Inflatable Travel Pillow With Case

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to travel pillows, and more particularly, to travel pillows with a combined case which can be used as a carrying case.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Travel pillows are known which include an inflatable pillow, a pillow case, and a separate carrying case for transporting the deflated pillow and case when not in use. An example of such a device is illustrated in Canadian Patent No. 1,061,480, issued Aug. 28, 1979 to Florence Seaman. The travel pillow described in this Canadian patent includes an inflatable pillow with an intermediate case having a fiberfill construction and a separate carrying case with a handle which can also serve as a slipcover on the pillow. Quite apart from the slipcover carrying case, a separate, more compact cover with a handle is also provided for carrying the other elements when rolled up and the pillow is deflated. Thus, a maximum of four elements are suggested.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved travel pillow which has fewer parts and is simpler in construction than that suggested in the prior art.

A construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a portable pillow including an inflatable pneumatic enclosure, a slipcover adapted to receive and contain the pneumatic enclosure when inflated and a wall of the slipcover comprising an opening formed with a closure and an envelope surrounding the opening. The envelope has a size suitable to receive the remainder of the slipcover when the envelope is reversed through the opening and the slipcover is stuffed into the opening and the deflated pneumatic enclosure.

In a more specific embodiment, the closure is in the form of a slide fastener adapted to completely close the opening. The slide or zipper fastener is attached to the edges of the opening formed in the wall of the case, and the envelope is attached to one side of the wall surrounding the zipper such that when the envelope is reversed through the opening, the whole case can then be stuffed into the envelope while exposing the zipper fastener and permitting operation thereof.

Thus, the travel pillow of the present invention can be of simple construction and can be compactly stowed away when not in use. When the deflated pneumatic enclosure is folded and stored in the envelope along with the stuffed pillowcase, the resulting package is no greater than a makeup kit or pipe tobacco pouch which can then be easily stowed in one's overcoat pocket or in one's luggage or purse. In view of the construction as described above, only two elements are required as opposed to the many pieces required in similar prior art constructions.

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inflatable enclosure forming the base of the pillow of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pillowcase in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2 with one of the details of the pillowcase in a different operative position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the various elements in a stored position; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the package formed when the elements of the travel pillow are in a stored position.

Referring now to the drawings, the inflatable pneumatic enclosure 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, while the pillowcase 12 is shown separate from the inflatable enclosure 10 in FIG. 2. The pillowcase 12 includes the envelope 16 which forms the carrying pack when the travel pillow is not being used.

The base of the travel pillow is, of course, the inflatable pneumatic enclosure 10 which is provided with a valve 18 of the conventional type. The enclosure 10 can be inflated by mouth, or a hand pump can be utilized to blow it up. However, it is considered that the enclosure will normally be inflated by the mouth. The material forming the enclosure 10 is a rubber-like material, such as rubber, vinyl, or other plastics. It can be formed in various shapes, although a square outline is illustrated in FIG. 1. The sizes can also vary, but a practical size would be a square of 121/2 inch sides.

The pillowcase 12 has an opened end 22 and side walls 12a and 12b which are sewn together along seam 20 on three sides of the pillowcase. The pillowcase 12 would normally be open at one end as shown at 22.

The pillowcase 12 can have a square outline having sides of 14 inches which will comfortably receive the pneumatic enclosure 10. The material of the pillowcase 12 may be a polyester and cotton fabric. The fabric is chosen such that it is breathable and presents a soft surface.

On the wall 12b, an opening 24 is defined by a pair of parallel edges to which slide fastener or zipper 14 is attached. The zipper 14 includes chains of teeth 14a and 14b sewn to respective edges of the opening. The zipper 14 normally faces on the outside of wall 12b, as shown in FIG. 2. A fabric envelope 16 is provided on the interior of the pillowcase and is sewn to the wall 12b around the opening 24, that is, around the zipper chains 14a and 14b. In this situation, the envelope 16 can serve as a pocket for storage. The envelope 16 is fabricated such that the seam 22 is exposed when the envelope is in its normal position on the interior of the pillowcase. However, when it is required to stow the travel pillow, the fastener 14 is opened and the envelope 16 is inverted through the opening 24, such as shown in FIG. 3, so that the seam 22 is on the interior thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the zipper chains 14a and 14b are exposed to the outside of the pillowcase 12 on either side of the envelope 16 which has been inverted. The remainder of the pillowcase can now be stuffed into the envelope 16 and assume the position of FIG. 4 showing the zipper chains 14a and 14b exposed. The pneumatic enclosure 10 is then deflated completely and folded to be stuffed into the envelope 16, as shown in FIG. 4. The slide fastener or zipper 14 is then closed, and the resulting package is as illustrated in FIG. 5.