sleeping bag closure

Abstract

A comforter that can be selectively used as a sleeping bag includes: a first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements and a second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements, the bottom fastener elements in each pair being adapted to selectively engage and disengage from each other, one fastener element of the first pair being laterally positioned between the second pairs, and one fastener element of the second pair being laterally positioned between the first pairs; at least one inner comforter fastener element attached to an inner surface of the comforter; and at least one outer comforter fastener element attached to an outer surface of the comforter, wherein the inner and outer comforter fastener elements are cooperatively arranged such that, when the comforter is wrapped in an arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps, each inner comforter fastener element is configured to be substantially aligned and engaged with and fitted with the corresponding, mating outer comforter fastener element.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. Patent Application No. 201980059581.7, filed July 18, 2019, by Zeon Camping Bags LLC, entitled "Sleeping Bag Closure" (International Publication No. WO2020023274A1). This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 041,827, filed July 22, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The field of this invention relates to sleeping bags. In particular, various closure devices for sleeping bags are disclosed herein. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The first inventive item comprises: a quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag, a first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements and a second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements, an inner assembly of one or more quilt fastener elements, an outer assembly of one or more quilt fastener elements, and a drawstring. The bottom fastener elements are attached to the quilt along its bottom edge; a separate bottom fastener element of the first pair is positioned between the separate bottom fastener elements of the second pair, and a separate bottom fastener element of the second pair is positioned between the separate bottom fastener elements of the first pair. The bottom fastener elements thereby define a first lateral section of the bottom edge of the quilt, a second lateral section of the bottom edge of the quilt, and a central section of the bottom edge of the quilt, wherein the first lateral section of the bottom edge of the quilt is located between the first pair of bottom fastener elements but not between the second pair of bottom fastener elements; the second lateral section of the bottom edge of the quilt is located between the second pair of bottom fastener elements but not between the second pair of bottom fastener elements; and the central section of the bottom edge of the quilt is located between the two pairs of bottom fastener elements. The inner assembly of the comforter fastener elements is attached to the inner surface of the comforter along at least a portion of a linear or curved inner comforter attachment path; the outer assembly of the comforter fastener elements is attached to the outer surface of the comforter along at least a portion of a linear or curved outer comforter attachment path. The inner comforter attachment path extends from the lateral edge of the first comforter to a lateral segment of the bottom edge of the first comforter and defines an inner comforter overlap region segment on the inner surface of the comforter, the inner comforter overlap region segment being defined by the inner comforter attachment path, the bottom edge of the comforter, and the lateral edge of the first comforter. The outer comforter attachment path extends from the lateral edge of the second comforter to a lateral segment of the bottom edge of the second comforter and defines an outer comforter overlap region segment on the outer surface of the comforter, the outer comforter overlap region segment being defined by the outer comforter attachment path, the bottom edge of the comforter, and the lateral edge of the second comforter.

[0004] When the comforter is wrapped in an overlapping footbox arrangement, (i) the overlapping section of the outer comforter faces a portion of the inner surface of the comforter, (ii) the overlapping section of the inner comforter faces a portion of the outer surface of the comforter, (iii) each comforter fastener element of the inner group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating comforter fastener element of the outer group, and (iv) the engagement of the corresponding, mating comforter fastener elements of the inner and outer groups holds at least the foot portion of the comforter in the overlapping footbox arrangement. When the comforter is wrapped in an overlapping footbox arrangement, (i) a first pair of mating bottom fastener elements are positioned to engage with each other, (ii) a second pair of mating bottom fastener elements are positioned to engage with each other, and (iii) the engagement of the first pair of bottom fastener elements and the engagement of the second pair of bottom fastener elements holds at least the bottom edge of the comforter in the overlapping footbox arrangement, wherein the lateral sections of the first and second bottom edges of the comforter overlap each other. A drawstring engages with the bottom edge of the comforter. The quilt is held in an overlapping footbox arrangement by the engagement of the first pair of bottom fasteners, the engagement of the second pair of bottom fasteners, and the engagement of the corresponding quilt fasteners of the inner group and the corresponding quilt fasteners of the outer group. Pulling the drawstring gathers the bottom edge of the quilt to form a closed, enclosed footbox for the sleeping bag.

[0005] The second inventive article includes a sheet suitable for use with a sleeping bag, a first set of one or more sheet fastening elements, and a second set of one or more sheet fastening elements. The sheet is structurally arranged to be secured to a sleeping pad. The first set of sheet fastening elements and the second set of sheet fastening elements are attached to the outer surface of the sheet and are structurally arranged along corresponding linear or curved first and second sheet attachment paths on the outer surface of the sheet. The first and second attachment paths are structurally arranged generally longitudinally along at least corresponding foot portions of corresponding first and second lateral edges of the sheet. The sheet fastening elements and the first and second sheet attachment paths are structurally arranged such that: (i) the first set of sheet fastening elements and a corresponding first set of quilt fastening elements for a quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag engage with each other, and (ii) the second set of sheet fastening elements and a corresponding second set of quilt fastening elements for a quilt engage with each other. With the quilt in an unwrapped arrangement, the first set of quilt fasteners and the second set of quilt fasteners are disengaged from each other, and the quilt is positioned above the sheet with its inner surface facing the outer surface of the sheet. (i) each quilt fastener in the first set is substantially aligned with its corresponding, mating sheet fastener in the first set; (iii) each quilt fastener in the second set is substantially aligned with its corresponding, mating sheet fastener in the second set; and (iv) the engagement of the respective mating quilt fasteners and sheet fasteners of the first set and the respective mating quilt fasteners and sheet fasteners of the second set retain at least the foot portion of the quilt secured to the sheet in an arrangement extending towards the foot box.

[0006] The objectives and advantages related to sleeping bags may become apparent from the example embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and disclosed in the following written description or the appended claims.

[0007] This overview is provided to introduce the selected concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the following detailed description. This overview is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1A and Figure 1B These are schematic exterior and interior views of an exemplary blanket of the sleeping bag of the present invention, arranged in a flat layout.

[0009] Figure 2A and Figure 2B They are Figure 1A / Figure 1BSchematic interior and bottom views of an exemplary quilt in an arrangement of overlapping foot boxes. Figure 2C yes Figure 2A / Figure 2B A schematic bottom view of an exemplary quilt, wherein the bottom edge is gathered by drawstrings to form a closed, enclosed foot box for the sleeping bag.

[0010] Figure 3A and Figure 3B These are schematic exterior and interior views of another exemplary blanket of the present invention, arranged in a flat layout.

[0011] Figure 4A and Figure 4B These are schematic exterior and interior views of another exemplary blanket of the present invention, arranged in a flat layout.

[0012] Figure 5A This is a schematic exterior view of an exemplary sheet of the sleeping bag of the present invention, which is attached to a sleeping pad. Figure 5B It is in the arrangement of foot box expansion Figure 4A / Figure 4B An example quilt is attached to Figure 5A A schematic bottom view of an exemplary sheet. Figure 5C yes Figure 5B A schematic bottom view of an exemplary quilt, wherein the bottom edge is gathered by drawstrings to form a closed, expanded foot box for the sleeping bag.

[0013] Figure 6A and Figure 6B These are schematic exterior and interior views of another exemplary blanket of the present invention, arranged in a flat layout.

[0014] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a schematic exterior view of another exemplary blanket and another exemplary sheet of the sleeping bag of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 8A yes Figure 7A A schematic bottom view of an exemplary quilt in an open, foot-box-wrapped arrangement. Figure 8B yes Figure 7A A schematic bottom view of an exemplary quilt in a closed, foot-box-wrapped arrangement.

[0016] Figure 9A yes Figure 7A An example quilt attached to Figure 7B A schematic bottom view of an exemplary sheet-like object, wherein the quilt is in an open, foot-box extended arrangement. Figure 9B yes Figure 7A An example quilt attached to Figure 7BA schematic bottom view of an exemplary sheet-like object, wherein the quilt is in a closed, foot-box-extended arrangement.

[0017] Figure 10A and Figure 10B This is a schematic exterior view of another exemplary blanket and another exemplary sheet of the sleeping bag of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 11A The diagram schematically illustrates a partially engaged half of a zipper fastener element. Figure 11B The diagram schematically illustrates the engaging rope loop and hook fastener elements.

[0019] The depicted embodiments are merely illustrative; for clarity, not all features may be shown in full detail or to scale, some features or structures may be exaggerated relative to others, and the drawings should not be considered to be to scale. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The sleeping bag of the present invention is Figure 1A / Figure 1B The diagram schematically illustrates and includes a blanket 100 that can be used as a sleeping bag, a first pair of bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b, a second pair of bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b, an inner group of one or more blanket fastener elements 131, an outer group of one or more blanket fastener elements 141, and a drawstring 160 (in...). Figure 1A / Figure 1B (Omitted to avoid confusing the accompanying drawings). If there is only a single internal quilt fastener element, it is referred to herein as internal quilt fastener element 131; if there are multiple internal quilt fastener elements, they are individually referred to as internal quilt fastener elements 131a / 131b / ... and collectively referred to as internal quilt fastener element 131. Similarly, if there is only a single external quilt fastener element, it is referred to herein as external quilt fastener element 141; if there are multiple external quilt fastener elements, they are individually referred to as external quilt fastener elements 141a / 141b / ... and collectively referred to as external quilt fastener element 141.

