Abstract:
A reconfigurable support pillow system is disclosed. The system includes a base pillow, a first accessory pillow, and a second accessory pillow. The accessory pillows are removable, with the first accessory pillow being configured to connect to the second accessory pillow to form a nursing pillow that supports an infant. The system may be utilized as a prenatal pillow, comfortably supporting an expectant mother, or may be utilized as a postnatal pillow, supporting a nursing mother and/or her infant.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed toward a reconfigurable support and, in particular, to a pillow including a primary pillow and secondary pillows coupled to the primary pillow, as well as a method of forming the pillows. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous types of pillows have been proposed for supporting either a child or an adult, but seldom both. Most pillow designs concentrate on supporting one specific area of the human body and are shape-limited (not allowing for the same pillow to be used in a variety of positions). These designs, moreover, fail to accommodate people of different sizes and shapes using the same pillow in many diverse positions. In addition, these pillows lack the ability to be reconfigured to provide varying degrees of support to differing users. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A reconfigurable support pillow system is disclosed. The system includes a base pillow, a first accessory pillow releasably coupled to a first portion of the base pillow, and a second accessory pillow releasably coupled to a second portion of the base pillow. The first accessory pillow connects to the second accessory pillow to form a nursing pillow operable to support an infant. The system may be utilized as a prenatal pillow, comfortably supporting an expectant mother, or may be utilized as a postnatal pillow, supporting a nursing mother and/or her infant. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a reconfigurable support pillow system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  an isolated, perspective view of a base pillow in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates the base pillow of  FIG. 2  shown in a first folded configuration. 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates the base pillow of  FIG. 2  shown in a second folded configuration. 
         FIG. 4A  is a front, isolated view of the first and second accessory pillows of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a side view of one of the accessory pillows of  FIG. 4A  taken along line  4 B- 4 B of  FIG. 4A . 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate plan views of the accessory pillows of  FIG. 4A  coupled to one another in various configurations. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exploded view of the reconfigurable support pillow system shown in  FIG. 1 , showing the connection of the accessory pillows to the base pillow. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the reconfigurable pillow system of  FIG. 1 , showing a mode of use in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the reconfigurable pillow system of  FIG. 1 , showing a mode of use in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates the accessory pillows of  FIG. 4A , showing a first mode of use for the accessory pillows in accordance with an embodiment of the invention 
         FIG. 10  illustrates the accessory pillows of  FIG. 4A , showing a second mode of use for the accessory pillows in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the reconfigurable support pillow system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the reconfigurable support pillow  10  may include a base or body pillow  100 , a first accessory or head pillow  110 , and a second accessory or head pillow  120 . The body pillow  100  includes a first body portion  130  connected to a second body portion  140  via a bridge portion  150 . The body portions  130 ,  140  and the bridge portion  150  define a well  160  capable of receiving at least a portion of a user. The body pillow  100  and the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be formed from soft, supple natural or synthetic material such as cotton, polyester, or mixtures thereof. The pillows  100 ,  110 ,  120 , moreover, may be filled with batting material (e.g., polyester fiber), or may be filled with other materials such as feathers or viscoelastic material (e.g., viscoelastic foam). 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the body pillow  100  shown in isolation. Each body portion  130 ,  140  includes a head section  210 , a center or and intermediate section  220 , and a foot section  230 . The head section  210  may be contoured to support the head/torso of a user. Similarly, the foot section  230  may be contoured to support the legs/knees of a user. As illustrated in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , each of the head section  210  and the foot section  230  defines enlarged pillow areas, being wider than the intermediate section  220  of the body portions  130 ,  140 . 
     The shape of the body pillow  100  may be configured to support a user while in seated, supine, or side-lying positions. For example, the body portions  130 ,  140  may be contoured as mirror images of each other and/or possess a shape similar to that of a butterfly wing. Specifically, the head section  210  may be contoured as the forewing portion of a butterfly wing, and the foot section  230  may be contoured as the hindwing portion of a butterfly wing. This shape creates a body pillow  100  that provides additional support in key user areas (the user&#39;s head and feet), while enabling the reconfiguration of the body pillow  100  via folding along both the bridge portion  150  and the intermediate section  220  (explained in greater detail below). 
     The height (thickness) of the body pillow  100  may remain generally consistent; alternatively, the height may vary in a predetermined manner between the various portions and sections of the pillow. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the body pillow  100  is reconfigurable into a variety of pillow configurations. Specifically, the body pillow  100  may be folded either along the bridge  150  or along the intermediate section  220 . Referring to  FIG. 3A , the first body portion  130  may be folded on top of the second body portion  140  (or vice versa) to increase the height of the body pillow  100 , providing additional support for a user. Similarly, the body pillow  100  may be folded along the intermediate section  220  such that the foot section  230  of each body portion  130 ,  140  is folded onto its corresponding head section  210 , or vice versa (seen in  FIG. 3B ). To this end, the density of the fill material in the areas of the intermediate section  220  and/or the bridge  150  may be less than that of the head section  210  and the foot section  230  to help permit the folding of body pillow  100  in the above-mention configurations. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the first accessory pillow  110  may be removably coupled to the head section  210  of the first body portion  130 . Similarly, the second accessory pillow  120  may be removably coupled to the head section  210  of the second body portion  140 .  FIG. 4A  is a front view of the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  in isolation. As shown, each accessory pillow  110 ,  120  may possess a substantially tear-drop or bean shape with a generally pointed or narrow end  410  (see  FIG. 5A ) and a generally rounded or wide end  420 . The accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may further include one or more connection members  430  to couple the accessory pillows to the body pillow  100 , as well as to each other (discussed in greater detail below). The connection members  430  are not particularly limited. By way of example, the connection members  430  may include, but are not limited to, straps (as illustrated), buttons, snaps, ties, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc. 
