Contoured-head and neck foam pillow - Patent Review 4726087

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BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

This invention concerns pillows in general, and in particular a foam pillow, with certain longitudinal characteristics and reversible and invertible features, adapted for selective support of a user's head and neck.

Due to the physical attributes of a typical person, the neck of a person reclining in a horizontal position (and without any particular pillow support or the like) becomes an unsupported bridge between their shoulders and their head. Such is generally true whether an individual is lying on their back or their side. Without proper head and neck support, muscle strain (particularly in the neck region) is not uncommon. Such strain leads to discomfort and restlessness which can defeat the entire purpose of a person's rest or sleep period.

During rest, individuals commonly recline in a relatively horizontal position with their head and part of their neck variously supported on pillows. Many commercial pillows for either home or hospital use comprise generally rectangular constructions with tapered edges, and are filled with a variety of cushioning materials, such as foam or down.

Often times, a person will "fluff" a pillow before using it. In effect, the pillow is being puffed up so that resting of one's head on the pillow will form a slight cradle, with other portions of the pillow being pushed outward to provide support for the user's neck. The desired affect is quickly lost once the pillow becomes pushed down again (i.e. "un-fluffed").

In general recognition of such head and neck support problems, it is known in the prior art to provide various contoured pillow arrangements (particularly for surgical or hospital patients) which differentially support a user's head and neck so that the naturally unsupported region beneath the neck is provided some support. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 276,938 to Pedersen and French Pat. No. 1,120,734 by Cabrit et al. disclose contoured pillow designs having a profile including at least two raised areas as well as a trough for generally receiving a user's head. The person's head is retained in the trough between the two raised areas, with one of the raised areas supporting the neck region. Pedersen and Cabrit both disclose sloped regions adjacent one of the raised areas for also supporting upper shoulder regions; thus, they are intended for a single user orientation only, and do not vary the amount of neck support.

Similarly, Kogan (U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,792) concerns an orthopedic pillow having a cross-sectional profile with a trough for receiving a person's head, surrounded by two raised areas, one of which supports the user's neck region. A convex boss is provided on one side of the pillow for alignment under the nape of the user's neck; thus, Kogan has only one intended user orientation, and does not disclose structure to vary the amount of neck support.

While such references represent an advance in the area of supporting a person's head and neck over noncontoured support arrangements, they don't teach variations and modifications to provide selected elevations and positions for heads and necks of varying shapes and sizes. Dixon (U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,543) and De Laittre et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,917) disclose various medical and therapeutic contoured support pillows which include features for varying the amount of support of a user's head and neck.

Dixon discloses a pillow providing both vertical and lateral support for surgical purposes. Alternately matable members may be relatively rotated at 90.degree. intervals with respect to each other, for varying the height of a trough through which a user's neck passes for support of the user's head in a roughly cup-shaped arrangement having a convoluted support surface. The pillow provides four-way support of a recumbent user's head to immobilize same for surgical or other medical reasons in a so-called neutral or "sniffing" position, for administering anesthetics or when a patient must undergo treatment in an intensive care unit.

De Laittre discloses a therapeutic pillow which is intended to be aesthetically appealing by providing the appearance of a conventional pillow. Two convex lobes emerge from an underside of the pillow, overhang edges thereof, and merge at a mutually-shared trough. The lobes have a relatively constant diameter from the underside support surface to the shared trough. All four corners of the generally rectangular pillow are pulled inwardly by receipt and support of a user's head centrally thereon. So supported, forces push in on the top of the user's head, while other forces present at the user's neck and bottom of the head push outward to pull and stretch the neck muscles. Such forces are achieved with the integral construction and unitary face of the De Laittre device, in combination with the overhanging convex lobes thereof, which are of different height to provide support for heads and necks of various shapes and sizes.

In general, the foregoing devices, while recognizing the need for selective differential support of a person's head and neck, are generally restrictive in terms of positioning of the head since they are directed to medical or therapeutic applications. Furthermore, they may cause unpleasant cradling forces on a user's head due to lack of independent action for the surface features thereof. All such restrictiveness and unpleasant sensations may be acceptable in the limited use categories of medical or therapeutic needs, but are strongly undesirable for the comfort sought during everyday use such as rest or sleep periods.

Furthermore, none of the foregoing exemplary references combine their concern for differential head and neck support with any particular features thereof directed to other aspects of extended user comfort, such as moisture and heat control. Dixon refers to some air circulation around his convolutions, but basically teaches that a user's head should be deeply cradled in a soft support surface to immobilize same. In fact, the rather restrictive cradling of a number of prior art devices, such as the devices of Kogan, De Laittre, and Dixon, can contribute to a build-up of heat and moisture around a user's head, instead of dissipating same.

Leeb (U.S. Pat. No. 2,305,173) discloses a generally rectangular headrest having vertical openings which extend perpendicularly from a headrest support surface to internal cavities where medicated vapor vessels are received. Vapors ascend such vertical channels to provide a user with relief from the discomfort of blocked breathing. Such channeling directs vapors towards the support surface, instead of providing dissipation for heat or moisture generated by a user's head and neck resting thereon.

Spann (U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,456) discloses foam body supports, such as a foot splint which surrounds an injured foot, which have a plurality of enlarged air channels parallel to the user's leg for ventilating the enclosed leg or foot. A seat comprising a flat block of foam is also shown with such enlarged air channels.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention recognizes and addresses many of the foregoing drawbacks, as well as others.

