Pillow With Firearm Compartment

Abstract

A pillow for holding a firearm comprising a pillow assembly and a firearm compartment positioned inside the pillow assembly. The firearm compartment is configured to define a grip portion, a trigger guard portion, and a barrel portion. The firearm compartment has an opening with a closure mechanism for selectively closing the opening of the firearm compartment. A portion of the opening is free of the closure mechanism so as to define a quick access portion configured to allow a user to rapidly open the closure mechanism.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/913,557, filed on Dec. 9, 2013, the entire content of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Personal safety is, unfortunately, a growing concern in modern society. While a person is travelling, working, or outside of the person's home, they are typically aware of their surroundings and avoid potentially dangerous areas, people, and situations. However, concerns about personal safety also exist in the person's home, such as in cases of burglaries, home invasions, vandalism, or other situations where a person may be confronted by one or more attackers inside the person's home.

[0003] To enhance a person's ability to defend themselves and to provide for their own personal safety, as well as the personal safety of family members, such as spouses or children, some individuals choose to own a weapon. Examples of weapons include a knife, a baseball bat, a taser, pepper spray or mace. Examples of more lethal weapons include firearms, such as handguns, rifles, or shotguns.

[0004] Once a person decides to purchase or own a firearm to aid in protecting the person's safety, proper training in the maintenance, storage, and use of the firearm is recommended by law enforcement and a variety of governmental and private organizations and associations. Generally, responsible firearm ownership entails properly and securely storing the firearm so that it is inaccessible to children, for example, while also ensuring that the firearm is easily accessible in case of an emergency, such as a home invasion.

[0005] Secure storage generally requires a gun safe or a security cabinet, which are typically located in a closet, which is not always located close to the user as the user moves about their home. For example, when a person is asleep or laying in their bed, the gun safe or security cabinet may be some distance away from the person and may require the person to leave the room or move down a hallway to retrieve their firearm. Further, in case the person is asleep and an intruder gains access to the person's home or bedroom, it may be too late for the person to even attempt to reach the storage location of the firearm.

[0006] To address this potential issue, security-conscious individuals and the market have attempted to store firearms closer to the user's bed, such as via nightstand drawers, nightstand firearm safes, bedside holsters, bedside firearm mounts, or other similar devices or products. One of the drawbacks of such devices is that these storage locations are obvious for a firearm, and potential attackers would readily perceive that the user is attempting to retrieve a firearm if the user reaches for a gun safe or reaches into a nightstand drawer, for example.

[0007] In some cases individuals simply place a firearm under their pillow when going to sleep, which is dangerous and unreliable as the firearm may shift and become entangled in bedding, drop behind mattresses and beds, or be accidentally discharged by virtue of the movement. Accordingly, existing methods and devices have not solved the problem of safely and reliably storing a firearm near a sleeping user such that the firearm is safely retained in place and is easily accessible to the user in a discreet manner such that the user accessing a firearm is not immediately apparent to an attacker or an intruder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Like reference numerals in the figures represent and refer to the same or similar element or function. Implementations of the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be better understood when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed pictorial illustrations, schematics, graphs, drawings, and appendices. In the drawings:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pillow with a firearm compartment constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway, plan view of the pillow of FIG. 1 illustrating a firearm compartment.

[0011] FIG. 3 is an end view of pillow of FIG. 1.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of a firearm compartment constructed in accordance the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0015] In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

[0016] As used herein the notation "a-n" appended to a reference numeral is intended as merely convenient shorthand to reference one, or more than one, and up to infinity, of the element or feature identified by the respective reference numeral (e.g., 100a-n). Similarly, a letter following a reference numeral is intended to reference an embodiment of the feature or element that may be similar, but not necessarily identical, to a previously described element or feature bearing the same reference numeral (e.g., 100, 100a, 100b, etc.). Such shorthand notations are used for purposes of clarity and convenience only, and should not be construed to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein in any way, unless expressly stated to the contrary.

