U.S. patent application number 10/728747 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-09 for prayer aid.
Invention is credited to Robie, Lynn.
Application Number | 20050120482 10/728747 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34633788 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050120482 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Robie, Lynn |
June 9, 2005 |
Prayer aid
Abstract
The prayer aid is a pocketed pillow or cushion that is used t
prayer aid may be disposed on the pillow's surface, in the side
seams, or under a design formed on the pillow's surface. The
pockets may have flaps to help conceal the pocket and to prevent
the prayer card or cards from sliding out of the pocket. Both the
prayer aid and the pockets on the prayer aid can take a variety of
shapes and forms.
Inventors: |
Robie, Lynn; (Independence,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LITMAN LAW OFFICES, LTD
PO BOX 15035
CRYSTAL CITY STATION
ARLINGTON
VA
22215
US
|
Family ID: |
34633788 |
Appl. No.: |
10/728747 |
Filed: |
December 8, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/639 ;
5/485 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 33/00 20130101;
A47C 16/04 20130101; A47G 9/1045 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/639 ;
005/485 |
International
Class: |
A47G 009/00 |
Claims
1-17. (canceled)
18. A prayer cushion and aid, comprising: a pillow having an outer
casing and an inner filling; said inner filling being a soft
resilient material; said outer casing having a predetermined shape
for providing an aesthetically appealing appearance; wherein said
inner filling maintaining the shape of the outer casing; an
ornamental design attached to the outer casing of said pillow; a
plurality of pockets disposed in said outer casing, each one of
said plurality of pockets defining an opening; wherein at least one
of said plurality of pockets is defined between said ornamental
design and the outer cover; whereby said ornamental design is
aesthetically appealing, and fosters a feeling of comfort; and a
plurality of prayer cards; wherein at least one prayer card
disposed in at least one of said plurality of pockets.
19. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 18, wherein said
at least one pocket further comprises at least two pockets; wherein
said two pockets overlap between said outer casing and said inner
filling.
20. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 18, further
comprising: a flap disposed above at least one pocket of said
plurality of pockets; said flap being movable between a closed
position and an open position; and means for securing said flap in
the closed position; wherein when in said closed position, said
flap covers the opening of said at least one pocket; and when in
said open position, said flap exposes the opening of said at least
one pocket; whereby access to the pocket is provided and prevented
by said flap.
21. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 20, further
comprising: a button attached to said outer casing, adjacent to the
opening of said at least one pocket, and said flap including a
buttonhole defined therein; wherein said button matingly engages
the buttonhole for securing said flap in said closed position.
22. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 18, wherein said
ornamental design includes a cross, said cross is attached to said
outer casing, whereby at least one pocket of said plurality of
pockets is defined between the cross and the outer casing.
23. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 18, said pillow
further includes at least one side edge; wherein said ornamental
design of said outer casing is a simulated shirt; said simulated
shirt includes at least a collar, at least one seam extending
between said collar and said at least one side edge, and at least
one breast pocket; said collar having an inner lining and defining
a neck opening, said inner lining of said neck opening defining at
least one pocket of said plurality of pockets; said at least one
pocket of said plurality of pockets is disposed along said at least
one seam, and said at least one breast pocket defining at least one
pocket of said plurality of pockets.
24. The prayer cushion and aid according to claim 18, wherein said
ornamental design simulates a bear paw; said bear paw having
patches attached to said outer casing, and configured to resemble a
plurality of toe pads and a sole pad; wherein each of said
plurality of toe pads and said sole pad defines at least one pocket
of said plurality of pockets; whereby each of said plurality of toe
pad pockets and said sole pad pocket stores said at least one
prayer card therein.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to prayer aids, and more
particularly to a cushion or pillow having a number of pockets to
retain prayer cards and other religious articles.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Most religions practice some form of prayer. Prayer is
practiced in a number of ways and for a variety of reasons. The act
of praying can involve the use of religious and non-religious
objects and be either overt or covert. Some people believe that
their religion should not be belittled by ostentatious displays of
prayer. Such people believe that prayer is meant to be private, out
of the public's view, and that those who ostentatiously display the
fact they are praying are insincere.
