eye pillow

Abstract

We provide an eye pillow that can be positioned to cover a person's eyes and keep the eye area warm for an extended period of time. [Solution] An eye pillow 1 having a bag-shaped main body 10 containing water inside, positioned to cover a person's eyes, wherein the amount of water relative to the maximum water capacity of the main body 10 is in the range of 40% to 60%, and the thermal conductivity of the constituent material that makes up the part of the main body 10 that comes into contact with the area around the person's eyes is 1.0 × 10 -5 cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 -3 It is within the range of cal / cm s℃.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to an eye pillow that can be placed in contact with the area around the eyes to cover them, thereby providing prolonged warmth to the area around the eyes. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, eye pillows have been manufactured and sold that consist of a cloth bag filled with red beans or similar items, which are then heated in a microwave oven or similar device before being applied to the area around the eyes.

[0003] Furthermore, a hot water type heat-retaining device has been proposed that comprises flexible upper and lower sheet materials made of closed-cell chloroprene rubber sheets with a thickness of 7 to 12 mm and a fabric attached to the surface side, and an openable and closable water inlet and outlet provided in the upper sheet material, and the entire device has a U-shaped bend when viewed from above, with an inner radius of curvature R in the range of 5 to 30 cm, and moreover, the cut ends of the chloroprene rubber sheets of the upper and lower sheet materials, which are of the same shape, are butted together with adhesive with the fabric facing outwards, and the fabric is sewn together with a sewn stitch. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-279246 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] However, conventional eye pillows containing red beans have poor heat retention, and after about 15 to 20 minutes of contact with the eyes, they reach the same temperature as the ambient temperature, which is problematic as they cannot adequately promote blood circulation around the eyes. Furthermore, because these conventional eye pillows require the steam released from the red beans to be applied to the eyes, they are made of breathable fabric. As a result, over time, moisture released from the skin around the eyes escapes through the eye pillow, causing the skin around the eyes to dry out. In addition, because the red beans contained in conventional eye pillows are granular and have a certain weight, there is a problem that if the eye pillow is applied to the eyes while lying on your back, the hot red beans may come into contact with the eyelids through the fabric.

[0006] On the other hand, the aforementioned hot water heaters have a water inlet / outlet (water supply / drain port) that can be opened and closed, and are used by pouring hot water through it, which has the problem that the amount of water placed inside cannot be kept constant. Also, because the amount of water placed inside the aforementioned hot water heaters fluctuates, even if the water is heated using a microwave oven or the like, it is not possible to determine the exact heating time, and there is a problem that overheating may occur. Furthermore, the amount of water placed inside the aforementioned hot water heaters is often filled to the brim in order to maximize the warming time, and if steam is generated due to overheating, there is a problem that the hot water heater may burst. In addition, the aforementioned hot water heaters are intended to warm the neck, torso, or feet, and are not intended to be placed around the eyes. Therefore, the aforementioned hot water heaters are too large and their shape is not suitable for placement around the eyes, and they have the problem of being too heavy, especially when filled with water.

[0007] In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention aims to provide an eye pillow that can be placed in contact with the eye area to cover it and warm the eye area for an extended period of time.

[0008] Furthermore, these problems (issues) do not preclude the existence of other problems. Also, each aspect of the present invention described later does not need to solve all of these problems (issues). Moreover, it is possible to extract other problems (issues) from the description, drawings, or claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] As a result of diligent research into the aforementioned problems, the inventor of this invention has discovered the following groundbreaking eye pillow.

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is an eye pillow having a bag-shaped main body containing water and positioned to cover a person's eyes, wherein the amount of water relative to the maximum water capacity of the main body is in the range of 40% to 60%, and the thermal conductivity of the constituent material constituting the part of the main body that comes into contact with the area around the person's eyes is 1.0 × 10 -5 cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 -3 The eye pillow is characterized by being within the range of cal / cm s℃.

[0011] According to this first embodiment, it is possible to provide an eye pillow that can be placed in contact with the eye area to cover the eye and warm the eye area for an extended period of time.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first aspect, characterized in that the main body contains only water and is sealed.

[0013] According to this second embodiment, the amount of water remains constant, and when heating water in a microwave oven or the like, it can be reliably heated to a predetermined temperature under consistent conditions. Furthermore, since no air or other gases are contained inside the main body, and no air or other gases can enter the main body, the movement of water is restricted to a certain extent. As a result, even if the position of the eye pillow 1 relative to the eye shifts slightly, the arrangement of the contained water does not change much, and the eye area can be warmed stably.

[0014] The third aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first or second aspect, characterized in that the amount of water is in the range of 150 cc to 170 cc.

[0015] According to such a third aspect, blood circulation around the eyes (peripheral area of the eyes) can be sufficiently promoted for a long time (2 hours or more).

[0016] The fourth aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first aspect, characterized in that the temperature of the water is in the range of 39°C to 43°C.

[0017] According to such a fourth aspect, the human eye area can be stably warmed for a long time (2 hours or more).

[0018] The fifth aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first aspect, characterized in that the constituent material is chloroprene rubber and the thickness of the constituent material is in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm.

[0019] According to such a fifth aspect, it is easy to handle and the manufacture of the main body part becomes easy.

[0020] The sixth aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first aspect, characterized in that the outer shape of the main body part is a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape, and main body surface fastener parts are respectively attached to at least both ends in the horizontally long direction of the surface on the opposite side to the contact surface of the main body part with the human eye, and a belt-shaped belt part having belt surface fastener parts that are respectively detachably coupled to the main body surface fastener parts at both ends on one side, and the belt part is arranged so as to surround the human head.

[0021] According to such a sixth aspect, the eye pillow can be easily arranged (fixed) on the human eye area.

[0022] The seventh aspect of the present invention is the eye pillow according to the first aspect, characterized in that hooking parts for hooking on the human ears are respectively provided at both ends of the main body part.

[0023] According to this seventh embodiment, the eye pillow can be easily positioned (fixed) around a person's eyes. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0024] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a schematic front view of the eye pillow of Embodiment 1, and Figure 1(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along A-A' in Figure 1(a). [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the belt section. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a table showing the attributes of the subjects. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a table showing the results of the survey. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] Embodiments of the eye pillow according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0026] (Embodiment 1) The eye pillow according to the present invention is positioned to cover a person's eyes (to make contact with the area around the eyes) and warms the eye area (around the eyes) to promote blood circulation in the eyes and the surrounding skin.

[0027] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the eye pillow of this embodiment as viewed from the front, and Figure 1(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of A-A' shown in Figure 1(a). As shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), the eye pillow 1 is composed of a main body portion 10 which has a horizontally elongated rectangular shape with a slightly convex upward curve in the approximate center and semi-circular ends on both sides in the horizontal direction, and a belt portion 20 which is provided to connect one end 10a in the horizontal direction on one side surface (surface) 10B of the main body portion 10 and the other end 10b in the horizontal direction on the side of the one side surface (surface) 10B of the main body portion 10.

[0028] A recess formed on the lower side of the main body 10, approximately in the center, fits with a person's nose, making it difficult for the eye pillow 1 to move relative to the person's eyes. On the one side surface (front) 10B of the main body 10, opposite to the other side surface (back) 10A that contacts the eye area, a hook-and-loop fastener portion 11 is provided, as shown in Figure 1(b), covering the entire surface. Since the hook-and-loop fastener portion 11 is provided to cover the entire surface of the main body 10, the belt portion 20 can be connected to any point on the surface 10B of the main body 10, as will be described later. In other words, the eye pillow 1 can be fixed to a person without changing the length of the belt portion 20 in the longitudinal direction.

[0029] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, the belt portion 20 is provided with belt hook-and-loop fastener portions 21, which are made of hook-and-loop fasteners, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the belt portion 20. By connecting the belt hook-and-loop fastener portions 21 with the main body hook-and-loop fastener portion 11, the belt portion 20 can be detachably attached to the main body portion 10. By positioning a person's head within the space M formed by the belt portion 20, the eye pillow 1 can be positioned (fixed) around the person's eyes.

[0030] The main body 10 is bag-shaped as shown in Figure 1(b), and water is contained in a sealed internal space S. The constituent material of the main body 10 has a thermal conductivity (test method: JIS A 1412·2:1999, measurement temperature 20℃) of 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰. -5 cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 -3 While there are no particular limitations as long as it is within the range of cal / cm s℃, 0.8 × 10 -5 cal / cm s℃~8.0×10 -4 Preferably, it is in the range of cal / cm s℃, 1.0 × 10 -4 cal / cm s℃~8.0×10 -4 A temperature within the range of cal / cm s℃ is more preferable. The main body 10 is constructed by overlapping two constituent materials and joining their edges with adhesive and stitching (sewn stitches), resulting in a highly airtight seal.

[0031] When a constituent material with a thermal conductivity less than 1.0×10 -5 cal / cm s℃ is used, heat transfer is difficult, and it is difficult to use as an eye pillow. On the other hand, when a constituent material with a thermal conductivity greater than 1.0×10 -3 cal / cm s℃ is used, after the eye pillow 1 abuts against the eye area, the temperature reaches the same level as the outside air temperature in a short time (at least within 1 hour).

[0032] Specific constituent materials constituting the main body 10 include, for example, chloroprene rubber and the like. Since chloroprene rubber does not permeate water or water vapor, when the eye pillow 1 is abutted (placed) against the eye area, a sealed space is formed between the eye pillow 1 and the eye area (including the eyes). As a result, the moisture (water vapor) released from the eye area stays in the sealed space, improving the humidity and preventing dryness of the eyes and the skin of the eye area due to the heating of the eye pillow 1.

[0033] The thickness of the constituent material of the main body 10 is not particularly limited, but those in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm are easy to handle and preferable because the manufacture of the main body 10 becomes easy. Those in the range of 4.5 mm to 5.5 mm are more easy to handle and more preferable because the manufacture of the main body 10 becomes even easier. The shape and size of the main body 10 are not particularly limited.

[0034] Also, the amount of water W (for example, at 20°C) accommodated inside the main body 10 may be in the range of 40% to 60% (0.40C to 0.60C) (either by volume ratio or weight ratio) with respect to the maximum water capacity C (the maximum amount of water that can be accommodated) that can be accommodated in the main body 10. A range of 45% to 55% (0.45C to 0.55C) with respect to the maximum water capacity C of the main body 10 is preferable.

[0035] If the amount of water W is less than 40% of the maximum water capacity C of the main unit 10, the eye pillow 1 will reach the same temperature as the ambient temperature in a short time (at least within 1 hour) after being placed against the eyes, and will not adequately promote blood circulation around the eyes. Also, if the amount of water W is less than 40% of the maximum water capacity C of the main unit 10, the eye pillow 1 may come into contact with the eyelids when placed against the eyes, which may cause discomfort to the user of the eye pillow 1.

[0036] On the other hand, if the amount of water W is greater than 60% of the maximum water capacity C of the main body 10, the eye pillow 1 will not deform as easily according to the shape of the eye area. As a result, a gap may form between the eye pillow and the eye area. Consequently, moisture released from the skin around the eyes may leak through this gap, causing the eyes and the area around the eyes to dry out, and external light may enter through the gap, reducing the light-blocking effect. Furthermore, if the amount of water W is greater than 60% of the maximum water capacity C of the main body 10, the resilience of the eye pillow 1 will increase, and a lot of pressure may be applied to specific parts of the eye area. As a result, the user of the eye pillow 1 may feel uncomfortable.

[0037] Specifically, the amount of water W is preferably in the range of 150cc to 170cc, and more preferably in the range of 145cc to 165cc, while satisfying the above conditions. If the amount of water W is less than 150cc, the eye pillow 1 will reach the same temperature as the ambient temperature in a short time (at least within 1 hour) after being placed on the eye area, and will not be able to sufficiently promote blood circulation around the eyes. On the other hand, if the amount of water W exceeds 170cc, the user will find the eye pillow 1 heavy and will not be able to use it for a long time.

[0038] The water contained inside the main body 10 is not particularly limited and can be, for example, pure water, tap water, mineral water, or water containing a specified substance. However, pure water, tap water, or mineral water are preferred for ease of handling. The water is contained inside the main body 10 in a sealed state, and no air or other substances are present inside the main body 10. Because the water is contained inside the main body 10 in a sealed state, the amount of water remains constant. As a result, when heating the water inside the main body 10 in a microwave oven or the like, it can be reliably heated to a predetermined temperature under consistent conditions. Furthermore, since no air or other gases are contained inside the main body 10, and no air or other substances can enter the main body 10, the movement of water is restricted to some extent. As a result, even if the position of the eye pillow 1 relative to the eye shifts slightly, the arrangement of the contained water does not change much, so the eye area can be warmed stably.

[0039] Furthermore, the temperature of the water contained inside the main body 10 when applied to a person's eyes is preferably in the range of 39°C to 43°C, and more preferably in the range of 40°C to 42°C, so that it can stably warm the area around the eyes for a long period of time (more than 2 hours).

[0040] The belt portion 20 is a strip-shaped object having a predetermined length (for example, 40 cm to 60 cm), and its shape and size are not particularly limited as long as belt hook-and-loop fastener portions 21 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of one side surface. The material constituting the belt portion 20 is also not particularly limited, but stretchable rubber having a predetermined width is preferred. Although the wearing comfort when the eye pillow 1 is worn by a person may be worse, the belt hook-and-loop fastener portion may be provided over the entire surface of one side of the belt portion.

[0041] <Examples> The eye pillow is constructed from a main body made of chloroprene rubber, measuring 21.5 cm horizontally, 8.5 cm horizontally, and 5 mm thick, with 160 cc of water inside, and a rubber belt section measuring 48 cm in length and 4 cm in width.

[0042] Next, the subjects shown in Figure 3 were asked to use this eye pillow and a commercially available eye pillow containing adzuki beans (a comparative example) on different days, both warmed to 41°C, while sleeping. The following day, they were asked to complete a questionnaire about their condition during sleep and upon waking. The questionnaire results were compiled at a later date. The compiled results are shown in Figure 4.

[0043] In this figure, compared to not using either the eye pillow in the example or the eye pillow in the comparative example, ○ indicates that 70% or more of the survey subjects evaluated improvement, △ indicates that 50% to 69% of subjects evaluated improvement, and × indicates that 49% or less of subjects evaluated improvement.

[0044] As can be seen from this figure, compared to the comparative example, the examples showed that a larger number of subjects reported that the pleasant feeling lasted for a sufficient amount of time, that they were able to sleep soundly, that it took them longer to fall asleep, that many subjects felt comfortable when wearing the product, that many subjects felt that their eye fatigue was relieved more effectively upon waking, and that the condition of the skin around their eyes was better. In particular, it was found that a significantly larger number of subjects who used the examples rated the condition of the skin around their eyes as being better compared to those who used the comparative example.

[0045] (Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1, the eye pillow is secured to a person's eyes using the belt portion 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, hooks that hook onto a person's ears may be attached to both ends of the main body, and the eye pillow may be positioned (secured) to a person's eyes by hooking these hooks onto the person's ears. By using the hooks, the eye pillow can be positioned to a person's eyes without affecting the arrangement of the person's hair, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, the shape, size, and material of the hook portion are not particularly limited, as long as it can be hooked onto a person's ear. A specific example of a hook portion is one made of a wide, loop-shaped string.

[0047] (Other embodiments) In Embodiment 1, the hook-and-loop fastener portion was provided so as to cover the entire surface of the main body, but the present invention is not limited to this. The hook-and-loop fastener portion may be provided only on a portion of both ends of the surface of the main body. With this configuration, the connection point cannot be freely set, but the main body and the belt portion can be easily connected at a specific position.

[0048] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the thermal conductivity is 1.0 × 10 -5 cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 -3 The entire main body is constructed using constituent materials within the range of cal / cm s℃, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the thermal conductivity of the constituent material that makes up only the part of the main body that comes into contact with the area around the human eye is 1.0 × 10 -5 cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 -3 It should be within the range of cal / cm s℃.

[0049] Furthermore, while Embodiment 1 provides a hook-and-loop fastener on the surface of the main body, the present invention is not limited thereto. A surface treatment (including printing) may be applied to part or all of the surface of the main body, or a surface layer made of another material may be provided on part or all of the surface of the main body. The material of the surface layer is not particularly limited. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1 Eye pillow 10 Main body 10a One end of the main body 10b Other end of the main body 10A Main Unit (Back) 10B Main body surface 11 Main body hook-and-loop fastener section 20 Belt section 21 Belt hook-and-loop fastener section

Claims

1. An eye pillow having a bag-shaped main body containing water inside, positioned to cover a person's eyes, The amount of water relative to the maximum water capacity of the main body is in the range of 40% to 60%. The thermal conductivity of the constituent material that makes up the part of the main body that comes into contact with the area around the human eye is 1.0 × 10 －５ cal / cm s℃~1.0×10 －３ Within the range of cal / cm s℃, An eye pillow characterized by the following features.

2. The main body is characterized in that it contains only the water and is sealed. The eye pillow according to claim 1.

3. The amount of water is in the range of 150cc to 170cc. The eye pillow according to feature 1 or 2.

4. The temperature of the water is in the range of 39°C to 43°C. The eye pillow according to feature 1.

5. The aforementioned constituent material is chloroprene rubber, The thickness of the aforementioned constituent material is in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm. The eye pillow according to feature 1.

6. The outer shape of the main body is roughly a horizontally elongated rectangle. At least both ends of the horizontally elongated surface of the main body opposite to the surface that comes into contact with the human eye, the hook-and-loop fastener portion of the main body is attached to each end. One side has a belt-shaped section at both ends, each having a belt-shaped section that can be detachably connected to the main body's hook-and-loop fastener section. The belt portion is positioned to surround the head of the person, The eye pillow according to claim 1.

7. The eye pillow according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body has hooks at both ends for hooking onto a person's ears.

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