US3411164A - Pillow - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1968 s. SUMERGRADE PILLOW Filed Sept. 7. 1966 TTM INVENToR. JAM Saffi/@@9405 United States Patent O 3,411,164 PILLOW Saul Sumergrade, 1185 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10028 Filed Sept. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 583,142 1 Claim. (Cl. 5-337) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pillow having a plurality of divider panels for forming separate compartments. An inflatable member is disposed within the casing and is supported by the inflatable member between the fabric layers and spaced from the fabric layers and the peripheral edges thereof. A filling material is disposed between the inflatable member and the fabric layers This invention relates to pillows and more particularly to novel constructions thereof for increasing the comfort of the user.

The conventional pillow is a bulbous sack with feathers or down or a combination of Various percentages of both. The down or feather or a combination of both shift very easily to the peripheral edges upon application of pressure to any part of the bulbous sack or pillow. The pressure of the head upon the pillow forces the down or feather or a combination of both to the outer edges thereby allowing the head with very little support from the filling materials.

One of the objects of the present invention is to prevent the filling material from shifting to any great degree thereby giving proper support to the head at all times. Another object is to allow for the use of lower price filling materials in the two outer compartments of a pillow constructed in accordance with the present invention. The center compartment can be filled with down to provide maximum comfort at the usual location where the head is rested. The outer compartment can have lower priced filling materials without materially affecting the comfort of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a back support for people confined to bed because of illness or for people who read in bed. It generally requires two conventional pillows to provide this support. Upon retiring to sleep, the second pillow is superfluous and is usually discarded. This invention gives the required support by means of an inflatable member inserted in the middle compartment. When reading or sitting up in bed, the pillow is inflated to the required height for comfortable support. When retiring for sleep, the pillow is deflated to the extent that gives maximum comfort.

In carrying out the invention, panels of fabric material are sewn to the layers forming the pillow casing in such a manner as to divide the pillow into three transverse compartments. Thus, the center compartment which may be filled, as for an example only, with down, extends the entire width of the pillow for providing maximum comfort at the usual locations where the head of the user is rested. Further, the down or other filling cannot gather at the ends of the pillow as is usual after two or three years of life of the pillow thereby extending the useful life of the pillow. The outer compartment can be filled with lower price feather or a mixture of down and feathers. Further various cheaper filling materials can be used throughout the pillow and give more comfort than the conventional because of lack of shifting of the filling material.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of a pillow which is simple in construction and manufacture, is capable of being produced out of readily available materials, and which is ICC adaptable for mass production, thereby permitting wide use and distribution.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the present invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds are attained by this pillow, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. l is a plan view of a pillow constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View taken along the plane of line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing details of construction of the pillow;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detail view of a portion of the modified form of the pillow employing an inflatable member; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the pillow may be utilized in conjunction with a pillow casing.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates a pillow constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention. The pillow includes an upper rectangular fabric layer 12 of any desired material and a lower rectangular fabric layer 14 complementary in size to the upper layer 12. A pair of substantially rectangular fabric panels 16 and 18 are disposed within the pillow casing 20 formed by the upper layer 12 and the lower layer 14. The panel 16 has a folded portion 22 seamed at 24 to the upper layer 12 and has a folded portion 26 seamed at 28 to the lower layer 14. The panel 18 has a folded portion 30 seamed at 32 to the upper portion 12 and a folded portion 34 seamed at 36 to the lower layer 14. The peripheral edges 38 and 40 of the upper layer 12 and the lower layer 14 are seamed together at 42 together with a suitable binding 44. The panels 16 and 18 divide the pillow casing 20 into three compartments including a central compartment 46 and two end compartments 48 and 50. The central compartment 46 is substantially larger than the two end compartments and preferably twice the width of either end compartment 48 and 50. The central compartment 46 preferably has a filling 52 of down or a mixture of down and feathers, while the end compartments 48 and 50 may be filled with a cheaper filling.

As lcan be seen in FIG. 3, the panels 16 and 18 extend substantially the entire width of the pillow casing 48 and hold the filling material in each compartment 46 thus assuring considerable support and retention of the filling material within` the central compartment and increasing the comfort provided the head of the user.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inflatable member 60 can be provided. The inflatable member is inflated through use of the rubber tube which has a portion 64 extending outwardly of the pillowing casing 20 and which is inflated using a hand pump 66 and control valve 68 which can be set as a one-way valve when inflating and may be opened for deflation. The inflatable member is inflatable from a position shown in the dotted lines in FIG. 4 to the solid lines therein and 'may be formed of rubber or rubber-like material and is preferably seamed at opposite edges 70 and 72 to the panels 16 and 18 midway between the layers 12 and 14 so as to divide the central compartment 46 into two separate sections 74 and 76 whereby filling material may be pressed in equal amounts above and below the inflatable member 60 thus assuring for extreme comfort and providing considerable support for the head of the user. Further, since the inflatable member need not be as wide as the pillow,

the arrangement for securing the inatable member to the panels assures that the inflatable member will be safely spaced from the peripheral edges of the pillow casing, thereby assuring that there will be a suitable amount of filling for providing comfort to the user and lack of contact of the user and of physical awareness to the user of the inflatable member. y

In FIG. 5 there is shown a pillow casing 90 adapted to be utilized using a part of the invention forming the ypresent invention and which is provided with a slide fastener closure 92 at one end thereof for over-lying the pillow casing 20 thereby assuring not only for physical comfort but providing for any suitable or desired aesthetic appearance for the pillow. The pillow casing 90 may be made with any suitable fabric and provided with any suitable ornamentation.

A latitude of modication, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claim be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

I claim:

1, A pillow comprising upper and lower rectangular fabric layers seamed to each other about their respective peripheral edges to form a pillow casing, an iniiatable member within said casing,panel means supporting said inflatable member between said fabric layers and spaced from said fabric layers and said peripheral edges thereof, means for inating said inatable member extending outwardly of said casing, and a filling material disposed between said inflatable member and said fabric layers, said panel means comprises a pair of spaced parallel divider panels of fabric material disposed in said casing and extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of said layers, said panels having their edges seamed to said layers entirely about the peripheral edges thereof dividing said pillow casing into three entirely closed compartments, said inflatable member being secured to said panels and being disposed in the center of said three compartments.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 795,108 7/1905 Doellinger 5-348 1,206,775 11/1916 Everts 5-341 2,942,281 6/1960 Cole 5-341 3,017,642 1/ 1962 Rosenberg et al. 5-349 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

A. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

Images