PILLOW SUPPORTING ALTERNATE REGIONS OF A USER'S HEAD IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE USER'S RECUMBENT POSITION
A pillow supports alternate regions of a user's head depending upon the recumbent position of the user. When a user is in a supine position, the user's head rests on a central neck roll region which supports the occipital region of the user's head, maintaining it centered around a saddle point in the upper surface of the central neck roll region. When a user rolls into a lateral decubitus position, the user's head rolls onto a lateral cranial support region such that the center of gravity of the user's head is positioned approximately at the point on the upper surface of the lateral cranial support region that provides maximal support.
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIXNot Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of EndeavorThe present invention relates to an ergonomic pillow. More particularly, to a pillow used for facilitating proper alignment of neck, back and head, opening air passages, deeper sleep and avoiding flattening of the hair.
Background InformationHumans sleep for as much as one third of their lives. Effective and comfortable sleep is very important. This generally requires a comfortable and supportive pillow. It is generally known that most of shoulder discomfort, back pain, snoring, headache, insomnia, cervical disc problem, a forward head posture, etc. are caused by misuse of a pillow or by selecting an inappropriate pillow.
A head that hangs forward is the most common posture/spinal misalignment problem and the source of much pain and discomfort. Neck misalignment can be exaggerated by many everyday activities, including reading books/newspapers, sewing/knitting, crafting/scrapbooking, washing dishes, cooking, driving, talking on the phone, watching television, working at a computer/desk, leaning over a desk, raking/shoveling, wearing bifocals, and sleeping on a pillow too high.
A head that hangs forward is the most widespread posture/spinal misalignment problem, and one that causes many problems. The reason is that a head is heavy. The average human head weights 10 to 14 pounds, the same as a bowling ball. It's supposed to align with the spine and rest directly over the shoulders in the body's center of gravity. When it hangs forward even slightly it is no longer in the center of gravity, and the muscles in the neck and upper back have to work hard all the time just to hold your head up. Every half inch that your head is held in front of your shoulders puts an additional twenty pounds of strain on those muscles. This starts a chain reaction.
Most of the work is done by the upper part of the trapezius muscle, a large, diamond-shaped muscle that runs from the base of the skull out to the shoulders and down to the middle back. When the head hangs forward, the upper traps are constantly under tension to hold that heavy load. Over time, they become very thick and tight. When touched, they feel like cement. This causes stiffness and pain in the neck and upper back.
Because the upper trap is continually contracting, the nerves that pass between the neck bones to serve the arms and upper body get squeezed. The result can be neck pain, numbness or tingling in the arms and hands, or tension headaches. (Tension headaches, the most common type of headache, are often suffered by people whose work requires them to bend or lean forward, such as assembly-line workers, hairdressers, and dentists and dental hygienists).
While the upper section of the traps become overdeveloped, the middle and lower parts weaken because they don't have to work at all. The imbalance causes tremendous discomfort in the upper and middle back.
The splenius cervicus, long, think muscles that run between the skull and middle back, become stressed and strained and are often felt as “hot spots” between the shoulder blades.
When your head hangs forward, you have to lift your face by arching your neck. This puts pressure on the cartilage, disks, and joints of the neck. Over time, it increases the chance of “wear-and-tear” arthritis. The constant compression of the disks, nerves, and joints also reduces the flow of blood to the area, cutting down on the oxygen and nutrients that reach the tissues.
The forward head posture is a major contributor to temporo-mandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which causes pain or clicking noises when you open and close your jaw. TMJ occurs when the hinged joint that connects the lower jawbone to the skull, and the supporting muscles, become inflamed or injured. When the head and jaw are thrust forward, as in the forward-head position, gravity pulls on the jaw and eventually the joint doesn't fit together properly. TMJ can be relieved by realigning the head over the shoulders and relaxing the neck muscles.
Forward head posture can lead to tension headaches, neck pain and stiffness, osteoarthritis in the neck and even bone spurs.
A conventional pillow is often too hard, soft, high or low so that the head and the neck can freely move on the pillow instead of being comfortably placed thereon, causing a shoulder line to be crooked. Also, the human body has a forward curved structure in a portion where the head and the upper cervical vertebrae are joined and has the center of mass biased forward more than the cervical vertebrae, so that the muscles of the occipital and the lower occipital regions are easily tensed.
