U.S. patent application number 14/164272 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-31 for anti-snoring pillow.
The applicant listed for this patent is Roger Anton Sramek. Invention is credited to Roger Anton Sramek.
Application Number | 20140208515 14/164272 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51221325 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140208515 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sramek; Roger Anton |
July 31, 2014 |
ANTI-SNORING PILLOW
Abstract
A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a
mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a
pillow thickness comprising a core having core variable
displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow
width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the
head in a non-distorting aligned position and a plurality of
removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core including
core spacers and neck spacers.
Inventors: |
Sramek; Roger Anton;
(Tiburon, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sramek; Roger Anton |
Tiburon |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51221325 |
Appl. No.: |
14/164272 |
Filed: |
January 27, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61757705 |
Jan 28, 2013 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/640 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 9/109 20130101;
A61F 5/56 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/640 |
International
Class: |
A47G 9/10 20060101
A47G009/10 |
Claims
1. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a
mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a
pillow thickness comprising, a core having core variable
displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow
width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the
head in a non-distorting aligned position, a plurality of removable
spacers for adjusting the height of the core.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to pillows for use on a bed to
support a head for sleeping and more particularly, to improved
pillows having therapeutic and cosmetic properties and that enhance
the quality of sleep.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Standard solid-bodied pillows in common use for many years
have a number of limitations. The downward force caused by the
weight of a person's head on tissue and facial skin in contact with
solid bodied pillows is considerable, causing local stretching,
cessation of capillary blood flow and deformation of the skin. Over
a period of years these factors accelerate wrinkling of the skin,
contributing to the visible effects of ageing.
[0003] Similarly, the outer surfaces of the ears are crushed by the
weight of the head when a person using a pillow lies to the side,
contributing to cessation of capillary blood flow and the incidence
of bacterial and fungal ear infections, morning wax deafness, ear
ache and gradual deformation and wrinkling of the pinna.
[0004] In addition, standard pillows provide uneven support to the
head and neck, causing muscular strain of the neck and back, and
causing general night unrest. Sleepers adopt a side or face down
position during sleep in an effort to conform to the support points
of a pillow, spending disproportionately little time sleeping in a
supine position. This tendency can accelerate degeneration of the
spine associated with ageing, particularly in the neck region.
Indeed, neck injury commonly results from improper support while
sleeping. Similarly, in an attempt to match personal anatomy to a
pillow, many people adopt unnatural sleeping positions with arms
and hands used to provide head support, which leads to discomfort
and joint degeneration, and even arthritis, in the hands, elbows
and shoulders.
[0005] Although a variety of pillow sizes and shapes are available,
they often do not match an individual's anatomy and natural sleep
habits. In an attempt to address some of these deficiencies,
various pillow designs have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380
entitled ADJUSTABLE CERVICAL PILLOW WITH DEPRESSIONS FOR A USER'S
EAR invented by Roger A. Sramek, one of the inventors of the
present invention, discloses a pillow which reduces the incidence
of morning wrinkles and permanent skin wrinkling, which prevents
ear compression and which provides anatomically correct cervical
and head support. That pillow supports the head and neck of a
person and includes a resilient pillow body with an
adjustable-height head rest. The head rest includes a central
depression in the pillow body and a plurality of head-height
adjustment shims which fit into the central depression. The pillow
body has a resilient upper portion with a plurality of depressions
on a top face for receiving the person's ears.
[0006] While U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 is close to setting a standard
for the ideal pillow, that pillow has a non-standard appearance
resulting from a contoured shape and a narrow width. That pillow
was made from urethane foam and other resilient man-made and
natural materials that provided firm and aligned support and vastly
improved the quality of sleep.
