Double-Insert Pillow Structure for Cooling Without Airflow Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Continuous cooling gel layers in sleep products are impermeable, limiting airflow and minimizing the cooling effect due to their non-breathable nature, despite efforts to incorporate both cooling gels and permeability in some designs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating pillows with foam halves that have cavities filled with cooling gel or other materials like shredded foam, latex, or fibers, which are treated with cooling gel, allowing for airflow while maintaining a cooling effect by avoiding complete surface coating with gel, thus preserving permeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a continuous cooling gel layer is provided over the surface, then the cooling effect is improved, but the permeability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous cooling gel layer is divided into multiple discrete gel inserts or gel-infused filler materials distributed throughout the pillow. This segmentation allows air to pass through the spaces between gel elements while each gel element independently provides cooling contact with the skin, resolving the contradiction between cooling effectiveness and breathability.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling gel is applied locally at specific contact points rather than as a continuous surface layer. The gel inserts or infused filler materials are positioned where they directly contact the user's skin, providing targeted cooling while leaving other areas open for airflow, thus maintaining both cooling effect and permeability.
2Temperature
If the surface is completely coated with cooling gel, then the cooling effect is maximized, but air cannot pass through the surface
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of complete surface coating, the cooling gel is segmented into multiple discrete inserts or distributed throughout filler materials. This allows air to circulate through the pillow structure while gel elements remain positioned to provide cooling sensation at key contact areas, eliminating the breathability problem of complete coating.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than applying cooling gel to 100% of the surface area, the invention uses partial coverage with gel inserts or infused filler materials concentrated in areas of highest skin contact. This partial action maintains cooling effectiveness while preserving air permeability in non-coated regions.
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
This approach enhances the cooling effect by allowing airflow while maintaining the permeability of the surface, providing a more effective cooling solution for sleep products like pillows and mattresses.
Implementation Method 1
the gel material conducts heat away from the body to cool the body
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making a pillow includes obtaining a first pillow half having an outer surface and an inner surface having a first cavity formed therein, filling the first cavity with a first filler material, obtaining a second pillow half having an outer surface and an inner surface having a second cavity formed therein, and filling the second cavity with a second filler material. The method includes, after the filling steps, juxtaposing the inner surface of the first pillow half with the inner surface of the second pillow half and joining the first and second pillow halves together to form a pillow.