TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to outdoor equipment, outdoor furniture, outdoor camping equipment and parts and fittings therefore, and more particularly, relates to closed cell foam pad which folds in an alternating “accordion style” pattern and to the construction of such a foldable foam sleeping pad having top and bottom surfaces with bumps or protrusions designed to nest into and with one another.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A large portion of the population enjoy camping and other outdoor activities. When engaged in these activities, however, many people enjoy some of the comforts of home.

Campers and others who sleep away from a home or motel often desire to soften the ground or floor on which they sleep with a foam pad. Although foam sleeping pads are well-known, hikers and other remote campers are concerned with the weight they must carry and also the volume they must carry. Accordingly, some sleeping pads are much too large, heavy and/or bulky and not really usable by hikers.

Foam sleeping pads are very comfortable and are not susceptible to puncture and loss of air. Unfortunately, however, the traditional foam pads are bulky to store and pack on a hike or other extended outdoor adventure. Accordingly, what is needed is a foam pad that provides a support surface while being easily foldable or collapsible into a relatively small package.

SUMMARY

The present invention features a foldable sleeping pad. The sleeping pad comprises a pad body having a top region, a bottom region, a length and a width. The pad body further includes a first plurality of fold lines disposed across generally the entire width of the pad body and formed in either the top or bottom region of the pad body depending on how the pad is intended to fold.

In one embodiment, the plurality of top region fold lines are arranged at predetermined intervals along the length of the pad body beginning a first distance from a first end of the length of the body portion. The plurality of bottom region fold lines are arranged at predetermined intervals along the length of the pad body portion beginning a second distance from the first end of the length of the body portion. In this embodiment, the first distance is different from the second distance.

The plurality of top and bottom region fold lines cooperate to form a plurality of foldable sleeping pad connected sections, and wherein the plurality of fold lines in the top and bottom regions of the pad body are configured to allow the foldable sleeping pad to fold “accordion style” such that one or more portions of the top region from one foldable sleeping pad connected section are adjacent and in contact with one or more portions of the bottom region from another one foldable sleeping pad connected section of the pad body when in a folded position.

In this embodiment, the plurality of fold lines in the top and bottom regions of the pad body are configured to allow the foldable sleeping pad to fold “accordion” style such that a bottom region of a first foldable sleeping pad section folds against a bottom region of a second foldable sleeping pad section that is connected to and adjacent said first foldable sleeping pad section, and wherein a top region of said second foldable sleeping pad section folds against a top region of a third foldable sleeping pad section that is connected to and adjacent the second foldable sleeping pad connected section, and wherein a remaining plurality of foldable sleeping pad sections fold accordion style against one another, alternating folding against the top and bottom regions of the adjacent remaining plurality of foldable sleeping pad sections.

In one embodiment, each of the top and bottom regions includes a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of indentations, wherein when the sleeping pad is disposed in the “accordion” like folded configuration, the plurality of protrusions from one of the top and bottom regions disposed on one section of the pad body nest into a corresponding plurality of indentations from another one of the top and bottom regions of an adjacent and connected section of the pad body.

In one embodiment, the plurality of protrusions and the plurality of indentations are arranged in a hexagonal pattern wherein a protrusion is placed at the center and vertices of a normal hexagon and a corresponding indentation is placed at the center and vertices of a normal hexagon and configured to meet with such a placed or arranged protrusion.

In another embodiment, the pad body is a two layer closed cell foam, and the pad body includes a heat reflective layer.

In yet another embodiment, the pad body has a first thickness and wherein the plurality of fold lines in the top and bottom portions of the pad body have a second thickness which is less than the first thickness and forming a hingeable connection between adjacent sections separated by the hinge of the connection.

