Abstract:
A portable headrest which includes two padded tubular segments connected by a flexible web is described. Each tubular segment has a free end portion that includes fasteners to permit the user to connect these free end portions adjustably and detachably to each other. The headrest may be made from one piece of fabric sewn to create a tubular structure having five compartments. The innermost compartment is the web. The two compartments immediately adjacent the web are the padded tubular segments. The two outermost compartments are the free end portions. Once the free end portions are connected, the user places the headrest such that the tubular segments are positioned adjacent opposing lateral sides of the back of his head. The headrest thus supports the user&#39;s head against uncomfortable rotation and tilting so that the user can sit and/or sleep while sitting more comfortably without straining his neck.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/352,067 entitled “Device that operates independently in keeping the head stationary during relaxation while upper body is in backward reclining position” filed Jan. 24, 2002, and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/352,084 entitled “Device that operates independently in keeping the head stationary during relaxation while upper body is in backward reclining position” filed Jan. 24, 2002. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to a portable device for supporting the head of a user. More specifically, the invention is a headrest with which a user can support his head against undue rotation and/or tilting while he is seated or lying down. The user may also adjust the effective size of the headrest to alter the way in which the headrest supports his head. The user may also configure the headrest for use as a conventional pillow.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The portable headrest of the present invention includes two padded tubular segments connected at one of their respective ends by a flexible web. The free end portions of the tubular segments (not connected to the web) include fasteners that permit the user to adjustably and detachably connect these free end portions to each other. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 5 , the headrest is constructed from one piece of fabric that is sewn to create a tubular structure having five distinct compartments. The innermost (middle) compartment is the web that connects the padded tubular segments, which are the two compartments immediately adjacent the web. The two outermost compartments are the free end portions.  
           [0004]    The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and do not restrict the claims directed to the invention. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and together with the textual description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1 is a schematic front perspective generally illustrating the way in which a user would position his or her head in relation to the portable headrest of the invention.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 2 is a schematic side perspective generally illustrating the way in which a user in a seated position would rest his or her head on the portable headrest shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 3 is a front perspective of an exemplary embodiment of a portable headrest according to the invention that illustrates the overall construction of the headrest and the configuration of the headrest when the free end portions are connected.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 4 is a top perspective of the headrest illustrated in FIG. 3.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective of the headrest illustrated in FIG. 3. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate generally how the headrest  20  can be used to support a user&#39;s head  12  when the user  10  is in a seated position. Once the free end portions  28  and  30  of the headrest  20  are connected, the user  10  places the headrest  20  behind his head  12  such that the tubular segments  24  and  26  rest adjacent opposing lateral sides of his head  12 . In this position, the headrest  20  supports the user&#39;s head  12  against undue rotation and tilting from side to side. The support provided by the headrest  20  enables the user  10  to sit more comfortably and sleep without the neck strain caused when one&#39;s head tilts too far to one side or rotates too far to one side.  
         [0011]    Alternatively, the user  10  can employ the headrest  20  as a conventional pillow by connecting the free end portions  28  and  30  so that the tubular segments  24  and  26  contact each other along their inside medial surfaces  44  and  46  such that little or no space remains between them. When the headrest  20  is in this configuration, the user  10  may use the headrest  20  like a conventional pillow. For example, the user  10  could lay his head  12  on top of the folded headrest  20 . If the user desires a smaller pillow, he could disconnect the free end portions  28  and  30 , extend the headrest  20  so that tubular segments  24  and  26  are extended generally in a line, and lay his head  12  or neck  14  on only one of the padded tubular segments  24  and  26 .  
         [0012]    The free end portions  28  and  30  of the illustrated embodiment of the headrest  20  adjustably and detachably connect to each other, preferably via complementary VELCRO® brand hook-and-loop fasteners, to form the headrest  20  into a closed shape that encircles the head  12  of the user  10  as illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the hook portion  32  of the VELCRO® fastener is shown attached to the surface  28   a  of the free end portion  28 , and the loop portion  34  of the VELCRO® fastener is shown attached to the surface  30   a  of the free end portion  30 . Alternatively, the free end portions  28  and  30  could be detachably and adjustably connected using snaps, buttons, adjustable straps of the sort commonly found on adjustable-size baseball caps, or complementary hooks and clasps. The user  10  can vary the effective size of the headrest  20  by varying the degree to which the fasteners  32  and  34  (and thus the free end portions  28  and  30 ) overlap when mated. If the user  10  desires a tighter fit around his head  12 , he can mate the fasteners  32  and  34  so that they overlap more. If the user desires a looser fit around his head, he can mate fasteners  32  and  34  so that they overlap less. The range of size adjustment is determined by the length of the free end portions  28  and  30  and the attachment options available with the fasteners used. In the illustrated embodiment, the linear range of size adjustment approximates the sum of the length of VELCRO® fasteners  32  and  34 . Additionally, the effective size of the headrest  20  is infinitely adjustable within the range of size adjustment defined by the sum of the lengths of VELCRO® fasteners  32  and  34 .  
         [0013]    In the illustrated embodiment of the headrest  20 , the free end portions  28  and  30  are unpadded. Such unpadded free end portions  28  and  30  do not support the user&#39;s neck  14  when the headrest  20  is used as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Alternatively, the free end portions  28  and  30  can be filled with padding material to support the user&#39;s neck  14 . When the free end portions  28  and  30  are padded, they are preferably filled less densely with padding material than the tubular segments  24  and  26  so that the VELCRO® fasteners still mate in an approximately planar contact patch and the padding under the user&#39;s neck  14  is not uncomfortably thick. For example, the free end portions  28  and  30  may contain sufficient padding such that when fasteners  32  and  34  are mated the combination of the overlapping free end portions  28  and  30  is about as thick as either one of the tubular segments  24  and  26 . When the free end portions  28  and  30  of this alternative embodiment are mated, the combination of free ends  28  and  30  support the user&#39;s neck  14  when the headrest  20  is used as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The density of padding stuffed into free end portions  28  and  30  can be increased or decreased to create a support for the user&#39;s neck  14  that is thicker or thinner than either of tubular segments  24  and  26  depending upon the amount of neck support desired.  
         [0014]    The headrest  20  can be made easily and economically from a single rectangular piece of material that is cut to a length ranging from about 30 inches to 45 inches (which allows a range of sizes) and a width ranging from 3 inches to 13 inches or preferably 8 inches to 13 inches for a headrest designed for an adult. This width of material will result in a thickness of the padded tubular segments of from about 2 inches to 8 inches or preferably 5 inches to 8 inches for a headrest designed for an adult. First, the material piece is laid flat. As one looks at the material, length runs left to right and the width runs top to bottom. The material is folded so that the top edge aligns with the bottom edge. The aligned free top and bottom edges are joined together, preferably by sewing, along the entire length of the material to form a tube with open left and right ends, which ultimately become free end portions  28  and  30 . After sewing, the material piece is turned inside out to hide the stitching. The web  22  is defined by two spaced apart lines of stitching sewn across the width of the tube in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube of material. Preferably the two lines of stitching ( 40  and  42  in the finished headrest  20 ) are spaced apart by about 1 to 8 inches to define a web  22  that is 1 to 8 inches long (measured in the longitudinal direction). The longer the web, the more padding the tubular segments  24  and  26  can accept while also permitting the padded tubular segments  24  and  26  to be folded easily into contact along their medial surfaces  44  and  46 . Web  22  should preferably be at least about as long as the thickness of one of the padded tubular segments  24  and  26  if the thickness of the tubular segments  24  and  26  is the same. If the thickness of the tubular segment  24  is different from the thickness of the tubular segment  26 , then the web  22  should preferably be at least about as long as half the sum of the thickness of tubular segment  24  and the thickness of the tubular segment  26 . The thickness of a fully stuffed padded tubular segment  24  or  26  will be approximately twice the width of the sewn material (measured from top to bottom when the tube of material is laid out with the length running right to left and not filled with padding material) divided by π (pi). A shorter web  22  would increase the force required to fold tubular segments  24  and  26  so that medial surfaces  44  and  46  contact each other. A longer web  22  would allow tubular segments  24  and  26  to: (1) fold easily so that medial surfaces  44  and  46  come into contact and remain in contact with each other without significant folding force being applied and (2) slide to some degree against each other in a longitudinal direction.  
         [0015]    The padded tubular segments  24  and  26  are formed by stuffing padding material, for example, polyester fiberfill or a mixture of fiberfill and batting, into each of the two open ends of the tube of material. The padding material is stuffed into the ends of the tube of material until the padding material fills each open section of the tube from stitches  40  and  42  to locations approximately 6 to 15 inches from those stitches. After each end of the tube is stuffed with padding material, each open end of the tube is closed with another line of stitching (line of stitching  36  for tubular segment  24  and line of stitching  38  for tubular segment  26 ). Lines of stitching  36  and  40  thus define tubular segment  24 , and lines of stitching  38  and  42  thus define tubular segment  26 . The free end portions  28  and  30  of the tube of material are then sewn shut with lines of stitching (not illustrated) across the width of the tube. Each of free end portions  28  and  30  in this example are from about 5 to 7 inches long.  
         [0016]    To complete the headrest  20 , the complementary VELCRO® fasteners  32  and  34  are sewn onto the free end portions  28  and  30  respectively (see, e.g., FIG. 3). For example, a VELCRO® hook strip  32  of about 5 to 7 inches long can be sewn so that extends longitudinally along approximately the centerline L (shown in FIG. 5) from a location near stitching  36  to a location near the edge  28   b  (FIGS. 3 and 5) of the free end portion  28 . The complementary VELCRO® loop strip  34  (which is not illustrated in FIG. 5 to enable a clearer description of VELCRO® hook strip  32 ) is similarly sewn onto surface  30   a  of free end portion  30  along centerline L (FIG. 3 and  5 ) such that it extends from a location near stitching  38  to a location near the other edge of free end portion  30 .  
         [0017]    The tubular segments  24  and  26  of the portable headrest  20  can be made of almost any material suitable for making conventional pillows including at least natural or synthetic woven fabrics (e.g., cotton, fleece, wool, polyester, nylon, and blends of such fibers) and natural or synthetic sheet materials (e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, or polyvinyl chloride sheet). A preferred material for the tubular segments  24  and  26  is a finely textured broad cloth or fleece because it is highly flexible, durable, washable, breathable, soft to the touch, and able to contain padding over a long period of time. The padding in the tubular segments  24  and  26  can also be made of almost any material suitable for use as padding in a conventional pillow including, among other materials: down, down/feather mixtures, natural fiber filling (e.g., cotton or wool) synthetic fiber filling (e.g., HOLLOFIL® or QUALLOFIL®), foam filling (e.g., open-cell or closed-cell polyfoam), natural or synthetic beads (e.g., polystyrene beads, dried beans, or buckwheat hulls), air, water, and gel. One preferred material used for the padding is 100% polyester fiberfill.  
         [0018]    The web  22  that connects one tubular segment  24  to the other tubular segment  26  can be made of the same material used in the tubular segments  24  and  26  themselves, or the web  22  can be made of a different material. The same is true of the free end portions  28  and  30 . Because the web  22  and the free end portions  28  and  30  need not contain padding in at least one embodiment, the may be made using straps, netting, or some other connective material poorly suited for containing padding. Additionally, the web  22  and the free end portions  28  and  30  may be made of the same material or materials different from each other.  
         [0019]    Other embodiments of the headrest  20  and methods of making the headrest  20  according to the invention will be apparent to skilled artisans based on their consideration of the specification and practice of the headrest disclosed in this document. The applicant intends that the specification and examples described be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.