Patent Publication Number: US-9408471-B2

Title: Counterweight pillow sling sleeping aid

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Sleep is essential to good health. Lack of sleep can lead to, among other things, irritability, difficulty concentrating, increased stress, and in extreme cases, even death. Yet it is common knowledge that many people are sleep deprived. This unhealthy condition can result from many factors such as busy work schedules, stress, lifestyle choices, and an environment that involves physical discomfort, such as one requiring a person to try and sleep in unfamiliar resting positions. Complaints about sleep deprivation due to discomfort are particularly common among persons who must travel long distances in a confined seating space, whether by train, bus, car, plane, etc. 
     For example, the typical plane passenger may experience anxiety, fatigue, and other unhealthy physiological side effects from the stress of attempting to board a flight on time, environmental conditions inside the cabin (such as pressure, ventilation, relative humidity, noise and vibration), cross-infection from fellow passengers, potentially awkward social exchanges, changes in time zones and meal times, and unnatural seating positions and postures adopted for significant periods during a flight. 
     Body position and seat comfort in particular play vital roles in the overall traveling experience, since a passenger normally spends most of the duration of travel in a seat. In the case of air travel, for example, many airlines attempt to increase profitability by maximizing the number of seats. Although minimum requirements for aircraft seat spacing may exist, such standards were likely designed to align with goals of safety (being able to evacuate in a certain amount of time, etc.) rather than comfort, and thus seating space is too often very limited. Many airline passengers complain of discomfort while flying and of resulting sleep deprivation and desynchronosis (“jet lag”). 
     Passengers seated in the central position of a three or more seat row in particular often complain of discomfort on flights, due to a feeling of being surrounded and of not being able to comfortably rest to one side or the other without fear of encroaching the space of another passenger&#39;s seat. A seat space next to a window, on the other hand, is often coveted because, among other reasons, it may allow a passenger to rest the head to the side against the wall of an airplane cabin. In addition, since economy class seats often recline only to a limited degree, the force of gravity against the body, head, and arm members is not as neutralized as it is when the body is in the fully-reclined sleeping position that most people are accustomed to when sleeping. Specifically, when a person is in a flat-lying sleeping position, a bedframe and mattress normally counter the downward force of gravity on a person&#39;s body, head, and extremities, allowing the person to rest more easily. In addition, most people normally use a pillow to elevate the head over the rest of the body, to provide stabilization so that the force of gravity does not pull down the head to the level of the mattress, and to help prevent the neck, back, and shoulder pain that might otherwise occur. 
     When a person is trying to sleep in a seated body position, however, the downward pull of gravity and any other forces acting on an individual&#39;s head must be opposed by some other force, such as a person&#39;s neck and shoulders, and neck and shoulder muscles. The neck and shoulders may not reliably maintain such a state of equilibrium of forces when a person is sleeping, which limitation might cause a person&#39;s head to jolt when the body attempts to sleep. Furthermore, a simple headrest such as those sometimes found on the back of a seat, while helpful in providing support to the back of the head, usually do not alone effectively equalize all the vector forces acting on the head in the direction from the side of a head facing toward a shoulder. 
     Several sleeping aid devices have attempted to provide comfort when a person is in a seated body position by equalizing the forces acting on the head, but such devices all present certain disadvantages. The “U”-shaped travel pillow, for example, is usually not designed for use in seats that already provide special support to the back of the head. Furthermore, the “U”-shaped travel pillow&#39;s limiting movement of the head in any direction but forward has been criticized by some for causing neck stiffness, and may also limit the head&#39;s movement more than a person prefers. Moreover, given the limited degree that many airplane economy-class seats recline, pillow devices that provide support directly behind the head might further limit the degree of recline. 
     Possibly to attempt to compensate for these deficiencies, other sleeping aid devices have been designed to limit head movement primarily in the forward direction by providing support directly in front of a head or neck. Yet trying to sleep in such a position with the head tilted forward, or with pressure being applied from the forward direction may be an unnatural and/or unfamiliar sleeping position or experience for some people. 