[0005] It therefore is not uncommon for people to hold a religious
item or items, or to hide the items on their person, clothing or in
their possessions, as they pray. At times, people find the best way
to continue to think about a prayer is by keeping the religious
items in a book, by their bed, on their body or clothing, or under
their pillow. A problem with the above-mentioned ways of keeping
the religious item is that the article could be misplaced, or it
could fall out of the pages of a book or fall off a bed.
[0006] Some religious items, such as paper items, cannot be worn on
the person. Other items are fragile, and thus can be easily ruined
if worn or placed in bedding. As a result, it would be advantageous
to find a way to keep the religious item out of the public's view,
held in a secure place, and near one's person without being worn on
the body. A number of pillows and dolls have been developed to
display messages, mementos or to hold items having secular and
non-secular significance.
[0007] U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2002/0050008,
published May 2, 2002, describes a tooth shaped pillow. The pillow
has a hidden pocket that is covered by a flap and a drawstring
pouch that is securely held within the hidden pocket. The pillow's
hidden pocket or the drawstring pouch within the pocket is used to
hold objects, such as baby teeth, toothpaste or loose coins. U.S.
Pat. No. 5,778,468, issued to Saarela et al. on Jul. 14, 1998,
describes a pillow also used as a tote. The pillow is cloud-shaped
and has an elastic pocket to hold books and small toys.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,784, issued to Cohen on Jan. 12, 1982,
describes a pillow display case. One face of a conventional pillow
is overlaid with a transparent plastic sheet to form a pocket. The
pocket is then filled with mementos and other objects that can be
viewed from the outside.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,245, issued to Dutton on Sep. 6, 1988,
describes a pillow having a pocket for receiving a book. The book
cover and pillow are coordinated to match each other so the user
can associate the pillow with the book. U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,994,
issued to Ekstein on Aug. 8, 1989, describes a pillow book in which
cushions form the front and back covers of the book and the pages
of the book are disposed between the two cushions.
[0010] Dolls having storage capabilities or that are used to covey
religious sentiment are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,201,
issued to Friedel on Jun. 28, 1994 (a therapeutic doll having a
torso cavity for holding icons and written messages to dissuade a
person from carrying out vices); U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,149, issued to
Stone on Oct. 22, 1991 (a stuffed animal having one or more storage
compartments in its body and appendages for storing or displaying
objects); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,363, issued to Carraway on Sep.
10, 2002 (prayer pledge doll used to promise to pray for
another).
[0011] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either
singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention
as claimed. Thus a prayer aid solving the aforementioned problems
is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The prayer aid is a pocketed pillow or cushion that is used
to retain and conceal prayer card(s) as one prays. The prayer aid
has one or several pockets placed in a variety of arrangements. The
pockets on the prayer aid may be disposed on the pillow's surface,
in the side seams, or under a design formed on the pillow's
surface. The pockets may have flaps to help conceal the pocket and
to prevent the prayer card or cards from sliding out of the pocket.
Both the prayer aid and the pockets on the prayer aid can take a
variety of shapes and forms.
[0013] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to
provide a prayer aid that has pockets to retain prayer cards as one
prays.
[0014] It is another object of the invention to provide a prayer
aid that allows a person to keep and conceal a prayer card.
[0015] It is a further object of the invention to provide a prayer
aid that is soft and comfortable and for use as a conventional
pillow.
[0016] Still another object of the invention is to provide a prayer
aid in the form of a pillow having pockets and prayer cards
retained in the pockets that may be formed in various designs.
[0017] It is an object of the invention to provide improved
elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which
is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its
intended purposes.
[0018] These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prayer aid according to
the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the prayer aid according to
the present invention with the flaps raised, showing insertion of
prayer cards into the pockets.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the prayer aid according to
the present invention in which the pillow is configured to simulate
a shirt.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the prayer aid according to
the present invention in which the pillow is configured to simulate
a bear paw.
[0023] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention is a prayer aid, designated generally
as 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The prayer aid 10 is a pocketed pillow or
cushion. The prayer aid 10 is constructed as a conventional pillow
12 or cushion having an outer case or cover 14 enclosing cushioning
material. The pillow 12 is filled with batting or other
conventional filler or cushioning material (not shown) The prayer
aid 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is generally rectangular and has a
cross design 40 disposed on the cover 14, as well as a plurality of
pockets 20 and 42. Prayer aid 10 can be made in shapes other than a
rectangle, such as a triangle, a square, a circle, cylindrical etc.
