Patent Application
20200085216
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to pillowcase devices and more particularly pertains to a new pillowcase device for keeping a user warm without a blanket.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pillowcase that has a length of at least 50.0 inches and a width of at least 20.0 inches. A body pillow can be positioned in the pillowcase such that the pillowcase rests against a user when the user lies against the body pillow. A heating unit is coupled to the pillowcase and the heating unit is in thermal communication with the pillowcase. The heating unit heats the pillowcase when the heating unit is turned on to keep the user warm when the user lies against the body pillow.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A fastener 20 is coupled to the pillowcase 12 for opening and closing the pillowcase 12. The fastener 20 is positioned on and is coextensive with the first end 16 and additionally extends partially along a first lateral side 21 of the outer wall 18 of the pillowcase 12. The fastener 20 may comprise a zipper, a pair of hook and loop fasteners and any other type of linear fastener for opening and closing the pillowcase 12. Additionally, the fastener 20 may be comprised of a thermally insulating material, such as plastic or other material that resists thermal communication.
A heating unit 22 is coupled to the pillowcase 12 and the heating unit 22 is in thermal communication with the pillowcase 12. Thus, the heating unit 22 heats the pillowcase 12 when the heating unit 22 is turned on. In this way the heating unit 22 can keep the user warm when the user lies against the body pillow 14. Additionally, the heating unit 22 facilitates the user to be warmed without lying beneath a blanket thereby enhancing comfort for users who find sleeping beneath a blanket to be too warm.
The heating unit 22 comprises a heating element 24 that is positioned within the outer wall 18 of the pillowcase 12 such that the heating element 24 is in thermal communication with the outer wall 18. The heating element 24 is formed into a plurality of loops 26 that are distributed over an entirety of the outer wall 18. Additionally, the heating element 24 may be an electronic heating element 24 and may have an operational temperature ranging between approximately 80.0 degrees Fahrenheit and 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
A power cord 27 is coupled to and extends away from the outer wall 18 of the pillowcase 12 and the power cord 27 is electrically coupled to the heating element 24. The power cord 27 has a distal end 28 with respect to the pillowcase 12 and a plug is electrically coupled to the distal end 28 for plugging into a female electrical outlet. The heating element 24 may include an input port 30 and the power cord 27 may removably engage the input port 30 thereby facilitating the power cord 27 to be removed from the pillowcase 12 when the pillowcase 12 is laundered.
A control 32 is coupled to the power cord 27 and the control 32 turns the heating element 24 on and off. The control 32 comprises a housing 34 that is coupled to the power cord 27. The housing 34 has an outwardly facing surface 36 and the housing 34 is positioned between the pillowcase 12 and the plug on the power cord 27. A power button 38 is movably coupled to the outwardly facing surface 36 of the housing 34. The power button 38 is in electrical communication with the heating element 24 such that the power button 38 turns the heating element 24 on and off.
A heat increase button 40 is movably coupled to the outwardly facing surface 36 of the housing 34 and the heat increase button 40 is in electrical communication with the heating element 24. The heating element 24 is actuated to an increased operational temperature when the heat increase button 40 is manipulated. Moreover, the heating element 24 can be actuated to its maximum operational temperature with the heat increase button 40. A heat decrease button 42 is movably coupled to the outwardly facing surface 36 of the housing 34 and the heat decrease button 42 is in electrical communication with the heating element 24. The heating element 24 is actuated to a decreased operational temperature when the heat decrease button 42 is manipulated. Thus, the heating element 24 can be actuated to its minimum operational temperature with the heat decrease button 42.
In use, the body pillow 14 is positioned in the pillowcase 12 and the fastener 20 is manipulated to close the pillow case. The power button 38 is manipulated to turn the heating element 24 on when the user lies against the body pillow 14 or clutches the body pillow 14. In this way the user is kept warm for sleeping without lying beneath a blanket. Each of the heat increase 40 and heat decrease 42 buttons is manipulated to adjust the temperature of the heating element 24. The power cord 27 may be removed from the pillowcase 12 when the pillowcase 12 is being laundered thereby protecting the power button 38, the heat increase button 40 and the heat decrease button 42 from being damaged by water.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
