PILLOW SUPPORT

Abstract

A pillow support comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface is arranged to support a pillow, and wherein the lower surface is configured to be at least in part convex such that the pillow support can rock along the direction of convex curvature when supporting the pillow.

Claims

1. A pillow support comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface is arranged to support a pillow, and wherein the lower surface is configured to be at least in part convex such that the pillow support can rock along the direction of convex curvature when supporting the pillow.

2. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the pillow support is comprised of a material suitable to retain the at least part convex configuration of the lower surface when supporting a pillow.

3. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the lower surface has a first at least part convex curvature in a substantially longitudinal direction and a second at least part convex curvature in a substantially latitudinal direction.

4. The pillow support of claim 3, wherein the first and/or second curvature is uniform.

5. The pillow support of claim 3, wherein a majority of the lower surface is configured to be convex.

6. The pillow support of claim 3, wherein the entire lower surface is configured to be convex.

7. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the upper surface is at least in part concave.

8. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein a majority of the upper surface is configured to be concave.

9. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the entire upper surface is configured to be concave.

10. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the upper surface and the lower surface have complimentary curvatures.

11. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the upper surface has a curvature which is uniform.

12. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the upper surface is substantially flat.

13. The pillow support of claim 1, further comprising at least one airhole.

14. The pillow support of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of airholes.

15. The pillow support of claim 1, further comprising more than one region comprising a plurality of airholes.

16. The pillow support of claim 1 further comprising a hollow body.

17. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the pillow support further comprises a base member and a joint, wherein the joint is configured to allow for the pillow support to adjust at least one of roll, pitch, and yaw against the base member.

18. The pillow support of claim 1 further comprising a compliant pillow.

19. The pillow support of claim 1 further comprising an outer cover.

20. The pillow support of claim 1 wherein the pillow support is configured to support the pillow.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an end on view of a conventional compliant pillow in use;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows an end view of an embodiment of the invention;

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

[0031] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a cross section of an embodiment of the invention along the line V-V of FIG. 4;

[0033] FIG. 6 shows an end view of a cross section of an embodiment of the invention along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

[0034] FIG. 7 shows a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

[0035] FIG. 8 shows an end on view of a yet further embodiment of the invention;

[0036] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the invention assembled in conjunction with a pillow and cover as shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In the following paragraphs, the invention will be described in details by way of example with reference to the figures. It should be appreciated that the examples given are intended as exemplars to aid and inform the reader, and do not represent limitations that define the only way in which the invention may be implemented. The embodiments presented contain features that may be combined or omitted in any number of ways not explicitly disclosed herein.

[0038] A pillow support is disclosed herein. It should be understood that the term “pillow” as used here refers to any padded support, inclusive of cushions, pads, rests and other supports. However, padding is not necessarily required, and hard or non-deformable supports may also be used in order to carry out this invention as is described in more detail below. The primary example used herein describes a pillow support suitable to support the head of a user, but it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the head only and may be configured to support other body parts such as the neck, limbs, appendages, torso, hips, or the body as a whole.

[0039] Since the specific examples given herein refer to a pillow suitable for (but not limited to) supporting the head and/or neck of a user, the figures show a pillow support designed with a curvature particular to the range of motion of the head of a user. However, alternate curvatures can be used than that shown in the figures depending upon the body part or range and/or nature of motion of consideration. Further, although the primary intended use disclosed is support during sleeping, it will be understood that support for the user may be provided during rest, recovery or other use.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, an end on view of a conventional compliant pillow 10 supported by a mattress or other bed structure 14 receiving the head of a user 12 is shown. While awake or when asleep, the user may wish to roll? move their head 12 left and right (as indicated by indicator A), but must do so within the depression or trough defined by their compression of the pillow via the weight of their head. In this, the user must overcome the resistance presented by the pillow trough made harder by the profoundly inelastic surface. Again, for those users who may suffer from skeletal or muscular issues, this may prove too difficult or burdensome.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a top end on view of an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the user's head 12 is still provided comfort and support by a soft and compliant pillow 10, but also benefits from a pillow support 16. The pillow support 16 comprises a stadium shaped structure that exhibits curvature, such that when placed upon the bed structure, the pillow support 16 will settle to an equilibrium position in which it makes contact with the bed structure via its centre with either end extending upwards and away from this point. The pillow support 16 comprises a shallow upper concave portion suitable to accommodate the head and neck of a user and optionally also a compliant pillow, and a shallow convex lower portion complementary to the shallow upper concave portion. The pillow support 16 acts as a rocking support accommodating the compliant pillow member 10 and the user's head and neck, although the invention may be carried out without the pillow member 10. The pillow support 16 rests directly on top of the bed structure 14, and allows for a rocking motion of the pillow support and thus a pillow supported as shown by B. This rocking motion allows for the pillow support to rock in response to the user's movement, without the user having to overcome the friction provided by trough or depression defined within the compliant pillow member 10. Instead, the user may move their head within the range of motion as shown by A against a far reduced resistance to movement as defined by the trough or depression. The pillow support 16 may be shaped with an inner degree of curvature that is configured to house a body or body part of a user, and an outer degree of curvature that allows for the pillow support 16 to rock on a base member or substantially flat surface such that the natural range of movement of the house body or body part of the user is facilitated.

[0042] The pillow support 16 also provides a range of motion as shown by B, where B shows the range of motion of the invention during the rocking/rolling of the pillow support responsive to the movement of the user or user's body part. This allows for the point of the pillow support in contact with the bed structure 14 to change concordantly with the point of the user's head 12 that lies directly above this point, substantially mimicking the motion defined by the rocking of the head. In this way, the head of the user may rock and the pressure exerted on any one point on the head may be easily adjusted, as the position and orientation of the user's head 12 need not overcome the friction provided by the compliant pillow member 10 in order to change position.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows the pillow support 16 in a perspective view. The curvature and dimensions of the pillow support 16 are chosen to suitably accommodate the relevant body part. The specific embodiment shown is designed to support the head and neck of a user, and as such is of a size and curvature specific to the average human head. Should the pillow support be used to support the hips and lower trunk of a user however, the dimensions and curvature of the pillow support 16 would of course be chosen to be suitable for this.

[0044] The pillow support is substantially non-deformable under pressures and forces normal to the field of pillows. Non-deformable in this context is used to describe that the pillow support provides a resilient structural element to the invention, but this pillow support may of course flex and bend in response to receiving the weight of a user. Typically materials that may be used to construct the pillow support 16 include but are limited to polyurethane, PLA, polypropylene or other plastics or synthetic materials, or natural materials such as wood or bamboo.

[0045] The pillow support 16 may comprise at least one airhole or a plurality of airholes or more than one plurality of airholes 18, 20 that extend through the pillow support's entire thickness to improve ventilation. These airholes may be sized such that support to the compliant pillow member 10 is not compromised, but that air may still easily pass through the body of the pillow support 16. The net of the pillow support may be a stadium shape, such that all sharp edges are removed. Further, the sides of the pillow support may be rounded to increase the comfort of the user. The thickness of the pillow support may be substantially uniform, or there may be a tapering or thinning of the pillow support towards the edges. There may only be a tapering towards the edges or regions of the edges which may be have the potential to cause the user discomfort, such that these thinned regions exhibit greater flexion and reduced rigidity.

[0046] The at least one airhole or plurality of airholes or more than one plurality of airholes 18, 20 may be located at opposite ends of the body of the pillow support 16, or may be located centrally or may be distributed throughout the entirety of the body of the pillow support 16.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a top down view of an embodiment of the pillow support 16. In this embodiment, the pillow support may be able to rock along both axes V and VI that extend laterally and longitudinally, allowing for the user to adjust the position of their head and neck or indeed any other body part or entire body within the range of motion contained within a solid angle defined by the movement enabled by the curvature of the body of the pillow support 16. The pillow support 16 may comprise one airhole only, or may comprise a plurality of airholes. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a first plurality of airholes 18 and a second plurality of airholes 20 are extant on either end of the pillow support 16, but it may be that one airhole or one plurality of airholes is present on the pillow support 16 only. In FIG. 4, the first and second plurality of airholes 18 and 20 are substantially similar. However, it may be that plurality 18 exhibits a different number and configuration of airholes to that of plurality 20, or indeed that an additional plurality is present.

