrating the pillow .pocket in stuffed condition. I Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on lines 4-4 of Fig. 3.

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Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the lines 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail directed to the construction of the slide fastener on opposite sides of the center line of the blanket.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a zipper control slide.

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the bag rolled into a bundle.

Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views of modified forms of the invention similar to that of Fig. l but with certain features eliminated in each.

lndescribing the invention in further detail reference is now directed to Figs. 1-8, wherein there is disclosed particularly in Fig. l, a rectangular blanket 1 adapted to be folded in half longitudinally along the line AB. It includes what might be called the head side 2, a foot or bottom side 3, and right and left longitudinal sides 4 and 5. When folded in half the longitudinally open side and the open bottom side may be secured closed to form a bag, by suitable slide fastener zipper means. The opening at the head side 2 and other openings later to be described are also closable by similar means.

The slide fastener or zipper means for closing the various openings of the bag is of conventional make including complementary hook stringers and a slide control element adapted to engage the hooks of one stringer with those of its complement.

The slide fastening means for closing the bottom and the longitudinally open sides of the folded blanket includes a hook stringer element 6, generally designated secured in proper manner to the blanket edge such as stitching. Element 6 begins at the left-hand corner of the blanket as in Fig. l, and extends along the left edge 5, along the foot edge 3 and along the right edge 4 ending at the right-hand corner.

The portion of the stringer along the left edge indicated at 7 is when the blanket is folded in half complementary to and engageable with that indicated at 7 along the right side, while the portion of the stringer along the left half of the bottom edge and indicated at 8 is complementary to and engageable with the right half bottom portion designated at 8*. I

A slide control element 10 having a normal or starting position at the right head corner of the folded blanket as in Fig. 2 serves in conventional manner when moved to engage the complementary stringers with one another so as to close the side and bottom openings to form the sleeping bag.

In order to close the head side opening of the folded blanket, hook stringers 11 and 12 are provided along the central portion of the blanket as in Fig. 1 to the right and left of the center line A--B. The books of that portion of the stringer along the left portion of the head side 11 are complementary to and adapted-for engagement with those of that portion of the stringer 12 along the right portion. A slide control element 13 serves in conventional manner to engage the complementary stringers to one another to close the head side .to the extent of the length of the stringers. By having the stringers 11 and 12 only along the central portion of the bag, a corner opening 14 is provided which permits ventilationv and air to circulate to the interior of the bag for the benefit of the sleeper enclosed therein. The size of the corner opening may, as desired, be increased as in Fig. 2 by movement of the slide controls 10 and 1-3.

A notable feature of the invention is the continuous nature of the fastening means about the side and bottom of the bag and the terminal point of the slide control element 10 at the sleepers head when he is contained Iwithin the bag. This feature not only prevents unzipfines himself entirely within the bag taking advantage of the corner opening 14 as a means of ventilation. When so confined he is virtually trapped therein in cases of emergency unless he has a quick and ready means of escape from the bag. To permit this quick escape, the zipper means fastening the head and sides of the bag are provided with means for opening or closing them from the inside as well as from the outside. For this purpose the control slides and 13 are each provided with a pair of finger gripping elements 15, as in Fig. 7,

wherein an enlarged view of the control slide 10 is shown. One of the elements 15 serves to operate the control slides from the outside of the bag, while the other is operable by the sleeper from the inside of the bag. A further advantage of this double means of opening the bag is the assurance to the sleeper of having a ready means of escape from the bag when necessary. Another feature of the bag is the provision therein of a pillow pocket 16. The pocket 16 is formed by cloth material stitched to the surface of the right half of the blanket. The pocket has a small opening at its marginal edge 17 facing the center line AB. The pillow is formed by stufiing the pocket through the opening 17 with clothing or other soft material 9.

