Custom Pillow Fitting Using Body and Sleep Parameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals struggle to find the appropriate pillow for their specific needs due to varying body types, sleeping habits, and preferences, leading to poor sleep quality and potential health issues from using improperly fitted pillows.
Innovation Solution
A computerized pillow-fitting method and apparatus that inputs individual characteristics to determine a pillow identifier, allowing for the production of a custom-fitted pillow based on parameters such as sleeping position, height, weight, and preferred firmness, using a processor and database to select the appropriate pillow features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standardized pillow is used for all individuals, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but the pillow cannot provide proper support for diverse body types and sleeping habits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by considering multiple individual characteristics (height, weight, age, sleeping position, preferred firmness) and translating them into specific pillow parameters (size, filling weight, firmness level). This allows the same pillow construction system to adapt to different individuals by varying the filling weight and other parameters based on the calculated pillow number.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical trial-and-error method of pillow selection with a computerized calculation system. The processor automatically calculates the pillow number based on input parameters and database lookups, substituting the manual mechanical process of trying different pillows with an automated computational system that provides objective, data-driven recommendations.
2Measurement precision
If individuals select pillows based on subjective feeling, then personal preference is satisfied, but objective proper support cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback by having individuals input their characteristics and receiving calculated pillow recommendations that objectively match their needs. The system provides feedback loops where the calculated pillow number guides selection, and the database stores relationships between characteristics and optimal pillow parameters, enabling continuous refinement of pillow fitting accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary calculation system (the processor and database) that mediates between individual characteristics and pillow selection. This intermediary objectively translates personal attributes into specific pillow specifications, serving as a neutral mediator that eliminates subjective bias while maintaining ease of use through automated calculations.
3Reliability
If pillow parameters are not properly matched to individual characteristics, then pillow availability is maintained, but health issues such as neck and shoulder pain occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing in the database the relationships between individual characteristics and optimal pillow parameters. Before actual pillow selection, the system pre-processes characteristic data into pillow numbers, pre-organizes pillow specifications by filling weight and firmness levels, and prepares the calculation framework in advance to ensure reliable matching when selection occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
Computerized methods and apparatuses fit a pillow to an individual based on the characteristics of the individual. A computerized pillow-fitting apparatus has a processor, an input device configured to input a plurality of parameters corresponding to an individual's characteristics; a determination unit which uses the processor to determine, in response to the input of the plurality of parameters, a pillow identifier based on the plurality of parameters; and an output device configured to output the pillow identifier and configured to cause a pillow to be produced based on the pillow identifier.