[0048] FIG. 5 displays a side view of a cross section of the pillow support 16 taken through axis V. As can be seen, the pillow support 16 is formed from one solid component with airholes 18 and 20 extending therethrough. However, in other embodiments, the pillow support 16 may comprise a hollow space between the underside 24 and the upper side 22. Alternatively, the pillow support may be comprised of a scintillated material or composite parts that mechanically couple together. Further, the pillow support 16 may comprise a material that is pliable under forces larger than the weight of an average user's head or body or body part such as a high gauge aluminium, copper or silver wire, covered by a substantially compliant material such as foam or PVC. In this way, the curvature of the pillow support 16 may be provided by the material pliable under forces larger than the weight of the body or body part or consideration, and the supportive body of the pillow support 16 may be provided by the compliant material. Such a design would enable a curvature customisable to each user and or body part.

[0049] The pillow support 16 may also comprise a textured surface on the upper side 22 and or the underside 24. Such a textured surface may improve engagement between the pillow support 16 and the user's body or body part, the bed structure 14 and or the compliant pillow member 10.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the pillow support 16 taken along axis VI. In this embodiment, no airholes are present along this axis, but other embodiments may of course include airholes that extend part way or all the way through the pillow support 16. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show an embodiment in which there is curvature present in the pillow support 16 along two different axes. Depending upon the body or body part considered, this curvature may be more or less pronounced in one or the other axis, or may even be absent in some embodiments should the range of motion desired be more limited. Depending upon the intended use of the invention, the curvature may not be uniform and may vary along the length or width of the invention in a uniform or non-uniform manner. The upper side 22 and the underside 24 may not exhibit complimentary curvatures as they do in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In fact, the upper side 22 and or the underside 24 may be flat whilst the other exhibits curvature, uniform or not.

[0051] FIG. 7 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the pillow support 116 is in the shape of a cassini oval or rather is comprised of two substantially circular end pieces abridged by a supportive strut. The substantially circular end pieces may comprise pluralities of airholes that extend through the body of the pillow support 116. A first plurality of airholes 118 may extend through one region of the pillow support 116 and a second plurality of airholes 120 may extend through another region of the pillow support 116.

[0052] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which a base member 28 is used in conjunction with the pillow support 16, connected to the base member 28 via a joint 26. The joint 26 maintains an alignment of the base member and the pillow support, but allows the orientation of the pillow support 16 against the base member 28 to be changed. Depending on the joint member used, the roll, pitch and yaw of the pillow support relative to the base member may be adjusted. In this embodiment, the pillow support may rock against the base member 28 within the solid angle defined by the range of motion enabled by the joint 26.

[0053] The pillow support 16 may employ the use of the base member 28 or may rest directly upon the bed structure. Base member 28 may be a comprised of a flat underside and a formed upper side. The flat underside may provide stability to the base member and the pillow support 16, and the formed upper side may allow for the motion of the pillow support 16. For example, if in an embodiment of the invention the pillow support 16 merely rocks from side to side on top of the base member, the upper side of the base member 28 may be a concave to present less opposition to this movement.

[0054] The joint 26 is chosen such that the range of motion it enables is suitable to support and facilitate the motion of the user or the user's body part that is being supported by the pillow support. For example, the range of motion required to support the head and neck of a user is much larger than that of the range of motion required to support the foot and ankle of a user. In order to provide support to the head and neck of a user, the pitch, roll and yaw of the pillow support are adjustable. In order to provide support to the foot and ankle of a user however, all that may be required is an adjustable roll. The joint 26 may be a spherical joint such as a ball and socket or other joint, revolute or prismatic joint, or a planar joint.

