Contour shaped support pillow

Abstract

A contour shaped support pillow is provided including a trough located at an upper center of a front surface of the pillow, side support areas on the front surface at sides of the trough, and first and second neck support areas above and below the trough. A substantially flat back surface adjoins the front surface at an outer rear edge. A parting line is on the front surface following the outer rear edge and terminates on each side of the first neck support area at the outer rear edge. An edge region is between the parting line and the outer rear edge. The trough, the side support areas, and the first and second neck support areas within the parting line form a concave surface. A top of the front surface between the parting line and the outer rear edge of the back surface has a concave shape.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates generally to a support pillow, and more particularly, to a contour shaped support pillow.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Children in particular, but also adults, have a tendency to roll or drop their heads sideways and sometimes forward while sleeping in a seated position. This is very uncomfortable, and causes the person sleeping to lack proper rest as a result. Many sleep pattern interruptions occur while fighting this position of imbalance during sleep. Sitting fully upright poses the greatest challenge in maintaining a balanced head position while trying to sleep. Usually, and especially in children, the upper torso will follow the head's position to the side, to the point of moving the person's body completely off center.[0005]Many pillows have been developed to control a person's head position when seated in repose. Resulting prior art pillows tend to either be too bulky, inc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]A contour shaped pillow is provided to balance and to maintain a person's head in its neutral resting position. The pillow includes two upper side support areas with a trough centered between the two upper side support areas. The pillow has two neck support areas contour shaped to fill the area between a person's neck and a substantially flat surface upon which a person chooses to rest with an approximately flat back side with or without a fastening device. The pillow offers a comfortable front form molded to fit the contour and shape of a person's back skull and neck areas.

[0009]The contour shaped support pillow of the present invention provides an adequate and highly effective means of stabilizing the head in its most comfortable centered position, giving the head and the body the best chance to naturally maintain their balance and upright position while sleeping in a seated state. The pillow offers two neck support surfaces designed to relax the head supporting muscles and a concave center area molded to support the back side of the skull without forcing it forward when seated as do other inventions. The neck support surfaces are shaped for a better fit for providing support without cradling the user in any way. The pillow is small and convenient for use while traveling or at home. The pillow counteracts the natural tendency of the human head to drop sideways and forward while sleeping in a seated body position, thereby affording maximum rest quality to the user. The pillow is light in weight for ease of handling. The pillow makes efficient use of the material which comprises its make-up. The pillow keeps the user's face area clear, as the pillow does not require any face area contact, thus unnecessary heat buildup will be avoided and the user will be awarded a feeling of being free and unrestricted. The pillow does not cradle a person's head or neck. The pillow awards the user a higher degree of comfort by distributing the weight of the user's head evenly across its contour shaped surface area. The pillow is suitable for use by all age groups and is fashionable and pleasing to the eye. The pillow can be used without wrinkling the user's clothes.

[0010]A contour shaped support pillow is provided. The contour shaped support pillow balances and maintains a person's head in a neutral resting position. A trough is located at an upper center of a front surface of the pillow. Side support areas are on the front surface at a right side of the trough and a left side of the trough. A first neck support area is on the front surface below the trough. A second neck support area is on the front surface above the trough. A substantially flat back surface adjoins the front surface at an outer rear edge. A parting line is on the front surface of the pillow following the outer rear edge and terminates on each side of the first neck support area at the outer rear edge of the back surface. An edge region is between the parting line and the outer rear edge of the back surface. The trough, the side support areas, and the neck support areas, one of which is within the parting line, form a concave surface for balancing and maintaining the person's head in the neutral resting position. A top of the front surface above the second neck support area between the parting line and the outer rear edge of the back surface has a concave shape.

Problems solved by technology

This is very uncomfortable, and causes the person sleeping to lack proper rest as a result.

Many sleep pattern interruptions occur while fighting this position of imbalance during sleep.

Sitting fully upright poses the greatest challenge in maintaining a balanced head position while trying to sleep.

Resulting prior art pillows tend to either be too bulky, incorporating too much material, or they are placed around a person's head and neck in an awkward position, or they allow for excessive movement of the head, which in turn causes the body to follow the head's position to the side.

None keep the head balanced rather than cradled and none are designed in a contoured form to keep the head balanced effectively.

One of the disadvantages of such designs is that the neck is forced forward by the thickness and the composition of the pillow's back side, thereby requiring a constant back pressure to keep the head in a resting position.

Furthermore, due to its design, that pillow is not suitable for use by smaller children because of their lack of ability to apply enough back pressure against the pillow.

The head side support is achieved by supporting the jaw bones which roll onto the pillow's side arm surface, rather than by supporting the skull itself, which is an uncomfortable solution.

That pillow's use is not only uncomfortable, but also restricting and awkward.

It also causes the head to tilt to one side or another onto the U-Shaped arms creating excessive and uncomfortable pressure points on one's cheek area and face.

Its excess side material for the purpose of side face protection will cause excessive heat buildup.

The pillows only display generic surfaces, and due to their shape and incorporated angles and because those devices do not offer an effective natural neck support area, the head is easily allowed to roll out of them.

The pillows do not keep the head balanced and therefore the head will eventually fall sideways and / or forward in the direction of the straight or diverging wing angles.

Other prior art pillows, such as those mentioned in Kogan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,792, and Josefek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,107, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, are primarily designed for rest in a supine position and incorporate excessive use of material, which is not user friendly for travel.

In summary, prior art pillows allow for excessive head movement, are placed around a person's neck and head at very uncomfortable positions, or they offer too much contact area with the top and sides of a person's head and neck circumference, which creates a feeling of cradling and constriction.

Further, some of the prior art pillows promote heat buildup around the head region.

Most prior art pillows are not designed for both children and adults.

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