[0017] As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0018] As used herein the qualifiers "about," "approximately," and "substantially" are intended to include not only the exact value, amount, degree, orientation, or other qualified characteristic or value, but are intended to include some slight variations due to measuring error or precision, manufacturing tolerances, stress exerted on various parts or components, observer error, wear and tear, and combinations thereof, for example.

[0019] Finally, as used herein any reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. The inventive concepts disclosed herein are intended to encompass any combinations, subcombinations, and permutations of one or more of the features of the embodiments described herein.

[0020] Embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to pillows including one or more firearm compartments or pockets which are shaped, sized, and configured to securely retain a firearm therein and to allow for quick and safe access to the firearm by users.

[0021] Referring now to the drawings, and to FIGS. 1-2 in particular, shown therein is an embodiment of a pillow 100 according to embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. The pillow 100 includes a pillow assembly 102 and a firearm compartment 104 positioned inside the pillow assembly 102.

[0022] The pillow assembly 102 has a top panel 106, a bottom panel 108, and cushioning material 110. The top panel 106 and the bottom panel 108 are joined together at their periphery to define a peripheral edge 112 around the pillow assembly 102. The top panel 106 and the bottom panel 108 and may be joined in any desired manner, such as via stitching, seams, piping, decorative stitching, bonding, adhesives, one or more strips, folds, or rolls of fabric or other material, or combinations thereof. Further, in some embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein, the top panel 106 and the bottom panel 108 may be formed as a unitary panel, which may be folded to define the peripheral edge 112. The top panel 106 and the bottom panel 108 may be constructed of any desired material, such as fabrics, cotton, polymers, natural fibers or textile, manmade fibers or textiles, knitted fabrics, cloth or fabric materials, braided cloth or fabric materials, leather, fur, pelts, natural materials, manmade material, or combinations thereof, for example.

[0023] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 where the pillow assembly 102 is shown as being substantially rectangular in shape, the peripheral edge 112 may include a top edge 112a, a right side edge 112b, a bottom edge 112c, and a left side edge 112d. It is to be understood that a pillow assembly 102 according to embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein may have any desired shape such as substantially square, oval, circular, triangular, polygonal, kidney-shaped, or combinations thereof.

[0024] As will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure, designations such as top panel or edge, bottom panel or edge, left side, and right side, are used herein solely for clarity and convenience to designate portions of the pillow assembly 102 and relate only to orientation of the portions or features relative to one another and not necessarily relative to any external orientation or direction or object.

[0025] The cushioning material 110 (FIG. 4) is enclosed between the top panel 106 and the bottom panel 108 and can include cotton, polyester, cotton polyester blends, silk, feathers, natural or synthetic porous or fibrous materials, foams (open or closed-cell), gel, down, memory foam, feathers, down, or any other suitable cushioning materials, and combinations thereof. The cushioning material 110 is configured to provide comfortable cushioning or padding to a user's head or body, and may have one or more layers with varying levels of thickness, firmness, or support, in some embodiment of a pillow assembly 102 according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

[0026] The firearm compartment 104 is positioned inside the pillow assembly 102, and is configured to accommodate the specific shape and dimensions of a firearm 113 while allowing a user to safely and easily remove the firearm from the firearm compartment 104. For example, the firearm compartment 104 may be generally firearm-shaped and may be implemented in a variety of sizes, such as small, medium, and large in some embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the firearm compartment 104 may have an overall depth between about 10 and about 20 inches, and an overall width between about 5 inches and about 11 inches as will be described below.

[0027] The firearm 113 may be a semiautomatic or automatic pistol, a revolver, a derringer, or a taser gun or other electroshock weapon shaped and sized similarly to a semiautomatic pistol, in some embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. The firearm 113 may include one or more accessories attached to any portion thereof (e.g., a grip, barrel, slide, or frame), such as laser sights, flashlights, forward grips, night vision or fiber optic sights, magnification sights, extended magazines or grips, or combinations thereof, as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure. In some embodiments, the firearm compartment 104 may be sized in three potential sizes, such as small, medium, and large, for example to accommodate firearms 113 having a small, medium, or large size, irrespective or the type or manufacturer of the firearm 113. In some embodiments where the firearm 113 is a revolver, the firearm compartment 104 may be configured to accommodate a cylinder of the firearm 113. Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the firearm compartment 104 may be sized, dimensioned, and configured to receive a particular, brand, model, model-type, or variant of a firearm 113, as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.