[0055] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which the pillow support is assembled with the pillow support 16, compliant pillow member 10, and an outer cover member 30. The pillow support may be assembled by positioning the compliant pillow member 10 onto the pillow support 16, such that the pillow support accommodates the compliant pillow member 10, and then encasing both the pillow support 16 and the compliant pillow member 10 with the outer cover 30. Ordinarily but by no means exclusively, the invention is orientated such that the user or user's body part rests or is positioned on the invention such that the compliant pillow provides a deformable and comfortable surface for said body or body part. In a normal configuration, a user rests against the outer cover 30 which abuts the compliant pillow member 10 which abuts the pillow support 16 which abuts the outer cover 30, which all rests upon a substantially flat surface.

[0056] In some embodiments, the pillow support may support the relevant body part of the user without the compliant pillow member 10. In other embodiments, the pillow support 16 may comprise an integrated padding layer which substantially matches the shape and dimensions of the area of the pillow support that faces the user or user's body part. This integrated padding layer may be comprised of a polyurethane foam, memory foam, foam rubber or other padding materials.

[0057] The outer cover 30 may comprise a first envelope flap present at one end of the outer cover. The first envelope flap provides the user with the option of either inserting the compliant pillow member 10 into the main volume of the outer cover as defined by the walls of the outer cover 30, or to insert the compliant pillow member 10 into the reduced volume as defined by the walls of the outer cover 30 and the first envelope flap. If the compliant pillow member 10 is housed only by the walls of the outer cover 30, a somewhat larger volume is available for the compliant pillow member 10 to expand into as the compliant pillow may extend out of the bounds of the outer cover 30. By restricting the volume available to the compliant pillow via the first envelope flap, a somewhat denser pillow is presented to the user. This may provide an increased level of support or provide for more comfortable accommodation of the user.

[0058] The outer cover 30 may be made out of any suitable material such as silk, cotton, satin or any other material that provides the requisite comfort to the user, and is pliable and resilient enough to deform to, be removed from and reapplied to the shape of the compliant pillow member 10 and pillow support 16.

[0059] In another embodiment of the outer cover 30, a second envelope flap defines a further reduced volume in which the compliant pillow member 10 may be accommodated. This second envelope flap runs perpendicularly along the inside wall of outer cover 30, although the angle and position of further envelope flaps could be employed depending upon the dimensions and shape of the desired pillow. More than one of these envelope flaps may be used in conjunction with one another, for example the first envelope flap and the second envelope flap may be used simultaneously to limit the volume available to the compliant pillow member 10 both in length and width. It should be appreciated that outer cover 30 may comprise any number of envelope flaps in any number of combinations, such that the user may tailor the volume of the compliant pillow to their preference and required level of support. The rectangular shape of the pillow shown in the figures is not intended as a limitation to a rectangular pillow, and the skilled reader will understand that envelope flaps may be employed in a range of configurations suited to many pillow shapes, such as circular or generally rounded, triangular, irregular, polygonal or other.

[0060] It will be understood that the above examples and embodiments are provided for the purposes of illustration and explanation and that the invention is not limited to such examples and embodiments. The invention may be carried out in any number of alternative ways that are not explicitly described here but that nonetheless embody the inventive concept of the invention. For example, the invention may comprise a flat upper side 22 to support the compliant pillow 10 whilst the underside 24 exhibits and convex curvature. The pillow support 16 may exhibit a convex underside 24 and a convex upper side 22. The pillow support 16 may be padded on the upper side 24 to negate the need for a compliant pillow 10. The base member 28 may also comprise a convex under side such that a larger range of possible movement is provided to the user. The base member 28 may comprise a concave under side to improve the matching between the base member 28 and the bed structure. The base member 28 and the pillow support 16 may comprise surface ridges and/or suction pads and/or Velcro and/or matching surfaces to improve the matching between the either the base member 28 and the bed structure or the pillow support 16 and the compliant pillow 10. The pillow structure may comprise more than one joint 26 and/or more than one base member 28 and/or more than one pillow support 16 such that a composite pillow support is provided. The pillow support may comprise one pillow support 16, more than one base member 28 and more than one joint 26. The pillow support may comprise one base member 28, more than one joint 26 and more than one pillow support 16. The pillow support may comprise at least one pillow support that does not utilise a base member 28 and joint 26 and at least one further pillow support 16 that does utilise a base member 28 and joint 26.