[0007] Since normally everyone spends a large percentage of
everyday sleeping, the quality of sleep is important to a person's
good health and enjoyment of life. Comfortable pillows and beds are
important in establishing restful sleep. During sleep, a healthy
person typically passes through five levels of sleep which include
stages I-IV and which additionally includes a REM (Rapid Eye
Movement) sleep stage. Stages I and II are the lightest sleep and
stages III and IV are the deepest. The REM stage is that level in
which sleepers dream and receive the mental health benefits
attendant dreaming. All levels of sleep are important, but stages
III and IV are the deepest and most physically restful sleep, when,
for example, human growth hormone is secreted. Normal sleep is
cyclic passing through the stages from I to IV and back from IV to
I and into and out of REM. This sleep cycle is repeated a number of
times over a normal sleep period, but can be disrupted due, for
example, to body discomfort.
[0008] Restfulness and the quality of sleep are dependent upon the
comfort of sleepers. When sleepers become uncomfortable, they move
to relieve the discomfort and the resulting moves are a normal part
of sleep. When sleepers move, they frequently change to lighter
levels of sleep (stage I or II) or awaken. The more discomfort
sleepers feel, the more they will move and the more time they will
spend in lighter and less restful sleep. Good sleeping is normally
associated with a low number of body shifts during the sleep
period. Shifts due to discomfort caused by beds or pillows are a
significant cause of poor sleep quality. On conventional sleep
surfaces, most people experience about forty major postural body
shifts in the course of a night's sleep. Poor sleepers experience
about sixty percent more major shifts than good sleepers. While
some shifts during a sleep period are beneficial, the quality of
sleep can be greatly improved for many by reducing the number of
shifts caused by discomfort.
[0009] There are two major causes of bed-induced shifting, and
particularly pillow-induced shifting, which cause poor sleep. As it
relates to the head and pillow, the first major cause of shifting
is the buildup of pressures on parts of the head and the second
major cause of shifting is poor neck/head alignment. Considering
the first major cause of shifting, the buildup of pressures results
from prolonged lying in the same position and from pillows which
are too thick or too hard. High compression tends to restrict
capillary blood flow which is recognized by the body, after a
period of time, as discomfort. The pressure threshold which causes
a discontinuance of capillary blood flow is called the ischemic
pressure. The ischemic pressure is normally considered to be
approximately thirty mmHg. The discontinuance of capillary blood
flow is observable as a red spot on the skin. After pressure is
applied, a red spot on the skin is a precursor to tissue damage.
When parts of the body are subjected to pressures above the
ischemic threshold, discomfort results and, hence, a person shifts
to remove the discomfort and threat to tissue damage. For some
people, the ears are particularly sensitive to such pressure.
[0010] Considering the second major cause of shifting, poor body
alignment results from bending of the vertebral column of the body.
As it relates to the head and pillow, such bending is typically
caused by poorly functioning mattresses and pillows that cause
unwanted improper and distorting alignment of the neck and head in
one or more sleeping positions. Proper supine (back-lying) position
means that the occiput of the head (the protruding back part of the
head) comes to rest nearly at the same level as the shoulders so
that the head and neck are not in an extended or bowed position
while at the same time, a proper amount of support is provided to
the neck with its natural curvature. For a pillow that provides
sleep comfort, a neutral anatomic position is achieved and the
natural alignment is evidenced by the chin and brow being at about
the same height. When these positions are not achieved, a
distorting and unnatural alignment occurs causing discomfort. When
these positions are achieved, the head and neck are in a
non-distorting aligned position that provides good sleep
comfort.
[0011] Natural, non-distorting alignment allows the neck functions
including those of the nerves, tissues, arteries, and the breathing
tube (oropharynx and hypopharynx) to perform optimally. Natural
alignment also reduces stress and reduces compression on the neck
muscles and nerves and thus reduces pain and stiffness.
[0012] Many pillows have a high concentration of fill in the middle
of the pillow, or are otherwise too firm or too thick, and
therefore promote extended flexion of the neck so that the head
position is extended beyond natural alignment into distorted
alignment. This extended head position often impairs breathing and
other neck functions leading to worsened snoring and to neck,
shoulder and back pain. Also, the extended head position causes
wrinkling across the neck and chin. The result is a distorting
alignment causing discomfort and other unwanted consequences.