[0021] The quilt has a head-side edge 100a, a foot-side edge 100b, a first transverse edge 100c, a second transverse edge 100d, an outer surface 100e, and an inner surface 100f. In some examples, the quilt 100 is substantially trapezoidal, wherein the top and bottom edges 100a / 100b are substantially parallel, and the bottom edge 100b is shorter than the top edge 100a; in other examples, the quilt 100 is substantially rectangular; other suitable shapes may be adopted. The quilt 100 typically comprises a sewn structure, i.e., two layers of fabric with a soft material (e.g., wool, fleece, or other natural or synthetic insulation) between the two layers of fabric, and is patterned or tufted throughout the thickness to prevent the filling from shifting (the light dashed lines in the accompanying drawings indicate the stitches). Although stitches are shown in the accompanying drawings, the term "quilt" is generally used herein to refer to any similar quilt or blanket suitable for use as a sleeping bag, in whole or in part; the use of the term "quilt" is not intended to imply that an article so named must necessarily include sewing or being wholly or partially sewn, although the term "quilt" as used herein includes such articles. The quilt 100 can be made of any suitable material in any appropriate manner. The sleeping bag of the present invention (or the sheet of the present invention; see below) can be constructed using any material suitable for constructing conventional sleeping bags (e.g., textiles or insulation). Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to: nylon, polyester, silk, cotton, plain weave, nylon fabric, silk flannel, microfiber, Gore-Tex, or wool; natural pile, synthetic insulation, or other insulating materials; or a polymer film with a metallic coating, or other heat-shielding or heat-reflective materials. If desired or desired, the quilt (and / or sheet; see below) may include heating elements, such as electric or chemical heating elements.

[0022] Separate bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b / 122a / 122b are attached to the quilt along the bottom edge 100b of the quilt; the first pair includes mating bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b, and the second pair includes mating bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b. "Along the bottom edge 100b of the quilt" includes an arrangement in which the bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b / 122a / 122b are attached to the bottom edge 100b of the quilt, and in which those fastener elements are slightly displaced from the bottom edge 100b of the quilt to leave a narrow strip of the quilt along the bottom edge 100b of the quilt for use as a baffle. "Separate" fastener elements contrast with "continuous" fastener elements. Continuous fastener elements are attached together along a continuous attachment line to different parts of the quilt or sheet without leaving significant gaps along the attachment line. Examples of continuous fastener elements include, but are not limited to, for example, zipper 701 (…). Figure 11A The mating half of the fastener, the mating strip of hook and loop material of the hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro®), or the magnetic plastic strip (e.g., for example, for ice box magnets). Separate fastener elements attach different parts of the blanket or sheet only at local attachment points or local attachment areas along the attachment path, leaving gaps between those local attachment points or local attachment areas. Examples of separate fastener elements include, for example, a cord loop 801 and a hook 802 for retaining a cord loop (…). Figure 11B ), mating convex and concave snap elements, mating buttons and buttonholes, mating convex and concave buckle or clasp elements, mating hook-and-loop material hook material and loop material external fragments, or magnet pairs. Note that the cord loop 801 and hook 802 (i.e., a single loop 801 of elastic or non-elastic cord material, and a hook 802 arranged to engage and retain the cord loop 801; as Figure 11B (As shown) Comparisons between hook and loop materials (e.g., Velcro®), which consist of numerous tiny loops and tiny hooks arranged on a strip or piece. In the accompanying drawings showing all or part of a quilt or sheet, mating or corresponding pairs of fastener elements are indicated by an "X" for one fastener element (e.g., a hook) and an "O" for another fastener element (e.g., a loop). Each "X" or each "O" in a given drawing is not intended to necessarily indicate the same type of fastener element, although this may sometimes be the case.

[0023] Two pairs of separate bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b and 122a / 122b are arranged along the bottom edge 100b of the quilt, such that only one separate bottom fastener element 121b of the first pair is positioned between the separate bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b of the second pair, and only one separate bottom fastener element 122b of the second pair is positioned between the separate bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b of the first pair. The bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b / 122a / 122b thus divide the bottom edge 100b of the quilt into a first lateral section 100b-1, a central section 100b-2, and a second lateral section 100b-3. The first quilt bottom edge transverse section 100b-1 is located between the first pair of bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b, but not between the second pair of bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b (therefore located between bottom fastener elements 121a and 122b); the second quilt bottom edge transverse section 100b-3 is located between the second pair of bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b, but not between the first pair of bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b (therefore located between bottom fastener elements 121b and 122a); the quilt bottom edge central section 100b-2 is located between the two pairs of bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b and 122a / 122b (therefore located between bottom fastener elements 121b and 122b). In some examples, bottom fastener element 121a is positioned where the first lateral edge 100c of the quilt meets the bottom edge 100b of the quilt (e.g., at a bottom corner of a rectangular or trapezoidal quilt 100), and bottom fastener element 122a is positioned where the second lateral edge 100d of the quilt meets the bottom edge 100b of the quilt (e.g., at another bottom corner of a rectangular or trapezoidal quilt 100). In such examples, bottom edge segments 100b-1, 100b-2, and 100b-3 encompass the entire bottom edge 100b of the quilt.

[0024] The foot portion of the quilt 100 can be wrapped or folded into an overlapping foot box arrangement (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 2A / Figure 2B / Figure 2C(The stitches are omitted to avoid confusion in the diagram). In this arrangement, the transverse sections 100b-1 and 100b-3 of the quilt bottom edge overlap each other. In this arrangement, mating, separate bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b are also positioned opposite each other, and mating, separate bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b are positioned opposite each other. The engagement of the bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b and the engagement of the bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b will at least keep the bottom edge 100b of the quilt in an overlapping foot-box-wrapped arrangement, wherein the first quilt bottom edge transverse section 100b-1 and the second quilt bottom edge transverse section 100b-3 overlap each other (which may be referred to herein as a spiral or helical arrangement of the bottom edge 100b of the quilt; in Figure 2B (The clearest view).

[0025] One or more quilt fastener elements 131 are attached internally to at least a portion of a linear or curved internal quilt attachment path 130 to the inner surface 100e of the quilt. The internal quilt attachment path 130 extends from the first quilt lateral edge 100c to a first quilt bottom edge lateral segment 100b-1, and defines an internal quilt overlap region segment 103 on the inner surface 100e. The internal quilt overlap region segment 103 is formed by the internal quilt attachment path 130, the quilt bottom edge 100b, and the first quilt lateral edge 100c. Figure 1B The outer assembly of one or more quilt fastener elements 141 is attached to at least a portion of a linear or curved outer quilt attachment path 140 to the outer surface 100f of the quilt. The outer quilt attachment path 140 extends from the second quilt lateral edge 100d to the second quilt bottom edge lateral segment 100b-3, and defines an outer quilt overlap region segment 104 on the outer surface 100f. The outer quilt overlap region segment 104 is defined by the outer quilt attachment path 140, the quilt bottom edge 100b, and the second quilt lateral edge 100d. Figure 1A( ) Defining. Note: In some examples, portions of attachment paths 130 and 140 extending to the edge of quilt 100 may simply be virtual extensions of attachment paths defined by corresponding fastener elements. In other examples, fastener elements may be positioned at the edge of quilt 100. In some examples where the quilt is sewn, attachment paths 130 and 140 may optionally be set along the seams of the sewn pattern. In some examples, the inner and outer quilt attachment paths 130 / 140 are substantially linear; in some examples, the inner and outer quilt overlapping area segments 103 / 104 are substantially triangular. When quilt 100 is wrapped or folded into an arrangement of overlapping footrests, the outer quilt overlapping area segment 104 faces a portion of the inner quilt surface 100e, and the inner quilt overlapping area segment 103 faces a portion of the outer quilt surface 100f (in Figure 2A As shown, although those areas will be invisible; Figure 2B (As can be seen most clearly by the lieutenant general). In this arrangement, each quilt fastener element 131 of the inner group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating quilt fastener 141 of the outer group. The engagement of the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 of the inner and outer groups holds at least the foot portion of the quilt 100 in an arrangement that wraps around the overlapping foot box. Figure 2A / Figure 2B The locations of the engaged quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 are shown in the diagram, although they will not be visible.

[0026] The drawstring 160 engages with the bottom edge 100b of the comforter; in some examples, the drawstring 160 extends substantially across the bottom edge 100b of the comforter. The drawstring 160 can be of any suitable or conventional type or arrangement. The comforter is held in an overlapping footbox-wrapped arrangement by (i) the engagement of the bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b with each other, (ii) the engagement of the bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b with each other, and (iii) the engagement of the corresponding comforter fastener elements 131 / 141 of the inner and outer groups with each other, and then, by pulling the drawstring 160, the bottom edge 100b of the comforter is gathered to form the closed footbox of the sleeping bag. Figure 2C To secure the closed foot box of the sleeping bag, in some examples, one or both of the drawstring 160 or the bottom edge 100b of the comforter may be structurally arranged such that the drawstring 160 is secured to the collected comforter edge 100b. In some of those examples, the drawstring 160 may include a retaining member 161 that secures the drawstring 160 to the collected comforter bottom edge 100b. An example of such a retaining member 161 is any suitable type of conventional cord loop that is capable of sliding along the drawstring 160 and then locking in place at a selected location along the drawstring 160.

[0027] In some examples, the inner group of quilt fastener elements 131 includes a continuous series of quilt fastener elements 131 along the inner quilt attachment path 103. Figure 3B At least a portion of the quilt fastener element 141 is attached to the inner surface 100e of the quilt. Similarly, in those examples, the outer group of quilt fastener elements 141 comprises a continuous set of quilt fastener elements 141 along the outer quilt attachment path 140. Figure 3A At least a portion of the fastener elements 131 / 141 is attached to the outer surface 100f of the comforter. In some examples, the continuous fastener elements 131 / 141 may extend to their respective side edges 100c / 100d of the comforter, or, in other examples, may extend only partially toward those edges. The continuous fastener elements 131 / 141 do not typically extend all the way to the bottom edge 100b of the comforter; instead, their respective foot-facing ends are displaced from the bottom edge 100b of the comforter in the head-facing direction. The continuous fastener elements 131 / 141 can be of any suitable type or arrangement, including those described above (e.g., mating zipper halves, mating hook-and-loop material strips, or magnetic plastic strips).

