Cooling pillow

Abstract

This cooling pillow can be used at room temperature, eliminating the problems associated with cooling materials that require refrigeration or freezing. Furthermore, it offers excellent fit to the head and neck, provides comfortable use for extended periods, and features a structure that delivers a moderate cooling sensation to the head and neck, thus providing comfortable sleep and rest. [Solution] The cooling pillow 1 consists of a cylindrical core member 2, a cooling member 3 made of a synthetic resin bag containing hydrogel and a three-dimensional mesh material that covers the entire circumference and the entire length of the core member 2, and a tubular cover member 4 made of a stretchable knitted fabric of synthetic fibers that houses the core member 2 and the cooling member 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling pillow, and more particularly to a cooling pillow that can provide comfortable sleep and rest by a structure that imparts an appropriate cooling sensation to the head and neck.

Background Art

[0002] A pillow is important as bedding that provides comfortable sleep and rest. In particular, pillows that can cool the head have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, conventional pillows that can cool the head partially provide a cold storage member on the surface of the pillow, so they have poor fit to the head and neck, and also have the problem that they warm up in a short time and the comfortable use time is short. In addition, as a cold storage member, there are some that are cooled in a refrigerator or freezer and then used. However, it is troublesome because it needs to be cooled every time, and it is difficult to put a large-sized cold storage member in a refrigerator or freezer. Also, the cold storage member used after cooling has the problem that condensation occurs and the bedding gets wet.

[0005] In view of the problems with conventional pillows designed to cool the head, this invention aims to provide a cooling pillow that can be used at room temperature, eliminating the problems associated with cooling materials that require refrigeration or freezing, while also offering a good fit to the head and neck, a comfortable usage time, and a structure that provides a moderate cooling sensation to the head and neck, thereby providing comfortable sleep and rest. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the cooling pillow of the present invention is characterized by comprising a cylindrical core member, a cooling member made of a synthetic resin bag containing hydrogel (aqueous gel) and a three-dimensional mesh material that covers the entire circumference in the circumferential direction and the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the core member, and a tubular cover member made of a stretchable knitted fabric of synthetic fibers that houses the core member and the cooling member.

[0007] In this case, the cooling member may have a rectangular planar shape and cover the core member, with its longitudinally extending abutting ends joined together with adhesive tape.

[0008] Furthermore, the core member and the cooling member may consist of a plurality of cylindrical unit members, and these unit members may be arranged in series and housed in the cover member.

[0009] Furthermore, the cover member may be made of a stretchable knitted fabric that allows the cylindrical unit members to be bent so that they separate at any angle at the surfaces where they meet.

[0010] Furthermore, with the core member and the cooling member housed inside, both ends of the cover member can be secured with a binding member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The cooling pillow of this invention can be used at room temperature, eliminating the problems associated with cooling materials that require refrigeration or freezing. Furthermore, it offers a good fit to the head and neck, and can be used comfortably for a long period of time (by reversing the pillow as needed, one surface can be selected to be used, further extending the comfortable usage time). Its structure provides a moderate cooling sensation to the head and neck, enabling comfortable sleep and rest. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] An embodiment of the cooling pillow of the present invention is shown, where (a) is an overall diagram of the cooling pillow and (b) is a diagram illustrating the core member and the cooling member. [Figure 2] The following shows modified examples of the core material of the cooling pillow: (a) is an overall perspective view, (b) is a cross-sectional view, and (c) is a cross-sectional view in a stationary state. [Figure 3] The cooling component of the cooling pillow of this invention is shown in the diagram below; (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the cooling component in an unfolded state, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the component joined using adhesive tape. [Figure 4] The following diagrams illustrate modified embodiments of the cooling pillow according to the present invention: (a) is an overall diagram of the cooling pillow, and (b) is a diagram illustrating the core member and the cooling member. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to use the cooling pillow. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The following describes embodiments of the cooling pillow according to the present invention, based on the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the cooling pillow according to the present invention. This cooling pillow 1 consists of a cylindrical core member 2, a cooling member 3 made of a synthetic resin bag containing hydrogel (aqueous gel) and a three-dimensional mesh material that covers the entire circumference and the entire length of the core member 2, and a tubular cover member 4 made of a stretchable knitted fabric of synthetic fibers that houses the core member 2 and the cooling member 3.

