Contoured Pressure-Relief Pillow for Tailbone and Hemorrhoid Pain

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Solution Overview

Problem

Individuals with coccydynia or hemorrhoids experience discomfort and pain when sitting due to pressure on the tailbone and affected areas, which existing pillows fail to adequately address.

Innovation Solution

A pressure-relief device with a body designed to reduce pressure on these areas, featuring a contoured surface with apertures and recesses to align with the user's body, constructed from high-density foam or pillow-filling materials, and optionally including a bridge for support and lobes for stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a person sits on a conventional pillow or seat, then the seat provides basic support, but pressure is concentrated on the tailbone and affected areas causing discomfort and pain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressure on tailbone and hemorrhoidsVSAvoidcomfort when sitting

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the harmful pressure-point area by creating an aperture (opening) in the pillow body at the location that would otherwise contact the tailbone. This extracts the source of pressure concentration, allowing the tailbone to rest over the opening rather than on solid material, thereby eliminating the harmful pressure effect while maintaining overall seat support functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different structural properties to different regions of the pillow: the body portion provides compression support while the aperture region provides pressure relief. The contoured surface with varying thickness creates localized zones of different density and support characteristics, with thicker regions providing support and thinner regions with apertures providing relief from pressure on specific body areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a person with tailbone injury or hemorrhoids sits on a conventional seat, then the seat provides structural support, but the person experiences discomfort and pain when settling into or emerging from the seated position

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediscomfort and painVSAvoidease of settling into seated position

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a contoured, curved surface design rather than flat planes. The pillow features a smoothly curved top surface that conforms to the natural contours of the body, and curved lateral sides that facilitate easy access. This curvature allows the user to roll onto and off the pillow more easily compared to a flat surface, reducing discomfort when settling into or emerging from the seated position

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS9220345B2Pressure-relief pillows

Publication Date: 2015.12.29 BANYAN LICENSING LLC

AI summary

The invention is directed to a device comprising a body that defines a first surface and a second surface and defines a first, second, third and fourth lateral sides. In one embodiment, the first surface defines a first aperture and a second aperture. In one embodiment, the thickness of the body along the first lateral side is greater than the thickness of the body along the third lateral side such that the first surface slopes downwards from the first lateral side towards the third lateral side. The device not only reduces the pressure on the tailbone or on the hemorrhoids for a person in a seated position, but also reduces the discomfort or pain associated with settling into a seated position or emerging from a seated position.