Patent Application
20250134285
The present invention relates to a neck pillow convertible into a plurality of different configurations, such as a neck pillow configuration and a garment configuration.
Neck pillows of various shapes and sizes have been used to provide support to a user's head and neck during prolonged periods of use. However, transporting a conventional neck pillow while not in use is a burdensome process because the user has to either manually carry the neck pillow or attempt to store the neck pillow in a bag. Because the neck pillow is intended to support the head of the user, the neck pillow has limited compressibility which results in wasted space in the bag being taken up by the neck pillow.
The following is a brief summary of subject matter that is described in greater detail herein. This summary is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the claims.
The present application provides a neck pillow that is convertible between a neck pillow configuration and a garment configuration configured such that the user can wear the neck pillow as a garment (e.g., sweatshirt) when the user does not require the use of a neck pillow. More particularly, the convertible neck pillow includes a pillow body that defines a shape of the neck pillow with a hollow interior and a wearable garment that is stored within the hollow interior of the pillow body in the neck pillow configuration.
Thus, the wearable garment acts as the stuffing of the neck pillow in the neck pillow configuration and can be removed from within the pillow body to be worn as a convertible garment in the garment configuration. The wearable garment can be attached to the pillow body such that the pillow body remains a part of the convertible neck pillow in the garment configuration. Accordingly, the user can wear the convertible neck pillow in different configurations as needed, namely as a neck pillow and/or as a garment.
In an embodiment, the convertible neck pillow adapted as a pillow in a first configuration and as clothing in a second configuration comprises a U-shaped pillow body defining a hollow interior and a convertible garment having a body portion. At least a part of the convertible garment is attached to an interior surface of the pillow body. In the first configuration, the body portion is located within the hollow interior of the pillow body to form a stuffing of the convertible neck pillow. In the second configuration, the body portion is external to the hollow interior such that the body portion is adapted to be worn by the user such that an exterior surface of the pillow body forms a surface of a wearable garment. The convertible neck pillow further includes a fastener on the pillow body configured to close at least a portion of an opening on the pillow body configured for passing at least a portion of the convertible garment therethrough.
Thus, the user can switch the convertible neck pillow from the neck pillow configuration to the garment configuration by opening the fastener to access the interior of the pillow body. The user can then withdraw the compacted convertible garment from within the pillow body and arrange the convertible garment for use by the user as a wearable garment. The neck pillow can be converted from the garment configuration to the neck pillow configuration by reversing the above-described steps.
The above presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. Nor is it intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods.
Aspects of the present application pertain to a convertible neck pillow convertible between a neck pillow configuration and a garment configuration adapted to be worn by a user are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details.
In reference to the disclosure herein, for purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as, top, bottom, left, right, up, down, upper, lower, over, above, below, beneath, rear, and front, may be used. Such directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the features described herein in any manner. It is to be understood that embodiments presented herein are by way of example and not by way of limitation. The intent of the following detailed description, although discussing exemplary embodiments, is to be construed to cover all modifications, alternatives, and equivalents of the embodiments as may fall within the spirit and scope of the features described herein.
Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Additionally, as used herein, the term “exemplary” is intended to mean serving as an illustration or example of something and is not intended to indicate a preference.
Further, as used herein, the term “garment” may include, but is not limited to, a hooded sweatshirt, crew neck sweatshirt, v-neck sweatshirt, vest, shirt, robe, sweater, jacket, towel, blanket, cape, zippered sweatshirt, and/or the like. As used herein, the term “character” can include, but is not limited to, brand logos, text, people, animals, imaginary beings, personified objects, mascots, cartoon characters, monsters, robots, other creatures, and/or the like.
Disclosed is a pillow that is convertible between a pillow configuration and a garment configuration. In the following embodiments, the pillow is a neck pillow configured to surround and cradle a portion of a user's neck in the neck pillow configuration. However, any suitable pillow is contemplated and the below described features may be incorporated into other pillow designs, such as a bed pillow, a travel pillow, a doughnut pillow, a lumbar pillow, a body pillow, a combination pillow, and/or the like.
In the garment configuration, the neck pillow is converted to a wearable garment where a convertible garment is removed from the interior of the pillow body to be adapted for being worn by the user. In the neck pillow configuration, the convertible garment is stored within the interior of the pillow body to help maintain the shape of the pillow body while in the garment configuration the pillow body is collapsed to form a portion of the wearable garment. Accordingly, as will be described in detail below, the neck pillow can be converted between the neck pillow configuration and the garment configuration by selectively storing and/or removing the convertible garment within the pillow body of the neck pillow. Thus, in one scenario a user can wear the item as a neck pillow, while in another scenario the user can open the neck pillow to wear the item as a garment.
The pillow body and/or the wearable garment may include one or more character features that can represent a logo and/or a particular character, e.g., a brand, a cartoon character, and/or a mascot. The pillow body and the wearable garment may include the same character feature(s) and/or the character feature(s) can vary. For instance, the pillow body may include a first logo of a brand while the wearable garment includes a second logo of the brand.
Illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the pillow body 104 is generally torus shaped with a portion removed, resulting in a U-shaped pillow body 104. More particularly, the pillow body 104 defines a central opening 106 configured to accommodate the user's neck and a gap 108 shaped to receive the user's neck to allow the user to put on and take off the neck pillow 100. The pillow body 104 can have any suitable dimensions for surrounding and cradling a portion of a user's neck in the neck pillow configuration. For instance, the pillow body 104 may be a torus that is 10 inches in diameter. In another example, the pillow body 104 may have different dimensions between a length of the pillow body 104 and a width of the pillow body 104.
