US20140101848A1

US20140101848A1 - Sleeping pad system

Info

Publication number: US20140101848A1
Application number: US14/051,701
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert K. Murphy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-15
Filing date: 2013-10-11
Publication date: 2014-04-17

Abstract

Sleeping pad systems are disclosed that include a foldable pad having a length and a width when in an extended position, with the foldable pad having a plurality of spaced apart panels covered and connected by a liner, and with the systems including a blanket having a width that is greater than the width of the foldable pad and a first end that is configured to be removably connected to a first end of the foldable pad. The systems may be compressed to a fraction of their folded size. The systems also may include a bag configured to receive the blanket and foldable pad, such as for use in stowing, carrying and/or transporting the foldable pad and blanket alone or in combination with other items.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/713,710, filed Oct. 15, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to portable equipment and accessories relating to temporary bedding, and more particularly to a sleeping pad system for use when in need of a temporary sleeping or resting apparatus. The sleeping pad system of the present disclosure includes a foldable pad and blanket, and may include a bag for conveniently stowing and carrying the foldable pad and blanket, or other articles.

BACKGROUND

Individuals may encounter situations where they will not have a bed or other common bedding apparatus available for lounging or sleeping for a period of time. For instance, many travelers become stranded in airports each year due to flight cancelations and/or delays. Also, various emergencies, including fires or natural disasters can cause individuals to be displaced from their residences, and they may have to seek emergency temporary housing, such as may be provided in local schools or other facilities. These types of situations often leave the individuals without options for comfortably resting or sleeping. There remains a need for a convenient, easily stowed, carried and deployed apparatus for enhancing the comfort of persons having to rest or sleep on surfaces that are hard or not padded, such as on a floor, a chair or cot.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the present disclosure relates to a sleeping pad system that includes a foldable pad having a length and a width when in an extended position, with the foldable pad having a plurality of spaced apart panels covered and connected by a liner, and including a blanket having a width that is greater than the width of the foldable pad and a first end that is configured to be removably connected to a first end of the foldable pad.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a bag that is configured to hold the blanket and foldable pad.
Sleeping pad systems consistent with the present disclosure provide convenient, compact, easy to use products that can be deployed or consolidated very quickly, without need for special knowledge or any tools. The sleeping pad systems may be owned by persons, so as to be able to provide an immediate solution when faced with a need to accommodate a temporary overnight guest, or to carry as a precaution when traveling. The foldable pad and blanket of the systems may be placed in a folded position, compressed to a fraction of the folded size and secured, so as to require only a small portion of the acceptable volume of a carry-on bag.
The systems also may be sold in airports or otherwise provided in unpredictable situations, such as by airlines in the event of flight cancelations or extended delays. Alternatively, they may be stocked and provided by emergency organizations for use in situations when fires, natural disasters or other events cause people to be displaced from their normal residences. Whether provided by an airline, disaster relief organization or other entity, the ability to compress the sleeping pad systems to a small fraction of their folded size permits such entities to customize how the systems will be provided. For instance, the sleeping pad systems may be compressed and shrink-wrapped to efficiently stock large quantities alone, or in combination with advantageous additional items, such as hygiene and/or nutrition products that would be helpful to ensure that affected individuals have at least a certain minimum level of comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features of the present disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and will be better understood by reference to the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blanket of an example sleeping pad system in an extended position and having securing elements connected to and extending from a first end;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the blanket of FIG. 1 with sides folded under;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blanket of FIG. 1 being folded around a foldable pad that is in a folded position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blanket and foldable pad of FIG. 3 folded around the foldable pad and with securing elements securing the folded sleeping pad system in a folded position;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a foldable pad in an extended position, including a pillow located within a pocket and pad extensions connected to opposite lateral sides of the foldable pad;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the foldable pad of FIG. 5A with the pad extensions folded over a top surface of the foldable pad;

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the foldable pad of FIG. 5A in a folded position and prior to having the blanket folded around it as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6A is a top view of the foldable pad of FIG. 5A in an extended position;

FIG. 6B is a bottom view of the foldable pad of FIG. 5A in an extended position and without pad extensions connected to the opposite lateral sides;

FIG. 6C is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of the foldable pad showing a liner that covers and connects spaced apart mats;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the blanket of FIG. 1 without the securing elements;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the blanket of FIG. 7, showing a pocket at the first end and without the securing elements;