[0028] The firearm compartment 104 includes a top panel 114 and a bottom panel 116 joined together at an edge 118 and cooperating with one another so as to define an opening 120, a hand portion 122 adjacent to the opening 120, a grip portion 124 adjacent to the hand portion 122, a trigger guard portion 126 adjacent to the grip portion 124, and a barrel portion 128 adjacent to the trigger guard portion 126.

[0029] The firearm compartment 104 is positioned inside the pillow assembly 102 so that the opening 120 substantially aligns with the right side edge 112b, or is positioned adjacent to (e.g., formed in the top panel 106 or in the bottom panel 108) the right side edge 112b such that the firearm compartment 104 extends substantially centered in the pillow assembly 102 in a direction from the right side edge 112b toward the left side edge 112d. It is to be understood that in some embodiments, the firearm compartment 104 may be oriented at any desired angle inside the pillow assembly 102, and in some embodiments, the opening 120 may open at the top edge 112a, bottom edge 112c, left side edge 112d, top panel 106, or bottom panel 108.

[0030] The top panel 114 and the bottom panel 116 of the firearm compartment 104 may be constructed of any desired materials such as fabrics, polymers, fibrous materials, leather, para-aramid or other synthetic fibers, fabric, cloth, suede, or other suitable materials, and may be joined to one another in any desired manner such as via stitching, seams, adhesives, bonding, piping, ultrasonic welding, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the top panel 114 and the bottom panel 116 may include a layer of cushioning material 134 (FIG. 4) such as dense foam-type material coupled therewith or incorporated therein such that the firearm 113 positioned inside the firearm compartment 104 is virtually undetectable by a user using the pillow and does not cause any discomfort to a user laying on the pillow assembly 102. The cushioning material 134 may also provide rigidity and support to the firearm compartment 104 so that the firearm 113 is prevented from rotating or shifting once positioned inside the firearm compartment 104, for example. In some exemplary embodiments, the cushioning material 134 may include one or more layers of different materials, while in some embodiments, the cushioning material 134 may be omitted.

[0031] The opening 120 may be substantially aligned with the left side edge 112d, or may be formed in the top panel 106 or bottom panel 108 adjacent to the left side edge 112d, for example. In the embodiments where the opening 120 is substantially aligned with the left side edge 112d, the opening 120 may be virtually undetectable to a person unaware of the presence of the firearm compartment 104 inside the pillow assembly 102. Further, in some embodiments the opening 120 may be aligned with the top edge 112a, and right side edge 112b, or the bottom edge 112c.

[0032] The opening 120 includes a closure mechanism 136 configured to selectively close or open the opening 120 so as to selectively allow a user to insert the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104 when the closure mechanism 136 is open (FIG. 3), and to retain the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104 when the closure mechanism 136 is closed (FIG. 2). The closure mechanism 136 may be implemented as a hook and loop fastener coupled with the opening 120, as a zipper coupled with the opening 120, magnetic closure mechanism 136 including one or more magnets coupled with the opening 120 and configured to close the opening 120, or may include snaps, buttons, adhesive strips, pads, sections, or members, or combinations thereof.

[0033] In some exemplary embodiment, the opening 120 and/or the closure mechanism 136 may include a quick-access portion 138, which may be configured to allow a user to quickly and reliably open the closure mechanism 136, and may at the same time visually or haptically indicate to a user the orientation of the firearm compartment 104 in the pillow assembly 102 (e.g., which way the grip of the firearm 113 is positioned inside the firearm compartment 104) so as or allow the user to rapidly open the closure mechanism and acquire a good firing grip on the firearm 113, for example.

