WO2020012462A1

WO2020012462A1 - Inflatable pillow

Info

Publication number: WO2020012462A1
Application number: PCT/IL2019/050753
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomer BEN SENIOR; Aviad TSABARY
Original assignee: SA'AR A.T. Enterprise & Trading LTD
Priority date: 2018-07-09
Filing date: 2019-07-07
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Also published as: IL260492A

Abstract

A multifunctional inflatable pillow is designed so as to accommodate there-inside an inflatable chamber and a storage chamber. The pillow is inflatable via an air valve and accessible from outside via an opening. The pillow is suitable for storing there-inside at least one soft item (for example, a blanket) which may be introduced into the pillow via the opening, or taken out from the pillow if needed. In any case, the inflatable pillow remains ready for use.

Description

Inflatable Pillow

Field of the invention

The present invention belongs to the field of inflatable items for travel and rest, more specifically to an improved inflatable pillow.

Background of the invention

A number of more or less relevant publications are known in the prior art.

FR 2868915, FR2879088, US2009133192 and US2013152270 describe an inflatable cushion or pillow interconnected with various items, for example with a blanket or with a hoody garment. The garment may have a blanket in its pocket. Each of the described devices is quite bulky and has its limited and specified field of use.

US59118332 describes a portable head rest with a storage chamber, wherein the head rest is a foam pillow, and the storage chamber is a hollow space within the pillow, which may be reached from outside and used for storing small items such as room keys. The head rest made from foam has a permanent considerable volume and is adapted for storing small items only.

CN207168306 U describes a multifunctional arrangement comprising a sheet (liner), a multifunctional pillow, a neck pillow which is provided with an opening and a blanket fastened to the pillow. The blanket can be taken out from the neck pillow, the liner may be inflated, the neck pillow may be used when stuffed by the blanket or as a scarf. The neck pillow has considerable dimensions.

To the best of the Applicant's knowledge, there is no a product described in databases or offered on the market, which would maximally satisfy a customer by offering a light, compact, comfortable, multifunctional pillow for travel and rest, which would allow using it at any circumstances with the minimal care for converting the pillow from one state to another. Object and summary of the invention

The main object of the invention is to propose an improved inflatable pillow which would overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known products and would satisfy modem requirements by being compact, light and simple, though

multifunctional and easily convertible.

Yet an additional object is to provide a set comprising the inventive pillow and an accompanying soft and foldable item(s), for example a blanket, a poncho, socks, slippers or the like.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a multifunctional inflatable pillow being designed so as to accommodate there-inside an inflatable chamber and a storage chamber, the pillow being

inflatable via an air valve,

accessible from outside via an opening and

suitable for storing there-inside at least one soft item if introduced via the opening.

In one embodiment of the invention, the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber constitute a common air-proof chamber being both inflatable and accessible from outside for storing said soft item.

In the embodiment with the common air-proof chamber, the opening for introducing said soft item may be equipped, for example, with a hermetic (air tight) closure. Optionally, in such a common air proof chamber, the air valve and the hermitically closable opening may be combined.

In another embodiment of the invention, the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber are separate chambers of the pillow, wherein the inflatable chamber is provided with the air valve, while the storage chamber is equipped with the opening. It is understood that in any embodiment of the pillow, the mentioned opening as well as the mentioned air valve may have any reasonable shapes. For example, the opening may be equipped with any type of a closure. More specifically, the closure may comprise a magnet, a zipper, may be hermetic/airtight, may have a form of a clutch, etc. In a separate storage chamber, the opening may even be left open.

Still, other embodiments of the pillow may exist, in which the air valve and the opening may be combined.

The proposed pillow may be made of fabric. Alternatively, it may be made of other materials suitable for the pillow's functionality.

The soft item may be understood as any item which, when inserted in the pillow, at least do not reduce (and possibly improve) functionality of the pillow. One example of the soft item may be a light foldable blanket. Other examples may be found.

The storage chamber of the pillow may be such as to allow storing the soft item in the form of a folded blanket or the like there-inside.

In one specific embodiment, the storage chamber is configured so that, whenever stuffed by the suitable soft item, the pillow is usable without inflating it.

The proposed pillow is configured so that it may serve in any of the following three modes:

- as a regular pillow stuffed with at least one soft item ( a folded blanket or the like), when said soft item is in the storage chamber,

- as an inflated pillow when said soft item is removed from the storage chamber (for example, to be used as intended);

- as a pillow stuffed with the soft item and additionally inflated to a desired condition.