[0028] In some examples, the inner group of the quilt fastener element 131 includes a plurality of separate inner groups of quilt fastener elements 131a / 131b / ... which are located along the inner quilt attachment path 130 ( Figure 1BAt least a portion of the quilt fastener element 141 is attached to the inner surface 100e of the quilt. Similarly, in those examples, the outer group of one or more quilt fastener elements 141 includes a plurality of separate outer groups of quilt fastener elements 141a / 141b / ... which are attached to the outer surface 100f of the quilt along at least a portion of the outer quilt attachment path 140. The inner and outer groups of quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 and the inner and outer quilt attachment paths 130 / 140 are structurally arranged such that, when the quilt 100 is wrapped in an arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps, each separate quilt fastener element 131a / 131b... of the inner group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating, separate quilt fastener element 141a / 141b / ... of the outer group. In some examples, the topmost, separate comforter fastener element 131a of the inner group is positioned on the first lateral edge 130 of the comforter, and the topmost, separate comforter fastener element 141a of the outer group is positioned on the second lateral edge 100d of the comforter. In other examples, the topmost comforter fastener elements 131a / 141a are displaced from their respective lateral edges 130 / 140. The bottommost, separate comforter fastener elements of the inner and outer groups (comforter fastener elements 131c / 141c in the examples in the figures) are typically displaced from the bottom edge 100b of the comforter in the head-to-head direction. The separate quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 can be of any suitable type or arrangement, including those described above (e.g., cord loops and hooks, mating convex and concave snap elements, mating buttons and buttonholes, mating convex and concave snap rings or retaining rings, mating external pieces of hook material and loop material, or magnet pairs).

[0029] In many examples, all the separate comforter fastener elements 131 of the inner group are of one type (e.g., all are loops, or all are convex snap fasteners), and all the separate fastener elements 141 of the outer group are of a corresponding other type that mates with or corresponds to the separate fastener elements of the inner group (e.g., if the inner group consists of loops, then they are all hooks; or if the inner group consists of convex snap fasteners, then they are all concave snap fasteners). Furthermore, in many of those examples, the type of fastener element selected for the comforter fastener elements 131 / 141 is the same as the type of fastener element selected for the bottom fastener elements 121a / 121b / 122a / 122b, although this is not necessarily the case. Such an arrangement can be advantageous, for example, by simplifying the manufacturing process for producing the sleeping bag of the present invention; however, such conditions are not essential. The only requirement is that, for each pair of corresponding inner and outer comforter fastener elements (131a / 141a, 131b / 141b, etc.), the two fastener elements are mating or corresponding types capable of engaging and holding each other. Therefore, the inner comforter fastener elements 131a / 131b / ... can be "mixed and matched" with the outer comforter fastener elements 141a / 141b... in any desired mixing manner and sequence of fastener types along the inner attachment path 130 in any desired mixing manner and sequence of fastener element types. For example, such a mixed-type combination of inner and outer comforter fastener elements 131 / 141 can be advantageous by guiding the user to properly assemble the inner and outer comforter fastener elements into the correct pairs when unfolding the sleeping bag. Such a mixed-type combination of inner and outer comforter fastener elements 131 / 141 should fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

[0030] The above-described closure arrangement of the present invention for the foot portion of the quilt 100 is used to form a closed foot box for a sleeping bag formed by the quilt 102. The closure arrangement of the present invention can be particularly advantageous when using multiple discrete fastener elements instead of continuous fastener elements. A common problem arising from the use of discrete fasteners in sleeping bag closures is that the sleeping bag portion joined by discrete fastener elements can still separate from each other along the gaps between adjacent mating pairs of fastener elements. Movement of the sleeping bag occupant tends to cause intermittent separation along those gaps, and these separations allow heat to escape from the sleeping bag, reducing its performance. The arrangement of the present invention includes an overlapping arrangement of the transverse sections 100b-1 and 100b-3 of the bottom quilt edge (i.e., a so-called spiral arrangement or helical arrangement; in Figure 2B / Figure 2CThe inner and outer groups of the quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 arranged along the attachment path 130 / 140 (which slopes inward and downward from the lateral edge 100c / 100d of the quilt), the overlapping sections 103 / 104 of the quilt facing their respective outer / inner surfaces 100f / 100e, and the drawstring 160 along the bottom edge 100b of the quilt, all work together to form a closed foot box of the sleeping bag in such a way that even when the occupant moves around within it, separation of the joint portion of the quilt 100 (which forms the foot box of the sleeping bag) is resisted, reduced, and in some cases eliminated.

[0031] Weight is a critical factor in designing outdoor gear, especially if it will be carried by someone hiking long distances (e.g., during backpacking trips). Over the years, lightweight materials and specialized construction techniques have been developed to produce lighter gear items such as tents and sleeping bags. As weight limits become increasingly restrictive, finding ways to further reduce weight becomes correspondingly more challenging.

[0032] In so-called ultralight sleeping bags or blankets, zippers account for a significant percentage of the total weight, in some cases around 10% to about 20%, or even more. A zipperless sleeping bag arrangement could potentially eliminate this weight, thereby enabling further reduction in the overall weight of the sleeping bag, or replacing the weight of the zippers with, for example, more or denser filling to enhance the sleeping bag's thermal performance, or using heavier covering materials to improve durability. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, simply replacing zippers (i.e., continuous zippers) with lighter, discrete fastener sets in a conventional sleeping bag closure arrangement can result in the connecting parts of the sleeping bag separating from each other between the discrete fasteners as the sleeping bag's occupant moves around. Such separation allows heat to escape from the sleeping bag and can severely degrade its performance in cold conditions. It is desirable to provide a zipperless sleeping bag comprising a blanket and various separate fasteners, which are structurally arranged such that the portion of the blanket joined by the separate fasteners does not separate, or is less likely to separate, or is less easily separated, when the user of the sleeping bag moves around. The above-described sleeping bag foot box closure arrangement of the present invention provides a new and useful function.

[0033] When using a sleeping bag without attaching it to another item (e.g., a sheet of sleeping pad) at the foot, the described-invention sleeping bag footbox closure arrangement (referred to herein as an overlapping footbox wrapping arrangement) can be employed. In some cases, the user may wish to expand the sleeping bag's footbox and attach it to a sleeping pad, typically by attaching it to a sheet on the sleeping pad. The described-invention sleeping bag can be further adapted to provide additional, new, and useful functions.

[0034] An additional set of one or more quilt fastener elements 151 can be attached along a linear or curved additional quilt attachment path 150. Figure 4A / Figure 4B At least a portion of the quilt is attached to the outer surface 100f of the quilt. An additional attachment path 150 extends from the outer lateral edge 100c of the first quilt to the lateral segment 100b-1 of the bottom edge of the first quilt, and defines an additional quilt overlap region segment 105 on the outer surface 100f, the additional quilt overlap region segment 105 being defined by the additional outer quilt attachment path 150, the bottom edge 100b of the quilt, and the lateral edge 100c of the first quilt. The additional quilt attachment path 150 generally, but not necessarily, follows the same path on the outer surface 100f as the inner quilt attachment path 130 follows on the inner surface 100e of the quilt; in this case, the additional quilt overlap region segment 105 replicates the size, shape, and position of the inner quilt overlap region segment 103 on the inner surface 100e of the quilt on the outer surface 100f. Sheet 200 ( Figure 5A / Figure 5B / Figure 5C The sheet 200 is structurally arranged in any suitable manner to be secured to a sleeping pad 299 of any suitable type, size, and shape, for example, by being arranged as an assembled sheet, or by including straps or ties for wrapping around the sleeping pad 299, or by enclosing the entire sleeping pad 299 in a manner similar to a pillowcase enclosing a pillow. The sheet 200 includes, on its outer surface, a first set of one or more sheet fastener elements 241 and a second set of one or more sheet fastener elements 251, the first set of one or more sheet fastener elements 241 being structurally arranged along a corresponding linear or curved first sheet attachment path 240, and the second set of one or more sheet fastener elements 251 being structurally arranged along a corresponding linear or curved second sheet attachment path 250. The first and second attachment paths 240 / 250 are structurally arranged generally longitudinally along at least the corresponding foot-facing portions of the respective first and second lateral edges of the sheet 200. In some examples, the first and second sheet attachment paths 240 / 250 are positioned on their respective first sheet lateral edges and second sheet lateral edges; in other examples, the first and second sheet attachment paths 240 / 250 are displaced inward from their respective first sheet lateral edges and second sheet lateral edges.

[0035] In order to use the quilt 100 in the foot-box extended arrangement, the bottom fastener elements 121a / 122b are disengaged from each other, the bottom fastener elements 122a / 122b are disengaged from each other, and the inner and outer groups of the quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 are disengaged from each other. With all these fastener elements disengaged, the quilt 100 can be opened or unfolded into the foot-box extended arrangement and positioned above the sheet 200, wherein the inner surface 100e of the quilt faces the outer surface of the sheet ( Figure 5B / Figure 5C The overlapping sections 104 and 105 of the quilt on the outer surface 100f are rolled or folded underneath to face the outer surface of the sheet. Figure 5B / Figure 5C The corresponding portions of the quilt 100 are positioned and arranged such that each quilt fastener element 141 of the outer group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener element 241 of the first group, and each quilt fastener element 151 of the supplementary group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener element 251 of the second group. By engaging the respective outer groups and the corresponding, mating quilt and sheet fastener elements 141 / 241 of the first group with each other, and by engaging the respective supplementary groups and the corresponding, mating quilt and sheet fastener elements 151 / 251 of the second group with each other, at least the foot portion of the quilt 100 is arranged in the foot box extension ( Figure 5B / Figure 5C The footrest is held and secured to sheet 200. In colder conditions, when a closed footrest may be desired, the drawstring 160 can be pulled to gather the bottom edge 100b and form a closed, expanded footrest of the sleeping bag. Figure 5C Alternatively, under warmer conditions, when it may be desirable to open the foot box, the bottom edge 100b of the quilt can remain uncollected, allowing the foot box to remain open in its extended arrangement. Figure 5B To revert to the closed, overlapping foot-box arrangement, quilt fastener element 141 and sheet fastener element 241 are disengaged from each other, and quilt fastener element 151 and sheet fastener element 251 are disengaged from each other. The quilt 100 can then return to the overlapping foot-box arrangement as described above.