Surface pockets 20 are four-sided, with three sides attached to the
cover 14 and the fourth side being unattached in order to form the
opening 21 into the pocket.
[0025] The pockets 20 preferably have a flap 22 to cover the
opening 21 of the pocket 20. As shown in FIG. 2, flap 22 is a
generally rectangular flap with one full side and at least a
portion of two other sides unattached to the cover 14 so that the
flap 22 can be lifted up and folded back to expose the opening 21
of the pocket 20. Alternatively, flap 22 may have three full sides
of its four sides attached to the cover 14 to make it a fixed flap
instead of the hinged flap shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Flap 22 helps to
retain objects placed in the pockets 20, such as a single prayer
card 30 or a plurality of prayer cards 35. Normally prayer card(s)
30, 35 are smooth and as a result they slide past each other and
can potentially slide out of the pockets 20.
[0026] A second type of pocket 42 is concealed underneath the arm
of the cross design 40. Design 40 is preferably sewn to the surface
of the prayer aid 10. Pocket 42 has three sides attached to the
cover 14 and a fourth side which is not attached to the cover in
order to define the pocket opening 43. Pocket 42 is placed so that
the open side is formed by the material defining the cross design
40. The remaining portion of pocket 42 is pouch-like, and is
disposed between cross 40 and cover 14.
[0027] Pockets 20 and 42 are used to conceal and retain a prayer
card 30 or a deck of prayer cards 35. The prayer card(s) 30, 35 are
largely Christian products sold commercially by the numerous
Christian based organizations, such as Navigator Press (a Colorado
Springs, Colo. based company) and Bridge Building Images, Inc.
(based in Burlington, Vt.). Typically, a prayer card 30 displays a
religious picture on one side of the card and a prayer on the
opposite side of the card 30. The cards 30, 35 are used as a medium
for individuals, both adult and children, to provide structured
methods of praying. The prayer cards 35 help an individual improve
their praying skills by guiding them to pray on particular topics
and motivating individuals to pray effectively.
[0028] The prayer aid 10 is described for use with Christian
religions, but it can also be used for other religions as well. One
specific example of prayer cards designed for children are called
T.H.U.M.B. prayer cards. The T.H.U.M.B. acronym stands for Tribal,
Hindu, Unreligious, Muslim, and Buddhist. Each card has prayers
written about each identified group and encourages the child to
pray for the group cited on the cards. The prayer aid 10 preferably
holds and conceals a prayer card 30. However, the prayer aid 10
should not be limited to retain a prayer card 30 or a deck of
prayer cards 35 alone. The pockets 20 and 42 can hold other
religious items as well, such as a rosary, a crucifix, a bible,
etc., or non-religious items of sentimental value, such as
children's drawing or pictures of family or friends.
[0029] The prayer aid 10 provides a creative way to pray by
allowing the user to hold and conceal a prayer card 30 in a
comfortable object that also has everyday use. An added benefit of
using prayer aid 10 is to permit the user to hold a prayer card 30
in a secure place out of the public's view. The prayer aid 10
allows the owner to pray without disclosing the fact that they are
praying or that they are holding a prayer card 30. Also, the prayer
aid 10 permits the user to keep a prayer card 30 in their
possession without being worn on their clothing or even on their
body. By possessing the prayer aid 10 the user is able to meditate
on praying and/or keep the spirit of the loved one as represented
in the picture or writing near them. The prayer aid 10 is designed
to be held but it can also be used for sleeping and kneeling
purposes. Often the practice of sleeping or resting with one's head
against the pillow 12 containing one or more prayer cards 30 and 35
provides the user with a comforting feeling that is akin to praying
in one's sleep.
