Exercise Mat Neck Pad for Supine Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise mats lack a specific feature to provide support and alignment for the neck of users during exercises, which can lead to discomfort and potential injury.
Innovation Solution
An exercise mat with an integral pad attached to its upper face, proximate to the top end, designed to engage the upper portion and opposite sides of the neck, thus providing cushioning, support, and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an exercise mat is used without a dedicated neck support feature, then the mat maintains simplicity in design, but the neck of the user receives inadequate support and alignment during exercises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the neck support pad with the exercise mat into a single integrated unit. The pad is attached to the upper face of the mat proximate to the top end, creating a unified structure that provides both mat functionality and dedicated neck support without requiring separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The pad is specifically positioned and shaped to engage only the neck region of the user's body. This localized design provides targeted support to the neck area while maintaining the overall simplicity of the mat structure, addressing the specific need for neck alignment without complicating the entire device
2Reliability
If a separate neck cushion is added to the exercise mat, then neck support is improved, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is attached to the upper face of the mat proximate to the top end, creating a unified structure that provides both mat functionality and dedicated neck support without requiring separate components
Data Source
AI summary
An exercise mat assembly for improving neck alignment includes a mat, which has a lower face that is positionable upon a substantially horizontal surface. The mat cushions a body of a user who is performing an exercise upon the mat. A pad is attached to an upper face of the mat proximate to a top end of the mat. The pad is formed so as to engage an upper portion and opposite sides of a neck of the user when the user is lying supine upon the mat. The pad thus cushions, supports, and aligns the neck of the user during performance of the exercise.