The pillow body 104 includes a hollow interior configured to receive at least part of the convertible garment 302 when in the neck pillow configuration 102. The entire interior of the pillow body 104 can be hollow or a portion thereof. For instance, in one embodiment a majority (>50%) of the interior of the pillow body 104 is hollow while in another embodiment a minority (<50%) of the interior of the pillow body 104 is hollow. The amount of the interior of the pillow body 104 that is hollow may depend on any suitable factors such as size of the pillow body, size of the convertible garment 302, and/or the like. The pillow body 104 includes an exterior surface 110 facing outwardly and engageable by the user in the neck pillow configuration 102 and a corresponding interior surface facing inwardly within the pillow body 104.
To further accommodate the user's neck, the pillow body 104 is flexible and/or adjustable while maintaining the neck pillow shape via the convertible garment 302 (
The pillow body 104 further includes an aperture 200 formed on the exterior surface 110 to permit access to the hollow interior of the pillow body 104. The aperture 200 can take any shape and/or size for permitting access to the hollow interior. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture 200 has a curved shape that is similar to the curve of the U-shaped pillow body 104. Moreover, the aperture 200 can be located at any suitable location on the pillow body 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture 200 is located on a first side 202 of the pillow body 104 while the opposite second side 112 (
To prevent unintentional access to the hollow interior and/or unintentional removal of the convertible garment 302 from the hollow interior, the neck pillow 100 can include a fastener 204 that closes at least a portion of the aperture 200. Any suitable fastener 204 can be used and any suitable portion of the aperture 200 can be closed by the fastener 204. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 204 comprises a zipper. In another embodiment, the fastener 204 can comprise a hook-and-loop fastener, one or more buttons, one or more clasps, and/or the like.
Turning now to
The garment configuration 300 may further include other aspects associated with traditional sweatshirts. For instance, the sleeves 306a and 306b may each include a respective cuff 310 at the end of the sleeve. In a further example, the body portion 304 may include an elastic cuff 312 at the bottom of the body portion 304. In another example, the garment configuration 300 may include one or more fasteners configured to removably fasten together one or more portions of the garment configuration 300, such as a zipper, button, Velcro, clasp, snap, and/or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the body portion 304 comprises a solid sweatshirt; while in another embodiment, the body portion 304 can include a zipper along the front similar to a zippered sweatshirt.
The convertible garment 302 can be made of any suitable material and different material may be used for different portions. Such materials can include cotton, polyester, elastics, wool, and/or blends of any of these or other materials. For instance, the sleeves 306a and 306b may be made of a first material while a torso portion of the body portion 304 may be made of a second material. Moreover, one or more portions of the body portion 304 can be made of similar material as a portion of the pillow body 104 and/or the materials may differ.
As briefly described above, the convertible garment 302 can be connected to the pillow body 104 such that in the garment configuration 300 the pillow body 104 remains attached to the convertible garment 302. In one embodiment, the convertible garment 302 is attached to the interior surface of the pillow body 104 such that the convertible garment 302 can be fully stored in the pillow body 104 in the neck pillow configuration 102. However, the convertible garment 302 can be attached to any portion of the pillow body 104.
The convertible garment 302 and the pillow body 104 can be attached in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the convertible garment 302 and the pillow body 104 are permanently attached. For instance, the convertible garment 302 and the interior surface of the pillow body 104 can be formed together and/or can be formed separately and then attached together (e.g., stitched, sewn, and/or the like). In another embodiment, the convertible garment 302 and the interior surface of the pillow body 104 can be selectively coupled and/or decoupled. For instance, the convertible garment 302 and the interior surface of the pillow body 104 can be coupled together by another fastener (e.g., a hook-and-loop fastener, a zipper, a button, etc.) that permits the user to separate the convertible garment 302 and the pillow body 104 when desired.
Because the convertible garment 302 acts as a filler material for at least a portion of the pillow body 104, when the convertible garment 302 is removed in the garment configuration 300 at least a portion of the pillow body 104 can collapse. The collapsed pillow body 314 can be seen in
Turning now to
Conversely,
The convertible neck pillow 100 may further include a hood that is usable in the neck pillow configuration 102 and/or the garment configuration 300. Illustrated in
Illustrated in
In a yet further embodiment, the convertible neck pillow 100 may include two separate hoods with a first hood (e.g., hood 800) usable in both the neck pillow configuration 102 and the garment configuration 300 and a second hood (e.g., hood 900) usable in only the garment configuration. In the neck pillow configuration 102, both the body portion 304 and the second hood would be stored in the hollow interior of the pillow body 104. Conversely, in the garment configuration 300 with both the first hood and second hood available for use, the first hood can be tucked into the collapsed pillow body (e.g., collapsed pillow body 314) to form a second neck pillow that can be utilized by the user while wearing the body 304 and/or the second hood.
As briefly mentioned above, the neck pillow configuration 102 and/or the garment configuration 300 can include one or more sets of character features that can indicate a brand, a cartoon character, a mascot, and/or the like. For instance, the pillow body 104 may include character features that correspond to a brand logo 1000 which comprises three spaced circles as seen in
The body portion 304 of the convertible garment 302 may include character features that are similar to those of character features on the pillow body 104 and/or the character features may vary. In
The convertible neck pillow 100 may further include a portion that acts as a neck pillow in the garment configuration 300. Illustrated in
Any of the above described convertible neck pillows may yet further include additional structure attached to the exterior surface 110 of the pillow body 104 for storing the convertible neck pillow in the neck pillow configuration 102 when not in use. Any suitable structure can be used, such as a pouch which may be closeable and/or the like.
What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable modification and alteration of the above devices or methodologies for purposes of describing the aforementioned aspects, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further modifications and permutations of various aspects are possible. Accordingly, the described aspects are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
