Abstract:
A decorative object, most conveniently embodied as a decorative pillow, is constructed to maintain a substantially fixed spatial relationship to a supporting substrate within a vehicle interior while not requiring the use of fastening means. The supporting substrate may comprise a vehicle seat. A decorative pillow is provided with a surface or surfaces providing ornamentation. Components in the interior of the pillow interact to function efficiently as a fill chamber and a ballast chamber. The ballast chamber may be positioned to avoid engagement with surfaces exposed to a user. Ballast provides for inertia so that the pillow will tend to stay in place when acceleration forces are applied thereto.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/855,150, filed Oct. 30, 2006, entitled: “Stabilized Ornamental Pillow” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present subject matter relates to an ornamental pillow that interacts with its environment to maintain a selected spatial relationship even when subjected to outside forces. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Ornamental pillows have found significant application in many decorating environments. These environments generally comprise rooms in a residence or office. These environments are stationary. However, formal decorating has also been provided in mobile environments. For example, the Lincoln Town Car, beginning in the 1980&#39;s, had models decorated by such designers as Bill Blass. In 2003, the Lincoln Town Car had a Cartier model. Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company has more recently introduced a series of cars with the name Designer Series. Other manufacturers have introduced designer option packages. The art of interior design has been expanded from within the home to the interior of vehicles such as automobiles. 
     Interior design commonly utilizes a number of accessories such as, for example, accent pillows. When used in stationary environments, accessories will stay where they are put. However, in mobile environments, accessories such as pillows may move from a position in which they are originally placed. In a car, a pillow may move when a car goes around the turn or hits a bump. In a smaller boat, e.g., 25 feet, a pillow may fall on to a floor from where it was placed, in response to choppy water conditions or when the boat is making a sharp turn. A fallen pillow may present a safety hazard when an unsuspecting passenger steps on it. The decorator pillow may also become filthy when dropped on a floor. Many materials are hard to clean. Decorator pillows specifically designed for use in mobile environments have not been provided. Weighted pillows exist. However, they have been provided for other purposes and are not suited to decorating in a mobile environment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,453 discloses a seating device including a base portion and at least one top cushion movably positioned on the base portion. An insert of relatively heavier material than that of the cushion is placed in the lower portion of the cushion to maintain the latter in a selected position on the base while the seating device is in use. The top cushion may be an arm cushion, a back cushion or a head cushion. The insert in the lower portion of the top cushion may be of a loose, pourable granulate material such as sand. Additionally the top cushion may be held in a selected position by affixing a Velcro® fastener to the underside of the top cushion. The cushion must be part of an integrated chair or sofa. The cushion cannot have an independent or arbitrary shape or other design element. In embodiments in which Velcro is used, a fastener must be placed on a substrate surface as well as on the cushion. In many applications, a user wants to have the option of removing the cushion and not leave a fastener visible on the substrate. In these applications, the substrate must not have a fastener attached thereto. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,737 discloses a beach blanket having weighted corners. However, this comprises a substantially two-dimensional object that does not have an ornamental relationship with respect to a substrate surface. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,526 discloses a post-operative pillow including a weight and means to removably secure the weight to the pillow. The function of the weight is to assist in the application of pressure to a localized area of the patient&#39;s body. A pocket formed on an outer portion of the pillow receives a removably secured weight which is frictionally retained within the pocket. The pillow does not have a significant position to be maintained in the absence of a user. The weight is selected to be applied to a user. The weight is not related to positioning of the pillow. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,429 discloses an inflatable beach pillow provided with a water compartment that can be filled to anchor the pillow in place, and also has a sand pocket that can alternatively be filled with sand to serve as a weighting material. The sand pocket can slip over the back of a chair to allow the inflatable pillow to serve as a headrest. This pillow includes separate sections for weight and for cushioning. It does not serve as an ornamental pillow. 
     United States Patent Published Application 20020152553 discloses a support travel cushion that attaches to a bucket seat back of an automobile or other vehicle which primarily supports the users upper back or neck during travel. An attached strap is used to secure the cushion to the bucket seat. A pillow is provided in a car, but it is not decorative, and it must be secured to a seat. 