[0015] In this embodiment, the core member 2 is a cylindrical one formed by wrapping cotton made of synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers with a cloth fabric such as a non-woven fabric. However, a pipe made of synthetic resin, cotton (cotton), buckwheat husks, etc., which are generally used as pillow materials, can be used. In addition, as the core member 2, a foamed resin molded product having cushioning properties and resilience such as urethane foam can also be used. For the foamed resin, depending on the needs of the user, etc., soft to hard ones, low resilience to high resilience ones, continuously foamed ones, and independently foamed ones can be arbitrarily used.

[0016] In this embodiment, the core member 2 has a solid cylindrical shape that can be deformed. However, as shown in the modified example of FIG. 2, a cylindrical molded product provided with a cavity 21 at the center can also be used. Thereby, appropriate deformation performance can be imparted to the cool feeling pillow 1. As shown in the state of the cool feeling pillow 1 when it is placed still in FIG. 2(c), the cool feeling pillow 1 becomes flat due to the weight of the cold insulation member 3, and further, during use, by deforming to the extent that the cavity 21 disappears, the fitting property to the user's head and neck (increasing the contact area) can be enhanced to impart a cooling feeling. Also, by providing the cavity 21 at the center of the core member 2, heat conduction within the core member 2 can be prevented. By selecting one surface and the other surface (in this embodiment, by rotating) for use, a cooling feeling can be imparted to the user's head and neck that come into contact with a newly cooler portion of the cold insulation member 3.

[0017] For the cold insulation member 3, one formed by enclosing a hydrogel and a three-dimensional mesh material in a bag made of synthetic resin is used. In this embodiment, a three-dimensional mesh material (double raschel fabric) is arranged in a synthetic resin bag made of a laminated film of a polyamide resin film and a polyolefin resin film, etc., and an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol resin (PVA) is enclosed and cross-linked to form a gelled (semi-solidified and difficult to move hydrogel) sheet-like member for use. In addition, for the hydrogel, an aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), an aqueous solution of a superabsorbent polymer, or a phase change material (PCM) material can also be used. By forming the cold insulation member 3 to have a thickness of about several millimeters to a dozen or so millimeters (about 7 mm in this embodiment), in combination with arranging the three-dimensional mesh material, the gel material gelled by being compressed during use is prevented from being uneven.

[0018] Then, with the cold insulation member 3 having a rectangular planar shape wound around the core member 2 so as to cover the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the core member 2 and the entire length in the longitudinal direction, the butting ends extending in the longitudinal direction are welded together, or as shown in FIG. 3, the butting ends extending in the longitudinal direction are joined (the upper surface (front surface) and / or the lower surface (back surface) are joined) using the adhesive tape 31, so that no step is generated when mounted on the core member 2. Thereby, the fit to the user's head and neck can be improved, and the discomfort can be eliminated.

[0019] The core member 2 and the cold insulation member 3 can be adhered and fixed by a double-sided adhesive tape or the like, but by simply laminating them without fixing (only winding the core member 2 with the cold insulation member 3), they are made easier to deform, and by improving the fit to the user's head and neck (increasing the contact area), a cooling sensation can be imparted.

[0020] The cover member 4 is a cylindrical one made of a stretchable knitted fabric made of synthetic fiber (a fabric that can extend more than twice in the circumferential direction and more than 1.5 times in the longitudinal direction), and in a state where the core member 2 and the cold insulation member 3 are accommodated, both ends of the cover member 4 can be tied by a tying member 5. Thereby, the cover member 4 closely adheres to the core member 2 and the cold insulation member 3 without slack, and by improving the fit to the user's head and neck, a cooling sensation can be imparted. Furthermore, the end treatment of the cover member 4 is not limited to this; one end may be closed, and various fasteners or the like can be used as a means of closing the end.