     Although less common, a few other sleeping aid devices for use in a body position where a person is seated in a seat having a backrest try to achieve a state of equilibrium of the forces acting on the head by utilizing counterweight mechanisms. These counterweight sleeping aid devices may consist generally of a brace or other type of head and neck support, connected to some type of strap that attaches to the wrists or arms, and are designed specifically for use where the person is seated with the head looking straight forward, with the spine straight and back placed flatly against the seat. Moreover, when using such counterweight devices, the tension between the head and neck brace and the arms is normally essentially in the forward and backward directions, with the other lateral vector forces basically balanced between each side of the body, with each arm symmetrically attached to a strap or the same strap. Thus, if one of the arms were not connected to a strap, or in a position different from the other arm, there may be an imbalance of forces acting on the head. In addition, rather than provide comfort for the arm members, some such straps may need to attach to the arms or wrists, and may encumber the arm members with localized pressure. Furthermore, such head and neck braces may not be particularly comfortable. 
     Moreover, the aforementioned and other prior art sleeping aid devices designed for use when a person is seated in a seat having a backrest generally maintain the head and neck in a neutral straight forward/back position, yet many people are accustomed to and prefer sleeping on their sides, or with the head turned at least partially to the side. Many people (and apparently more women than men) also sleep on their sides in the fetal position, where the arms and hands are held close to the body. Requiring a person who is accustomed to sleeping on the side or in the fetal position, where there are at least some forces acting on the side of a head from the direction of the shoulder, to try and sleep in a straight-forward alignment with the back and head squarely against a seat and headrest, in addition to all of the other factors that make travel a somewhat unnatural experience for the humans, decreases the likelihood that a passenger will achieve a state of sleep, and may also harm the quality of any sleep that is achieved. 
     Furthermore, even those who may be accustomed to sleeping in a non-side body position certainly do not sleep with the arm members dangling loosely due to the force of gravity. When a person is in a seated position in a seat, loose arm members that do not have proper assistance for opposing the downward pull of gravity may lead to discomfort and make a sleeping state more difficult to achieve. Although certain prior art sleeping aid devices have attempted to solve this problem, none have used a counterweight mechanism that includes a looping strap that loops across the body and has a width configured to stably and comfortably support the person&#39;s forearms crossed thereon. 
     Thus, there is a need for a sleeping aid device for use when a person is seated in a seat having a backrest that more closely replicates the side position and the vector forces in the direction from the shoulder to the side of a head, to which many people are accustomed while sleeping. There is also a need for such a device that assists in neutralizing the force of gravity on the arm members, for example, by comfortably holding one or both arm members close to the body, which may more closely replicate the fetal position to which some are accustomed. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An improved counterweight sleeping aid device for use when a person is in a seated position in a seat, which includes a pillow configured to be placed on one shoulder to provide support against one side of the person&#39;s head and/or neck from a direction toward the one shoulder, and a sling strap having a length between respective ends thereof connected to opposite ends of the pillow and configured to be positioned around the one shoulder on front and back sides of the person forming a loop across the body and having a width of a lower sling portion thereof configured to stably support the person&#39;s forearms (or forearm) crossed thereon. The sling strap length may be adjusted so as to be sufficient to allow one or both forearms when crossed to be rested on its looped length, and the width of the lower sling portion is configured to be sufficient to stably support both forearms crossed thereon. The three dimensional vector forces acting on and created by the crossed forearms (or single forearm) resting in the sling strap, and the three dimensional vector forces acting on the side of the head, neck, and/or shoulders, as well as other experienced forces, may be basically in a state of equilibrium. In an embodiment, the sling strap may have a means for adjusting the length of the strap according to user size, position, and preference. In one embodiment, the length of the strap may be adjusted using a buckle. 
