INFLATABLE PILLOW

Abstract

An inflatable pillow includes a pillow cover unit having an upper space and a lower space spaced apart from each other, a plurality of elastic hoses, and an inflatable air bag unit disposed in the lower space. The elastic hoses are disposed in the upper space, extend in a first direction, and are arranged in parallel to each other along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Utility Model Patent Application No. 111213506, filed on Dec. 7, 2022.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a pillow, more particularly to an inflatable pillow.

BACKGROUND

An existing pillow generally includes a pillow cover and a pillow core disposed in the pillow cover. The pillow core disposed in the pillow cover is usually a down pillow, a synthetic fiber pillow, a memory pillow, a pocket-spring pillow, a latex pillow, or a cotton pillow.

Taking for example the memory pillow, although an external form of the memory pillow can be changed in accordance with the shape of a head of a user when the user's head lies on it, because different users have different shoulder widths and different distances from the head to the shoulder, even if the external form of the memory pillow as described above can be changed according to the shape of the head of the user, the height of the memory pillow cannot be changed according to the different shoulder widths and the different distances from the head to the shoulder of the users due to different sleeping position requirements. Thus, it is difficult for the memory pillow to meet the requirements of different sleeping positions of the users. Furthermore, the existing pillows are all unable to dissipate heat because the material thereof is fluffy, causing the users to feel sultry and uncomfortable, affecting their sleep quality.

How to improve the structure of the pillow so as to meet the requirements of different users is an issue that needs to be resolved by relevant technicians in the technical field of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an inflatable pillow that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

Accordingly, the inflatable pillow of this disclosure includes a pillow cover unit, a plurality of elastic hoses, and an inflatable air bag unit. The pillow cover unit has an upper space and a lower space spaced apart from each other. The elastic hoses are disposed in the upper space, extend in a first direction, and are arranged in parallel to each other along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The inflatable air bag unit is disposed in the lower space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable pillow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an inflatable air bag unit of the inflatable pillow of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a detailed structure of a pillow cover unit of the inflatable pillow of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view illustrating a plurality of elastic hoses disposed in a plurality of upper sub-spaces of an upper space of the pillow cover unit of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an inflatable pillow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pillow cover unit 2, a plurality of elastic hoses 3, and an inflatable air bag unit 4.

The pillow cover unit 2 includes a cover body 21, a spacer layer 22 and a fastening component 23. The spacer layer 22 is disposed in the cover body 21 along a first direction (X) to divide an interior of the cover body 21 into an upper space 211 and a lower space 212 spaced apart from each other. The cover body 21 has an opening 210 located at one side thereof and extending in the first direction (X). The fastening component 23 is disposed on the cover body 21 to openably close the opening 210. In this embodiment, the fastening component 23 is exemplified as a zipper, but is not limited thereto, and may be a set of buttons.

The elastic hoses 3 are disposed in the upper space 211 of the cover body 21, extend in the first direction (X), and are sequentially arranged in parallel along a second direction (Y) substantially perpendicular to the first direction (X). Preferably, the pillow cover unit 2 further includes n number of sewing lines 24 fixed to the cover body 21 and the spacer layer 22 along the first direction (X) so as to divide the upper space 211 into (n+1) number of upper sub-spaces 2111, and n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first direction (X) refers to a length direction of the cover body 21, and the second direction (Y) refers to a width direction of the cover body 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the number of the sewing lines 24 is two (i.e., n=2), and the number of the upper sub-spaces 2111 is three. The elastic hoses 3 are distributed and removably disposed in the upper sub-spaces 2111. It should be noted herein that the elastic hoses 3 can be arranged parallel to each other in each of the upper sub-spaces 2111 through the sewing lines 24, so that they cannot be easily misaligned or dislocated.

Preferably, the elastic hoses 3 have different hardness and different diameters, contain functional materials, and have lengths equal to or less than the length of the cover body 21.

The purpose of the elastic hoses 3 having different hardness and different diameters is based on factors, such as different requirements of different users for the hardness of the pillow and the differences in the position of the head and neck, so that different users can selectively adjust the pillow of this disclosure according to his/her needs. Specifically, the user may select elastic hoses 3 of suitable diameters and hardness according to his/her own needs for the hardness of the pillow and the distance between his/her head and neck. After the elastic hoses 3 having suitable diameters and hardness are selected, the user can turn the cover body 21 inside out so that two opposite ends of the spacer layer 22 along the first direction (X) are exposed to the outside and so that the elastic hoses 3 in each upper sub-space 2111 can be removed and replaced with the suitable elastic hoses 3 selected by the user.

It is worth mentioning that the functional material contained in each elastic hose 3 can be, for example, a material having a moisture absorption and sweat releasing function or a cool feeling function. Hence, when the user uses the pillow of this disclosure in summer, the pillow of this disclosure can provide moisture absorption, sweat releasing, and cool feeling functions.

The inflatable air bag unit 4 is disposed in the lower space 212 of the cover body 21. In this embodiment, the inflatable air bag unit 4 includes a bag body 41, an inflating module 42, and a sealing member 43. The bag body 41 defines an inflation space 411, and has an air inlet 413 communicating with the inflation space 411. The inflating module 42 is disposed on the bag body 41, and includes an air pump 421, an intake valve 422 connected to the air pump 421, and an exhaust valve 423 communicating with the inflation space 411. The sealing member 43 is used for sealing the air inlet 413 of the bag body 41. When it is necessary to discharge air in the inflation space 411 of the bag body 41 to the outside, the sealing member 43 is detached and separated from the air inlet 413, thereby allowing the air in the inflation space 411 to discharge through the air inlet 413.

In this embodiment, the inflatable air bag unit 4 does not need an external inflation device (e.g., an inflator) to inflate air into the inflation space 411 of the bag body 41, but can directly use the air pump 421 of the inflating module 42 to inflate air into the inflation space 411 and the exhaust valve 423 of the inflating module 42 to discharge air from the inflation space 411. When a user must go on a trip or travel, the inflation space 411 can be inflated by directly using the air pump 421 of the inflating module 42 disposed on the bag body 41 without the need to use the external inflation device, and the overall height of the bag body 41 can be adjusted according to the height required by the user's head. When the user ends his/her trip, air in the inflation space 411 can be directly discharged through the exhaust valve 423 disposed in the bag body 41 to facilitate storage of the pillow of this disclosure. Furthermore, if the user desires to accelerate the inflation speed, the inflation space 411 of the bag body 41 can be further inflated by connecting an external inflation device to the air inlet 413. Once the overall height of the bag body 41 does not conform to the required height of the user's head, the exhaust valve 423 can be directly opened to discharge air in the inflation space 411 therefrom, so that the height suitable for the user's head can be adjusted. It should be noted herein that, the amount of inflated air in the inflation space 411 can also determine the hardness of the bag body 41 to meet the requirements of the user for a soft or hard pillow.

In one variation of this embodiment, the air inlet 413 and the sealing member 43 may not be provided, and only the inflating module 42 is used for inflating and deflating the bag body 41. In another variation of this embodiment, the inflating module 42 may not be provided, the air inlet 413 is closed by the sealing member 43, and is opened when the sealing member 43 is removed therefrom for connection with an external inflation device, so that the bag body 41 can be inflated or deflated through the air inlet 413.

Preferably, an outer surface of the bag body 41 of the inflatable air bag unit 4 is provided with a plurality of weld lines 412 extending in the second direction (width direction) (Y) and spaced apart from each other along the first direction (length direction) (X) and the second direction (Y). The weld lines 412 divide the inflation space 411 of the bag body 41 into a plurality of inflation sub-spaces 4111 communicating with each other, as shown in FIG. 2. It should be noted herein that, through the weld lines 412, a surface of the bag body 41 can form different expansion heights when each inflation sub-space 4111 of the inflation space 411 is filled with air to meet the ergonomic requirements of the user's head and to increase the stability and support of the inflatable air bag unit 4.

In this embodiment, the elastic hoses 3 have a length shorter than a length of the cover body 21. Through this configuration, when the head of the user actually lies on the pillow of this disclosure, the heights of the inflation sub-spaces 4111 on two opposite sides of the bag body 41 in the first direction (X) are higher than the elastic hoses 3. Through this, the stability and comfort feeling of the head of the user while lying down can be increased.

In summary, by virtue of the inflatable air bag unit 4 and the elastic hoses 3, the inflatable pillow of this disclosure can permit the user to adjust the height and hardness thereof according to his/her requirements, and can further provide functions, such as air discharge, heat dissipation and cool feeling. Therefore, the object of this disclosure can indeed be achieved.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. An inflatable pillow, comprising:

a pillow cover unit having an upper space and a lower space spaced apart from each other;

a plurality of elastic hoses that are disposed in said upper space, that extend in a first direction, and that are arranged in parallel to each other along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and

an inflatable air bag unit disposed in said lower space.

2. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inflatable air bag unit includes a bag body defining an inflation space, and an inflating module disposed on and communicating with said bag body, said inflating module including an air pump, an intake valve connected to said air pump, and an exhaust valve communicating with said inflation space.

3. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inflatable air bag unit includes a bag body defining an inflation space and having an air inlet communicating with said inflation space, and a sealing member closing said air inlet.

4. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pillow cover unit includes a cover body and a spacer layer disposed in said cover body along the first direction to divide an interior of said cover body into said upper space and said lower space.

5. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 4, wherein said pillow cover unit further includes n number of sewing line fixed to said cover body and said spacer layer along the first direction so as to divide said upper space into (n+1) number of upper sub-spaces, and n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

6. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 5, wherein said elastic hoses are distributed and removably disposed in said upper sub-spaces.

7. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastic hoses have different hardness.

8. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastic hoses have different diameters.

9. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said elastic hoses contains a functional material.

10. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastic hoses have lengths equal to or less than a length of said cover body.

11. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bag body has an outer surface provided with a plurality of weld lines that extend in the second direction and that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction and the second direction to divide said inflation space into a plurality of inflation sub-spaces communicating with each other.

12. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 3, wherein said bag body has an outer surface provided with a plurality of weld lines that extend in the second direction and that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction and the second direction to divide said inflation space into a plurality of inflation sub-spaces communicating with each other.

13. The inflatable pillow as claimed in claim 4, wherein said cover body has an opening located at one side thereof, and said pillow cover unit further includes a fastening component disposed on said cover body to openably close said opening.