Background of the Invention It is common when traveling or visiting away from home to encounter difficulty when sleeping. Generally when traveling long distances, for example, by aircraft, relatively small travel pillows are provided to passengers. In hotels, it is common to have somewhat uncomfortable commercial type pillows. Use of these by many persons results in fitful sleeping and general discomfort. Also, the use of commercial detergents can occasionally result in an adverse or allergic reaction. It is sometimes wished that one could bring their own pillow from home, to use when traveling.

One problem with this option is that a typical bed pillow is rather large and would consume a large amount of luggage space, generally needed for other articles, thus, it is considered impractical to bring one's own pillow.

In U. S. Patent No. 5,345,633, a cushion contoured to fit the neck has a pair of removable straps which can be attached by hook and loop separable type fasteners, to a complimentary fastener panel on the cushion. The cushion is contoured to fit the neck of the user, with the straps used to attach the cushion to a seat back.

In U. S. Patent No. 2,580,904 and 2,413,828, two transportable pillows are described which are specially constructed for use as a stadium seat cushion, or as being integral with an

opening for covering the head.

To date, there has been no consideration given to a method or means for utilizing a bed pillow while traveling.

Summary of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a portable pillow container comprising a flexible bag sized for receiving a bed pillow therein, the bag having an opening for receiving the pillow, means for closing the opening, a front surface, strap means having ends attached to the front surface, the strap means sized to fit a person's shoulders, the strap means being adjustable so as to allow the bag to cover the back of the person. In another embodiment, the strap means are sufficiently adjustable to allow the bag to cover the seat of a person. A separate full size bed pillow is locatable within the bag for travel.

Using the present invention, one can carry a full sized pillow without reducing valuable luggage space. The pillow is also readily available for use during travel, while in the bag, or it can be removed and used separately with the flexible bag folded and stored. The pillow, carried over the back, is lightweight and frees the hands for carrying luggage. As such, it can also be used for travel by train, automobile or even motorcycle. The portable pillow container may also be used beneath a conventional backpack and thereby act as a cushion to increase comfort. Such a bag thus substantially increases comfort during travel or when away from home, without increasing the difficulty in travel.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a front view of the portable pillow container of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the pillow container taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing an optional pouch for rolled clothing, for use as neck support; Fig. 3 (a) shows the pillow container carried on a person's back when standing; Fig. 3 (b) shows the pillow container when seated; Fig. 4 is a back view of the pillow container; Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is another alternative embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 7 is yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a pillow container or bag 1 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The bag 1 has a front wall 2, a flap 3 and an opening 4. The bag has a back wall 5, the front and back walls defining an interior receptacle 6 sized to receive a bed pillow 7 therein.

A pair of straps 8 and 9 are attached at their ends 8a, 8b and 9a, 9b to the front wall, these connected together by releasable fasteners 10 and 11. Of course, these straps need not include releasable type fasteners, and these are shown as one embodiment of the invention.

Fasteners that are adjustable as to length, though not releasible may also be used. The straps are adjustable to allow carrying the bag on a person's back with the straps passing over the shoulders. The straps ends are fastened to an upper portion 12 of the bag to allow a lower portion 13 of the bag to fold and acts as a cushion for seating. This is shown in Figs. 3 (b) where the bag is attached to a person.

Preferably, the straps have two upper portions, 8c, 9c, and two lower portions 8d and

9d with the fasteners 10,11 used to join the upper and lower portions together. As shown in Fig. 4, the upper strap portions can alternatively have their ends 8a, 9a fastened to the back wall 5, by stitching, adhesive, etc. In addition, the two lower strap portions 8d, 9d can be adapted so that they can be engaged together to form a waist strap 14, as shown in phantom in Fig. 1. Of course, a separate waist strap 14a as shown in Figs. 3 (a) and 3 (b) can also be provided. This waist strap is particularly useful when the bag is worn over the back, with a standard type back pack then placed over the bag. The pillow then can be used as a cushion between the back pack and the person's back, to improve comfort. Such a back pack 15 is shown in phantom in Fig. 3a. However, when no backpack is used, the over shoulder strapping is preferred.

The flap 3 of the container 1 fits over the opening 4 for releasable attachment to the front wall 2 of the bag. This is accomplished with a pair of mateable hook and loop type separable fasteners, 16 and 17. However, a zipper or other type fastener can be used to close the open end of the bag. A flap has several advantages as a typical bed pillow would normally be about 16 inches wide but may vary in length from about 20 to 40 inches long.

