Convertible article

Abstract

Textile articles are readily convertible between stowed and unstowed configurations. The convertible articles include an outer cover portion and an inner textile portion. The outer cover portion forms an interior cavity having an opening therethrough, and the inner textile portion has a free end and an opposite bottom end. In the stowed configuration, the inner textile portion is stowed within the interior cavity of the outer cover portion such that the article forms a pillow, cushion, pad, or the like. In the unstowed configuration, the free end of the inner textile portion extends through the opening of the outer cover portion and the bottom end is attached to the interior cavity, such that the article forms a blanket, a quilt, a sleeping bag, a garment, or the like.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A convertible article, comprising:
 an outer cover portion forming an interior cavity and having an opening therethrough; and   an inner textile portion having a free end and an opposite bottom end,   wherein in a first configuration, the inner textile portion is stowed within the interior cavity of the outer cover portion, and wherein in a second configuration, the free end of the inner textile portion extends through the opening of the outer cover portion and the bottom end is attached to the interior cavity.   
     
     
         2 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom end of the inner textile portion is attached at a perimeter of the interior cavity of the outer cover portion. 
     
     
         3 . The convertible article of  claim 2 , wherein the bottom end of the inner textile portion is attached by permanent attachment structure at the perimeter of the interior cavity. 
     
     
         4 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the interior cavity is at least partially lined with a napped or piled fabric. 
     
     
         5 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the opening of the outer cover portion comprises a closure mechanism configured to selectively close the opening. 
     
     
         6 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the closure mechanism comprises an elastic cord. 
     
     
         7 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the outer cover portion is at least partially formed from a first textile, and the inner textile portion is at least partially formed from a different second textile. 
     
     
         8 . The convertible article of  claim 1 , wherein the outer cover portion has a face panel and a rear panel adjoined by a perimeter panel, wherein the opening extends through the rear panel. 
     
     
         9 . The convertible article of  claim 8 , wherein the perimeter panel is a gusset. 
     
     
         10 . The convertible article of  claim 8 , wherein the inner textile portion is at least partially formed from a napped or piled fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The convertible article of  claim 9 , wherein the inner textile portion comprises two opposing outer surface layers and an internal insulation layer disposed between the outer surface layers. 
     
     
         12 . The convertible article of  claim 11 , wherein the inner textile portion comprises a closure mechanism configured to join a plurality of edges of the inner textile portion. 
     
     
         13 . The convertible article of  claim 9 , wherein the inner textile portion is a blanket, a quilt, or a sleeping bag. 
     
     
         14 . The convertible article of  claim 13 , wherein the outer cover portion is a pillow cover. 
     
     
         15 . The convertible article of  claim 9 , wherein the inner textile portion includes a plurality of arm apertures extending therethrough. 
     
     
         16 . The convertible article of  claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of arm apertures is disposed at least 12 inches from an outer perimeter of the inner textile portion. 
     
     
         17 . The convertible article of  claim 5 , wherein the closure mechanism restricts a fully-open diameter of the opening to 6-12 inches. 
     
     
         18 . The convertible article of  claim 5 , wherein the closure mechanism restricts a fully-open diameter of the opening to 25%-75% of a largest outermost dimension of the outer cover portion.