Rotatable Cervical Support Pillow for Custom Spine Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pillows fail to provide true customization for cervical spine alignment due to variability in user physiology, sleep position, mattress firmness, and personal comfort preferences, leading to inadequate support for a wide range of consumers.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable cervical spine support structure within the pillow, rotatable along its major axis, featuring multiple segments with different material properties or geometries, allowing for customizable support by changing the pillow's firmness and geometry for both back and side sleeping positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional pillow with fixed geometry is used, then the pillow structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot provide customized support for different user physiologies and sleep positions
Solution Approach 1:
The cervical spine support is divided into multiple segments with different material properties or geometries that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows customization for different user needs while keeping each segment relatively simple in design.
Solution Approach 2:
The cervical spine support structure is made rotatable around the major axis of the pillow, allowing dynamic adjustment of the support configuration. This enables the same pillow to adapt to different sleep positions (back sleeping and side sleeping) and user preferences without requiring multiple pillows.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single pillow design is used for all users, then manufacturing and inventory are simplified, but it fails to accommodate variability in end-user physiology, sleep position preference, and personal comfort preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow allows users to self-adjust the cervical spine support rotation to find their preferred configuration. The rotatable design enables users to easily experiment with different orientations and positions without requiring complex setup procedures or professional fitting.
Solution Approach 2:
A single pillow design incorporates multiple functions by including a rotatable cervical spine support that can be configured for different sleep positions (back sleeping and side sleeping). This universal design allows one pillow to serve multiple user needs and preferences that would otherwise require multiple specialized pillows.
3Manufacturing precision
If McKenzie rolls with fixed dimensions are prescribed, then the solution is simple to implement, but the dimensions may be poorly suited to cervical spine alignment of individual patients
Solution Approach 1:
Different segments of the cervical spine support have different material properties or geometries tailored to provide appropriate support for specific regions of the cervical spine. This local customization allows precise alignment for individual patient needs while keeping the overall structure manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The cervical spine support allows changes in geometric parameters through rotation around the major axis, enabling adjustment of support height, angle, and position. This parameter variability allows precise customization for individual cervical spine alignment requirements without requiring completely different devices for each patient.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a cushion and more particularly to a pillow providing cervical alignment by way of a cervical spine support structure that is positioned along a major axis of the pillow, and that can be rotated around the major axis. The pillow utilizes one or more of the following features: 1) a dimensionally correct platform for the proper sleep posture of a majority of body types on a wide array of mattress types; 2) A non-crush zone integrated cervical support roll which can be adjusted for extended durations of supportive comfort. (The roll—in and of itself—is unique compared to the standard of care because of its foam densities and its semi-hollowed out section); and 3) A sleep posture platform with a side sleeping position and a back-sleeping position. The pillow standardizes care by placement of the support roll inside a dimensionally correct platform using different materials.