[0013] In addition to head and body alignment, pillows also have
properties that affect cosmetic qualities of skin. The skin,
particularly in women wanting delicate and smooth skin features, is
susceptible to wrinkling Facial tissue is particularly susceptible
to wrinkling and worsens with aging. Repeated compression of the
facial flesh, for example when side-sleeping on a conventional
pillow, forms nocturnal creases on each side of the mouth and
wrinkling about the upper lip occurs. Ideal pillows as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 tend to tighten the facial skin during
sleep and hence tend to reduce pillow-induced wrinkling
[0014] Many purchasers and merchants have come to expect pillows to
have other "standard properties". For example, an expectation is
that pillows will have standard sizes for use on standard
mattresses such as King, Queen, Double and so forth with dimensions
that match existing pillow case sizes. While these "standard
properties" do not necessarily add to the suitability of a pillow
for sleeping, they nonetheless can be important for widespread
commercial acceptance of pillows.
[0015] A number of additional "attributes" are also important for
commercial acceptance of pillows. A pillow design desirably meets
the needs of a large percentage of the population. The greatest
demand is for pillows used on beds that sleep two people side by
side. The number of stocking numbers required for a pillow product
line is desirably low so that distribution and sale are
efficient.
[0016] Developments in the parameters of and manufacturing
capabilities for foam and other materials (including beads, seeds
and husks) have provided new components for pillows that can be
used to better approach the technical parameters required for an
ideal pillow at economical costs and which can be manufactured with
expected "standard properties" and with the "attributes" for
pillows that are desired by the public.
[0017] In the present specification the term "foam" is used in a
generic sense to include all substances that trap many gas bubbles
in a solid, for example, synthetic and natural rubber, latex,
elastomer and polyurethane among others.
[0018] The physical properties of pillow materials include among
others Density, Hardness, Tensile Strength, Indentation Load
Deflection, Compression Load Deflection, Initial Softness Ratio,
Resilience (Elasticity), Compression Modulus, Hysteresis and
Durability/Lifetime. These physical properties are described as
follows.
[0019] Hardness is the resistance against pressure.
[0020] Density is the mass per unit volume. Hardness and density
are interrelated. When density increases, hardness tends to
increase. Generally for lower density materials, a growing loss in
hardness arises after repeated loading.
[0021] Tensile Strength is the measure of the resistance against
stretching and changes in tensile strength are measured as Tensile
% and changes in length after applying a tensile force are measured
as Elongation %.
[0022] Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is a hardness measurement
defined in the ISO 2439 standard. ILD in the standard is defined as
the force that is required to compress material a percentage of its
original thickness, that is, compressed 25%, 40% and 60% from its
original thickness (using in the standard a circular plate of 322
cm.sup.2). These ILD's are designated ILD25%, ILD40% and ILD60%
[0023] Compression Load Deflection (CLD) is a hardness measurement
defined in the ISO 3386 standard. CLD is defined as the
counterpressure (force per surface) in Pascal when the core
material is pressed in 25% with a stamp where 1 kPA (kilopascal)
equals 10 g/cm.sup.2 (grams per square centimeter), Compression Set
75%.
[0024] Initial Softness Ratio (ISR) is a hardness measurement
defined as the ratio of ILD65%/ILD5%. This measurement somewhat
correlates to the initial perception of a person about the comfort
of a mattress.
[0025] Resilience (Elasticity) is an elasticity measurement defined
in the ASTM 3574 standard. Resilience/Elasticity is measured by the
"ball-rebound" test where a steel ball is dropped from a height
onto the mattress core and the rebound of the ball is measured as a
% of a predetermined height.
[0026] Compression Modulus (Sag Factor) is a compression
measurement defined in the ISO 2439 standard. This sag factor is
defined as the ratio of ILD65% to ILD25%. The sag factor somewhat
correlates with the perception of a person as to whether the
mattress supports the body with more uniform alignment.