[0036] One or more types and arrangements of sheet fastener elements 241 are selected to mate or correspond to one or more types and arrangements of external quilt fastener elements 141, such that those fasteners can engage with each other (e.g., a cord loop corresponds to a hook, or vice versa, or a button corresponds to a buttonhole, or vice versa, and so on for other fastener element types). The type and arrangement of sheet fastener elements 251 are selected to mate or correspond to one or more types and arrangements of additional quilt fastener elements 151, such that those fasteners can engage with each other. The one or more types and arrangements of additional quilt fastener elements 151 can, in principle, be arbitrarily selected from any continuous or discrete fastener element types (including any one or more of those described above). Alternatively, sheet fastener elements 251 can be arbitrarily selected, and then additional quilt fastener elements 151 can be selected to mate or correspond. However, more typically, one or more additional quilt fastener elements 151 are selected to have one or more types and arrangements that are the same as one or more internal quilt fastener elements 131 or one or more external quilt fastener elements 141.

[0037] If the external and additional quilt fastener elements 141 / 151 have one or more of the same type and arrangement, then the sheet fastener elements 241 / 251 must also have one or more of the same type and arrangement, corresponding to the quilt fastener elements 141 / 151. In such an example, the internal quilt fastener elements 131 are all cord loops, the external and additional quilt fastener elements 141 / 151 are all hooks, and the first and second sheet fastener elements 241 / 251 are all cord loops. Such an arrangement can be advantageous for simplifying the manufacture of the sheet 200 and the quilt 100.

[0038] If the internal and additional quilt fastener elements 131 / 151 have one or more of the same type and arrangement, then the sheet fastener elements 241 / 251 will differ from each other in terms of one or more fastener types and arrangements, while cooperating or corresponding with their respective quilt fastener elements 141 / 151. In one such example, the internal and additional quilt fastener elements 131 / 151 are all loops, the external quilt fastener elements 141 are all hooks, the first sheet fastener elements 241 are all loops, and the second sheet fastener elements 251 are all hooks. Such an arrangement is advantageous for guiding the assembly of the quilt 100 with the sheet 200 (since they can only be together in one way). Furthermore, in some examples employing this arrangement of discrete quilt fastener elements, the topmost internal quilt fastener element 131a can also be the topmost additional quilt fastener element 151a. Figure 4A / Figure 4B ).

[0039] Any of the various continuous or discrete types and arrangements of the above-described internal / external quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 can be used to attach quilt fastener element 151 and first / second sheet fastener elements 241 / 251, including, for example, continuous fastener elements ( Figure 6A / Figure 6B and Figure 10B ), discrete fastener components ( Figure 4A / Figure 4B and Figure 5A Groups of single fastener component types, mixed groups of fastener components, etc.

[0040] The arrangement of the attached quilt fastener element 151 and the sheet fastener elements 241 / 251 provides new and useful functions in which the quilt 100, which can be used as a sleeping bag, can be easily switched between (i) an arrangement having a self-contained, closed footbox and (ii) an arrangement having an extended footbox attached to the sheet 200 (and thus generally also indirectly attached to the sleeping mat 299, on which the sheet 200 is deployed)). The example described above, combined with the overlapping footbox-wrapped arrangement of the present invention, provides a new and useful function of an extended footbox with attached sheet. However, the arrangement of an extended footbox with attached sheet can be implemented independently of the overlapping, footbox-wrapped arrangement, and in some examples, a conventional quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag can be combined with the sheet of the present invention. Thus, the sheet that can be used to provide the arrangement of the attached extended footbox can be provided as a set with the quilt or can be provided separately from the quilt as an accessory or modification.

[0041] Sheet material 300 suitable for use with sleeping bags Figure 7BAs shown in the diagram. The sheet 300 is structurally arranged to be secured to a sleeping pad 399 of any suitable type, size, and shape in any suitable manner (including those described above). A first set of one or more sheet fastener elements 341 is attached to the outer surface of the sheet 300; the sheet fastener elements 341 are structurally arranged along a first sheet attachment path 340, which is linear or curved, on the outer surface of the sheet. A second set of one or more sheet fastener elements 351 is attached to the outer surface of the sheet; the sheet fastener elements are structurally arranged along a second sheet attachment path 351, which is linear or curved, on the outer surface of the sheet. The first and second attachment paths 340 / 350 are structurally arranged generally longitudinally along at least the corresponding foot-facing portions of the respective first and second lateral edges of the sheet 300. In some examples, the first and second sheet attachment paths 340 / 350 may be positioned on their respective first and second sheet lateral edges; in other examples, the first and second sheet attachment paths 340 / 350 may be displaced inward from their respective first and second sheet lateral edges. The sheet attachment paths 340 and sheet fastener elements 341 are arranged such that the sheet fastener elements 341 and the corresponding first set of quilt fastener elements 441 (attached along attachment paths 440 on a quilt 400 that can be used as a sleeping bag) are also arranged. Figure 7A They can engage with each other. Similarly, the sheet attachment path 350 and the sheet fastener element 351 are arranged such that the sheet fastener element 351 and the corresponding second set of quilt fastener elements 451 (attached along the second quilt attachment path 450 on the quilt 400) are connected. Figure 7A They can connect with each other.

[0042] Quilt fastener elements 441 / 451 are typically arranged such that when not in contact with sheet 300 (formed by pulling cord 460, as shown in the image), they are fastened together. Figure 8A The open, extended foot box shown, or as... Figure 8B When used together, the closed foot box (as shown) engages with each other, and at least the foot portion of the quilt 400 is held in a wrapped, folded, or closed arrangement (optionally, but not necessarily overlapping). When the quilt 400 is in an unwrapped arrangement, the quilt 300 can be positioned above the sheet 400 when the first and second sets of quilt fastener elements 441 / 451 are disengaged from each other, with the inner surface of the quilt facing the outer surface of the sheet (…). Figure 9A / Figure 9BEach quilt fastener element 441 in the first group is then substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener element 341 of the first group, and each quilt fastener element 451 in the second group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener element 351 of the second group. The corresponding, mating quilts and sheet fastener elements 341 / 441 are engaged with each other, and the corresponding, mating quilts and sheet fastener elements 351 / 451 are engaged with each other, holding at least the foot portion of the quilt 400, secured to the sheet 300, in a footbox-extended arrangement. Figure 9A / Figure 9B ; and similar to the description above and in Figure 5B / Figure 5C (The quilt 100 and sheet 200 are shown in the image).

[0043] Any of the various continuous or discrete types and arrangements of the above-described internal / external quilt fastener elements 131 / 141 can be used for the first / second sheet fastener elements 341 / 351 and the first / second quilt fastener elements 441 / 451, including, for example, continuous fastener elements ( Figure 10A / Figure 10B ), discrete fastener components ( Figure 7A / Figure 7B Groups of single fastener component types, mixed fastener component types, etc.

[0044] As described above, sheet 300 and quilt 400 may be supplied together as a set. Alternatively, sheet 300 may be supplied as an accessory or modification for quilt 400, which may or may not be intended for use with sheet 400.

[0045] If the comforter 400 includes a drawstring 460 that runs across its bottom toward the foot edge, this drawstring is typically used, wherein comforter fastening elements 441 / 451 engage with each other to gather the bottom edge of the comforter into the closed foot box of the sleeping bag. Figure 8B ); A drawstring retainer 461 may be used. When the quilt 400 is not attached to the sheet 300, the enclosed foot box may include the wrapping arrangement as described above, or may include non-overlapping attachments of attachment paths 440 / 450 to form an enclosed foot box ( Figure 8A / Figure 8B ). The quilt fastener elements 441 / 451 are disengaged from each other, and the quilt 400 is arranged in the foot box as described above ( Figure 9A / Figure 9B When the sheet 300 is attached to the sleeping bag, pull the drawstring 460 to collect the bottom edge of the blanket to form a closed, expanded foot box. Figure 9BDepending on the conditions, users may prefer to keep the extended foot box open without pulling the pull cord 460. Figure 9A ).

[0046] The described arrangement allows a quilt 400 (including a regular quilt, but not necessarily intended for use as a sleeping bag) to be easily converted between (i) an arrangement with a self-contained, enclosed foot box and (ii) an arrangement with an extended foot box (attached to a sheet 300 (and thus usually attached to a sleeping pad 399 on which the sheet 300 is deployed)).

