U.S. patent application number 15/149242 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-09 for plush travel pillow with elongated arms.
The applicant listed for this patent is Brooke Dreyfous, Bradley Peel. Invention is credited to Brooke Dreyfous, Bradley Peel.
Application Number | 20170065109 15/149242 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58190947 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170065109 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Peel; Bradley ; et
al. |
March 9, 2017 |
Plush Travel Pillow with Elongated Arms
Abstract
A plush travel pillow with elongated arms provides a plush
backing with the upper ends of a pair of arms affixed to the lower
front corners thereof. The overall size of the pillow may be
reduced for use by children of various ages, or in the context of
airline seats or other coach travel seats. The arms are preferably
substantially elongated for the user's comfort and directed
orthogonally to the front surface, as distinct from the more
obliquely angled arms of a conventional arm pillow. The pillow may
be provided with ornamental features resembling a popular cartoon
character, zoo or farm animal, or other children's character, or
some other shape of interest to children or adults.
Inventors: |
Peel; Bradley; (New York,
NY) ; Dreyfous; Brooke; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Peel; Bradley
Dreyfous; Brooke |
New York
New York |
NY
NY |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58190947 |
Appl. No.: |
15/149242 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62214258 |
Sep 4, 2015 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 20/027 20130101;
A63H 3/003 20130101; A47C 7/383 20130101; A63H 3/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 9/10 20060101
A47G009/10; A63H 3/02 20060101 A63H003/02 |
Claims
1. A plush travel pillow with elongated arms, comprising: a pillow;
providing a plush backing and two elongated arms; said two
elongated arms each having an upper end affixed to a lower front
corner of said plush backing; said two elongated arms being
orthogonally affixed to a front surface of said plush backing; and
a rear surface of said plush backing being angled such that it
rests flatly against a wall or window of a commercial travel
vehicle.
2. The plush travel pillow of claim 1, wherein the size of the
pillow is reduced such that the pillow is appropriately sized for
children or young adults.
3. The plush travel pillow of claim 1, wherein the arms are not
obliquely angled from said plush backing.
4. The plush travel pillow of claim 1, further providing a cover;
wherein said pillow acts as stuffing to fill said cover; and said
cover is closed with a zipper on a bottom surface of the cover.
5. The plush travel pillow of claim 4, wherein said cover is made
of a plane fabric.
6. The plush travel pillow of claim 4, wherein said cover is
provided with a head and other ornamental features which resemble a
popular animated character, zoo or farm animal, or other children's
character, or some other shape of interest to children.
7. The plush travel pillow of claim 6, wherein licensing of a
copyrighted or trademarked animated character, which provides an
image or likeness which is substantially duplicated in the
ornamental features of the pillow and arms.
8. The plush travel pillow of claim 4, wherein the pillow is
manufactured from a soft, flexible, durable material, such as foam
rubber.
9. The plush travel pillow of claim 4, wherein said stuffing is
provided in three pieces such that the plush backing and two arms
are separately removed from said cover.
10. The plush travel pillow of claim 4, wherein the cover is
machine washable.
11. The plush travel pillow of claim 1, wherein the pillow is soft
and may be easily shaped by a user into a very comfortable, concave
shape to cradle the user's head, torso, and arms.
12. The plush travel pillow of claim 6, wherein the ornamental
features which are hard, such as eyes, are provided on the outer
perimeter of the pillow, outside of the area which would be
ordinarily rendered concave by the user.
13. The plush travel pillow of claim 6, wherein the ornamental
features which protrude, such as a snout, are provided on an outer
perimeter or are completely collapsible.
14. The plush travel pillow of claim 1, wherein the pillow may
provide a compact case for storage and transport, such that the
pillow may be easily compressed and stored in the case.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/214,258, filed Sep. 4, 2015, which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM
LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
[0004] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The invention relates generally to travel accessories and in
particular to a plush travel pillow with elongated arms. Travelers
with children are all too often challenged by the need to keep the
children quiet, help them rest, and avoid any disturbance for other
passengers. Unfortunately, the noise, motion, and many other
unfamiliar aspects of modern travel leaves children overstimulated
and frequently apprehensive, even frightened.
[0006] A search of the prior art reveals various toys, games, and
comfort items have been developed from time to time, but these only
serve to keep the child distracted. Pillow chairs have also been
developed, but these are generally free-standing and not suitable
for travel. None are closely related to the present invention, but
several include features which resemble those of the present
invention. Each has proven to be less than satisfactory in its own
way.
[0007] Bed lounge, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,098 (filed Jul. 11, 1994),
provides an ergonomic bed lounge which is made with a fabric
slip-cover enclosing foam padding on a main structure. The main
structure is formed from plastic sheet material to provide the
required strength while keeping the weight ultra light: lighter
than all-foam construction. Side arms are provided that can pivot
inwardly for storage and outwardly for entry/exit, for providing
different resting conditions and for comfortable accommodation of
different-sized users. The side arms are each equipped with a
convenient storage pocket. A lower back support pillow is removably
contained in pockets provided in the slip cover in a manner that
enables the user to locate and orient the back pillow for maximum
support and comfort. An adjustable neck pillow with an elliptical
cross-sectional shape can be adjusted in height and oriented for
optimal neck support in terms of head position and attitude. An
accessory lap desk is fitted with a padded underside pouch by which
it may be supported on the user's legs to provide a writing surface
on the top side. The lap desk contains a storage compartment that
is accessible through a top cover that forms the writing
surface.