[0021] The cooling pillow 1 is formed to have a height (diameter) of 100-200 mm (140 mm in this embodiment) and a length of 400-1500 mm (it can also be used as a body pillow by making it longer; 450 mm in this embodiment). This allows the cooling element 3 to have a large heat capacity, providing a cooling sensation to the user's head and neck that come into contact with it. Here, the temperature of the cooling element 3 rises in the area where the user's head and neck are in contact, but as the user turns over in their sleep, the user's head and neck can come into contact with a newly cooler area of ​​the cooling element 3, providing a cooling sensation to that area. Furthermore, as in this embodiment, by forming one surface of the cooling pillow 1 and the other surface in a substantially symmetrical shape (in this embodiment, substantially point-symmetrical), one surface and the other surface can be selected (in this embodiment, rotated) for use, providing a cooling sensation to the user's head and neck that comes into contact with a newly cooler area of ​​the cooling element 3. Here, the cooling component 3 is intended to be used at the same temperature as room temperature (room temperature lowered by an air conditioner, etc.), and is not intended to be used after being cooled in a refrigerator or freezer. However, if necessary, it can be used after being cooled in a refrigerator or freezer (or heated in winter).

[0022] This cooling pillow 1 can be used at room temperature, eliminating the problems associated with cooling materials that require refrigeration or freezing. It also offers a good fit to the head and neck, provides a long period of comfortable use (it can be flipped over to select and use one side or the other as needed, further extending the comfortable use time), and its structure provides a moderate cooling sensation to the head and neck, enabling comfortable sleep and rest.

[0023] Figure 4 shows a modified example of the cooling pillow according to the present invention. In this modified embodiment, the core member 2 and the cooling member 3 consist of multiple (two in this embodiment) cylindrical unit members (core member 2A and cooling member 3A, and core member 2B and cooling member 3B), and the multiple unit members can be arranged in series and housed in the cover member 4.

[0024] Furthermore, since the cover member 4 is a tubular shape made of a stretchable knitted fabric of synthetic fibers (preferably a fabric that can stretch at least twice its length in the circumferential direction and at least 1.5 times its length in the longitudinal direction), as shown in Figure 5, the cooling pillow 1 can be used in various ways by folding the cylindrical unit members together at arbitrary angles while covered with the cover member 4, separating them at the surfaces where they meet.

[0025] Furthermore, the other components and functions of the cooling pillow in the modified embodiment described above are the same as those of the cooling pillow in the embodiment.

[0026] The cooling pillow of the present invention has been described above based on its embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and its configuration can be modified as appropriate without departing from its spirit, such as by appropriately combining the configurations described in each embodiment. Furthermore, the cooling pillow of this invention can be used not only as a regular pillow, but also as a body pillow (a large pillow used by hugging it). [Industrial applicability]

[0027] The cooling pillow of this invention can be used at room temperature, eliminating the problems associated with cooling materials that require refrigeration or freezing. Furthermore, it offers excellent fit to the head and neck, provides comfortable use for extended periods, and its structure, which provides a moderate cooling sensation to the head and neck, can contribute to comfortable sleep and rest. Therefore, it is well-suited for use as a cooling pillow. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 cooling pillow 2 Core members 21 Cavity 3. Insulation components 31 Adhesive tape 4 Cover component 5. Binding members

Claims

1. A cylindrical core member, A cooling component comprising a synthetic resin bag that covers the entire circumference in the circumferential direction and the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the core member, with hydrogel and a three-dimensional mesh material enclosed within it, A cylindrical cover member made of a stretchable knitted fabric of synthetic fibers that houses the core member and the cooling member, A cooling pillow characterized by being made of the following materials.

2. The cooling pillow according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling member has a rectangular planar shape and covers the core member, with the butt ends extending in the longitudinal direction joined together with adhesive tape.

3. The cooling pillow according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the core member and the cooling member consist of a plurality of cylindrical unit members, and the unit members are arranged in series and housed in the cover member.

4. The cooling pillow according to claim 3, characterized in that the cover member is made of a stretchable knitted fabric that allows the cylindrical unit members to be bent so that they are separated at the surfaces where the unit members abut each other and form an arbitrary angle.

5. The cooling pillow according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, with the core member and the cooling member housed inside, both ends of the cover member are bound together with binding members.

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