Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an inflatable article with collapsible inflation tube. Background to the Invention

[0002] Inflatable articles of various types are in use today for many different applications. A particularly common type of inflatable article is an inflatable mattress which is typically inflated by the use of a pump. Some inflatable articles have bellow type pumps built in while others require the attachment of an exter- nal pump having a specific valve adaptor to co-operate with the valve on the article.

[0003] The use of a pump, while quicker than attempting to manually blow through traditional valves, requires a substantial degree of effort and is quite time consuming. If an external pump is required, the pump needs to be carried along with the inflatable article.

[0004] Inflatable mattresses and other inflatable articles are commonly used during leisure trips to popular locations such as the beach, park or woods. Such locations are often situated some distance away from the nearest car park meaning that everything required for the trip needs to be carried. The require- ment of an external pump adds to the number of items that need carrying while internal pumps can add bulk and weight to the mattress.

[0005] It is often desirable to take provisions, such as food and drink, to leisure locations such as the beach, park or woods where they may be inconvenient to source locally. In warm weather, food and drink will spoil quickly if it is not stored below a certain temperature. In practice, this generally necessitates that a cool box is used.

[0006] A common activity when visiting leisure locations is swimming. Many people will wear their swimming costumes under their normal clothes while travelling to the leisure location. When wet, it is desirable to change out of ones swimming costume into dry clothes. Wet swimming costumes are then generally put into plastic bags to prevent other contents of larger bags getting wet. [0007] A typical family day trip to a leisure location such as the beach, park or woods may require a large number of bags to be transported. As a minimum, it may be desirable to take one or more airbeds, food, drink, blankets, a pump and swimming costumes. The amount of bags required can present a substan- tial logistical challenge, especially if travelling with children.

Summary of the Invention

[0008] A first aspect of the invention provides an inflatable article having a collapsible inflation tube attached thereto, a cover member fixed to the surface of the article and adapted to be securable over the tube when rolled upon itself to seal the tube, thereby holding the tube in the rolled condition.

[0009] The article, which could be a mattress, pillow or inflatable toy, is preferably provided with a tube which is permanently attached to the article. The tube is thin walled and made from a flexible material such as rubber, silicone or plastic to permit the tube to be collapsed. When inflating, the tube opens to permit unrestricted flow of air through the tube and into the article.

[0010] As the tube is open at both ends, when in an extended condition, inflatable articles can be inflated by a person blowing in to the exposed end of the tube. Using the present invention, it is possible to inflate quite large articles such as airbeds with minimal effort thus removing the need to use a pump. [0011] Preferably, the inflation tube is sealed by a combination of rolling upon itself and securing to the article. The article is provided with a cover member such as a flap of material having a fastener and being located adjacent to the tube. The cover member is adapted to fit over the rolled tube and engage with a corresponding fastener provided oppositely adjacent to the tube. [0012] Although any form of suitable fastener could be used to secure the cover membrane over the rolled tube, a hook and eye fastener will preferably be used.

[0013] A second aspect of the invention provides a combined inflatable bed and bag comprising a sheet of resiliently deformable material provided with fas- tening means on a plurality of edges thereof, permitting the bag to be laid out as a flat sheet or fastened together for use as a bag having an internal cavity, the bag being provided with one or more inflatable articles in accordance with the invention, attachable to the sheet, thereby providing an inflatable surface for a person to lie on when the bag is in the laid out condition. [0014] The bag, when laid out as a flat sheet, acts as a ground sheet to which the, or each, inflatable article either attaches or is integral to. A minimum of one inflatable article is required, although in most embodiments of the invention two inflatable articles will be provided in the form of a mattress and a pillow. A main inflatable article will preferably be sized to accommodate the body of an adult and a secondary inflatable article will preferably be sized similar to a standard pillow.

[0015] The inflatable articles fulfil several purposes. The primary purpose of the articles is to provide a mattress and/or pillow for a person to lie on. If the main inflatable article is partially inflated, folded over and sealed at the edges this provides a sealed air void which is now an insulated cell and can be integrated into the bag by fastening and folding over into the main body of the bag. This now provides a sealed cell that functions as a cool bag to keep food and drink cool. The use of an inflatable article as a cool bag provides an effective means of prolonging the life of food and drink in warm weather [0016] The main inflatable article can also act as a water proof storage compartment for depositing wet or dirty clothing. The nature of the material used for the article allows it to be easily cleaned.

[0017] The present invention provides an inflatable article which can be rapidly inflated or deflated without the use of a pump or compressor. In combina- tion with a bag, the inflatable article can be used as a cool bag or wet storage pocket to limit the number of bags which are required to be transported for a day trip to a leisure location.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the inven- tion: Figure 1 is a side view of the inflation tube in an extended condition; Figure 2 is a side view of the inflation tube shown with air passing through;

Figure 3 is a side view of the inflation tube in a rolled condition;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the combined inflatable bed and bag; and

Figure 5 is an illustrative view of the combined inflatable bed and bag. Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

[0019] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, an inflatable article 10 of thin walled construction is provided with a collapsible inflation tube 20 having an opening at each end thereof. The tube 20 is constructed from a flexible material such as rubber, silicone or plastic. In its relaxed state the tube is substantially flat to permit it to be manipulated.

[0020] In use, a person will blow air through the exposed end 22 of the tube 20 to transmit air into the article 10. As air passes through the tube 20 it will ex- pand allowing passage of air therethrough. Once the article 10 is fully or partially inflated, the tube 20 can be sealed by rolling upon itself thus forcing the internal walls 24, 26 of the tube 20 together to prevent air escaping from the article 10.

[0021] A resilient seal is formed by securing the tube 20 to the article 10. In the illustrated embodiment, a cover member 30 is fixed to the article 10, adjacent to the tube, and adapted to constrain the tube 20 in a fixed position. The cover member 30 is provided with a fastener 32 at one end thereof. The fastener 32 co-operates with a corresponding fastener 34 provided on the opposing side of the tube 20 to securely attach the tube 20 to the article 10. [0022] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, Figure 4 shows a plan view of the combined inflatable bed and bag. The bag comprises a ground sheet 40 provided with two wings 42, 44, each wing 42, 44 and part of each of the long sides 46, 48 of the ground sheet 40, being provided with zippers 50. The zippers 50 are located on adjacent edges of the ground sheet 40 to permit the ground sheet 40 to be converted into a holdall style bag. [0023] The upwardly facing surface of the ground sheet 40 is provided with a plurality of hook and eye strips 60 to permit an inflatable mattress (Not Shown) to be attached to the ground sheet 40. While the specific embodiment shows that the mattress is detachable, it will be appreciated that one or more inflatable articles 10 could be provided that are integral to the bag.

[0024] Each wing 42, 44 is provided with an elasticated storage pocket 70 with the entrance to the pocket 70 being located within the bag when fastened together. To fasten the bag together into the configuration as shown in Figure 5, zippers 50 between the wings 42, 44 and each adjacent side of the main ground sheet 40 are zipped together. The larger side 45 of the main ground sheet 40 is folded in half and inserted into the main cavity 80 of the bag. The cavity 80 can then be secured and closed with an additional zipper or other suitable fastener.

[0025] Folding the larger side 45 of the ground sheet 40 provides a pocket with edges sealed by zippers 50. The pocket can be used to maintain the tem- perature of food or drink below a certain temperature or to store wet and dirty clothing without contaminating other articles within the bag.

[0026] To deploy the bag, the cavity 80 is exposed by releasing the fastener (Not Shown) closing the cavity 80. Each of the zippers 50 is unzipped to convert the bag into a ground sheet 40.