Patent Publication Number: US-2019191898-A1

Title: Pillow

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Italian patent application No. 102017000149969 filed on Dec. 27, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a pillow. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pillow that can be used in hospital applications or in other sectors such as the civil, naval, automotive, aeronautical or railway ones. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A pillow, just like a mattress, plays a fundamental role in the sleep quality of a person. As a matter of fact, in order for a rest to be effective and to prevent one from waking up with pains and aches, his/her head and neck shall be aligned with the rest of the body. Therefore, the function of a pillow is to allow the body to remain in a correct position during the sleep stage, while also facilitating breathing. 
     Specific pillows are known for some time which are used, in particular, by persons who shall stay in bed for extended periods of time, typically during a hospitalization, or by immobilized persons who live at home. These pillows feature orthopaedic characteristics that can be classified into two categories: biomechanical characteristics and microclimatic characteristics. The biomechanical characteristics concern pillow elasticity, tensile strength, and compression strength. Conversely, the microclimatic characteristics typically concern humidity resistance and thermal capacity, which concur to develop a given contact temperature and humidity between the pillow and the person laid thereon. Besides having the above-mentioned orthopaedic characteristics, sanitary pillows shall also be fireproof, hypoallergenic, anti-decubitus (i.e. they shall prevent and heal skin injuries caused by decubitus) and strongly breathable, in particular in the zone that is in contact with the user or patient. 
     At present, different types of pillows, called sanitary pillows, are known, which adopt different technical solutions. One of the most known solutions is a so-called “memory foam” pillow, i.e. a pillow made from a viscoelastic polyurethane foam which deforms under the human body&#39;s weight and heat. These pillows memorize the shape of the user&#39;s head and deform correspondingly. Once the head&#39;s weight is removed, the pillow quickly recovers its initial shape. 
     An alternative to the “memory foam” pillow consists of a latex pillow, which is made from a natural latex processed in such a way as to generate a foamy material which strength and elasticity is imparted to via a vulcanization process. Other types of pillows also exist, such as, for instance the Waterlily™ pillow (also called water foamed pillow, obtained through a polyurethane foam processing process), a goose feather pillow, a three-dimensional polymer, or 3D polymer, pillow, usually made from a polyester polymer, or a water pillow. 
     A drawback of the prior art pillows consists in that each of them features a number of advantages concerning some of the above-mentioned characteristics, but also a number of disadvantages concerning other characteristics. For instance, a “memory foam” pillow features optimum ergonomic and orthopaedic properties, but is little breathable. A latex pillow is ergonomic and easy to wash, but it is not orthopaedic nor breathable nor anti-decubitus. Another problem of the prior art pillows also relates to a poor durability of their correct shape. 
     Document US 2009/311933 A1 discloses a fireproof pillow made from a low resilience polyurethane foam. The fireproof layer and the layer made from polyurethane foam are simply sandwiched, and this document does not specify whether it is possible to separate these two layers or not. 
     Conversely, document CA 2897584 A1 illustrates a multilayer pillow provided with a plurality of layers made from different materials, superimposed to each other. At least one of these layers consists of a bag containing water. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a pillow that is capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art in an extremely simple, cost-effective, and particularly functional manner. 
     In details, an object of the present invention is to provide a pillow that combines all advantages of the prior art pillows together, so as to be, in particular, fireproof, comfortable, ergonomic, orthopaedic, antiallergic, breathable, anti-decubitus, handy, durable, and antibacterial. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a pillow that retains its correct shape for a long time. 
     Further characteristics of the invention are highlighted by the dependent claims, which are an integral part of the present disclosure. 
     In general, a pillow according to the present invention can comprise:
         one or more ergonomic layers made from a foamy material and one central breathable layer made from a three-dimensional polymeric material; or   a plurality of layers made from a three-dimensional polymeric breathable material, which perform the two functions of ergonomic design and breathability to different extents; or   one layer only made from a three-dimensional polymeric breathable material.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The characteristics and advantages of a pillow according to the present invention will be more apparent from the following, explanatory and non-limitative, description, which makes reference to the attached schematic drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pillow according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to the figures, they show a number of embodiments of a pillow according to the present invention, which is identified as a whole by the reference numeral  10 . The pillow  10  comprises an external envelope, or surface layer,  12 , made from a three-dimensional breathable, fireproof, and antibacterial fabric. The external envelope  12  is made from a preferably non-quilted fabric. As shown in the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3 , the external envelope  12  encloses at least one inner breathable layer  14  made from a fireproof three-dimensional polymeric material. The external envelope  12  completely envelopes the inner breathable layer  14  made from a fireproof three-dimensional polymeric material, so that the inner surface of such external envelope  12  completely covers the outer surface of such inner breathable layer  14 . The external envelope  12  and the inner breathable layer  14  made from a fireproof three-dimensional polymeric material are removably reciprocally coupled together. The external envelope  12  is thus provided with at least a closure  18  configured for making it possible to extract the inner breathable layer  14  made from a fireproof three-dimensional polymeric material from such external envelope  12 . The closure  18  may comprise one or more zippers, one or more buttons, hooks and eyes, hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro), etc. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , between the external envelope  12  and the inner breathable layer  14  there is further interposed at least one intermediate ergonomic layer  16  made from a foamy and fireproof material, externally coupled with the envelope  12  in a removable manner and configured for at least partially enclosing the inner breathable layer  14 . The intermediate ergonomic layer  16  is also irremovably coupled with the inner breathable layer  14  in correspondence with their respective contact surfaces. 
     Preferably, the foamy material used for the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  is of the shape memory type. This material is possibly formed of a shape memory polyurethane foam, also briefly referred to as “memory foam”. Such material is possibly provided with one or more through holes in order to achieve appropriate breathability characteristics. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the pillow  10 , the three-dimensional polymeric material that the inner breathable layer  14  is made from consists of a polymer of the class of polyesters. More specifically, the inner breathable layer  14  consists of a plurality of elastic components (springs) made from a three-dimensional polymeric material, preferably a polymer of the class of polyesters. 
     Coupling the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  made from a foam material with the inner breathable layer  14  made from a three-dimensional polymeric material results in a synergic technical effect that goes beyond a simple summation of the advantages achievable by such layers if taken individually. In fact, these two layers being used together, the foamy material that the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  is made from receives the body&#39;s weight and fits its pressure, thus leaving the three-dimensional polymeric material of the inner breathable layer  14  sufficiently little compressed as to retain its own breathability. 
     Preferably, the shape memory foamy material that the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  is made from has a density ranging from 40 kg/m 3  to 60 kg/m 3 . Even more preferably this density substantially equals 50 kg/m 3 . 
     Preferably the three-dimensional polymeric material that the inner breathable layer  14  is made from has a density ranging from 20 kg/m 3  to 40 kg/m 3 . Even more preferably this density substantially equals 30 kg/m 3 . It is obviously possible to select other density values both for the shape memory foamy material and for the three-dimensional polymeric material. 
     Each of the inner breathable layer  14  and the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  is obtained starting from a respective slab of material. Conversely, the external envelope  12  is obtained from a three-dimensional fabric in order to achieve the highest breathability characteristics. 
     The pillow  10  as a whole can be manufactured in the standard dimensions for a pillow, such as, for instance, 43×72×13.5 cm. The overall thickness of the pillow  10 , including its respective inner layers, can range from about 13 cm to about 18 cm. 
     The procedure to obtain the pillow  10  is the following:
         first of all, one or more slabs of a shape memory foamy material that make up the intermediate ergonomic layer  16  are manufactured. These slabs are realized in a bag-like shape, i.e. with at least one inner cavity suitable for receiving the inner breathable layer  14 ;   then at least one slab of the three-dimensional polymeric material that makes up the inner breathable layer  14  is inserted into the inner cavity of the “bag”;   the thus obtained assembly is then inserted into the external envelope  12  made from a three-dimensional breathable fabric.       

     It has been thus demonstrated that a pillow according to the present invention achieves the previously highlighted objects. 
     The pillow of the thus conceived present invention is, in any case, susceptible of numerous modifications and variants, all falling into the same inventive concept; moreover, all details are replaceable with technically equivalent elements. In practice, the material used, as well as shapes and dimensions, can be whatsoever depending on the technical requirements. 
     Therefore, the scope of protection of the invention is that defined by the attached claims.