Pillow

Abstract

To provide a pillow which improves the prior art and which enables a user to sleep in a relaxed state by stably supporting his / her head and neck part.SOLUTION: A pillow 10, which has a longitudinal direction Y and a width direction X, crossing each other, comprises upper and lower areas 11 and 12, and a longitudinal center line P that divides a width-direction-X dimension in half. The lower area 12 has a curved shape that becomes convex downward. A central part 14 of the lower area 12 crosses the longitudinal center line P in a thickness direction Z.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow that supports a user's head and neck when the user goes to bed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, pillows for stably supporting a user's head and neck are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pillow including a head support portion that supports a user's head and a neck support portion that supports the neck.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Referring to FIG. 6(a), according to the pillow 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the height of the head support portion 122 is lower than the height of the neck support portion 121, the neck support portion 121 can be fitted to the user's neck 103, and the head 102 and the neck 103 can be stably supported.

[0005] However, in the pillow 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the user 101 is in a supine position, the neck support portion 121 may push up the jaw upward, which may rather hurt the neck 103.

[0006] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 6(b), in the case of a conventional pillow 200 having an overall flat shape, the head 102 is supported only at the top of the head, and the neck support portion 221 is not sufficiently in contact with the neck 103 and is unstable, so that the user cannot go to bed in a relaxed state.

[0007] Furthermore, for example, in the case of a conventional pillow 300 having a flat lower surface and an upwardly convex upper surface as shown in FIG. 6(c), the entire head 102 is pushed upward obliquely, and a natural S-shaped curve cannot be drawn from the head 102 to the neck 103, so that the user cannot go to bed in a relaxed state.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pillow that can support the head and neck stably and allow the user to go to bed in a relaxed state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the technical problem, the present invention relates to a pillow having a thickness direction intersecting with each other, a longitudinal direction and a width direction, and including an upper region, a lower region, and a longitudinal center line that bisects the dimension in the width direction.

[0010] The pillow according to the present invention is characterized in that the lower region has a downwardly convex curved shape, and the central portion of the lower region intersects with the longitudinal center line in the thickness direction.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to one or more embodiments of the pillow according to the present invention, since the lower region has a downwardly convex curved shape and the central portion of the lower region intersects with the longitudinal center line in the thickness direction, the pillow naturally rests in a balanced state while rocking back and forth, and stably supports the head and neck, so that the user 1 can go to bed in a relaxed state.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] The drawings show specific embodiments of the pillow according to the present invention and include not only the essential configurations of the invention but also alternative and preferred embodiments.

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the details of the pillow 10 according to the present invention will be described as follows. Further, the following embodiments include, in addition to the essential requirements indispensable to the present invention, optional requirements that can be adopted and requirements that can be appropriately combined.

[0014] Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the pillow 10 according to the present embodiment has a width direction X, a length direction Y, and a thickness direction (vertical direction) Z that intersect each other, and both end faces 10a, 10b that are spaced apart and opposed to each other in the length direction Y, and both side faces 10c, 10d that are spaced apart and opposed to each other in the width direction X.

[0015] The pillow 10 includes an upper region 11 located on the contact surface side that comes into contact with the head 2 of the user 1, and a lower region 12 located on the placement surface side where the pillow 10 such as a futon is placed.

[0016] The pillow 10 further has a longitudinal center line P that bisects the dimension W1 in the width direction X and a transverse center line Q that bisects the dimension L1 in the length direction Y. The dimension (width dimension) W1 in the width direction X and the dimension (length dimension) L1 in the length direction Y of the pillow 10 can be appropriately and freely designed according to the size of the user's body. For example, the width dimension W1 is 40 to 70 cm, and the length dimension L1 is 60 to 90 cm.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the height dimension (thickness dimension) H1 of the pillow 10 is preferably about 5 to 12 cm, assuming that it sinks about 2 cm due to the weight of the head 2. Further, in the pillow 10, the height dimension of the upper region 11 and the height dimension of the lower region 12 are substantially the same, and their boundary 13 is located at substantially the central portion of the height dimension H1 of the pillow 10. However, the height dimension of the lower region 12 may be larger than the height dimension of the upper region.

[0018] The pillow 10 preferably has cushioning properties. For example, it may be integrally formed of a foam such as urethane having elastic resilience throughout, or it may be formed by filling a filling material into an outer bag made of cloth or synthetic resin. Examples of the filling material include various materials commonly used for pillows, such as visco-soft pipes, urethane chips, wood chips, elastomer pipes, urethane foams, buckwheat husks, and cotton. These can be used alone or in appropriate combinations according to the user's body type and preferences. Note that although the pillow 10 does not have a shape symmetric about the longitudinal center line P, the density of the filling material etc. is appropriately adjusted so that the center of gravity G is located at the position shown in FIG. 2.

[0019] The upper region 11 of the pillow 10 includes first and second support portions 21, 22 that extend in the longitudinal direction Y and are positioned opposite to each other in the width direction X and protrude upward, and a concave curved portion 23 located between the first support portion 21 and the second support portion 22 in the width direction X.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the height dimension (the distance from the boundary 13 to the upper end edge of the second support portion 22) H2 of the second support portion 22 is larger than the height dimension (the distance from the boundary 13 to the upper end edge of the first support portion 21) H3 of the first support portion 21. That is, in the state where the pillow 10 is stationary, the second support portion 22 protrudes upward more than the first support portion 21.

[0021] When the pillow 10 is used such that the first support portion 21 is brought into contact with the user's neck 3, the first support portion 21 functions as a neck support portion, and the second support portion 22 can function as a head support portion for the user. On the other hand, when the second support portion 22 is used such that it is brought into contact with the user's neck 3, the second support portion 22 functions as a neck support portion, and the first support portion 21 can function as a head support portion for the user.

[0022] The lower region 12 has an inverted kamaboko shape, that is, a curved shape that bulges downward, and the central portion 14 of the lower region 12 is located so as to intersect with the longitudinal center line P in the thickness direction.

[0023] More specifically explaining the shape of the lower region 12, in a state where the pillow 10 is placed on a flat placement surface T, the center of gravity G of the pillow 10 is located on a perpendicular line PL extending downward from the center point O of the virtual arc R forming the lower end edge of the lower region 12. In a state of being stationary on the placement surface T, the pillow 10 maintains a balanced state with the lowermost portion 14a of the central portion 14 in contact with the placement surface T.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 4(a), when the pillow 10 is placed on a placement surface 5 such as a futon or a mattress and the user is using it in a supine position, while the first support portion 21 is brought into contact with the user's neck, the head 2 is brought into contact with the concave curved portion 23.

[0025] At this time, due to the weight of the head 2, the second support portion 22 of the pillow 10 is in a state of being lifted, and the entire pillow 10 is inclined toward the body side (front side). In this way, since the pillow 10 naturally stops in a balanced state while rocking back and forth, a resistance force acts on the first support portion 21 and fits to the neck 3, and since no gap is formed between the entire occipital region 4 and the concave curved portion 23 and they are in contact, the head 2 and the neck 3 are stably supported, so that the user 1 can go to bed in a relaxed state.

[0026] Even if the user moves their head 2 back and forth or sideways while sleeping, since the entire pillow 10 swings back and forth and always maintains a balanced state, there is no risk of the head falling into the concave curved portion 23 of the pillow 10, the jaw rising and hurting the throat, or the jaw dropping and the throat being crushed.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 4(b), even when the user is in a lying position on their side, the second support portion 22 slightly rises and the entire pillow 10 is balanced in a state of tilting slightly forward. In such a state, since the entire side head of the user is stably maintained in contact with the concave curved portion 23, the user 1 can sleep in a relaxed state.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 4(c), unlike FIGS. 3(a) and (b), when the user is in a supine position, the pillow 10 is used in a manner that the second support portion 22 is in contact with the user's neck 3. Even in such a usage mode, the pillow 10 is balanced in a state of tilting forward, and since the head 2 and the neck 3 are stably supported, the user 1 can sleep in a relaxed state. Since the second support portion 22 is higher than the first support portion 21, it will be pressed more strongly against the neck 3 compared to the first support portion 21. Which of the first and second support portions 21, 22 is used as the neck support portion is a matter of the user 1's preference, and the user 1 can freely select the usage mode as appropriate.

[0029] As described above, by using the pillow 10 according to the present invention, the user 1 can sleep in a relaxed state, prevent excessive tension in the neck 3, and expect to prevent tension headaches. Also, since it is difficult to open the mouth because the jaw does not rise, it can naturally promote nasal breathing, and it is expected to prevent the tongue from falling toward the throat due to its own weight and compressing or closing the airway.

[0030] In addition, in the present embodiment, by positioning the central portion 14 of the lower region 12 so as to overlap with the longitudinal center line P in the thickness direction Z, the pillow can be balanced in a state where it swings and tilts when the user lies on their back or side, and can stably fit the occipital region 4 and the neck 3. However, when the central portion 14 is biased toward the first support portion 21 or the second support portion 22, that is, when the central portion 14 does not intersect the longitudinal center line P in the thickness direction Z, the pillow 10 may tilt greatly and lose its balance, resulting in an unstable state.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 5(a), the pillow 10 includes an outer bag 30 that covers the whole and a filling body 40 that is entirely covered (covered) by the outer bag 30. The outer bag 30 has a fastener 31, and by opening and closing the fastener 31, the filling material 40 is removably accommodated in the outer bag 30.

[0032] The outer bag 30 is made of cloth or synthetic fiber, and the filling material 40 has a two-layer structure including an upper-layer filling body 41 located in the upper region 11 and a lower-layer filling body 42 located in the lower region 12. The upper-layer filling body 41 is formed from natural materials such as feathers, wool, cotton, buckwheat husks, etc., artificial materials such as polyester cotton, acrylic cotton, beads, pipes, etc. On the other hand, the lower-layer filling body 42 is formed from soft urethane foam, hard urethane foam, Tempur, etc. The upper and lower layer filling bodies 41, 42 may be formed by compression molding their constituent materials, or may be wrapped in a thin inner bag.

[0033] The lower filling body 42 has higher elastic resilience than the upper filling body 41. On the other hand, the upper filling body 41 has higher rigidity than the lower filling body 42. Since the lower filling body 42 has higher elastic resilience than the upper filling body 41, when the user 1 goes to bed, the lower filling body 41 can maintain a balanced state while swaying without being crushed by the weight of the head 2, and can maintain a stable fitting feeling between the occipital part 4 and the neck 3. Also, since the upper filling body 41 has higher rigidity than the lower filling body 42, the upper filling body 41 will not sink under the weight of the head 2, and can fit the head and neck in a slightly deformed state according to the S-shaped form in the front-rear direction of the head and neck.

[0034] In this way, by forming the upper region 11 and the lower region 12 from the upper and lower filling bodies 41 and 42 having different characteristics respectively, a higher fitting feeling can be exhibited compared to the case where it is composed only of the filling body 40 made of the same material and having the same characteristics.

[0035] The present invention according to the above can include at least the following embodiments. The embodiments can be adopted separately or in combination with each other. (1) Further comprising both end faces facing each other in the longitudinal direction and both side faces facing each other in the width direction, the upper region has first and second support portions that extend in the longitudinal direction along one side face of the both side faces between the both side faces, and are opposed to each other in the width direction and convex upward. (2) Further having a filling body, the filling body includes an upper filling body located in the upper region and a lower filling body located in the lower region, and the lower filling body has higher elastic resilience than the upper filling body. (3) The upper filling body has higher rigidity than the lower filling body.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1 User 2 Head 3 Neck 4 Occipital Part 10 Pillow 11 Upper Region Lower region 12 Central portion of the lower region 14 First support portion 21 Filling body 40 Upper layer filling body 41 Lower layer filling body 42 X width direction Y longitudinal direction

Claims

1. A pillow having a thickness direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction and a width direction, and including an upper region, a lower region, and a longitudinal center line that bisects the dimension in the width direction, wherein the lower region has a curved shape that is convex downward, and a central portion of the lower region intersects the longitudinal center line in the thickness direction. The pillow is characterized by this.

2. The pillow according to claim 1, further comprising opposite end faces in the longitudinal direction and opposite side faces in the width direction, wherein the upper region extends in the longitudinal direction along one of the side faces between the side faces, and the first and second support portions that are opposed to each other in the width direction and are convex upward.

3. The pillow according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a filling body, wherein the filling body includes an upper filling body located in the upper region and a lower filling body located in the lower region, and the lower filling body has a higher elastic resilience than the upper filling body.

4. The pillow according to claim 3, wherein the upper filling body has a higher rigidity than the lower filling body.

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