SUPPORTING CUSHION

Abstract: The present invention relates to a supporting cushion for comforting support of body parts, said cushion having a supporting area comprising a friction area, wherein the friction area is adapted to provide a frictional engagement with a supporting body part, when the cushion is supporting another body part. The cushion is preferably provided with two cushion parts provided for making contact with two opposite sides of the supporting body part. The cushion is preferably made of two layers of web material welded together, the cushion being designed for being inflatable.

Description: SUPPORTING CUSHION The invention relates to a novel supporting cushion for comforting support of body parts, in particular the head. Background Various cushions for comforting support of body parts are known. For comforting support of the head of a person resting in an upright position, round or elongated pillows are known. However when sitting in an upright position trying to rest and/or sleep most people experience that the pillow does not give a satisfactory support. One reason is that the pillow does not stay in place but will roll or slide away from the head or neck whereby the comfort diminishes or even totally vanishes. Description of the invention The present invention relates to a novel supporting cushion for comforting support of body parts, in particular of the head, when the person in question is resting in an upright position, wherein the cushion has a supporting area comprising a friction area, wherein the friction area is adapted to provide a frictionally engagement with a supporting body part, such as a shoulder, when the cushion is supporting another body part. The friction may be ensured by producing the cushion of a material exhibiting a fric- tional engagement with material normally used for clothes. However, in one embodiment of the invention the friction area is a friction increasing area as compared to the surrounding area of the cushion, said friction increasing area being provided with a friction increasing layer. By the term "friction increasing" is meant an area or a layer having increased f ctional engagement with clothes material than the rest of the cushion. Thereby, the choice of the material used for the cushion itself is free, and may be any material suitable for cushions, in that it may not necessarily exhibit a frictional engagement with clothes. The frictional engagement is ensured by the friction increasing area. By the term "the supporting area" is meant the area of the cushion that is abutting on a supporting body part, such as a shoulder. Thereby the cushion may be placed between the head of the person in question and his shoulder. The friction area of the cushion ensures that the cushion stays in place when the head is resting on the cushion. Though the supporting body part often will be a shoulder supporting the head, the cushion may be used for comforting other body parts. The friction increasing area is obtained by providing a friction increasing layer on a part of the supporting area. The friction increasing area must be large enough to provide a proper frictional engagement with the other body part, whereby the cushion stays in place. The friction increasing area is preferably at least corresponding to 25 % of the supporting area, more preferably at least 50 %. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention the friction increasing area constitutes the supporting area. The material for the friction increasing layer may be any material that provides a frictional engagement against fabric, leather and other material suitable for clothes. Accordingly, the layer may be selected from a group of materials consisting of a silicone-based layer, an adhesive layer, a leather layer, or a fibre layer. In a preferred embodiment the cushion further has two cushion parts adjacent the friction increasing area, wherein said two cushion parts are making contact with opposite sides of the supporting body part. Thus, the cushion is not only abutting on the supporting body part, but also embraces the supporting body part whereby the frictional engagement is enhanced. The cushion according to the invention may be made by several different techniques, however in a preferred embodiment the cushion is made at least partially of two layers of web material welded together. More preferred the whole cushion is made of two layers of web material welded together. Thereby, the welded seam may define the final shape of the cushion, including the two cushion parts to make contact with opposite sides of the supporting body part. As an example, this may be achieved by forming the cushion so as to obtain a concave welded edge in the supporting area. In order to enhance the frictional engagement of the cushion against the supporting body part the cushion according to the invention may be provided with a fin-like projection that projects from the concave edge. The fin-like projection is preferably shaped in a manner so that the cushion exerts a squeezing effect on the opposite sides of the supporting body part in use when a pressure is exerted on the side of the cushion opposite the supporting area. Preferably the fin-like projection is formed like a leaf, such as a willow leaf. When the cushion is provided with a fin-like projection the friction increasing layer may be mounted on the fin-like projection only, or in combination with a friction increasing layer on the cushion itself. The fin-like projection may be composed of the same layers of web material as the cushion itself, whereby it is possible to construct the projection in the same work flow as the cushion, or it may be formed of a single layer of material, optionally attached after production of the cushion. The cushion may be filled with any resilient material that is able to transfer the pres- sure exerted on the cushion to the supporting area, in order to enhance the frictional engagement. In a preferred embodiment the cushion is formed as an air-tight compartment further having a valve for releasably filling the cushion with air. The cushion material used in the present invention may be any kind of material suitable for cushions, such as a polymeric film, a plastic material, or a textile material, the material preferably being soft with a pleasant feeling when in contact with the skin. Preferably, the cushions are made of two layers of web material, suitable for being welded by heat-bonding, ultra sound and/or high frequency welding. The web material may furthermore be suitable as walls in air chambers, i.e. the material is substantially or totally airtight. To enhance the comfort the cushion may be provided with a concavity opposite the supporting area. The concavity may be formed so as to fit into the cheek or chin of a person. In a more preferred embodiment the concavity is provided with a fin-like projection adapted to cover the edge or seam of the cushion, whereby the edge or seam cannot make any impressions to the person resting on the cushion. Drawings The invention is explained in detail below referring to the preferred embodiment and the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a supporting cushion according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the cushion seen from the supporting area, the cushion having a finlike projection. Fig. 3 is a view as in Fig. 2 wherein the projection is double-layered. Detailed description of the invention In Fig. 1 the cushion according to the invention is generally referred to as 1. Adja- cent to supporting area 2 are two cushion parts 3' and 3" adapted to make contact with opposite sides of the supporting body part. The cushion 1 is preferably made of two layers of web material welded together, wherein the welded edge is shown as 4. In one embodiment the welded edge 4 is concave as shown in Fig. 1 , improving the the supporting effect of the cushion in that the frictional engagement is increased. In Fig. 1 the concave welded edge 4 is provided with a fin-like projection 5. Furthermore, still according to Fig. 1 , the cushion is provided with a concavity 6 opposite the supporting area 2, said concavity 6 being provided with a fin-like projec- tion 7 for increasing the cushion comfort. The fin-like projection 5 is shown in greater detail in Fig. 2. As may be seen from Fig. 1 as well as Fig. 2 the fin-like projection 5 is attached to the supporting part 2 of the cushion as well as the two parts 3' and 3" adjacent the supporting parts. Thereby a pressure exerted on a part of the cushion opposite the supporting area will be transferred to the supporting area 2 and the fin-like projection 5. The attachment of the fin-like projection 5 ensures that the two parts 3' and 3" adjacent the supporting area 2 are pulled towards each other exhibiting a squeezing effect on the supporting body part. In Fig. 3 the fin-like projection 5 is double-layered as the rest of the cushion 1 providing two fins 5' and 5". A friction increasing layer 7 is provided on fin 5" as indicated with the shading of Fig. 3. The friction increasing layer 7 may be located on both sides of the fin 5", or on both fins 5' and 5", as well as extending to the cushion 1 itself. The above is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and the person skilled in the art will be able to foresee other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is defined by the attached claims.

