US20180310735A1

US20180310735A1 - Inflatable Body Pillow

Info

Publication number: US20180310735A1
Application number: US15/935,415
Authority: US
Inventors: Cheryl Racine
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-05-01
Filing date: 2018-03-26
Publication date: 2018-11-01

Abstract

An inflatable body pillow for supporting a body of a user. The inflatable body pillow comprises a pair of pillow members disposed within a sleeve. Each of the pair of pillow members comprises a flexible housing having an enclosed interior volume, a valve in fluid communication with the enclosed interior volume of the housing, wherein the valve receives air therethrough, and a fastener disposed on an outer surface thereof. Each housing of the pair of pillow members is constructed of a non-permeable material that secures air therein. The pair of pillow members removably secure to each other via the fastener disposed on the outer surface. The sleeve includes a pair of opposing open ends, wherein the sleeve slidably receives the pair of pillow members. In one embodiment, the fastener disposed on each housing comprises hook and loop material.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/492,665 filed on May 1, 2017. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to body pillows. More specifically, the present invention provides an inflatable body pillow for supporting a person.
Many people use body pillows while sleeping or resting to support their arms, legs, and head. In some instances, people use the body pillow to feel more secure when they are sleeping. Specifically, some adults and children use body pillows as security objects in lieu of a security blanket. However, when the pillow becomes soiled from repeated use, it is very difficult to clean because of its size, shape, and material. Furthermore, body pillows are difficult to transport while traveling due to the size. Therefore, an inflatable body pillow constructed of a flexible plastic material that can be easily cleaned and transported is needed.
Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to body pillows. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to unitary body pillows or inflatable pillows. Some devices are used to support specific areas of the body separately, such as, the head, neck, or legs. While other devices are used for supporting various objects, such as, a baby. These known art devices have several known drawbacks. None of these devices include a pair of inflatable pillows that removably secure to each other within a sleeve, such that the entire body of a person can be supported.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing inflatable body pillow devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of body pillows now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new inflatable body pillow wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when supporting the body of a user.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved inflatable body pillow that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an inflatable body pillow comprising a pair of pillow members disposed within a sleeve. Each of the pair of pillow members comprises a flexible housing having an enclosed interior volume, a valve in fluid communication with the enclosed interior volume of the housing, wherein the valve receives air therethrough, and a fastener disposed on an outer surface thereof. Each housing of the pair of pillow members is constructed of a non-permeable material that secures air therein. The pair of pillow members removably secure to each other via the fastener disposed on the outer surface. The sleeve includes a pair of opposing open ends, wherein the sleeve slidably receives the pair of pillow members.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable body pillow that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow.

FIG. 2 shows a phantom view of an embodiment of the pair of pillow members, wherein the pair of pillow members are slidably received with the sleeve of the inflatable body pillow.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow, wherein the inflatable body pillow supports a user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the inflatable body pillow. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for supporting the body of a user. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow. The inflatable body pillow 11 comprises a pair of pillow members 12A, 12B that are slidably received within a sleeve 16. Each of the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B comprise a flexible housing 13 having an enclosed interior volume. Each housing 13 is constructed of a non-permeable material, such as neoprene or plastic, that is configured to secure a fluid, such as air, within the enclosed interior volume. The non-permeable material further comprises a surface that is washable.
In the illustrated embodiment, each housing 13 comprises a substantially cylindrical shape. However, the housing 13 may comprise any suitable shape. Each of the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B further includes a valve 14 disposed on an outer surface thereof, wherein the valve 14 is in fluid communication with the enclosed interior volume of the housing 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve 14 is configured to receive air therethrough, such that the housing 13 can be inflated or deflated via a pump or from the mouth of a user.
Each of the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B includes a fastener 15 disposed on an outer surface thereof, such that a first pillow member 12A is configured to removably secure to a second pillow member 12B. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 15 on each of the pillow members 12A, 12B comprises hook and loop material. However, any suitable fastener may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 16 of each housing 13 is disposed on a first end 18 thereof, while the valve 14 is disposed on the second end 19 thereof. As shown, each fastener 15 comprises a pair of semi-circular shaped surfaces, wherein the fastener 15 of each housing 13 is configured to align and rest flush with each other, thereby creating a secured connection between the first pillow member 12A and second pillow member 12B.
The inflatable body pillow further includes a sleeve 16 having a pair of opposing open ends 17, wherein the sleeve 16 is configured to slidably receive the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B. In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeve 16 comprises a hollow cylindrical shape that substantially matches the size and length of the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B when secured to each other. The length of the sleeve 16 is further configured extend the length of a user's body. The sleeve 16 is constructed of a fabric material, such as cotton or nylon, that can be easily removed and washed. Further the fabric material is soft to the touch, such that a user can sleep comfortably on the inflatable body pillow 11. In alternative embodiments, the sleeve 16 may be constructed of the same non-permeable material as the pair of pillow members.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a phantom view of an embodiment of the pair of pillow members, wherein the pair of pillow members are slidably received with the sleeve of the inflatable body pillow, and a perspective view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the first end 18 of each of the pillow members 12A, 12B is inserted into an opposing open end 17 of the sleeve 16, such that the fasteners 15 disposed on each first end 18 removably secure to each other. The second end of each pillow member 12A, 12B remains exposed at each opposing open end 17 of the sleeve 16, such that each valve 14 can be accessed. This allows a user to inflate or deflate the first pillow member 12A or the second pillow member 12B independently. In the illustrated embodiment, once each of the pair of pillow members 12A, 12B is inflated to a desired pressure, each valve 14 may be pushed inward into the housing, such that the valve 14 rests flush with the surface of the housing.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the inflatable body pillow, wherein the inflatable body pillow supports a user. In use, the inflatable body pillow 11 extends the length of the body of a user 20, such that it can be held between the user's legs and arms, while further supporting the user's head thereon. Each of the pair of pillow members 12 can be separately inflated or deflated, such that each pillow member is adjustable to a desired firmness. Once the inflatable body pillow 11 is no longer in use, each pillow member can be removed from the sleeve 16, deflated, and placed in a stored configuration. When in a stored configuration, the size of the inflatable body pillow 11 is significantly smaller, such that it can be conveniently placed in a suitcase for travel.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1) An inflatable body pillow, comprising:

a pair of pillow members, wherein a first pillow member and a second pillow member each comprise:

a flexible housing having an enclosed interior volume;

a valve in fluid communication with the enclosed interior volume of the housing, wherein the valve is configured to receive air therethrough;

a fastener disposed on an outer surface thereof;

wherein the first pillow member removably secures to the second pillow member via the fastener disposed on the outer surface of each pillow member;

a sleeve having a pair of opposing open ends, wherein the sleeve is configured to slidably receive the pair of pillow members.

2) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of pillow members comprises a substantially cylindrical shape.

3) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of pillow members is constructed of a non-permeable material.

4) The inflatable body pillow of claim 3, wherein the non-permeable material is neoprene.

5) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein the fastener on the outer surface of each of the pair of pillow members is hook and loop material.

6) The inflatable body pillow of claim 5, wherein the fastener on the outer surface of each of the pair of pillow members comprises two opposing semi-circular shapes.

7) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a hollow cylindrical shape.

8) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a fabric material.

9) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein the fastener is disposed on a first end of each of the pair of pillow members and the valve is disposed on a second end of each of the pillow members.

10) The inflatable body pillow of claim 1, wherein the fastener of the first pillow member substantially aligns with the fastener of the second pillow member when removably secured thereto.