[0034] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the quick-access portion 138 may be implemented as a relatively small portion of the closure mechanism 136 configured to remain opened as the closure mechanism 136 is closed, so as to allow a user to insert a finger into the quick-access portion 138 and slide the finger through the closure mechanism 136 along the opening 120 so as to quickly and consistently open the closure mechanism 136 and insert the user's hand inside the hand portion 122 of the firearm compartment 104 at the appropriate orientation. As will be appreciated by persons or ordinary skill in the art, the quick-access portion 138 may be positioned anywhere along the closure mechanism 136 and/or the opening 120, such as at an end of the closure mechanism 136, or at a middle of the closure mechanism 136, for example. In embodiments of the inventive concepts herein where the quick-access portion 138 serves as an indicator of the orientation of the firearm compartment 104 inside the pillow assembly 102, appropriate instructions may be provided to the users of the pillow 100 indicative of the position of the quick-access portion 138 and the corresponding orientation of the firearm compartment 104 inside the pillow assembly 102. Further, in some embodiments, the quick-access portion 138 may be omitted, or two or more quick-access portions 138 may be provided with the closure mechanism 136.

[0035] Further, in some embodiments any desired visual or haptic markings may be provided with the opening 120 and/or with the pillow assembly 102 to indicate the orientation of the firearm compartment 104 and/or the location of the quick-access portion 138 to a user. For example, in one embodiment, the pillow assembly 102 may include a tag 139 extending from the left side edge 112d adjacent to and aligned with the quick assess portion 138. Other markings may include, for example, colored areas, roughened areas, glow in the dark areas, different material areas, arrows, markings, letters, words, logos, and combinations thereof, for example.

[0036] The hand portion 122 has a width 140 and a depth 142 configured to allow the user to insert the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104 and to have sufficient space for a user's hand to be inserted into the firearm compartment 104 such that the uses is able to acquire a firing grip (e.g., firmly and securely grasp the firearm in a grip allowing the user to operate and/or fire the firearm) on the firearm 113 when the firearm 113 is positioned inside the firearm compartment 104 without removing the firearm 113 from the firearm compartment 104. The width 140 may be substantially equal to or slightly larger than a width of the firearm 113 for which the firearm compartment 104 is configured. For example, the width 140 may be between about 6 inches and about 10 inches (e.g., about 6 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, and about 10 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a medium or large firearm 113), and the depth 142 may be configured based on a typical or average size of an adult human hand such as being about 4 inches in some exemplary embodiments.

[0037] The grip portion 124 is positioned adjacent to the hand portion 122 and has a width 144 and a depth 146 and is configured to snugly receive a grip 148 (FIG. 2) of the firearm 113 therein and to allow a user's hand to be at least partially positioned around the grip 148 when the grip 148 is positioned in the grip portion 124. In some embodiments, the grip portion 124 may be sized, dimensioned, and configured such that a portion of the user's hand (e.g., a trigger finger, for example, may at least partially extend past the grip portion 124 and into the trigger guard portion 126 and/or the barrel portion 128 as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.

[0038] The width 144 of the grip portion 124 may be substantially equal to, or at least as large as the width 140 of the hand portion 122 (e.g., between about 6 inches and about 10 inches) such that the firearm 113 may be inserted and extracted through the hand portion 122 and the grip portion 124 without snagging as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art.

[0039] Similarly, the depth 146 of the grip portion 124 may vary between about 3 inches and about 8 inches in some exemplary embodiments, For example, the depth 146 may be about 3.75 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, about 5.25 inches where the firearm compartment is configured for a medium firearm 113, and about 7.25 inches where the firearm compartment is configured for a large firearm 113.

[0040] It is to be understood that in some embodiments, the hand portion 122 and the grip portion 124 may be formed as a unitary portion of the firearm compartment 104. Further, in some embodiments where the firearm 113 is a pistol, the grip portion 124 may be dimensioned and configured to receive a portion of the slide and frame of the firearm 113, and in some embodiments where the firearm 113 is a revolver the grip portion 124 may be dimensioned and configured to receive a portion of the frame, cylinder, and/or hammer of the firearm 113.