     These prior embodiments do not disclose a pillow that can be provided having a shape that is independent of its supporting substrate and which is adapted for maintaining a substantially fixed spatial relationship to the supporting substrate while not requiring the use of fastening means. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention a decorative object, most conveniently embodied as a decorative pillow, is constructed to maintain a substantially fixed spatial relationship to a supporting substrate while not requiring the use of fastening means. The supporting substrate may comprise a vehicle seat. The term “vehicle” can, as non-limiting examples, refer to planes, trains, automobiles, boats, and light jet air/land craft. A decorative pillow is provided with a surface or surfaces providing ornamentation. Components in the interior of the pillow interact to function efficiently as a fill chamber and a ballast chamber. The ballast chamber may be positioned to avoid engagement with surfaces exposed to a user. Ballast provides for inertia so that the pillow will tend to stay in place when acceleration forces are applied thereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of a pillow in an operational environment; 
         FIG. 2  is a axonometric view of a pillow; 
         FIG. 3  is side elevation of a pillow; 
         FIG. 4  is an axonometric view of a fabric insert, partially broken away, removed from an outer cover: 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded illustration of one form of the fabric insert comprising a fill chamber and a ballast chamber; and 
         FIG. 6  is a partial detailed axonometric view of  FIG. 4  illustrating the ballast chamber. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a pillow  1  constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in an environment  2 . In the present illustration, the operational environment  2  is an interior  4  of a sedan  6 . The pillow  1  rests on a backseat  10 . The backseat  10  comprises a bench  12  and a back  14 . A user may choose a position of the pillow  1  in which the pillow  1  is primarily in engagement with the bench  12  or engaging both the bench  12  and the back  14 . The user may employ the pillow  1  in an application in which it provides ornamentation. The pillow  1  may be removed when the backseat  10  is to be fully occupied. Alternatively, a passenger in the backseat  10  could use the pillow  1  for support. However, ornamental pillows are not generally used or intended for support. 
     While the pillow  1  may be utilized for ornamentation, further functionality may be provided. For example, a user may also use the pillow  1  for lumbar or other support. The pillow  1  may be constructed with any of a number of types of fill. Certain fills, as further discussed below, provide for low-cost, durability and shape maintenance. Other fills may be provided which have various properties facilitating orthopedic or other benefits. 
     The pillow  1  in the present illustration comprises a triangular solid. The pillow  1  could have another geometric shape, e.g. a square; a cube; a sphere; an hourglass; a U-shape; of a half-moon. Pillows  1  could also be provided with shapes to simulate selected objects. Additionally or alternatively, another pillow or other pillows, for example a second pillow  16  and a third pillow  18 , could be provided. The second pillow  16  comprises a rectangular parallelepiped including one substantially planar surface comprising a square. The third pillow  18 , commonly referred to as a bolster, is a right circular cylinder. 
     For stability, it is desirable to provide a low center of gravity in each pillow  1 . It is also desirable to provide a pillow that has the feel and appearance of a conventional ornamental pillow rather than having a readily discernible weighted portion. In embodiments of the present invention, weighted sections are provided in a manner to meet these requirements.  FIGS. 2 and 3  are respectively an axonometric view and a side elevation of a pillow  1 . In this illustration, the pillow  1  has a square cross section in its largest dimension. Dotted lines are used to denote locations of components within the pillow  1  which are further described below. 
     In its simplest form, the pillow  1  may comprise a front panel  30  and a rear panel  32 . Terms referring to location are arbitrary, and used to define relative positions within the pillow  1  itself rather than spatial orientation with respect to other objects. Additionally, a peripheral wall  36  extending in a longitudinal direction may be provided between the front and rear panel  30  and  32 . A longitudinal dimension at a particular point on the periphery of the peripheral wall  36  defines thickness of the pillow  1 . In the case of a square pillow  1 , the peripheral wall  36  comprises upper and lower walls  40  and  42  as well as right and left walls  44  and  46 . The walls  40 ,  42 ,  44  and  46  may comprise a unitary piece or separate pieces. A seam  50  joins the front panel  30  and the peripheral wall  36 . A seam  52  joins the rear panel  32  to the peripheral wall  36 . The seams  50  and  52  may be sewn. Alternatively, they may be formed by an adhesive or by a mechanical fastener. 
     In one preferred form, the pillow  1  comprises an outer cover  54  and a fabric insert  56 . It is preferable to provide a fabric insert  56  which is modular with respect to the outer cover  54 , but not necessary. Use of a separate outer cover  54  provides for flexibility in inventory where it may be desirable to provide for selections of different forms of outer cover  54  design or for combination with fabric inserts  56  having different types of fill. Ease of assembly is facilitated. Also, fabric inserts  56  are often made of thinner material which is easier to work with than the outer covers  54 . 
