Patent Application
20080189855
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable sleeping assembly, and in particular, to a bed assembly which can be disassembled for convenient storage and transportation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional beds are rather bulky and heavy, and are therefore difficult to move around. However, in today's society, people are constantly moving around, and the need for portable bedding is greater than ever.
One conventional type of portable bedding is the sleeping bag. Sleeping bags can be rolled or folded up, thereby making them easy to pack, store and carry around. Sleeping bags are also very easy to set up for use. Unfortunately, sleeping bags are not very comfortable because the user is essentially sleeping directly on the ground, and most conventional sleeping bags do not provide enough padding so that the user will inevitably feel the ground as he/she is sleeping in the sleeping bag. Conventional mats are similar to sleeping bags and suffer from similar drawbacks.
Another conventional type of portable bedding is an inflatable mattress. Inflatable mattresses come close to providing the comfort and environment of a traditional bed as they elevate the user from the ground while providing a comfortable yet sufficiently firm sleeping surface. However, inflatable mattresses are not as convenient to use. They must be inflated for use, and then deflated for storage. Unless the user has access to a pump, the inflation and deflation of an inflatable mattress can be very time-consuming.
Thus, there still remains a need for portable bedding that is comfortable for the user, yet is easy to install and disassemble for storage.
The present invention provides a sleeping apparatus that has a collapsible base that assumes a deployed position and a collapsed position where the base has a smaller size than in the deployed configuration, and a sleeping mat that is removably attached to the top panel of the base.
The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Referring to
The collapsible base 12 has a top panel 20 that can be made of a fabric. A collapsible frame system is provided below the top panel 20 to support the top panel 20 above the ground. The frame system also functions to allow the entire base 12 to be collapsed into a smaller size and shape for storage. The frame system can be any known collapsible frame system, but in the present embodiment, can include a plurality of struts 22 that are connected to each other at hinges 24. The struts 22 are adapted to be folded or pivoted at the locations of the hinges 24. Four vertical struts 26, 28, 30 at the four corners of the base 12 function as legs for supporting the top panel 20 at a raised or suspended position with respect to the ground. The top panel 20 can be secured to the top of the frame system. As shown in
The sleeping bag 14 can be any conventional sleeping bag or mat piece, but according to one embodiment of the present invention, the sleeping bag 14 can be embodied in the form of the sleeping bag described in connection with FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,192, whose entire disclosure is incorporated by this reference as though set forth fully herein. In particular, the sleeping bag has a generally rectangular outer layer 42 that is made of a suitable water-resistant sheet material, and a co-extensive inner rectangular layer or liner 44 that is preferably of a nappy material such as flannel. The outer and inner layers 42, 44 are connected together around their perimeters by a stitching to form a two-layer bag panel. The air space between the layers 42, 44 provides a certain amount of insulation. Zipper slides 36, 38 can be secured by a stitching to the opposite side edges of the bag panel, and to the bottom of the bag panel on opposite sides of a vertical centerline 46, so that when the bag panel is folded along the centerline, the zipper slides 36, 38 may be joined together by a zipper slider to form the sleeping bag shown in
As an alternative, the sleeping bag 14 can be an inflatable sleeping bag which can be inflated via inflation ports 50.
In use, the sleeping bag 14 can be folded together, or rolled up, to reduce its size and shape. The base 12 can be folded and collapsed by pivoting the struts 22 about the hinges 24 to fold the frame system into a small and compact arrangement, as shown in
The principles of the present invention can be extended to non-sleep applications.
While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
