GB2282964A

GB2282964A - Pillows

Info

Publication number: GB2282964A
Application number: GB9421067A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leszek Mieczyslaw Duke; William Howard Hawkes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-10-20
Filing date: 1994-10-19
Publication date: 1995-04-26
Also published as: GB9321673D0; GB9421067D0; CA2118385A1

Abstract

A pillow case (12), which affords great versatility as to the softness and comfort afforded the user, has two compartments (13, 14) extending lengthwise one above the other, one compartment (14) being adapted to receive any selected independent pillow (17), while the other compartment (13) houses a bag (18) of flexible impervious material adapted to be inflated or otherwise filled with such an amount of fluid that in use of the pillow case (12) with a selected pillow (17) the fluid is substantially displaced by the user's head (19) to each end of the pillow, thus being able to add to the thickness of the pillow (17) at each side of the users head. Permanent soft filling material (21), in quilted form, on the side of the bag compartment (13) remote from the pillow compartment (14), results in the bag (18) being effectively surrounded by soft filling material. <IMAGE>

Description

PILLOWS This invention relates to pillows.

UK Patent GB 2 134 383B claims a pillow containing soft filling material having a sleeve constituting an outer envelope in which is placed a bag (or bags placed one on another) made of flexible impervious material and of elongate generally flat form containing fluid in such an amount that in use of the pillow the fluid is substantially displaced to each end of the or each bag causing a thickening of the pillow at each side of the user's head without loss of softness and comfort imparted by the filling material in the pillow.

The object of the present invention is to provide means affording greater versatility than is achievable with the above mentioned pillow.

According to the present invention, a pillow case comprises two compartments extending lengthwise one above the other in relation to upper and lower sides of the case, one compartment of which conforms generally to the overall shape of the case and is adapted to receive any selected one of a number of independent pillows, while the other compartment conforms generally to at least the length of the case and houses at least one bag made of flexible impervious material and of elongate generally flat form adapted in use of the pillow case, with a selected pillow received as aforesaid, to contain fluid in such an amount that the fluid is substantially displaced by the user's head to each end of the bag, thus being able to add to the thickness of the pillow at each side of the user's head without loss of softness and comfort imparted by the pillow.

The greater versatility is afforded by the permutations available with different types of pillows that can be inserted into the case and the varying quantity of fluid that can be contained in the bag.

The bag may be removable from its compartment, to facilitate washing of the pillow case or for interchanging with a bag or bags containing different amounts of fluid and/or the bag may be fitted with a valve by means of which the fluid (which is preferably air) can be entered into or released therefrom when it is desired to vary the degree of additional support to a pillow inserted in the other compartment.

The width of the bag and its compartment is preferably less than the overall width of the case and soft filling material is preferably disposed permanently within the case on the side of the bag compartment remote from the compartment for receiving a pillow, whereby, when a pillow is inserted, the bag is effectively surrounded along its length by soft filling material, although the degree of softness may vary considerably as between the permanent filling material and an inserted pillow.

Having a bag and its compartment appreciably less in width than the overall width of the case enables the case to be made narrower at the middle to fit somewhat around the neck of the user.

The bag compartment preferably has a "housewife opening at one end of the case, and the compartment for receiving a pillow preferably has a "housewife opening" at the underside of the case adjacent the end thereof remote from the opening for the bag compartment.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a small-scale plan view of a pillow case in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an underneath view of the pillow case of Figure 1 to the same scale; Figure 3 is an end elevation in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end elevation in the direction of arrow B in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a side elevation in the direction of arrow C in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a plan view to the same scale as Figures 1 to 5 of an inflatable bag for housing in the pillow case of Figures 1 to 5; Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the valve of the inflatable bag of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a side view of the valve of Figure 7;; Figure 9 is a perspective view to a similar scale to Figures 1 to 6 of a pillow for housing in the pillow case of Figures 1 to 5; Figure 10 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section on the line A-B of Figure 1 showing the pillow case in repose, with the bag of Figure 6 inserted and inflated, and with the pillow of Figure 9 inserted; and Figure 11 corresponds to Figure 10 but shows the effect of a user's head depressing the middle of the conbination pillow case, inflated bag and pillow.

In Figures 1 to 5, a pillow case 12 comprises two compartments 13, 14 extending lengthwise one above the other in relation to upper and lower sides 15, 16 respectively of the case, the compartment 14 of which conforms generally to the overall shape of the case and is adapted to receive any selected one of a number of independent pillows, such as the pillow 17 of Figure 9, while the other compartment 13 conforms generally to the length of the case and houses at least one bag, such as the bag 18 of Figures 6 to 8, made of flexible impervious material and of elongate generally flat form adapted in use of the pillow case, with a selected pillow received as aforesaid, to contain fluid in such an amount that the fluid is substantially displaced by the user's head, indicated in Figure 11 by the broken line 19, to each end of the bag, thus being able to add to the thickness of the pillow at each side of the users head without loss of softness and comfort imparted by the pillow 17.

The permutations available with different types of pillows that can be inserted into the case 12 and the varying quantity of fluid that can be contained in the bag 18 afford greater versatility than with the pillow of UK Patent GB 2 134 383B previously described.

The bag 18 is removable from its compartment 13, to facilitate washing of the pillow case 12, and the bag is fitted with a valve 20 by means of which air can be entered into or released therefrom when it is desired to vary the degree of additional support to a pillow 17 inserted in the other compartment 14.

The width of the bag 18 and its compartment 13 is less than the width of the case 12 and soft filling material 21 (in the form of quilting) is disposed permamently within the case on the side of the bag compartment remote from the compartment 14 for receiving a pillow 17, whereby, when the pillow is inserted, the bag 18 is effectively surrounded along its length by soft filling material, but the degree of softness may vary considerably between the permanent filling material 21 and the inserted pillow.

Having a bag 18 and its compartment 13 appreciably less in width than the overall width of the case 12 enables the case to be made narrower at the middle to fit somewhat around the neck of the user.

The bag compartment 13 has a "housewife opening" 22 at one end of the case 12, while the compartment 14 for receiving a pillow 17 has a "housewife opening" 23 at the underside of the case adjacent the end thereof remote from the opening 22 for the bag compartment.

Claims

1. A pillow case comprising two compartments extending lengthwise one above the other in relation to upper and lower sides of the case, one compartment of which conforms generally to the overall shape of the case and is adapted to receive any selected one of a number of independent pillows, while the other compartment conforms generally to at least the length of the case and houses at least one bag made of flexible impervious material and of elongate generally flat form adapted in use of the pillow case, with a selected pillow received as aforesaid, to contain fluid in such an amount that the fluid is substantially displaced by the user's head to each end of the bag, thus being able to add to the thickness of the pillow at each side of the user's head without loss of softness and comfort imparted by the pillow.

2. A pillow case as in Claim 1, wherein the bag is removable from its compartment.

3. A pillow case as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the bag is fitted with a valve.

4. A pillow case as in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the bag and its compartment is less than the overall width of the case and soft filling material is disposed permanently within the case on the side of the bag compartment remote from the compartment for receiving a pillow.

5. A pillow case as in Claim 4, wherein the case is made narrower at the middle to fit somewhat around the neck of the user.

6. A pillow case as in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the bag compartment has a "housewife opening" at one end of the case, and the compartment for receiving a pillow has a "housewife opening" at the underside of the case adjacent the end thereof remote from the opening for the bag compartment.

7. a pillow case substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.