Support pillow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support pillows, such as nursing pillows, face issues with stability and ease of use, particularly for taller caregivers, as they tend to push away from the body, require two hands for adjustment, and may cause infants to roll off, while other pillows lack adjustability and comfort for various seating positions.
Innovation Solution
A support pillow design featuring a detachable backrest and armrests that can be adjusted to encircle the torso, with securement mechanisms allowing for easy engagement and disengagement, providing comfort and stability for users and infants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a nursing pillow is designed with a C-shape to support an infant, then the pillow can cradle the infant, but the pillow tends to push away from the caregiver's body and requires constant readjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow transitions from a static C-shape to a dynamic adjustable structure with movable armrests that can be positioned at different angles and heights. The armrests can be adjusted to wrap around the infant or positioned for caregiver support, allowing the pillow to adapt to different usage scenarios and maintain stability without constant readjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow is divided into separate functional components: a main body and adjustable armrests that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the armrests to be optimized for different functions - wrapping around the infant for security or providing support for the caregiver's arms, resolving the push-away problem through modular adaptability.
2Reliability
If a nursing pillow uses a strap to prevent pushing away from the body, then the pillow remains in position, but the caregiver needs two hands to engage and disengage the strap
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow incorporates self-adjusting features where the armrests can be easily repositioned by the caregiver without requiring two-handed operation. The detachable and adjustable design allows one-handed operation for both engagement and disengagement, eliminating the need for complex strap mechanisms that require both hands.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable armrests provide dynamic positioning capabilities that replace the static strap system. The armrests can be easily moved into place and secured with one hand, providing the same stabilizing function as the strap but with significantly improved ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If a nursing pillow has a rounded upper surface to comfort the infant, then the infant can rest comfortably, but the infant tends to roll off the pillow
Solution Approach 1:
The armrests provide dynamic containment that adapts to the infant's movements. They can be positioned to wrap around the infant's back or sides, creating a secure barrier that prevents rolling while maintaining the comfortable rounded surface for the infant's chest and head.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow separates the comfort function (rounded upper surface) from the containment function (adjustable armrests). This segmentation allows the main body to remain soft and comfortable while the armrests provide the necessary structural support to prevent the infant from rolling off.
4Device complexity
If a support pillow has fixed component parts, then the structure is simple, but the pillow cannot be adjusted for different seating positions or users
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is divided into a main body and detachable armrest components. This segmentation maintains relative structural simplicity while enabling multiple configuration options - the armrests can be attached, detached, or repositioned to suit different users and seating positions without requiring a completely complex adjustable mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrests incorporate adjustable features that allow them to be positioned at different angles and heights while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. This dynamic capability provides adaptability for various users and applications without significantly increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A support pillow including a backrest, a first armrest, and a second armrest. The first and second armrests are detachably engageable with the backrest. Together, the backrest and first and second armrests define and encircle a space into which a person's torso is received when the person is seated and resting against the backrest. A free end of the first armrest is detachably engageable with a free end of the second armrest a distance spaced longitudinally forward of a front of the backrest. Each of the backrest, first armrest, and second armrest may be provided with a handle and may include one or more pockets.