Patent Publication Number: US-2012023676-A1

Title: Orthopedic pillow having oblong central aperture

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates, generally, to orthopedic pillow and, more particularly to pillows designed to maintain proper alignment of the spine and thereby helping to prevent hyperkyphosis whether one is a back sleeper, a side sleeper, or a stomach sleeper. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In western nations, when a person sleeps on his or her back, a pillow is almost always used to cushion the head. With such an arrangement, the person&#39;s head is generally elevated above the level of the mattress, with the spine assuming an unnatural forward curvature near the neck. It has been postulated that this sleeping posture, though relatively comfortable, may contribute to the development of hyperkyphosis. Hyperkyphosis of the dorsal curve usually starts with the loss of the cervical curve, that is, a flattening out or a reversal in shape of the cervical spine, a condition that existing orthopedic pillows attempt to avert or correct. 
     Hyperkyphosis of the dorsal curve usually starts with the loss of the cervical curve, that is, a flattening out or a reversal in shape of the cervical spine, a condition that existing orthopedic pillows try to correct. Loss of the cervical curve causes the remaining three interconnecting curves of the spinal column to adjust to maintain the body&#39;s center of gravity. Therefore, the hyperkyphotic curve of the dorsal spine, which is next to the cervical curve, also must be corrected to correct hyperkyphosis. If the hyperkyphotic curve is not corrected, but the cervical curve is corrected, a gooseneck type of cervical curve is developed rather than the normal 35-45 degree curves of both the cervical and thoracic spines. 
     A number of orthopedic pillows have been developed for the purpose of maintaining proper alignment of the spine while one is sleeping on his or her back. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,518 to John D. Summer discloses a rectangular orthopedic pillow with a unitary body filled with feathers, foam or other resilient material that has a deep, generally hemispherical depression or aperture, which receives the back of the head. The aperture is eccentrically positioned in the body to provide different width borders between the edge of the body and the aperture in order to accommodate different neck lengths. It is the border that supports the neck. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,246, also to John D. Summer, discloses a circular orthopedic pillow with a unitary body of foam or other resilient material having a deep, generally hemispherical depression or aperture, offset from the center of the body, which receives the back of the head. The offset aperture provides a border around the aperture, for support of the back of the neck, of varying width to accommodate different neck lengths. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,281 to Dixie I. Mathews, discloses a toroidal foam rubber cushion which can be used to support the head of an infant. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,831 to Harry T. Treace, discloses an orthopedic head support formed from a flexible open ell foam material that includes a base portion for resting on a support surface, and a pair of pads fixedly mounted on the base portion. The base and pads form a cradle for support of the head. An upper minor portion of the pads and the base, which are in contact with the head, are provided with a soft open cell foam material. 
     U.S. Design Pat. No. D261,681 discloses a generally rectangular orthopedic pillow having a circular aperture therein which is offset from the center thereof. 
     U.S. Design Pat. No. D256,728 discloses a reversible orthopedic pillow having a cutout for ear and eye relief areas. 
     All of these pillows are either expressly identified or obviously intended for either back or side sleepers. Not one is intended for those with variable sleep habits. Certain individuals like to alternate between sleeping on their backs, sleeping on one side or the other, or sleeping on their stomachs. What is needed is a pillow that will accommodate back sleepers, side sleepers and stomach sleepers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved orthopedic head pillow which enables the user to comfortably sleep on his or her back, on either side, or on his or her stomach while maintaining correct spinal alignment. A preferred embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow has a resilient body of generally rectangular shape body with standard “queen-size” dimensions of 48 cm (about 18 inches)×76 cm (about 30 inches) and is made of conventional materials, including a cloth cover. A generally rectangular central aperture having filleted corners is sewn into the cover, preferably using internal seaming. The cover is subsequently partially seamed on the outer edges, stuffed with a resilient fiber fill and then fully seamed on the outer edges. Given its standard perimetric dimensions, the pillow can be covered with a standard pillow cover. For adults, the presently preferred size of the capsule-shaped central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 15 cm (about 6 inches), with the aperture&#39;s longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill. 
     The central aperture accommodates a variety of sleeping positions. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the edges of the aperture yet positioned at mattress level, and the sleeper can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion of the pillow to the side of the aperture, with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope adjacent the aperture in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level. Given the inherent flexibility of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is top or bottom plan view of a first embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow having a generally rectangular central aperture with filleted corners; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the orthopedic pillow of  FIG. 1 , from a view point along an intersection of two planes of symmetry, one of which is a lateral axis of symmetry, the other passing between the opposed faces of the orthopedic pillow; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the orthopedic pillow of  FIG. 1 , taken through plane  3 - 3 , which is the longitudinal plane of symmetry; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the orthopedic pillow of  FIG. 1 , taken through plane  4 - 4 , which is the lateral plane of symmetry; and 
         FIG. 5  is a second embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow having a capsule-shaped central aperture. 
     
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing  FIGS. 1 through 3 . It should be understood that the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and are meant to be merely illustrative of the invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow  100  uses conventional materials, including a cloth cover  101 . A generally rectangular central aperture  102  having filleted corners is sewn into the cover  101 , preferably using internal seaming. The cover  101  is subsequently partially seamed on the outer edges, stuffed with a resilient fiber fill and then fully seamed on the outer edges. The cover  100  of the first embodiment improved orthopedic head pillow is of generally rectangular shape body with standard “queen-size” dimensions of 48 cm (about 18 inches)×76 cm (about 30 inches). Given its standard perimetric dimensions, the pillow can be covered with a standard pillow cover. For adults, the presently preferred size of the generally rectangular central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 15 cm (about 6 inches), with the aperture&#39;s longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers, including memory fiber, of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cover  101  of the orthopedic head pillow  100  includes a top panel  201 T, a bottom panel  201 B, a outer perimetric band  202  that bridges the gap between the top and bottom panels  201 T and  201 B and is sewn to both. A length of upper beaded seam binding  103 U is sewn into the seam between the top panel  201 T and the outer perimetric band  202 , while a length of lower beaded seam binding  103 L is sewn into the seam between the bottom panel  201 B and the outer perimetric band  202 . The upper seam  104 U which unites the top panel  201 T, the outer perimetric band  202  and the upper beaded seam binding is visible in  FIG. 1 . An inner perimetric band  105  surrounds the aperture  102  and is seamed to both the top panel  201 T and the bottom panel  201 B. The upper seam  106  is visible in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the polyester fiber fill  201  within cloth sleeve  101  is visible in this longitudinal cross-section view. The internal seaming  202  around the central aperture  102  is also visible, as are the external end seams  103 L and  103 R. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the polyester fiber fill  201  is also visible in this lateral cross-section view. Also visible is the single internal seam  301  used to make the cloth sleeve  101 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 , and  3 , the central aperture  102  has the shape of a capsule, taken in a top or bottom plan view, with the aperture being shaped, essentially, like a rectangle with semicircular ends. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the pillow body regions  107 L,  107 R,  107 T and  107 B around the perimeter of the aperture  102 , yet positioned at mattress level because the pillow is deformed by the weight of the user&#39;s head. The user can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion  108 L or  108 R of the pillow to the side of the aperture  102 , with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope  303 L or  303 R, which are adjacent the aperture, in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level because the pillow body deforms under the weight of the user&#39;s head. Given the inherent adaptability of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a second embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow  500  is identical to the first embodiment orthopedic pillow  100 , with the exception that the cover  501  has a central aperture that is capsule shaped, rather than rectangular with filleted corners. A capsule shaped aperture is defined as a rectangle with the minor opposed sides replaced with semicircles in a concave configuration. the presently preferred size of the generally rectangular central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 17.75 cm (about 7 inches), with the aperture&#39;s longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers, including memory fiber, of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill. The views of  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  also apply to the second embodiment pillow  500 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the length of upper beaded seam binding  503 U and the upper seam  504 U are identical to the seam binding  103 U and the upper seam  104 U of  FIG. 1 . The inner perimetric band  505  surrounds the aperture  502  and is seamed to both the top and bottom panels (the top panel is not numbered and the bottom panel is not shown in this view). The upper seam  506  is visible in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the central aperture  502  has the shape of a capsule, taken in a top or bottom plan view, with the aperture being shaped, essentially, like a rectangle with semicircular ends. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the pillow body regions  507 L,  507 R,  507 T and  507 B around the perimeter of the aperture  502 , yet positioned at mattress level because the pillow is deformed by the weight of the user&#39;s head. The user can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion  508 L or  508 R of the pillow to the side of the aperture  502 , with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope  303 L or  303 R, which are adjacent the aperture, in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level because the pillow body deforms under the weight of the user&#39;s head. Given the inherent adaptability of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers. 
     Although only a single embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow has been disclosed and described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.