Neck support pillow

Abstract

A support pillow providing head and neck support to a user laying upon it. The device employs a support pillow insert surrounded by a pillow casing having planar top and bottom surfaces and a sidewall extending between them. An insert engage able in the casing provides substantially planar support surfaces with a centrally located passage providing a relief for positioning one's head on the pillow. Proper support and spine alignment is provided by a shoulder portion of the pillow for the neck which may be formed of different material than the pillow, or varied in with or compressive force using inserts.

Description

[0001]This application is a Continuation-in-Part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 250,915 filed on Sep. 30, 2011 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 388,502 filed on Sep. 30, 2010, and the application additionally claims priority to International Application Publication WO / 2012 / 045032 filed on Sep. 30, 2011 as Serial Number PCT / US11 / 54405, with all of the above noted applications respectively included herein in their entirety by this reference thereto.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to pillows providing head support to users in a prone or sitting position where a pillow is employed. More particularly, it relates to a pillow configured with a central relief area, and improved neck support component forming a support bridge, which is configured to appear as a normal pillow to allow for use in conditions where non conventional pillow shapes might not engage with linens, might cause the use...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a support pillow that has a shoulder portion that perfectly supports the user's neck while in a prone position in bed. The shoulder portion is filled with a special memory foam that maintains its vertical support ability even during sleeping. This foam also helps to distribute the pressure evenly on the user's ear or face, reducing the risk of discomfort or damage. Overall, the technology provides better and more uniform support for the user's head and neck while maintaining comfort.

Problems solved by technology

In addition to a straining of neck posture, this unnatural neck sloping reduces the support given to the neck, compresses disks of the neck on one side, can be very uncomfortable, and can even cause permanent damage over time.

Such contouring can also be dependent on foam or filling density and temperature which can vary widely, and is therefor not an adequate solution for solving the major problem of misalignment and resulting discomfort in a dependable, repeatable, ongoing basis.

A vexing problem with pillows, with such inserts, is that a user may, on accident, lose or misplace any or all of the inserts and deem the device useless.

Similarly, if the inserts are positioned incorrectly, or have a foam density that is too high or too low, the device in question may only further complicate neck or head discomfort experienced by the user.

Various other support devices have been proposed and are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,174 to Sarkozi, D582,0455 to James, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,132 to Dixon, all of which require user aided adjustability and do not provide universal comfort and support.

However, such pillows follow the same general scheme of prior art of changing foam stiffness and forming contours to adapt to the neck and head which do not adapt well to most users.

Humans radiate more heat through their head than any other part of their body, and for a person sleeping for the night, or even for a nap on a hot day, the laying of their head on a heat retaining conventional pillow can become uncomfortable and may interrupt a good night's sleep.

A simple solution is to merely flip the pillow over, but this of course inhibits the sleeping pattern of the user who must awaken heated, and flip their pillow.

As a consequence, conventional pillow users continue to suffer from this vexing combination of lack of support to their neck, terrible angled posture which can cause injury over time, and overheating from the pillow stuffing heat retention characteristics.

Further, many individuals suffer irritation and sleeplessness from the long period of time sleeping will put pressure on their ear.

This, as noted, is uncomfortable and undesirable.

This pressure can build and cause the user to wake and once again interrupt a good night's sleep.

Similarly, when positioned with an ear against the pillow, it is often difficult to hear from the ear contacting the pillow due to the pressure of the surface of the pillow from the interior stuffing against the ear which causes a muffling of sound around the user.

For users hard of hearing in their other ear, this is dangerous.

These unconventional shapes are a problem for users who may have spent hundreds of dollars on bedding because they will not fit and fill out a conventional pillow case in an aesthetic manner.

As a consequence, many potential users of neck support pillows avoid using them and continue to suffer, rather than have bedding that appears odd or damaged from the odd and unconventional shape of available neck support pillows.

Images