Patent Application
20200146921
This invention relates to pillows for use in caskets, and more specifically to casket pillows which are easily and inexpensively made.
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One source of costs associated with making casket pillows is the required labor. For example, forming the pillowcase for the pillow requires labor. The pillowcase must be sewn or otherwise formed from at least one panel of fabric material so that the pillowcase can be filled with filling material. Additionally, then, filling the pillowcase with filling material requires additional labor. Furthermore, once the pillowcase has been filled with the filling material, the pillowcase must be closed to retain the filling material within the pillowcase during subsequent transportation and use of the pillow. Closing the pillowcase further provides the desired appearance of the finished pillow within the casket. Closing the pillowcase requires still more labor. Each of these steps is necessary for providing a pillow for use in a casket. Accordingly, one way to reduce costs associated with the labor for performing each of these steps is to improve the ease and efficiency of each of these steps.
Another source of costs associated with making casket pillows is the required materials. For example, pillows require fabric material and thread for forming a pillowcase, filling material for filling the pillowcase, and some closing element for closing the filled pillowcase. Use of each of these materials inherently generates some waste. Accordingly, one way to reduce costs associated with the materials for making casket pillows is to improve the efficiency of use of the materials.
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provides a method of making a pillow for use in a casket. The method includes sewing a pillowcase having a main body portion and a narrowed portion such that the main body portion is closed along a perimeter except at the narrowed portion, such that the narrowed portion projects from the perimeter, and such that the narrowed portion is open on two ends. The method further includes passing material through the two open ends of the narrowed portion into the main body portion. The method further includes folding fabric of the narrowed portion inwardly into the main body portion.
At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of making a pillow for use in a casket. The method includes arranging two panels of fabric on a frame in an operating area of a programmable sewing machine. The method further includes operating the programmable sewing machine to sew the two panels of fabric together along a stitching path to form a pillowcase having a main body portion and a narrowed portion. The method further includes removing the pillowcase from the frame, inverting the pillowcase such that the stitching path is arranged in an interior of the pillowcase, filling the interior of the pillowcase with a material, and tucking the narrowed portion into the main body portion.
The above-described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Once the first and second panels of fabric 208, 212 are arranged on the frame 200, the frame 200 is arranged in the operating area 216 of the sewing machine 204. In particular, the frame 200 is arranged relative to the sewing machine 204 such that the opening 214 is arranged in the operating area 216 of the sewing machine 204. The frame 200 holds the first and second panels 208, 212 in place relative to each other and relative to the frame 200 during the sewing operation performed in the operating area 216 by the sewing machine 204.
In an alternative embodiment, more than two panels of fabric can be arranged on the frame 200 and sewn together by the sewing machine 204 to produce a desired aesthetic. For example, a panel of fabric made of a particularly thin material may have a surface texture and/or appearance which is desired for viewing in the casket arrangement. However, the thin material may be too sheer or translucent to use on its own as the panel of fabric that makes up the visible side of the pillowcase. In other words, using the thin material as one of the panels of fabric that makes up the pillowcase may result in undesirable visibility of less aesthetically desirable filling material within the pillow. Accordingly, an additional panel of fabric may be sewn to the panel of thin material to provide adequate opacity to the visible side of the pillowcase while still enabling the panel of thin material to be arranged on the exterior of the pillow for viewing in the casket arrangement.
In another alternative embodiment, the panels of fabric can, in fact, be a single continuous piece of fabric that is doubled or folded onto itself prior to sewing. In such an embodiment, the single continuous piece of fabric provides both of the two panels of fabric to be sewn together. In any case, the method 100 includes arranging at least two panels of fabric, such as first panel 208 and second panel 212, on the frame 200 in an operating area 216 of the sewing machine 204 (see block 104 of method 100).
Once the panels of fabric 208, 212 have been arranged on the frame 200 in the operating area 216, the sewing machine 204 is operated to sew the first and second panels of fabric 208, 212 together to form a pillowcase (see block 108 of method 100). In the embodiment shown, the sewing machine 204 is a programmable sewing machine. Accordingly, as shown in
The narrowed portion lines of stitches 240 generally form a rectangle 242, which is represented by dashed lines in
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In another alternative embodiment, the panels of fabric 208, 212 can be sewn together by hand. In such an embodiment, the panels of fabric 208, 212 are arranged in an operating area of a person sewing the panels together by hand rather than an operating area of a sewing machine. Similarly, in such an embodiment, the sewn pillowcase 264 is removed from the operating area of the person who sewed the panels of fabric together by hand rather than an operating area of a sewing machine.
One advantage of sewing the panels of fabric 208, 212 together using the programmable sewing machine 204 is a reduction in labor costs. A programmable sewing machine is capable of sewing more quickly with fewer errors than a human seamstress, which reduces the amount of time required to sew each pillowcase. While the programmable sewing machine may still be operated by a human, the efficiency of the use of labor is still improved as the programmable sewing machine enables the human to produce more pillowcases in the same amount of time. Additionally, operating the programmable sewing machine requires a lower amount of skill and experience than sewing by hand. Accordingly, the labor that is used to produce the pillowcase using a programmable sewing machine can be less skilled, and thus less expensive, than the labor that is used to produce the pillowcase by a traditional (non-programmable) sewing machine. Thus, using a programmable sewing machine reduces labor costs associated with sewing pillowcases.
Another advantage of using the programmable sewing machine 204 to sew the panels of fabric 208, 212 together is a reduction in material costs. A programmable sewing machine is less likely to make an error than a human seamstress, which results in less wasted materials. Additionally, a programmable sewing machine can be programmed to optimize material usage, for example, by sewing stitching lines closer together than is practical for a human seamstress, who will require greater seam allowances. Furthermore, a programmable sewing machine will produce a completely standardized product, while products produced by human seamstresses will have some inherent variation. Given the intended use of the pillowcase, to present as tidy an appearance in a casket as possible, it is desirable to produce pillowcases that consistently fit in a casket the same way, therefore having consistent dimensions. Accordingly, using a programmable sewing machine reduces material costs associated with sewing pillowcases and improves the consistency of the product.
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More specifically, inserting the filling material 268 into the main body portion 228 further includes fitting the second open end 260b of the narrowed portion 232 over an output of a pillow blower, or pillow filling machine, to enable the pillow filling machine to move the filling material 268 through the first and second open ends 260a, 260b of the narrowed portion 232 and into the main body portion 228 of the pillowcase 264. A pillow filling machine is configured to mechanically move filling material from a source through an output by use of pressurized air. Accordingly, the pillowcase 264 is configured such that the second open end 260b of the narrowed portion 232 can be readily fitted over the output of a pillow filling machine. Additionally, the filling material 268 is one which can be inserted into the pillowcase 264 by a pillow filling machine, to enable automated filling of the pillowcase 264 with the filling material 268.
In an alternative embodiment, the pillowcase 264 can be filled by hand by removing filling material 268 from a source and inserting the filling material 268 through the first and second open ends 260a, 260b of the narrowed portion 232 into the main body portion 228. However, using a pillow filling machine to fill the pillowcase 264 reduces labor and material costs associated with making a pillow relative to filling the pillowcase by hand.
Pillow filling machines are able to insert filling material into pillowcases faster and more consistently than a human inserting filling material into pillowcases by hand. Accordingly, pillow filling machines reduce labor costs by enabling a human to fill more pillowcases in the same amount of time. Additionally, pillow filling machines move filling material directly from the source into the pillowcase via an opening in the pillowcase. In contrast, a human filling a pillowcase by hand removes filling material from the source and then inserts it through an opening into the pillowcase, inherently losing some amount of filling material from their hand between the source and the pillowcase. Accordingly, pillow filling machines also reduce material costs by enabling a human to waste less filling material while filling a pillowcase. Even if the pillow filling machine is operated by a human, the labor and material costs associated with filling a pillow will be reduced relative to filling a pillow by hand.
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As used herein, folding the narrowed portion 232 “at” a particular feature also means folding the narrowed portion “over” that particular feature or “along” that particular feature. For example, folding the narrowed portion 232 “along” the fold line 272 also means that the narrowed portion 232 is folded “over” the fold line 272 and that the narrowed portion 232 is folded “at” the fold line 272. These three terms are used interchangeably herein to indicate that an element at, along, or over which the narrowed portion 232 is folded provides a point of reference relative to which the narrowed portion 232 is folded such that the narrowed portion 232 is arranged on the opposite side of the element after folding. For example, folding at, along, or over an element can result in arrangement of the narrowed portion 232 in a substantially mirrored position on the opposite side of the element.
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Furthermore, the narrowed portion 232 is folded into the main body portion 228 in such a manner so as to retain the filling material 268 within the main body portion 228 during subsequent transportation and use of the pillow 276. Further to this end, the lengths of the closed sides 256 of the narrowed portion 232 (shown in
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Furthermore, covering the non-continuous edge of the pillowcase 264 eliminates the need to close the pillowcase 264 at the first open end 260a, which further reduces labor and materials costs associated with forming the pillow 276. In contrast, to close a casket pillow along the entire edge of the pillowcase 264, a zipper, buttons, snaps, or other closing elements are required to close the opening through which the pillowcase was filled with filling material.
Such closing elements, if visible in the final product, may even detract from the desired aesthetic of a tidy, comfortable pillow Eliminating the need for such closing elements eliminates labor costs of applying such closing elements to the pillow as well as material costs of providing such closing elements.
Additionally, leaving the edge of the pillowcase 264 open at the first open end 260a by folding the narrowed portion 232 into the main body portion 228, rather than closing the pillowcase 264 at the first open end 260a with closing elements, enables the person arranging the deceased on the pillow 276 to easily reach into the pillow 276 to adjust the amount or position of the filling material 268 within the pillowcase 264.
In an alternative embodiment, the main body portion lines of stitches 236 and the narrowed portion lines of stitches 240 can form shapes other than the rectangles 238, 242. For example, one or both of the lines of stitches 236, 240 can generally form ovals, squares, circles, or any other shapes so long as the narrowed portion 232 projects from the main body portion 228 and can be folded over a fold line and tucked into the main body portion 228 in the manner described above.
The present disclosure provides a method for forming a pillow for use in a casket that reduces labor and material costs associated with making casket pillows. Of course, numerous other adaptations are possible. Moreover, there are advantages to individual advancements described herein that may be obtained without incorporating other aspects described above. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.