     The fabric insert  56  may be insertable into the outer cover  54  through a slot  58  closed by a zipper  60 . The slot  58  may be included in the lower wall  42  and extend along a transverse dimension thereof. The lower wall  42  comprises a flap  64  to cover the zipper  60 . In many applications, it is desirable to provide an outer cover  54  having a close fit with the fabric insert  56 . However, some designs may include a portion or portions in which corresponding areas of the outer cover  54  have greater dimensions than the corresponding areas of the fabric insert  56 , giving a draped appearance. 
     The outer cover  54  may comprise any of a number of materials that may be selected for ability to bear graphic designs, contrast or harmonize with the texture of the backseat  10  ( FIG. 1 ) or be pleasant to touch. Fringes or other attachments, trims or extensions may be attached to or incorporated in the outer cover  54 . 
       FIG. 4  is an axonometric view of the fabric insert  56 , partially broken away, removed from the outer cover  54  ( FIG. 3 ). The fabric insert  56  comprises a fill chamber  66  containing fill  68  and a ballast chamber  70  containing ballast  72 .  FIG. 5  is an exploded illustration of one form of the fabric insert  56 .  FIG. 6  is a partial detailed axonometric view of  FIG. 4  illustrating the ballast chamber  70 . The fabric insert  56  may be provided with many different sorts of fill  68  in order to meet design objectives. A suitable fill  68  should have good hygienic properties and be capable of holding a shape. Where the objective is simply to fill the fabric insert  56 , a cost-effective alternative is polyester fiberfill. In order to simulate the feel of a down pillow while avoiding the use of organic, potentially allergenic material, a suitable material for use is polyester fiberfill with silicone added. An example of this material is sold under the trademark Poly-Down®. Alternatively, the fabric insert  56  may be filled with rubber foam of a type used in orthopedic medical devices, or a material such as buckwheat husk. 
     Ballast  72  may take any of a number of forms. Ball bearings will provide dense ballast, providing for a particularly low center of gravity. However, this form of list would be expensive and may lead to premature wear on components of the pillow  1 . A suitable form of low-cost ballast is gravel. Gravel is heavy, relatively low cost and easily washed to provide for clean ballast  72 . Gravel is not subject to oxidation or breakage. A traditional form of ballast is beans, such as in beanbag chairs. Actual beans are undesirable in that they are organic and subject to deterioration. Plastic substitutes may lack density and durability. 
     The fabric insert  56  comprising the fill chamber  66  may be constructed of a selected number of surfaces. Commonly, pieces are sewn together, leaving an opening through which to insert filling. The fabric insert  56  is then turned inside out, filled and then the opening is sewn. The ballast chamber  70  may comprise one wall in addition to the walls of the fabric insert  56 . Alternatively, the ballast chamber  70  may comprise a separate chamber preferably fixed to the walls of the fabric insert  56 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 5 , the present embodiment comprises a plurality of pieces. A front panel  76  and a rear panel  78  are provided for fastening to a peripheral wall  80 . The peripheral wall  80  includes upper and lower portions  82  and  84  for positioning in registration with the upper and lower walls  40  and  42  of the outer cover  54  ( FIG. 2 ) and right and left portions  86  and  88  for positioning in registration with the right and left walls  44  and  46  out of the outer cover  54 . The ballast chamber  70  in the present illustration is formed by a ballast panel  92  joined to the lower portion  84 . The ballast panel  92  may comprise a rectangular piece having a transverse dimension substantially equal to that of the lower portion  84  and a longer longitudinal dimension. The ballast panel  92  is joined to the lower portion  84  at each of transversely extending edges  94  and  96 . Shorter, longitudinally extending edges of the lower portion  84  are joined right and left longitudinally extending edges  98  and  100  of the ballast panel  92 . The edges  98  and  100  are gathered so that the entire depth of each edge  98  and  100  is fixed to and confined within the longitudinal depth of the lower portion  84 . The ballast chamber  70  is defined by the space between the ballast panel  92  and the lower portion  84 . This construction provides a tent-like shape for the ballast panel  92 . 
     This construction provides for a ballast chamber  70  having any right angular cross-section in the horizontal, longitudinal direction and a substantially argue at cross-section in the vertical, transverse direction. Therefore, surfaces of the ballast chamber  70  need not bear against front or rear panels  30  and  32  or the right and left walls  44  and  46  of the outer cover  54  ( FIG. 2 ). Fill may therefore occupy space between these surfaces and the ballast chamber  70 . A user need not to have to feel ballast when in contact with the pillow  1 . 
     The present subject matter being thus described, it will be apparent that the same may be modified or varied in many ways.