Inflatable cushion for turning a bed into a sofa
An inflatable cushion is disclosed for turning a bed into a sofa. The cushion includes a reversible pump capable of moving a large volume of air for quick inflation/deflation and can be attached to the bed on which it rests or the wall supporting the cushion back. A fabric cover enhances the function and appearance of the cushion.
The present invention relates to an inflatable/deflatable cushion for quickly and conveniently providing a backrest and armrests to a conventional bed and claims benefit of provisional application 61/202,704, filed Mar. 30, 2009.
BACKGROUNDDormitory rooms and small apartments have minimal living space. Especially in dorm rooms, there is often no space for a comfortable chair and never room for a sofa. Convertible sofas are well known in the art. They are heavy and expensive. Due to their construction, the beds are often uncomfortable, especially for larger people and when more than one person occupies the bed. When folded out, the beds require too much of the available room space. Worman 2007/0006384 is an unusual example having an inflatable inner cushion with an air pump capable of forming a bed. See FIG. 4. 12-2 is the inflatable cushion stowed as shown in
Inflatable pillows providing a backrest with arms are known. Ince et al. Des. 390,298 is an example. A sofa bed with removable foam block back and end pillows is shown in Powell 3,740,774. Inflatable sofas are shown in McCarthy et al. 2005/0099054, Kojic et al. 6,042,186, and Wu 7,331,074.
Maddox 3,319,269 discloses a bed bolster stowable next to the bed to move the bolster from the bed surface for sleeping. When the bolster is in place on the bed, the bed functions as a sofa.
Lane 2003/0204909 discloses an air bag attached to the bed and stowed in deflated condition until the bed occupant tries to get out of the bed, at which time the air bag inflates to keep the occupant in the bed.
Nail 2,987,735 shows an inflatable back and arm arrangement for a chair in
It is also well known to build a pump into the wall of an inflatable object as shown in Chaffee 7,039,972 and as discussed in Yen 6,955,527.
There remains a need for a cushion that easily and quickly converts a bed into a sofa without requiring additional space in a small room and that is easily stowable when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one embodiment, the inflatable cushion of the invention comprises a back support and armrests with a built-in reversible pump. The cushion can be attached to the bed frame or to the wall adjacent the bed to maintain its position as it is inflated and to keep it in position out of the way for sleeping when it is deflated and stowed. In the stowed position, the cushion can be inflated without being handled or re-positioned by the user. The built-in reversible pump moves a large volume of air to quickly inflate the cushion when a sofa is desired and to quickly deflate when using the bed.
The preferred embodiment includes a fabric cover, easily removed for washing or for changing to another cover. The heavy duty plastic material of the cushion is not particularly comfortable for contact with human skin nor is it visually attractive. A cover can be manufactured of any suitable material and can be decorated with logos, school emblems, or any design of choice. An opening in the bottom of the cover allows entry of the deflated cushion and easy removal when desired. Either the cushion itself or the fabric cover has means for attaching the arrangement to a bed frame or to a wall adjacent the bed.
The cover 8 includes a pump cover 20 designed to hide pump 4 if desired and protect bed frame from being damaged by the pump due to movement of the cushion in use or when deflated for storage.
As shown in
Inflatable cushion 1 is a solution to the problem of minimal living space in small living quarters like college dorm rooms or efficiency apartments. Using a built-in, high-velocity air pump, the cushion is able to inflate into a structure transforming a bed into a comfortable couch in 30 seconds. Equally important is the use of a reversible pump to deflate the bed to make a sleeping space quickly. The cushion runs the length of a bed to provide seating for 3 adults with the comfort of the bed as the seating area.
Claims
1. An inflatable cushion comprising:
- an elongated back support for supporting the back of a seated user, said back support including end panels,
- armrest cushions integral with the back support and located near said end panels extending perpendicularly from said back support to form a sofa arrangement when said inflated cushion is placed on a horizontal surface adjacent a vertical wall, and
- an inflation/deflation pump associated with one of said end panels, said inflation/deflation pump capable of quickly inflating/deflating said cushion by moving a high volume of air quickly.
2. The cushion of claim 1, wherein said horizontal surface is a bed and further having attaching means on said cushion for attaching said cushion to either said bed or said wall to maintain the cushion's position with respect to said bed.
3. The cushion of claim 1 further having a fabric cover, said cover having an opening to allow said cushion to be placed inside said cover to fit the cushion in its inflated state and remaining with said cushion when deflated.
4. The fabric cover of claim 3 further including at least one visible logo.
5. The fabric cover of claim 3 further including a pocket associated with the portion of the cover overlying said armrests.
6. The fabric cover of claim 3 including an opening adjacent said pump such that the pump remains uncovered when said cover is in place.
7. The fabric cover of claim 6 wherein said opening has a movable fabric cover for covering said opening when said pump is not in use.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 29, 2010
Publication Date: Sep 30, 2010
Inventor: Andrew T. Goetting (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Application Number: 12/662,011
International Classification: A47C 20/02 (20060101); A47C 7/42 (20060101); A47C 7/54 (20060101); A47C 4/54 (20060101); A47C 16/00 (20060101);