U.S. patent application number 12/662011 was filed with the patent office on 2010-09-30 for inflatable cushion for turning a bed into a sofa.
Invention is credited to Andrew T. Goetting.
Application Number | 20100242178 12/662011 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42782325 |
Filed Date | 2010-09-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100242178 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Goetting; Andrew T. |
September 30, 2010 |
Inflatable cushion for turning a bed into a sofa
Abstract
An inflatable cushion is disclosed for turning a bed into a
sofa. The cushion includes a reversible pump capable of moving a
large volume of air for quick inflation/deflation and can be
attached to the bed on which it rests or the wall supporting the
cushion back. A fabric cover enhances the function and appearance
of the cushion.
Inventors: |
Goetting; Andrew T.; (Point
Pleasant, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jeffrey M. Ketchum;Suite 370
1800 Diagonal Road
Alexandria
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
42782325 |
Appl. No.: |
12/662011 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61202704 |
Mar 30, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/633 ;
5/655.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 20/027
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/633 ;
5/655.3 |
International
Class: |
A47C 20/02 20060101
A47C020/02; A47C 7/42 20060101 A47C007/42; A47C 7/54 20060101
A47C007/54; A47C 4/54 20060101 A47C004/54; A47C 16/00 20060101
A47C016/00 |
Claims
1. An inflatable cushion comprising: an elongated back support for
supporting the back of a seated user, said back support including
end panels, armrest cushions integral with the back support and
located near said end panels extending perpendicularly from said
back support to form a sofa arrangement when said inflated cushion
is placed on a horizontal surface adjacent a vertical wall, and an
inflation/deflation pump associated with one of said end panels,
said inflation/deflation pump capable of quickly
inflating/deflating said cushion by moving a high volume of air
quickly.
2. The cushion of claim 1, wherein said horizontal surface is a bed
and further having attaching means on said cushion for attaching
said cushion to either said bed or said wall to maintain the
cushion's position with respect to said bed.
3. The cushion of claim 1 further having a fabric cover, said cover
having an opening to allow said cushion to be placed inside said
cover to fit the cushion in its inflated state and remaining with
said cushion when deflated.
4. The fabric cover of claim 3 further including at least one
visible logo.
5. The fabric cover of claim 3 further including a pocket
associated with the portion of the cover overlying said
armrests.
6. The fabric cover of claim 3 including an opening adjacent said
pump such that the pump remains uncovered when said cover is in
place.
7. The fabric cover of claim 6 wherein said opening has a movable
fabric cover for covering said opening when said pump is not in
use.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to an inflatable/deflatable
cushion for quickly and conveniently providing a backrest and
armrests to a conventional bed and claims benefit of provisional
application 61/202,704, filed Mar. 30, 2009.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Dormitory rooms and small apartments have minimal living
space. Especially in dorm rooms, there is often no space for a
comfortable chair and never room for a sofa. Convertible sofas are
well known in the art. They are heavy and expensive. Due to their
construction, the beds are often uncomfortable, especially for
larger people and when more than one person occupies the bed. When
folded out, the beds require too much of the available room space.
Worman 2007/0006384 is an unusual example having an inflatable
inner cushion with an air pump capable of forming a bed. See FIG.
4. 12-2 is the inflatable cushion stowed as shown in FIG. 2A. Once
again, however, the bed folds out to take too much space in a small
room.
[0003] Inflatable pillows providing a backrest with arms are known.
Ince et al. Des. 390,298 is an example. A sofa bed with removable
foam block back and end pillows is shown in Powell 3,740,774.
Inflatable sofas are shown in McCarthy et al. 2005/0099054, Kojic
et al. 6,042,186, and Wu 7,331,074.
[0004] Maddox 3,319,269 discloses a bed bolster stowable next to
the bed to move the bolster from the bed surface for sleeping. When
the bolster is in place on the bed, the bed functions as a
sofa.
[0005] Lane 2003/0204909 discloses an air bag attached to the bed
and stowed in deflated condition until the bed occupant tries to
get out of the bed, at which time the air bag inflates to keep the
occupant in the bed.
[0006] Nail 2,987,735 shows an inflatable back and arm arrangement
for a chair in FIG. 5 having a fabric cover with internal
stiffeners to allow the arrangement to keep its chair-like
shape.