The flap has the advantage in that the open end of the bag can be lengthened or shortened to accommodate these different length pillows simply by the degree to which the flap is folded over the front wall of the bag. In Figure 1, the fastener 17 is elongated to provide a degree of adjustment.

Optionally, one or more carrier pouches can be integrated with the bag. For example, in Figs. 2,3 (a) and 3 (b), a lateral pouch 18 is provided adjacent the opening 4 which can be filled with rolled clothes 19 or other items to provide a neck support. Optionally, other side or back pockets can be used to store items, though the location of the pockets should be

chosen so as not to detrimentally affect comfort.

Referring to Fig. 5, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown. In this embodiment, a portable pillow container 20 has a back wall 21 and a pair of straps 22 and 23 which extend from side straps 24 and 25 to crossed each other over the back. The straps then continue over a front wall 26 of the container, to act as shoulder straps, similar to those described previously. The cris-crossed straps over the back assist in holding the pillow close to the back to reduce bulk and increase comfort. Similarly, a separate waist strap 27 is shown that encircles the back wall, with the front portions engaged again similarly to those described previously. Again, as stated earlier, the combination of straps may vary.

This embodiment also demonstrates other options that can be incorporated, as described, in the portable pillow container.

The container 20 has a flap 27 that has front wall 28 and an opening 29 which form a pocket 30 for storage or for accepting a small pillow 31 therein.

The container 20 has a lower portion 32 that, similar to the flap of Fig. 1, can be folded over a middle portion 33 of the container so that the pillow resides to a maximum extent, in upper portion of the container. Separate fasteners 34 and 35 hold the folded lower portion in position. Such a lower portion thus allows adjustment of the pillow position to increase comfort. An illustrative fold line may be along an axis 36, though this of course could vary. For example, when walking, it may be preferred to keep the pillow in the upper portion 36, but before sitting, to displace the pillow into the lower portion 32. As a further option, a second opening 37 could be provided in the lower portion for inserting or removing the pillow, or for using the folded-up lower portion for storage.

Again, these various options can be interchanged and/or used selectively to produce a

pillow container in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Here, a container 40 has a pair of straps 41 and 42, the strap 41 having a lower portion 43 sewn into a side seam 44 which joins a front wall 45 to a back wall 46 of the container. A reinforcement strip 47 is attached to the front wall 45 and an upper strap portion 48 is attached to the strip by stitching, adhesive or other means. The strap 42 is similarly attached to the container.

The advantage is increased strength of attachment and reduced fabrication steps in producing the container. In this embodiment, no flap closure is used. The container has an opening 49 closed by a zipper 50, illustrating another selectable optional feature of the present invention.

A second opening 51 is also provided in a lower portion 52, also closed by a zipper 53.

A pair of optional external pockets 54 are also shown. If a separate waist strap 55 is provided, as shown, it has its ends 56,57 anchored in the side seams 44,58.

Referring to Fig. 7, three reinforcement strips 59,60,61 are attached to a front wall 62 of a container 63, to anchor a pair of shoulder straps 64,65 and/or waist strap 66. A flap 67 has a side opening pocket 68. The container has a second side opening 69, which allows access to the interior of the bags.

The means for adjusting the shoulder straps can be the common quick connect types that have buckles or other means to provide adjustable lengths, though other types of length adjustment devices can be used. In addition, the flap closure can be engaged using Velcro, clips, buckles or other means, and virtually any type of fastener can be used.

The choice of material for use in forming the pillow container can vary across a wide spectrum, for example, for use on a camping trip, water resistant material that is fairly durable may be preferred while for travel by plane, a less durable, but more soft and comfortable

material such as cotton may be preferred. Virtually, any type of fabric material suitable for forming a flexible travel container can be used. Preferably, a material selected from nylon, polyester, vinyl, cotton, and combination thereof, such as laminates or coated fabrics, can be used.

The bag is preferably made of a fabric, that is a durable but comfortable, flexible and light weight, so that the bag can be easily rolled up when not in use into a compact form for storage. Various polyester, vinyl or nylon materials may be used, some having coatings to improve water repellency or to resist abrasion and any conventional material may be used. At the same time, should one wish to use the pillow within the bag, the cloth should be sufficiently soft so as to avoid discomfort, and natural fiber materials such as cotton could also be used.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without varying from the scope of the present invention.

I claim: