U.S. patent number 3,757,365 [Application Number 05/216,560] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-11 for therapeutic pillow.
Invention is credited to Murray Kretchmer.
United States Patent |
3,757,365 |
Kretchmer |
September 11, 1973 |
THERAPEUTIC PILLOW
Abstract
This pillow is a flat substantially rectangular block of
material that is more resilient on its upper top layer and is less
resilient on its lowermost layer. It is substantially rectangular
overall, but has a cutout in at least one of the longer rectangular
sides, although this cutout may be repeated in the opposite
rectangular side. The cutout is substantially circular, more or
less, and is not greater than a semi-circle, although it may be
somewhat less than a semi-circle, the cutout serving to receive the
sleeper's shoulder with the attached arm extendable beyond the
pillow and not subject to any pressure from the pillow, being
entirely free thereof, and, of course, free of any pressure from
the sleeper's head. The thickness of the pillow is such that the
sleeper's head is supported in a horizontal position, with the neck
and windpipe free of any bends. As a result, breathing is freer
than with a conventional pillow, where the arm is often extended
under the pillow attempting to hold the head horizontal, in which
it often fails, but such does succeed in restricting the blood flow
in the arm, leading to a condition strongly resembling bursitis in
pain and restriction of arm movement, a painful condition not
easily remedied.
Inventors: |
Kretchmer; Murray (North Miami
Beach, FL) |
Family
ID: |
22807537 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/216,560 |
Filed: |
January 10, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/636; D6/601;
D6/406.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
9/10 (20130101); A47G 2009/1018 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
9/00 (20060101); A47G 9/10 (20060101); A47g
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;5/337,338,345,355,361,361B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McCall; James T.
Assistant Examiner: Calvert; Andrew M.
Claims
I claim:
1. A therapeutic pillow (10) for comfortably supporting the head
and neck of the user in bed in a substantially horizontal position
while lying on one's side leaving the lower arm free of
constriction comprising a substantially flat, one piece, solid
rectangular body of resilient material, said material having a
cutout (20) to receive one shoulder of the user while leaving the
attached arm thereof free from constriction by the weight of the
head of the user, said cutout (20) extending vertically through one
long edge (24) of the pillow (10) midway of and spaced from its
short end edges, said cutout (20) having a contour substantially
approaching but not greater than a semi-circle, said one piece
solid body being comprised of two horizontal uniform layers (16 and
18) integrally united, the upper layer (16) being of substantially
greater height and resiliency and lesser uniform density than the
lower layer (18), the height of the upper more resilient layer (16)
being approximately three times that of the lower, firmer layer
(18).
2. The pillow of claim 1, said material being more resilient
polyurethane in the upper layer (16), and less resilient
polyurethane in the lower layer (18).
Description
The pillow is made of a flat pillow-soft upper surface supported on
a base of firm but resilient material, the entire material being
such as foam rubber, polyfoam, polyurethane, etc., that may be made
in different degrees of firmness or of resiliency. With this
therapeutic pillow, the head is supported horizontally, in the same
relation to the body that it is when standing up, so that the mouth
remains in the normal closed condition, eliminating the slack-jaw
situation common in snoring, which is also true should the sleeper
turn on his back, for the jaw then likewise will not open and
snoring is eliminated or lessened.
The pillow is made of two layers of material, a firmer layer on the
bottom and a more resilient layer on the top where the sleeper's
head is supported in a generally horizontal position.
This pillow may be in two forms, one form with a single cutout at
about the middle of one long side of the block, and in a second
form, having a pair of cutouts, one along each long side. The
single cutout form may be a "his" pillow, the double cutout form
may be a "hers" pillow, with her shoulder extending into one cutout
and allowing her hairdo to extend down somewhat into the other
cutout without disturbing her hairdo or permanent. Also, with two
cutouts, one may be of a slightly different size thus providing
selectivity in size comfortable to the user.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a therapeutic pillow
which will maintain the head and the neck of the sleeper in a
horizontal position.
A further object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic
pillow which will promote the health of the user which will support
the head of the sleeper in a straight position from his body, and
which places his supporting shoulder directly on the mattress with
the arm free of any pressure from the weight of the head or neck,
leaving the arm free of any blood constricting pressure.
A further object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic
pillow wherein the head of the sleeper is supported on a flat
pillow-soft surface in a straight line from his body, with his
shoulder supported directly on the mattress through a cutout in the
edge of the pillow, with the arm of the supporting shoulder free of
blood constricting pressure from his head.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic
pillow made of a resilient flat body having greater resiliency in
its upper layer than in its lower layer, with a cutout whereby the
shoulder does not rest on the pillow but instead rests directly on
the mattress with the arm free of any blood constricting
pressure.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a
therapeutic pillow made of a resilient material in the form of a
flat block, its upper horizontal layer being of greater resilience
than its lower layer, and with its overall height being such that
the head of the sleeper remains in a horizontal position when
supported thereon, the shoulder of the sleeper resting through a
cutout in the block directly on the mattress, the arm thereof being
entirely free of the weight of the head of the sleeper.
Another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic pillow
that may have either one cutout on a single long side, or two
cutouts, one on each long side, with one cutout of a different size
from the other cutout. With two cutouts, one size may fit the
shoulder better than the other.
A further object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic
pillow having a cutout on one long side to receive the shoulder of
the sleeper, with the face supported on the pillow-soft surface,
and the long hair or hairdo of the sleeper hanging down into the
other cutout without being disarranged.
A further object of this therapeutic pillow is to provide, in
addition, the advantageous features of the conventional Japanese
pillow block, usually made of wood, which supports the neck and
head with the hairdo extending therebehind, while in this
invention, the face is supported on a pillow-soft surface with the
head in horizontal position, the neck unbent, and the hairdo or
permanent extending over the back of the pillow, into the second
cutout, if present.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic
pillow that is an improvement over those shown in U. S. Pats. Nos.
2,295,906; 2,940,088; 3,009,172; and 3,574,397.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior pillows for sleeping purposes normally support the head of
the sleeper at an angle to the body, which causes constriction in
breathing to overcome which the sleeper usually inserts his upper
arm under the pillow to hold his head up. This, in turn, causes
restriction of the circulation in the arm and its muscles, but such
blood restriction does not discomfort the sleeper as quickly as
would restriction of this breathing, and he falls asleep on his
arm. On waking, however, the impeded blood circulation often causes
pain in the muscles and ligaments in the upper arm, -- pain that is
just as excruciating as it is with bursitis -- and is often
confused with such condition. However, such pain is not readily
relieved by injections, massages, heat, electrical impulses, but is
relieved by extended use of this pillow.
Furthermore, such pain causes some sleepers to move their arms in
their sleep to attempt to reduce the pain, with the result that the
head is no longer horizontal, the neck is bent at an angle, the jaw
becomes slack, and unpleasant snoring is often the result. If the
sleeper twists and turns often enough trying to avoid this result,
then his sleep is fitfull and not as restful. Other sleepers do not
change their position so often, with the painful results of blood
constriction in their arms and disturbing snoring, annoying to
their bed companion.
Furthermore, in the case of long hair, any elaborate hairdo or
permanent is usually disarranged or ruined on the conventional
pillow.
This invention overcomes all these undesirable features of the
conventional pillow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists
in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be
more fully understood from the following description, when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the therapeutic pillow of this
invention, with a cutout in one long edge only for the shoulder of
the sleeper.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another form of this therapeutic
pillow, having two shoulder cutouts, one of them extending slightly
deeper than the other, providing a degree of selectivity to the
user according to his or her size, as well as for cosmetic purposes
to preserve one's hairdo or permanent.
FIG. 3 is a front edge view of the therapeutic pillow block of
either form.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
There is shown at 10 a substantially rectangular pillow 10 in the
form of a block having parallel horizontal top 12 and bottom
surfaces 14. This pillow block 10 is made of suitable material such
as latex rubber, foam, polyurethane, etc., and has two layers of
material of different resiliency, the upper layer being preferably
three times the thickness of the lower layer 18, and the upper
layer 16 is comparatively soft as compared to the lower and firmer
layer 18. Obviously, the block 10 may be made of the same material
throughout, but with the lower layer 18 firmer than the upper layer
16. Likewise it may be made of two suitable layers bonded or molded
together, according to the convenience of the manufacturer. The
height is such that the head remains horizontal when at rest on the
pillow-soft top.
In addition to the two layers of different degrees of resiliency as
just described, the invention includes the feature of the pillow
having at least one cutout 20 along one front edge 22, and, in a
second form, may have an additional cutout 24 along the opposite
long edge 26.
The cutout 20 is the essence of this invention; it receives the
shoulder of the sleeper lying on one side, the face resting and
supported on the pillow-soft layer 16 with the head in a horizontal
position in a straight line with the body of the sleeper, and the
neck is also straight and unbent. The arm of the sleeper lies on
the mattress, and is not inserted under the pillow as conventional
to help support the head. Instead, it is free to move and it is not
subject to constriction of the circulation of the blood in the
upper arm and its muscles, thus remains free of possible pain, as
often exists with a conventional pillow. The pillow 10 may be made
in different heights to fit different size individuals, the
selected height size being such that the head of the user is
supported in a horizontal position.
The cutout 20 should be comfortable, and of a shape preferably not
greater than a semi-circle so that the shoulder may enter it
freely. Obviously, the size and shape of the cutout 20 may vary
somewhat, and in the form shown in FIG. 2, a second cutout 24 is
provided in the opposite long edge 26 of a size somewhat different
from that of the cutout 20. This second cutout 24 provides
selectivity as to which may fit the shoulder better.
Furthermore, this second cutout may serve for cosmetic purposes. A
hairdo or permanent may depend into this second cutout 24 while the
face is supported on the pillow area 28 between the cutouts 20 and
24, just as in the first form, the face is supported on the pillow
area 30 behind the single cutout 20. By selecting a single cutout
pillow of suitable width, the long hair, hairdo or permanent may
also hang over the back edge 26 without being disturbed or
disarranged, thus providing the cosmetic advantages of the
conventional Japanese wood pillow block without the uncomfortable
disadvantages of the Japanese solid wood pillow. In use, the pillow
20, in either form, would be enclosed in a pillow case which may be
shaped to conform to the shape of the pillow, the pillow being
easily insertable in the pillow case because it is resilient
enough, even in the firm layer 18, to compress and enter the pillow
case to the desired position. Another cosmetic benefit is that
keeping the face flat on the horizontal surface of this pillow
prevents distortion of the facial skin and therefore helps prevent
wrinkles such as the conventional sloping pillow is apt to
cause.
ABSTRACT OF THE DRAWING
In the drawing, like numbers refer to like parts, and for purposes
of explication, marshalled below are the numbered parts of the
improved therapeutic pillow:
10 pillow block
12 top surface of 10
14 bottom surface of 10
16 upper soft layer
18 lower firm layer
20 cutout in front edge 22
22 front edge
24 cutout in back edge 26
26 back edge
28 face supporting surface between cutouts 20 and 24
30 face supporting surface behind single cutout 20.
Although this invention has been described in considerable detail,
such description is intended as being illustrative rather than
limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the
scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.
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