One object of the present invention is to provide a contoured pillow having features directed to differential support of a user's head and neck, and remaining relatively free of imposing any restrictions on further movement by the user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a contoured pillow having features for differentially supporting a user's head and neck, but without applying any unpleasant forces or pressure on such user. Yet a further object of this invention is provision of a contoured pillow, having a plurality of longitudinal features which enable independent action of members defining such features, for reducing or minimizing any unpleasant forces or pressure applied to a user while differentially supporting the head and neck of same.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a construction which is reversible for varying the relative amounts of differential head and neck support to accommodate variety in head and neck sizes and shapes, with such construction also including further features in accordance with this invention.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an invertible embodiment, comprising a generally rectangular construction having opposing, relatively planar sides, one of which is substantially flat and the other of which is provided with a predetermined curvature in accordance with other features of this invention. Such rectangular pillow may be inverted from one main planar side to another while still (in either orientation) providing selective, differential support of a user's head and neck.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved pillow embodying a number of the foregoing objects and features of the present invention, while also providing dissipation characteristics for promoting the removal of heat and moisture from the head and neck of a user supported on such pillow. In one exemplary aspect, such dissipation may be achieved by parallel, longitudinal air channels disposed perpendicularly to a given orientation of a user's head and neck supported on such pillow, whereby heat and moisture is efficiently directed by such channels away from the user's head and neck.

In conjunction with such dissipation feature, it is a further object of this invention to provide functionally independent support ridges, associated in parallel with such dissipation channels, which promote enhanced dissipation at the periphery of a user's head and neck by differentially enlarging radial openings in such channels (thereby increasing the dissipation of heat and moisture through such channels by increasing the volume of airflow therethrough).

The foregoing objects and aspects of the present invention may be variously embodied in numerous features thereof, given collections of which may comprise an exemplary embodiment of a construction in accordance with features of the present invention. For present purposes of disclosing exemplary embodiments which are illustrative of (but not limitive to) this invention, various particular embodiments are set forth herewith.

One such exemplary embodiment includes a pillow for supporting a person's head and neck in a selected disposition, the pillow being constructed essentially of foam materials and comprising: a generally rectangular structure having longitudinal and lateral axes perpendicular to one another, and with the lateral axis being shorter than the longitudinal axis; an upper support surface defined on the structure and having longitudinal features forming a lateral profile, which profile includes two prominent lobes of differing heights and a relative trough therebetween; and a plurality of longitudinal ribs having arcuate cross-sections, formed in the upper support surface and defining the profile thereof.

Another exemplary construction in accordance with features of the present invention is directed to a construction of resilient material for use as a head pillow for a person, comprising: an integral member composed of the resilient material and having an upper support surface of a predetermined profile; a plurality of parallel, spherical ridges formed on the support surface and conforming to the profile thereof; and a plurality of parallel channels, defined by the upper support surface, and respectively interposed between adjacent of the ridges.

Yet another exemplary preferred embodiment incorporating features of the present invention includes a pillow for supporting the head and neck of a person situated in a generally horizontal position, the pillow comprising: a generally planar, rectangular body of resilient material, having two main support surfaces on opposing sides thereof and being invertible between two positions for providing direct support of the head and neck of a user on a selected one of the support surfaces of the body; scalloping in rows, with spherical air channels defined therebetween, disposed on a given one of the support surfaces; and convolutions defined on another one of the support surfaces. All modifications, variations, and equivalent substitutions for features and elements of the present invention which would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art are included aspects of this invention by virtue of present reference thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, may be understood upon studying the following specification in conjunction with the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an end view of an exemplary embodiment constructed in accordance with features of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate perspective views of the two main support surfaces (on opposite sides of the pillow) of the FIG. 1 embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is illustrates an end perspective view of an exemplary construction in one preferred manner of use thereof.

Repeat use of reference characters throughout the following specification and drawings is intended to indicate the same or analogous elements or features of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, an end view illustrates the lateral profile of an exemplary foam pillow 10 in accordance with features of the present invention. Pillow 10 includes two main support surfaces 12 and 14, having relatively curved and flat profiles, respectively. Pillow 10 may be inverted so that either surface 12 or 14 is upwardly disposed for receipt and support of a user's head and neck, but it is generally preferred that surface 12 defines an upper support surface, with two prominent lobes (or maximums) 16 and 18 and a relative trough (or minimum) 20 forming the predetermined curved profile thereof. Longitudinal, scalloped ribs 22 conform to such curved profile of upper support surface 12.

Ribs 22 comprise parallel, longitudinal projections extending from and along the main body of pillow 10. Ribs 22 have arcuate cross-sections, and thus comprise a plurality of parallel spherical ridges. Further longitudinal features of upper support surface 12 include a plurality of parallel, generally circular channels 24. Such channels are disposed between each pair of ribs 22, and are actually defined in upper surface 12 along with lower extensions of the radial surfaces of ribs 22. The radial surfaces of adjacent ribs are not joined, but instead are merely in contact with one another. Since pillow 10 is comprised of foam or foam-like material, ribs 22 may be pushed back and separated at any point along their longitudinal length to expose radial openings into circular channels 24. Even without such physical separation, air may diffuse through the porous foam material to reach channels 24. Beneficial effects of such diffusion are discussed in greater detail below, particularly with