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DISCLOSURE DOCUMENTS
This application is based at least in part upon the information filed at
the U.S. Patent Office on July 16, 1974 under the Disclosure Document
Program, No. 033,784.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates primarily to the field of outdoor furniture
and secondarily to personal flotation devices: more particularly it
relates to the field of bean bag furniture adaptable for outdoor and
aquatic usage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The bean bag as an article of furniture is generally known in the art of
interior design and furnishing. The cover of a conventional bean bag is
typically made out of an expandable material, such as polyvinyl chloride.
The cover is typically expandable in order to allow the resilient,
flowable pellets which partially fill the bag to flow easily therein, thus
enabling the bag to conform to contours of the user's body. If the cover
of a conventional bean bag were not made of such expandable material, the
cover would tend to restrict the flow of the pellets and to cause them to
pack under the user's weight rather than to flow resulting in a relatively
hard and uncomfortable seat.
The expandable polyvinyl chloride cover, used in conventional bean bags, is
unsuitable for use in an outdoor environment where it would be subjected
to prolonged exposure to temperature extremes, water and solar radiation.
Such exposure would cause significant deterioration of the cover in a
relatively short time. In addition, the polyvinyl chloride material with
backing used in the conventional bean-bag, would permit and aid the growth
of mildew when used outdoors. While water-resistant materials which are
compatible with outdoor exposure are known in the art, they are typically
non-expandable. Thus, before the present invention, they have not been
considered suitable for use as a bean-bag cover because their
non-expandability results in a relatively hard and uncomfortable bean-bag.
Consequently the bean-bag was relegated exclusively to indoor use.
However, the present invention makes use of such water-resistant material
as a bean-bag cover while achieving an acceptable degree of comfort. Thus,
by virtue of this invention, the comfort, convenience and enjoyment of the
bean-bag has been extended to the entire world of outdoor living, sports
and activity.
The art of design and fabrication of personal flotation devices
(hereinafter referred to as PFD's), such as life saving equipment, is old
and well developed. Inventive activity in this field of art has gone
beyond the design of PFD's for use only in emergency situations, and now
includes designs suitable for dual functions. For example, the prior art
discloses PFD's capable of serving both as a life preserver and as objects
of water sports. However, such devices are designed to function
exclusively in water and have no other use.
The prior art also discloses various articles of furniture which can
function as a PFD in a water-related emergency. For example, an air-filled
or solid filled seat cushion for use on boats has been designed to also
serve as a life vest or buoy. Another example is a shipboard sleeping
mattress which is convertable into a life raft. In general, the
dual-purpose furniture known in the prior art has been filled with air or
soild floatable particles such as cork or wood shavings. More recently,
solid air filled elements, such as closed cell foamed plastic and ping
pong balls have been employed as the flotation means. However, in most
cases, the item of dual-purpose furniture has a measure of rigidity
attributable to either (i) use of a semi-rigid foam material, (ii) rigid
structural members, or (iii) a semi-rigid inflatable form defined by the
ribs, seams and panelling of an exterior covering. In the case of air
filled or inflatable dual-purpose furniture, these items generally lack
the structural support required of outdoor furniture. Furthermore, many
PFD's known in the art, while useable as outdoor furniture in their
original state, are not so useable again, once they have been used as a
PFD in a water-related emergency. This is due to poor drainage of the PFD
and the use of materials which, while perhaps less expensive, are not
water resistant. The present invention overcomes this limitation of the
prior art and retains its dual capability as outdoor furniture and PFD.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an outdoor bean bag capable of providing a
substantial measure of conforming comfort and support in outdoor and
aquatic environments simultaneously, having prolonged life even when
subjected to the effects of sun, heat, salt, wind and water. The cover of
the outdoor bean bag is fabricated from a water resistant material and is
partially filled with resilient flowable pellets similar to those used in
conventional bean bags. The cover is flexible and forms a generally closed
volume which assumes a configuration dictated by the disposition of the
user's weight and the resistance provided by the confined pellets.
In one embodiment the cover may be a woven nylon fabric although any
material resistant to degradation in extreme environments may be utilized.
Because woven nylon fabric may be relatively nonexpandable, the amount of
pellets used to fill the bag is reduced in order to provide the comfort
level which has come to be expected from conventional bean bags. The woven
nylon cover also permits water to seep into the interior of the bean-bag
when it is in an aquatic environment, and ultimately to escape and
evaporate therefrom when removed from such environment. This allows drying
of the interior through the cover and precludes the entrapment of stagnant
water therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outdoor bean bag in a terrestrial
environment with one panel thereof being shown as partially peeled away to
illustrate the containment of the resilient flowable pellets therein.
FIG. 2 is an exploded section of a seam of the outdoor bean bag showing the
manner in which the covering material is folded and the seam stitched with
a double stitch.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outdoor bean bag being used in a dual
purpose function as a personal floatation device and as an article of
recreational furniture in an aquatic environment.
FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the outdoor bean bag showing its use in
conjunction with a resealable access port.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is an outdoor bean bag comprising a water resistant
material forming a generally closed bag which is partially filled with a
multiplicity of resilient, flowable and buoyant pellets. In one embodiment
of the present invention the water resistant material forming the closed
bag may have a resealable access port therein through which the pellets
may be removed and inserted.
The present invention can be better understood by referring to the FIGURES.
In particular, referring to FIG. 1, many of the elements of the present
invention may be described. The outdoor bag 30 is comprised of a covering
made from a plurality of sections 32 which are joined together at seams 38
to form a closed bag. The panels typically converge and are joined to a
small circular panel 33 at one end or "bottom" of the bag 30 and at a
smaller circular panel at the opposite end (not shown). In the preferred
embodiment, panels 32 of bag 30 are of a non-expandable woven nylon fabric
which is water resistant. While it is not necessary in the present
invention that the panels 32 form a waterproof bag, the fabric panels 32
need be water resistant so that they may be capable of withstanding
prolonged use in an aquatic or outdoor environment with substantial
degradation. Water may in fact seep through the fabric covering 32 and
partially or completely fill the interstices between buoyant pellets 34
within bag 30, and a woven fabric has the advantage of breathing
sufficiently so as to allow subsequent drying through the covering,
thereby avoiding the entrapment of stagnant water within the bag. Although
many materials are suitable for aquatic use, woven nylon has been found to
be ideally suited for the use contemplated by the present invention, and
fabric manufactured by Putman Mills and sold under the Trademark "HUSKY",
and by Avila Mills have been approved for aquatic use by the U.S. Coast
Guard.
FIG. 2 illustrates one method by which the fabric panels 32 may be joined
together at seams 38. A seam is formed by two interlocking double folds of
panels 32a and 32b. One fold forms seam edge 38 and the other forms the
interior seam edge 36. A double stitch 46a and 46b is made along the seam
through both folds between seam edges 36 and 38, thus penetrating all four
layers of the fabric of the two panels 32a and 32b. Although the stitch as
illustrated in FIG. 2 has been found to be an economical and convenient
way of joining panels 32 in a secure manner, and is capable of
withstanding adverse exterior environments, panels 32 may be joined by a
number of other ways, including by way of example, a single "baseball"
stitch, "jeans" stitch or other similar means. Such a double stitch 46
appears to be a novel means for joining panels of woven nylon material.
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, an additional and optional feature of
the present invention is shown: namely, the incorporation of a resealable
access port 42 located in the small circular end panel 33. Access port 42
is a resealable slit, positioned in the panel 33, having a sufficient
length to allow the convenient extraction or addition of pellets 34 from
or to bag 30. Also, the resealable access port 42 provides the additional
function of providing a means whereby water and foreign contaminants may
be conveniently removed from the interior of the bag if necessary. It
should be understood that while the present invention does not require a
resealable access port 42, its incorporation is advantageous in respect to
increasing the useful life of the invention. In one embodiment of the
present invention, resealable port 42 comprises a nickel plated, heavy
duty zipper which is sewn into panel 33. The nickel plating on the heavy
duty zipper provides a corrosive resistant surface whereby the port 42
maintains its resealable characteristic without substantial degradation
due to adverse elements. However, resealable access port 42 could include
any number of various means well known to the art whereby a flexible
temporary seal may be made in a fabric or flexible material. For example,
a plastic zipper utilizing continuous interlocking channels may be used in
place of the nickel plated zipper.
Referring again to FIG. 1, a peeled away panel 32 of bag 30 exposes a
portion of pellets 34. The pellets 34 fill only a fraction of bag 30. As
previously discussed, this is done to facilitate the flowable
characteristic of the mass of pellets 34. However, it is to be noted that
in order to provide the substantial measure of conforming comfort normally
expected and associated with bean bag furniture, it is necessary to fill a
bag covered with a nonexpandable covering to a lesser extent than is
commonly the case with conventional bags made with expandable coverings.
For example, in a conventional bean bag approximately 81/2 cubic feet of
pellets 34 are used. This amount fills approximately 65 percent of the
total interior volume available within the bag. In contrast, according to
the present invention, about 5 to 6 cubic feet of pellets 34, at the most,
are placed within the bag of the same basic size, representing a maximum
fill of approximately 50 percent of the total available internal volume of
bag 30. These amounts, however, are used by way of example only, and are
not intended to limit or define the scope of the present invention, which
is meant to apply to bags of arbitrary size and volume. Therefore, by
lessening the amount of total fill within bag 30, the loss of resiliency
and comfort sacrificed by the use of a nonexpandable cover as compared to
a conventional bag is substantially compensated. In addition, when used in
water, the buoyancy of the water enhances the comfort level enjoyed by a
user, who in any case is satisfied with slightly less comfort in an
outdoor setting then in an indoor one. Moreover, user satisfaction is
further enhanced by virtue of the fact that the invented outdoor bean-bag
is entirely compatable with its environment.
Pellets 34 may be of any buoyant material suitable for prolonged use in
aquatic environments. When bag 30 is used as a personal floatation device,
the buoyancy of the bag is determined by the specific gravity of the
positive flotation material, pellets 34, contained therein. Although cork,
wood chips and closed cell bubbles such as pingpong balls have been used
in such applications, in the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, pellets 34 are of expanded polystyrene foam. When new, such
pellets have a specific gravity of substantially less than unity. Should
the specific gravity of the pellets 34 become degraded by compression
through usage in an aquatic environment, it can easily be upgraded by
adding fresh pellets 34 through the access port 42. Thus, the beneficial
life of outdoor bag 30 can be substantially extended indefinitely.
Expanded polystyrene foam pellets do not absorb any significant amount of
water, if any. After submersion, they only retain a thin surface film of
water. They, therefore, remain relatively light in weight and highly
buoyant. One cubic foot of pellets will normally support, in water,
approximately 60 pounds in buoyancy. In an adult sized bean-bag 30, there
is approximately 5- 6 cubic feet of fill. Thus, the present invention
provides the capability of supporting an approximate weight of 300- 360
pounds in water, a sufficient buoyancy to support most persons, even heavy
ones, plus the weight of any water which seeps into the bag.
Finally referring to FIG. 3, a typical use of the outdoor bean bag in an
aquatic environment is illustrated. The outdoor bean bag is principally
intended to function as an article of equipment or furniture for leisure
water and outdoor recreation. However, it is entirely within the scope of
the present invention that bag 30 could be fitted with suitable and
durable straps such that if, for example, bag 30 is utilized as leisure
deck furniture, it may in some cases serve as an emergency personal
floatation device. The straps in such case would then serve as convenient
and secure hand holds for a distressed swimmer until such time as rescue
could be effected. Thus, while the present invention has been disclosed
and described with respect to certain embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and
detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention.
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