Claims: C L A I M S: 1. A supporting cushion for comforting support of body parts, having a supporting area comprising a friction area, wherein the friction area is adapted to provide a f ctionally engagement with a supporting body part, when the cushion is supporting another body part. 2. A supporting cushion according to claim 1 , wherein the friction area is a friction increasing area as compared to the surrounding area of the cushion, said friction increasing area being provided with a friction increasing layer. 3. The supporting cushion according to claims 1 or 2, further having two cushion parts adjacent the friction area, wherein said two cushion parts are making contact with opposite sides of the supporting body part. 4. The supporting cushion according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cushion at least partially is made of two layers of web material welded together. 5. The supporting cushion according to claim 4, having a concave welded edge in the supporting area. 6. The supporting cushion according to claim 5, wherein the concave edge is provided with a fin-like projection from the concave edge. 7. The supporting cushion according to claim 6, wherein the friction increasing layer is located on the fin-like projection. 8. The supporting cushion according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the fin-like projection is such shaped, that the cushion exerts a squeezing effect on the opposite sides of the supporting body part in use. 9. The supporting cushion according to any of the preceding claims, which is formed as an air-tight compartment further having a valve for releasably filling the cushion with air. lO.The supporting cushion according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the friction increasing layer is made as a silicone-based layer, an adhesive layer, a leather layer, or a fibre layer. 1 1. The supporting cushion according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the parts of the cushion is made of a material selected from a polymeric film, a plastic material, and a textile material. 12. The supporting cushion according to any of the preceding claims, having a con- cavity opposite the supporting area. 13. The supporting cushion according to claim 12, wherein the concavity is provided with a fin-like projection.

Inventors: NOLDUS-NIELSEN MORTEN, NOLDUS-NIELSEN, MORTEN
Applicants: DANESTYLE LEISURE ACCESSORIES, NOLDUS NILSEN MORTEN, DANESTYLE LEISURE ACCESSORIES A/S, NOLDUS-NIELSEN, MORTEN
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A47G9
IPC codes: A47C16