[0027] Hysteresis is a measurement of the load deformation curve of
the load surface. The hysteresis curve is determined by loading and
de-loading of a mattress core. A circular plate of 355 mm diameter
is used to gradually build a force up to a maximum of 1000 Newtons.
The hysteresis represents the amount of energy that is absorbed by
the material during loading/de-loading. The higher the absorption
of energy by a mattress core, the more strength/energy is required
by a person to change position on the mattress. Mattress cores
which are too soft, have a low hysteresis which results in higher
energy requirements for a person changing position on the mattress
core. A low hysteresis value generally results in poor sleeping
quality.
[0028] Durability/Lifetime is a measurement defined in one method
by the EN 1957 standard. In this method, a weight of 1400 Newton is
rolled 30,000 times up and down on the mattress core. Afterwards
the height (Elevation), hardness, ILD and elasticity of the core
are measured. This process is repeated once again and the results
are compared with the original values and recorded as a as a %
retention. The average incline of the hardness is determined at 210
N, 275 N and 340 N in the load deformation curve. Another
measurement is defined by the ISO 3385 (DIN 5374) standard. In this
method, a foam sample of 40.times.40 cm forced with a weight of 750
N for 80,000 times at 70 strokes per minute. Afterwards, the loss
of height and the hardness are compared with the original values
again as a % retention. Tear is another durability parameter
measured in pounds per linear inch (pli) and indicates the energy
required to pull a sample apart.
[0029] In consideration of the above background, there is a need
for improved pillows that better approach the properties of ideal
pillows and that can be economically manufactured utilizing the
available physical properties of materials while satisfying the
public expectations and demands for pillows.
SUMMARY
[0030] The present invention is a pillow for supporting the head of
a reclining body. The pillow has a core formed with variable
displacement parameters along the length and width and the pillow.
A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a
mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a
pillow thickness comprising a core having core variable
displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow
width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the
head in a non-distorting aligned position and a plurality of
removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core including
core spacers and neck spacers.
[0031] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following detailed
description in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a pillow having a normal
external shape and appearance within a pillow case.
[0033] FIG. 2 depicts an end view of the pillow of FIG. 1.
[0034] FIG. 3 depicts a front view of the pillow of FIG. 1.
[0035] FIG. 4 depicts a back view of the pillow of FIG. 1.
[0036] FIG. 5 depicts a top view of a core of the pillow of FIG.
1.
[0037] FIG. 6 depicts an end view of the core of FIG. 5.
[0038] FIG. 7 depicts front view of the core of FIG. 5.
[0039] FIG. 8 depicts back view of the core of FIG. 5.
[0040] FIG. 9 depicts bottom view of the core of FIG. 5.
[0041] FIG. 10 depicts a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 with the
bottom spacers shown exploded.
[0042] FIG. 11 depicts a flipped view of one of the bottom spacers
of FIG. 10.
[0043] FIG. 12 depicts a flipped view of another one of the bottom
spacers of FIG. 10.
[0044] FIG. 13 depicts a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 with the
neck spacers shown exploded.
[0045] FIG. 14 depicts a view of the neck spacers of FIG. 13 shown
flipped.
[0046] FIG. 15 depicts a front view of the neck spacers of FIG. 13
collapsed.
[0047] FIG. 16 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG.
15.
[0048] FIG. 17 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG. 15
modified to show only two spacers.
[0049] FIG. 18 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG. 15
modified to show only one spacer.
[0050] FIG. 19 depicts a top view of one of the bottom spacers of
FIG. 10.
[0051] FIG. 20 depicts an end view of the bottom spacer of FIG. 19
viewed along the section line 20-20'.
[0052] FIG. 21 depicts an end view of the bottom spacer of FIG. 19
viewed along the section line 21-21'.
[0053] FIG. 22 depicts a front view of the bottom spacer of FIG.
