BEAUTY PILLOW
Disclosed is a pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness. The pillow includes a core extending with the thickness along the pillow length and the pillow width with cavities in the core, includes a core cover and includes fastening means extending into and fastening the cover at the cavity locations to form wells for supporting the head and neck with comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure.
This invention relates to pillows generally for use on a bed to support a head and neck for sleeping, more particularly to improved pillows having therapeutic and cosmetic properties and improved pillows that enhance the quality of sleep.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPillows in common use for many years have a number of limitations. The downward force and pressure caused by the weight of a person's head and neck on facial tissue and facial skin in contact with such pillows is considerable, causing local stretching, reduction or cessation of capillary blood flow and deformation of the skin. Over a period of years, these factors accelerate wrinkling of the skin and contribute to the visible effects of ageing.
Similarly, the outer surfaces of the ears are crushed by the weight of the head when a person using a pillow lies to the side, contributing to cessation of capillary blood flow and the incidence of bacterial and fungal ear infections, morning wax deafness, ear ache and gradual deformation and wrinkling of the pinna (the outer ear formed of cartilage covered by skin) and sleep disruption due to forced position change.
In addition, existing pillows provide uneven support to the head and neck causing muscular strain of the neck and back and causing general night unrest. Sleepers adopt a side or face down position during sleep in an effort to conform to the support areas of a pillow, spending disproportionately little time sleeping in a supine position. This tendency can accelerate degeneration of the spine associated with ageing, particularly in the neck region, even causing reflected back pain and degradation extending down to the lumbar region. Indeed, neck injury and pain commonly result from improper support while sleeping. Similarly, in an attempt to match personal anatomy to a pillow, many people adopt unnatural sleeping positions with arms and hands used to provide head support, which leads to discomfort and joint degeneration, and even arthritis, in the hands, elbows and shoulders.
Although a variety of pillow sizes and shapes are available, they often do not match an individual's anatomy and natural sleep habits. In an attempt to address some of these deficiencies, various pillow designs have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 entitled A STABLE CERVICAL PILLOW WITH DEPRESSIONS FOR A USER'S EAR invented by Roger A. Sramek, an inventor of the present invention, discloses a pillow, clinically tested at Stanford University Center For Human Sleep Research, which reduces the incidence of morning wrinkles and permanent skin wrinkling, which prevents ear compression and which provides anatomically correct cervical and head support. That pillow supports the head and neck of a person and includes a resilient pillow body with an adjustable-height head rest. The head rest includes a central depression in the pillow body and a plurality of head-height adjustment shims which fit into the central depression. The pillow body has a resilient upper portion with a plurality of depressions on a top face for receiving the person's ears.
While U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 in some respects has desirable features, pillows marketed with such features have had a non-standard appearance resulting from a contoured shape and a narrow width. Such pillows have been made from urethane foam and other resilient man-made and natural materials that provide firm and aligned support and vastly improve the quality of sleep. While such pillows attempted to support the head and neck with adequate musculoskeletal position and alignment, the irregular appearance, the overly firm and non-washable material, the high cost and other problems made such pillows unsatisfactory.
One urethane foam pillow having features described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 has been manufactured by National Sleep Products and sold by Sealy Posturepedic. That pillow has a urethane foam core measuring 24×10×6 inches. However, the irregular appearance, the overly firm and non-washable material, the high cost and other problems made such pillows unsatisfactory.
A polyurethane foam pillow having features described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 has been sold by Brookstone. That pillow has a foam core measuring 25.5×13×5.5 inches. However, the irregular appearance, the overly firm and non-washable material, the high cost and other problems made such pillows unsatisfactory.
A shredded polyurethane foam pillow has been sold by My Pillow, Inc. That pillow has a core measuring 28×18.5×7 inches. That pillow is made from a variety of foam pieces including foam pieces of different sizes and irregular shapes. The pillow is advertised as being covered by U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,424 B2. That pillow relies on the user to adjust the pillow to an “exact custom fit that molds to the body”. Although the user may initially find a comfortable position, the normal turning of a user during sleep causes the musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure to become distorted and uncomfortable. The resulting discomfort interferes with the user's quality of sleep. The supposed benefits of the pillow are lost and do not achieve a comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure that last through the night or other sleep period. Furthermore, the foam pieces of different sizes and irregular shapes tend to form pressure points that press against the soft tissue portions of the face and head causing wrinkles and redness of the skin. Experience has shown that the advertised benefits, to the extent present, are not long lasting through the sleep period.
