Patent Abstract:
A multi-airbag inflatable pillow is formed by adding at least one second airbags on one side of a first airbag so that a user can freely adjust the inflation of the first airbag according to personal requirement to obtain the most comfortable air pressure. Moreover, the second airbag can solve the problem of insufficient height of the inflated first airbag to achieve the objective of fully support so that the user can get effective relaxation and rest.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an inflatable pillow and, more particularly, to a multi-airbag inflatable pillow having both functions of comfort and supporting. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    An inflatable pillow can be either inflated or deflated by filling or discharging air from the pillow when used as a supporting cushion. It has the advantages of portability and ease of storage, and serves various functional effects depending on how it is used. An inflatable pillow can be used as a backrest to prevent problems of sore waist, humpback, and any discomfort caused by sitting in an extended time period. When an inflatable pillow is supporting under the calf, it not only relieves the pressure that the leg is putting on the calf but also prevents the fatigue that the leg may experience. An inflatable pillow, as it is well known, can certainly be used as a headrest for supporting the head or neck. 
         [0005]    The level of the inflation of an inflatable pillow can be adjusted by an user in order to determine the pillow&#39;s softness or stiffness. When the pillow is inflated, its stiffness is increased. On the other hand, when the pillow is deflated, its softness is increased. The degree of softness of an inflatable pillow has a large influence to the resting or sleeping quality of the pillow user. An ideal supporting cushion requires a certain degree of softness in order to provide the expected comfort to the user and to bear any pressure that an user may otherwise needs to experience. The structure of a conventional inflatable pillow does not provide the objectives as described above. 
         [0006]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a prior art inflatable pillow  10  is composed of a single airbag  11 . When the inflatable pillow  10  is inflated, air is filled in the airbag  11  and its air pressure cannot be locally adjusted. Consequently, the inflatable pillow  10  is either over inflated, resulting in less softness and discomfort, or less inflated causing insufficient supporting capability. Therefore, the prior art inflatable pillow may as well cause more fatigues and aches. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]    A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-airbag inflatable pillow, in which multiple airbags are used to provide better comfort and support in order to achieve the purpose of relieving users stress and providing improved resting. 
         [0008]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-airbag inflatable pillow, which can be used as a supporting cushion to be used as a neck pillow, mattress, cushion, holding pillow and head pillows. Users can adjust the inflation levels of each airbag according to personal requirement in order to obtain the expected comfort and resting. 
         [0009]    Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a multi-airbag inflatable pillow, in which liquid is filled into one of these airbags for the purpose of heat absorption and radiation by the liquid. 
         [0010]    In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a multi-airbag inflatable pillow which comprises a plurality of airbags and each airbag comprises at least a valve. Each airbag is either inflated or deflated with air or any liquid of choice via the valve. The inflation level of a first airbag can be adjusted by the user to attain the most comfortable softness. A second airbag, other than the first airbag among the plurality of airbags, is used to supplement the insufficient support from the first airbag due to its less than enough inflation. The second airbag can be inflated enough to sustain where the user resting on it so that any pressure caused by the resting can be relieved. 
         [0011]    The multi-airbag inflatable pillow of the present invention can be used as a neck pillow, mattress, cushion, holding pillow and sleeping pillow. In practical use, the inflation levels of the first and second airbags can be freely adjusted to reach the most comfortable and relaxation state for a user. A valve for filling liquid into or discharging from the second airbag can be added on the second airbag. Taking advantage of the heat dissipation by the liquid, the excessive heat of an user can be absorbed by the liquid. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]    Various objectives and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an inflatable pillow of a prior art; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2A  is a plan view of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view along section line A-A of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3A to 3D  are diagrams showing various usages of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a diagram of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow having a valve of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a diagram of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow having a pillow case of the present invention; and 
           [0019]      FIGS. 6 to 8  are side views of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow having three airbags of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    The multi-airbag inflatable pillow of the present invention can be used as a neck pillow, holding pillow, backrest cushion, sleeping pillow, cushion and mattress. As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , this embodiment is exemplified with a U-shaped neck pillow. In practice, the multi-airbag inflatable pillow can be of a cylindrical shape, an animal shape or a polygonal shape. All of these variations and modifications of shapes are embraced within the scope of the current invention. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a multi-airbag inflatable pillow  20  comprises a first airbag  30  and a second airbag  40 . In this embodiment, the multi-airbag inflatable pillow is a U-shaped neck pillow. The first airbag  30  is located at the outer portion of the pillow while the second airbag  40  is located at the inner portion of the pillow. Each airbag contains a valve  31  and  41  respectively. 
         [0022]    The first airbag  30  and the second airbag  40  can be either inflated or deflated by filling or discharging air via the valve  31  and  41  respectively. The inflation level of the first airbag  30  can be adjusted by the user to attain the most comfortable softness. The second airbag  40  is used to remedy the height due to insufficient inflation level of the first airbag  30 . The second airbag  40  can be inflated to sustain the user&#39;s neck and obtain the most comfortable height, in supporting the user&#39;s cheeks, for a better resting and sleeping quality. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 3A to 3D  are diagrams showing various usages of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3A , the second airbag  40  is first inflated via the valve  41  to a desired height for supporting the user&#39;s shoulder and neck. As shown in  FIG. 3B , the first airbag  30  is then inflated via the valve  31  to support the user&#39;s neck so that the neck does not move around as shown in  FIG. 3C . The inflation level of the first airbag  30  can be adjusted for a desired softness by the user in order to obtain the expected comfortable level as shown in  FIG. 3D . 
         [0024]    In practical use, a user can adjust the inflation level of the first airbag  30  or the second airbag  40 , and determine how the multi-airbag inflatable pillow  20  is used in order to achieve the most comfortable and relaxing level. The above described embodiments illustrate only some objectives of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments only. 
         [0025]    The material of the first airbag  30  and the second airbag  40  of the multi-airbag inflatable pillow  20  can be selected among plastic, flocked plastic, and plastic laminated fabrics. When the second airbag  40  is made of waterproof plastic material, a valve  42  can be added thereon so that liquid can be filled into the second airbag  40  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The temperature range of the liquid is between 5° C. and room temperature for the purpose of heat absorption in order to provide a comfortable feeling to the user. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , in order to make the multi-airbag inflatable pillow  30  to be more comfortable when it is used, a pillow case  60  can be used to sleeve onto the current invention including first airbag  30  and the second airbag  40 . The shape of the pillow case  60  varies in order to accommodate the design of the current invention. A zipper  61  is provided on a side of the pillow case  60 . The pillow case  60  can be made of materials such as breathable material, hyper-elastic composite foamed material, polyester fiber, silicone, rubber, plastic, wool, cotton, hemp, or the combination of any two or more of the above materials. 
         [0027]    It should be noted that although the above described embodiment demonstrates only a second airbag  40  to remedy the height of the first airbag, more airbags (e.g., a third airbag or a fourth airbag) can also be added on the side of the first airbag or the side of the second airbag to enhance the supporting effect. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 6 to 8  are side views of a multi-airbag inflatable pillow having three airbags of the present invention. As shown in  FIGS. 6 to 8 , a multi-airbag inflatable pillow  70  comprises a first airbag  30 , a second airbag  40  and a third airbag  80 . The  FIG. 6  shows only the first airbag  30  is inflated. In  FIG. 7 , the first airbag  30  and the second airbag  40  are inflated. The  FIG. 8  shows all three airbags  30 ,  40 ,  80  are inflated. The first airbag  30  can be adjusted for a desired softness and comfort level. The second airbag  40  and the third airbag  80  can be used to remedy the height of the first airbag  30 . In practical use, an user can adjust the inflation level of the first airbag  30  according to a preferred feeling of softness. One or multiple airbags to be used together is a choice of the user. When the first airbag  30  is used alone, the inflation level is generally preferred to be 60%˜80%. When three airbags are used together, the inflation level of the first airbag  30  is determined by the desired softness level of the user, and is generally preferred to be 30%˜60%. When the second airbag  40  and the third airbag  80  are used, their inflation level is generally preferred to be 80%˜90%. 
         [0029]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all of such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the current invention as defined in the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0