TRAVEL PILLOW

Abstract

A travel pillow may include a strap member that may wrap around a user's eyes and eliminate light. The strap may be removably attached to the travel pillow. The travel pillow may be configured to roll up for storage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/513,299, filed Jul. 29, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pillows and, more particularly, to a travel pillow with an eye strap.

Conventional pillows may not have an eye strap for wrapping around a user's eyes to assist with sleep.

As can be seen, there is a need for travel pillow with an eye strap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, an assembly comprises a pillow member; and a strap member; said strap member including a first end and a second end, said first end attached to said pillow member and said second end attached to said pillow member.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pillow assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention with the strap in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the pillow assembly of FIG. 1 with the strap in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a back view of the pillow assembly of FIG. 1 with the strap in a closed position;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the pillow assembly of FIG. 1 with the pillow in a rolled position;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the pillow assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an ice pack according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention with the strap in an open position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention with the strap in an open position;

FIG. 9 is a back view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention showing strap closure;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention with the strap in a closed position;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention with the strap in a closed position;

FIG. 12 is a front view of two pillow assemblies according to another embodiment of the present invention with the straps in closed positions;

FIG. 13 is a top view of a pillow assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention with the pillow in a rolled position; and

FIG. 14 is a front view of the pillow assembly of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is top view of the pillow assembly FIG. 1 separated into a pillow cover and a pillow

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

An embodiment of the present invention generally provides a travel pillow with a built in eye strap. Conventional pillows may not have an eye strap for wrapping around a user's eyes to assist with sleep. The eye strap can be wrapped around a user's eyes to eliminate any entrance of light and to hold the pillow firmly to the user's head. Once the pillow is strapped on, the user may not have to re-adjust the pillow or have the pillow fall out of place while sleeping.

An assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-5. The assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-5. The assembly 10 may include a pillow member 12 and a strap member 14. Some embodiments of the present invention also may include an ice pack 18 (shown in FIG. 6), a built-in ice pack pocket 32, or an earplug/headphone pocket 34.

The pillow member 12 may comprise a pillow shaped structure, as shown in FIGS. 7-14. The dimensions and shape of the pillow member 12 may vary with application. For some embodiments, the pillow member 12 may comprise a rectangular shape and may be between 2-4 inches thick, between 10-12 inches long and between 7-9 inches wide. The pillow member 12 may include any fill type material, such as, but not limited to, poly fiber fill, feathers, and memory foam. The pillow member 12 may include any cover material such as, but not limited to, cotton, silk, polyester, nylon, and other fabrics. For some camping applications, the back side of the pillow member 12 may include rubber or other durable material. Embodiments including rubber may be designed to enable a person to lay their head on the ground comfortably.

Regarding FIG. 15, the pillow member 12 may be separated from the pillow 30 inside the pillow member 12. For example, the pillow member 12 may be a pillow cover that is separable from a pillow 30 inside the pillow cover.

For some embodiments, the pillow member 12 may include the built-in ice pack pocket 32. The built-in ice pack pocket 32 may be designed to hold the ice pack 18 and may be designed as a natural remedy to soothe away headaches. For some embodiments, the pillow member 12 may include the earplug/headphone pocket 34 and may be designed to hold earplugs or headphones in an easily accessible location.

The strap member 14 may be a strap shaped structure and may include a first end 22 and a second end 24, as shown in FIG. 1. The dimensions of the strap member 14 may vary with application, for example, for different sizes of heads. For some embodiments, the strap member 14 may be between 18-22 inches long and between 2-3 inches wide. The first end 22 may be attached to the pillow member 12. The strap 14 may be designed to be wrapped around a portion of a person, such as a person's head, and the second end 24 of the strap member 14 may be removably attached to the pillow member 12. The second end 24 of the strap member 14 may be removably attached to the pillow member 12 by, for example, hook and loop fasteners 20, such as hook and loop fabric, as shown in FIG. 9. For some embodiments, the assembly 10 may be designed to wrap around a person's knee or other body part in need of comfort. The assembly 10 may be strapped to the knee to prevent the pain associated with sleeping with one's knees together. For extra comfort, the inside surface of the strap member 14 may include lavender and may be designed as a natural remedy to soothe away headaches.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a pillow member; and

a strap member; said strap member including a first end and a second end, said first end attached to said pillow member and said second end attached to said pillow member.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said pillow member includes a pocket.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said second end of said strap member is removably attached to said strap member.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said second end of said strap member is removably attached to said strap member using hook and loop fasteners.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein one surface of said strap member includes a soft material.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is configured to roll up and attach to itself.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the strap member is between 18-22 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the strap member includes lavender.