GARMENT WITH INFLATABLE NECK PILLOW

Abstract

A garment for supporting a head of a wearer of the garment with an inflatable cushion includes a main body which is shaped and configured to be worn on a torso of the wearer and defines a neck-receiving hole. A hood is coupled to the main body adjacent to the neck-receiving hole. The hood comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, between which an inflatable cushion is held. The inflatable cushion has a U-shape and extends around the neck-receiving hole. A pair of ends of the U-shape face forwardly with respect to the hood. The inner layer of the hood extends past the inflatable cushion substantially tangent to an inner surface of the inflatable cushion when the inflatable cushion is in an inflated state.

Claims

1. A garment comprising: a main body shaped and configured to be worn on a torso of a user, the main body defining a neck-receiving hole; a hood coupled to the main body adjacent to the neck-receiving hole, the hood comprising an inner layer and an outer layer; an inflatable cushion coupled to the hood adjacent to the main body, the inflatable cushion having a U-shape and extending around the neck-receiving hole, a pair of ends of the U-shape facing forwardly with respect to the hood, the inflatable cushion being positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer of the hood, the inner layer of the hood extending past the inflatable cushion substantially tangent to an inner surface of the inflatable cushion when the inflatable cushion is in an inflated state.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the inner surface of the inflatable cushion is concave when the inflatable cushion is in the inflated state.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the inflatable cushion comprises a protruding portion which extends upwardly from the U-shape along a rear of the hood.

4. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a fill tube which is in fluid communication with the inflatable cushion, the fill tube having an open end.

5. The garment of claim 4, wherein the fill tube extends inwardly of the hood from the inflatable cushion.

6. The garment of claim 4, further comprising a plug selectively positionable to close the open end of the fill tube.

7. A garment comprising: a main body shaped and configured to be worn on a torso of a user, the main body defining a neck-receiving hole; a hood coupled to the main body adjacent to the neck-receiving hole, the hood comprising an inner layer and an outer layer; an inflatable cushion coupled to the hood adjacent to the main body, the inflatable cushion having a U-shape and extending around the neck-receiving hole, a pair of ends of the U-shape facing forwardly with respect to the hood, the inflatable cushion being positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer of the hood, the inner layer of the hood extending past the inflatable cushion substantially tangent to an inner surface of the inflatable cushion when the inflatable cushion is in an inflated state, an upper portion of the inner surface of the inflatable cushion being concave when the inflatable cushion is in the inflated state, the inflatable cushion comprising a protruding portion which extends upwardly from the U-shape along a rear of the hood; a fill tube in fluid communication with the inflatable cushion, the fill tube having an open end, the fill tube extending inwardly of the hood from the inflatable cushion; and a plug selectively positionable to close the open end of the fill tube, the plug being pivotally coupled to the fill tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0010] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is an in-use view of a garment according to an embodiment of the disclosure depicting an inflatable cushion in an inflated state.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure depicting an inflatable cushion in an inflated state.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure depicting an inflatable cushion in a deflated state.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure depicting an inflatable cushion in an inflated state.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure depicting an inflatable cushion in an inflated state.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken from Line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new supportive garment embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

[0018] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the garment 10 generally comprises a main body 12 shaped and configured to be worn on a torso of a user 48. The main body 12 defines a neck-receiving hole 14 which receives the user's 48 neck when the garment 10 is worn. A hood 16 is coupled to the main body 12 adjacent to the neck-receiving hole 14. The hood 16 and the main body 12 are formed of flexible fabric materials of any suitable type, such as cotton, polyester, wool, or the like. The hood 16 may be integrally formed with the main body 12 or may be attached to the main body 12 via stitching or any other suitable fastener.

[0019] The hood 16 comprises an inner layer 20 and an outer layer 22 between which an inflatable cushion 24 is held near a base end 18 of the hood 16. The inflatable cushion 24 has a U-shape 26 which extends around the neck-receiving hole 14. A pair of ends 28 of the U-shape 26 face forwardly with respect to the hood 16. The inner layer 20 of the hood 16 extends upwardly past the inflatable cushion 24 substantially tangent to an inner surface 30 of the inflatable cushion 24 when the inflatable cushion 24 is in an inflated state 38. This construction allows for the hood 16 to remain close to the user's 48 face 52 during use when the inflatable cushion 24 is in the inflated state 38. The outer layer 22 turns more sharply away from the inner surface 30 to adapt to extend around an outer surface 34 of the inflatable cushion 24 and allow the inner layer 20 to conform to the user's 48 face 52.

[0020] An upper portion 32 of the inner surface 30 of the inflatable cushion 24 is concave when the inflatable cushion 24 is in the inflated state 38. A base of the user's 48 head 50 and the user's 48 jaw may be received into the recess formed by the concave shape of the upper portion 32 of the inner surface 30. The inflatable cushion 24 also comprises a protruding portion 36 which extends upwardly from the U-shape 26 along a rear of the hood 16 to support the user's 48 head 50 from behind.

[0021] A fill tube 42 is in fluid communication with the inflatable cushion 24 and has an open end 44. The fill tube 42 extends inwardly of the hood 16 from the inflatable cushion 24 and is positioned near one of the ends 28 of the U-shape 26 of the inflatable cushion 24 so that the user 48 may inflate the cushion by exhaling into the fill tube 42 while wearing the garment 10. A plug 46 is pivotally coupled to the fill tube 42 and is selectively positionable to close the open end 44 of the fill tube 42, thereby trapping air within the inflatable cushion 24 to retain the inflatable cushion 24 in the inflated state 38. In some embodiments, a valve may be positioned in the fill tube 42 which allows air only to travel through the fill tube 42 into the inflatable cushion 24 unless mechanically opened.

[0022] In use, the user 48 wears the garment 10 on the user's 48 torso and may wear the hood 16 over the user's 48 head 50. The garment 10 may be worn with the inflatable cushion 24 in a deflated state 40, which allows the user 48 to freely tilt the user's 48 head 50 toward the user's 48 shoulders and back from an upright position as desired. To support the head 50 in the upright position, the user 48 inflates the inflatable cushion 24 by exhaling through the fill tube 42 or otherwise pressurizing air to flow through the fill tube 42 into the inflatable cushion 24, thereby placing the inflatable cushion 24 in the inflated state 38. The plug 46 may be positioned to close the open end 44 of the fill tube 42 to secure the inflatable cushion 24 in the inflated state 38. When the user 48 is finished with supporting the head 50 via the inflatable cushion 24, the plug 46 is moved away from the open end 44 of the fill tube 42 and the inflatable cushion 24 is compressed to urge air out of the inflatable cushion 24 through the fill tube 42.

[0023] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0024] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.