[0030] FIG. 3 shows a prayer aid 100 in which the pillow 102 is
configured to simulate a shirt. More particularly, the pillow 102
may be configured to resemble an occupational shirt that can be
made to represent different occupations, such as a military
camouflage shirt, a hospital worker's scrubs, a construction
worker's shirt, etc. Pillow 102 has a number of pockets disposed on
its surface and in its seams. Pillow 102 has an outer casing
including outer pillow cover 104 and inner lining 106. Two pockets
120 are disposed on outer pillow cover 104. Pockets 120 are
four-sided, having three sides attached to the outer cover 104 of
the pillow 102 and one side being left open to define pocket
opening 121. Pocket 120 has a flap 122 disposed above pocket
opening 121. Flap 122 is a hinged flap, folding down to cover
pocket opening 121 and up to expose pocket opening 121. Optionally,
a buttonhole 123 is formed in the center of flap 122 to receive
button 125 to secure flap 122 to pocket 120; otherwise, the flap
122 may simply lie over the pocket opening 121. If desired, flaps
122 can be secured to pocket 120 by means other than buttons, such
as hook and loop closures, snaps or zippers.
[0031] A second type of pocket is disposed attached to outer pillow
cover 104, namely seam pocket 124 disposed above left breast pocket
120. Seam pocket 124 has three attached sides forming a pouch and
an open side defining pocket opening 128. The side forming pocket
opening 128 is designed to simulate a seam extending between the
shirt collar and the side of the shirt where a shirt sleeve would
normally be attached.
[0032] Pillow 100 also displays a third pocket type, a layered
pocket 126 formed on and by the inner lining 106. The layered
pocket 126 in FIG. 3. shows two pockets; one pocket 126b lies on
top of another pocket 126a, however the layered pocket could be
three or more pockets disposed on top of each other. Layered
pockets 126a and 126b are disposed in the neck opening of the
prayer aid 100, however it can be located anywhere on the surface
of the prayer aid 100. Layered pockets 126a and 126b are made by
folding and sewing one large piece of fabric in layers, or by
sewing a number of fabrics on top of each other to form layers.
Layered pockets 126a and 126b can be made to have a flap 132 that
covers its open side or it can be made to have no flap at all.
Pockets 120, 124, 126a, 126b all hold a prayer card 130, a deck of
prayer cards, pictures or drawings.
[0033] FIG. 4 shows a prayer aid 200 in which the pillow 202 is
configured as a bear paw. The bear paw pillow 202 has pockets 242
located underneath each of its five pads 240 and pockets 220a and
220b simulating the sole of the bear paw 200. Each pocket 242 has
four sides, including three sides attached to the pillow cover 204
and one unattached side that forms an opening 243 for the pocket
242 and three closed sides forming a pouch pocket.
[0034] Sole pocket 220a and sole pocket 220b are formed from one
pocket that has been divided into two adjacent pockets by a seam
232. The sole of the bear paw could be made as one undivided pocket
or into numerous pockets divided by several seams. A flap 222
covers the openings of adjacent pockets 220a and 220b and forms the
upper portion of the sole on the bear paw pillow 200 design. Flap
222 is fixed, in that three of four sides of the flap are secured
to the prayer aid 10, 100, 200 surface. Sole pocket 220 could be
designed without the flap 222 and still faithfully represent the
sole design of the bear paw pillow 200. All the pockets are
designed to hold a prayer card 230 or a set of prayer cards.
[0035] The pockets disposed on and within the prayer aid 10, 100
and 200, respectively, can be surface pockets 20, 120, 220a, 220b
or concealed pockets such as pockets 42, 126a, 126b, 242 as shown
in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, respectively or seam pocket 124 shown in FIG.
3. The pockets are preferably opaque since they are designed to
conceal the prayer card 30. The pockets are generally made of
non-elastic materials such as fabric, but if desired and feasible
elastic fabric may be used to construct the pockets. The pockets
can be placed anywhere and in any position on the prayer aid 10,
100, 200 they can also take a number of sizes, shapes and forms.
For example, the pockets can be circular, two-sided or
multi-sided.
[0036] The number of pockets disposed on the prayer aid 10, 100,
200 can range in number from two to several. The pockets can be
individual and separate, be adjacent each other in a side by side
design, or disposed on top of each other in a layered design. The
pockets can also be designed to have a flap or not have a flap. If
flaps are used they may be hinged 22, 122 as shown in FIGS. 2 and
3, respectively, or fixed 222 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0037] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *