Integrated Pillow Eye Cover for Light and Sound Blocking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sleep aids, such as sleep masks and ear plugs, require users to awaken and manually deploy them, disrupting sleep due to the complexity of putting them on, especially when light or noise becomes a disturbance during sleep.

Innovation Solution

A pillow assembly with an integrated elongate eye covering structure, featuring a sleeve with separate cells filled with media, attached to a pillow enclosure that allows easy deployment over eyes and ears without fully awakening, providing simultaneous light and sound blocking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a sleep mask with strap is used to block light, then light blocking effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to the need to manually position the strap around the head

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight blocking effectivenessVSAvoidease of deployment

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The eye covering structure is merged with the pillow assembly, creating an integrated unit where the eye covering is attached to the pillow enclosure. This eliminates the need for separate deployment of straps and positioning around the head, as the entire assembly is already in place when the user lies down on the pillow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The eye covering structure is pre-positioned and attached to the pillow enclosure before use. When the user lies down on the pillow, the eye covering is already in its operational position, eliminating the need for manual positioning and strap adjustment during the sleep process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a sleep mask with strap is used to block light, then light blocking effectiveness is improved, but tactile stimulation increases due to the strap passing around the head

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight blocking effectivenessVSAvoidtactile stimulation

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The strap component that causes tactile stimulation is extracted and eliminated from the design. Instead of using a strap that passes around the head, the eye covering structure is attached directly to the pillow enclosure, removing the source of unwanted tactile stimulation while maintaining light blocking functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If separate light blocking and sound blocking equipment is used, then blocking effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblocking effectivenessVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pillow assembly is designed to provide multiple functions: it serves as both a pillow for head support and an integrated eye covering structure for light blocking and sound blocking. The pillow enclosure with attached sleeve structure accomplishes multiple protective functions in a single unified device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Light blocking and sound blocking functions are merged into a single integrated pillow assembly. The eye covering structure attached to the pillow enclosure simultaneously addresses both light and noise disturbances, eliminating the need for separate sleep masks and earplugs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Adaptability or versatility

If a sleep mask is stored separately and accessed when needed, then storage flexibility is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to find and don the mask

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage flexibilityVSAvoidease of deployment

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The eye covering structure is permanently attached to the pillow enclosure, eliminating the need for separate storage and retrieval. The integrated design ensures the eye covering is always with the pillow, removing the steps of finding and donning a separate mask.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9138086B1Light blocking eye cover attachable to a pillow

Publication Date: 2015.09.22 BAMBERG MELISSA

AI summary

An assembly is configured to include a pillow portion and an elongate eye covering portion. The pillow portion includes an enclosure which can contain a pillow therein. The elongate eye covering portion is preferably configured as a sleeve divided into multiple adjacent cells filled with beads or other media. The cells on the sleeve are spaced apart by a distance similar to a spacing between eyes of an adult. Adjacent cells can thus cover eyes and optionally also ears of the user. Seams divide the cells from each other and define a contour of the cells. This contour preferably includes notches between adjacent cells to provide relief for a nose of the user between adjacent cells.