[0047] In addition to the foregoing, the following examples fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims: Example 1. An article comprising: (a) a quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag, the quilt having (i) an inner quilt surface, (ii) an outer quilt surface, (iii) a head-facing top edge of the quilt, (iv) a foot-facing bottom edge of the quilt, (v) a first quilt lateral edge, and (vi) a second quilt lateral edge opposite to the first quilt lateral edge; (b) a first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements and a second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements attached to the quilt along the bottom edge of the quilt, and structurally arranged such that (i) only one separate bottom fastener element of the first pair is positioned between the separate bottom fastener elements of the second pair, and (ii) only one separate bottom fastener element of the second pair is positioned... (iii) The first pair of separate bottom fastener elements are located between the first pair of separate bottom fastener elements, and the second pair of bottom fastener elements thereby define a first quilt bottom edge lateral section, a second quilt bottom edge lateral section, and a quilt bottom edge central section, wherein the first quilt bottom edge lateral section is located between the first pair of bottom fastener elements but not between the second pair of bottom fastener elements, the second quilt bottom edge lateral section is located between the second pair of bottom fastener elements but not between the first pair of bottom fastener elements, and the quilt bottom edge central section is located between the two pairs of bottom fastener elements; (c) an inner group of one or more quilt fastener elements, which, along at least a portion of a linear or curved inner quilt attachment path. (d) An outer group of one or more quilt fastener elements, which are attached to the outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of a linear or curved outer quilt attachment path, the outer quilt attachment path extending from the lateral edge of a second quilt to the lateral edge of a second quilt, and defining an outer quilt overlap region segment on the outer surface of the quilt, the outer quilt overlap region segment being defined by the inner quilt attachment path, the quilt bottom edge, and the first quilt lateral edge; (e) a drawstring that engages with the bottom edge of the quilt, wherein: (f) the inner and outer groups of quilt fastener elements and the inner and outer quilt attachment paths are structurally arranged such that, in the case where the quilt is wrapped in an arrangement of overlapping foot boxes, (i) the overlapping section of the outer quilt faces a portion of the inner surface of the quilt, (ii) the overlapping section of the inner quilt faces a portion of the outer surface of the quilt, (iii) each quilt fastener element of the inner group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating quilt fastener element of the outer group, and (iv) the engagement of the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements of the inner and outer groups with each other retains at least the foot portion of the quilt in the arrangement of overlapping foot boxes.(g) In the case where the comforter is wrapped in an overlapping footbox arrangement, (i) a first pair of mating bottom fastener elements are positioned to engage with each other, (ii) a second pair of mating bottom fastener elements are positioned to engage with each other, and (iii) the engagement of the first pair of bottom fastener elements and the engagement of the second pair of bottom fastener elements will hold at least the bottom edge of the comforter in the overlapping footbox arrangement, wherein the lateral segments of the first and second bottom edges of the comforter overlap each other; and (h) the drawstring and the comforter are structurally arranged such that: by the engagement of the first pair of bottom fastener elements, the engagement of the second pair of bottom fastener elements, and the engagement of the corresponding comforter fastener elements of the inner and outer groups, the comforter is held in the overlapping footbox arrangement, and pulling the drawstring gathers the bottom edge of the comforter to form the closed footbox of the sleeping bag.

[0048] Example 2. The item of Example 1, wherein either: (i) the quilt is substantially trapezoidal, wherein the top edge and the bottom edge are substantially parallel, and the bottom edge is shorter than the top edge; or (ii) the quilt is substantially rectangular.

[0049] Example 3. An item of either Example 1 or 2, wherein the drawstring or the bottom edge of the blanket is structurally arranged such that: the drawstring is secured to the bottom edge of the collected blanket, thereby securing the closed, enclosed foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0050] Example 4. An article of any of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the pull cord includes a retaining member that is structurally arranged to secure the pull cord to the bottom edge of the collected blanket, thereby securing the closed, enclosed foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0051] Example 5. An item of any of Examples 1 to 4, wherein: (i) the inner quilt attachment path and the outer quilt attachment path are substantially linear, or (ii) the inner quilt overlap segment and the outer quilt overlap segment are substantially triangular.

[0052] Example 6. An article of any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein: (i) a separate bottom fastener element of the first pair is positioned where the lateral edge of the first quilt meets the bottom edge of the quilt, (ii) a separate bottom fastener element of the second pair is positioned where the lateral edge of the second quilt meets the bottom edge of the quilt, and (iii) the drawstring extends substantially completely through the bottom edge of the quilt.

[0053] Example 7. An article of any of Examples 1 to 6, wherein each pair of bottom fastener elements includes a rope loop and a hook arranged structurally to engage and retain the rope loop.

[0054] Example 8. An article of any of Examples 1 to 6, wherein each pair of bottom fastener elements comprises: (i) a convex snap element and a concave snap element arranged structurally to engage and retain the convex snap element; (ii) a button and a button hole arranged structurally to engage and retain the button; (iii) a convex snap ring or retaining ring element and a concave snap ring or retaining ring element arranged structurally to engage and retain the convex snap ring or retaining ring element; (iv) an outer fragment of hook material and an outer fragment of loop material of hook ring material; or (v) a pair of magnets.

[0055] Example 9. An article of any of Examples 1 to 8, wherein: (c') the inner group of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to an inner surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; and (d') the outer group of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path.

[0056] Example 10. An article of Example 9, wherein: (c') the inner assembly of the quilt fastener element includes a first half of a zipper attached to an inner surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; and (d') the outer assembly of the quilt fastener element includes a second half of a zipper attached to an outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path.

[0057] Example 11. An article of Example 9, wherein: (c') the inner group of the quilt fastener elements comprises a strip of hook material or a strip of loop material, which is attached to the inner surface of the quilt along at least a portion of the inner quilt attachment path; and (d') the outer group of the quilt fastener elements comprises a strip of hook material or a strip of loop material, which is attached to the outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of the outer quilt attachment path.

[0058] Example 12. An article of Example 9, wherein: (c') the inner assembly of the quilt fastener element includes a first magnetic plastic material strip attached to an inner surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; and (d') the outer assembly of the quilt fastener element includes a second magnetic plastic material strip attached to an outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path.

[0059] Example 13. An article of any of Examples 1 to 8, wherein: (c') an inner group of one or more quilt fastener elements comprises a plurality of separate inner groups of quilt fastener elements, the inner groups of which are attached to the inner surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; (d') an outer group of one or more quilt fastener elements comprises a plurality of separate outer groups of quilt fastener elements, the outer groups of which are attached to the outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path; (f') the inner and outer groups of quilt fastener elements, as well as the inner and outer quilt attachment paths, are structurally arranged such that, in the case that the quilt is wrapped in an arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps, each separate quilt fastener element of the inner group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group.

[0060] Example 14. The item of Example 13, wherein the topmost, separate quilt fastener element of the inner group is positioned on the first quilt lateral edge, and the topmost, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group is positioned on the second quilt lateral edge.

[0061] Example 15. An item of either Example 13 or 14, wherein the bottommost, separate quilt fastener elements of the inner and outer groups are displaced from the bottom edge of the quilt in the head-to-head direction.

[0062] Example 16. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein: (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the inner group includes a cord loop or a hook structurally arranged to engage and retain the cord loop; (ii) for each cord loop in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a hook; and (iii) for each hook in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a cord loop.

[0063] Example 17. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein: (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the inner group includes a convex snap element or a concave snap element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap element; (ii) for each convex snap element in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a concave snap element; and (iii) for each concave snap element in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a convex snap element.

[0064] Example 18. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein: (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the inner group includes a button or a button hole arranged structurally to engage and retain a button; (ii) for each button in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a button hole; and (iii) for each button hole in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group includes a button.

[0065] Example 19. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein: (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the inner group comprises a convex snap ring or retaining ring element, or a concave snap ring or retaining ring element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap ring or retaining ring element; (ii) for each convex snap ring or retaining ring element in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group comprises a concave snap ring or retaining ring element; and (iii) for each concave snap ring or retaining ring element in the inner group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate quilt fastener element of the outer group comprises a convex snap ring or retaining ring element.

[0066] Example 20. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein: (i) each discrete quilt fastener element in the inner group comprises an outer fragment of hook material or an outer fragment of loop material; (ii) for each fragment of hook material in the inner group, the corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete quilt fastener element in the outer group comprises a fragment of loop material; and (iii) for each fragment of loop material in the inner group, the corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete quilt fastener element in the outer group comprises a fragment of hook material.

[0067] Example 21. An article of any of Examples 13 to 15, wherein each separate quilt fastener element of the inner and outer groups includes a magnet.

[0068] Example 22. An article of any of Examples 13 to 21 further includes: (a) an additional set of a plurality of separate comforter fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a comforter along at least a portion of a linear or curved additional comforter attachment path extending from a first comforter lateral edge to a comforter bottom edge and defining an additional comforter overlap region segment on the outer surface of the comforter, the additional comforter overlap region segment being defined by the additional outer comforter attachment path, the comforter bottom edge, and the first comforter lateral edge; and (b) a sheet structurally arranged to be secured to a sleeping pad and included on its sheet outer surface. The first group of multiple discrete sheet fastener elements and the second group of multiple discrete sheet fastener elements are structurally arranged along corresponding linear or curved first sheet attachment paths and second sheet attachment paths, wherein: (c) the first attachment path and the second attachment path are structurally arranged generally longitudinally along at least corresponding foot portions of their respective first and second lateral edges of the sheets; (d) the outer group and the additional group of discrete sheet fastener elements, the outer sheet attachment path and The additional quilt attachment path, the first set of discrete sheet fastener elements and the second set of discrete sheet fastener elements, and the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path are structurally arranged such that: (1) the first pair of bottom fastener elements and the second pair of bottom fastener elements are disengaged from each other, (2) the inner group of the quilt fastener elements and the outer group of the quilt fastener elements are disengaged from each other, and (3) the quilt, which is in the foot box extended arrangement and is positioned such that the inner surface of the quilt faces the outer surface of the sheet, (i) the corresponding portions of the outer quilt overlapping area segment and the additional quilt overlapping area segment facing the outer surface of the sheet. (ii) Each separate quilt fastener element of the outer group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the first group; (iii) Each separate quilt fastener element of the supplementary group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the second group; and (iv) the engagement of the respective outer group and the corresponding, mating quilt and sheet fastener elements of the first group with each other, and the engagement of the respective supplementary group and the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements of the second group with each other, will secure the sheet quilt at least to the foot portion in an arrangement extending into the foot box.And (e) the drawstring and the quilt are structurally arranged such that: by the engagement of their respective outer groups and the corresponding, mating, separate quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the first group, and by the engagement of their respective additional groups and the corresponding, mating, separate quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the second group, the quilt is held in an expanded footbox arrangement, and pulling the drawstring gathers the bottom edge of the quilt to form a closed, expanded footbox of the sleeping bag.

[0069] Example 23. The item of Example 22, wherein the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path are (i) positioned on the respective first sheet lateral edge and the second sheet lateral edge, or (ii) displaced inward from the respective first sheet lateral edge and the second sheet lateral edge.

