Support pillow

Abstract

A support pillow for supporting infants, for example during feeding, is provided. The support pillow takes a shape selected from the group consisting of V-shapes and L-shapes. the support pillow comprises first and second arms extending from a main pillow body. The support pillow can be inflatable and made of a rubber or plastic material. Alternatively, the support pillow can be made of a hypo-allergenic material.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to support pillows, for example, pillows for supporting infants in a person's lap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Supporting an infant's weight in one's arm becomes tiring after a prolonged period of time. For this reason, and the importance of supporting an infant's head and neck, support pillows are widely used to support an infant in a person's lap, for example during feeding or nursing. These support pillows generally support the infant's head and neck, enabling the infant to more easily access a feeding device.

Support pillows typically have soft surfaces on which the infants rest, and are generally stuffed with a filler, making the pillow sufficiently firm to support the infant. However, the fabric used for the soft surface of the pillow and the filler used to impart firmness can cause allergic reactions, and the absorbent nature of these materials makes them very difficult to clean. As a result, these pillows attract germs and allergens that may be harmful to the infant resting on the pillow or to the person using the pillow to support the infant.

Also, existing pillows tend to lose their stiffness over time, particularly if the pillow has been washed. Washing a pillow that has a fabric surface and a filler causes the pillow to flatten, often reducing stiffness by as much as 30% after a single washing, and eventually the pillow must be replaced.

In addition, support pillows are generally U-shaped, often fitting very snugly around an adult's waist. However, these U-shaped pillows are typically not well-suited for overweight adults because the pillows tend to fit too tightly around the person's waist, making it very uncomfortable to support an infant in the person's lap. Accordingly, a need exists for an infant support pillow that can be hypo-allergenic, easy to clean and suitable for use by overweight adults.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to support pillows which can be used to support infants in a person's lap, for example during feeding. In one embodiment, the pillow is generally L- or V-shaped and has first and second arms extending from a main pillow body. The first and second arms of the pillow may be the same length or may have different lengths.

In one embodiment, the support pillow is inflatable and is constructed of a material that is substantially impermeable to air and/or fluid. The pillow according to this embodiment is inflated through a valve, and can be inflated to any desired pressure and stiffness. Also, the pillow may be re-inflated if it loses pressure or stiffness, eliminating the need to replace a flattened pillow.

In another embodiment, the support pillow is made of a hypo-allergenic material. The hypo-allergenic material may be an inflatable material, and may have a smooth surface to enable easy cleaning of the pillow. In yet another embodiment, the pillow may further comprise a cover, which may be made of a hypo-allergenic material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a top view of a support pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a bottom view of the support pillow of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 1C is a top view of a support pillow according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1D is a top view of a support pillow according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is an elevated side view of a support pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is an elevated side view of the opposite side of the support pillow of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a schematic illustrating a method of manufacturing a support pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a schematic illustrating a method of manufacturing a support pillow according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a schematic illustrating a method of manufacturing a support pillow according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a support pillow according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a support pillow according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5a is a top view of a support pillow according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic depicting one use of a support pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic depicting an alternative use of a support pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B, a support pillow 9 comprises a first arm 12 and a second arm 14 connected by a main pillow body. In accordance with the invention, one arm is adapted to rest on a person's lap while the other arm extends along one side of the person's waist, leaving the other side of the person's waist and the person's back generally free of contact from the pillow. As such, the pillow of the present invention is comfortable and suitable for use by a person regardless of his or her size. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the first and second arms 12 and 14 protrude from the main pillow body to form a generally V-shaped pillow. Also in this embodiment, the first and second arms 12 and 14 have substantially the same length.