To provide certain advantages in sleeping and resting the head, the covering of the pillow is formed to provide three sections, a middle section 18 and a pair of adjoining sections 19, so that when the pocket is stuffed, section 18 will be low while the sections 19 on either side will be raised, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. To permit this, sections 18 and 19 are preferably three separate pieces of cloth stitched as at 21, to one another to form the pillow covering. The pillow covering is then stitched as at 20 about its margin to the surface of the blanket leaving a small unstitched portion to form the opening 17.

r The stitching at 21 enables separate though contiguous pockets to be formed in each of the sections, and the pockets beneath sections 19 are formed larger than those beneath sections 18 by tensioning the material of sections 18 and allowing that of sections 19 to bulge up. This is due to the somewhat longer sections 19. Sections 19 are arcuate in shape due to the material and the greater length than section 18. When soft material is pressed into the pocket, the large volumes under sections 19 are pressedin harder and fill up and tend to pull on and depress the intermediate center portion, as is shown in Fig. 4.

' A feature of the pocket pillow is that the head rests on the lower portion 18 while the sections 19 are raised about it. This feature enables a greater supply of air others, adapted to control the opening or closing of the stringers from the inside or outside of the bag.

An advantage of the placket 22 at this point is to provide at the left-hand corner of the bag, an opening for an increased air supply as well as a means of access -to the pocket pillow of the bag.

Slightly below the placket 22, another placket 25, or further opening is provided through fastening means 26 similar to the others enabling a ready means for the sleeper to free his left arm from the bag in cases of necessity.

The blanket should, when made, he of sufficient size so that when formed into a bag it will be sufiiciently long and large enough to enclose the entire body of the sleeper.

The blanket (shown in Fig. 5) preferably includes an upper sheet of durable cloth 27, stitched about its margin to a lower sheet 28', and quilted as indicated by the dotted line squares in Fig. l. Filling material 9 is stuffed between the sheets 27 and 28' and this material is preferably of suitable warmth retaining properties such as down, kapok, cotton, wool, hair, lambs wool or feathers, as such material also retains a warm, dry temperature. The sheets 27 and 28 are preferably of closely woven cotton material which prevents the filling material from leaking out and yet allows air to filter through.

The bag may be rolled up into a compact bundle as indicated in Fig. 8 and secured for carrying purposes by loose buckle straps 28 tightened about the bundle and held in place by loops 29 fixed to the blanket. The straps 28 are not stitched or secured to the blanket itself, but are loose and may he slipped free of the loops 29 when desired. By having straps of this nature, the life of the blanket is lengthened by the advoidance of rips that would otherwise occur through pulling of the straps were they fixed to the blanket itself.

In further practice of my invention reference is directed to Fig. 9, wherein a modified form of the invention is illustrated. In this form the placket of Fig. l is omitted. Otherwise, the arrangement and features thereof are the same as that of Fig. l.

A further form of the invention is shown in Fig. 10, wherein the placket 25 and the center line placket 22 as well as the pillow pocket feature 16, contained in Fig. 1, are eliminated. The blanket is otherwise the same as in Fig. 1. In this form of the invention, the stringer 30 of the zipper means along the head end central portion of the blanket is of a single length. It being understood in this form that the position of the stringer hooks 31 on the left side of the stringer, are reverse to those containedon the right side of the stringer, as indicated in the detail of Fig. 5, to enable zippering of the stringer when the blanket is folded.

The slide control means of the stringer 30 of this zipper, like the others previously mentioned, is also controlled from the inside of the bag as well as from the outside.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is: 1

1. In a sleeping bag of the character described, a pillow pocket in the surface of one of the halves of the bag and including a small opening in a marginal edge of the pocket whereby the pocket may be stuffed withmaterial to form a pillow, thecovering material of the pillow being arranged with a middle constricted section and a pair of adjacentbulgy sections whereby when the pocket is stuffed, a pillow is formed having a central low portion and raised side portions.

2. A sleeping bag as defined in claim 1, characterized by a placket adjacent said pocket in the half of the bag mounting the pocket and having zipper opening and closing means, said placket affording access to the pocket for stuifing thereof and affording an exit for an arm of the sleeper, I

3. A convertible comforter or blanket comprising a rectangular-shaped flexible fabric body foldable along the center of its length and having a slit at one short side centrally thereof, complementary fastener elements on the long sides of the body and along the short side thereof opposite the slitted short side whereby when the body References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Winters Nov. 1, Grunfeld Sept. 29, Andersson June 15, Guest May 13,

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