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Sleeping bag with integrated air mattressSleeping bag with integrated air mattress description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060021139, Sleeping bag with integrated air mattress. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates generally to a sleeping bag. In particular, the present invention relates to a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress. [0002] Camping and hiking are currently enjoying a surge in popularity. However, people now have enhanced expectations of comfort and convenience while camping, and a large demand exists for products providing this comfort and convenience. Further, there are many different ways in which people like to camp. Some carry their equipment to remote places and require light and easily packed equipment, while others camp alongside their vehicles and primarily require comfort. While a tradeoff between ultra-comfort and ultra-light construction has previously seemed inevitable in sleeping bag design, the current invention provides more comfort in a lightweight sleeping bag. [0003] Two primary considerations for comfort are the sleeping bag's ability to retain heat and the sleeping bag's ability to firmly support the user, even though the sleeping bag may be placed on uneven ground. While air mattresses have been found to support the user well, regardless of imperfections in the ground, the large air pockets currently used allow convective currents to form, robbing heat from the mattress. Foam, goose down, synthetic fibers, and other insulation are merely a means to hold small pockets of air. If an air mattress can be made with small pockets of air instead of large pockets, convective currents will not be able to form and the air mattress will retain more heat. [0004] Various proposals for sleeping bags that incorporate air mattresses are found in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,092 discloses a self-inflatable air mattress and sleeping bag that traps air inside an airtight jacket filled with foam. Means are included to manually increase the air pressure inside the foam-filled jacket. [0005] Many sleeping bag devices have been suggested that use a plurality of parallel and longitudinally extended elongate air compartments along with various improvements over the prior art. Such devices may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,733, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,779, U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,339, U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,565, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,608. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,725 discloses a sleeping bag with removable components, including an air mattress. [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,400 discloses an air mattress sleeping bag that includes a self-contained powered air inflation device. The air mattress sleeping bag is capable of converting to a full air mattress when not in use as a sleeping bag. [0008] While assumably effective for their intended purposes, none of the above proposals provide an air mattress that can effectively retain heat by reducing large air pockets, provides a comfortable place to sleep, is lightweight and not bulky, and can be easily packed. Instead, the above proposals use air mattresses with large air pockets or completely filled with foam. [0009] Therefore, it is desirable to have a sleeping bag with an air mattress that effectively retains heat, is comfortable, is lightweight and compact, can be easily packed, is convenient to use, and does not require an excessive volume of air. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] A sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress according to the present invention includes an outer shell, an inner shell, an inflatable tube grid, insulation, and means for selectively imparting a stream of air to the inflatable tube grid (air input means). The outer shell has inner and outer surfaces and defines an opening, and the inner shell has inner and outer surfaces and defines an opening. The outer surfaces of the inner shell are positioned adjacent the inner surfaces of the outer shell, and the opening defined by the inner shell is aligned adjacent the opening defined by the outer shell. The inflatable tube grid defines a plurality of grid cavities and is sandwiched between the outer and inner shells. Insulation is positioned in the grid cavities. Additional insulation may be sandwiched between the outer and inner shells. [0011] In use, the sleeping bag with integrated air mattress is placed where its user wants to sleep, and the air input means are used to impart a stream of air to the inflatable tube grid, thus inflating the inflatable tube grid. When the inflatable tube grid is inflated, the insulation positioned in the grid cavities is stretched to an expanded configuration. The user may then enter the sleeping bag with integrated air mattress through the opening defined by the inner shell. When the user is ready to pack up the sleeping bag with integrated air mattress, the inflatable tube grid is deflated, causing the inflatable tube grid and the insulation positioned in the grid cavities to shift to a compressed configuration. The sleeping bag with integrated air mattress may then be easily packed, taking up a minimal amount of space. [0012] Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress that effectively retains heat. [0013] Another object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress, as aforesaid, that is comfortable to use. [0014] Still another object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress, as aforesaid, that is lightweight and compact. [0015] Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress, as aforesaid, that can be easily packed for transport or storage. [0016] A further object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress, as aforesaid, that is convenient to use. [0017] A still further object of this invention is to provide a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress, as aforesaid, that does not require an excessive volume of air. [0018] Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective cut-away view of a sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress according to the present invention with a hand pump; [0020] FIG. 2a is a top view of the sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress as in FIG. 1; [0021] FIG. 2b is a sectional view of the sleeping bag with an integrated air mattress taken along line 2b-2b of FIG. 2a; Continue reading about Sleeping bag with integrated air mattress... Full patent description for Sleeping bag with integrated air mattress Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Sleeping bag with integrated air mattress patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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