Patent Grant
8726432
The present disclosure relates generally to sleeping bags and, more particularly, to a cold weather sleeping bag adapted for use with a non-integral hood that seals relative to the sleeping bag while allowing the user to keep the hood's face opening in the same position relative to the user's face while permitting the user to assume sleeping positions on either side, back or stomach.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A sleeping bag typically includes first and second opposed halves defining a sleeping compartment therebetween and which are connected in such a way to define an entrance aperture at an entrance side or end of the sleeping bag. Each half of the sleeping bag includes an outer shell and an inner shell with an insulating material disposed and retained between these two layers. Insulation thickness depends on the minimum ambient air temperatures that are expected to be encountered by the user. Colder temperatures require a greater thickness of insulation to keep heat loss from the user sufficiently low enough that the user does not become uncomfortable. Sleeping bags come in several different physical configurations including, but not limited to, rectangular, semi-rectangular and mummy. In addition, many sleeping bags incorporate an integral hood. Typically, sleeping bags have one or more closure devices, such as zippers, of a selected length to provide access to the entrance aperture and which can be located on the sides, ends or top to permit use of the sleeping bag.
Cold weather sleeping bags normally incorporate integral hoods to minimize drafts and provide more insulation than is normally afforded using commonly available head covers. Often these cold weather bags also incorporate internal collars with draw cords that allow the collars to be snugged around the user's neck to further reduce drafts while also dividing the sleeping compartment into two distinct volumes, one for the body and one for the head. Since the hood is integral, the face opening is designed to be in a predetermined or “set” position relative to the user's face and mouth which is typically defined when the user is lying on his/her back. If the user wishes to sleep on their side or stomach they must turn the bag to retain the hood face opening in the proper position relative to the face. Thus, it is difficult to change positions while retaining the face opening in the set position relative user's face since the whole sleeping bag must be rotated. This is especially difficult in the confines of a small tent, as would normally be used in conjunction with such cold weather sleeping bags in mountaineering or backpacking applications. On the other hand, if the user rotates in the bag, which is a much simpler and easier proposition than rotating the whole bag, they will then be breathing into the interior of the bag with the face opening of the bag now at the side or back of their head. Breathing inside the bag is an unacceptable condition since it introduces significant amounts of moisture into the inside of the bag which, as it passes through the insulation, driven by the thermal gradient and air motion, condenses in the insulation, thus reducing the effectiveness of the insulation.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of the inventive concepts. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present disclosure. Furthermore, this summary is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention and/or delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Accordingly, the primary purpose of this summary is to present some embodiments and/or features of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description presented later in this application.
It is an aspect of the present teachings to provide a sleeping bag that overcomes the undesirable features of prior art sleeping bags.
It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a two-piece sleeping bag assembly comprised of a sleeping bag having a neck aperture and an independent hood adapted to be installed over the user's head and having a hood face opening that is sized to be located relative to the user's face. An elongated neck portion of the hood is sealed relative to the neck aperture of the sleeping bag while allowing independent movement of the hood relative to the sleeping bag.
It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide adjustment features in association with the neck aperture of the sleeping bag to facilitate adjustment of the size of the neck aperture to optimize the thermal, compressible seal established with the neck portion of the hood.
In accordance with these and other aspects, the present disclosure is directed to cold weather sleeping bag assembly comprised of a sleeping bag and a non-integrated hood. The sleeping bag constructed with a fixed or adjustable neck aperture which accepts and provides an interference seal around the long necked insulated hood. The hood may or may not be constructed to specifically mate with the cold weather sleeping bag. Separating the insulated hood from the insulated sleeping bag while maintaining a thermal, compressible seal therebetween allows the hood to rotate independently of the sleeping bag which, in-turn, allows the user to assume any sleeping position while retaining the hood face opening (whose area is normally adjustable by a draw cord) relative to the user's face.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description and claims herein. The description and specific examples in the disclosure and summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Similar or identical elements are given consistent reference numerals throughout the various figures.
Reference now will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
The following exemplary embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices and schematic configurations to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed, that the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
The sleeping bag 10 has a first half 15 and a second half 17 arranged in opposing facing relation so that first half 15 and second half 17 are configured to define a sleeping compartment therebetween when zipper assembly 16 is closed. A drawstring 24 can be used in conjunction with a pair of draw hems 19 and 20 to adjustably vary a face opening associated with hood 9 at the top of sleeping bag 10 once zipper assembly 16 has been drawn to its closed position. A drawstring lock 21 is also provided to maintain the drawstring 24 in a preferred cinched position. Cold weather bags, especially those to be used in temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit, may also incorporate upper and lower internal collars 22 and a corresponding draw-cord 23 to seal around the user's neck, thus creating two separate compartments within the sleeping bag, one for the user's head and one for the remainder of the user's body.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a sleeping bag assembly 28, as best shown in
The sleeping bag 30 has a first half or section 35 and a second half or section 37 arranged in opposing facing relation so that the first section 35 and the second section 37 are configured to define a sleeping compartment therebetween when zipper assembly 36 is closed. Although the configuration of the sleeping bag 30 utilizes a fold-over construction with connection by zipper assembly 36, many other configurations may be utilized. For example, the sleeping bag may be formed such that a connection is made at the top or bottom of the sleeping bag instead of along a side edge. Furthermore, the first and second sections may define top and bottom sections that are formed as two distinct sub-assemblies and then connected along their edges. Finally, the sleeping bag 30 may have any shaped configuration including, without limitation, rectangular or mummy shaped.
Regardless of the configuration, the sleeping bag 30 will include a neck opening 39 that is located at the entrance end 31 of the sleeping bag 30. This opening 39 may be designed having a geometric shape similar to a cross section of the user's neck but having a circumference somewhat larger than that of the user's neck in order to accommodate an overlapping seal with the hood unit. An exemplary version of a full-length, non-integral sleeping bag hood 40 is shown in
As noted,
In accordance with a preferred construction, hood 40 includes an outer shell 46 and an inner shell 47 having an insulating material inserted therebetween and retained therein between distinct tubes or sections defined by baffles 48. Hood 40 is further shown to include a collar section 49 and a head section 50 interconnected by the neck section 45. As noted, the neck section 45 is sized for installation within the neck opening 39 of the sleeping bag 30. Collar section 49 is configured to provide additional sealing as it contacts against portions of the inner shell 34 adjacent to neck opening 39.
Referring to
While specific aspects have been described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made and equivalents can be substituted for elements and components thereof without departing from the scope of the present teachings, as defined in the claims. Furthermore, the mixing and matching of features, elements, components and/or functions between various aspects of the present teachings are expressly contemplated herein so that one skilled in the art will appreciate from the present teachings that features, elements, components and/or functions of one aspect of the present teachings can be incorporated into another aspect, as appropriate, unless described otherwise above. Moreover, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, configuration, or material to the present teachings without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present teachings not be limited to the particular aspects illustrated by the drawings and described in the specification as the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present teachings, but that the scope of the present teachings include many aspects and examples following within the foregoing description and the appended claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919154 | Astrove | Jul 1933 | A |
| 2372110 | Noone | Mar 1945 | A |
| 5815833 | Kuo | Oct 1998 | A |