19.
[0054] FIG. 23 depicts a front view of two of the bottom spacers of
FIG. 22 stacked together.
[0055] FIG. 24 depicts a front view of two of bottom spacers that
are an alternate embodiment for the spacers of FIG. 23.
[0056] FIG. 25 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow operating to bend the head and neck upward and out of
natural alignment.
[0057] FIG. 26 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment.
[0058] FIG. 27 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment but with a
slight downward extension that tends to open the air passage and
reduce or eliminate snoring and other sleep difficulties.
[0059] FIG. 28 depicts a cross-sectional end view of an uncovered
pillow core and with a female in a side-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the
section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of
the core.
[0060] FIG. 29 depicts a cross-sectional end view of the same
pillow as in FIG. 28 with a cover and core and with a female in a
side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and
neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the head
behind the ear hole of the core.
[0061] FIG. 30 depicts a cross-sectional side view of a pillow with
a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with
the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where
the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole
of the core.
[0062] FIG. 31 depicts a female in a back-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0063] FIG. 32 depicts a female in a side-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0064] FIG. 33 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0065] FIG. 34 depicts a male in a side-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0066] In FIG. 1, a top view of pillow 10 is shown and externally
has a normal shape and appearance. The pillow 10 fits within a
conventional pillow case 8. Internally, the pillow 10 has a
structurally varying core 12 and a core case 11 all within the
pillow case 8.
[0067] In FIG. 2, an end view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG.
1.
[0068] In FIG. 3, a front view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG.
1.
[0069] In FIG. 4, a back view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG. 1.
The pillow case 8 includes a zipper 14 for accessing the core 12
and the core case 11. Typically, the core case 11 also has a zipper
(not shown) for accessing the core 12.
[0070] In FIG. 5, a top view of the core 12 of the pillow 10 of
FIG. 1 is shown. The core 12 includes ear recesses 16.
[0071] In FIG. 6, an end view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown.
The core 12 includes a body 4 and core spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2. The
core spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each other
so as to enable the height of the core to be adjusted. Such
adjustment is to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head
and body alignment both on conventional mattresses and on
mattresses that have alignment features integral to the
mattresses.
[0072] In FIG. 7, a front view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown.
The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers
2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3-1,
3-2 and 3-3. The neck spacers are removably attached to the body 4
and to each other so as to enable the height of the neck region of
the core to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to aid in providing a
pillow which achieves good head and neck alignment both on
conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment
features.
[0073] In FIG. 8, a back view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown.
The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers
2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3-1,
3-2 and 3-3. The neck spacers are removably attached to the body 4
and to each other so as to enable the height of the neck region of
the core to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to aid in providing a
pillow which achieves good head and neck alignment both on
conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment
features.
[0074] In FIG. 9, a bottom view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown.
The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers
2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3.
The core spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each
other so as to enable the height of the core to be adjusted. Such
adjustment is to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head
and body alignment both on conventional mattresses and on
mattresses that have alignment features integral to the mattresses.
Also, the body 4 has a hollowed region 4' outlined by the edge 4-1
that provides room for the head to tip backward and thereby
facilitate positioning the head in an anti-snoring position.
[0075] In FIG. 10, a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 is shown
with the core spacers 2-L1 and 2-L2 shown exploded. The core spacer
2-L1 is removably attachable to the core base 4, for example, by
Velcro or other fasteners. The fastener strip 5-1 is attached to
core base 4 for attaching core spacer 2L-1 to base 4. The core
spacer 2L-1 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 5-2
in FIG. 12) for engaging fastener 5-1. The core spacer 2L-1
includes a fastener 5-3 for attaching core spacer 2L-1 to core
spacer 2L-2. The core spacer 2L-2 includes a mating fastener (not
shown, see fastener 5-4 in FIG. 11) for engaging fastener 5-3.
[0076] In FIG. 11, a flipped view of core spacer 2L-1 is shown
revealing fastener 5-2 that engages the fastener 5-1 of FIG.
