1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling mat for helping to maintain a person's body cool while lying on a beach in the hot sun where the mat has a cavity which contains a water/gel mixture which, when frozen, is a pliable solid which can conform to contoured surfaces of the human body.
2. Description of Related Art
Blankets and body wraps for cooling a persons body are known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,354 to Tolbert discloses a cooling blanket having multiple pockets which contain a heat sink which is either a thermoelectric cooling unit or a cold pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,487 to Turner discloses a flexible wrap having a thermal pack which contains a liquid and filler particles which, when frozen, is pliable which can conform to a person's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,455 to St. Ours discloses a shield in the form of a blanket having a pocket which receives replaceable packets of refreezable gel material which absorbs heat as the material melts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,319 to Tobin discloses a wrap around headband with a tube of plastic sheet material filled with refrigerant gel. The tube is covered on the outside with a nonabsorbent and nonporous foam which meters heat transfer from the refrigerant gel to the skin of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,433 to Cahn, et al. discloses a blanket having internal ducts through which a foam is circulated as a cooling fluid where the inside of the blanket facing the person being cooled is maintained at a temperature slightly below body temperature, while the outside of the blanket is insulated to minimize heat exchange with the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,729 to Roney discloses a cuff which is located on a person's wrist which has a flexible sealed envelope filled with a cold gel in an inner condensation-controlling and insulating fabric case located within an outer case of impermeable material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,566 to Abare discloses a body wrap which has a pocket for a hot or cold pack, such as an ice bag
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a cooling mat having a top sheet of a glossy vinyl material, a bottom sheet of a glossy vinyl material attached to the top sheet to provide a mat having a cavity located between the top and bottom sheets of glossy vinyl and a water/gel mixture located in the cavity between the top and bottom sheets of glossy vinyl. The top and bottom sheets of vinyl are coated or impregnated with an ingredient or a material having anti bacterial properties. A cap and nozzle assembly is located on the top sheet of glossy vinyl material for passing the water/gel mixture into the cavity and fabric edging is located around the perimeter of the mat.
The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.
In the description which follows the various parts of the invention are assigned reference numerals which designate specific parts as follows:
Referring to
The mat has a length and width which is sufficient to allows a person to lay on the mat without having any part of his/her body extend beyond an edge of the mat and touch the ground such as sand on a beach. In one embodiment the small mat 11 has a length of between six feet and seven feet, more or less, and a width of between two feet six inches and three feet, more or less. The top and bottom surfaces 17 of the mat can be composed of a clear glossy vinyl plastic which is water resistant and reflects sun light. The edges of the top and bottom sheets are sealed together with an adhesive such as an epoxy or with heat to provide a leak proof cavity therebetween, and a decorative edging of fabric is folded over the top, bottom and side edges of the mat to completely encircle the perimeter of the mat. The fabric edge can be attached to the vinyl with a pressure sensitive adhesive or a heat sensitive adhesive, either of which avoids compromising the water tight integrity of the mat by not puncturing the top and/or bottom sheets of vinyl. Located at a corner of the mat on the top sheet of vinyl is a cap and nozzle assembly 14 which is provided to allow a water/gel mixture 19 to be poured into the cavity between the top and bottom sheets of vinyl.
The water/gel mixture is a freezable liquid composition which is an aqueous solution which, on being frozen, forms a pliable solid material such as a jelly like material or a slush type of material that can be manually formed to the contours of selected portions of the human body. An example of such a material 19 which can be placed in the cavity between the top and bottom vinyl sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,487 where the liquid composition includes water, a gum, an anti-fungal preservative, and a lubricant-like substance which helps prevent frozen water crystals from interlocking to form a solid mass. The composition can also include solid particulate which is not soluble in the liquid portion of the composition.
