Pillow

Abstract

To comfortably and properly turn over in bed.SOLUTION: A lower support body 13 which is harder than an upper receiving body 12 and has shape retaining property is provided under the upper receiving body 12 on which the head of a human body is placed and which is composed of an appropriate material such as a general pillow. A rocking support surface (14) curved in the front-rear direction corresponding to the direction in which the head and neck of a human body are lined up and bulging downward is formed on the lower surface of the lower support (13), so that the pillow (11) rocks in the front-rear direction according to the posture of the human body to release an overload applied to the human body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow used when sleeping. [Background technology]

[0002] Pillows are placed on top of futons or beds (mattresses) to support the head and neck. For this reason, it is said that a good night's sleep can be achieved by choosing a pillow with the right height, firmness, and shape. However, since people turn over while sleeping, ease of turning over is also an important factor when choosing the right pillow.

[0003] However, because tossing and turning is an unconscious process and not a uniform movement, if the body moves beyond expectations, it is difficult to find a satisfactory pillow no matter how carefully one chooses and adjusts the pillow. In other words, even if a pillow that supports the head and other parts of the body in a natural position is selected in the early stages of sleep, the pillow has a flat underside and is generally designed not to tilt. For this reason, if one tosses and turns excessively while sleeping, a pillow that is simply placed and does not move can end up hindering body movement, even if it was selected to make tossing and turning easier. In other words, it cannot follow the body's movements and can place excessive strain on the neck and other parts of the body, which in severe cases can even cause a stiff neck.

[0004] Patent Document 1 below proposes a pillow that reduces strain on the neck muscles. This pillow has a structure with a urethane pad that is circular in plan view on the top and a conical plastic frame on the bottom.

[0005] This pillow has a round top so you can place your head anywhere, and a conical bottom so the pillow follows your head in any direction, forward, backward, left or right, so your head will not come off the pillow.

[0006] However, because the bottom is cone-shaped, the pillow tilts sharply in the direction of the head, which allows for sudden and excessive movement when turning over in sleep. Also, if the head pushes against the pillow once it has completely fallen over, excessive strain may be placed on the neck. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Registered Utility Model No. 3241684 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The main object of this invention is to allow a person to turn over comfortably and appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To this end, the present invention provides the following pillow.

[0010] In other words, this pillow has a lower support body that is harder and has better shape retention than the upper support body, below the upper support body on which the human head rests, and on the underside of the lower support body, a swaying support surface is formed that curves in the direction corresponding to the alignment of the human head and neck and bulges downward.

[0011] In this configuration, the lower supporter tilts and rocks the upper receiver back and forth using the rocking support surface, supporting the head and neck at a natural and appropriate angle suited to the user, and rocking back and forth instantly relieves excessive pressure on the neck and other areas caused by turning over in bed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this invention, a structure is adopted in which a lower support that constitutes the lower part of the pillow supports an upper support body that supports the head and other parts of the body, and a swinging support surface is formed on the underside of the lower support, so that the upper support body can be tilted to match the user's posture. This allows for an ideal, comfortable posture that suits the body when sleeping on one's back, and even when turning over in sleep, the tilt angle changes to match changes in posture, preventing excessive strain on the body. In this way, the pillow supports the head and other parts of the body without interfering with body movement, allowing for comfortable and appropriate turning over in sleep, contributing to a good night's sleep. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] A perspective view of a pillow. [Figure 2] Side view of the pillow. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main body portion constituting a lower support body. [Figure 4] Cross section AA of Figure 3. [Figure 5] The main part of the cross section taken along the line B-B in Figure 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the lower surfaces of the fixed plate and upper receiving body that constitute the lower support body. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the fixing plate fixing structure in a separated state. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of pillow 11. This pillow 11 allows the user to turn over comfortably and appropriately, and does not have any special design on the surface that supports the head, but has a rocking structure at the bottom so that pillow 11 can tilt back and forth in accordance with the posture and movement of the human body.

[0016] That is, this pillow 11 has a basic structure in which a lower support body 13, which is harder and has better shape retention than the upper support body 12, is provided below the upper support body 12 on which the head of the human body is placed, and a swinging support surface 14 that bulges downward is formed on the underside of the lower support body 13. The swinging support surface 14 is curved in the front-to-back direction, which corresponds to the direction in which the head and neck of the human body are aligned. The curvature of the swinging support surface 14 is the same size along the left-to-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction.

[0017] The two parts with different hardness, namely the upper support body 12 and the lower support body 13, are made of different materials, and a detachable structure 15 (see Figure 9) is formed between them to make the upper support body 12 detachable. Figure 2(a) shows a side view of the pillow 11 in use with the upper support body 12 and the lower support body 13 integrated, and (b) shows a side view of the pillow 11 in an unassembled state. The upper support body 12 consists of one member, and the lower support body 13 consists of two members, namely a main body part 16 and a fixing plate 17.

[0018] The upper support body 12 is the part that comes into contact with the head, neck, etc. of the human body, and is formed like a mat of an appropriate shape with appropriate thickness and hardness. The shape of the upper support body 12 in a plan view is approximately rectangular, with the shorter side in the plan view being the front-to-rear direction, and the length of the upper support body 12 in the front-to-rear direction is set to a length that sufficiently supports the entire body from the shoulders to the head of the human body. One end 12a in the front-to-rear direction that corresponds to the neck of the human body (hereinafter referred to as the "base end"; the direction from the middle in the front-to-rear direction toward the base end is referred to as the "base end side") has a bulge that comes into contact with the neck and shoulders of the human body. It is preferable that the bulge of the base end 12a be flexible.

[0019] The lower surface of the upper support body 12 is preferably flat, and in the illustrated example, is formed in a shape corresponding to the opposing surface of the lower support body 13. That is, the portion from the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction to the base end 12a has a horizontal horizontal surface portion 21, while the other end 12b in the front-to-rear direction, which is closer to the head than the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction (hereinafter referred to as the "free end"; the direction from the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction toward the free end is referred to as the "free end side"), has an inclined surface portion 22 inclined relative to the horizontal. The inclination of the inclined surface portion 22 slopes obliquely upward so that it becomes thinner toward the free end 12b. The upper surface of the upper support body 12 is preferably essentially flat to make it easier to turn over in sleep. Of course, both the lower and upper surfaces may have other shapes. The contents of the upper support body 12 (not shown) may be made of any suitable material, including sponge, cotton, fabric, or resin components such as short cylindrical members.

[0020] Lower support 13 has a hollow three-dimensional structure and is made of synthetic resin or metal that is hard enough to not easily deform even when a human head is placed on it, and has the ability to retain its shape. It has main body 16 with swinging support surface 14 and fixed plate 17 that closes the opening on the top surface of main body 16, and upper receiver 12 is detachably attached to fixed plate 17. Therefore, the top surface of fixed plate 17 serves as fixed surface 17a to which upper receiver 12 is fixed.

[0021] The specific structures of the main body 16 and the fixing plate 17 will be described next. The main body 16 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view large enough to support the upper support body 12, and the length of the main body 16 in the front-to-rear direction is shorter than the length of the upper support body 12 in the front-to-rear direction (the distance between the base end 12a and the free end 12b). The swing support surface 14 is formed in an arc shape in a side view, but the apex P, which is the most bulging part of the swing support surface 14, is biased toward one side in the front-to-rear direction corresponding to the neck of the human body, i.e., toward the base end. Specifically, the swing support surface 14 is not formed on the entire underside of the main body 16, but is formed in a portion from the middle part in the front-to-rear direction to the base end. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the most bulging part is closer to the base end side, which corresponds to the neck of the human body, than the middle part in the front-to-rear direction of the main body 16. The portion of the swing support surface 14 toward the free end side, which corresponds to the top of the human body, is formed by an inclined surface 61 that gradually slopes upward.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main body 16. As shown in this figure, the internal portion corresponding to the swing support surface 14 has vertically extending ribs formed in a grid pattern (grid-like ribs 62) and linearly elongated in the front-rear direction (linear ribs 63). The height of the ribs 62, 63 is the height required to support the fixed plate 17. Restriction wall portions 64 are formed at both ends of the main body 16 in the left-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and which rise upward to restrict the left-right end faces of the upper support body 12. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the restriction wall portions 64 are rectangular with rounded corners that are shorter in height and length in the front-rear direction than the upper support body 12. In other words, the restriction wall portions 64 are smaller than the left-right end faces of the upper support body 12.