[0008] Child's chair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,573 (filed Mar. 23,
1989), provides a child chair which includes a cushioned character
and a frame for supporting it upright, with a child leaning against
the cushioned character. The character has a body with upper and
lower pairs of limbs connected thereto, and a seat pad connected
between the lower limbs and capable of resting on a support surface
when the body is disposed upright. The frame has a rigid skeletal
member and an anchor member. The rigid member is composed of base
and upright portions disposed within the character body. The base
portion can assume a resting position on the support surface and
the upright portion rigidly connected and extending in a generally
transverse relation to the base portion can support the character
body upright when the base position is in its resting position. The
anchor member is attached to the rigid member along the base
portion thereof and extends forwardly within the seat pad to
receive the weight of a child seated on the seat pad and leaning
against the cushioned body for anchoring and stabilizing the rigid
member in a stationary position upon the support surface with its
base portion in the resting position capable of resisting backward
tilting of the rigid member due to backward leaning of the child
against the cushioned body and the upright portion.
[0009] Stuffed figure chair, U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,118 (filed Jul.
21, 1993), provides a stuffed figure chair including a cushioned
figure, a removable seat, and a mechanism for removably fastening
the removable seat to the cushioned figure. The cushioned figure
includes a torso connected to a pair of lower limbs. Separate strap
receiving members or loops are part of the fastening mechanism and
are attached to the stuffed figure at each of the lower limbs, and
preferably also the torso. The removable seat is structured to be
received between the lower limbs of the cushioned figure. Strap
elements attached to the removable seat are engageable with the
strap receiving members on the figure to secure the removable seat
to the cushioned figure. Because the connections between the torso
and limbs are sufficiently inflexible so as to provide a resistance
to pivotal motion of the torso relative to the limbs, an occupant
of the seat fastened to the cushioned figure can lean back against
and be supported by the figure torso. By unfastening the strap
elements from the strap receiving members, the seat can be removed
from the cushioned figure to allow the figure to be used as a
toy.
[0010] SkyRest Child+travel pillow, U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. No.
20100180382 (priority Jan. 21, 2001), provides a travel pillow
designed specifically for commercial airline travel. The unique
feature of this travel pillow is that it is designed to provide
support for the legs of children and adults. It essentially allows
a child to stretch out their legs directly out front and horizontal
to their seat so there is no need to lie across accompanied
travelers. The pillow's shape is roughly a rectangular cube, when
inflated to its maximum level it measures 12'' by 18'' by 18'', the
pillow is firm but soft and sized and shaped to fit the leg room
area in front of an airplane seat.
[0011] Multi-purpose pillow with attached blanket, U.S. Pat. No.
7,513,001 (filed Jun. 18, 2007), provides a multi-purpose pillow
with attached blanket. The pillow comprises a body with one or more
inwardly-turned arms. One edge of the blanket is attached to the
pillow, and a pouch is formed in the pillow so that blanket is
stowable inside. A pocket may be included for holding an MP3 player
or other accessory. A flap wraps around the body to cover the pouch
opening and the accessory pocket when the blanket is stowed. In its
preferred embodiment, the pillow provides a convenient infant
support pillow with a blanket that may be deployed beneath the
pillow to provide a clean playing, napping or changing area or to
spread over or wrap around the infant. This pillow also is a handy
travel pillow for toddlers through adults, one of the arms serving
as a head and neck cushion, while the body supports an MP3 player
in a convenient position.
[0012] Travel pillow for arm securement, U.S. Patent Appl. Publ.
No. 2013/0117939 (priority Nov. 16, 2011), provides a travel pillow
device that may be secured to any of a user's limbs. The device
comprises a pillow with an elastic securing strap extending from a
one side seam, across the back of the pillow, to a second side
seam. The securing strap may be uniform and continuous or may be
separated into two parts that are secured together by fasteners.
The securing strap facilitates removable securement of the pillow
to a user's hand, arm, foot, or leg. The head of the user or
another person, such as a child can then be leaned on the pillow.
Alternatively, the pillow can be secured to a hand or foot and used
to support another limb, possibly an injured one. The travel pillow
is thus a versatile and freely positionable comfort and therapy
device that can be used in a variety of locations and
environments.
[0013] The prior art inventions either provide a free-standing
device which is not suitable for travel, or incorporate some
feature or features which may prevent a small child from becoming
comfortable and resting quietly. If the child can be encouraged to
rest quietly or even fall asleep, whatever item enables this
process would be very well received by parents. A plush travel
pillow with elongated arms, which is available in a broad range of
sizes for children of different ages, is designed to fit into the
passenger seat of an airliner, passenger train, bus or similar
conveyance, and is manufactured in the likeness of a popular
cartoon character, zoo or farm animal, or other children's
character, would resolve this problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Accordingly, the invention is directed to a plush travel
pillow with elongated arms. The travel pillow provides a plush
backing with the upper ends of a pair of arms affixed to the lower
front corners thereof. The overall size of the pillow may be
reduced for use by children of various ages, or in the context of
airline seats or other coach travel seats. The arms are preferably
substantially elongated for the user's comfort and directed
orthogonally to the front surface, as distinct from the more
obliquely angled arms of a conventional arm pillow. The pillow may
be provided with ornamental features resembling a popular cartoon
character, zoo or farm animal, or other children's character, or
some other shape of interest to children or adults.
[0015] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent
from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention. The foregoing general description and the following
detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended
to provide further explanation of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and
constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate one
embodiment of the invention and, together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a detailed front view of the first exemplary
embodiment, displaying the pillow 10, the arms 11, the head 12, the
eyes 13, and the snout 14.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a simplified front view of the first exemplary
embodiment, displaying the pillow 10, and the arms 11.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a simplified side view of the first exemplary
embodiment, displaying the pillow 10, and an arm 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Referring now to the invention in more detail, the invention
is directed to plush travel pillow 10 with elongated arms 11.
[0021] It is to be understood that while the invention is intended
for use by travelers for resting purposes, this is not intended as
a limitation. With suitable modifications or with no modifications
at all, the invention may be used in many other situations, such as
in a long term care facility or a home care situation, for patients
who may have difficulty sitting in an upright position.
[0022] The first exemplary embodiment is comprised of a travel
pillow 10, which is similar in structure and function to a
conventional arm pillow, with the following modifications. The
pillow 10 provides a plush backing 20, with the upper ends 11A of a
pair of arms 11 affixed to the lower front corners 20A of the plush
backing 20. The overall size of the pillow 10 may be reduced for
use by users of various ages, or in the context of airline seats or
other coach travel seats.
[0023] The arms 11 are preferably substantially elongated for the
user's comfort and directed orthogonally to the front surface 21,
as distinct from the more obliquely angled arms of a conventional
arm pillow. The orthogonally directed arms 11 being at a
perpendicular angle 30 to the front surface 21. The pillow 10 may
have a plain fabric cover, or it may be provided with a head 12 and
other ornamental features which resemble a popular animated
character, zoo or farm animal, or other children's character, or
some other shape of interest to children. Licensing of a
copyrighted or trademarked animated character, which provides an
image or likeness which is substantially duplicated in the
ornamental features of the pillow 10 and arms 11, may be developed
as a business method.
[0024] The structure of the first exemplary embodiment provides a
pillow 10 which is stuffed with a soft, flexible, durable material,
such as foam rubber. The pillow 10 provides a plush back 20 and two
elongated arms 11. The plush back 20 provides a back surface 22
which is angled such that it may rest against the wall or window of
a commercial airliner, train, or bus. The stuffing 40 is preferably
removable in three pieces and the cover 41 is preferably machine
washable, closing with a zipper 42 on the bottom surface 43. The
pillow 10 is soft and may be easily shaped by the user into a very
comfortable, concave shape to cradle the user's head, torso, and
arms. Any ornamental features which are hard, such as eyes 13, are
preferably provided on the outer perimeter of the pillow 10,
outside of the area which would be ordinarily rendered concave by
the user. Any ornamental features which protrude, such as a snout
14, are preferably provided on the outer perimeter or are
completely collapsible. Additionally, the pillow 10 may provide a
compact case for storage and transport. The pillow 10 may be easily
compressed and stored in the case.
[0025] To use the first exemplary embodiment, the user may place
the pillow 10 on a seat in a commercial airliner, a seat on a
passenger train or bus, or some other coach travel seat. The user
may configure the pillow 10 and arms 11 in any manner which would
make the user more comfortable, such as rendering a large concavity
on the front surface of the pillow 10 to accommodate the user's
head and torso. The user may then sit on the seat, lean back on the
pillow 10, and fasten the seat belt as may be applicable.
[0026] The pillow 10 and the arms 11 are preferably manufactured
from a flexible, durable material which is comfortable and machine
washable, such as plush cotton ort cotton-rayon blend fabric,
stuffed with a removable stuffing which is preferably manufactured
from a flexible, durable material such as a thin layer of memory
foam covering a polystyrene or bean bag filler. The eyes 12 are
preferably manufactured from a rigid, durable material such as
plastic or acrylic polymer. The zipper is preferably manufactured
from a rigid, durable material which is corrosion resistant, such
as stainless steel, brass, or aluminum alloy.
[0027] Components, component sizes, and materials listed above are
preferable, but artisans will recognize that alternate components
and materials could be selected without altering the scope of the
invention.
[0028] While the foregoing written description of the invention
enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is presently
considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in
the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations,
combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method,
and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be
limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples,
but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of
the invention.
* * * * *