US3750202A

US3750202A - Sleeping bag

Info

Publication number: US3750202A
Application number: US00078528A
Authority: US
Inventors: P Merikallio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-11-05
Filing date: 1970-10-06
Publication date: 1973-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-07

Abstract

A sleeping bag is made of a fabric consisting of a thin and flexible material impermeable to water, at least one side of the fabric being metallically shiny. The bag can be closed by a drawband provided at its opening. A strong strip of webbing is attached centrally to an outer surface of the bag and extends in its longitudinal direction. Spaced transverse bands are attached to the strip and to the fabric. Their ends are provided with loops, so that two rows of loops are formed. The loops may be used for carrying the bag.

Description

I United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,750,202 Merikallio 1 Aug. 7, 1973 SLEEPING BAG 2,625,695 1/1953 Nicholson 5/343 [76] Inventor: Pauli Assar Antero Merikallio,

lsmkobemnkatu 4931 A 7, Prrmary Examiner-James T. McCall Helsinki 12 Finand Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Calvert Att0rney-Richards & Geier [22] Filed: Oct. 6, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 78,528 [57] ABSTRACT 0 Foreign Application p i i data A sleeping bag is rnade of a fabric consisting of a thin and flexible material impermeable to water, at least one NOV. 5, Fll'llal'ld side of the fabric be ng metallicany shiny The bag can be closed by a draw-band provided at its opening. A [2%] SI. 5/323 2/8/90?) strong strip of webbing is attached centrally to an outer i 336 surface of the bag and extends in its longitudinal direc- I l 0 ea 2 99 tion. Spaced transverse bands are attached to the strip and to the fabric. Their ends are provided with loops, 56 R s Cited so that two rows of loops are formed. The loops may be 1 UNITED r r ias PATENTS used for carrying the 2,064,458 12/1936 Bulpit at al. 5 343 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure 2,788,530 4/l957 Ferguson 5/343 X 2,630,620 3/1953 Rand 5/347 X SLEEPING BAG DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a sleeping bag.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a sleeping bag which is very light, fits in a very small space and is very warm.

Another object is the provision of a sleeping bag which is capable of a variety of uses on picnics and trips, as a float when swimming and also for military uses'for the transport of wounded persons and dead bodies.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a sleeping bag made of a fabric impermeable to water or of similar, comparatively thin and flexible material, at least one side of which has been made metallically shiny. The sleeping bag has been dimensioned to be so long that it can be drawn over the users head, and it has been shaped to constitute a continuous bag arranged to be closable by means of a draw band provided at its mouth. Furthermore, the sleeping bag has been provided with a comparatively strong length of webbing extending in its longitudinal direction and fixed to the sleeping bag. To this webbing and to the sleeping bag have been fixed a number of transverse bands, both outer ends of which have been shaped as loops by which persons may carry the sleeping bag with its contents and through which loops one may also push staff-like carrying elements resembling the shafts of a cart.

A sleeping bag according to the present invention requires very little space. Its warmth is based on the fact that the metallically shiny, e.g. aluminum-colored surface efficiently prevents the heat generated by the user of the sleeping bag from being transferred by radiation to the colder surroundings. Of course, a contributory partial factor is the circumstance that the bag is impermeable to wind. Compared to a conventional, stuffed sleeping bag, it is an obvious advantage that the sleeping bag according to the present invention has been made of a material which does not take up water, whereby it is exceedingly easy to dry the bag when it has become wet; this is certainly not true for conventional sleeping bags, which tend to absorb water and at the same time lose their heat insulating capacity. A sleeping bag according to the present invention is also highly suitable for use as a floating means when, one traverses bodies of water, in which connection it is possible at the same time to transport in the bag clothing, arms and other pieces of equipment. Since thesleeping bag has carrying handles on its sides, it is also suitable for'transporting wounded persons or dead bodies. It may also be used e.g. at burials in field conditions as a substitute coffin. Since this sleeping bag is water-tight, various effusions from wounded persons or bodies or equivalent flowing substances cannot escape from the sleeping bag.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing the sole FIGURE of which is aplan viewof the rear side of the sleeping bag of the present invention.

enough to cover a human body completely.