[0070] Example 24. An item of either Example 22 or 23, wherein the topmost, separate quilt fastener element of the inner group is also the topmost, separate quilt fastener element of the appendix group.

[0071] Example 25. An article according to any of Examples 22 to 24, wherein (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the outer group and the supplementary group includes a cord loop, or a hook structurally arranged to engage and retain the cord loop; (ii) for each cord loop in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the first or second group includes a hook; and (iii) for each hook in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the first or second group includes a cord loop.

[0072] Example 26. Articles of any of Examples 22 to 24, wherein: (i) each separate quilt fastener element of the outer group and the supplementary group includes a convex snap element or a concave snap element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap element; (ii) for each convex snap element in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the first or second group includes a concave snap element; and (iii) for each concave snap element in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element of the first or second group includes a convex snap element.

[0073] Example 27. An article of any of Examples 22 to 24, wherein: (i) each of the separate quilt fastener elements in the outer group and the supplementary group includes a button or a button hole structurally arranged to engage and retain a button; (ii) for each button in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element in the first or second group includes a button hole; and (iii) for each button hole in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element in the first or second group includes a button.

[0074] Example 28. Articles described in any of Examples 22 to 24, wherein: (i) each discrete quilt fastener element in the outer group and the supplementary group comprises a convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element or a concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element; (ii) for each convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second group comprises a concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element; and (iii) for each concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second group comprises a convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element.

[0075] Example 29. Articles of any of Examples 22 to 24, wherein: (i) each discrete quilt fastener element in the outer group and the supplementary group comprises an outer fragment of hook material or an outer fragment of loop material; (ii) for each fragment of hook material in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second group comprises a fragment of loop material; and (iii) for each fragment of loop material in the outer group and the supplementary group, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second group comprises a fragment of hook material.

[0076] Example 30. An article as described in any one of Examples 22 to 24, wherein each discrete quilt fastener element of the outer group and the additional group includes a magnet, and each discrete sheet fastener element of the first group and the second group includes a magnet.

[0077] Example 31. An article of any of Examples 13 to 21, further comprising: (a) an additional set of one or more comforter fastening elements attached to at least a portion of an additional comforter attachment path along a linear or curved additional comforter attachment path extending from a lateral edge of a first comforter to a lateral segment of a bottom edge of a first comforter, and defining an additional comforter overlap region segment on the outer surface of the comforter, the additional comforter overlap region segment being defined by the additional external comforter attachment path, the bottom edge of the comforter, and the lateral edge of the first comforter; and (b) a sheet material structurally arranged to be secured to a sleeping pad, and comprising a first set of one or more sheet material fastening elements and a second set of one or more sheet material fastening elements on the outside of the sheet material. A group of one or more sheet fastener elements and a second group of one or more sheet fastener elements are structurally arranged along corresponding linear or curved first sheet attachment paths and second sheet attachment paths, wherein: (c) the first attachment path and the second attachment path are structurally arranged along at least corresponding foot portions of their respective first and second lateral edges of the sheet; (d) the outer and additional groups of quilt fastener elements, the outer quilt attachment path and the additional quilt attachment path, the first group of sheet fastener elements and the second group of sheet fastener elements, and the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path are structurally arranged such that: (1) the first pair of bottom fastener elements and the second pair of bottom fastener elements (1) The fastener elements of the quilt are disengaged from each other; (2) the inner and outer groups of the quilt fastener elements are disengaged from each other; and (3) the quilt is in the foot box extended arrangement and positioned above the sheet, wherein the inner surface of the quilt faces the outer surface of the sheet, (i) the overlapping area sections of the outer quilt and the overlapping area sections of the additional quilt face the corresponding portions of the outer surface of the sheet, (ii) each quilt fastener element of the outer group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating, sheet fastener element of the first group, (iii) each quilt fastener element of the additional group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating, sheet fastener element of the second group, and (iv) the respective outer group and the corresponding, mating quilt of the first group. The engagement of fastener elements and sheet fastener elements with each other, as well as the engagement of corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of their respective additional groups and second groups, will secure the quilt to the sheet, at least towards the foot, in an extended footbox arrangement, and (e) the drawstring and quilt are structurally arranged such that the quilt is held in an extended footbox arrangement by: the engagement of corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of their respective outer groups and first groups, as well as the engagement of corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of their respective additional groups and second groups, and pulling the drawstring gathers the bottom edge of the quilt to form a closed, extended footbox of the sleeping bag.

[0078] Example 32. The item of Example 31, wherein the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path are (i) positioned on the respective first sheet lateral edge and the second sheet lateral edge, or (ii) shifted inward from the respective first sheet lateral edge and the second sheet lateral edge.

[0079] Example 33. An article of either Example 31 or 32, wherein: (i) an inner group of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to an inner quilt surface along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; (ii) an outer group of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to an outer quilt surface along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path; (iii) an additional group of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to an outer quilt surface along at least a portion of an additional quilt attachment path; (iv) a first group of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet surface along a first sheet attachment path; and (v) a second group of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet surface along a second sheet attachment path.

[0080] Example 34. An article of Example 33, wherein: (i) an inner group of quilt fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an inner surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; (ii) an outer group of quilt fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path; (iii) an additional group of quilt fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an additional quilt attachment path; (iv) a first group of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (v) a second group of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0081] Example 35. An article of Example 33, wherein: (i) the inner group of quilt fastener elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material, which are attached to the inner surface of the quilt along at least a portion of the inner quilt attachment path; (ii) the outer group of quilt fastener elements comprises strips of hook material and loop material of hook-loop material, which are attached to the outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of the outer quilt attachment path; (iii) the additional group of quilt fastener elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material, which are attached to the outer surface of the quilt along at least a portion of the additional quilt attachment path; (iv) a first group of sheet fastener elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material, which are attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (v) a second group of sheet fastener elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material, which are attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0082] Example 36. An article of Example 33, wherein: (i) an inner group of quilt fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an inner surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an inner quilt attachment path; (ii) an outer group of quilt fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an outer quilt attachment path; (iii) an additional group of quilt fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a quilt along at least a portion of an additional quilt attachment path; (iv) a first group of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (v) a second group of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0083] Example 37. A method for using an article of any of Examples 22 to 36, the method comprising: (A) positioning a quilt with its inner surface facing the outer surface of a sheet, wherein: (i) the quilt is located in an extended footbox arrangement; (ii) overlapping sections of the outer quilt and overlapping sections of the additional quilt face the corresponding portions of the outer surface of the sheet; (iii) each quilt fastener element of the outer group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element of the first group; and (iv) each quilt fastener element of the additional group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element of the second group; and (B) engaging the respective outer groups and the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the first group to each other, and engaging the respective additional groups and the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the second group to each other, thereby retaining at least the foot portion of the quilt secured to the sheet in an extended footbox arrangement.

[0084] Example 38. The method of Example 37, further comprising: prior to part (A), (i) disengaging the first pair of bottom fastener elements and the second pair of bottom fastener elements from each other, and (ii) disengaging the inner group of the quilt fastener elements and the outer group of the quilt fastener elements from each other.

[0085] Example 39. The method of either Example 37 or 38, further comprising, after part (B), pulling a drawstring to gather the bottom edge of the blanket to form a closed, expanded foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0086] Example 40. A method for using an article of any of Examples 22 to 36, the method comprising: (A) disengaging corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the outer group and the first group from each other; (B) disengaging corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the additional group and the second group from each other; (C) wrapping the quilt at least to the foot portion into an arrangement of overlapping foot-box wrappings, wherein: (i) the overlapping section of the outer quilt faces a portion of the inner surface of the quilt, (ii) the overlapping section of the inner quilt faces a portion of the outer surface of the quilt, and (iii) the inner quilt attachment path and the outer... The quilt attachment paths are substantially aligned with each other, and (iv) each quilt fastener element of the inner group is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating quilt fastener element of the outer group; (D) the first pair of bottom fastener elements are engaged with each other, and the second pair of bottom fastener elements are engaged with each other, thereby holding at least the bottom edge of the quilt in an overlapping foot box wrapping arrangement; (E) the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements of the inner and outer groups are engaged with each other, thereby holding at least the foot portion of the quilt in an overlapping foot box wrapping arrangement; and (F) the pull cord is pulled to gather the bottom edge of the quilt and form a closed, wrapped foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0087] Example 41. A method for using an article of any of Examples 1 to 36, the method comprising: (A) wrapping a quilt at least to the foot into an arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps, wherein: (i) an overlapping section of the outer quilt faces a portion of the inner surface of the quilt, (ii) an overlapping section of the inner quilt faces a portion of the outer surface of the quilt, and (iii) each quilt fastening element of the inner group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating quilt fastening element of the outer group; (B) engaging a first pair of bottom fastening elements with each other and engaging a second pair of bottom fastening elements with each other, thereby holding at least the bottom edge of the quilt in the arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps, the lateral sections of the first and second bottom edges of the quilt overlapping each other; (C) engaging the corresponding, mating quilt fastening elements of the inner and outer groups with each other, thereby holding at least the foot portion of the quilt in the arrangement of overlapping foot box wraps; and (D) pulling a drawstring to gather the bottom edge of the quilt and form a closed, wrapped foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0088] Example 42. An article for use with a sleeping bag, the article comprising: (a) a sheet material structurally arranged to be secured to a sleeping pad; (b) a first set of one or more sheet material fastening elements attached to an outer surface of the sheet material and structurally arranged along a linear or curved first sheet material attachment path on the outer surface of the sheet material; and (c) a second set of one or more sheet material fastening elements attached to an outer surface of the sheet material and structurally arranged along a linear or curved second sheet material attachment path on the outer surface of the sheet material, wherein: (c) the first attachment path and the second attachment path are structurally arranged generally longitudinally along at least corresponding foot portions of respective first and second lateral edges of the sheet material; (d) the first set of sheet material fastening elements and the second set of sheet material fastening elements, and the first sheet material attachment path and the second sheet material attachment path are structurally arranged such that: (i) the first set of sheet material fastening elements and a corresponding first set of quilt fastening elements for a quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag are engaged with each other, and (ii) the second set of sheet material fastening elements... The sheet fasteners and the corresponding second set of sheet fasteners of the quilt engage with each other; and (e) the first set of sheet fasteners and the second set of sheet fasteners, as well as the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path, are structurally arranged such that: when the quilt is in an unwrapped arrangement, the first set of sheet fasteners and the second set of sheet fasteners disengage from each other, and the quilt is positioned above the sheet with the inner surface of the quilt facing the outer surface of the sheet, (i) each of the first set of sheet fasteners is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener of the first set, (iii) each of the second set of sheet fasteners is substantially aligned with the corresponding, mating sheet fastener of the second set, and (iv) the engagement of the respective first set of mating sheet fasteners and sheet fasteners with each other, and the engagement of the respective second set of mating sheet fasteners and sheet fasteners with each other, will secure the quilt to the sheet, at least towards the foot portion, in an arrangement extending into the foot box.

[0089] Example 43. The item of Example 42, wherein the first sheet attachment path and the second sheet attachment path are (i) positioned on their respective first sheet lateral edges and second sheet lateral edges, or (ii) displaced inward from their respective first sheet lateral edges and second sheet lateral edges.

[0090] Example 44. An article of either Example 42 or 43, wherein: (i) a first set of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (ii) a second set of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0091] Example 45. An article of Example 44, wherein: (i) a first set of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of the sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (ii) a second set of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of the sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0092] Example 46. An article of Example 44, wherein: (i) a first set of sheet fastener elements comprises a strip of hook material or a strip of loop material attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (ii) a second set of sheet fastener elements comprises a strip of hook material or a strip of loop material attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0093] Example 47. An article of Example 44, wherein: (i) a first set of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (ii) a second set of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to the outer surface of the sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0094] Example 48. An article of either Example 42 or 43, wherein: (i) a first set of sheet fastener elements comprises a first set of a plurality of discrete sheet fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (ii) a second set of sheet fastener elements comprises a second set of a plurality of discrete sheet fastener elements attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0095] Example 49. Articles of Example 48, wherein: (i) each of the discrete sheet fastener elements of the first group includes a rope loop or a hook arranged structurally to engage and retain the rope loop, and (ii) each of the discrete sheet fastener elements of the second group includes a rope loop or a hook arranged structurally to engage and retain the rope loop.

[0096] Example 50. The article of Example 48, wherein: (a) each discrete sheet fastener element of the first group comprises: (i) a convex snap element or a concave snap element structurally arranged to engage and retain a convex snap element, (ii) a button or a buttonhole structurally arranged to engage and retain a button, (iii) a convex snap ring or retaining ring element or a concave snap ring or retaining ring element structurally arranged to engage and retain a convex snap ring or retaining ring element, (iv) an outer fragment of hook material, or an outer fragment of loop material, or ( v) a magnet, and (b) each of the discrete sheet fastener elements of the second group includes: (i) a convex snap element or a concave snap element arranged structurally to engage and retain a convex snap element, (ii) a button or a button hole arranged structurally to engage and retain a button, (iii) a convex snap or retainer element or a concave snap or retainer element arranged structurally to engage and retain a convex snap or retainer element, (iv) an outer fragment of hook material or an outer fragment of loop material, or (v) a magnet.

[0097] Example 51. An article of any of Examples 42 to 50, further comprising: (a) a quilt that can be used as a sleeping bag; (b) a first set of one or more quilt fastening elements attached to the quilt and structurally arranged along a first quilt attachment path that is linear or curved on the quilt; and (c) a second set of one or more quilt fastening elements attached to the quilt and structurally arranged along a second quilt attachment path that is linear or curved on the quilt, wherein: (d) the first set of quilt fastening elements and the second set of quilt fastening elements, as well as the first quilt attachment path and the second quilt attachment path, are structurally arranged such that: when at least the foot portion of the quilt is in a footbox-wrapped arrangement, the engagement of the first set of quilt fastening elements and the second set of quilt fastening elements with each other retains at least the foot portion of the quilt in the footbox-wrapped arrangement; and (e) the first set of quilt fastening elements and the second set of quilt fastening elements The elements, as well as the first and second quilt attachment paths, are structurally arranged such that, when the quilt is in an unwrapped arrangement, the first set of quilt fastener elements and the second set of quilt fastener elements are disengaged from each other, and the quilt is positioned above the sheet with its inner surface facing the outer surface of the sheet: (i) each quilt fastener element of the first set is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element of the first set; (iii) each quilt fastener element of the second set is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element of the second set; and (iv) the engagement of the respective first set of mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements with each other, and the engagement of the respective second set of mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements with each other, retain at least the foot portion of the quilt secured to the sheet in an arrangement extending towards the foot box.

[0098] Example 52. The item of Example 51, wherein the first quilt attachment path and the second quilt attachment path are (i) located on their respective first quilt lateral edges and second quilt lateral edges, (ii) displaced inward from their respective first quilt lateral edges and second quilt lateral edges on the inner surface of the quilt, or (iii) displaced inward from their respective first quilt lateral edges and second quilt lateral edges on the outer surface of the quilt.

[0099] Example 53. An article of either Example 51 or 52 further includes a drawstring, which engages and extends through at least a portion of the bottom of the comforter toward the foot edge, wherein: (a) the drawstring and the comforter are structurally arranged such that: the comforter is held in a foot box-wrapped arrangement by engagement of a first set of comforter fastening elements and a second set of comforter fastening elements with each other, and pulling the drawstring gathers the bottom edge of the comforter to form a closed, wrapped foot box of the sleeping bag; and (b) the drawstring and the comforter are structurally arranged such that: the comforter is held in an extended foot box arrangement by engagement of respective first sets of corresponding, mating comforter fastening elements and sheet fastening elements with each other, and engagement of respective second sets of corresponding, mating comforter fastening elements and sheet fastening elements with each other, and pulling the drawstring gathers at least a portion of the bottom edge of the comforter to form a closed, extended foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0100] Example 54. The item in Example 53, where the drawstring extends almost completely through the bottom edge of the quilt.

[0101] Example 55. An item of either Example 53 or 54, wherein the drawstring or bottom edge of the blanket is structurally arranged such that the drawstring is secured to the bottom edge of the collected blanket, thereby securing the closed, enclosed foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0102] Example 56. An article of any of Examples 53 to 55, wherein the pull cord includes a retaining member that is structurally arranged to secure the pull cord to the bottom edge of the collected blanket, thereby securing the closed, enclosed foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0103] Example 57. An article of any of Examples 51 to 56, wherein: (i) a first set of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to a quilt along a first quilt attachment path; (ii) a second set of quilt fastener elements comprises continuous quilt fastener elements attached to a quilt along a second quilt attachment path; (iii) a first set of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet outer surface along a first sheet attachment path; and (iv) a second set of sheet fastener elements comprises continuous sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet outer surface along a second sheet attachment path.

[0104] Example 58. The article of Example 57, wherein: (i) a first set of quilt fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to the quilt along a first quilt attachment path; (ii) a second set of quilt fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to the quilt along a second quilt attachment path; (iii) a first set of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of the sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (iv) a second set of sheet fastener elements includes a zipper half attached to an outer surface of the sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0105] Example 59. An article of Example 57, wherein: (i) a first set of quilt fastening elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material attached to the quilt along a first quilt attachment path; (ii) a second set of quilt fastening elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material attached to the quilt along a second quilt attachment path; (iii) a first set of sheet fastening elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (iv) a second set of sheet fastening elements comprises strips of hook material or loop material of hook-loop material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0106] Example 60. An article of Example 57, wherein: (i) a first set of quilt fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to the quilt along a first quilt attachment path; (ii) a second set of quilt fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to the quilt along a second quilt attachment path; (iii) a first set of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a first sheet attachment path; and (iv) a second set of sheet fastener elements includes a strip of magnetic plastic material attached to an outer surface of a sheet along a second sheet attachment path.

[0107] Example 61. An article of any of Examples 51 to 56, wherein: (i) a first set of quilt fastener elements comprises a first set of multiple discrete quilt fastener elements attached to a quilt along a first quilt attachment path; (ii) a second set of quilt fastener elements comprises a second set of multiple discrete quilt fastener elements attached to a quilt along a second quilt attachment path; (iii) a first set of sheet fastener elements comprises a first set of multiple discrete sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet outer surface along a first sheet attachment path; and (iv) a second set of sheet fastener elements comprises a second set of multiple discrete sheet fastener elements attached to a sheet outer surface along a second sheet attachment path.

[0108] Example 62. An article of Example 61, wherein: (i) each of the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements includes a cord loop or a hook structurally arranged to engage and retain the cord loop; (ii) for each cord loop in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second set includes a hook; and (iii) for each hook in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second set includes a cord loop.

[0109] Example 63. An article of Example 61, wherein: (i) each of the separate quilt fastener elements in the first and second groups includes a convex snap element or a concave snap element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap element; (ii) for each convex snap element in the first and second groups of separate quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element in the first or second group includes a concave snap element; and (iii) for each concave snap element in the first and second groups of separate quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, separate sheet fastener element in the first or second group includes a convex snap element.

[0110] Example 64. An article of Example 61, wherein: (i) each of the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements includes a button or a button hole structurally arranged to engage and retain a button; (ii) for each button in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element of the first or second set includes a button hole; and (iii) for each button hole in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element of the first or second set includes a button.

[0111] Example 65. An article of Example 61, wherein: (i) each of the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements comprises a convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element, or a concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element structurally arranged to engage and retain the convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element; (ii) for each convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second set comprises a concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element; and (iii) for each concave snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, a corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element in the first or second set comprises a convex snap-fit ​​or retaining ring element.

[0112] Example 66. An article of Example 61, wherein: (i) each of the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements comprises an outer fragment of hook material or an outer fragment of loop material; (ii) for each fragment of hook material in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, the corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element of the first or second set comprises a fragment of loop material; and (iii) for each fragment of loop material in the first and second sets of discrete quilt fastener elements, the corresponding, aligned, mating, discrete sheet fastener element of the first or second set comprises a fragment of hook material.

[0113] Example 67. The article of Example 61, wherein each discrete quilt fastener element in the first and second groups includes a magnet, and each discrete sheet fastener element in the first and second groups includes a magnet.

[0114] Example 68. A method for using an article of any of Examples 51 to 67, the method comprising: (A) positioning a quilt with its inner surface facing the outer surface of a sheet, wherein: (i) the quilt is in a footbox-extended arrangement; (ii) each quilt fastener element in a first group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element in the first group; and (iii) each quilt fastener element in a second group is substantially aligned with a corresponding, mating sheet fastener element in the second group; and (B) engaging the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the respective first groups with each other, and engaging the corresponding, mating quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements of the respective second groups with each other, thereby retaining at least the foot portion of the quilt secured to the sheet in the footbox-extended arrangement.

[0115] Example 69. The method of Example 68, the method further comprising: before part (A), disengaging the first and second sets of quilt fastener elements from each other.

[0116] Example 70. A method of any of Examples 68 or 69, the method comprising: after part (B), pulling a drawstring to gather at least a portion of the bottom edge of the blanket to form a closed, expanded foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0117] Example 71. A method of any of Examples 68 to 70, the method comprising: after part (B), pulling a drawstring to gather at least a portion of the bottom edge of the blanket to form a closed foot box of the sleeping bag.

[0118] Example 72. The method of any of Examples 68 to 70, the method further comprising: after part (B): (C) disengaging the respective first group of quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements from each other; (D) disengaging the respective second group of quilt fastener elements and sheet fastener elements from each other; (E) wrapping or folding the quilt at least to the foot into a foot box wrapping arrangement; and (F) engaging the quilt fastener elements in the first and second groups from each other, thereby retaining at least the foot portion of the quilt in the foot box wrapping arrangement.

[0119] The disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods, and their equivalents, are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. The disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods, and their equivalents, are intended to be modified within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims while remaining within that scope.

[0120] In the foregoing detailed description, various features may be grouped together in several exemplary embodiments for the purpose of simplifying this disclosure. The approach of this disclosure is not to be construed as reflecting an intention that any claimed embodiment requires more features than those expressly recited in the corresponding claims. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the subject matter of the invention may exist in fewer than all features of a single disclosed exemplary embodiment. Therefore, this disclosure is to be construed as implicitly disclosing any embodiment having any suitable set of one or more features—features shown, described, or claimed in this invention—including those sets that may not be expressly disclosed herein. A “suitable” set of features includes only features that are neither incompatible with nor mutually exclusive with any other feature in that set.

[0121] Therefore, the appended claims are thus incorporated into the specific embodiments, wherein each claim is independently a separate disclosed embodiment. Furthermore, each of the appended dependent claims should be construed as incorporating a claim into the specific embodiments for the purposes of disclosure only, just as all the preceding claims are written in multiple dependent forms and depend on them inconsistently. It should be further noted that the scope of the appended claims may, but does not necessarily, include all the subject matter disclosed in this application.

[0122] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, the conjunction “or” shall be interpreted inclusively (e.g., “dog or cat” would be interpreted as “dog, or cat, or both”; e.g., “dog, cat, or mouse” would be interpreted as “dog, or cat, or mouse, or any two, or all three”) unless: (i) it is expressly stated otherwise, for example, by using “either...or”, “only one”, or similar language; or (ii) two or more of the listed alternatives are mutually exclusive in the particular context, in which case “or” will include only those combinations involving non-mutually exclusive alternatives. For the purposes of the appended claims, the words “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and variations thereof, wherever they appear, shall be interpreted as open-ended terms having the same meaning as if the phrase “at least” were appended to each of its instances, unless expressly stated otherwise. For the purposes of this disclosure or the appended claims, when using terms such as “approximately equal to,” “substantially equal to,” “greater than about,” “less than about,” etc., with respect to numerical values, the standard conventions relating to measurement precision and significant figures shall apply, unless a different interpretation is expressly stated. For a zero quantity described by phrases such as “substantially prevents,” “substantially does not exist,” “substantially eliminates,” “approximately equal to zero,” or “negligible,” each such phrase indicates a situation where the quantity in question has been reduced or decreased to such an extent that, for practical purposes, in the context of the intended operation or use of the disclosed or claimed apparatus or method, the overall behavior or performance of the apparatus or method is no different from that occurring when the zero quantity has actually been completely removed, exactly equal to zero, or otherwise completely zero.

[0123] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, any designation (e.g., first, second, etc., (a), (b), (c), etc., or (i), (ii), (iii), etc.) of elements, steps, limitations, or any other part of the embodiments, examples, or claims is for clarity only and should not be construed as implying any order or priority of the parts so designated. If any such order or priority is intended, it will be expressly stated in the embodiments, examples, or claims, or in some cases, it will be implicit or inherent in the specific content of the embodiments, examples, or claims. In the appended claims, if it is expected that the provisions of 35 USC §112(f) will be invoked in an apparatus claim, the word “apparatus” will appear in that apparatus claim. If it is expected that those provisions will be invoked in a method claim, the word “step for…” will appear in that method claim. Conversely, if the words “apparatus” or “step for…” do not appear in a claim, it is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 USC §112(f) in that claim.

[0124] If any one or more disclosures are incorporated herein by reference, and such incorporated disclosures conflict in whole or in part with this disclosure, or conflict with this disclosure in terms of scope, then this disclosure governs the broader disclosure or the broader terminology to the extent of the conflict. If such incorporated disclosures conflict in whole or in part with each other, then the later-date disclosure governs to the extent of the conflict.

[0125] Abstracts are provided upon request as an aid to searching for specific topics within patent literature. However, abstracts are not intended to imply that any element, feature, or limitation described herein is necessarily included in any particular claim. The scope of the subject matter included in each claim will be determined solely by the recitation of that claim.

Claims

1. A blanket (100) that can be selectively used as a sleeping bag, said blanket comprising: The inner surface (100f), the outer surface (100e) opposite to the inner surface, the top edge (100a), the bottom edge (100b), the first lateral edge (100c), and the second lateral edge (100d) spaced apart from the first lateral edge; The first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements (121a / 121b) are attached along the bottom edge and are adapted to selectively engage and disengage from each other. A second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements (122a / 122b) are attached along the bottom edge. The second pair of separate, mating bottom fasteners are adapted to selectively engage and disengage from each other. One of the separate, mating bottom fastener elements of the first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements is laterally positioned between the second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements, and one of the separate, mating bottom fastener elements of the second pair of separate, mating bottom fasteners is laterally positioned between the first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements. At least one internal quilt fastener element (131) is attached to the inner surface of the quilt; as well as At least one external quilt fastener element (141) is attached to the outer surface of the quilt; Its features are, The inner quilt fastener elements and the outer quilt fastener elements are cooperatively arranged such that, when the quilt is wrapped in an arrangement of overlapping foot box wrappings, each inner quilt fastener element is configured to be substantially aligned and engaged with the corresponding, mating outer quilt fastener element. The bottom edge of the quilt defines a first bottom horizontal section (100b-1), a bottom central section (100b-2), and a second bottom horizontal section (100b-3). The at least one inner quilt fastener element comprises a plurality of discrete quilt fastener elements disposed on the inner surface along an inner quilt attachment path (130) extending from the lateral edge of the first quilt to a lateral section of the bottom edge of the first quilt, and the at least one outer quilt fastener element comprises a plurality of discrete quilt fastener elements disposed on the outer surface along an outer quilt attachment path (140) extending from the lateral edge of the second quilt to a lateral section of the bottom edge of the second quilt, wherein, in the case of the overlapping foot box wrapping arrangement, the lateral sections of the bottom edge of the first quilt and the lateral sections of the bottom edge of the second quilt overlap.

2. The quilt according to claim 1, further comprising a drawstring (160) disposed adjacent to the bottom edge.

3. The quilt according to claim 2, wherein, When the at least one inner quilt fastener element and the at least one outer quilt fastener element are engaged with each other, the drawstring (160) is configured to collect the bottom edge in the case of the overlapping foot box wrapping arrangement to form a closed, wrapped foot box.

4. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements and the second pair of separate, mating bottom fastener elements includes a cord loop and a hook structurally arranged to engage and retain the cord loop.

5. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one inner quilt fastener element and the at least one outer quilt fastener element comprises a continuous quilt fastener element.

6. The quilt according to claim 5, wherein the at least one inner quilt fastener element includes a first zipper half, and the at least one outer quilt fastener element includes a second zipper half adapted to engage with the first zipper half.

7. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the inner surface includes a cord loop, and each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the outer surface includes a hook, the hook being structurally arranged to engage and retain a corresponding one of the cord loops.

8. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the outer surface includes a cord loop, and each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the inner surface includes a hook, the hook being structurally arranged to engage and retain a corresponding one of the cord loops.

9. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the outer surface includes a first snap element, and each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the inner surface includes a second snap element, the second snap element cooperating with the first snap element of the corresponding quilt fastener element disposed on the outer surface.

10. The quilt according to claim 1, wherein the set of discrete quilt fastener elements disposed on the outer surface comprises: At least one quilt fastener element of a first fastener element type and at least one quilt fastener element of a second fastener element type, and each discrete quilt fastener element disposed on the inner surface includes a quilt fastener element having the same fastener element type as the corresponding fastener element disposed on the outer surface.

Images