Patent Abstract:
Improvements in a front facing sitting pillow that mounts or sits on a table desk or tray. For people that are in a restricted seat, like on an airplane seat, the person in a seat has limited access to the floor or other structure. From an airplane seat a person has a fold-down tray where the person can place items for work or leisure use. The front facing sitting pillow is adjustable to accommodate different geometry of users and place the pillow at a position where the pillow is essentially neutral when the person is resting to prevent neck stain as they rest. The sides can be moved further apart or set at an angle to accommodate the desire of a person that is resting. The pillow(s) are covered with a cushioned fabric material that is removable to allow them to be cleaned, or replaced.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
         [0003]    THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
         [0004]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0005]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0007]    This invention relates to improvements in a front facing sitting pillow. More particularly, the present front facing sitting pillow mounts or sits on a table desk or tray to allow a person to lean forward and place their face into the pillow. The pillow allows a person to sit at a desk, airplane seat or similar, and sleep is a forward facing position. 
         [0008]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0009]    including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. 
         [0010]    When traveling on a bus, plane or train a person typically will lay back or to a side to rest or sleep. Some people choose to rock forward and rest their head in their hands and they place their elbows on a desk, table or tray. This makes it difficult to comfortably sleep and often when a person falls asleep the person loses muscle tension in their arms and the head will drop to wake the person. There have been several patents for supporting a face when a person is laying forward to get a massage, but these patents support and entire body and are not supported or mounted on an existing table or desk. 
         [0011]    A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,361 issued May 5, 1987 to Merrill Patterson discloses a Physical Therapy Chair. The chair requires a person the sit on the chair and lean forward to place their forehead on a pad. The person can then get a back massage or adjustment while seated in the chair. While the patent allows a person the sit in the chair and lay forward to rest, the invention is not supported on a desk or table and further, the invention does not support the chin to prevent the head from dropping if the person falls asleep. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,040 issued Nov. 20, 1990 to Michael A. Gillotti discloses a Portable massage chair. A person places their legs through the chair and lays forward. The chair allows a person to place their chest on the front support and to receive a back massage. While the patent provides support for the chest of a person, the invention is not supported on a desk or table and the invention does not support the chin of a person to prevent the person from slumping down. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,078 issued on Mar. 28, 1993 for Linda A. Riach and U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,402 issued on Jun. 9, 1998 to Muchael Gillotti both discloses an Adjustable Therapy or Massage Chair. In these chairs a person kneels forward with the majority of the weight distributed on the shins, posterior and chest. The arms of the user are usually crossed in front of the user. A person places their face in an inverted “U” that supports the forehead of the person getting a massage or therapy. While this allows a person to rest in a forward orientation it is not configured to be supported on a desk table or tray where a traveler can easily carry and transport the face and head of the traveler. 
         [0015]    What is needed is a pillow that supports the face and head of a user as they rest in a forward laying orientation. The ideal product rests or mounts on a table, desk or tray. The proposed front facing sitting pillow provides the solution. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    It is an object of the front facing sitting pillow to mount or sit on a table desk or tray. For people that are in a restricted seat, like on an airplane seat, the person in a seat has limited access to the floor or other structure. From an airplane seat a person has a fold-down tray where the person can place items for work or leisure use. The front facing pillow is configured to would onto the thin fold-down tray or onto a desk surface to secure the front facing pillow. The front facing sitting pillow has a central opening where a person can read or look through the opening. It is also possible to provide eye shields to block light and therefore provide a darker atmosphere. 
         [0017]    It is an object of the front facing sitting pillow to provide support for a person as they lay forward. Because a person does not have any support in a forward position it forces a person into lying against a seat, or resting to a side. With this front facing sitting pillow the person can lean forward where the face of the person can be held in a captured position. The mounting of the front facing sitting pillow on the tray provides a semi-ridged support that not only supports the person from forward motion but also prevents the head from tipping side-to-side when the person falls asleep. 
         [0018]    It is another object of the front facing sitting pillow to be adjustable to accommodate different geometry of users. The face of each user can be different from the spacing of the cheeks and from the overall height of a person where they lay forward. The front facing sitting pillow is adjustable to place the pillow at a position where the pillow is essentially neutral when the person is resting to prevent neck stain as they rest. The sides can be moved further apart or set at an angle to accommodate the desire of a person that is resting. 
         [0019]    It is still another object of the front facing sitting pillow for the pillow to be cleanable or washable. The pillows are covered with a cushioned fabric material and can be changed to accommodate style, cushion and tactile surface features. The cover is removable to allow them to be cleaned, or replaced. They are essentially socks that slide over the ends of the side supports. 
         [0020]    Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the front facing sitting pillow in use. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the front facing pillow. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of the front facing pillow. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the front facing pillow folded for transportation and storage. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the front facing sitting pillow. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  shows a rear perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of the front facing sitting pillow with the pillow displaced. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the front facing pillow  20  in use and  FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the front facing pillow. From these figures the user  10  is resting in a forward seated position with the chin  11  of the user  10  placed in the lower “U”  21  of the face pillow  20 . Above and on the sides of the lower “U” are cheek pads  22  and  23 . The cheek pads  22  and  23  support the front of the face and head  24  to prevent the face and head  24  from drooping forward when the user  10  falls asleep. It is also contemplated to provide eye shields to block light and therefore provide a darker atmosphere to make sleeping easier. 
         [0028]    The cheek pads can be configured to cover the eyes to block light or can be configured in an open configuration that allows the user to see in front of the cheek pads  22  and  23  to allow a user  10  to read a book, cell phone, tablet or other item. The front facing pillow  25  is configured as a single solid member or can be configured with articulating cheek pads that can be adjusted to contour to the sides of the face of a user  10 . The front of the pillow  20  can be covered with a removable covering  26  that can be removed for cleaning and washing. 
         [0029]    The front facing pillow  25  is connected  26  to the remainder of the securing mechanism with a pivoting connection  30  that allows the front facing pillow  25  to rotate to allow the user  10  to set the desired angle where the head/face will be placed to place the user&#39;s head at a neutral position to reduce or prevent neck strain as the person rests or sleeps. From the pivoting connection  30  a pair of side arms  31  and  32  extend to rear pivoting joints  33  and  34 . 
         [0030]    The rear pivoting joints  33  and  34  allow the vertical position of the front facing pillow  25  to be set. From the rear pivoting joints  33  and  34  a set of arms  36  and  37  extend to front pivoting joints.  38  and  39 . The combination of arms  31 ,  32  and  36 ,  37  allow for both vertical positioning of the front facing pillow  25  and the some front-to-back positioning of the front facing pillow  25  relative to the front  50  of where the front facing pillow  20  is mounted. 
         [0031]    From the front pivoting joints  38  and  39  a pair of plates  51  and  52  are positioned to capture and grasp an existing tray  49 . When the plates  51  and  52  grasp the tray  49  they are secured to the existing tray  49  to prevent undesired side-to-side movement and rotation that might prevent the front facing pillow  20  from becoming accidentally dislodged from the existing tray  49 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of the front facing pillow  20 . From this side view the gap  43  that separates the upper plate  51  from the lower plate  52  is more visible. This gap  43  is adjustable to accommodate trays that may have different thicknesses. For installation the upper plate  51  is spread from the lower plate  52 . The plates are then place on the side of the existing fold-down tray  49  (not shown in this figure) and then the plates  51 ,  52  are brought together to essentially clamp the plates  51  and  52  on the fold-down tray  49 . 
         [0033]    The upper plate  51  and the lower plate  52  pivot from front pivoting joint  38 . A thumbscrew  42  provides frictional tension to the front pivoting joint  38 , the upper plate  51 , the lower plate  52  and arm  36 . While a thumbscrew  42  is shown to provide friction, it is also contemplated that detents could be used to provide positive positioning stops. Arm  36  is connected to rear pivoting joint  34 . At joint  34  another thumbscrew  41  is shown to provide frictional movement. This connection could also include detents. From joint arm  32  connects to pivoting connection  30  with a thumbscrew  40  or other friction connection to that connects to the pillow support. 
         [0034]    The pillow support includes the cheek pads  22  connected through the “U” chin support  21 . This figure shows a cover  27  that is removable and provides a covering of cushioned fabric material and can be changed to accommodate style, cushion and tactile surface features. The cover is removable to allow them to be cleaned, or replaced. They are essentially socks that slide over the ends of the side supports and can connect in the chin area to essentially cover the entire surface where the skin of a person can make contact with the front facing pillow  20 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the front facing pillow  20  folded for transportation and storage. This figure shows that the front facing pillow  20  is folded to a size that approximates a laptop computer or tablet computer. The upper plate  51  and the lower plate  52  are brought together using front pivoting joints  38  and  39 . The pivoting joints  38  and  39  allow arms  37  and  36  (not visible) to fold along the sides of the upper plate  51  and the lower plate  52 . At the end of arms  37  and  36  rear pivoting joints  33  and  34  sit adjacent to the back of the upper plate  51  and the lower plate  52 . Pivoting joints  33  and  34  have side arms  31  and  32  extending to pivoting connection  30  that has a connection  26  to the face pillow. 
         [0036]    The face pillow is articulated back against the upper plate  51  where the “U” chin support cheek pads  22  and  23  rest in proximity to the upper plate  51 . It is further contemplated that the parts can telescope together to reduce the width of the front facing pillow  20  for transportation. While this particular folded embodiment is shown and described other equivalent embodiments are contemplated that provide a support that allows a person to rest in a forward position and allows a person to fold the front facing pillow  20  in a compact package for transportation. In addition to the disclosed folding arrangement it is also contemplated to provide a telescoping adjustment for the position of the face support. 
         [0037]      FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the front facing sitting pillow  120  and  FIG. 6  shows a rear perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of the front facing sitting pillow  120  with the pillow  191  displaced. In the second preferred embodiment the base tube  150  is curved to provide a base structure. The base tube has a plurality of feet or cushions  140 ,  141  and  142  to protect the table, desk or other supporting surface and also increases the coefficient of friction between the base tube  150  and a supporting table or desk. Fastening hardware  143  and  144  secures the feet or other elements to the base tube  150 . 
         [0038]    At the front of the base tube  150  is a tube connector  130  with a plurality of holes  132  and  133 . A spring loaded button  131  allows the vertical tube member  134  to be rotated on the base tube  150  to alter an angular relationship  197  between the base tube  150  and the vertical tube member  134 . While vertical tube member  134  is identified as “vertical” it should be understood that the vertical tube member  134  can be positioned at different angles other that only vertical with respect to the planar bottom created by the base tube  150 . 
         [0039]    The vertical tube  134  has in internal telescoping tube  135  that is extendable from within the vertical tube  134 . The telescoping tube  135  is secured within the vertical tube  134  with another spring loaded button  136 . This spring loaded button  136  is used to extend or retract  198  the pillow  191 . The telescoping tube  135  is secured to a cross member  136 . 
         [0040]    The cross-member  136  extends horizontally to support arms  170 ,  171 ,  172  and  173 . These support arms are secured at a first end with a clamp  160  that essentially extend from one end of the cross-member  136  to the other end of the cross-member  136 . In the preferred embodiment a threaded member is used within the cross-member  136  to clamp the opposing ends with one or more nuts at both ends. In this figure, a threaded cam clamp  160  is used to allow for quick release and tightening of the cross-member  136  and the support arms  170 ,  171 ,  172  and  173 . The support arms  170 ,  171 ,  172  and  173  can slide on the ends of the cross-member  136  through pivoting axle  161 . 
         [0041]    Support arms  170 ,  171 ,  172  and  173  are partially slotted at the first end and join the back of the support plate  190  at pivot locations to allow the support arms  170 ,  171 ,  172  and  173  to pivot on the back of the support plate  190  through pivoting axles  162  and  163  to change  199  the angle of the support plate  190  relative to the telescoping tube  135  and ultimately to the base tube  150  and the table or desk. The support plate  190  provides support to the face pad  191 . 
         [0042]    The face pad  191  is recurred and or optionally removable from the support plate  190  with hook-and-loop fasteners  192  or other equivalent securing mechanism. The face pad  191  is removable for cleaning, washing or replacement. 
         [0043]    The multiple adjustments allows a person to position the face pad  191  in an optimal position for comfort of the user that wants to take a nap while facing forward. A user can place their arms on the base tube  150  to reduce movement of the base tube on the desk or table while they nap or rest. 
         [0044]    Thus, specific embodiments of a front facing sitting pillow have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0