Sleeping bag

Abstract

A sleeping bag having an elongated bottom mat formed of flexible material and having opposing head and foot edges. The main cover is formed of flexible material, has head and foot edges, and overlies the bottom mat, to which it is permanently secured. The main cover has a transverse slit between the head and foot edges of the cover at a location closer to the foot edge of the main cover than to the head edge, and spaced from the foot edge by about one to three feet. The foot edge of the bottom mat is releasably secured to the foot edge of the main cover, and the head edge of the bottom mat is not joined to the head edge of the main cover to provide an entry into the sleeping bag for a user. A top cover, also formed of flexible material, is secured to the main cover and overlies only the portion of the main cover that includes the foot edge and the transverse slit of the main cover.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This patent application is a continuation and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 229,083 filed Aug. 28, 2002 for Sleeping Bag, which application is incorporated here by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to articles of bedding, and sleeping bags in particular.BACKGROUND ART[0003]Sleeping bags have long been used by campers either for sleeping outdoors or sleeping in tents. Sleeping bags are also utilized indoors when a bed is not conveniently available.[0004]A conventional sleeping bag is typically constructed from thermally insulated sheet-like layers of materials, often filled with thermally insulated padding. A typical sleeping bag is constructed of an expanse of a generally rectangular, multi-ply fabric pad folded linearly in half and having interengageable zipper strips extending about the peripheral, unfolded edges where the unfolded edges of the halves of the folded pad meet. I...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The user can thus utilize the improved sleeping bag of the invention in at least three different ways. In relatively warm ambient air, the user inserts his or her feet through the slit in the main cover layer and unzips completely the zipper slide on the upper zipper between the main cover layer and the top cover layer located thereabove. The user's feet are then inserted into the area between the main cover layer of the sleeping bag and the top cover layer located above it. The user's feet will then remain relatively cool due to air circulation flowing through the mesh panel that extends between the main cover layer of the sleeping bag and the top cover layer located above it. Alternatively, the user can completely or partially close the opening between the main cover layer of the sleeping bag and the top half length cover layer above it to reduce air circulation into the bag from the outside. In a further manner of use the user withdraws his or her feet from the slit and inserts them beneath the main cover layer and the bottom mat layer of the sleeping bag, thereby utilizing the sleeping bag in a conventional manner.

[0012]Construction of a bedding article according to the present invention is not limited to a sleeping bag. Quite to the contrary, the same unique construction may be applied to other articles of bedding, such as blankets. In particular, older people often use double layers of blankets over their feet at night. They sometimes remove the top blanket covering their feet should their feet become excessively warm during the night. However, a blanket constructed according to the present invention may be provided with a main cover layer and a top covering layer over the lower leg portion of the main cover layer. A slit is defined through the main cover layer of the blanket beneath the top covering layer so that the blanket may be utilized in the same manner previously described for a sleeping bag. Thus, a user need not throw off an unwanted blanket from his or her feet during the night, but merely inserts his or her feet through the slit in the main blanket layer so that the feet remain covered by the top layer, and are not excessively warm.

Problems solved by technology

Under such circumstances, the occupant often becomes uncomfortably warm when covered by the main covering layer of the sleeping bag.

In particular, an occupant's feet and legs may become uncomfortably warm due to retained body heat trapped between the layers.

While an occupant can always merely throw back the main cover to cool off, this practice is often unacceptable in environments in which sleeping bags are frequently used.

Specifically, when the main covering layer of a sleeping bag is thrown off of the occupant's body, the occupant is subjected to attack by flying and crawling insects.

Thus, the occupant is faced with the undesirable choices of remaining beneath the main covering layer of the sleeping bag and thus remaining uncomfortably warm, or exposing his or her body to the annoyance, discomfort, and pain of insects.

A further disadvantage of merely throwing off the covering layer of a conventional sleeping bag is that only the feet and lower legs of the occupant may be uncomfortably warm when encapsulated between the mat layer and the main covering layer of the sleeping bag, while the occupant's upper body may at the same time be quite comfortable.

Consequently, if the occupant merely pulls back the top covering layer of the sleeping bag, the occupant's torso may feel chilly, even though the occupant's legs and feet are uncomfortably warm.

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