FIG. 9 is a lower perspective view of the blanket of FIG. 7, showing the pocket at the first end that receives a first end of the foldable pad;

FIG. 10 is lower perspective cross-sectional view of the blanket of FIG. 7, showing the pocket at the first end that receives the first end of the foldable pad;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the first end of the foldable pad of FIG. 5A removed from the pocket at the first end of the blanket of FIGS. 7-10;

FIG. 12 is an upper perspective view of a first side of a bag that is configured to receive the foldable pad and blanket of FIG. 4, with the bag in a closed position;

FIG. 13 is an upper perspective view of the first side of the bag shown in FIG. 12, with the bag in an open position;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the first side of the bag shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the bag shown in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 16 is a side view of the second side of the bag shown in FIG. 12.

Corresponding or related reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated or removed to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Examples of the present subject matter are disclosed herein. However, it will be understood that the disclosed examples merely are exemplary, and may be embodied and constructed in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as illustrative of various aspects of the present subject matter.
As described in more detail herein, the present disclosure is directed to sleeping pad systems, such as may be utilized in instances that present a need for a temporary and/or emergency resting or sleeping apparatus. In general, sleeping pad systems of the present disclosure include a foldable pad having a length and a width in an extended position, with the foldable pad having a plurality of spaced apart panels covered and connected by a liner. The systems further include a blanket having a width that is greater than the width of the foldable pad and a first end that is configured to be removably connected to a first end of the foldable pad. The systems also may include a bag that is configured to receive the blanket and foldable pad, such as for use in stowing, carrying and/or transporting the foldable pad and blanket, or other articles.
For instance, an example sleeping pad system 10 is shown FIGS. 1-11, in the form of a foldable pad 12 and a blanket 14. The sleeping pad system 10 optionally may include a bag 16, shown in FIGS. 12-16, for receiving the foldable pad 12 and blanket 14. The foldable pad 12 preferably includes a plurality of spaced apart panels 20, which are covered and connected by a liner 22. When the foldable pad 12 is extended for use, such as in FIG. 5A or 6A, the foldable pad 12 has a top surface 24, a bottom surface 26, and opposed lateral sides 28, 30. The foldable pad 12 generally has a width W1 between the opposed lateral sides 28, 30. In the extended position for use, the panels 20 extend from a first (or foot) end 32 to a second (or head) end 34. The foldable pad 12 also may include pad extensions to provide more width where desirable. For instance, pad extensions 36, 38 are shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A and are generally located in a region that would be associated with a user's shoulders. The pad extensions 36, 38 preferably are removable and/or adjustable, so as to be connected to the lateral sides 28, 30 and movable to any desired position. If desired, additional pad extensions could be provided, and the pad extensions may be folded to lie between the panels 20 when the foldable pad 12 is in a folded position, as illustrated in FIG. 5B.
The panels 20 may be constructed of various materials that provide cushioning, such as open cell or closed cell foam, cloth, rubber, air filled chambers or other suitable constructions, with the preferred material being in ½″ inch thick memory foam. It will be appreciated that the material for the panels 20 also could be of a single composition, or may include a combination of materials, and the various panels 20 along the length of the foldable pad 12 may be of different composition, depending on the expected load to which they will be subjected.
As may be seen in FIG. 6C, the liner 22 may include a continuous upper and/or lower sheet of material to form an integral webbing 37 between the spaced apart panels 20, or the construction may include individual liner coverings for each panel 20, with the separate panels then being connected together by a webbing material to form the webbing 37 between the panels 20. As may be seen in FIG. 6A, at the second end 34 of the foldable pad 12, the liner 22 may include an extra layer 40 to form a pocket 42 to receive a pillow 44. The extra layer 40 may be constructed of the same material as the liner 22 or of a different material, as desired. To form the pocket 42, the extra layer 40 may be connected along the entirety or a portion of at least two sides, and preferably is connected along at least a portion of three sides.
The liner 22 also may utilize different materials for the top surface 22 and bottom surface 24 of the foldable pad 12, depending on the desired properties for durability, comfort, moisture resistance and/or other factors. The materials for the liner 22 may be specific to their location on the foldable pad 12, such as in the preferred example including a 200 Denier Coated Nylon fabric for the top surface 26 of the foldable pad 20 and a 400 Denier Coated Nylon fabric for the bottom surface of the foldable pad 20. However, it will be appreciated that many other sheet materials or fabrics may be used in the construction of the liner 22.
The blanket 14 has a top surface 46 and a bottom surface 48, and opposed lateral sides 50, 52. The blanket 14 has a width W2 between the opposed lateral sides 50, 52. In the extended position for use, the blanket 14 extends from a first (or foot) end 54 to a second (or head) end 56. The first end 54 of the blanket 14 is configured to be removably connected to the first end 32 of the foldable pad 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 8-11, the removable connection may be formed by the blanket 14 having a pocket 58 that is formed to receive the first end 32 of the foldable pad 12 below the bottom surface 48 of the blanket 14. The blanket 14 may be constructed of any suitable sheet or fabric material or combination of materials, for instance, it may be constructed of a fleece fabric.