As mentioned, the proposed pillow may comprise two separate chambers being the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber. Such a pillow may be manufactured from three layers of a pliable or elastic material (for example, a fabric), wherein two outer layers form outer walls of the pillow, and

a third layer forms a partition dividing internal space of the pillow into two compartments: a first compartment being said inflatable chamber

and a second compartment being said storage chamber.

In any embodiment, the layers forming walls of the inflatable chamber are preferably airproof/airtight. The outer wall of the inflatable chamber is provided with an air valve (for inflating the inflatable chamber and thus the whole pillow). The inflatable chamber may be made, for example, from polyurethane PU, Polypropylene PE, etc.

In the embodiment where the two chambers are separate, the storage chamber may be non-inflatable. The outer wall of the storage chamber is provided with the opening for accessing the storage chamber; the opening may be left open, but may be equipped with any kind of a closure, for example with a magnet, a zipper, a clutch, etc.

The layer forming an outer wall of the storage chamber may be the same as the other two layers. However, it may be manufactured from any fabric suitable for pillows or pillowcases (for example, cotton, velvet etc.).

The proposed pillow may have various shapes, for example it may be shaped as a neck pillow.

The proposed pillow may be made waterproof.

The described pillow or one or more of its walls may be pre- shaped so as to preserve the pillow's form also in its non-inflated (airless) state.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a set comprising the proposed inflatable pillow and a soft item designed for being introduced into the storage chamber and for stuffing the inflatable pillow to an extent suitable for using the pillow with or without inflating thereof. In one specific embodiment, the soft item is suitable by design to the inflatable pillow. As mentioned above, the soft item may be a light- weighted blanket or the like, a poncho, a scarf, a sleeping bag, a vest, a pair of socks, trousers or slippers, etc.

To the best of the Applicant’s knowledge, no prior art reference presents a compact and light multifunctional pillow which, like the proposed pillow, would be adapted to serve in various circumstances and be convertible by minimal efforts.

The invention will be further described in detail as the description progresses.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be further described and illustrated with the aid of the following non-limiting drawings in which:

Figs. 1A and IB show a perspective top view and a perspective bottom view of one embodiment of the proposed pillow.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the pillow shown in Figs. 1A, 1B.

Fig. 3A illustrates a top view of the pillow shown in Fig. 1A, with a schematic cross- section line A.

Figs. 3B illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the pillow shown in Figs. 1A, 1B in its deflated and empty state.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 illustrate perspective cross-sectional views of the pillow shown in Figs. 1A, 1B in different conditions of the pillow.

Fig. 7A illustrates a perspective top view of another embodiment of the inventive pillow and an enlarged perspective side view of the pillow, with one embodiment of the proposed closure in its ready to open/ready to close state.

Fig. 7B is a perspective cross-sectional view showing an optional interior of the pillow illustrated in Fig. 7A.

Fig. 8A illustrates a perspective top view of the embodiment of the inventive pillow shown in Fig. 7 A, and an enlarged perspective side view of the pillow, with the exemplary closure hermetically closed and secured to a side wall. Fig. 8B is a perspective cross-sectional view showing the hermetically closed pillow illustrated in Fig. 8A, in its inflated state.

Fig. 8C is a perspective cross-sectional view showing interior of the pillow illustrated in Fig. 8A, when it is occupied by a blanket. The blanket was preliminarily inserted in the pillow, upon which the pillow was hermetically closed and is ready for inflating.

Detailed description of specific embodiments

Fig. 1A illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the proposed inflatable pillow - a neck pillow 10 made of fabric and having two internal compartments. It is a perspective view of the pillow from its top. Actually, the terms "top" and "bottom" of the pillow are selected for different sides of the pillow just for distinguishing them from one another at a specific position of the pillow. It should be appreciated that the pillow may be placed on any of its surfaces so one of them becomes a top side and another becomes a bottom side. For the position illustrated in Fig. 1A, an air valve 12 is provided on a top wall 11 of the pillow for pumping air into an inflatable chamber (inflatable air pocket) 14 which is located inside the pillow just next to the valve 12.

Fig. IB shows an opposite view of the pillow 10, which is symbolically called a bottom perspective view. The bottom wall 15 of the pillow 10 is provided with an opening 16 which allows introducing items into a storage compartment 18 of the pillow. The storage compartment 18 is located directly behind the opening 16. The opening 16 may be left as is, or may be provided with any kind of a closure (not shown).

There is a partition 19 in the pillow, which is schematically shown within a seam 17 securing the three fabric layers (top, bottom and partition) of the pillow together.

More fabric layers may exist in the pillow, which are not shown in this schematic embodiment. For example, an additional fabric layer may hermetically cover the opening 16. In another example, the pillow may be provided with a fabric bag which may serve as a pillowcase.

