Patent Publication Number: US-2009229054-A1

Title: Body pillow cover with detachable pockets

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/827,332 filed Jul. 11, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a body pillow, and in particular, to a body pillow having detachably attached pockets to receive the feet of the person using the body pillow. 
     2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
     It is believed that a comfortable sleeping position for a person is the fetal position with the knees and lower legs of the person drawn upwardly. Such a position, however, may place a strain on the person&#39;s anatomy, particularly the spine, hips and legs due to misalignment. A body pillow addresses this problem and allows one to sleep comfortably with the musculature and skeletal anatomy well aligned. 
     A body pillow is a pillow having a generally elongated shape with an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion may be enfolded by the person&#39;s arms and torso and may also provide support for the person&#39;s head. The upper portion is thus generally as long as a person&#39;s upper body. The lower portion is enfolded between the person&#39;s legs in the fetal position and is therefore generally as long as the person&#39;s lower legs. 
     Body pillows are made in many shapes. A common form is an elongated, generally rectangular form that has a cross-section that is generally oval or elliptical. 
     A problem with the use of body pillows is that body pillows may be difficult or uncomfortable to use with blankets, sheets or other bed covering materials. If so used, the person&#39;s feet may be exposed and subject to chilling. Furthermore, even if used with bed covering materials, additional insulation for the person&#39;s feet may be desirable. In other situations, the person using the body pillow may prefer cool feeling material in contact with the feet. 
     The limitations of the prior art are overcome by the present invention as described below. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a cover for a body pillow. The cover may be made in various sizes and shapes as appropriate to receive different sizes and shapes of body pillows, although the cover is preferably generally rectangular in shape with a left side and a right side. The cover has an opening to receive a body pillow and the opening may be closed by fastening means, preferably by a zipper along a bottom edge or by an overlapping flap along a top edge. 
     A pair of pockets to receive the feet of the person using the body pillow are disposed opposite to one another on the left and right sides, respectively, of the cover in the lower portion of the body pillow toward the bottom edge, one pocket on the left side and one pocket on the right side, each so disposed as to receive a foot of the person. The pockets are closed on their respective side and bottom edges with the openings of the pockets facing toward the upper edge of the cover. A person using the body pillow may sleep with the legs enfolding the body pillow and each foot may be placed in respective pockets of the body pillow cover. The pockets may be of various sizes and shapes. It is desirable that the pocket be deep enough to receive the person&#39;s feet and extend approximately halfway to the person&#39;s knee. The pockets maybe detachably attached to the cover. Each detachable pocket has front and back panels that are closed along the bottom and the two sides, but open at the top. The interior of the pocket may be lined with a liner made from various materials. A two piece zipper of the type known as an open end zipper is employed to detachably attach each pocket to a respective side of the body pillow cover. 
     The cover may be made of various fabrics corresponding to ambient conditions or the particular preferences of the user. For example, the cover may be made of a cool feeling material, such as linen, while the pockets are lined with a warm insulating material, such as flannel or sheepskin. The reverse situation could also be used in some embodiments, with the cover made of warm feeling material, for example flannel, and the pocket lined with cool feeling material, such as linen. Likewise the cover and pockets may both be made of warm feeling or cool feeling materials. 
     These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims in conjunction with the drawings as described following: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a right side elevation view of an embodiment of the body pillow cover of the present invention showing a user of the body pillow cover. In this embodiment, a top opening is closed by an overlapping flap. 
         FIG. 2A  is a left side elevation view of a left side cover panel of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  showing the extension of the cover panel which may be folded down to form a flap. 
         FIG. 2B  is a right side elevation view of a right side cover panel of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a exploded perspective view from the interior of the left side cover panel of  FIG. 2A  showing the extension folded down to form the overlapping flap and from the exterior of the right side cover panel of  FIG. 2B . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged detail of the upper left side elevation of the edge of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  showing the relationship of the overlapping flap of the left side cover panel and the right side cover panel where the left side cover panel, the flap and the right side cover panel are fastened together along their respective left side edges. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial left elevation cross section along the lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view from the interior of an alternative embodiment of a left side cover panel without an extension and the exterior of an alternative embodiment of a right side cover panel which together forms the alternative embodiment of FIG.  8 ., showing a zipper to close a bottom opening. 
         FIG. 7  is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the body pillow cover of the present invention showing a right side having a detachably attached pocket. 
         FIG. 10  is a partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9  showing the assembly of the detachably attached pocket. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9  showing the detachably attached pocket attached to the body pillow cover. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-11 , the preferred embodiments of the present invention may be described as follows: 
     The present invention is a cover for a body pillow  10 . The cover may be made in various sizes and shapes as appropriate to receive different sizes and shapes of body pillows  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a person  11  using the body pillow  10  may sleep with the legs  12  enfolding the body pillow  10 . The body pillow cover of the present invention therefore has a left side  13  and a right side  14  (with reference to the position of the user  11 ). As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a pair of pockets  15 ,  16  to receive the feet  17  of the user  11  are disposed opposite to one another on the left side  13  and the right side  14 , respectively, of the cover on the lower portion of the body pillow toward the bottom edge  18  of the cover, one pocket  15  on the left side  13  and one pocket  16  on the right side  14 , each so disposed as to receive a respective left and right foot of the user  11 . An upper portion of the cover is therefore long enough to allow the user to embrace or enfold the body pillow with at least the user&#39;s head, shoulders, torso, hips and upper legs, while below the upper portion the pockets  15 ,  16  are disposed to receive the user&#39;s feet and, optionally, a portion of the user&#39;s lower legs. The pockets  15 ,  16  are closed on their respective side edges  19  and bottom edges  20  with the openings  21  of the pockets  15 ,  16  facing toward the upper edge  22  of the cover. 
     Although the present invention is not limited to a particular shape of body pillow or body pillow cover, the body pillow cover preferably comprises two generally rectangular panels as shown in  FIG. 3 , a left side cover panel  13  and a right side cover panel  14 . The panels  13 ,  14  may be manufactured in a limited number of standard sizes, for example, lengths of 52, 60 and 72 inches, in order to accommodate most sizes of commercially available body pillows. The two panels  13 ,  14  are joined along a portion of their respective edges to form an interior space  23  with an opening for receiving a body pillow  10 . The opening may, for example, be disposed along an edge of the two panels  13 ,  14 . The opening may be closed by fastening means, preferably by a zipper  30  along a bottom edge  18  as shown in  FIG. 6  or by an overlapping flap  40  along a top edge  22  as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 . Other types of fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed in the practice of the present invention. However, fastening means that would be irritating or uncomfortable against a part of the user&#39;s body is preferably located along a bottom edge to be removed from the vicinity of a part of the cover that would touch any part of the user&#39;s body. If the opening is disposed anywhere on the cover where the user&#39;s body may come into contact with it, the fastening means is preferably in the form of a soft, non-obtrusive construction, such as an overlapping fabric flap  40  or the like. 
     One form of soft fastener is an overlapping flap  40  as shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . The overlapping flap  40  is formed by a extension  41  of one of the cover panels  13 ,  14  of up to around 5-6 inches. In  FIG. 2A , the left side cover panel  13  is shown to have the extension  41  for illustrative purposes. The extension  41  is folded down against the remainder of the cover panel  13  to form the overlapping flap  40 . The other cover panel (cover panel  14  for illustrative purposes) is then fastened to the first cover panel  13  along their respective edges as shown in the partial detail view of  FIG. 4 . The flap  40  is fastened between the two cover panels  13 ,  14  along its edges. The remainder of the flap  40  is not fastened to either of the cover panels  13 ,  14 . An opening  42  as shown in  FIG. 5  is thus left at the top edge  22  of the cover. A body pillow  10  may be inserted through the opening  42  into an interior space  23  of the cover. The top edge of the pillow is tucked under the flap  40  where it is secured without the need for hard-edged fasteners. 
     With respect to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the pair of pockets  15 ,  16  to receive the feet  17  of the person  11  using the body pillow are disposed opposite to one another on the left side cover panel  13  and the right side cover panel  14 , respectively, of the cover on the lower portion of the body pillow toward the bottom edge  18  of the respective left and right side cover panels  13 ,  14 , one pocket  15  on the left side panel  13  and one pocket  16  on the right side panel  14 , each so disposed as to receive a foot of the user  11 . The pockets  15 ,  16  are closed on their respective side edges  19  and bottom edges  20  with the openings  21  of the pockets  15 ,  16  facing toward the upper edge  22  of the cover. Each pocket  15 ,  16  may be formed by attaching a pocket panel to a respective left side cover panel  13  or right side cover panel  14  of the body pillow cover. Each pocket  15 ,  16  is desirably formed of a pocket panel that has a width dimension approximately the same as the width dimension of a left side panel  13  or right side panel  14 . When attaching a pocket panel to a cover panel, the side edges  19  of the pocket panel are desirably placed inside the cover panel&#39;s edges by a margin  50  of approximately ½ inch so that the pocket panel  15 ,  16  does not lie tautly against the cover panel but gapes open slightly into an open space for receiving a user&#39;s foot  17 . For example, if the cover panel is 20 inches in width, the pocket panel would also be approximately 20 inches in width, but the pocket panel would be attached to the cover panel ½ inch in from the side edge of the cover panel so that approximately 1 inch of slack would remain in the pocket panel. The pocket panel is attached to the cover panel along the pocket panel&#39;s bottom and sides edges with the top edge of the pocket panel open and facing toward the top of the cover. A person  11  using the body pillow may sleep with the legs  12  enfolding the body pillow and each foot  17  may be placed in respective pockets  15 ,  16  of the body pillow cover. The size and shape of the pockets are not limited to that described above, but may be of various sizes and shapes, all of which are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. For example, the pockets may be made shallow, around 8 inches in depth, or deep, around 12 inches. It is, however, desirable that each pocket be deep enough to receive the user&#39;s foot and extend approximately halfway to the user&#39;s knee. A liner (not shown) may be disposed within the pocket  15 ,  16 . 
     The pockets  15 , 16  may be detachably attached.  FIGS. 9-11  show a detachable pocket  60  disposed on a right side panel  14 . Although the following description focuses on the detachable pocket  60  disposed on the right side panel  14 , a detachable pocket (not shown) on the left side panel  13  is assembled and functions in identical fashion. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , each detachable pocket  60  has a front panel  61  and a back panel  62  that are fastened together along their respective bottom edge  63  and two side edges  64 , but are open at the top edge  70  to form an interior space  65  to receive a foot of a user. The interior space  65  of the pocket  60  may include a pocket liner  66  made of various materials as described herein. The detachable pocket  60  may be detachably attached by various means known to those skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, a two piece zipper  67  of the type known as an open end zipper is employed to detachably attach each pocket  60  to a respective side  13 ,  14  of the body pillow cover. The open end type of zipper  67  separates into two sides  68 ,  69  when unzipped. Each side  68 ,  69  includes a tape and a chain along one edge of the tape. The two chains interlock as is well known in the art to fasten one side to the other. In open end type zippers, the two sides are fastened together by means of a pin disposed at one end of one side of the zipper and a retainer box disposed at a complementary end of the other side of the zipper. The retainer box typically includes a pull tab. To fasten the zipper, the pin is inserted into the retainer box and the user pulls on the pull tab to move the retainer box along the length of the zipper causing the chains to interlock. Unfastening the zipper is accomplished by the reverse process. One side  69  of the two piece zipper  67  is attached to the edges  63 ,  64 ,  70  of the pocket  60 , e.g., by sewing the tape to the edges  63 ,  64 ,  70  of the pocket  60 . The other complementary side  68  of the two piece zipper  67  is attached to a respective side  14  of the body pillow cover, e.g., by sewing the tape to the side  14  of the body pillow cover. A reinforcing tape (not shown) may be inserted between the sides  68 ,  69  of the zipper  67  and the side of the body pillow cover or to the pocket, respectively, before attaching the sides  68 ,  69  in order to strengthen the fabric of the body pillow cover and the pocket in order to minimize tearing of the fabric from use of the zipper. The two piece zipper  67  is continuous around the bottom  63 , sides  64  and top  70  edges of the pocket  60 . The zipper  67  allows the pocket  60  to be removed from the body pillow as necessary for cleaning. This is especially significant in medical applications. 
     The cover may be made of various fabrics selected as desirable for various ambient conditions or the particular preferences of the user. For example, the cover may be made of a cool feeling material, that is, a material that produces a cool sensation to the user or that actually carries away heat, while the pocket liner may be a warm feeling material, that is a material that produces a warm sensation to the user or that provides a heat insulating effect. A cooling feeling material may include, without limitation, linen, satin and the like. A warm feeling material may include, without limitation, flannel, lambswool, sheepskin and the like. In some embodiments the cover may be made of warm feeling material, while the pocket or pocket liner may be made of cool feeling material. Likewise the cover and the pockets or pocket liners may both be made of warm feeling or cool feeling materials. It is desirable that the materials of the cover, pockets and pocket liners be hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenicity is especially important when the present invention is used in hospitals or for geriatric purposes. Sheepskin for the pocket liner is particularly desirable in these applications. 
     The present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred and alternative embodiments that are intended to be exemplary only and not limiting to the full scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.