The pillow 9 may be made of any suitable material. In one embodiment, the pillow 9 is inflatable with either air or fluid and is made of a high gauge rubber that is substantially impermeable to air and/or fluid. A nonlimiting example of such a rubber is butyl rubber, which is commonly used for inner tubes and air cushions. The pillow may also be made of an inflatable plastic. A nonlimiting examples of such a plastic is vinyl, such as 16 gauge vinyl, which is commonly used for wading pools. These inflatable pillows are also easily deflated to conserve storage space. In addition to being inflatable, pillows made of this rubber are easily cleaned, for example, with a damp cloth. Also, pillows made of this rubber will not accumulate germs and/or allergens from the surrounding environment as readily as a cloth or fabric pillow.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the pillow 9 is inflated by forcing air or fluid through a valve 36. This allows the firmness of the pillow 9 to be adjusted by varying the degree of inflation. The valve enables inflation by any suitable means. For example, a user may inflate the pillow by blowing air from his or her mouth into the pillow through the valve. Alternatively, a bicycle pump or similar device may be used to pump air to the pillow through the air valve. Also, fluid can be inserted into the pillow through the valve either through a funnel or similar device, or by a pump.

In an alternative embodiment, the pillow 9 is made of a hypo-allergenic material, which can be a cloth or fabric. In this embodiment, the pillow may also be filled with a hypo-allergenic filler.

Alternatively, the pillow may further comprise a cover, which may be made of any suitable material, including a hypo-allergenic material. In this embodiment, the pillow is easily cleaned by washing the pillow cover. Because only the cover of the pillow is washed, the pillow will not flatten due to washing.

The main pillow body 10 comprises sides 10a, 10b, and 10e. The first and second sides 10a and 10b converge at location A. An angle α between the generally linear first and second sides 10a and 10b is about 90°, but can be less than 90°. The third side 10e is generally arcuate and opposes location A. A distance between the side 10e and the location A may range between about 14 to about 25 inches, preferably from about 15 to 22 inches, and more preferably from about 15 to about 19 inches. The first arm 12 of the pillow extends along the first side 10a, and the second arm 14 extends along the second side 10b.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the location A may be a corner configuration, or as shown in FIG. 1B, an arcuate configuration so long as the pillow remains generally V-shaped. Similarly, free ends 11 and 13 of the first and second arms 12 and 14, respectively can take any suitable shape. For example, the free ends 11 and 13 of the first and second arms 12 and 14, respectively, may be substantially square, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or substantially rounded, as shown in FIG. 1C.

The lengths of the first and second arms 12 and 14 are not critical and can vary as desired. In one embodiment, length d1 of each of the arms ranges from about 15 to about 30 inches. In addition, the arms 12 and 14 can have any widths and circumferences as desired. In addition, the pillow 9 can take any suitable cross-sectional shape, including but not limited to circular, ovular, square and rectangular shapes. In one embodiment, the width d2 of each of the arms 12 and 14 ranges from about 8 to about 15 inches, and the circumferences of the arms 12 and 14 (when inflated or stuffed to the desired degree) range from about 22 to about 30 inches.

In another exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the support pillow 109 comprises a main pillow body 110 and first and second arms 112 and 114, respectively. The first and second arms 112 and 114 protrude from the main pillow body 110 to form a generally L-shaped pillow. In this embodiment, the first arm 112 is shorter than the second arm 114.

Like the pillow 9, the pillow 109 may be made of any suitable material. In one embodiment, the pillow 109 is inflatable and made of a high gauge rubber that is substantially impermeable to air. A nonlimiting example of such a rubber is butyl rubber, which is commonly used for inner tubes and air cushions. The pillow may also be made of an inflatable plastic. A nonlimiting examples of such a plastic is vinyl, such as 16 gauge vinyl, which is commonly used for wading pools. These inflatable pillows are also easily deflated to conserve storage space. In addition to being inflatable, pillows made of this rubber are easily cleaned, for example, with a damp cloth. Also, pillows made of this rubber will not accumulate germs and/or allergens from the surrounding environment as readily as a cloth or fabric pillow.

Like the pillow 9, the pillow 109 is inflated by forcing air through an air valve (not shown). This allows the firmness of the pillow 109 to be adjusted by varying the degree of inflation. The air valve enables inflation by any suitable means. For example, a user may inflate the pillow by blowing air from his or her mouth into the pillow through the air valve. Alternatively, a bicycle pump or similar device may be used to pump air to the pillow through the air valve. The air valve may be placed in any suitable location on the pillow 109, including on the bottom of the pillow, away from the surface of the pillow on which an infant may rest.

