Cervical multi-position pillow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pillows fail to provide proper cervical area support for individuals of varying height, weight, and age, often being too stiff, too soft, or lacking in contouring ability, which can lead to discomfort, numbness, and disrupted sleep due to inadequate pressure distribution and heat retention.
Innovation Solution
A multi-position pillow with a sloped core support and venting through holes, combined with a contouring material layer, that allows for adjustable height and ventilation to accommodate different sleeping positions and preferences, providing cervical area support and decompression through a hump design and breathable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing pillows are made too stiff to provide cervical support, then cervical area support is improved, but user comfort and ability to move during sleep deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is divided into multiple functional zones: a cervical support zone with elevated height for neck support, a head support zone, and a shoulder support zone. This segmentation allows each region to provide appropriate firmness and support while maintaining overall comfort and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the pillow have different heights and firmness characteristics. The cervical area has elevated support while other areas are softer, allowing localized cervical support without making the entire pillow too stiff, thus maintaining user comfort and mobility.
2Ease of operation
If existing pillows are made too soft to provide comfort, then user comfort is improved, but cervical area support and pressure distribution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow structure separates the cervical support function from the comfort function by creating distinct zones. The elevated cervical zone provides necessary support while softer surrounding areas provide comfort, preventing the pillow from being either too hard or too soft overall.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow uses composite construction with multiple layers or zones of different material densities and firmness levels, allowing the cervical area to provide firm support while other areas remain soft and comfortable for general head and shoulder support.
3Stability of the object's composition
If existing pillows use solid material construction to maintain shape, then structural stability is improved, but heat retention and ventilation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow incorporates ventilation channels and porous structures within the material construction, allowing air flow through the pillow while maintaining its shape-stabilizing density. This enables heat dissipation and ventilation without compromising the pillow's structural integrity.
4Ease of manufacture
If existing pillows have fixed height design to simplify construction, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is constructed as an assembly of modular zones with standardized components that can be manufactured separately and then combined. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual parts while enabling customization of the final assembly to accommodate different user heights, weights, and sleeping positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow design incorporates universal features such as adjustable components and multi-functional zones that can serve different users with varying characteristics. The elevated cervical zone, for example, can accommodate different neck lengths and angles, making the pillow adaptable to diverse user needs without requiring completely different designs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The pillow offers customizable cervical area support and decompression, reducing numbness and discomfort by evenly distributing weight, relieving pressure points, and effectively releasing heat, thus promoting better sleep quality and muscle relaxation.
Implementation Method 1
the plurality of venting through holes and the contour hole are configured to improve pillow ventilation by allowing air to travel through the core support
Implementation Method 2
the contouring material layer being compressed over a top surface of the core support when disposed within the outer cover; the compression of the contouring material layer over a top surface of the core support allows the contouring material layer to lay over the contour hole to achieve an improved contour
Implementation Method 3
a tension force is induced on the user's neck, the tension force causing a decompression of the neck and thus, resulting in a relief of pressure in the cervical area
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-position pillow for providing cervical area support during sleep, the multi-position pillow comprising: an outer cover adapted to be opened; a core support removably associated with the outer cover, the core support comprising a sloped body with a contour hole and venting through holes, wherein a downward slope of the sloped body extends from a first end to a second end, a head connected to the first end and having a hump, and a ledge disposed in the head along a top end of the hump; and a contouring material layer removably associated with the outer cover and compressed over a top of the core support; wherein an association of the outer cover with the core support and the contouring material layer causes the core support and the contouring material layer to be positioned centrally within the outer cover, such that to provide cervical area support to a user.