Patent Publication Number: US-2013230685-A1

Title: Cushion device with gel center

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to cushions and more particularly to pillows. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Individuals with medical conditions sometimes require specialized cushions for resting or sleeping. For example, someone with a head injury or requiring a cerebral shunt/medical device to drain excess fluid from the brain may be limited in how they can rest their heads on pillows due to the pressure of the pillow against the injury or shunt/medical device. 
     One way to compensate for the extra pressure caused by a firm pillow would be to use a less firm pillow. However, this might not provide enough support for the individual&#39;s head in order to provide a comfortable night&#39;s sleep. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cushion that enables an individual with a head injury or other medical condition to rest their heads without causing undue stress. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention encompasses a cushion with varying areas of firmness. A center area is filled with a gel-type material or liquid. An outer area circumferentially surrounds the center area and is filled with a beaded material and, in one embodiment, additionally filled with a gel-type material or liquid. A bi-directional valve is coupled to the outer area and configured to add or remove air from the outer area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a top view of one embodiment of a cushion with a gel center. 
         FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the cushion with the gel center. 
         FIG. 3  shows an inflation/deflation device in accordance with the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a cushion (i.e., a pillow). The cushion comprises a center area  101  that is circumferentially encircled by an outer area  102 . A two-way valve  103  can be used to inflate/deflate the outer area  102 . 
     The center area  101  can be filled with a gel, a gel-type material, or a liquid. The gel-type material or liquid can comprise a silicone gel or some other type of gel material. The liquid might be a highly viscous liquid that provides the same properties as the gel. 
     The outer area  102  is filled with a beaded material or pellets. In addition to the beads, the outer area  102  can contain a gel, a gel-type material, or a liquid that is mixed in with the beads/pellets. The beads can be polypropylene resin beads, polystyrene beads, foam, or some other beaded material. The gel-type material or liquid that can be added to the beads can be the same gel used in the center area  101  or a different type of gel. 
     Both the center area  101  and the outer area  102  are individually enclosed in order to keep their respective filling materials separated. The coverings can be any type of material that is appropriate for containing the different areas respective filling materials. For example, rubber, synthetic rubber, vinyl, spandex, or some other synthetic material would contain a liquid or gel-type material. A cotton or linen material would contain beads if the gel-type material was not also used in this area. However, the present invention is not limited to any one type of covering material. Additionally, the entire cushion can be covered with a natural material, such as cotton or linen, that is more comfortable when in contact with an individual&#39;s skin. 
     In one embodiment, the outer area  102  includes a perforated second layer of material  200  within the outer covering. The perforated inner covering  200 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , allows the gel or liquid mixed in with the beads to slowly flow through during expansion and contraction of the outer area  102  while being inflated/deflated, as described subsequently. 
     In one embodiment, the center area  101  is permanently affixed to the center of the outer area  102 . In an alternate embodiment, the center area  101  is removable such that it can slide into or out of the center of the outer area  102  and be held in place temporarily by friction or some attachment device (e.g., hook and loop fastener). The alternate embodiment would allow an individual to replace and/or change the different areas of the cushion as necessary depending on a changing medical condition. In another embodiment, the center area  101  might be removed completely to leave just the outer area  102 . 
     A bi-directional valve  103  is coupled to the outer area  102 . The valve  103  enables inflation and deflation of the outer area  102  in order to change the firmness of this area  102 . Since the outer area  102  comprises a beaded-material, the valve  103  could include a screen or filter device that allows only air out of the outer area  103  and prevents the beaded material and gel, if present, from exiting. In one embodiment, an inflation/deflation device can be connected to the valve to add or remove air from the outer area  102 . Such an inflation/deflation device is illustrated in  FIG. 3  and discussed subsequently. In one embodiment, the inflation/deflation device would comprise the screen or filter device to prevent the beaded material and gel, if present, from exiting the outer area. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the bi-directional valve enables self-inflating and self-deflating of the outer area  102  by opening the valve. For example, in order to reduce the amount of air in the outer area  102 , one would open the valve and apply pressure on the outer area  102  to push the air out of the valve then close the valve prior to releasing the pressure on the outer area  102 . To re-inflate the outer area  102 , the valve could be opened and, based on the type of material in the outer area  102 , air would naturally be drawn back into the outer area  102 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cushion of  FIG. 1 . This view shows the center area  101  that is surrounded only on the sides by the outer area  102 . The bi-directional valve  103  then connects to the outer area  102 . By surrounding the center area  101  only circumferentially by the outer area  102 , an individual&#39;s head can come into contact with both areas  101 ,  102  as necessary, depending on the location of the head injury and/or medical device. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates one embodiment of an inflation/deflation device in accordance with the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The inflation/deflation device can be used to add or remove air from the outer area  102  of the cushion. By connecting a first connector  301  of the device to the bi-directional valve of the cushion, air can be added to the outer area by applying pressure to the center region  303 . In order to remove air from the outer area  102 , a second connector  302  of the inflation/deflation device is connected to the bi-directional valve of the cushion. Connecting the second connector  302  to the bi-directional valve permits both the removal of air and throttling of the rate of air removal by applying pressure to the center region  303  of the inflation/deflation device. For example, once the second connector  302  is connected to the bi-directional valve  103 , air would not start exiting the outer area  102  until pressure is applied to the center region  303  of the inflation/deflation device. The amount of pressure applied to the center region  303  determines how fast the air comes out. The inflation/deflation device, in combination with the cushion, would comprise a cushion system. 
     Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.