U.S. patent number 3,574,397 [Application Number 04/759,126] was granted by the patent office on 1971-04-13 for orthopedic pillow.
Invention is credited to Jan Norriss.
United States Patent |
3,574,397 |
Norriss |
April 13, 1971 |
ORTHOPEDIC PILLOW
Abstract
An orthopedic pillow for comfortably supporting the head and
cervical areas of the user. The pillow is of a resilient material
having a generally central concave cavity therein. Oppositely
extending from the central concave cavity are contoured depressions
to accommodate the user's neck and head. The central cavity is
shaped and positioned to accommodate the user's ear without
pressure when the user is lying on his side and the cavity
partially supports the user's head when the user is lying on his
back. One embodiment of the invention is adaptable for use with an
automobile seat.
Inventors: |
Norriss; Jan (Tucson, AZ) |
Family
ID: |
25054506 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/759,126 |
Filed: |
September 11, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/391;
5/639 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
5/30 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
5/30 (20060101); A61F 5/01 (20060101); A47c
007/38 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/391,395
;5/337,338 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Williamowski; David J.
Assistant Examiner: Shedd; Wayne L.
Claims
I claim:
1. An orthopedic pillow adapted to comfortably cradle the neck and
head of the user, said pillow comprising a body portion of a
resilient material having a contoured upper surface, said upper
surface having a substantially central convex cavity therein, a
neck-receiving channel extending from said central cavity toward
the front edge of said pillow a head-receiving channel extending
opposite said neck-receiving channel from said center cavity toward
the rear edge of said pillow and adapted to support a portion of
the user's head, said center cavity being relatively deeper than
said channels and being adapted to receive the area of the user's
head adjacent the ear thereby permitting the user to sleep on the
side of his face without undue pressure on the ear and head area
adjacent the ear.
2. The pillow of claim 1 further provided with a head-receiving
channel extending opposite said neck-receiving channel from said
center cavity to the rear edge of said pillow.
3. The pillow of claim 1 wherein said head and neck channels are
substantially U-shaped and said head-receiving channel is of
greater cross-sectional area and greater depth than said
neck-receiving cavity.
4. An orthopedic headrest for use with a seat having a cushion and
back supporting member, said headrest comprising a body portion of
a resilient material having a contoured upper surface including a
substantially convex cavity therein, a neck-receiving channel
extending from said central cavity to the front edge of the
headrest, a head-receiving channel extending opposite said
neck-receiving channel from said center cavity toward the rear edge
of the headrest and adapted to receive a portion of the user's
head, said center cavity being relatively deeper than said channel
and being adapted to receive the area of the user's head adjacent
the ear thereby relieving undue pressure thereon when the user
assumes a position with the side of his face against the pillow,
and mounting means secured to said headrest and adapted for
attachment to said seat.
Description
The present invention relates to a new and novel pillow. More
specifically, the present invention relates to a pillow for
comfortably supporting the head and neck of the user for orthopedic
use.
Conventional pillows for supporting the head are usually filled
with a cushioning material of cotton, feathers, or, in some cases,
sponge rubber. Such pillows are usually too soft, allowing the
user's head to form uncomfortable depressions in the pillow. Often
conventional pillows are too thick and consequently the head of the
user is displaced in an unnatural position causing strained neck
and shoulder muscles.
In an attempt to overcome the deficiencies of the conventional
pillows, a number of therapeutic or posture pillows have been
suggested. For example, it is known to provide a pillow of a
resilient material having a contoured head receiving cavity that
accommodates the back of the user's head. Most of these prior art
pillows have the disadvantage that the user must sleep in one
position, not being able to turn his head and gain the advantages
of the pillow in various positions of sleep. Further, these pillows
do not allow for comfortable use by persons having different size
heads and physical dimensions.
It becomes apparent that there exists a need for a pillow of
simplified design readily adaptable for optimum accommodation of
the various physical requirements of the users.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
scientifically designed pillow for orthopedic and general use.
It is a broad object of this invention to provide a pillow for use
for rest and sleeping which reduces cervical strain and pressures
and induces a relaxed physical state.
Another object of this invention is to provide an orthopedic pillow
composed of a soft, resilient material with communicating contour
cavities for receiving the neck and head of the user.
Another object is to provide a pillow of a unique configuration
which eliminates pressure on the user's ears as well as being
adaptable to any size head.
A more specific object is to provide an orthopedic pillow having a
central cavity from which extends head and neck receiving recesses
adapted to relieve muscular strain and tension.
A specific object of the invention is to provide an orthopedic
headrest for use in connection with an automobile seat.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent from the following specification and drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pillow of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pillow in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 shows the pillow being used;
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a pillow constructed in
accordance with the present invention and adapted for use in an
automobile; and
FIG. 8 shows in detail the mounting bracket of the FIG. 7
embodiment.
Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive,
the numeral 10 designates the pillow as a whole. The pillow is
shown as having a generally circular shape for convenience and to
minimize the size. The outer configuration could easily be
rectangular, oval, square, or any other suitable shape as the outer
shape is not important to the novel configurations provided in the
pillow itself. The pillow is shown as being molded of flexible
polyurethane foam or sponge rubber and, again, any uniformly
compressible material could serve well. Polyurethane is
particularly suited as it is fire resistant, nonallergenic, and may
be autoclaved.
The upper surface, against which the user's head lies is designated
as 11 and the base of the pillow is shown as 12. The base is
relatively flat so that the pillow will be relatively even on a
horizontal surface.
The upper surface 11 of the pillow is contoured in a novel way to
support the user's head, neck, and shoulder area and may be used in
several positions of rest to relieve muscular and nerve stress.
A central, relatively deep concave depression 15 is provided in
surface 11 to receive the center portion of the user's head. The
depth of the depression is such that if the user choses to sleep on
his side, freedom from uncomfortable pressure on the ears is
afforded. At the rear of the pillow a head receiving cavity 16
extends peripherally outward from the center cavity 15. Cavity 16,
shown as being generally U-shaped, is for receiving the upper
portion of the user's head and preferably increases in width
progressively toward the outer edge of the pillow. The bottom of
cavity 16 may be flat but is preferably inclined downwardly
slightly toward the outer edge from the center cavity.
With this configuration cavity 16 is adapted to comfortably cradle
different-sized heads.
Neck-receiving depression 20 extends from the front edge of the
pillow into central cavity 15 and is somewhat semicircular in cross
section and may also be slightly inclined downwardly toward the
edge of the pillow. The depth of both depressions 16 and 20
approximately correspond to the maximum depth of head recession 16
or may be slightly shallower. For example, I have found about 2
inches to be a convenient maximum depth for these depressions for
use by persons of average physical shape.
In use, a person can lie on his back with the back of his head
cradled in depression 16 and cavity 15 and his neck supported along
its length in depression 20. The height of the pillow promotes an
overall horizontal body position without the neck and spine being
uncomfortably raised. If additional height is desired, the pillow
of the invention may be supported upon a conventional pillow.
Further, the head and cervical areas are supportingly cradled for
maximum support by the contour surface 11 conforming naturally to
these areas. Additionally, it will be noted that the shape of my
unique pillow will accommodate a range of body and head sizes and
shapes.
If the user wishes to lie on his side, as seen in FIG. 6, the
pillow of the present invention serves equally well as a shallow,
natural support. The head and neck are supported, respectively, by
depressions 16 and 20, as discussed above, the central cavity 15
receives the ear without any pressure thereon due to its shape and
depth and induces relaxing comfort.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate another preferred embodiment of the
present invention adapted for use with a seat or in an automobile
to allow the driver or passenger a comfortable head and neck
support. More important my unique pillow, when used as an
automobile seat headrest, could serve to prevent serious neck
whiplash injuries by cushioning the head and neck. In this
embodiment, the pillow 10a is as shown in FIG. 1 but may be
terminated at 23 along the central cavity providing segmented head
cavity 15a and neck depression or channel 20a in surface 11a. The
pillow is formed having an internal frame with two extending
members 21 and 22 which are spaced apart and secured to the pillow.
Members 21 and 22 are shown in FIG. 8 as being slightly angular to
maintain natural neck and spinal alignment during use. Conventional
receiving brackets (not shown) located on the back of the
automobile seat behind the driver or passenger secure the pillow to
the seat. While driving, the user can support his head in a
natural, comfortable position, and should a rear end collision
occur, my novel pillow would cushion the rearward thrust of the
head to possibly prevent severe injury.
It will, therefore, be appreciated that I have provided a new and
novel orthopedic pillow construction which overcomes objections of
the prior art devices. The pillow of the present invention is
simple and easy to manufacture from a wide range of resilient
materials. The pillow provides for a comfortable cradle support of
the user's head and cervical areas and allow the user to rest in
various positions, all of which are easily accommodated by my
design pillow. Further, my pillow may be modified for use as a
headrest in an automobile.
Various other changes and modifications in the device herein chosen
for purposes of illustration in the drawings will readily occur to
persons having ordinary skill in the art. To the extent that such
modifications and changes do not depart from the spirit of the
invention, they are intended to be included in the scope thereof,
which is not limited to the embodiment, specifically illustrated in
the drawings, but rather only by a just and fair interpretation of
the claims.
Having fully described the invention in such manner as to enable
those skilled in the art to understand and practice same.
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