[0023] The restricting wall portion 64 is formed at a distance outward in the left-right direction from the side surface portion 65 that forms the swing support surface 14 of the main body portion 16. This is to form an air vent 66 that penetrates inward and outward. In other words, a plurality of ribs 67 are arranged between the restricting wall portion 64 and the side surface portion 65, and the portion between the lower end of the restricting wall portion 64 and the upper end of the side surface portion 65 that is partitioned by the ribs 67 forms the air vent 66, as shown in Figure 4, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 3.

[0024] Furthermore, a fixed plate fixing structure 15a for fixing the fixed plate 17 is formed on the main body 16. The fixed plate fixing structure 15a is part of the above-mentioned detachable structure 15. That is, as shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of tip lockable portions 52 are formed at the base end of the main body 16 at appropriate intervals in the left-right direction, and a plurality of rear lockable portions 53 are formed at the deeper portion at appropriate intervals in the left-right direction.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the tip locked portion 52 is formed by a receiving piece whose free end is open. The receiving piece is formed above the height of the ribs 62, 63 by the thickness of the fixed plate 17. Note that Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 3, and Figs. 7 and 9 are cross-sectional views at the corresponding cut portions.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5(b), rear locked portion 53 is a protrusion formed on the free end of slide member 54 attached to main body 16. Slide member 54 is held in the bottom (corresponding to the upper ends of ribs 62, 63) of recess 68 formed in the bottom surface of main body 16 and is recessed when viewed from the bottom surface, and is biased toward the free end by spring 56. In FIG. 5(b), reference numeral 68a denotes a holding portion that holds the base end of plate-shaped slide member 54 and spring 56, 68b denotes a support portion that supports the free end portion of slide member 54, and 68c denotes a restricting portion that fits into recessed groove 54a on the top surface of slide member 54 to hold slide member 54 and restrict its sliding. Reference numeral 54b denotes a lever vertically attached to the underside of slide member 54 and is used to move slide member 54 against the biasing force of spring 56 to release it from the lock by rear locked portion 53.

[0027] Figure 6 shows the underside of the fixed plate 17 and upper receiving body 12. The fixed plate 17 is made of a single flat plate, and its upper surface, or fixed surface 17a, is flat. A plurality of front locking claws 57 (see Figure 7) that lock onto the front locking portion 52 of the main body 16 protrude from the base end of the fixed plate 17 located at the top of the drawing. In addition, rear locking claws 58 (see Figure 7) are attached downward at positions corresponding to the rear locking portions 53 of the main body 16.

[0028] In addition, the fixing plate 17 is appropriately formed with through-holes 59 penetrating in the thickness direction, and is appropriately arranged with a plurality of upper receiver fixing structures 15b for detachably fixing the upper receiver 12. The upper receiver fixing structures 15b are also part of the detachable structure 15. That is, the upper receiver fixing structure 15b is composed of a retaining hole 72 and an upright piece 73 standing on the edge of the retaining hole 72. The retaining hole 72 is composed of a large-diameter portion 72a and a small-diameter portion 72b that is integral with the large-diameter portion 72a and has a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion 72a. The small-diameter portion 72b extends from the large-diameter portion 72a toward the base end. The large-diameter portion 72a is circular in a plan view, and the small-diameter portion 72b is oval in a plan view. The upright pieces 73 stand in pairs on both sides of the small-diameter portion 72b, and are formed in a V-shape in a side view with a steeply inclined portion 73a and a gently inclined portion 73b as shown in FIG. 8. The steeply inclined portion 73a is angled more steeply with respect to the horizontal plane than the gently inclined portion 73b, and faces obliquely upward toward the base end, while the gently inclined portion 73b faces obliquely upward toward the free end.