A polyester pillow has been made by American Textile Company. That pillow has a core measuring 28×20×8 inches. Although that pillow is low cost, washable, and regular in appearance, that pillow does not have the beneficial features described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380.
A down pillow has been made by Blue Ridge Home Fashion. That pillow has a core measuring 28×20×7 inches. Although that pillow is soft, washable, and regular in appearance, that pillow does not have the beneficial features described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380.
Normally everyone spends a large percentage of every day sleeping and the quality of sleep is important to a person's good health and enjoyment of life. Comfortable pillows and beds are important in establishing restful sleep.
During sleep, a healthy person typically passes through non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and REM sleep. The cycle of non-REM sleep is followed by REM sleep. During REM sleep, the heart rate and breathing quickens and intense dreams may occur providing mentally restorative sleep. Non-REM sleep is typically described as having three stages. During Stage 1, eyes are closed, but it is easy to be awakened. During Stage 2, the heart rate slows and the body temperature drops. During stage 3, deep sleep occurs and if aroused, disorientation occurs for a few minutes. During the deep stages of non-REM sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system.
Restfulness and the quality of sleep are dependent upon the comfort of sleepers. When sleepers become uncomfortable, they move to relieve the discomfort and the resulting moves are a normal part of sleep. When sleepers move, they frequently change to lighter levels of sleep (stage 1 or 2 of non-REM sleep) or awaken. The more discomfort sleepers feel, the more they will move and the more time they will spend in lighter and less restful sleep. Good sleeping is normally associated with a low number of body shifts during the sleep period. Shifts due to discomfort caused by beds or pillows are a significant cause of poor sleep quality. On conventional sleep surfaces, most people experience about forty major postural body shifts in the course of a night's sleep. Poor sleepers experience about sixty percent more major shifts than good sleepers. While some shifts during a sleep period are beneficial in relaxing opposing muscle groups, the quality of sleep can be greatly improved for many by reducing the number of shifts caused by discomfort.
There are two major causes of bed-induced shifting, and particularly pillow-induced shifting, which cause poor sleep. As it relates to the head and pillow, the first major cause of shifting is the buildup of pressure on the part of pillows which are too thick or too hard. High compression tends to restrict capillary blood flow which is recognized by the body, after a period of time, as discomfort. The pressure threshold which causes a discontinuance of capillary blood flow is called the ischemic pressure. The ischemic pressure is normally considered to be approximately thirty mmHg. The discontinuance of capillary blood flow is observable as a discolored spot on the skin. After pressure is applied, a spot on the skin is a precursor to tissue damage. When parts of the body are subjected to pressures above the ischemic threshold, discomfort results and, hence, a person shifts to remove the discomfort and threat to tissue damage. For some people, the ears are particularly sensitive to such pressure. As people age, the likelihood of this sensitivity increases as tissues begin to lose their structural integrity and the diameter of the pinna of the ear may expand.
Considering the second major cause of shifting, poor body alignment results from bending of the vertebral column of the body. As it relates to the head and pillow, such bending is typically caused by poorly functioning mattresses and pillows that cause unwanted improper and distorting alignment of the neck and head in one or more sleeping positions, that is, poor musculoskeletal position and alignment occurs. Proper supine (back-lying) position means that the occiput of the head (the protruding back part of the head) comes to rest at some level above the center of the shoulders so that the head and neck are not in an extended or bowed position while at the same time, a proper amount of support is provided to the neck with its natural curvature. For a pillow that provides sleep comfort, a neutral, as if standing in proper alignment, anatomic position is achieved and the natural alignment is evidenced by the chin and brow being at about the same height. When these positions are not achieved, a distorting and unnatural alignment occurs causing discomfort. When these positions are achieved, the head and neck are in a non-distorting aligned position that provides good sleep comfort and good musculoskeletal position and alignment.
Natural, non-distorting alignment allows the neck functions including those of the nerves, tissues, arteries, and the breathing tube (oropharynx and hypopharynx) to perform unstressed and optimally. Natural alignment also reduces stress and reduces compression of the neck and compression of nearby nerves and thus reduces pain and stiffness.
Many pillows have a high concentration of fill in the middle of the pillow, or are otherwise too firm or too thick, and therefore promote extended flexion of the neck so that the head position is extended beyond natural alignment into distorted alignment. This extended head position often impairs breathing and other neck functions leading to worsened snoring and to neck, shoulder and back pain. Also, the extended head position causes wrinkling across the front of the neck and under the chin. The result is a distorting alignment causing discomfort and other unwanted consequences.
In addition to head and body alignment, pillows also have properties that affect cosmetic qualities of skin. The skin, particularly in women wanting delicate and smooth skin features, is susceptible to wrinkling. Facial tissue is particularly susceptible to wrinkling and worsens with aging. Repeated compression of the facial flesh, for example when side-sleeping on a conventional pillow, forms nocturnal creases on each side of the mouth and wrinkling across the upper lip. Pillows as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 tend to tighten the facial skin during sleep and hence tend to reduce pillow-induced wrinkling including crow's feet.
Many purchasers and merchants have come to expect pillows to have other “standard properties”. For example, an expectation is that pillows will have standard sizes for use on standard mattresses such as King, Queen, Double and so forth with dimensions that match existing pillow-case sizes. The pillowcase is generally about 4 inches longer than the pillow itself. Typically, a standard size pillow is 20 inches by 26 inches, a queen size pillow is 20 by 30 inches and a king size pillow is 20 by 36 inches. The less common pillow sizes are Euro, which measure 26 inches by 26 inches (down to 16 inches by 16 inches), and travel pillows, which measure 12 inches by 16 inches. While these “standard properties” do not necessarily add to the suitability of a pillow for sleeping, they nonetheless can be important for widespread commercial acceptance of pillows. In general in the United States, pillow users expect that a pillow will be rectangular in cross section (approximately a rectangular solid). These dimensions, however, are not critical and can easily vary by 20% or more.
A number of additional “attributes” are also important for commercial acceptance of pillows. A pillow design desirably meets the needs of a large percentage of the population. The greatest demand is for pillows used on beds that sleep two people side by side. The number of stocking numbers required for a pillow product line is desirably low so that distribution and sale are efficient.
Developments in the parameters of and manufacturing capabilities for polyester, foam, latex and other materials (including beads, seeds and husks) have provided new components for pillows that can be used to better approach the technical parameters desired for pillows at economical costs and which can be manufactured with expected “standard properties” and with the “attributes” for pillows that are desired by the public. The ability to easily wash and dry pillows using conventional home laundry machines is in high demand.
In the present specification, the term “foam” is used in a generic sense to include all substances that trap many gas bubbles in a solid, for example, synthetic and natural rubber, latex, elastomer and polyurethane among others. In the present specification, the term “polyester” means a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in their main chain.
The physical properties of pillow materials include among others Density, Hardness, and Tensile Strength, Indentation Load Deflection (ILD), Compression Load Deflection (IFD or Indentation Force Deflection), Initial Softness Ratio, Resilience (Elasticity), Compression Modulus, Hysteresis Durability and Lifetime. These physical properties are described in United States Patent Application Publication No.: US 2014/0208515 A1 with a Publication Date of Jul. 31, 2014.
The comfort of a head on a pillow is dependent, among other parameters, on the softness of the pillow. The softness of a pillow is determined by the physical properties of the pillow materials and the manner in which the materials are formed and arrayed. Softness is also achieved when the head load is distributed over a larger area of the pillow.
The softness of the pillow is measured by the softness index which correlates with the softness comfort of a head reclining on a pillow.
None of the pillows presently known provide the desired musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure together with softness index and other features preferred by customers or contributing to their sleep and health.
There is a demand by some purchasers for pillows and other products to be produced with materials and processes that are non-toxic, that are not contaminated with pesticides or fertilizers and that are otherwise environmentally protective. Such materials and processes are often described as “green”. Green materials include organic and natural materials. The term “organic” means materials that were once part of something alive. The term “natural” means materials that are grown without the use of chemicals and are not genetically altered.
Green materials and products are often certified by various entities such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).
In consideration of the above background, there is a need for improved pillows that can be economically manufactured utilizing the available physical properties of materials while satisfying the public expectations and demands for pillows.
SUMMARYThe present invention is a pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness. The pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness and includes a core extending along the pillow length and the pillow width where the core has a pillow top and a pillow bottom. One or more cavities extend into the core at cavity locations. A core cover extends over the core and over the cavities and forms wells at the cavity locations for supporting the head and neck with comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure. For at least a first cavity of the one or more cavities the core cover is pulled into the first cavity from the pillow top and is fastened in the first cavity providing a gradual slope of the core cover into the first cavity forming a first ear well.