[0041] The trigger guard portion 126 is positioned adjacent to the grip portion 124 and has a width 150 and a depth 152. The trigger guard portion 126 is configured to receive a trigger guard 154 of the firearm 113 and/or a portion of the barrel 156 of the firearm 113. In some embodiments, the trigger guard portion 126 is sized and dimensioned so as to allow a user's trigger finger to extend at least partially into the trigger guard portion 126 or past the trigger guard portion 126 and/or to allow the user's trigger finger to be inserted into the trigger guard so as to operate the trigger 158 of the firearm 113. The width 150 may vary between about 3 inches and about 8 inches, for example, the width 150 may be about 3.75 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, about 6.25 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a medium firearm 113, and about 7.25 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a large firearm 113. Similarly, the width 150 may vary between about 2 inches and about 3 inches, such as by being about 2.25 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, and about 2.5 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a medium or large firearm 113.

[0042] As will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, while the trigger guard portion 126 is shown as being substantially rectangular in shape, in some embodiments the trigger guard portion 126 may have any desired shape configured to receive a trigger guard 154 of the firearm 113 therein such as by being oval, elliptical, circular, rounded-off, triangular, or combinations thereof. Further, in some embodiments, the trigger guard portion 126 may be dimensioned and configured to receive a portion of the barrel 156, frame and slide of the firearm 113 where the firearm 113 is a semiautomatic of automatic pistol, or may be dimensioned and configured to receive a portion of the cylinder and/or a portion of the barrel 156 where the firearm 113 is a revolver and/or a derringer, for example.

[0043] The barrel portion 128 has a width 160 and a depth 162 and is dimensioned and configured to receive the barrel 156 and/or the slide of the firearm 113. In some embodiments the barrel portion 128 may be dimensioned and configured receive an accessory attached to the barrel 156 of the firearm 113, such as a light, a laser, a forward grip, and combinations thereof, for example. For example, the width 160 may vary between about 2 inches and about 4 inches, such that the width is about 2 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, and about 4 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a medium or large firearm 113. Similarly, the depth 162 may vary between about 2 inches and about 7 inches, such that the depth 162 is about 2 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a small firearm 113, and such that the depth 162 is about 7 inches where the firearm compartment 104 is configured for a medium or large firearm 113.

[0044] The grip portion 124, the trigger guard portion 126, and the barrel portion 128 cooperate with one another to allow the firearm 113 to be inserted into the firearm compartment 104 and to securely retain the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104 such that the firearm 113 is prevented from rotating inside the firearm compartment 104 and such that a user may obtain a firing grip on the firearm 113 inside the firearm compartment 104. As will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure, in an emergency the user may fire the firearm 113 inside the firearm compartment 104, or the user may withdraw, or otherwise remove the firearm 113 from the firearm compartment 104 and fire the firearm 113 immediately as warranted by the situation.

[0045] In some exemplary embodiments, the firearm compartment 104 may be anchored inside the pillow assembly 102 via one or more anchor straps 170 coupled with the edge 118 and with the peripheral edge 112 (e.g., the left side edge 112d, the top edge 112a, and/or the bottom edge 112c) to prevent the firearm compartment 104 from being pulled out or becoming turned inside out when a user is removing a firearm 113 from the firearm compartment 104.

[0046] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-2, two anchor straps 170 are shown secured, attached to, or otherwise coupled with the barrel portion 128 and with the left side edge 112d of the pillow assembly 102. In some embodiments, however, any desired number of anchor straps 170 may be coupled with one or more of or at an intersection of the hand portion 122, the grip portion 124, the trigger guard portion 126, the barrel portion 128, the top edge 112a, the bottom edge 112c, and the right side edge 112b. The anchor straps 170 may have any desired size or shape (e.g., string or rope-shaped, or band or strip shaped) and may be constructed of any desired material such as cloth, fibrous material, ropes, strings, braided strands of material, or combinations thereof, for example.

[0047] The anchor straps 170 are configured to securely hold or retain the firearm compartment 104 in place inside the pillow assembly 102, ensuring maximum safety when inserting the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104, storing the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104, and removing the firearm 113 from the firearm compartment 104.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 5, shown therein is an embodiment of a firearm compartment 104a. The firearm compartment 104a may be implemented substantially similarly to the firearm compartment 104, except that the firearm compartment 104a includes a trigger guard portion 126a. The firearm compartment 104a may be configured to receive a firearm 113a which is implemented as a large revolver in this embodiment. The trigger guard portion 126a is shown as being substantially triangular and configured to receive a trigger guard of the firearm 113a, as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.