Optionally, any of the side walls 11 or 15 may be provided with

massaging/acupuncture protrusions (not shown). Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the pillow's embodiment shown in Figs. 1A and 1B.

The upper wall 11 of the pillow is formed by a first layer of fabric. The fabric may be pre-shaped, as shown in the drawing. The upper wall comprises the air valve 12.

The intermediate wall/partition 19 is made from a second fabric layer. The layers 11 and 19 form the inflatable chamber 14 and thus are preferably made of airtight fabric. The partition 19 is shown pre-shaped, to allow introducing a soft item between it and the bottom wall 15. Still, the partition 19 is deformable.

The bottom wall 15 of the pillow is formed by a third layer of fabric. The layer 15 is provided with an opening 16 (hardly seen here, see 16 on Fig. 1B) for introducing and storing a soft item (20) between the second and the third fabric layers. The third layer 15 is also shown as pre-shaped to form a cavity for storing the items.

The second and the third layers 19 and 15 form the storing chamber 18 there between.

Soft item 20, for example a folded blanket, may be inserted through the opening 16 and stored in the storage chamber/compartment 18.

Fig. 3A shows a top view of the pillow 10 with a line A-A indicating a cross-section of interest. The cross-section A-A will assist for describing the structure and the function of the inventive pillow in detail, in further drawings.

Fig. 3B shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the pillow 10 being empty, in its deflated state.

The mode of operation (use) of the exemplary pillow 10 will be shown in Figs. 4 - 6. Fig. 4 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the pillow 10 being non-inflated (airless) but stuffed with a soft item 20 introduced, via the opening 16, into the storage chamber 18 of the pillow. In this state, the intermediate fabric layer 19 (the partition) is deformed and shifted close to the first fabric layer 11.

It should be noted that the inventive pillow, when stuffed by the soft item 20 (for example, with a suitable blanket) can be used as needed, without inflating the pillow. Fig. 5 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the pillow 10, when it is inflated without removing the blanket 20. It can be seen that the inflatable chamber 14 and the storage chamber 18 divide the volume of the pillow there-between. The user may inflate the pillow as desired and may use either side of the pillow which he/she prefers for supporting the neck.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the pillow 10 in its inflated state, when the storage compartment 18 is not used. The intermediate (second) fabric layer 19 is deformed and shifted towards the bottom (third) fabric layer 15, and the inflatable chamber 14 occupies the whole cross-section of the pillow 10. In the enlarged circular portion of the drawing, one may clearly see the seam 17 comprising three layers 11, 19, 15 of the pillow's material.

The soft item may be sold together with the proposed pillow in a set of products, wherein the pillow and the soft item suit to one another thus enabling their use both in the assembled state (the soft item within the pillow with or without inflating the pillow), and separately.

Fig. 7A illustrates a perspective top view of another embodiment 110 of the inventive pillow. It may be a two-compartment pillow similar to pillow 10 shown in the previous figures. Alternatively, it may be a single-compartment pillow designed to be used both as the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber.

The pillow 110 differs by having a differently shaped opening 116, which is formed by a skirt (a sleeve) 128 connected to the pillow 110. The opening is provided with a clutch-like closure 130. The closure 130 may become airtight when turned one or more times around its longitudinal axis and secured to the pillow 110 using its end hooks 132 and loops 134 positioned on the pillow. The closure may be opened in the opposite order, when turned in the opposite direction (see two arrows).

Fig. 7A further comprises an enlarged perspective side view of the pillow, showing in details one specific embodiment of the proposed closure 130. The clutch-like closure 130 is made of two flexible plates 130A and 130B connected to fabric layers of the pillow so as to form the longitudinal opening 116 between the plates. Ends of the closure 130 terminate with two hooks 132. The opening 116 may be widened if the plate 130A is pulled up and plate 130B is pulled down, thus providing a passage for a soft item to be introduced in a storage compartment of the pillow 110 via the skirt 128. When the soft item is inside the pillow, the plates 130A and 130B may be released to come back to their initial position in parallel to one another. The closure 130 may be rolled around its longitudinal axis towards the pillow, so as to become air tightly wrapped by the skirt 128 and secured by snapping the hooks 132 in the respective loops 134. The pillow 110 is preferably made from an airtight material.

In principle, the pillow 110 may comprise there-inside an inflatable chamber and a storage chamber which may be divided by a partition (neither of them are seen and numbered in the figure). The partition might be connected to the upper plate 130A under the layer 111 of the pillow's upper wall.

Alternatively, the pillow 110 may be a single-compartment device without any partition inside. Such an option will be illustrated in Fig. 7B.

Fig. 7B is a perspective cross-sectional view showing an optional interior of the pillow illustrated in Fig. 7A. In this figure, a one-chamber pillow is shown, which comprises a common compartment 100 serving both as an inflatable chamber and as a storage chamber.

The left-hand image shows a top view of a half of the pillow, and the right-hand image is a bottom view of the same half of the pillow. In the drawing, the pillow 110 is schematically shown either pre-shaped or inflated. One may understand that a soft item may be introduced into the pillow through the opening 116, when widened by pulling the flexible plates 130A and 130B away from one another. The opening 116 may be further closed air-tightly by rolling the closure 130 together with the skirt 128, and by securing it to the loops 134 using the hooks 132. The pillow 110 may be used in any state thereof - with or without a soft item there-inside, inflated or not.

Figs 8A-8C describe one embodiment of the proposed pillow 110 in its hermetically closed state.

Fig. 8A is a top isometric view of the pillow shown in Fig. 7A, however the skirt 128 is tightly clutched by the closure 130 and then hermetically rolled around the closure 130. As can be seen on the enlarged portion of the drawing, the closure 130 is finally secured to the pillow's bottom wall 115, using hooks 132 to engage loops 134 (only one pair "hook-loop" is seen in the drawing).

Fig. 8B shows a schematic isometric cross-sectional view of the pillow 110 having one combined internal chamber 100, in the inflated state of the pillow. The cross- section of interest is made along a surface similar to the surface which is

schematically indicated by the axis A-A in Fig. 3A.

Fig. 8C is an isometric cross-sectional view of the pillow 110 stuffed with a soft item 20 placed in the combined, inflatable internal chamber 100. The enlarged portion of the cross-section shows the item 20 within the internal space 100, the bottom layer 115 and the closure 130 clutched and hermetically closed within the rolled skirt 128.

It can be seen that the skirt 128 is formed by extending portions of the top layer 111 and the bottom layer 115 of the pillow 110.

It should be appreciated that other embodiments and modifications of the described pillow and the described set may be proposed.

It should also be understood that the proposed pillow, regardless the number of compartments/chambers it comprises, may have any arrangement of the opening. The opening may have any shape and may work without a closure or with any type of a closure. Shape of the opening, type of the closure and material of the pillow may vary and may be selected depending on a specific modification of the pillow so as to allow introducing a soft item in the inflatable pillow.

All such options have to be considered part of the invention whenever covered by the claims which follow.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A multifunctional inflatable pillow being designed so as to accommodate there-inside an inflatable chamber and a storage chamber, the pillow being

inflatable via an air valve,

accessible from outside via an opening and

2. The pillow according to Claim 1, wherein the opening for introducing said soft item is equipped with a closure.

3. The pillow according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber constitute a common air-proof chamber being both inflatable and accessible from outside for storing said soft item.

4. The pillow according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the inflatable chamber and the storage chamber are separate chambers of the pillow, and wherein the inflatable chamber is provided with the air valve, while the storage chamber has the opening.

5. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage chamber of the pillow is designed so as to allow storing there-inside said soft item in the form of a folded blanket or the like.

6. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage chamber is configured so that, whenever stuffed by the soft item, the pillow is usable without inflating it.

7. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, configured so as to serve in any of the following three modes:

- as a regular pillow stuffed with the soft item, when said soft item is in the storage chamber;

- as an inflated pillow when said soft item is removed from the storage chamber;

8. The pillow according to any one of claims 4 to 7, manufactured from three layers, wherein two outer layers form outer walls of the pillow, and

and a second compartment being said storage chamber.

9. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein walls of the inflatable chamber are airtight.

10. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening for accessing the storage chamber is airtight.

11. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, shaped as a neck pillow.

12. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of its walls are pre-shaped so as to preserve the pillow's form in its non-inflated state.

13. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, made of fabric.

14. The pillow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air valve is combined with the opening.

15. The pillow according to any one of Claims 2 to 14, wherein the closure is in the form of a clutch.

16. A set comprising the pillow according to any one of the preceding claims and a soft item designed for being introduced into the storage chamber and for stuffing the inflatable pillow to an extent suitable for using the pillow with or without inflating thereof.

17. The set according to Claim 16, wherein the soft item is suitable by design to the inflatable pillow.

18. The set according to Claim 16 or 17, wherein the soft item is selected from a non-exhausting list comprising: a light-weighted blanket, a poncho, a scarf, a sleeping bag, a vest, a pair of socks, trousers or slippers.