     Unlike the shape of a pillow designed for providing support to a head while in a straight-forward and back position, a pillow designed for when the head is tilted or turned to the side, however slightly, at least partially at an angle toward the side of the nearest shoulder (and while a person is seated) may have a shape that better accommodates such a position, filling in the space above the shoulder so that the head and neck can be supported in a neutral position. Furthermore, when a person is seated in a seat having a backrest and a headrest, such as those provided by a headrest fixed in some commercial airline seats, this feature may also affect the shape of a pillow of a sleeping aid device—especially where it is intended that the person&#39;s head may be able to turn to the side. For example, the pillow of the sleeping aid device described herein may have a filled shape adapted to rest on the shoulder and support the side of the head, such as in one embodiment a pillow shape having an inner side that is semi-concave, with a wider end of the pillow facing forward (towards the front of the person and away from the back). Such a pillow shape, when used as part of the sleeping aid device, may provide adequate support for the head and neck and restrict movement at least partially in the direction from the side of the head toward the nearest shoulder (but not necessarily directly to the side towards the shoulder in a perfectly perpendicular manner). Such a pillow shape may also present the advantage of allowing a user to easily turn the head to an unobstructed side (for example, to converse with a neighbor). In addition, in the case where a person is seated in a seat having a backrest and a head rest, or where head support in the backward direction already exists, such a pillow shape may also allow the head to recline backwards to a greater degree (however slight). 
     Notwithstanding the aforementioned advantages of a pillow with such a tear-drop shape, other embodiments are anticipated having different pillow shapes, such as for example and not by way of limitation, a half-moon shape having two tapering ends on opposite sides. 
     As described herein, both ends of a sling strap may be attached to the pillow of the sleeping aid device, forming a loop. The sling strap may have a means for adjusting the length of the sling strap, or may be comprised of or connected to a separate strap portion with adjustable length—in which case the sling strap and the strap with adjustable length may each be connected to the pillow on opposite ends, but still together forming a loop. The sling strap may wrap around the back of the body, under the arm member(s), over the chest, and then connect to the strap with adjustable length, which may be attached to a different or basically opposite end of the pillow. The strap with adjustable length may disconnect or connect, and may be adjusted by means known to those skilled in the relevant art(s) to which the device pertains, such as by a buckle. 
     The sling strap may have greater width than the strap with adjustable length, and may also be padded, which may allow one or both crossed forearms to rest comfortably therein, close to the body. The wide and padded design of the sling strap, rather than concentrating pressure from the straps in certain localized areas of the forearms or arm members, may allow opposing forces acting on the arm members through the sling strap to disperse across a larger area of the forearms or arm member(s) that may be in contact with the pad, and this in a surprisingly comfortable manner. Furthermore, an object of the sling strap may be to prevent the arms from hanging loosely in an uncomfortable and unguarded state due to the downward pull of gravity. 
     Regardless of whether one or both forearms are resting in the pad, the weight of the arm member(s) in the sling strap may be countered by the upward force of the straps, which may be connected to the pillow, which pillow may be placed against the head and neck and shoulder areas. These opposing forces may make the straps somewhat taut, and pull the pillow firmly against the neck, head, and/or shoulder (and in the described embodiment, may accomplish this) and normally from an at least partially lateral angle. The resulting force on the pillow may provide support to the head while the head is turned or tilted to the side, thus replicating to a greater degree than other prior art devices a position and experience to which many may be accustomed while sleeping. 
     In addition, by possibly facilitating rest in a diagonal body position across a seat, and possibly with the torso semi-turned, available space in a seat may also be maximized. 
     By rearranging the pillow to support the inward curve of the lower back area, thereby filling the space between the lower back and the back of a chair, an embodiment of the device may also function as a lumbar support. When the device is used as a lumbar support, the pad may also rest across the shoulder to help keep the pillow hanging in the desired location of the back. 
     By simply shifting the pillow from the shoulder area to the side of the hip, with the pad resting across the shoulder, an embodiment of the device may also allow convenient portability. Thus the user may carry the pillow easily from one destination to another without necessarily having to deflate (and inflate) or fold up the pillow for storage. Furthermore, positioned in such a manner, the device may resemble to some degree a purse or bag, which may possibly alleviate potential self-consciousness arising from carrying around a sleeping aid device. Moreover, in some embodiments the sleeping aid device may actually have the functionality of a purse or bag. 
     Other embodiments of the device may also include a machine washable exterior and/or an interchangeable pillow bladder. Such a pillow bladder may be accessible in one embodiment via a zipper or other similar means. Various surface materials, and cushion materials for the pillow bladder (foam, etc.), may also be utilized according to user preference. In an embodiment the pillow bladder may be inflatable. 
     Although it is anticipated that the device will have particular application for persons occupying seats on airplanes, buses, trains, and other similar forms of transportation, various embodiments of the device may also provide comfort for persons in a variety of other environments and situations. For example, embodiments of the device may be utilized even where a particular seat does not have the luxury of head support in the backward direction, such as seats that might be found at an office, home, concert, or sporting event. 
     Embodiments of the device may also have medical applications. For example and not by way of limitation, since some persons will rest the head in a tilted position or to the side even without a side pillow or adequate support, the device may assist in preventing neck craning, and possibly torticollis. It is also possible that the device may assist in reducing incidences of snoring, since sleeping with the head tilted to the side, even when seated (rather than lying flat), may decrease the likelihood that the tongue will collapse into the back of the throat and obstruct breathing. In addition, embodiments of the device may have particular application for persons to whom for health or healing reasons it is recommended to sleep in an upright position. The device may also perform a function similar to that of a typical arm sling, with particular application for a person trying to sleep while wearing an arm sling. 
     The above description and listed alternative embodiments are considered that of some embodiments only. It is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit scope. Alterations and modifications of the sleeping aid device described herein, and such further applications of the principles said device, are contemplated as would occur to those skilled in the art(s) to which the device pertains. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an overheard perspective view of a sleeping aid device, showing the top side of a pillow and the inner side of a sling strap. 
         FIG. 2  is an overhead perspective view of the sleeping aid device in  FIG. 1 , but showing the bottom side of a pillow and the outer side of a sling strap. 
         FIG. 3  is an overhead view of the apparatus in  FIG. 1  of the side pillow and the inner side of the strap. 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation perspective view of the front and outer side of the pillow in  FIG. 1 , and of the strap in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of a person in a seated position using the sleeping aid device in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of a person in a seated position using the sleeping aid device in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of a person conveniently transporting the sleeping aid device of  FIG. 1 , in a manner resembling the carrying of a shoulder bag or purse, 
         FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of an embodiment of the sleeping aid device of  FIG. 1  where a cushion may be inserted into and removed from a receptacle. 
         FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of a person in a seated position using the device in  FIG. 1  as a lumbar support. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     “Lateral angle” or “lateral direction” is hereby defined as the direction from one side of the head of a person using the described device toward one shoulder. “Pillow” is hereby defined as a filled shape having a filled bulging part adapted to rest on the shoulder and support the side of the head of a person using the device, and a tapering end on at least one side of the bulging part adapted to be coupled to an end of a sling strap. “Tear-drop shape” is defined as a pillow shape having a tapering end on one side, with a back side of the pillow having a connector end for the other end of the sling strap. “Half-moon shape” is defined as a pillow shape having two tapering ends on opposite sides of the pillow shape. “Sling strap” (whether used as “strap” alone or by the term “sling strap”) is hereby defined as a strap forming a loop at a lower sling portion thereof that has a sling width sufficient for stably supporting and holding the crossed forearms of a person using the device. 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of the sleeping aid device  10 . The device may include a pillow  11 , having a tear-drop shape, such as, in the embodiment described herein, a lopsided oblong/concave shape, having an inner side  12 , an outer side  13 , a top side  14 , a bottom side  15 , a front side  16 , and a rear side  17 . 
     Attached to the rear side of the pillow  17  may be a sling strap  18 , and from the front side  16  (or near the front side  16 ) may extend another strap  19 . The sling strap  18  may widen as it extends further from the rear side of the pillow  17 . The inner side of the sling strap  21  is primarily shown in  FIG. 1 . The strap  19  on or near the front side of the pillow  16  may be attached to a buckle  22 . On the side of the buckle  22  opposite from the strap  19  may be a means for adjusting the strap length, such as a strap with adjustable length  23 , allowing the length of the adjustable strap  23  to vary according to user preference, for example so that a wider portion of the sling strap at a lower sling portion  20  will comfortably and stably hold the crossed forearms of the person using the device. The buckle  22 , the strap  19 , and the adjustable strap  23  may also provide a means for connecting and disconnecting, such as, in the embodiment described herein, a female end of the buckle  22  attached to the strap  19 , and a male end of the buckle  22  attached to the strap with adjustable length  23 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the sleeping aid device  10  may be rotated 180 degrees along the vertical axis, in such a manner that the bottom side of the pillow  15  faces upwards (which might be convenient for use on an opposite shoulder).  FIG. 2  also shows primarily an outer side  24  portion of the sling strap  18  and the wider portion of the sling strap  20 . In one embodiment of the sleeping aid device  10 , there may be a zipper  25  (or other means for opening the pillow  11 ), close to where the sling strap  18  is connected to the back side of the pillow  17 . 
       FIG. 3  is an overhead view of the sleeping aid device  10 , showing the top side of the pillow  14 , and the inner side  21  of the sling strap  18  and the wider portion of the sling strap  20 .  FIG. 3  also shows more precisely an overhead view of the tear-drop shape of the pillow  11 , which in the embodiment described herein may have an inner side  12 , an outer side  13 , and front side  16 , and a rear side  17 , where the front side  16  is larger than the rear side  17 . 
       FIG. 4  is an elevation perspective view, showing primarily the outer side of the pillow  13 , and the front side of the pillow  16 , where the strap  19  connects to the pillow  11 .  FIG. 4  also shows the shape of the sling strap  18  and the wider portion of the sling strap  20 , and also shows both the inner side  21  and the outer side  24  of the sling strap  18  and wider portion thereof  20 . 
     Although the pillow  11  may rest on either shoulder  28  according to the preference of the user  25 , as shown in  FIG. 5  a person  25  may position the sleeping aid device  10  so that the top side of the pillow  14  is against side of a head  26  and a neck  27  of the person  25 , and the bottom side  15  may be against a shoulder  28 . Also, the front side of the pillow  16  may face forward, with the outer side of the pillow  13  facing up. (Positioning the pillow  11  in such a manner may provide less mass in the back of the head  26  area than prior art sleeping aid pillow apparatuses, which design might be advantageous where seats may already provide support for the back of the head  26  and neck  27  through headrests or similar apparatuses.) 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the strap  19  attached to the pillow  11 , the buckle  22 , and the strap with adjustable length  23  may proceed down across a body  31 . The strap with adjustable length  23  may be attached to the wider portion of the sling strap  20 , which may continue to the side of the person that is opposite  29  from the shoulder  28  upon which may be the pillow  11 . 
     The sling strap  20  may have a length sufficient to allow both forearms  30  when crossed to be rested on its looped length, along the inner side  21  of the wider portion of the sling strap  20 . The lower sling portion of the sling strap  20  has a predetermined sling width configured to be sufficient to stably support both forearms  30  crossed thereon by support and/or frictional forces thereof. For example, in one embodiment the width of the lower sling portion  20  may be in the range of 4 inches to 6 inches wide so that it can provide adequate holding and support forces to stably retain the crossed forearms of a person using the device  10  thereon. The width of the lower sling portion of the sling strap  20  may continue around the side of the person  29  opposite from the shoulder  28  upon which may be the pillow  11 , and the sling strap  18  may continue across the back of the body  31  of the person  25  until it attaches to the pillow  11 . The force of the arm members  30  against the inner side of the sling strap  21  may consequently apply force on the pillow  11  against the side of the head  26  and neck  27  of the person  25  from an at least semi-lateral angle. The degree of such applied force may vary, among other factors, according to the length of the strap with adjustable length  23 , the position of one or both forearms  30  in the inner side of the sling strap  21 , and whether one of both arms  30  are placed in the inner side of the sling strap  21 . In the embodiment described herein, the degree of force may be such that the pillow  11  is held taut and firm against the side of the head  26  and neck  27 , which may allow the head  26  to be propped up but still possibly turned or tilted (however slightly) to the side, and which may support the head  26  at a sufficient angle to achieve a comfortable head  26  and neck  27  position. 
     In addition to a person&#39;s head  26  resting against the pillow  11  to the side as shown in  FIG. 5 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6  a person  25  may also have the body or torso  31  at least partly turned towards the side, but otherwise with the sleeping device  10  in a similar position (to that shown in  FIG. 5 ). That is, the front side of the pillow  16  may face forward and maybe face slightly downward, with the top side of the pillow  14  (or the bottom side  15  if the pillow were on the opposite shoulder from the shoulder  28 ) against the head  26  and neck  27  of the person  25 , and the strap  19 , buckle  22 , strap with adjustable length  23 , and wider portion of the sling strap  20  running across the body  31  down and to the side of the of the person  29 , and the wider portion of the sling strap  20  and the sling strap  18  running across the back side of the body  31  until it connects to the pillow  11 . One or both forearms  30  may also be placed in the inner side  21  of the wider portion of the strap  20 , thereby applying a certain amount of force through the pillow  11  against the head  26  and neck  27  from an at least semi-lateral angle, and also allowing one of both arm members or forearms  30  to rest comfortably, held close to the body  31 . 
     While the above preferred embodiment has been described as having a pillow with a tear-drop shape, the pillow may alternatively be formed in a half-moon shape with two tapered ends on opposite sides thereof for connecting to respective ends of the sling strap. 
     In addition to a sleeping aid device  10  that may provide added comfort and increased possibility and quality of rest, travelers have a need for a sleeping aid device  10  with convenient portability. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , by a person easily  25  shifting the pillow  11  from the shoulder  28  to the side  29 , with the wider portion of the strap  20  resting on the shoulder  28 , an embodiment of the device  10  may naturally appear similar to species of purses or bags, and allow for less conspicuous portability. This embodiment may assist in avoiding the potentially time-consuming disassembling or storing away a sleeping aid device  10 , for example, by deflating or folding it up, or having to transport it by carrying it manually (rather than simply having it strapped onto the shoulder  28 ). 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 8 , an embodiment of the sleeping aid device  10  may actually function as a purse of bag. Specifically, the pillow  11  may have a receptacle  32  that may open, (in the embodiment described herein) by means of a zipper  25 , and may have a cushion  33  that may be removed from or inserted into the receptacle  32 . In different embodiments the cushion may be made of different materials such as those known in the art(s) to which the device  10  pertains. For example, the cushion  33  may be inflatable. By deflating, there may be more room within the receptacle  32  for storing objects. Removing the cushion  33  from the receptacle  32  may also help allow for easier washing of the device  10 , 
     Different embodiments of the outside of the pillow  34 , as well as of the sling strap  18  and the wider portion of the sling strap  20 , may provide aesthetic appeal and as well as textural appeal (pleasing to the physical senses). 
     In another embodiment, and as shown in  FIG. 9 , the device  10  may also be used as a lumbar support. Specifically, a user  25  may position the pillow  11  against the person&#39;s back  35 , possibly by adjusting the adjustable strap  23 , so that the pillow  11  is between the person&#39;s back  35  and a seat  36 , in a manner that is comfortable to the user  25 .