Further, the stress of life, poor posture, various injuries, etc. cause this portion to be more severely tensed than other portions, and block occipital nerves, vertebral arteries, etc., thereby providing pressure on the lower occipital. As a result, many nerves passing through the jugular foramen are continuously pressed, and thus the muscle controlled thereby is tensed, so that an autonomous nervous system for maintaining the homeostasis undergoes a functional disorder, and in severe cases, the endocranium surrounding the encephalon is also tensed, causing constitutional symptom.
Thus, treatment for relaxing the tensed muscle and soft tissue of the occipital and the lower occipital is very important. Conventionally, such tension on the occipital and the lower occipital has been inconveniently and manually relaxed through inconvenient medical treatment by a practitioner such as a massage therapist, a physical therapist, etc.
It is therefore desirable to provide a functional and ergonomic pillow for a sound sleep, which can improve posture and reduce cramping and discomfort, particularly in the muscle of the lower occipital region including the upper cervical vertebrae, and the occipital duramater.
The ergonomic pillow allows the person to be in correct head, shoulder, spine alignment while sleeping, corrects the posture/spinal misalignment problem exaggerated by many everyday activities, and reduces/eliminates the symptoms/problems caused by posture/spinal misalignment.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a pillow that provides improved support of the head, neck and shoulders, improves posture, reduces air pathway impediments and bending during sleep and increases the effectiveness of sleep.
In greater detail, an ergonomic pillow comprises a toroidal body having an inner circumference defining a hole in the middle of the body and a height. The height is approximately equal to the distance from the side of the head to the shoulder. Optionally, the height of the pillow is adjustable so that it may accommodate persons having different dimensions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ergonomic toroidal or U-shape pillow providing improved support to the head, neck and shoulder regions during sleep. The pillow may also reduce snoring and other effects of poorly supported air passages during sleep.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Disclosed is an ergonomic pillow that may be used to better align the spine, neck, head and shoulders to facilitate better posture, better sleep and better alignment of air passages that may reduce snoring and allow a person to be more rested. The pillow may provide substantial support at the neck and base of the head while providing little or no support to the middle and top or crown portion of the head. When laying on the side of the body, the pillow may also provide support to the shoulders such that a person is less likely to curve their shoulders forward during sleep, thus improving posture and rest.
As may be seen in
The size of the hole running through the middle of the pillow may be larger or smaller and the circumference of the toroid itself may be adjusted to provide optimal comfort and support for an individual user. Memory foam or other materials may be used to retain strength, firmness and shape retention.
In describing the alternative embodiment of a pillow 100, the terms “superior” and “inferior” are used in accordance with their usage as anatomical directions in relation to a pillow's user riding on the pillow in the intended manner. The “superior direction” is a longitudinal direction oriented upward from the center of a user's body toward and beyond the head. The “inferior direction” is a longitudinal direction indicating downward from the head toward the body. For example, the two arms of the U-shaped body are said to extend in a superior direction while the bottom of the U-shaped body is on the inferior side of the pillow. The term “saddle point” is used in accordance with its mathematical definition referring to a point representing a local maxima along one linear coordinate and a local minima along an orthogonal linear coordinate. Similarly, the terms “extrema,” “extremum” and “extremal” are also used in accordance with its mathematical definition. In addition, the alternative embodiment of a pillow 100 has been described in reference to various “surfaces.” Because the entire surface of the U-shaped pillow body 101 is “smooth” and the mathematical as well as literal sense, there is no clear boundaries between the various surfaces and the description below should not be construed as clearly delineating distinct surfaces. Rather, the various surfaces may be seen to overlap. The structural features disclosed below that comes closest to being construed mobile as a clear delineation are the inflection lines separating the central neck roll region 106 from the lateral cranial support regions 108.
A pillow 100 supports alternate regions of a user's head in response to the user rolling into alternate recumbent positions during sleep and has a U-shaped body 101 exhibiting bilateral symmetry along a vertical plane aligned with a longitudinal axis 104. The U-shaped support pillow 100 includes three separate regions, a central neck roll region 106 and two lateral cranial support regions 108. The two lateral cranial support regions 108 which extend in a superior direction from the central neck roll region, thereby forming the two lateral arms of the U-shaped body 101. The U-shaped body 101 has an internal side 109 which curves concavely in the horizontal plane and defines a cranial pocket 110 sized and configured to accommodate an average sized head of a human. An external side 111 is convex overall, being substantially straight in the central neck roll region 106, and curving convexly in the lateral cranial support regions 108 as it travels laterally away from the central neck roll region 106. The external side 111 includes an extremal ridge 113 that is substantially horizontal in the central neck roll region 106 and slopes downward in the lateral cranial support regions 108 as it travels in the superior direction. The bottom surface 124 of the pillow body is substantially flat but may optionally be slightly curved, thereby imparting a more cylindrical shape to the central neck roll region 106 and more ovoid shape to the lateral cranial support regions 108.
The central neck roll region 106 has an upper surface 112 that curves concavely along a transverse axis 114 as it extends between the two lateral cranial support regions 108. The upper surface 112 of the central neck roll region 106 also curves convexly along the longitudinal axis 104, thereby forming a saddle point 116 on the upper surface 112 which is located closer to the external side 111 then the internal side 109. In this embodiment, the saddle point 116 is located approximately 75% of the way from the internal side 109 to the external side 111. Generally, the saddle point is located between 60% to 90% of the way from the internal side 109 to the external side 111. Preferably, the saddle point is located between 70% and 80% of the way from the internal side 109 to the external side 111.
The superior side surfaces 134 of the lateral cranial support regions 108 of this embodiment are convex and include an extrema 135 that converges with the extremal ridge 113 in
The inferior side surfaces 138 of the lateral cranial support regions 108 curve convexly along the vertical axis 118 in conformity with the vertical curvature of the neck roll region 106. The inferior side surfaces 138 of the cranial support regions 108 curve in an increasingly superior direction along the transverse axis 114. Thus, although the inferior side 107 of the neck roll region 106 is substantially straight, the overall total inferior side of the U-shaped body 101 is convex along the transverse axis 114. This ensures that when a user rolls into a left or right lateral decubitus position, the user's shoulders is not supported by the pillow body 101.
Referring to
Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep comprising:
- providing a pillow supporting alternate regions of a user's head in response to the user rolling into alternate recumbent positions during sleep comprising: a U-shaped body having a central neck roll region extending between two lateral cranial support regions which extend in a superior direction from the central neck roll region and is defined by a convex external side and a concave internal side which defines a cranial pocket between the lateral cranial support regions; wherein the central neck roll region comprises: an upper surface that curves convexly along a longitudinal axis and concavely along a transverse axis, thereby forming a saddle point at a center the upper surface of the central neck roll, an inferior side surface that is convexly curved along a vertical axis, and a superior side surface that curves concavely along the transverse axis and curves convexly along the vertical axis, thereby forming a saddle point at a center of the superior side surface; wherein each of the two lateral cranial support region comprises: an upper surface that is convex along the longitudinal axis and convex along the transverse axis such that each of the two elevated lateral cranial support regions have a height that is greater than a height of the neck roll region, a bottom surface that is substantially flat, an inferior side surface that is convex along a vertical axis, a superior side surface that is convex along both the vertical and the transverse axes, an internal side surface that is convex along the vertical axis and concave along the longitudinal axis wherein each of the two elevated lateral cranial support regions extend in a superior direction from the central neck roll region and define a U-shaped curved interior side of the pillow;
- positioning a recumbent person's neck on the central neck roll region such that a person's body extends away from the two elevated lateral cranial support regions.
2. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 1 wherein the inferior side surface of the central neck roll region is substantially straight along the transverse axis.
3. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 2 wherein the inferior side surface of each lateral cranial support region curves in a superior direction as it moves laterally along the transverse axis
4. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 3 wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a first extremum located at a position which is superior relative to the saddle point of the upper surface of the central neck roll region.
5. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 4 wherein the inferior side surface of the pillow has a second extremum located on a top half of the inferior side surface.
6. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 5 wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a third extremum located on a bottom half of the region's superior side surface.
7. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 6 wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a lateral side that is convex along both the vertical axis and the longitudinal axes.
8. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 7 wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has an extremal ridge along the region's lateral side which extends from the first extremum to the second extremum.
9. The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of claim 1 wherein a bottom surface of the central neck roll region is substantially flat.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 15, 2020
Publication Date: Jul 15, 2021
Inventor: Chau Vo (Pompano Beach, FL)
Application Number: 16/743,660