In this example, the pocket 58 includes two additional layers 60, 62 that are connected to each other, along the sides of the pocket 58 and at the end 54 of the blanket 14. It will be appreciated that other constructions for the pocket at the first end 54 of the blanket 14 may be used to removably receive the first end 32 of the foldable pad 12. It also may be advantageous to include corner panels 64, 66 that extend between the pocket 52 and respective opposed lateral sides 50, 52 of the blanket 14, so as to help control the blanket 14 in the foot receiving area of the sleeping pad system 10. The corner panels 64, 66 may be constructed of the same material as the blanket 14, or may be constructed of other material, which may include stretchable material, such as Lycra, to help control the blanket 14, while allowing it to flex around the foot area.
The blanket 14 also may have securing elements 68, 70 attached thereto to assist in holding the sleeping pad system 10 in a folded position. It will be appreciated that the securing elements may be constructed in various ways and using a variety of materials. Thus, the securing elements could include elongated cords, straps, bands, ties or other suitable elements, which may be used alone or in conjunction with buckles, fasteners, or any other suitable structures to capture and hold the blanket 14 and foldable pad 12 in a folded position. For instance, FIGS. 1-4 show the sleeping pad system 10 having securing elements 68, 70 in the form of cords 72, 74 of resilient material, and having adjustable barrel locks 76, 78.
As illustrated, the foldable pad 12 may be folded, such as by removing any pillow 40 from the pocket 42 and folding inward toward the top surface 24 of the foldable pad 12 any pad extensions, as is shown in FIG. 5B. The folding of the foldable pad 12 may continue back and forth on itself to result in having the panels 20 of the foldable pad 12 be parallel to each other and in a stacked configuration, as shown in FIG. 5C. Given that the width W2 of the blanket 14 is wider than the width W1 of the foldable pad 12, to reduce bulk and provide an efficient, compact final presentation, the opposed lateral sides 50, 52 of the blanket 14 may be folded inward, such as toward the bottom surface 48 of the blanket, as shown in FIG. 2, and then the folded foldable pad 12 may be placed thereon, as shown in FIG. 3. The blanket 14 then may be folded around the foldable pad 12 until a neat bundle is formed, and the securing elements 68, 70 then may be used to encircle and secure the folded sleeping pad system 10. Thus, the elastic cords 72, 74 may be extended around the folded configuration of the blanket 14 and foldable pad 12, and then cinched and held in a taught configuration by the barrel locks 76, 78 to secure the blanket 14 and foldable pad 12 in a folded position, as shown in FIG. 4.
It will be appreciated that when in the folded position, the sleeping pad system 10 may be further compressed to a small fraction of its folded size to permit compact packing within carry-on luggage, as well as placed in airtight packaging for efficient storage of large quantities by organizations that may distribute them to stranded or displaced individuals. As noted above, the compact, compressed sleeping pad systems may be combined with other advantageous items, such as hygiene and/or nutrition products, including food or liquids, which may be helpful to ensure some level of comfort for users.
As previously noted, the sleeping pad system 10 may optionally include a bag 16 for receiving the foldable pad 12 and blanket 14, such as when in the aforementioned folded position. It will be appreciated that many different bag configurations may be utilized, but the bag 16 preferably may have a few advantageous features. Thus, the bag 16 may be constructed in various ways, at least one of which will result in the bag 16 having a top portion 80, a bottom portion 82, a pair of side portions 84, 86, and a pair of end portions 88, 90. The various outer portions of the bag 16 may be formed so as to continue from a single piece or be connected together by conventional methods, such as by sewing, use of adhesives or other suitable manners of construction. The various portions may be constructed as a single layer or may have a layered construction. For instance, the bag 16 may be constructed with an outer layer of 600 Denier Coated Polyester, an inner liner of 150 Denier Coated Polyester, and a relatively thin sheet of an open cell or closed cell foam therebetween for structural support.
In addition, for added convenience, the bag 16 may have handles 92, 94, constructed of similar materials to those used for the other portions of the bag 16, or of different materials, as desired. The top portion 80 may be connected to a side portion, such as by a flexible hinge 96 and by a zipper 98. The top portion 80 also may include additional storage compartments, on the exterior, or as shown in FIG. 13 with an interior zippered mesh pouch 100, which can securely hold various items that may be useful in the event of a traveler being stranded without the traveler's remaining luggage, or other items, as desired. The interior of the bag 16 also may include a divider 102, to further form separate compartments, such as for receiving the foldable pad 12 and blanket 14 in one compartment and a pillow 44, or other articles in another. Indeed, a bag could be provided as part of a sleeping pad system that may be provided to stranded persons, which would permit convenient distribution of additional items to ensure the comfort of the recipients.
For ease of carrying, the bag 16 may further include rings 104, 106 for attachment to a strap (not shown), and/or may include an outer panel along at least one of the side portions, such as shown with panel 108 along the side portion 86, to form a sleeve through which an extendible handle of wheeled piece of luggage or a briefcase may be passed, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 16. Inclusion of such a sleeve may facilitate convenient transport of the sleeping pad system 10 when traveling. However, it will be appreciated that other adaptations or bag configurations may be used.
It will be understood that the examples described above are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present subject matter. Further additions or alterations may be made to the sleeping pad systems or methods of using such systems may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter, including but not limited to combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein. For these reasons, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the above examples but is as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A sleeping pad system comprising:

a foldable pad having a length and a width when in an extended position;

the foldable pad having a plurality of spaced apart panels covered and connected by a liner; and

a blanket having a width that is greater than the width of the foldable pad and a first end that is configured to be removably connected to a first end of the foldable pad.

2. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 wherein at a second end of the foldable pad the liner is configured to receive a pillow.

3. The sleeping pad system of claim 2 wherein the foldable pad has a top surface and a bottom surface and wherein at the second end of the foldable pad the liner includes an additional layer that is connected along a portion of at least two sides and forms a pocket to receive a pillow.

4. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 wherein the liner includes webbing between the respective spaced apart panels.

5. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 further comprising pad extensions connected to opposed lateral sides of the foldable pad.

6. The sleeping pad system of claim 5 wherein the pad extensions are foldable.

7. The sleeping pad system of claim 5 wherein the pad extensions are removable.

8. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 wherein the blanket has a top surface and a bottom surface and the first end of the blanket that is configured to be removably connected to a first end of the foldable pad includes a pocket formed to receive the first end of the foldable pad below the bottom surface of the blanket.

9. The sleeping pad system of claim 8 wherein the pocket at the first end of the blanket includes two additional layers that are connected to each other and to the first end of the blanket.

10. The sleeping pad system of claim 8 wherein the blanket further comprises stretchable corner panels adjacent the pocket.

11. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 further comprising at least one securing element connected to the blanket and being configured to hold the blanket and foldable pad in a folded position.

12. The sleeping pad system of claim 11 wherein the at least one securing element further comprises a cord.

13. The sleeping pad system of claim 12 wherein the cord is constructed of a resilient material.

14. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 wherein when in a folded position the panels of the foldable pad are parallel to each other and in a stacked configuration.

15. The sleeping pad system of claim 14 wherein the blanket is foldable around the foldable pad when the foldable pad is in the folded position.

16. The sleeping pad system of claim 1 further comprising a bag configured to receive the blanket and foldable pad.

17. The sleeping pad system of claim 16 wherein the bag further comprises at least one handle.

18. The sleeping pad system of claim 16 wherein the bag further comprises at least two compartments with one of the at least two compartments being configured to receive the blanket and foldable pad when in a folded position.

19. The sleeping pad system of claim 16 wherein the bag further comprises a top portion, a bottom portion, a pair of side portions and a pair of end portions.

20. The sleeping pad system of claim 19 further comprising an outer panel that forms a sleeve along at least one of the side portions of the bag.