Oh, patents! Yogibo bean bag furniture

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Seeking comfort? Consider the endlessly adaptable Yogibo bean bags, ranging in sizes from a mini three-foot pillow, to a maxi six-foot lounger. Designed in 2009 by Eyal Levy, in Nashau, New Hampshire, (originally as seating for his pregnant wife's comfort), the Yogibo Company now has retail stores in the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, plus more. The Yogibo bean bags also come in various vibrant colors and patterns, with some fabrics suited specifically for outdoor use.

The video below shows the versatility of the Yogibo furniture, as well as some of the sizes and color options. 

The unique combination of comfort and support designed into the Yogibo bean bag furniture is patented. The US utility patent, US10869558B2, titled Functionally supportive pillows and methods of preparation thereof, was awarded on December 22, 2020, to Giora Liran and Eyal Levy, both inventors and co-founders of the Yogibo furniture company.

Indeed, the patent precisely recites sustained functional support for sitting, lying, or reclining on Yogibo bean bags, while retaining the comfort of a pillow. Such balance between comfort and support is patented as a dynamically responsive relationship between the body-conforming inner core, comprising bead material, and the outer stretchable fabric, when pressure is applied on the pillow. Thus, the Yogibo bean bag comprises: 1. an inner core with polymeric foam beads that are free-flowing in the absence of applied pressure; 2. a first shell shaped to house the foam beads, the first shell made of fabric engineered for durability and elasticity; and 3. a second outer shell shaped to contain the core of polymeric beads housed in the first inner shell, with the outer shell also made of fabric engineered for durability and elasticity.

Accordingly, the patent further recites the exact composition of the inner core, as well as the first and second shell fabric-engineering.  Composition of the inner core such as shape, dimensions and weight. Engineering of both the inner and outer fabric shells, such as thread composition, stitch, added treatments for dying, enhancing softness, repelling water, retarding flames, environmental sustainability, and durability.  

The patent thus further specifies the required dynamic relationship between the bead core and the outer shells, which together determine the patented comfort and support. Patented comfort and support, unlimited to a single piece of bean bag furniture. Indeed, the scope of the invention extends to a whole range of bean bag furniture that includes chairs, couch, loungers, pillows, back supports plus more that are obvious to those skilled in the art of bean bag furniture.

Below the patent Figures 1B and 1C depict respectively 70% and 100% body-conformity of the bean bag lounger, together with corresponding images of the marketed invention in orange and blue. The abstract of the invention is also provided below.

The present invention is directed to a functionally supportive pillow comprising a dynamically responsive combination of an inner core enclosing a bead material and an outer shell, such that the combination of the inner core with the outer shell creates a dynamic response to applied pressure to the pillow for increased functional support of said pillow.  
[Abstract US10869558B2]

Reference
Yogibo (website)
https://yogibo.com/