[0029] A restricted protrusion 75 fixed to such an upper receiving body fixing structure 15 b is provided at a position corresponding to the small diameter portion 72 b and the upright piece 73 on the horizontal surface portion 21 of the lower surface of the upper receiving body 12 .

[0030] The restricted protrusion 75 is formed as a button-shaped member that is circular in plan view and is sized to fit loosely into the large diameter portion 72a, and has a neck portion 75a and a flange portion 75b that is larger in diameter than the neck portion 75a (see FIG. 8). The position at which the restricted protrusion 75 is formed is a position that corresponds to the small diameter portion 72b of the holding hole 72 when the fixing plate 17 is attached to the horizontal surface portion 21 of the upper receiving body 12 so as to have a desired positional relationship.

[0031] That is, as shown by the imaginary lines in Fig. 6, the fixing plate 17 is placed on the horizontal surface portion 21 on the underside of the upper receiving body 12 (Fig. 8(a)), the flange portion 75b of the regulated projection 75 is passed through the large diameter portion 72a (Fig. 8(b)), and then the fixing plate 17 is slid toward the base end 12a of the upper receiving body 12. Then, the regulated projection 75 passes through the steeply inclined portion 73a of the upright piece 73 and moves relatively to the gently inclined portion 73b, and is positioned.

[0032] Since the fixing plate 17 constituting the lower support body 13 has the upper support body fixing structure 15b for fixing the upper support body 12, the upper support body 12 and the lower support body 13 can be integrated after first fixing the fixing plate 17 to the underside of the upper support body 12 as described above. That is, the fixing plate 17 on the underside of the upper support body 12 is fitted onto the main body part 16 of the lower support body 13 from the upper diagonal free end direction, as shown in Figure 7. When the front locking claws 57 of the fixing plate 17 are hooked onto the front locked part 52 and then the rear locking claws 58 are lowered in this state, the rear locking claws 58 will lock onto the rear locked part 53 as shown in Figure 9.

[0033] The pillow 11 configured as above is placed on a futon or bed with the lower support 13 facing downwards and used in the same way as a normal pillow. This allows for comfortable sleep without being hindered from turning over in sleep.

[0034] That is, when the head of a human body is placed on the pillow 11 as shown in FIG. 10, the pillow 11 swings back and forth around the top P or its vicinity on the swing support surface 14 of the lower support member 13. The swinging motion is performed according to the human body's skeleton, the shape of the head, the hardness of the futon, etc. As a result, the pillow 11 naturally tilts to match the posture of the human body, allowing for a natural sleeping position that is not straining the shoulders, neck, etc. Even if the position of the human body relative to the pillow 11 is changed, such as when the human body turns sideways, the pillow 11 tilts to follow the posture of the human body, allowing for a natural sleeping position. In particular, when the human body turns sideways, the bulging base end 12a supports the chin of the human body, preventing the shoulders from getting stuck and better preventing stress from being placed on the human body.

[0035] As shown by the phantom lines in Figure 11, when the human body turns over during sleep, the pillow 11 flexibly swings back and forth accordingly, ensuring freedom of movement for the human body. This swinging motion need only be slight. In Figure 11, PL indicates the position of the top part P. In other words, the pillow 11 does not impede the free movement of the human body, so even if a load is placed on the human body, the load can be instantly released. This prevents excessive load from being placed on the head, neck, shoulders, etc., even when the human body moves, allowing the human body to turn over comfortably and appropriately.

[0036] Moreover, the rocking support surface 14 is curved in the front-to-back direction, and since the rocking support surface 14 sinks slightly into the futon or the like, the pillow 11 does not tilt suddenly, allowing for easy displacement even when trying to move in the opposite direction from the direction in which it moved once. The rocking support surface 14 has the same degree of curvature in the left-to-right direction, allowing for smooth tilting without extreme tilting. These points also help to reduce the strain on the human body.

[0037] In this way, the pillow 11 supports the head and other parts of the human body without interfering with the movement of the body, and therefore the pillow 11 will not accidentally come off the head, which contributes to a good quality sleep.

[0038] The above-mentioned specific structure has the following advantages.