[0049] In some embodiments, firearm compartment pillows 100 according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein may include one or more of the following features: Kevlar-lined pillow assembly 102 and/or firearm compartment 104, body-armor panels of pillow assembly 102, additional magazine, ammunition, or flashlight pockets or compartments formed in the pillow assembly 102 and/or positioned in the firearm compartment 104, pepper spray pockets or compartments, taser pockets or compartments, or combinations thereof, for example. In some embodiments, additional substantially L-shaped or T-shaped pockets or compartments may be formed in the pillow assembly 102 to allow for the secure insertion of an item and for access to the item by a user's hand via the broader portion of the T-shape or L-shape as will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure. Further, in some embodiments, such additional pockets or compartments may be formed in the pillow assembly 102 adjacent to the firearm compartment 104, aligned with the peripheral edge 112, or in the top panel 106 and/or bottom panel 105, and may be closed with any desired closure mechanisms (e.g., implemented similarly to the closure mechanism 136).

[0050] In operation, a method of using a firearm compartment pillow such as the pillow 100 according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein for self-defense or for defense of the user's loved ones or home may be implemented as follows.

[0051] The user may use the pillow 100 as a conventional pillow by placing the pillow 100 in a pillow case (not shown) for example, with the opening 120 of the firearm compartment 104 positioned on an open side of the pillow case for accessing the firearm compartment 104.

[0052] The user may place any desired firearm such as the firearm 113 in the firearm compartment 104 (e.g., with a loaded magazine inserted and a round chambered with the safety engaged, with a loaded magazine inserted but no round chambered and the safety either engaged or disengaged, with no magazine inserted and no round chambered, with a full cylinder, with an empty cylinder, or unloaded as desired). The user may use the pillow 100 as desired, such as like a conventional pillow on which the user sleeps, a couch pillow, a camping pillow, a vehicle pillow, a beach pillow, or combinations thereof.

[0053] In an emergency situation where the user may have to resort to using a firearm, such as the firearm 113, to defend themselves or a loved one, the user may access the firearm compartment 104 such as by locating the rapid-access portion 138, rapidly opening the closure mechanism 136 and acquiring a firing grip on the firearm 113. Depending on the situation and the judgment of the user, the user may fire the firearm 113 from inside the firearm compartment 104 to engage the threat, or may remove the firearm 113 from the firearm compartment 104 and engage the threat.

[0054] In some embodiments, the an experienced and appropriately trained user may maintain a firearm 113 inside the pillow 100 at all times, while in some embodiments, the user may carry the firearm 113 on their person or in an appropriate container, such as a vehicle, purse, briefcase, or holster, and may insert the firearm 113 inside the pillow 100 when using the pillow to sleep, for example. Further, in some embodiments, a security conscious user may transfer the firearm 113 from a secure firearm storage location to the pillow 100 as part of the user's bedtime routine and/or may remove the firearm 113 from the pillow 100 and return the firearm 113 to the secure firearm storage location as part of the user's waking morning routine.

[0055] Embodiments of firearm compartment pillows such as the pillow 100 according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein are discreet and inconspicuous, and an intruder or a person other than the user may be unaware of the firearm compartment 104 and/or firearm 113 positioned inside the pillow 100. Further, embodiments of firearm compartment pillows 100 according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein allow users to safely, securely, and discreetly store a firearm where the firearm is always easily and rapidly accessible by the user, and allow users to reliably and quickly acquire a firing grip on the firearm 113 in an emergency such as a home invasion or attack. With embodiments of firearm compartment pillows 100 as described herein, users may be certain as to the location, position, and orientation of the firearm 113 at all times and may have the confidence and assurance that the firearm 113 is accessible at all times should the need to use the firearm 113 to defend the user or loved ones materializes.

[0056] From the above description, it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are well adapted and configured to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventive concepts disclosed herein. While exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the scope and coverage of the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein.

Claims

1. A pillow for holding a firearm, comprising: a pillow assembly having at least a top panel and a bottom panel lined with one another in a way to define at least one edge; and a firearm compartment positioned inside the pillow assembly, the firearm compartment comprising a top panel and a bottom joined with one another in way to define: an opening positioned adjacent to the edge; a hand portion adjacent to the opening and configured to receive a user's hand therein; a grip portion adjacent to the hand portion, the grip portion having a first width and a first depth and being configured to receive a firearm grip therein when a firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment and to allow access to the firearm grip by a user's hand; a trigger guard portion adjacent to the grip portion, the trigger guard portion having a second width less than the first width and a second depth less than the first depth and being configured to receive a trigger guard of the firearm when the firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment; and a barrel portion adjacent to the trigger guard portion, the barrel portion having a third depth and a third width less than the second width, and being configured to receive at least a portion of a barrel of the firearm when the firearm is inserted in the firearm compartment.

2. The pillow of claim 1, wherein the firearm compartment further comprises a closure mechanism for selectively closing the opening of the firearm compartment and wherein a portion of the opening is free of the closure mechanism so as to define a quick access portion configured to allow a user to rapidly open the closure mechanism.

3. The pillow of claim 2, further comprising a tag extending from the edge adjacent to and aligned with the quick assess portion.

4. The pillow of claim 1, further comprising at least one anchoring strap having one end connected to the pillow assembly and one end connected to the firearm compartment in a way to retain the firearm compartment securely inside the pillow assembly when the firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment and removed from the firearm compartment.

5. The pillow of claim 4, wherein the firearm compartment further comprises a closure mechanism for selectively closing the opening of the firearm compartment and wherein a portion of the opening is free of the closure mechanism so as to define a quick access portion configured to allow a user to rapidly open the closure mechanism.

6. The pillow of claim 5, further comprising a tag extending from the edge adjacent to and aligned with the quick assess portion.

7. A pillow for holding a firearm, comprising: a pillow assembly having at least a top panel and a bottom panel lined with one another in a way to define at least one edge and a cushioning material disposed between the top panel and the bottom panel; and a firearm compartment positioned inside the pillow assembly, the firearm compartment comprising a top panel and a bottom joined with one another in way to define: an opening positioned adjacent to the edge; a hand portion adjacent to the opening and configured to receive a user's hand therein; a grip portion adjacent to the hand portion, the grip portion having a first width and a first depth and being configured to receive a firearm grip therein when a firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment and to allow access to the firearm grip by a user's hand; a trigger guard portion adjacent to the grip portion, the trigger guard portion having a second width less than the first width and a second depth less than the first depth and being configured to receive a trigger guard of the firearm when the firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment; and a barrel portion adjacent to the trigger guard portion, the barrel portion having a third depth and a third width less than the second width, and being configured to receive at least a portion of a barrel of the firearm when the firearm is inserted in the firearm compartment.

8. The pillow of claim 7, wherein the firearm compartment further comprises a closure mechanism for selectively closing the opening of the firearm compartment and wherein a portion of the opening is free of the closure mechanism so as to define a quick access portion configured to allow a user to rapidly open the closure mechanism.

9. The pillow of claim 8, further comprising a tag extending from the edge adjacent to and aligned with the quick assess portion.

10. The pillow of claim 7, further comprising at least one anchoring strap having one end connected to the pillow assembly and one end connected to the firearm compartment in a way to retain the firearm compartment securely inside the pillow assembly when the firearm is inserted into the firearm compartment and removed from the firearm compartment.

11. The pillow of claim 10, wherein the firearm compartment further comprises a closure mechanism for selectively closing the opening of the firearm compartment and wherein a portion of the opening is free of the closure mechanism so as to define a quick access portion configured to allow a user to rapidly open the closure mechanism.

12. The pillow of claim 11, further comprising a tag extending from the edge adjacent to and aligned with the quick assess portion.