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The large mat 12 has a length and width which is sufficient to allows two persons to lay on the mat without having any part of their bodies being over an edge of the mat and touching the ground such as sand at a beach. In this embodiment the large mat 12 has a length of between six feet and seven feet, more or less, and a width of between five feet and seven feet, more or less. The top and bottom sheets 17 of the mat can be composed of clear glossy vinyl plastic which are water resistant and reflects sun light. The edges of the top and bottom vinyl sheets of the mat are sealed with an adhesive such as an epoxy or with heat to provide a leak proof seam, and a decorative edging of fabric is folded over the edge of the mat, and completely encircles the perimeter of the mat. The fabric edge can be attached to the top and bottom sheets of vinyl with a pressure sensitive adhesive or a heat sensitive adhesive, either of which avoids compromising the water tight integrity of the mat by not puncturing the top and/or bottom sheets of vinyl. Located at the lower left corner of the mat on the top sheet of vinyl is a cap and nozzle assembly 14 which is provided to allow a water/gel mixture 19 to be poured into the cavity between the sheets of vinyl.
The water/gel mixture is a freezable liquid composition which is an aqueous solution which, on being frozen, forms a pliable solid material such as a jelly like material or a slush type of material that can be manually formed to the contours of selected portions of the human body. An example of such a material 19 which can be placed in the cavity between the top and bottom vinyl sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,487 where the liquid composition includes water, a gum, an anti-fungal preservative, and a lubricant-like substance which helps prevent frozen water crystals from interlocking to form a solid mass. The composition can also include solid particulate which is not soluble in the liquid portion of the composition.
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The large tote bag 22 has an outer tubular layer of clear glossy vinyl 17 and an inner tubular layer of clear glossy vinyl 17 where the space between the two tubular layers form a cavity for receiving a water/gel mixture 19. The top edge of the inner and outer tubular layers are joined with an adhesive or by heat to form a leak proof seam, and a decorative edging of fabric is folded over the top edge of the tote bag, and completely encircles the top edge. The decorative fabric edge can be attached to the inner and outer tubular layers of vinyl with a pressure sensitive adhesive or a heat sensitive adhesive, either of which avoids compromising the water tight integrity of the edge by not puncturing the inner and/or outer tubular layers of vinyl. In a similar manner the bottom edge of the inner and outer tubular layers are joined with an adhesive or by heat to form a leak proof seam and a circular piece of insulated fabric 23 is attached to the bottom edge of the inner and outer tubular layers with a fabric edging 13 which provides a bottom for the tote bag. A decorative edging of fabric 13 is folded over the bottom edge of the inner and outer tubular layers and the edge of the insulated layer 23 of the tote bag 22. The decorative fabric edge can be attached to the fabric 23 with an adhesive or stitching and to the outer tubular layer of vinyl with a pressure sensitive adhesive or a heat sensitive adhesive, either of which avoids compromising the water tight integrity of the edge by not puncturing the outer tubular layer of vinyl. A second insulated layer 23 can be placed under the first insulated layer and the portion of the fabric edging which is attached to the first insulated layer to provide additional insulation. A cap and nozzle assembly 14 can be located about three inches, more or less, up from the bottom of the tote bag for passing a water/gel mixture 19 into the cavity between the inner and outer tubular layers of vinyl. The water/gel mixture is a freezable liquid composition which is an aqueous solution which, on being frozen, forms a pliable solid material such as a jelly like material or a slush type of material that can be manually formed and is similar in composition to the mixture that is in the large mat 12.
Referring to
In use, the blanket or mat disclosed in combination with the insulated tote bag which is used to keep the mat cold as it is being carried to the place of use such as a beach will keep a person's body cool in the hot sun. Prior to going to the beach the blanket or mat is removed from its tote bag and placed in a freezer until the gel in the mat freezes. To insure that the gel in the mat will stay frozen while being carried to the beach, the tote bag can also be placed into the freezer until its gel is frozen. When the gel in the mat and in the tote bag is frozen, they are removed from the freezer and the mat is placed into the tote bag. For longer use, the tote bag can be placed into an insulated beach chest. When at the beach, the tote bag is removed from the insulated beach chest and the mat is removed from the tote bag and spread it out on the beach. The mat is now ready for use and will allow a person or persons to enjoy a cooler more enjoyable hot sunny beach day while relaxing on the cool mat.
While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/219,519 filed on Jun. 23, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61219519 | Jun 2009 | US |