US20110131729A1

US20110131729A1 - Configurable Support Locations Pillow

Info

Publication number: US20110131729A1
Application number: US12/634,594
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Shiao
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-09
Filing date: 2009-12-09
Publication date: 2011-06-09

Abstract

Provided herein is an improved pillow construction comprising at least one configurable support location and further comprising at least one movable pouch. The location of the pouch can be changed to accommodate a user's preference for sleeping on the side, back, stomach, or having multiple sleeping positions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to improved construction concerning pillows. More particularly, this invention relates to a pillow which enables the user to vary the degree of firmness of portion of the pillow and the adjustable location of the firmness.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical pillow comprises one type of fill material or an uniform mixture of different materials, thereby having one level of firmness throughout the entire pillow with reduced thickness around the edges. A typical pillow may be labeled as soft for stomach sleepers, medium for back sleepers, and firm for side sleepers.
However, most people do not sleep in a single position. Throughout the night, the body typically turns from side to back and vice versa. When the body is on the side position, the head should be elevated higher to bridge the gap determined by the width of the shoulder and the resiliency of the bed mattress. When the body is on the back position, the head should be in-line with the spine to alleviate stress to the cervix, thereby requiring a lesser degree of firmness.
To provide different degrees of firmness, some prior art pillows have been constructed having two or more sections, wherein some of the sections contain pillow fillings firmer than the other sections. The firmer sections are typically disposed on the top and bottom portions to provide support to the cervix. This type of pillow is not adjustable.
Another type of prior art pillow has been constructed having a medial portion, and left, right, top and bottom portions, wherein the left, right, top and bottom portions contain firmer filling than the medial portion. In order to separate the soft and firm fill material, a line of thread is sewn on the pillow to create the separation, or a number of attachment pairs such as buttons are used. The line of thread or attachment pairs causes the top and bottom layers of the pillow to compress, thereby reducing the resilience and comfort of the pillow.
Another type of prior art pillow contains an inflatable air bag and a built-in air compressor and air exhaust control mechanism to regulate the softness and hardness. The additional components increase the cost of the pillow, and the air bag is susceptible to punctures.
Another type of prior art pillow can be folded or rolled into a plurality of configurations, typically containing an elongated viscoelastic foam pad. The foam pad may be less appealing and less comfortable than traditional pillow fillings using fiber or down material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,880 to Tesch shows another type of prior art pillow having one insert, wherein the insert has at least one closeable opening which provides access to an inner area of the insert; said insert is filled with the same type of filler material as the pillow fillings to achieve higher density. It is believed that having only one insert disallows any other configuration capability. Also, the insert is loosely disposed inside a pillow casing and may be shifted to undesireable locations during the night.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new pillow design allowing for multiple configurations and firmnesses. Furthermore, it is believed that the filler material inside a pillow insert should be different from the pillow filling to achieve different resilience.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pillow with a plurality of sections of different firmness using a plurality of pouches, wherein the pouches are sealed and comprise different filling material than the remainder of the pillow, and said pouches are disposed inside the pillow liner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide attachment points on the inner side of the pillow liner to affix the pouches in place as to maintain the same locations throughout the night.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of configurations for the placement of the pouches to accommodate a user's preference.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of configurations for the placement of the pouches to accommodate more than one sleeping positions.
It is another object of the present invention to allow adjustments and upgrades to the pillows to accommodate changing bodily needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of the present invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the pillow construction according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the bottom layer of the pillow construction comprising a plurality of attachment points.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the bottom layer of the pillow construction according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the bottom layer of the pillow construction according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bottom layer of the pillow construction according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described in details herein three specific embodiments of a configurable support location pillow. The present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated and described.
With reference to FIG. 1, a pillow construction is shown having a top layer 1 and a bottom layer 2, a left edge 10, top edge 11, right edge 12, and a bottom edge 13, wherein left edge 10 is constructed as a closeable opening, and top edge 11, right edge 12 and bottom edge 13 are sewn to close.
With reference to FIG. 2, the bottom layer 2 of a pillow construction is shown having a plurality of attachment points 3 disposed in two rows, wherein the distance 4 is about the same between each pair of adjacent attachment points.
With reference to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment is shown having two pouch constructions 5 affixed to attachment points 7 near left edge 10, and two pouch constructions 14 affixed to attachment points 8 near right edge 12.
With reference to FIG. 4, a second embodiment is shown having two pouch constructions 5 affixed to attachment points 7, 20, 21 and 22 in horizontal position.
With reference to FIG. 5, a third embodiment is shown having four pouch constructions 9 affixed to attachment points.
With reference to FIG. 6, a pouch construction 15 is shown comprising one attachment point 16 near the left edge 18 and one attachment point 17 near right edge 19. Both edge 18 and edge 19 are sewn closed.

Claims

1. A pillow construction comprising:

a. a pillow filling;

b. a pillow liner comprising an outer side and an inner side and a plurality attachment points disposed on said inner side; and,

c. a plurality of pouches comprising a plurality of attachment points,

wherein the pouches comprise fillings which are different and firmer than said pillow fillings and wherein the attachment points of the pouches are affixed to the attachment points on the inner side of the pillow liner.

2. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pillow filling comprises one or more of fibers, foam, feather or down.

3. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pouches are rectangular or cylindrical in shape.

4. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pouches comprise elastic or fabric material,

5. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the length of the pouches are about the length of the pillow liner.

6. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pouches comprise fill material different from the pillow fillings and wherein the fill material has a different resilience than the pillow fillings.

7. The pillow construction of claim 6, wherein the pouches are firmer than the pillow fillings.

8. The pillow construction of claim 6, wherein the pouch fill material comprises fiber, foam, feather or beads.

9. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pouches are completely sealed and does not allow said fillings to escape.

10. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pouches each comprise a plurality of attachment points.

11. The pillow construction of claim 10, wherein the attachment points on the pouches affix to the attachment points on the inner side of the pillow liner to prevent unintended movement.

12. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the attachment points of the pouches can be affixed to any pair of attachment points on the inner side of the pillow liner.

13. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the attachment points are buttons, Velcro, snap fasteners or hooks.

14. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pillow liner further comprises a left edge, a top edge, a right edge, a bottom edge, a left-medial portion and a right-medial portion.

15. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the pillow liner comprises: a top and bottom layer of rectangular shape typically made of cotton fabric; and, comprises top, bottom, right and left edges, and a left-medial portion and a right-medial portion, wherein at least one edge is constructed as a closeable opening, and the remainder edges are sealed.

16. The pillow construction of claim 15, wherein the pillow liner is filled with pillow fillings.

17. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the inner side of the pillow liner comprises a plurality of buttons as attachment points.

18. The pillow construction of claim 1, wherein the attachment points are sewn or affixed with adhesive material to the pouches or inner side of the pillow liner.

19. A pillow construction comprising:

a. pillow fillings generally as fibers, feather or down;

b. a pillow liner comprising an outer side and an inner side, left, top, right, bottom edges, a left-medial portion and a right-medial portion, and a plurality of buttons as attachment points disposed on the inner side; and,

c. a plurality of pouches having a rectangular or cylindrical shape,

wherein the pouches comprise fillings which are different and firmer than the pillow fillings and the pouches are affixed to the attachment points on the inner side of the pillow liner.