The mouth of the sleeping bag has been provided with a hollow run 5 with a draw-band 6 running inside it by the use of which the sleeping bag can be closed. For the draw-band 6 two sets of holes 7 have been made in the run 5, one set on the inside and the other on the outside of the sleeping bag. Due to this arrangement it is easy to close the sleeping bag either from the inside or from the outside.

On the underside (the back) of the sleeping bag there has been attached by sewing, gluing or by some other means a strip 4 of comparatively strong material longitudinally to the sleeping bag 1 and to this strip have been attached four transverse bands 8 made of similar material, which are furthermore attached to the sleeping bag itself. The outer ends of these transverse bands 8 have been shaped into loops 3, which may be used as carrying handles for example when persons are transported, and which also may serve as a handhold at the crossing of water bodies, when the sleeping bag serves as a floating aid. It is also possible to pass through these loops 3, shafts or the like, whereby the sleeping bag constitutes a carrying implement resembling a stretcher.

On one end of the longitudinal band there has furthermore been made a loop 2, which serves as a handle by which the bag may be dragged through the terrain. This mode of transportation is particularly appropriate in winter conditions when the ground is snow-covered. In the drawing, the loop 2 has been attached to the end of the band adjacent to the mouth of the sleeping bag 1, but the foot end of the sleeping bag may equally well be provided with a similar loop.

A sleeping bag according to the invention can be made of a variety of materials. For instance, various plastic films may be used. However, it is advantageous from the viewpoint of durability to make the sleeping bag of thin artificial fiber silk fabric which has been treated with plastic resins to be water-tight and coated, for example, with a layer of aluminum. The water-right quality of such a sleeping bag may be further enhanced by treating it with a silicone compound. It is one of the advantages of a sleeping bag made of the materials suggested by the present invention that it can be very easily sterilized. Likewise, it can be easily washed in conventional washing machines and using conventional washing agents; it also dries rapidly after washing. It is true that the silicone treatment of the sleeping bag may be impaired by repeated, powerful washing operations, but the silicone treatment may be repeated when required, for example just after such washings. Due to its material, the sleeping bag also protects its user very efficiently against radiation, which may be a significent circumstance in certain war-time conditions.

As already stated, the sleeping bag of the present invention is not intended solely for military uses, but can be used most effectively on liking tours, as a swimming aid, as protection against the weather when fishing on the ice, or in the spectator stands of winter sports events. In military use under conditions of war considerable advantage in rationalization is gained from the fact that it is not necessary, as before, to convey into the fighting lines wooden coffins for the casualties, which coffins require much space, instead of which the dead bodies may be transported to the places of burial in each soldier's own sleeping bag, which belongs to his personal equipment.

It is understood that the invention is by no means narrowly confined to the embodiment shown in the drawing. Various details in the design of a sleeping bag according to the invention may be altered and modified without leaving the scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. A sleeping bag adapted to enclose the body of a human being and having a front side, a back side, a closed bottom and a top opening, said bag consisting of a fabric which is impermeable to water and having at least one side which is metallically shiny, a hollow run extending around the entire top opening and having two pairs of openings, one of said pairs being located at the outer surface of the bag and the other pair being located at the inner surface of the bag, a draw band extending within said run and adapted to extend through said pairs of openings, a strip fixed to the back side of the bag and extending in its longitudinal direction, a loop attached to said strip adjacent the top opening of the bag, a plurality of other strips extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the bag, said other strips being parallel to and spaced from each other and being attached to the first-mentioned strip and to the back side of the bag, each of said other strips having two opposed ends, and loops attached to all ends of said other strips.

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