[0007] It is also well known to build a pump into the wall of an
inflatable object as shown in Chaffee 7,039,972 and as discussed in
Yen 6,955,527.
[0008] There remains a need for a cushion that easily and quickly
converts a bed into a sofa without requiring additional space in a
small room and that is easily stowable when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In one embodiment, the inflatable cushion of the invention
comprises a back support and armrests with a built-in reversible
pump. The cushion can be attached to the bed frame or to the wall
adjacent the bed to maintain its position as it is inflated and to
keep it in position out of the way for sleeping when it is deflated
and stowed. In the stowed position, the cushion can be inflated
without being handled or re-positioned by the user. The built-in
reversible pump moves a large volume of air to quickly inflate the
cushion when a sofa is desired and to quickly deflate when using
the bed.
[0010] The preferred embodiment includes a fabric cover, easily
removed for washing or for changing to another cover. The heavy
duty plastic material of the cushion is not particularly
comfortable for contact with human skin nor is it visually
attractive. A cover can be manufactured of any suitable material
and can be decorated with logos, school emblems, or any design of
choice. An opening in the bottom of the cover allows entry of the
deflated cushion and easy removal when desired. Either the cushion
itself or the fabric cover has means for attaching the arrangement
to a bed frame or to a wall adjacent the bed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cushion inflated.
[0012] FIG. 2 is an end view of the inflated cushion.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inflated cushion in position on
a supporting bed.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an end view showing the relationship of the bed
and cushion in both inflated and deflated condition to a wall
adjacent the bed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] FIG. 1 shows inflatable cushion 1 having a back support 2
and arms 3. The back support 2 has end panels 22 at each end. The
arms 3 are attached to the back support 2 adjacent the end panels
22. A reversible pump 4 is welding into the plastic cushion 2 in
one of the end panels 22 but can be mounted at any suitable
location on the cushion. An actuation switch 5 or a wired/wireless
remote 15 with switches 16 can operate pump 4 to inflate or deflate
the cushion 2. A high grade PVC, fir example, phthalate Free 6P can
be used to form the cushion and its arms. Interior baffles can be
part of the back cushion 2 to give the back structurally rigidity
when inflated to keep the back 2 from ballooning out of shape. Such
baffles are common in inflatable products. Any suitable pump may be
employed. Speedy inflation/deflation adds to the utility of the
device so a pump that moves a high volume of air is preferred.
[0016] FIG. 2 includes a Velcro strip 12 longitudinally along the
back surface of cushion 2 to allow the device to be attached to
wall 13 (FIG. 5) adjacent bed frame 16 and mattress 9. Tie strings
11 can also be used to tie the cushion to a bed frame at any
convenient spot.
[0017] FIG. 3 includes a fabric cover 6 covering cushion 1,
including a back portion 8 and arms 7. In FIG. 3, the cushion of
the invention rests on mattress 9 and can be attached to the wall
behind it or to the bed frame using Velcro strip 12 or tie strings
11 of FIGS. 2 and 5. The attaching means 11 or 12 can be attached
to the cushion directly when the cushion is used without a cover 8
or attached to the cover. It is envisioned that cover 8 can be of
any material and be decorated with logos, words, or designs of
choice, including high school, college or university logos,
mascots, etc. The cover will have an opening (not shown) to allow
easy assembly or removal of the cover.
[0018] The cover 8 includes a pump cover 20 designed to hide pump 4
if desired and protect bed frame from being damaged by the pump due
to movement of the cushion in use or when deflated for storage.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, any bed placed against a wall can have
some room between mattress 9 and wall 13. Shaded region 10 is the
deflated cushion positioned for storage when the bed is used for
sleeping or any other activity known to take place on a horizontal
planar surface. Once that activity ends, pump 4 can be activated to
inflate the cushion as shown in FIG. 5. The reversible pump can
quickly deflate the cushion for storage should the need for further
horizontal activity arise.
[0020] Inflatable cushion 1 is a solution to the problem of minimal
living space in small living quarters like college dorm rooms or
efficiency apartments. Using a built-in, high-velocity air pump,
the cushion is able to inflate into a structure transforming a bed
into a comfortable couch in 30 seconds. Equally important is the
use of a reversible pump to deflate the bed to make a sleeping
space quickly. The cushion runs the length of a bed to provide
seating for 3 adults with the comfort of the bed as the seating
area.
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