In an alternative embodiment, the pillow 109 is made of a hypo-allergenic material, which can be a cloth or fabric, such as cotton or polyester. In this embodiment, the pillow may also be filled with a hypo-allergenic filler, such as polyester.

Like the main pillow body 10, the main pillow body 110 comprises sides 110a, 110b, and 110e. The first and second sides 110a and 110b converge at location B. An angle β between the generally linear first and second sides 110a and 110b is about 90°, but can be less than 90°. The third side 110e is generally arcuate and opposes location B. A distance between the side 110e and the location B may range between about 14 to about 25 inches, preferably from about 15 to 22 inches, and more preferably from about 15 to about 19 inches. The first arm 112 of the pillow extends along the first side 110a, and the second arm 114 extends along the second side 110b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the location B may be a corner configuration, or as shown in FIG. 5, an arcuate configuration, so long as the pillow remains generally L-shaped. Similarly, free ends 111 and 113 of the first and second arms 112 and 114, respectively can take any suitable shape. For example, the free ends 111 and 113 of the first and second arms 112 and 114, respectively, may be substantially square, as shown in FIG. 4, or substantially rounded, as shown in FIG. 5.

The lengths of the first and second arms 112 and 114 are not critical and can vary as desired. However, the first arm 112 is longer than the second arm 114. In one embodiment, the length d4 of the first arm ranges from about 15 to about 30 inches. The second arm 114 may have any length sufficient to support the arm 114 against the side of a person's body. For example, the second arm 114 may have a length d3 ranging from about 8 inches to about 20 inches. Also, the pillow 109 can take any suitable cross-sectional shape, including, but not limited to, circular, ovular, square and rectangular shapes. In addition, the arms 112 and 114 can have any width and circumference as desired. In one embodiment, the width d5 of the each of the arms 112 and 114 ranges from about 8 to about 15 inches, and the circumference of each arm 112 and 114 (when inflated or stuffed to the desired degree) ranges from about 22 to about 30 inches.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the pillows 9 and 109 may be fabricated according to one embodiment by connecting two generally identically configured pieces of material 56 and 58 with a seam 60 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B). Each piece has the main pillow body and both arms. The seam 60 spans the entire perimeter of the pillows 9 and 109. Although the pillows 9 and 109 are described as being fabricated by connecting two pieces of material 56 and 58 with a seam 60, it is understood that any means of fabricating the pillow may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the pillow may be fabricated from one piece of material with two mirroring halves 56a and 58a that are bridged 59 at a free end of an arm. The two halves are folded over on each other and then connected by the seam 60 extending generally the perimeter around the bridged free end. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3C, the main pillow body 10 or 110 and the arms 12 and 14 or 112 and 114 can be fabricated separately and the arms connected to the main pillow body with connecting seams 62 and 64 between the arms and the main pillow body.

The pillows 9 and 109 may also include handles 30 for carrying, gripping or repositioning the pillows. The handle 30 can be constructed of any suitable material, and can be made of the same material as the pillow or a different material. As shown, the handle 30 is attached to the pillow at the seam 60. However, it is understood that the handle 30 may be attached in any suitable manner. In inflatable embodiments, the handle 30 should be attached such that the attachment does not substantially affect the impermeability of the pillow to air.

In addition, the handle 30 may be located anywhere on the pillow. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 4 the handle can be connected at one end to a side of the main pillow body and connected at the other end to one of the arms. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 1C, 2B and 5, both ends of the handle can be connected to one of the arms. In another alternative, both ends of the handle can be connected to one side of the main pillow body, or one end can be connected to the first side 10a or 110a and the other end connected to the second side 10b or 110b of the main pillow body (shown in FIG. 1D).

The pillows 9 and 109 may further comprise at least one pocket 120 positioned on one or both of the arms, as shown in FIG. 5a. The pocket 120 may have any suitable shape and size and may be positioned anywhere on the arms. In addition, the pocket 120 may have an open top 121 adapted to receive various items, such as burp cloths or bottles (when the pillow is used to feed an infant). Alternatively, the pocket 120 may have a reversibly closeable top 122, such as a zipper, Velcro® or the like. The pillows 9 and 109 may have any number of pockets 120 as desired, and a plurality of pockets 120 may be positioned on all sides of the pillow to provide at least one pocket 120 regardless of which side of the pillow is being used.

In use for supporting an infant, as shown in FIG. 6, one of the arms of the pillow spans the lap of a person using the pillow, and the other arm rests against the side of the person's body. Neither arm wraps around the back of the person's body. However, it is understood that the pillow can be used for purposes other than infant support, such as back support. When used, for example for back support, one arm of the pillow may span the back of a person's body, and the other arm rests against the side of the person's body, as shown in FIG. 7. The L- and V-shaped configurations of the inventive pillows makes them considerably more comfortable for overweight persons than existing U-shaped infant support pillows.

The preceding description has been presented with references to certain exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, workers skilled in the art and technology to which this invention pertains will appreciate that alterations and modifications in the described structure may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principal, spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the described embodiments, but rather should be read consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fairest scope.

Claims

1. A support pillow comprising:

a main pillow body;

a first arm extending from a side of the main pillow body; and

a second arm extending from a different side of the pillow body, wherein the support pillow takes a shape selected from the group consisting of V-shapes and L-shapes.

2. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein a length of the first arm is the same as a length of the second arm.

3. The support pillow according to claim 2, wherein the length of the first and second arms ranges from about 15 to about 25 inches.

4. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein the first arm is shorter than the second arm.

5. The support pillow according to claim 3, wherein a length of the second arm ranges from about 15 to about 25 inches, and a length of the first arm ranges from about 7 to about 14 inches.

6. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein the circumference of the first and second arms ranges from about 22 to about 30 inches.

7. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein a first side and a second side of the main pillow body define an angle of about 90°.

8. The support pillow according to claim 1, further comprising a handle.

9. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein the pillow comprises a hypo-allergenic material.

10. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein the pillow is inflatable.

11. The support pillow according to claim 1, wherein the pillow comprises a material selected from the group consisting of rubbers, plastics and fabrics.

12. The support pillow according to claim 11, wherein the pillow comprises butyl rubber.

13. The support pillow according to claim 11, wherein the pillow comprises vinyl.

14. The support pillow according to claim 13, wherein the vinyl is 16 gauge vinyl.

15. The support pillow according to claim 10, further comprising an air valve through which the pillow is inflated.

16. The support pillow according to claim 11, wherein the pillow comprises a fabric and a filler.

17. The support pillow according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pocket positioned on an arm of the pillow.

18. A support pillow comprising:

a main pillow body;

a first arm extending from a side of the main pillow body; and

a second arm extending from another side of the main pillow body, wherein the support pillow is inflatable and comprises a materials selected from the group consisting of V-shapes and L-shapes.

19. The support pillow according to claim 18, wherein the support pillow comprises a material selected from the group consisting of butyl rubber and vinyl.

20. A support pillow comprising:

a main pillow body having first, second, third and fourth sides;

a first arm extending from the third side of the main pillow body; and

a second arm extending from the fourth side of the main pillow body, wherein the first and second sides of the main pillow body form an angle of about 90° to form a pillow having a shape selected from the group consisting of V-shapes and L-shapes.

21. A support pillow comprising:

two arms joined by a main pillow body, one arm adapted to rest on a person's lap while the other arm extends near one side of the person's waist, wherein the other side of the person's waist and back are generally free from contact with the pillow.

22. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the two arms are joined at an angle of about 90 degrees.

23. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the two arms are joined at an angle of about 90 degrees or less.

24. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the two arms are of generally equal length.

25. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the two arms are of unequal length.

26. The support pillow according to claim 21, further comprising a handle.

27. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein each arm has a generally circular cross-section.

28. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein each arm has a generally rectangular cross-section.

29. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the pillow is filled with a fluid.

30. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the pillow contains filler.

31. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the arms are generally linear.

32. The support pillow according to claim 21, wherein the arms are generally curved.