10.
[0077] In FIG. 12, a flipped view of core spacer 2L-2 is shown
revealing fastener 5-4 that engages the fastener 5-3 of FIG.
10.
[0078] In FIG. 13, a bottom view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown
with the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 exploded. The neck spacer
3-1 is removably attachable to the core base 4, for example, by
Velcro or other fasteners. The fastener strip 6-1 is attached to
core base 4 for attaching neck spacer 3-1 to base 4. The neck
spacer 3-1 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 6-2
in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-1. The neck spacer 3-1 includes
a fastener 6-3 for attaching neck spacer 3-1 to neck spacer 3-2.
The neck spacer 3-2 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see
fastener 6-4 in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-3. The neck spacer
3-2 includes a fastener 6-5 for attaching neck spacer 3-2 to neck
spacer 3-3. The neck spacer 3-3 includes a mating fastener (not
shown, see fastener 6-6 in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-5.
[0079] In FIG. 14, the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 of FIG. 13 are
shown flipped to reveal the fasteners 6-2, 6-4 and 6-6,
respectively.
[0080] In FIG. 15, a front view of the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and
3-3 of FIG. 13 are shown collapsed with all three spacers present.
The neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 are individually removable from
the body 4 and from each other so as to enable the height of the
neck region of the core 12 to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to
aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and neck
alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that
have alignment features.
[0081] In FIG. 16, an end view of the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3
of FIG. 15 are shown for maximum height.
[0082] In FIG. 17, an end view of the neck spacers 3-1 and 3-2 of
FIG. 15 are shown and are modified to show only two the height of
two spacers.
[0083] In FIG. 18, an end view of the neck spacer 3-1 of FIG. 15 is
shown modified to show only the height of one spacer.
[0084] In FIG. 19, a top view the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 10 is
shown.
[0085] In FIG. 20, an end view of spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is viewed
along the section line 20-20' of FIG. 19. The width of the spacer
in FIG. 20 is approximately 1 inch.
[0086] In FIG. 21, an end view of the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is
shown viewed along the section line 21-21' of FIG. 19. The width of
the spacer 2L-1 in FIG. 21 is approximately 5/8 inch.
[0087] In FIG. 22, a front view of the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is
shown. The taper of the spacer 2L-1 adds a slope of approximately
3.1.degree. to the core 12 of FIG. 1 and the other figures
described.
[0088] In FIG. 23, a front view of two spacers of the FIG. 22 type
are shown stacked together to form spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2. Together,
the spacers add a slope of approximately 6.2.degree. to the core 12
of FIG. 1 and the other figures described.
[0089] In FIG. 24, a front view of two spacers 2L'-1 and 2L'-2 are
shown that are an alternate embodiment for the spacers of FIG. 23
still obtaining a 6.2.degree. slope. Of course, any height and
slope can be obtained by adjusting the size of the spacers.
[0090] FIG. 25 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow operating to bend the head and neck upward and out of
natural alignment.
[0091] FIG. 26 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment.
[0092] FIG. 27 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment but with a
slight downward extension that tends to open the air passage and
reduce or eliminate snoring and other sleep difficulties.
[0093] FIG. 28 depicts a cross-sectional end view of an uncovered
pillow core and with a female in a side-lying position with the
pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the
section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of
the core.
[0094] FIG. 29 depicts a cross-sectional end view of the same
pillow as in FIG. 28 with a cover and core and with a female in a
side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and
neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the head
behind the ear hole of the core.
[0095] FIG. 30 depicts a cross-sectional side view of a pillow with
a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with
the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where
the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole
of the core.
[0096] FIG. 31 depicts a female in a back-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0097] FIG. 32 depicts a female in a side-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0098] FIG. 33 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0099] FIG. 34 depicts a male in a side-lying position with the
pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and
neck alignment.
[0100] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof it will
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the
scope of the invention.
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