Patent Publication Number: US-6219865-B1

Title: Head support

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/127,800 filed Apr. 2, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure relates in a general way to the use of pillows and pads for supporting the head in an erect position while the wearer is in an upright, erect sitting position. But more particularly the disclosure relates to a novel head support that is designed to be positioned around the neck and under the jaw and chin of the head. Such a structure worn around the neck and resting upon the chest of the wearer and positioned directly under the chin and lower jaw can comfortably support the head and allow the wearer to relax her neck and shoulder muscles while supporting the head in an erect alignment with the rest of the body. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     There is no shortage of relevant prior art in the patent literature. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,081, which issued to Price on Aug. 25, 1981, describes a device to facilitate the recumbency of the head and neck by providing gentle pressure on or near the general vicinity of the mastoid processes of the head. Then there is a series of design patents including Des. 348,174; Des. 316,7893; and Des. 363,631; all of which appear to support the head by supporting the base or rear of the skull while the wearer is seated in a reclining position. But, notwithstanding all the pads, pillows and supports that have been disclosed, there remains a need for a head support that is designed to maintain the head comfortably in an erect position while the wearer assumes an upright, seated position. This need is addressed and met by the head support described herein and which can be fairly characterized as follows: 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed herein is a head support to be worn below the head, under the jaw and chin, and around the neck, said support comprising: a padded wedge to be positioned between the wearer&#39;s lower jaw and clavicles and having a fastening means attached to said wedge for maintaining said wedge in said position thus orienting the wearer&#39;s head in a generally erect alignment while the wearer is seated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of the disclosed head support in use. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the disclosed head support in partial section to show the composition of the interior of the head support. 
     FIG. 3 is a raised perspective view of the head support. 
     FIG. 4 is an elevated perspective view of the head support in use and in cross section to demonstrate the resilient nature of the support. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The head support disclosed and described herein can be best described by reference to the drawing. FIG. 1 is a depiction of the disclosed head support in use. It is clear that when used as intended, the head support  10  encircles the neck of the wearer and abuts the chin and lower jaw to support the head and maintain it in a generally erect position. In FIG. 2, it is apparent that the head support includes a collar  12  for encircling the neck. The collar is formed by the lower jaw support area  20  and the collar straps  14 . The collar straps complete the encircling of the neck and provide a fastening means  16  for securing the head support  10  to the wearer so that it fits snugly, yet comfortably, and won&#39;t fall off if the wearer inadvertently alters her position or stretches her neck to improve circulation or comfort. Preferably, the collar straps  14  are radically tapered as they extend from the front to the back of the head. It is also envisioned that the straps  14  be more thinly padded than the larger wedge portion of the support  10 . Clearly, while the straps  14  are intended primarily to hold the support in place around the neck of the wearer, it is also important that they be unobtrusive so that they not interfere with and remain out of the way of the rollers and rods that are frequently used by stylists in the coiffuring process. And it is the comfort and convenience of the salon client that the design of the disclosed support is intended to address primarily because, clearly, it is the patron of the coiffuring salons who will benefit the most from the use of the disclosed support  10 . 
     Also in FIG. 2, a partial section of the rest  10  has been removed to illustrate the foam-like composition of the support. This is further illustrated in FIG. 4 where the weight of the head can be seen causing the lower jaw support area  20  of the support to compress slightly. In a preferred embodiment, it is envisioned that the head support  10  will be made from an open-celled foam and covered or enveloped with a cloth or fabric material. The cloth covering would be removable to facilitate laundering and would ideally provide enhanced comfort to the wearer because it would not become as hot if, for instance, the wearer were to spend a prolonged period of time exposed to the heat of a hair dryer. The advantage of the foam construction, of course, is that it would be resilient and conformable, to a large extent, to the jaw and chin line of the wearer; and, at the same time, structurally supportive, should the wearer should fall asleep and place the full weight of her head on the upper surface of the wedge portion of the support  10 . 
     In use, the rest  10  will be positioned so that the collar  12  encircles the neck of the wearer and is secured at the back of the neck by the fastening means  16 . Typically, the fastening means can be pieces of Velcro hook and loop fastener attached to the inner and outer sides of the collar straps  14 . Once the collar straps  14  are secure, the support  10  can be manually adjusted to assure a comfortable fit between the lower jaw and chin of the wearer and the lower jaw support area  20  of the support  10 . It should also be noticed that the support, if positioned properly, will be necessarily large enough to hold the head in an erect orientation but not too large to cause the head to tilt toward the back. 
     While the foregoing is a complete and detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosed head support, numerous variations and modifications may be employed to implement the all-important purpose of the support without departing from the spirit of this invention; and, therefore, the elaboration provided should not be assumed to limit, in any way, the scope of the invention, which is fairly defined by the appended claims.