Abstract:
A pillow cover and method of building a pillow. The pillow cover includes a body and a plurality of optional appendages and accessories. The body includes a first side and a second side secured together and an opening on one of the first side and the second side, the opening adapted to receive a pillow. The appendages are interchangeable and connectable to the body.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a non-provisional application and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/701,921, filed on Jul. 22, 2005. The contents of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/701,921 are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Pillows are most commonly used for supporting the head of a user in a reclined, supine, or prone position. For example, pillows can be used when a person is lying on his or her side, back or front.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     Children have enjoyed stuffed animals for decades. Children occasionally become attached to a certain stuffed animal, which becomes a source of comfort or a “security blanket.” As such, the stuffed animal is with the child at all times The child plays with and sleeps with the stuffed animal. The stuffed animal can even make the child feel safe.  
         [0004]     Pillows can become more enjoyable if they can be associated with characters that children can relate to. The characters that children associate with are found on television, books, in the form of stuffed animals, and other toys. A pillow incorporating the likeness of a character can become the stuffed animal and be a source of comfort for the child. Thus, it is desirable to incorporate the likenesses of a popular character into a pillow.  
         [0005]     In one embodiment, the invention provides a pillow cover comprising a body, a plurality of appendages connectable to the body, and an accessory connectable to one of the appendages.  
         [0006]     In another embodiment the invention provides a pillow cover comprising a body including a first side and a second side secured together, an opening on one of the first side and the second side, the opening adapted to receive a pillow, and a plurality of interchangeable appendages connectable to the body.  
         [0007]     In another embodiment the invention provides a method of building a pillow. The method comprises the acts of selecting a body, inserting a pillow into the body, attaching at least one appendage to the body, and attaching at least one accessory to at least one appendage.  
         [0008]     Other independent aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pillow case according to one embodiment of the invention and illustrating a pillow being inserted in the pillow case.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a pillow case with the pillow inserted therein.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pillow case with the pillow inserted therein.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a pillow case with the pillow inserted therein. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings, respectively.  
         [0014]     FIG. I illustrates a pillow case or cover  10  according to one embodiment of the invention. The pillow case  10  includes a body  14 , which is generally rectangular-shaped, but can also be in the form of other shapes or can be an irregular shape. The body  14  includes a top side  18  upon which a user&#39;s head can rest and a bottom side  22  substantially facing a support surface upon which the pillow case  10  can rest. The body  14  can be constructed of a single integral piece of material, or can be constructed of two or more pieces of material coupled together by adhesive or cohesive bonding material, stitching, tape, hook-and-loop fastener material, or in another manner.  
         [0015]     The body  14  can include many different types of materials including, without limitation, nylon, polyester, natural or synthetic rubber, cotton, wool, and a combination thereof. Generally, it is preferred that the material be washable in water. Still other types of materials may be used.  
         [0016]     The body  14  includes an opening  26  adapted to receive a pillow  30  to support the head of a user in a reclined, supine, or prone position, and can also support at least a portion of the neck of a user in some applications. The opening  26  can be on the bottom side  22  of the body  14 , on a side (the seam where the top side  18  and bottom side  22  join), or any other suitable location. The pillow  30  can be secured in the opening  26  with a zipper, buttons, hook-and-loop fastener, or other fasteners. It is noted that the pillow  30  can be secured in the pillow case  10  without fasteners. The pillow case  10  and opening  26  are adapted to receive any size pillow  30 .  
         [0017]     In some embodiments, the body  14  can include a plurality of appendages  34 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . The appendages  34  can be integral with or removable from the body  14 . The appendages  34  can include many different types of materials, including without limitation nylon, polyester, natural or synthetic rubber, cotton, wool, and a combination thereof. Still other types of materials are possible, and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The appendages  34  can be the same as or different than the material of the body  14 .  
         [0018]     The appendages  34  can include stuffing of any material to make the appendages three-dimensional. The appendages  34 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , can make up the head, feet, and tail of the body  14 . Other appendages  34  are also within the scope of the present invention. The appendages  34  can be removable and interchangeable with other appendages  34 . For example, the body  14  and the appendages  34  can include interlocking mechanisms, such as, snaps, hook-and-loop fastener material, buttons or other mechanisms, such that the body  14  can support the appendages  34 .  
         [0019]     The appendages  34  can be adapted to receive an accessory  38  such as sunglasses, glasses, hats, shoes, socks, ribbons, bowties, scarves, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches, headphones, nametags, collars, and other unique attachments or clothing items. One of the accessories  38  can include a tag made from a washable material. The child can write on the tag to customize it to his or her personal desire. For example, the child can write his or her name on the tag or the name of the character pillow. The name could be changed by washing the tag in a washing machine.  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2-4  each illustrate a plurality of appendages  34  attached to the body  14 .  FIG. 2  illustrates that the appendages  34  are in the form of a head and a plurality of feet.  FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate that the appendages  34  are in the form of a head, a tail, and a plurality of feet.  FIGS. 2-4  illustrate that the appendages  34  in each figure correspond or match with one another.  
         [0021]     The pillow case  10  can be modified by interchanging the appendages  34  and/or accessories  38 . Since the appendages  34  can be removable from the body  14 , the feet do not have to match, the head does not have to match with the feet, and numerous combinations can be arranged. Children can change the look of the pillow case  10  as desired.  
         [0022]     The body  14  can be any color and can be purchased separately from the appendages  34  and accessories  38 . The user can select the appendages  34  and accessories  38  as desired to “build” a pillow case  10 . In alternative embodiments, the body  14  and appendages  34  are purchased as a set and the accessories  38  can be purchased separately. Additional appendages  34  can be purchased and interchanged with the appendages  34  that came with the body  14 .  
         [0023]     The body  14  and its associated appendages  34  can be in the form of a popular character that children recognize. The body  14  of one character can have a different size and shape as a second character. Likewise, the appendages  34  associated with one character can have a different size and shape as a second character&#39;s appendages  34 .  
         [0024]     The embodiments described above and illustrated in the figures are presented by way of example only and are not intended as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the present invention. As such, it will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art that various changes in the elements and their configuration and arrangement are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0025]     Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.