Side Sleeper Pillow with Dual Head Recesses for Couple Compatibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pillows designed to treat snoring and sleep apnea are not comfortable for side-sleepers and do not accommodate couples sharing a bed who wish to use them, as they maintain an unnatural head and neck position, which can hinder sleep and restrict intimate sleeping positions.
Innovation Solution
A pillow with dual head and neck recesses on both sides, allowing users to choose their preferred sleeping side and enabling couples to share the pillow in various intimate positions, such as spooning, by featuring inward and outward-facing configurations on the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, and a multi-layer construction for enhanced comfort and support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pillow uses a lateral sniff position design with maximal forward flexion of the lower cervical spine and maximal extension of the upper cervical spine, then the airway passage between the mouth and larynx is maximized, but the user experiences unnatural discomfort that hinders the ability to fall asleep
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the neck position parameter from maximal extension to a more neutral, relaxed position. The head recess and neck channel are designed to support the head and neck in a natural alignment, eliminating the need for extreme cervical spine extension while still maintaining airway patency through the chin support geometry.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pillow includes two differently oriented head recesses to allow users to choose left or right side sleeping, then side-sleeping comfort is improved, but couples sharing the same bed cannot use the pillow simultaneously in intimate positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional single-orientation head recess design by creating two head recesses on opposite sides of the pillow, both facing the same direction. This allows one partner to use the pillow in its normal orientation while the other partner can use it inverted, enabling intimate sleeping positions like spooning while maintaining individual comfort and airway support.
Data Source
AI summary
A pillow for treating snoring and/or sleep apnea features at least one head recess having a bottom area for receiving and supporting a lateral side of a user's face, and a peripheral area spanning upwardly from the bottom area at a perimeter thereof. A neck channel extends from the head recess. The peripheral area of the head recess includes a chin region that reaches laterally outward from the neck channel at an angle and orientation such that the user's cervical spine resides in a relaxed non-extended state, and the user's mandible is maintained in a closed position. In embodiments for couples, first and second head recesses in the top of one pillow face inwardly toward one another, and third and fourth head recesses in either the bottom of the same pillow or the top of a separate pillow bottom surface face outwardly away from one another.