The one or more ear wells formed have sloping walls so that an abrupt transition is not felt by the head of the reclined body over the pillow surface. The comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure occurs under the neck and head region, particularly for back-lying bodies, and occurs under and around the ears for side-lying bodies. Typically, the neck and head well is near the long-side center of a rectangular pillow and the ear wells are offset from the head well toward the short-side ends of a rectangular pillow.
For back-lying bodies, the back-lying head well provides a natural curvature allowing the head to recline into the head well while the neck is supported by a neck bridge connecting from the pillow edge to the head well. Typically, the back-lying head well is off centered providing two different neck bridges of different sizes thereby satisfying head and neck dimensions for most of the population.
The back-lying head well supports the head (occiput) prominence so that the head and body tend not to roll to the side and hence tend to avoid twisting of the airway and the resulting reduction of air flow that twisting causes. The back-lying head well supports the neck preventing the head from rotating in the forward direction and in the backward direction. The pillow prevents the chin from dropping downward and back so as to compress the tongue tissues to occlude the airway so that the pillow prevents the reduction of air flow and thereby reduces snoring and possible sleep apnea.
For back-lying bodies, the pillow reduces neck pain because the cervical spine of the body, through the neck to the head, is supported in its natural curvature by the head well and neck bridge rather than having the head bent unnaturally upward and forward. In the unnaturally upward and forward condition, the cervical spine is distorted which allows intervertebral discs to compress asymmetrically producing the likelihood of bulging discs which may impinge upon nearby nerves and cause numbness and pain.
The pillow with the back-lying head well dimensions, has a longer neck bridge and a shorter neck bridge so that the head cavity for the longer neck bridge is a greater distance from the edge of the pillow than the head cavity for the shorter neck bridge. Depending upon the length of a body's head and neck, the appropriate one of the neck bridges is selected which most closely matches the neck length of the body. In this manner, a single pillow with different size neck bridges is suitable for most of the normal population.
For side-lying bodies, the pillow has one or more side-lying ear wells. Typically, the ear wells are near each end of the pillow and allow a side-lying body to place the ear over the ear well. The ear well prevents flattening of the pinna of the ear and any pain and disfigurement therefrom.
The pillow core surrounding the side-lying ear well provides comfortable pressure and supports the jaw so that the jaw does not drop down and back and so that airway patency is not reduced. Since the head and face are near the end of the pillow, there is no or minimal upward pressure on the cheek which would tend to compress the nasal vestibule and reduce nasal airflow. Therefore, ear wells for side-lying bodies reduce or eliminate snoring and possible sleep apnea.
In both back-lying and side-lying positions, the pillow slightly elevates the head while keeping the head in general alignment with the line extension of the thoracic spine. A slightly elevated head is deemed more comfortable by the general population. Perhaps there are sound medical and physical reasons for the comfort associated with an elevated head. One reason is that gravity for an elevated head aids in the nightly removal of metabolites from the brain into the body's lymphatic system (via the glymphatic system). This removal is important because accumulation of metabolites, particular beta amyloids, is believed to be one cause of Alzheimer's disease.
In both back-lying and side-lying positions, the pillow in addition to the mechanical aspects of good sleep and comfort provides beautification elements. When back-lying with the head positioned in the head well, gravity acts on the soft tissues of the face, drawing tissues backward thereby reducing wrinkles which normally form across and perpendicular to the upper lip. This back-lying with the head positioned in the head well also acts to reduce wrinkles in the cheeks which form on each side of the mouth and nose.
Because placement of the head in the head well is similar to the normal, standing position of the head, the wrinkles which would form in the chin and neck in pillows without a head well are not formed or minimized in the pillow of the present invention. Wrinkles that are not formed while sleeping are not present the following morning. While repeated wrinkles formed by conventional pillows may eventually become permanent, the absence of wrinkles from the pillows of the present invention helps lead to the reduction or complete absence of wrinkles.
For back-lying bodies, much of the tissue of the face is not in contact with the pillow surface and therefore there is less likelihood of compression of face tissue and the accompanying retardation of blood flow and distribution of lymph. Poor circulation due to compression of face tissue accounts for blotches often visible in the morning. At a physiological level, repair of tissues hampered by poor circulation promotes tissue healing and retards aging and appearance of aging.
For side-lying bodies, the weight of the head over an ear well is supported primarily by the skull above the eyes and around in front of and behind the ear, not by the soft tissues of the face. Thus these tissues of the face are not subjected to excessive compression, as described above, so that metabolic activity is properly supported.
The material of the pillow can be both natural and manmade. For those people that prefer a “green” product, then a core of latex is preferred together with cotton or other green fabrics. In other embodiments, the material of the pillow core is one or more of fiber-bale, polyester fiber and foam (such as Quilt Flex™ or Hypersoft™ foams). In general, the other embodiments may be washable and dryable by home or other laundry machines.
The pillow body consists of latex, foam or fiber (loose or in matrix) inside a fabric pillow cover.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.
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The pillow 11 is rectangular in shape with the front edge 11-1 and back edge 11-2 longer than the side edge 11-3 and side edge 11-4. The pillow 11 has a top 11-5. An ear well 1 is toward the side 11-3 and an ear well 2 is toward the side 11-4. The ear well 1 has the cover 8 depressed into the pillow by the fastener 14 to form ear well 1. The depression of ear well 1 into the pillow causes a crease 1-3 or other structural softness from the ear well 1 to the edge 11-3 and causes a crease 1-4 or other structural softness from the ear well 1 to the edge 1. The ear well 1 additionally has a crease 1-1 or other structural softness extending toward ear well 16 and a crease 1-2 or other structural softness extending toward the side 11-2. The ear well 2 has the cover 8 depressed into the pillow by the fastener 15 to form an ear well. The depression of ear well 2 into the pillow causes a crease 2-3 or other structural softness from the ear well 2 to the edge 11-4 and causes a crease 2-4 or other structural softness from the ear well 2 to the edge 1. The top 11-5 of pillow 11 does not appear to have a head well. For purpose of explanation, the location of the head well 16 as it exists extending into the pillow core from the bottom is shown by a dashed line.
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The manner in which pillow 11 achieves good comfort, position and alignment is evident in
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The weight of the head 36 over and about the ear well 2 is supported primarily by the skull above the eyes, around, in front of and behind the ear and less than by the soft tissues 36-2 of the face. The head 36 has a slope angle A32 which is, for example, approximately 6° to 8°.Gravity acts to draw the head 36 forward in the direction of side edge 11-4 thereby gently drawing the side facial tissues 36-2 toward the back of the skull 36-3, opening the nasal vestibule, and thereby increasing air flow. As a result, face tissues 36-2 are not subjected to compression or have reduced compression so that metabolic activity is properly supported and comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure are achieved.
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In accordance with the present invention for supine lying, the neck is supported to cause the head to be positioned like the head is positioned when standing so as reduce wrinkles across the chin and neck. With this positioning, the chin is up relative to conventional pillows and tends to open the airway for greater blood-oxygen saturation and tends to reduce the likelihood of snoring.
In accordance with the present invention for side lying, the head and neck are positioned to distribute support of the head on the bone prominences of the skull and therefore to reduce pressure on the soft tissue areas of the face. The pressure is reduced across the upper lip and the behind the eye sockets reducing the formation of “crow's feet”. Additionally, the ear wells reduce pressure, pain and discomfort on and around the pinna of the ear. There is a reduction of pressure below the ischemic pressure so that there is a reduction in discomfort, pain, wrinkles and expansion or enlargement of the pinna.
In connection with embodiments of the present invention and particularly in connection with
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising:
- a core extending along the pillow length and the pillow width, the core having a pillow top and a pillow bottom,
- one or more cavities extending into the core at cavity locations,
- a first core cover extending over the core and over the cavities and forming wells at the cavity locations for supporting the head and neck with comfortable musculoskeletal position, alignment and pressure where for at least a first cavity of the one or more cavities the core cover is pulled into the first cavity from the pillow top and is fastened in the first cavity providing a gradual slope of the core cover into the first cavity forming a first ear well.
2. The pillow of claim 1 wherein a head cavity is formed into the core at a head cavity location near the center of the pillow.
3. The pillow of claim 2 wherein the head cavity has a smooth perimeter with gradually sloping walls that extend into the core from the pillow bottom to approximately 60% of the pillow thickness.
4. The pillow of claim 2 wherein the one or more cavities include the first cavity and a second cavity where the first cavity and the second cavity extend through the core from the pillow top to the pillow bottom where the first cavity is at a first cavity location and where the second cavity is at a second cavity location and where the first cavity location and the second cavity location are in close proximity to the head cavity.
5. The pillow of claim 4 wherein the first cavity has a first perimeter, the second cavity has a second perimeter and the head cavity has a head cavity perimeter and wherein the first perimeter and the second perimeter are approximately 1.5 inches from the head cavity perimeter.
6. The pillow of claim 4 wherein the core cover in each cavity is pulled from the pillow top and from the pillow bottom and wherein the core cover from the pillow top is fastened in each cavity to the core cover from the pillow bottom and wherein the core cover in each cavity has a gradual slope from the top surface and from the bottom surface into each cavity to form an ear well from the pillow top and an ear well from the pillow bottom.
7. The pillow of claim 6 wherein the core cover in each cavity from the pillow top is fastened to the core cover from the pillow bottom with a fastener.
8. The pillow of claim 4 wherein the first cavity and the second cavity each measure with dimensions within approximately 2.5 inches by 5 inches.
9. The pillow of claim 4 wherein the first cavity and the second cavity have a cavity center, each cavity center offset from a first pillow edge along a first length side within approximately 5 to 7 inches and each cavity center offset from pillow edges along width sides within approximately 5.5 to 7.5 inches.
10. The pillow of claim 9 wherein the head cavity is within a measurement of approximately 6.5 inches by 10.5 inches.
11. The pillow of claim 10 wherein the head cavity is offset from the first pillow edge along the first length side within approximately 1.75 inches to 3.75 inches whereby a first neck bridge is formed and is offset from a second pillow edge along a second length side within a dimension of approximately 2.75 by 4.75 inches whereby a second neck bridge is formed where the second neck bridge is larger than the first neck bridge.
12. The pillow of claim 1 wherein an outer core cover extends over the first core cover.
13. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising,
- a core extending along the pillow length and the pillow width with the pillow thickness, the core having a pillow top and a pillow bottom, having a first ear cavity and a second ear cavity, each ear cavity extending through the core from the pillow top to the pillow bottom at a first cavity location and at a second cavity location, respectively, and having a head cavity extending from the pillow bottom partway through the core,
- an inner core cover and an outer core cover extending around the core where, for the first cavity and for the second cavity, the inner core cover is pulled into the first cavity and into the second cavity from the pillow top at the first cavity location and at the second cavity location, respectively, and is fastened in the first cavity and in the second cavity, respectively, providing a gradual slope of the inner core cover into the first cavity and into the second cavity, respectively, forming a first ear well and forming a second ear well, respectively.
14. The pillow of claim 13 wherein the inner core cover from the top is fastened to the inner core cover from the bottom whereby the first ear well has a gradual slope of the inner core cover into the first cavity from both the pillow top and the pillow bottom.
15. The pillow of claim 13 wherein the outer core cover is pulled into the first cavity with the inner core cover from the pillow top at the first cavity location and is fastened in the first cavity providing a gradual slope of the inner core cover and the outer core cover into the first cavity forming the first ear well.
16. The pillow of claim 15 wherein the core has an Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) value of 19.
17. The pillow of claim 15 wherein the inner cover is a 130 gsm jersey knit organic cotton and the outer cover is a 400 thread count organic cotton knit with a satin finish.
18. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising,
- a core extending along the pillow length and the pillow width with the pillow thickness, the core having a pillow top and a pillow bottom, having a first ear cavity and a second ear cavity, each ear cavity extending through the core from the pillow top to the pillow bottom at a first cavity location and at a second cavity location, respectively, and having a head cavity extending partway through the core,
- an inner core cover and an outer core cover extending around the core where, for the first cavity and for the second cavity, the inner core cover is pulled into the first cavity and into the second cavity from the pillow top at the first cavity location and at the second cavity location, respectively, and is fastened in the first cavity and in the second cavity, respectively, providing a gradual slope of the inner core cover into the first cavity and into the second cavity, respectively, forming a first ear well and forming a second ear well, respectively,
- wherein the first ear well and the second ear well are in close proximity to the head cavity.
19. The pillow of claim 18 wherein the head cavity has a smooth perimeter with gradually sloping walls that extend into the core from the pillow bottom to approximately 60% of the pillow thickness.
20. The pillow of claim 18 wherein for at least said first ear well,
- an extended parietal region is formed above the first ear well,
- an occipital region is formed between the first ear well and the head well,
- a zygomatic region is formed between the first ear well and the intersection of the closest pillow sides,
- a mandible region is formed from the first ear well toward the intersection of the closest pillow sides,
- a soft tissue region extending over the extended parietal region, the occipital region, the zygomatic region and the mandible region for receiving the soft tissue of the face of the reclining body where when an ear of the side-lying body is over the first ear well, the pressure on the soft tissue of the face is reduced.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 6, 2019
Publication Date: Oct 13, 2022
Inventor: Roger Anton Sramek (Mill Valley, CA)
Application Number: 16/504,225