[0039] That is, the most bulging apex P of the swing support surface 14 is biased toward the base end in the front-to-back direction, which corresponds to the neck of the human body, so that it is easy to achieve a natural and comfortable sleeping posture just by lying down. Moreover, one shape of pillow 11 can be made to suit many people.

[0040] Furthermore, the fixing surface 17a, which is the upper surface of the lower support body 13 and which fixes the upper receiving body 12, is flat, so the pillow 11 tilts more smoothly in response to the movement of the human body than if the fixing surface 17a were a concave curved surface. Therefore, a good effect can be expected.

[0041] The pillow 11 moves with the human body while sleeping, but the upper support body 12 and the lower support body 13 are highly integrated because the lower support body 13 has restricting walls 64 formed on both the left and right ends thereof, which have the function of holding the upper support body 12. Therefore, the desired function can be reliably achieved even when the sleeping position is poor.

[0042] Furthermore, although the pillow 11 has a bulging bottom, the lower support 13 has a hollow three-dimensional structure, making it lightweight, easy to move, and easy to use. Moreover, the fixing plate 17 has through-holes 59 for ventilation, and the main body 16 also has air vents 66 that penetrate from the inside to the outside, making the pillow 11 breathable, good at dissipating heat, and comfortable to use.

[0043] In addition, the upper support 12 has a detachable structure 15 between the lower support member 13 and the upper support member 12, so the upper support member 12 can be hung out to dry or washed, and can also be replaced according to preference or deterioration. This also makes the pillow 11 comfortable to use.

[0044] The detachable structure 15 is composed of a fixing plate fixing structure 15a and an upper receiver fixing structure 15b, so that when the upper receiver 12 is attached or detached, the lower support 13 is also urged to disassemble, which helps to keep the entire pillow clean.

[0045] In addition, the detachable structure 15 is configured so that the entire detachable structure 15 is concealed in a plan view and is not exposed to the areas that come into contact with the human body, which provides a comfortable feel to the user and eliminates any sense of incongruity in appearance.

[0046] Furthermore, the fixing plate fixing structure 15a is configured to be divided into a front end locked portion 52 and a rear locked portion 53, and the rear locked portion 53 is formed as a slide member 54 biased by a spring 56, so that the separation operation can be easily performed.

[0047] The above configuration is one embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to only the above configuration, and other configurations can also be adopted.

[0048] For example, the swing support surface 14 can be curved in the left and right direction as well, and the degree of curvature can be made different in the left and right direction so that the curvature is smaller on both the left and right sides.

[0049] The upper receiving body 12 and the lower support body 13 may both be configured as a single member, with the upper receiving body 12 being structured so as to be directly detachable from the lower support body 13. The detachable structure 15 may be secured by a screw or may be a snap-in type in addition to being locked as in the above example.

[0050] The surface of the regulating wall portion 64 of the lower support body 13 may be covered with a member (not shown) made of the same or suitable fabric as the surface of the upper support body 12, and a portion that will cover the regulating wall portion 64 when integrated may be provided on both end surfaces of the upper support body 12 in the left and right directions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 11...pillow 12...Upper receiver 13...Lower support 14...Swinging support surface 15...Detachable structure 17a…Fixed surface 64...Regulation wall 66...Ventilation hole P...Top

Claims

1. a lower support member that is harder and has shape retention than an upper support member, below the upper support member on which the head of the human body is placed; A swinging support surface is formed on the lower surface of the lower support body, the swinging support surface being curved in the front-rear direction corresponding to the direction in which the head and neck of the human body are aligned and bulging downward. pillow.

2. The most bulging part of the swing support surface is biased to one side in the front-rear direction corresponding to the neck of the human body. The pillow of claim 1.

3. The lower support has, at both the left and right ends thereof, restriction walls that rise upward and restrict the left and right end faces of the upper support.

3. The pillow according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. a fixing surface for fixing the upper receiver is formed on an upper surface of the lower support; The fixing surface is flat.

3. The pillow according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The lower support has a hollow three-dimensional structure and has air holes penetrating from the inside to the outside.

3. The pillow according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. A detachable structure is formed between the lower support and the upper receiver to enable the upper receiver to be detached.

3. The pillow according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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