     The height of the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be generally consistent; alternatively, the height may vary.  FIG. 4B  illustrates a side view of an accessory pillow  110 ,  120  of  FIG. 4A  (taken along line  4 B- 4 B of  FIG. 4A ). In the embodiment illustrated, the height of the pillow tapers upward traveling from the generally pointed end  410  to the generally rounded end  420 , providing a highly contoured head support when connected to the body pillow  100 . Each accessory pillow  110 ,  120 , moreover, includes a first or front side A and a second or rear side B, as well as may include a pocket  440  operable to securely store a connection member  430  when not in use. 
     The accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be oriented in a plurality of configurations.  FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate the accessory pillows of  FIG. 4A  coupled in various support configurations. By way of example, the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be coupled to each other via connection members  430  at two points of contact. In  FIG. 5A , the first accessory pillow  110  is coupled to the second accessory pillow  120  such that the generally pointed end  410  of the first accessory pillow  110  is fastened to the generally pointed  410  of the second accessory pillow  120 , while the generally rounded end  420  of the first accessory pillow  110  is fastened to the generally rounded end  410  of the second accessory pillow  120 . This creates a pillow support having a generally O-shaped configuration that defines an enclosed, generally oval well  500 . 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the generally pointed end  410  of the first accessory pillow  110  may be fastened to the generally rounded end  420  of the second accessory pillow  120 . Conversely, the generally rounded end  420  of the first accessory pillow  110  may be fastened to the generally pointed end  410  of the second accessory pillow  120 . This creates a pillow support having a generally closed, smaller, well. 
     The accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may also be coupled to each other via connection members  430  along only one contact. Referring to  FIG. 5C , the generally pointed end  410  of the first accessory pillow  110  may overlap and/or be fastened to the generally pointed end  410  of the second accessory pillow  120  to create a generally U-shaped structure including a first arm  510 , a medial portion  520 , and a second arm  530 . The pillows  110 ,  120  define an open well  540  operable to receive at least a portion of a user (e.g., it may wrap partially or completely around a user&#39;s waist). This functions as a traditional nursing pillow, in which the user is oriented in the well  540 , and the pillows  110 ,  120  being placed on the user&#39;s lap. 
     The connection members  430  on the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  further enable the releasable connection of the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  to the body pillow  100 .  FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the body pillow  100  and accessory pillows  110 ,  120  of  FIG. 1 . As shown, the body pillow  100  includes connection members  610  oriented in positions complementary to the connection members  430  of the accessory pillows  110 ,  120 . As a result, a user can selectively connect the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  to (or disconnect from) the body pillow  100  by engaging (or disengaging) the connection members  430 ,  610 . 
     The operation of the support pillow system is explained with reference to  FIGS. 7-10 . The system  10  may begin in a first configuration, wherein the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  are mounted onto the body pillow  100 , and the body portions  130 ,  140  are disposed flat on a supporting surface (e.g., a floor, a bed, etc.). As shown, a user may lay on her side, setting her head on the either the bridge  150  or on an accessory pillow  110 ,  120  ( FIG. 7 ), optionally positioning her body within the body pillow well  160 . Alternatively, the body pillow  100  may be reconfigured into a stacked configuration ( FIG. 8 ), folding the body pillow  100  along the bridge portion  150  such that the first body portion  130  is positioned on the second body portion  140 . The user again sets her head on an accessory pillow  110 ,  120 , optionally straddling the one or both of the stacked body portions  130 ,  140 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be removed from the body pillow  100  and connected along a single point of attachment as described above (see  FIG. 5C ). The user may set the connected accessory pillows  110 ,  120  in her lap, positioning herself within the open well  540  and supporting an infant on the connected pillows  110 ,  120 . Finally, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the removed accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be coupled along two points of attachment as described above (see  FIGS. 5A and 5B ), with an infant positioned within the enclosed well  500 . 
     As should be understood, other configurations of the support pillow system  10  are possible simply by selectively connecting the accessory pillows  110 ,  120  to the body pillow  100  and/or selectively folding the body pillow  100 . 
     While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the body pillow  100  and accessory pillows  110 ,  120  can be of any size and shape, and may be formed from any suitable materials. The body pillow  100  and accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may be made of the same or of different materials. For example, the body  100  and accessory pillows  110  may be formed from cotton material, polyester or any other suitable, flexible and/or washable material. The filler material may include down, feathers, polyester fiber (fiberfill) or other natural or synthetic filler material. The interior of the body  100  and/or accessory pillows  110 ,  120  may possess a segmented cavity, including a plurality of cells that may be filled with filler material at various amounts of fill density. The exterior of the body and/or accessory pillows may include handles, external pockets, or connection points for toys, etc. The body pillow  100  may further include additional padding (e.g., additional fill material, gel packs, hot/cold packs, etc.) situated within selected areas of the user. For example, additional padding may be disposed in areas corresponding to the head, belly, knees, and legs of a user. 
     Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is to be understood that terms such as “left”, “right” “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, “height”, “length”, “width”, “upper”, “lower”, “interior”, “exterior”, “inner”, “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration.