CA1333729C - Pillow - Google Patents
PillowInfo
- Publication number
- CA1333729C CA1333729C CA000598788A CA598788A CA1333729C CA 1333729 C CA1333729 C CA 1333729C CA 000598788 A CA000598788 A CA 000598788A CA 598788 A CA598788 A CA 598788A CA 1333729 C CA1333729 C CA 1333729C
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- bolster
- base member
- pillow
- recited
- front edge
- Prior art date
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Abstract
An anti-snoring pillow which helps to reduce snoring by positioning the head of the user such that the degree of blockage in the user's breathing passageway is reduced. The anti-snoring pillow includes a base member which is preferably inclined and has a curved front edge which is lower in height than the rear edge. The upper surface of the base member adjacent the front edge has an elongated bolster secured thereto, which bolster is curved along its length to conform to the curved shape of the front edge of the base member.
The bolster also includes a curved peripheral cross-sectional area for comfortable support of a user's neck.
The bolster and the base member, and the choice of materials therefor act in conjunction to ensure comfort and also the positioning of a user's head so as to decrease the blockage of the user's breathing passageway when the user is in a back or in a side sleeping position.
The bolster also includes a curved peripheral cross-sectional area for comfortable support of a user's neck.
The bolster and the base member, and the choice of materials therefor act in conjunction to ensure comfort and also the positioning of a user's head so as to decrease the blockage of the user's breathing passageway when the user is in a back or in a side sleeping position.
Description
.. ;~ .
PI~LOW
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pillow suitable for the prevention and/or reduction of snoring. More particularly, this invention relates to a pillow which -optimizes the user's breathing passageway~ by proper head, neck, shoulder and jaw positioning.
The problems associated with snoring have been :
with us since the beginning of time and yet little has been done to properly confront these problems. It is estimated that, in the United States alone, there exists about 10 million "heavy" snorers whose "log sawing" at night tends to cause irritation and long sleepless nights for those who are unlucky enough to be subjected to the snoring. In addition, snoring, especially heavy snoring, presents to the snorer potential health hazards as snoring decreases the amount of oxygen reaching the blood stream. Moreover, it is estimated that about 86%
of the male population and 57% of the female population snore to some degree while sleeping; thus, it is evident that the problems associated with snoring affect virtually everyone in some way or another.
Social snoring is a term coined to define the situation where the one that i~ ~noring i~ not alone.
In such situations it is estimated that 15% of men and 52% of women are bothered to some extent by the snoring of another. Social problems are likely to arise in such an environment and it i~ well documented that snoring i~
one of the major causes for marital problems. In fact, a~3 a well known advice columnist once ~tated, "love may be blind, but it is not deaf." A spouse or sleeping partner being subjected to another's ~noring night after night loses sleep and inevitably becomes tired and irritable with the irritability being yet another factor which can create friction in a marital setting. A not unusual chain of events for a per~on placed in ~uch a gituation i8 to first attempt to solve the problem by poking or rolling the snoring partner. Attempts of this sort are usually ineffective and, if effective, only temporary in nature. Hence, the sleeping partner's next step is usually to refuse to sleep in the same room.
Finally, in the more aggravated situations, the sleeping partner will refuse to sleep in the same house with divorce being one way of achieving such a goal.
Snoring is an indication that the breathing passageways of the individual snoring are partially blocked or reduced in area. The partial blockage of the breathing passageways during ~noring mean~ le~s oxygen is reaching the blood ~ystem and thus there is a greater chance that the individual will be subject to health problems such as heart attacks, stroke~3 and hyper-tension, all of which are related to the amount of oxygen in the blood stream. Sleep Apnea, a severe snoring disorder where a victim ~top~ breathing completely many times3 a night, represent~ ëven a more severe health ha~.ar(~ whi-h call le<l(l lo (he above hea]t;h problems as well an daytlme drow~3illes~ and even narco-]ep~y in tlle more never~ ca~e~.
The causes for snoring include, among other, tongue obstruction (hypopharynx); nasal obstruction (colds, broken nose, etc.); excessive soft palate tissue; pharyngeal narrowing or elasticity; the presence of enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids; and sleep po3ture.
:- As the prohlems associated with snoring are so acute, various articles have been placed on the market in an attempt to provide solutions. These articles have proven to both vary in price, comfort and effectiveness.
For instance, articles placed on the market to confront the problems associated with snoring i.ncl.ude: 1) indi-cators which indicate when the sleeper ha~ moved to hls back -- a position that leads to increased snoring; 2) tongue retaining devices; 3) elastic masks and ~plints to keep the mouth open; 4) various drugs which stimulate those portions of the body inducive to snoring;
5) expensive forced air machine3; and 6) modified pillow shapes .
The foregoing article~ known in the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory to tho~e suffering the plight of snoring. The inadequacies of the prior art result from, among other things, in their being either too expensive, too uncomfortable, ineffective or any combination of the same.
OBJECTS OF 'I'IIE INVENTION
An object of the pre~ent i.nventi.-on is to provide a pillow whicll, inter al3a, so].ven or at least reduce3 the aforementioned probl.em~. TIlat is, an object of the prenent i.nvention i~ to provide an anti-snoring pillow which ifl effect;ive in reducing or preventing ! - 1 3 3 3 7 2 9 snoring, and which is comfortable, yet inexpen~ive to manufacture. Also, by providing such a pillow, the present invention inherently achieves solutions to the previously discussed problems associated with "~ocial snoring".
In achieving such objectives, the present invention utilize~ a novel design which provides for optimal breathing passageways for the user while sleeping. The optima] breathing passageways are achieved by proper positioning of the user's head, neck, jaw and shoulders. Furthermore, optimization of the breathing passageway3 is achieved without reducing the comfort level of the user. Rather, the pre~ent invention provides a high degree of comfort for both back and side sleepers.
The amount of reduction in snoring depends, to a large extent, on which of the aforementioned factors are causing the snoring. It is clear, though, that by proper positioning of the head and the maintaining of optimal breathing pa3sageways, many of the factor~
leading to ~noring can be reduced if not eliminated entirely.
Generally, those who are problem snorers are those who sleep on their back or on their .~ide, with those sleeping on their back usually being somewhat noisier than those sleeping on their side. This observation is illustrative of the fact that the position of a person's breathing pa~3ageway~3 is an important factor in whether and to what degree a person will ~3nore. 'rlleref()rt?~ J3l t~C?~) pC.!~.3tllre ~'an 1~l? n~id to play a ro]e in either aggravat~ or ]es~enin~ the severity of snoring. The pre~ent invention is directed fi l 333729 at providing a comfortaL)~.e pi.l.l.ow an(l a pi.llow which will ensure opti.mal breathing passageways ~o as to reduce snoring for both those who sleep on their back and those who sleep on their side.
Basically, snoring can occur due to a partial obstruction at each or a combination of the following:
1) Nasal -- Thi~ is o~t.en due to nasal obstruction from polyps, a deviated septum, allergies or a common cold. These cause~, for the most part, are only correctable by surgery or, as in the case of a cold, are temporary.
PI~LOW
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pillow suitable for the prevention and/or reduction of snoring. More particularly, this invention relates to a pillow which -optimizes the user's breathing passageway~ by proper head, neck, shoulder and jaw positioning.
The problems associated with snoring have been :
with us since the beginning of time and yet little has been done to properly confront these problems. It is estimated that, in the United States alone, there exists about 10 million "heavy" snorers whose "log sawing" at night tends to cause irritation and long sleepless nights for those who are unlucky enough to be subjected to the snoring. In addition, snoring, especially heavy snoring, presents to the snorer potential health hazards as snoring decreases the amount of oxygen reaching the blood stream. Moreover, it is estimated that about 86%
of the male population and 57% of the female population snore to some degree while sleeping; thus, it is evident that the problems associated with snoring affect virtually everyone in some way or another.
Social snoring is a term coined to define the situation where the one that i~ ~noring i~ not alone.
In such situations it is estimated that 15% of men and 52% of women are bothered to some extent by the snoring of another. Social problems are likely to arise in such an environment and it i~ well documented that snoring i~
one of the major causes for marital problems. In fact, a~3 a well known advice columnist once ~tated, "love may be blind, but it is not deaf." A spouse or sleeping partner being subjected to another's ~noring night after night loses sleep and inevitably becomes tired and irritable with the irritability being yet another factor which can create friction in a marital setting. A not unusual chain of events for a per~on placed in ~uch a gituation i8 to first attempt to solve the problem by poking or rolling the snoring partner. Attempts of this sort are usually ineffective and, if effective, only temporary in nature. Hence, the sleeping partner's next step is usually to refuse to sleep in the same room.
Finally, in the more aggravated situations, the sleeping partner will refuse to sleep in the same house with divorce being one way of achieving such a goal.
Snoring is an indication that the breathing passageways of the individual snoring are partially blocked or reduced in area. The partial blockage of the breathing passageways during ~noring mean~ le~s oxygen is reaching the blood ~ystem and thus there is a greater chance that the individual will be subject to health problems such as heart attacks, stroke~3 and hyper-tension, all of which are related to the amount of oxygen in the blood stream. Sleep Apnea, a severe snoring disorder where a victim ~top~ breathing completely many times3 a night, represent~ ëven a more severe health ha~.ar(~ whi-h call le<l(l lo (he above hea]t;h problems as well an daytlme drow~3illes~ and even narco-]ep~y in tlle more never~ ca~e~.
The causes for snoring include, among other, tongue obstruction (hypopharynx); nasal obstruction (colds, broken nose, etc.); excessive soft palate tissue; pharyngeal narrowing or elasticity; the presence of enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids; and sleep po3ture.
:- As the prohlems associated with snoring are so acute, various articles have been placed on the market in an attempt to provide solutions. These articles have proven to both vary in price, comfort and effectiveness.
For instance, articles placed on the market to confront the problems associated with snoring i.ncl.ude: 1) indi-cators which indicate when the sleeper ha~ moved to hls back -- a position that leads to increased snoring; 2) tongue retaining devices; 3) elastic masks and ~plints to keep the mouth open; 4) various drugs which stimulate those portions of the body inducive to snoring;
5) expensive forced air machine3; and 6) modified pillow shapes .
The foregoing article~ known in the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory to tho~e suffering the plight of snoring. The inadequacies of the prior art result from, among other things, in their being either too expensive, too uncomfortable, ineffective or any combination of the same.
OBJECTS OF 'I'IIE INVENTION
An object of the pre~ent i.nventi.-on is to provide a pillow whicll, inter al3a, so].ven or at least reduce3 the aforementioned probl.em~. TIlat is, an object of the prenent i.nvention i~ to provide an anti-snoring pillow which ifl effect;ive in reducing or preventing ! - 1 3 3 3 7 2 9 snoring, and which is comfortable, yet inexpen~ive to manufacture. Also, by providing such a pillow, the present invention inherently achieves solutions to the previously discussed problems associated with "~ocial snoring".
In achieving such objectives, the present invention utilize~ a novel design which provides for optimal breathing passageways for the user while sleeping. The optima] breathing passageways are achieved by proper positioning of the user's head, neck, jaw and shoulders. Furthermore, optimization of the breathing passageway3 is achieved without reducing the comfort level of the user. Rather, the pre~ent invention provides a high degree of comfort for both back and side sleepers.
The amount of reduction in snoring depends, to a large extent, on which of the aforementioned factors are causing the snoring. It is clear, though, that by proper positioning of the head and the maintaining of optimal breathing pa3sageways, many of the factor~
leading to ~noring can be reduced if not eliminated entirely.
Generally, those who are problem snorers are those who sleep on their back or on their .~ide, with those sleeping on their back usually being somewhat noisier than those sleeping on their side. This observation is illustrative of the fact that the position of a person's breathing pa~3ageway~3 is an important factor in whether and to what degree a person will ~3nore. 'rlleref()rt?~ J3l t~C?~) pC.!~.3tllre ~'an 1~l? n~id to play a ro]e in either aggravat~ or ]es~enin~ the severity of snoring. The pre~ent invention is directed fi l 333729 at providing a comfortaL)~.e pi.l.l.ow an(l a pi.llow which will ensure opti.mal breathing passageways ~o as to reduce snoring for both those who sleep on their back and those who sleep on their side.
Basically, snoring can occur due to a partial obstruction at each or a combination of the following:
1) Nasal -- Thi~ is o~t.en due to nasal obstruction from polyps, a deviated septum, allergies or a common cold. These cause~, for the most part, are only correctable by surgery or, as in the case of a cold, are temporary.
2) Nasopharynx - Individuals having relatively large amounts of soft tissue (or more easily extendable soft tissue) at the back of their mouth where the "soft palate" or uvula meets the back of the throat (the area referred to as the nasopharynx) are likely to have snoring problems. This area, comprising the uvula and soft palate and pharyngeal folds, vibrates or flutters during breathing and can cause a sound loud enough to awaken even a sound sleeper.
3) Hypopharynx -- This third area of the airway is the area at the back of the mouth where the tongue meets the pharynx. In order to keep the tongue from falling backward and bl.ocking the airway, it is ~ 25 helpful to thrust the jaw forward. Since the tongue is connected to the jaw, the thrusting forwara of the jaw tends to keep the re]axed tongue from partially or completely blocking the back of the throat.
- ' - 1 333729 In addition, it has been determined that the position of one's jaw with respect to one's chest has an effect on the clearness of one's breathing passageways.
When the jaw is placed close to one's chest or clavicle area, the breathing passageways become less clear. This position of the jaw leads to narrowing or con~3triction of the airway and an increase in ~3noring. Additionally, when the jaw ic3 moved too far from one's chest (i.e., head tilted back to a great extent), the breathing passageways become less clear. Tlli~3 positioning of the head induce~3 the hypopharynx to move to a partially blocked position and increa~3es the chances of the relaxed tongue curling back and creating blockage. A
position of the head between these extremes has been found to lead to an optimization of a person'~3 breathing passageways. More specifically the head ~3hould be positioned such that the neck i~s pushed outwardly and the head curled back a bit such that the bottom surface of the chin lies virtually in the same plane as the upper surface of the neck.
Moreover, a twisting of the head while the rest of the body remains stationary tends to create a narrowing or a reduction in the area of the breathing passageways. Thus a person lying on his back with his head twisted to one ~3ide will not have as clear passageways as one having his head untwisted. Also, a person lying on his .~3ide woul(l have a reduction in the area of the breathing passageways when the head is twisted down towards the ~31eepin(7 surface.
Accordillgly, it call l~e n~ell that; t;h~ por3ition of a per~30n's he.l(l wllile nleepillg playrl arl Im~)ortnnt role in how clear the perf30n'r~ breathing par3sa~eways n 1 333729 are. ~urthermore, as there ls a correlation between the clearness of one' B breathing passageways and the presence of snoring, sleep posture can tend to aggravate or le~sen the severity of snoring.
SUMMARY OF TI~E INVENTION
To accompli~h proper n]eepillg ponition of the head, the present invention ut,ilize~ a pillow structure which places the head such that the bottom surface of the head is at or below the bottom surface of the neck.
Also to obtain optimal breathing passageway~ the neck and head are pl~ced in an extended or "sniffing"
position where the breathing pas~ageway~ are aligned and remain essentially optimally open whether the person i9 on his back or side. The pillow structure also acts to prevent twisting of the head when the person is lying on his back or side.
In so achieving the proper sleeping po~ition for the head of the user, the pillow include3 a base member which preferably is at an inc]ine with the forward edge of the base member being lesser in height than the back edge. A bol,ster member is secured to the top of the base member adjacent the forward or front edge of the ba~e member. The bolst,er i~ curved 8uch that its central section is closer to the back edge of the base member than are the end sections of the bolnter. The bolster alno han a peripllera], cro~s-sectional area which i~ general]y curved in nhape. In a preferred embodiment, t,he pil]--w ~lno ;ncllldes a convoluted laminate layer whlch i 8 ~ecured t,o t,he upper surface of the base member or, a]ternat;ively, han a convoluted surface formed directly in the upper ~urface of the base member.
Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of the base member ha~
formed therein a depres~ion which i~ po3itioned generally midway between the two ~ide~ of the ba~e member. The depres~ion preferably ha~ a boundary edge po~itioned directly behind the inner-mo~t portion of the bolster and extend~ rearwardly toward the rear edge of the ba~e member 80 a~ to create a relative]y ~mall vertically extending depression in the ba~e member. The depression is preferably formed ~o a~ to conform to the back of the head of the user.
It i~ also contemplated that the invention include a pair of lengthwi~e depres~ions with each of the pair originating at a respective ~ide of the ba~e member and each opening into the central depre~3ion.
Preferably each of the lengthwi~e depres~ion~ is concave in shape and al~o po~itioned along the ba~e member ~o a~
to open into the deepe.st portion o~ the central depression. A depth of about I to 3 inche~ has proven adequate for the purpo~e~ of the invention. The lengthwise depre~ion~ can al~o be ~emicircular in cro~s section ~uch that the depth of the depre~ion.q i~ equal to the radiu~ of the depre~ion~.
The convoluted ~urface extending from the base member i~ preferably ln what i~ termed a "hill and valley" de~ign. Moreover, the geller~l]y curved cro~-~ectional exterior nllrracf? o~ Ihe bol~ter prf?ferat)ly i~
~culptured ~o a~ to tlave a ~callop ~hape. The ~culpturing of the exterior nurrace of the bol~ter lead~
--- I o ---to the formation of a plurality of ridges and grooves which extend along the length of the bolster. These ridges and grooves assist in maintaining the person's head in position by preventing undue movement. More- .
over, the ridges and grooves lead to greater comfort as much of the weight of the head and neck is dispersed along the larger convoluted surface area at or behind the bolster rather than straight down. That is, by having the hills "squash" outwardly at their base the weight of the head is better distributed over the upper surface of the pillow and there i9 less of a localized vertical upward force acting against the head.
Convoluted surfaces for pillows and methods for forming pillows with convoluted surfaces are known, as may be seen from applicant's U.S. patent No. 4,320,543, whose teaching is incorporated herein by reference.
The specific shape of the bolster and the base member (with or without a convoluted laminate layer) acts to ensure proper positioning of the person's head while sleeping. The bolster's cross-sectional surface, which is generally curved in shape, is designed to nestle under and support a person's neck. The bolster also acts to provide some support to the lower part of the head of the user when the user is resting on his back. Further, the bolster's cross-sectional shape is designed such that a person resting on his slde will have the side of his face in the region of the chin essentially lying on a plane which is parallel to the upper surface of the base member covered by the bolster.
The user's head is also positioned such that a line, lying flush with the front edge of the base member and extending vertically upward, would extend tangentially off the bottom surface of the user's chin. "
',' ., ,;
The bolster's longitudinal or lengthwise curvature together Witll the front edge of the base member provide a concavity which enables the shoulders of a user to be properly positioned relative to the -pillow. This is true whether the user is sleeping on his back or on his side, since the curvature and length of the pillow are designed to accommodate the natural downward slope of both shoulders or just a single shoulder.
. .
In an embodiment which includes a recess for `:
the head in the upper surface of its base member, there is provided a region into which the major portion of the back of the head of the sleeping person is nestled when in the back sleeping position. Also, for the side sleeping position, the recess is positioned such that ;
the wider portion of one's face is within the recess and the thinner jaw portion is lying on the bolster so as to maintain the jaw in a forward extended position.
The choice of material or materials being utilized to form the base member, bolster and convoluted upper surface is chosen 90 as to coordinate with the :
geometry of the pillow stlch that the optimal airway i~
achieved. That is, a person sleeping on his side has his head positioned such that a plane parallel to the surface supporting the pillow and body, approximately at the level of a person's spinal cord, would virtually bisect the person's head. Also, the plane is positioned so as to approxima1ely binect the person's nose which would indicate that tlle head i~ not undll1y twisted.
On the other hand, for a person lying on his back, the head is positioned such that a plane passing through the bottom surface of the chin and being ~iubstantially parallel to the neck's upper surface which is both extended along its length and forced upwardly away from the pillow supporting surface by the bolster, intersects the plane of tlle supporting surface of the pillow at an obtuse angle. In SUCII a position, a siecond plane extending through the tip of the nose and being parallel to the aforementioned plane also traverses the plane including the support surface of the pillow at an angle which is obtuse with the supporting isurface for the pillow. Moreover, the head is positioned such that at its lowest point it is about 5-20 cms above the pillow supporting surface or even more preferably about 8-10 cms above the pil]ow supporting surface. Also, the bottom surface of the center portion of the neck is generally about 2-5 cms higher from the supporting surface for the pillow than is the lowe~it point of the head.
The specific geometry of the present invention, as well as the coordinated use of the different materials used in making the pillow enables a person to sleep comfortably while experiencing a reduction in snoring.
Other advantages and improvements over the prior art willjbecome more apparent from the de~cription made hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 reprei~ientn a t)eri~t)ective view of one embodiment of the pillow of the prei~ient invention.
- 1 3 3 3 72 ~
F[G. 2 represenl,s a c~rc)sn-sec~ i(!n.]l Vi~W alon~3 the lines II-II of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3A-3D represent perspective views of other embodiments of pillows of the present invention.
FIG. 4 represents a side view of one embodiment of the invention as well as the position of the head and neck of a user ;n a back sleeping pc)sition.
FIG. 5 represents a side view of the invention as well as the position of the head and neck of a user in a side sleeping position.
FIGS. 6A-6C represent various sleeping positions of a person's head.
FIG. 7 represents a side view of the rear edge of the pillow illustrated in FIG. 3D.
FIG. 8 represents a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRI~TION OF Tll~ DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows a perspective plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 illustrates an anti--snoring pil]ow 10 having a bolster 12 secured to the upper surface of base member lg along one edge of the latter. The bolster 12 has a generally curved outer surface l6 which has contoured therein a plurality of essentia],]y paralle] ribs or sca]lops (1~, FIG. 2). Further, the bolster 12 is curved along its length such that its center portion 20 is disposed closer to the back edge 21 of the base member 14 than are the two ends 22 and 2~ of the bolster. In addition, the bolster i9 shown to have essentially the same vertical thickness over its entire length. As seen in FIG. 2, the bolster 12 i 8 hemiSplleriCal itl cro~g-section and can be initially made with a substantially cylindri-cal configuration which, when cut into essentially two equal halves or hemispheres and subsequently trimmed to the proper dimensions, is securely aLfixed to the upper surface adjacent the front end of the base member 14.
FIG. 1 also reveals a convoluted surface 26 which is integrally attached to the base member 14 either by forming the convolutions directly in the base member or as a separate layer of convoluted material laminated onto the upper surface of the base member 14.
When convoluted layer 26 is used, it is preferable to have the rear edge of bolster 12 vertical rather than curved 50 as to provide close contact with the forward edge of convoluted layer 26.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-~ectional view along lines II-II in the embodiment of the pillow of FIG. 1. Bolster 12 is depicted as being a separate element as with respect to base mem~er 14 and the convoluted layer 23, with all three components being adhesively or otherwise secured together, as is well known in the art. It i8 also contemp]ated that the bolster 12 and the base member 14 and the convolut:ed layer 32 can be formed an a unit;ary, integra] body. As can be seen in F'lG. ?., the upper ~urface 3() o~ the base member is inc]ined with its back edge 21 having a helght "H" which is greater than the heiqht "h" of front edge 1 ~~
28. Ill a preferred embodiment heigllt "Il" is about 1.2-5 times the height of "h". For in~tance, in one preferred embodiment, the height "H" is about 4.50 inches while the height "h" i9 about 3.25 inches. In addition, the depth "D" of the pillow is about 16.0 inches while the width "W" (FIG. 1) of the ba~e member 14 i~ about 22.0 inches. These measurements a~ well, a~ the amount of incline, if any, are variab:l.e, with the ul,ti,mate goal, being the proper po3i t:iOllitl(3 0~ l:he u~t?r'~ head a~ will be expl.ained more ul].y herearter. ~ preferred range of incline from the horizontal includes a range of 5 to 25.
FIG. 2 also illustrates the convolute surface 26 being provided by securing a layer of convoluted material 32 onto the upper surface 30 of base member 19.
Securement of the bolster can be achieved by attaching the bottom edge 34 of bolster 1~ to the upper ~urface of base member 14. Securement of both the convoluted material 32 and the bol~ter can be achievt?d by utilizing an adhe~ive or any other conventional type of bonding means known in the art,. Al,t,ernat,:ively, it is pos~ible, depending on the manufacturing technique, t,o form the bolster, base member and convolutet3 ~urface from a single piece of material.
The bol.~ter l2 i~ preferab~ly ~emi-circular in shape and i~ attached to the upper ~urface of the base member 14 a3 depicted ;n FI~. ~. varioun other nha~en could also be utilized provided the ntlape achieve~ a proper po~itionin~ of t,lle head and a h:i~h de~3ree of comfort. Jn a prt?l(?rrt?(l emt)~ elll, l.l~ r;l(3iun of t;h~
semi-circular bolnt,t?r range~3 rrom about, 1.5 to g inche~
and more preferably, the radiun of the bo].st,er in about 2.5 inche~. In addit;ioll, the ]ongit:-ldillaL length of the bolster i9 preferably s]igllt]y ]onger than the front edge length of the base member 1~. For in~tance, with a front edge of about 22 inches, the curved bolster would preferably have a length of about 22.75 inches. In a preferred embodiment the vertical thickness of the bolster is constant over its entire length. In another embodiment there is contemplated forming a slight dip in the bolster's vertical thickness near the center portion where the neck of the user will be supported.
.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the bolster 12, the layer of convolute material 32 and base member 14 are all formed of a cellular polyurethane material. While the polyurethane can be the same for each component of the pillow, it is preferred that each component be made of a different cellular polyurethane.
A densified polyurethane material sold under the trademark OMALUX, by E.R. Carpenter Company, Inc. has proven to be adequate for the purpose~ of the present invention especially with regard to the bolster material. It is also possible to form one or more components of the anti-snoring pillow of the invention of other material or combination~ of other material such as, but not limited to, goose down, air or liquid filled compartments, natural or synthetic fiber~ including hollow fill tubed fibers, or the like.
The firmness of the material being used is also variable. Nonetllele~n, a~ will t)e explalrled more fully hereafter, it is important to maintain the firmness of each of the three components at a value which will achieve a head po~ition that provides the user with optimal breathing passageways.
1'he weight of a l~umall's llead i~ said to generally range between ten and fourteen pounds.
Consequently, it is important to provide the material with a firmness which is well suited for handling such a weight -- a feature which is lacking in many of the prior art pillows. Referring again to FIG. 2, a human head 36 is depicted in dot-dash lines. Again, as the weight of the head normally varies between ten to fourteen pounds, it is important to pick a material having an adequate firmnes~ or ILD value. The ILD
firmness value represents the amount of displacement one can expect in a material when a weight acts thereon to compress the material. For instance, an ILD value of 14 .
would mean that a weight of 14 pounds would displace a four inch thick piece of the material one inch.
Similarly, a 12 pound wei~ht would displace a four inch thick piece of material having an ILD value of 12 by one inch.
In a preferred embodiment, the Il,D value for the anti-snoring pillow ranges between 6 to 25 and, more ;
preferably, between 10 and 21. It has also been found an advantage to vary somewhat the firmness value for :~
each of the component parts of the anti-snoring pillow (i.e., the bolster 12, ba~e member 14 and/or convoluted material 32). Specifica]ly, it has been determined advantageous for the purposes of the pillow of the invention to have the firmness value of the.bolster 12 to be initially lower than the initial firmnes~ value for the base member l4 and/or convolllled ~urface 32, such as, for examp]e, an IJ.D value of 14 for the bolster, and an Il.D value of 1~ for the ba~e member and an ILD value of 21 for the convoluted material for the first 25% of compression of the materia].
-- In -- ;' ~.
Additionally, it has proven advantageous to .. -form the bolster member of a cellular polyurethane foam having a higher density value then that of the base member. In such a case, if the bolster were to have an initial ILD value of about 11 and the base member an .:
initial ILD value of 16, than it would be easier to compress the bolster member than the base member. ~:~
However, upon further compression of the material the denser material becomes more difficult to compress than ;
the less dense base member materia]. Therefore, in a ~.
region of greater than 25% compression the II.D values reverse and it become~ more and more difficult to compress the denser material. This feature provides added comfort in the neck of a user as it is the neck which is being extended or "stretched" upwardly away from the supporting surface of the pillow. Comfort is enhanced because the initially less firm bolster 12 provides a soft surface for the neck. However, firm support on the neck is also required to prevent straining of the neck in its extended position. This firm support is provided as the denser bolster is compressed by the u.ser.
FIG. 1, and more ~pecifically FIG. 2, show a preferred embodiment of the invention having a depression 38 formed in the upper surface of base member 14. Depression 38 is generally shaped to conform to the back of the head.of a user 36 once the head~is p].aced within the depression. That is, the depre~ion is ..
formed such that the (3eepe~t porticrl of the depre~sio supports the ba~e of the head and the ~hal]ower edge portion 40 surrourlc3ing the forwarc3 part of depression 38 supports that area of the head 36 neare~t the neck 42.
In addition, the sha]low porti.on 40 of the depression 38 -- ~9 - l 3 3 3 7 2 9 is positioned just inwardly of the inllermost edge of the bolster 12 such that there is maintained a smooth and comfortable transition from the bolster 12 to the base member 14. A depth whi,ch has proven adequate for the purposes of the invention is one which at its deepest poi,nt in ba3e member 14 is between about 1 and 4 inches and more preferably about 2.6. The deepest portion of the depre3sion 38 and the firmness and densi,ty of the material for the base member 1~ and of the convoluted material 32 are such that the head of an average person (i.e., about 12 pounds) would be positioned such that the lowermost portion of the head would be at a height Ll above the bottom edge ~4 of the ba3e member lg (FIG.
2). Height L1 in base member 14 is preferably about 3 to 5 inches, and, more preferably, in the range of about 3.5 to 4 inches. The depression 38 is also of a depth sufficient to en3ure that the lowest part of the head supported therein is ].ower than the area of the nec~
which is supported by the bol.ster 1.2.
The depres~ion 38 extend~ rearwar(3:ly into the back edge so as to form back depression 13 which is preferably 3hal],0wer than the deepe~t, portion of the central depression 38. Back depre.ssion 13 provides an alternate head resti.n(3 position thus giving the pi.llow greater adaptabi,].ity.
Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the scalloped or ribbed surface 1~ of bolster 1~ i.,s provi.ded with a plurality of ri(l(Jes and (~ro--ve~ exten(3in(3 along the ]onc3itudillal. ]ellgth c~r tlle bo]~ter. A~ i.l,Ju~t.rat~(3 in FIG. 5, the sca,llope(l ~ur~ace l~ Or bolster 12 provides a mean~ for helping to prevent the sliding of the face 45 of u3er 46 away from l,he t)o]~ter. This is 1 33372~
-- ~o --achieved, in part, by having the soft portions of the user's face disposed somewhat superiorly to the grooves formed by scalloped surface 18 and the chin of the user's face resting on the edge of the bo].ster which is the edge closest to the head depression formed in the base member. In addi.tion, like the convoluted surface, the scalloped surface provides a more comfortable surface for supporting the neck and a portion of the face and further provides a sllrface which radiates the body heat more efficiently. The comfort of the surface of the bolster is attri.butable, i.n part, to it~ ability to disperse the weight: of the llead horizontally as well as vertically.
As illustrated in FIG. 1. and in FIGS. 3A-3D, the curved surface 48 of the pillow and the bolster comprises a central portion 20 and end portions 22 and 24 of the bolster and that portion of the base member disposed below it. The curved surface of the bol~ter 12 has a radius R which preferably i8 within the range of about 1.5 to 3 feet and, more preferab]y, about 2.5 feet. The arc of curved ~urface 48 i~ ~mal.] enough to avoid any undue abutment between a u~er's shoulders when in the back sleeping po~ition (a~ depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4) and the bolster and the end of the pil.low. The curved surface is of a shape WlliCIl genera]ly matches the contoured or inclined ~lo~e ol a user'~ ~houlders. Thi~
shaping of the front edge thus provi.den a slight abutment between the ~houlders and the front edge which assists in preventiny the pil:low from becoming out of position with re~pect to a user, e~pecially a back sleeper .
- ~ 333729 Furthermore, the curved surface 48 of the E~illow alld bc)lster 12 perlllit~ a u~er ~]eeping on his ~ide (~I(,. 5) ~o poliliorl the lower rleck and shoulder wltllin the centl-al al ~d 0~: the al^CUat~ erld of the pillow ln a marlrler WIllCh en~llre~ a(ided ~olllfort as well as prol)~r ~Up[)l)Lt lor Lhe h~dd an(i neck. While it would be po~sible in certain ~ituations to utilize a straight edge bolster, tlle prelerred embodilllents of the present invention utilize a curved bolster having the advantages noted above.
FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate different embodiments of pillows 50, 52, 54 ànd 55 which prevent or reduce snoring of a sleepin(3 individual. Each pillow 50, 52, 54 and 55 is devoid of a convoluted material layer or surface as well as a scalloped bolster surface. Rather, pillows 50, 52, 59 and 55 comprise a base member 56 and an arcuate bolster 58 supported on the upper surface of the arcuate end of the base member. FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment which does not have a depression area formed in the upper surface of base member 56 for receiving the head of the sleeper. FIG. 3B, on the other hand, illustrates a pillow which has a depression area 60 which includes a central depression 66 and shallower left and right side depressions 62 and 64.
Central depression 62 is adapted to conform to the back of the user's head much like depression 33 of FIG. 2.
Side depressions 62 and 64 share a boundary with central depres~ion 62 and are adapted to conform to the side of a user's face when in a ~ide sleeping position (FIG. 5) and yet provide proper positionillg of the head.
FIG. 3C illu~trates an embodiment where rather than havillg depre~iorl~ beiny formed in the upper surface of base member 56 a different type of material is utilized in forming a central region 67. The cut out portion of region 67 has a fir~t material 68 and a second material 70 being u~ed to form the central area.
Dependilly on ~he type o~ Illa~erial.~ being utilized to forn~ the ba~e member and the central area it is possible to have a different firmness value for each of the materials. Preferably the material 70 in central area 67 i~ a high quality cellular polyurethane material having a high den~i.ty and being lower in initial firmne~s in order Lo posi.tion the head of the user in a manner which i.s optimal a~ described above and thus reduce and even prevent snoring by the user when asleep.
FIG. 3D il1ustrates ~till another embodiment of the pillow of the invention wherein the depression 57 formed in the central portion of the pillow extends to the rear edge 21. rhis extension of the depression results in the formation of a depression 53 as illustra-ted in FIGS. 3 and 7. The depression 53 provides an added advantage to the pillow of the present invention by making it further adjustable to a person s body shape and preferences. Thus the depression 53 at the back edge of the pillow which is shallower than the central depression 57 as seen in FIG. 7 provides an optimal air passageway for the user. The depression 53 preferably narrow~ as it extends towards the rear edge of the pillow as shown in FIG. 3D. It is to be understood that the head supporting areas of the pillows illustrated in FIGS. 3B 3C and 3D are depressions having the same characteristics and features as the depressions in the pillows illustrated in FIGS. 1 2 and 5. Furthermore it i~ al~o corltelllplated that a convoluted surface which follows the contours of the upper surface can be formed in or added to the upper ~urface of the base member.
As noted previou~ly, it iu important in achieving a~ effective anti-snoring pillow or a pillow which sub~tantially reduces snoring, that the breathing passageways of a user be maintained as clear as pos~ible. '~'his is shown in FIG. 4 where a user ~4 has his head 76, nose passageway 78, and mouth passageway 80 po~itioned on the pillow of the irlvention so as to minilllize or prevent snoring when a~leep. FIGS. 6A-6C
illustrate various possible positions in which a user can have his head placed on a pillow. FIG. 6B
schematically illustrates the extended or "sniffing"
position in which the user has an optimal breathing passageway. As can be ~een in FIG. 6B and FIG. 4, the tip of the nose 82 of the user as well as the chin 84 are positioned such that a plane 83 passing generally along the bottom surface of the chin and generally parallel to the extended neck of the individual intersects the plane of the surface of the bed supporting the bottom of the pillow at angle "a" from the horizontal and angle "a" is an obtuse angle. In other words, the plane passing generally along the bottom surface of the chin would intersect the user in the general area of tlle chest at an obtuse angle.
It qhould be noted, though, that if the angle "a" becomes too large then partial blockage of the breathing passages begins to occur.
FIG. 6A illustrates, schematically, a head positioned in a manner wllereby angle "a" is about gOo.
This position of the head does not provide the clear breathing passayeway as the position ~hown in FIG. 6B, and, accordingly partial blockage of the breathing pas~age~ begins t,o occur, cau~ing ~he individual to snore when asleep.
..
FIG. 6C illuetrates, echematically, the head tilted towards the chest of the user. Angle "a" thus becomee an acute angle. If angle "a" becomes too small, the head i8 placed in a position which again leads to partial blockage of the breathing passageways and to increased snoring by the sleeping individual.
The pillow of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, positions the head of a user in a back sleeping position in the extended position so that the breathing passageways are at an optimum open condition.
It is further contemplated that a range of obtuse angles "a", as defined above would preferably vary from about 125 to 165 and even more preferably be in the order of about 155.
FIG. 5 illustrates the pillow of the invention wherein the user 90 is in a side sleeping position with his head 46 nestled comfortably in pillow 10. As shown in dashed line the head 46 of the user is positioned at a hei~ht La from the bottom edge 92 of the pillow.
Height L2 ie contemplated to be within the same ranges as height L1 discussed with respect to the pillow shown in FIG. 2, namely, in a range of about 3 to 5 inches and, preferably, between 3.5 and 4 inches. Also height ~' L2 will be less than the height from the bottom surface of the neck supported on the upper surface of the bolster to the bottom 92 of the pillow. Thue, if cellular polyurethane foams of different densities were used for both the base member 14 and the convoluted material layer 32, the firmness value would be such that the user's head 96 would act to compress the foam to the extent necessary to come within the preferred ranges of heights Ll ~nd ~2. For example, if a head of a person were to weigh 12 pounds and the ILD value of the foam used was 12, then a four inch thick combination of base member and convoluted material in the area of head contact would compre~s essentially about an inch thus leaving the head about 3 inches from the bottom edge 92, which height is within the preferred range for L1 and L2.
FIG. 5 also illustrates a pillow providing a head position which improves the clearness of the breathing passageway~ of the person sleeping on his side. In this position, the spine 94 of the user, shown schematically, is essentially parallel to the bottom surface 92 of the pillow 10. Again, it is important to avoid twisting of the neck when attempting to provide optimal breathing passageways. The proper head position of FIG. 5 for a side sleeper is such that a plane Pl which is parallel to the bottom surface 92 would pass through some portion of the user's nose 96 and the spine 94. The bolster 12 is of a height and firmness which is suitable for keeping the head in the position shown in FIG. 5. This is achieved by providing support in the cheek and chin area of the user such that there is virtually no twistin~ T of the spinal column 94, head and neck of the person while sleeping. In addition, the bolster 12 acts like a neck brace in keeping the chin up and away from the clavicle area of the user.
Preferably, the user's head is positioned such that plane P2 is lyinq flush with the chin area of the side of the u~er's face and is parallel with the inclinsd, upper surface of the base member. Also, the user's head is preferably positioned such that line L3, lying flush with the curving front edge of the base member and extending vertically upward, extends tangentially off the bottom surface of the user's chin.
The pillows of the present invention may be produced by various methods. For instance, the entire :-pillow 10 can be formed in a molding operation so as to be unitary and consisting essentially of the same material, such as a cellular polyurethane.
Alternatively, an outer layer for the pillow could be manufactured, again by moldin~ or the like, which, when filled with a fluid, either liquid or gaseous, would expand into the desired shape. In the preferred embodiment, the base member 14, convoluted material layer 32 and bolster 12 are separately formed of cellular polyurethane of different densities in individual molds. Thereafter, the bolster 12 is bonded by adhesive, heat or the like to the upper front edge area of the base member 14. Also, the convoluted material layer 32 of cellular polyurethane foam with the "hills and valleys" can be laminated to the rest of the upper surface of the base member 14.
If a depression for supportin~ the head of the sleeper is desired, such a~ in the pre~erred embodiment, it can be formed either directly by molding or indirectly by pressure cutting a depression out of the upper surface of the base member 14. The convoluted layer 32 of substantially uniform thickness is then 1 3337~9 adhesively secured to the upper surface of the base member 14 and such layer assumes the configuration of such upper surface, including the depressed areas, such as the depression 38, to form the final pillow, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing. Moreover, to achieve the longitudinal curve in the bolster, a moon shaped section is cut from the front edge of the base member 14 and the semi-circular or semi-hemispherical bolster 12 is adhesively adhered to the upper cutout surface of the base member 14, such that the outermost edge of the bolster coincides with the outermost front edge of the cut out base member. To complete the operation, the front edge corners of the base member would need to be cut off to conform with the bent ends of the bolster.
FIG. 8 reveals another embodiment of the invention which is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 but further includes a pair of lengthwise depressions 100,102 which originate at the sides of the base member 14 and open into central depression 38. The lengthwise depressions, in combination with the central depression, extend the entire length of base member 14 and thus form locations 104,106 into which the head of a user can be nestled.
Each lengthwise depression can have an equal depth and radius or, alternatively, one lengthwise depression can be deeper or wider than the other thereby providing the pillow with greater head size adaptability as well as greater pillow use adaptability. Suitable depths for the lengthwise depressions 100,102 have been found to be anywhere between about 1 to 3 inches.
Insofar as the position of the lengthwise depressions on - 2~ -the front to rear extending incline, a suitable position has been one which has lengthwise depressions 100,102 opening into the deepest part of central depression 38.
In addition, there lies the possibility of positioning one lengthwise depressi.on higher upon the inclined upper surface of the base member than the other.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the ~pirit and scope of the invention, and all such modification as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
- ' - 1 333729 In addition, it has been determined that the position of one's jaw with respect to one's chest has an effect on the clearness of one's breathing passageways.
When the jaw is placed close to one's chest or clavicle area, the breathing passageways become less clear. This position of the jaw leads to narrowing or con~3triction of the airway and an increase in ~3noring. Additionally, when the jaw ic3 moved too far from one's chest (i.e., head tilted back to a great extent), the breathing passageways become less clear. Tlli~3 positioning of the head induce~3 the hypopharynx to move to a partially blocked position and increa~3es the chances of the relaxed tongue curling back and creating blockage. A
position of the head between these extremes has been found to lead to an optimization of a person'~3 breathing passageways. More specifically the head ~3hould be positioned such that the neck i~s pushed outwardly and the head curled back a bit such that the bottom surface of the chin lies virtually in the same plane as the upper surface of the neck.
Moreover, a twisting of the head while the rest of the body remains stationary tends to create a narrowing or a reduction in the area of the breathing passageways. Thus a person lying on his back with his head twisted to one ~3ide will not have as clear passageways as one having his head untwisted. Also, a person lying on his .~3ide woul(l have a reduction in the area of the breathing passageways when the head is twisted down towards the ~31eepin(7 surface.
Accordillgly, it call l~e n~ell that; t;h~ por3ition of a per~30n's he.l(l wllile nleepillg playrl arl Im~)ortnnt role in how clear the perf30n'r~ breathing par3sa~eways n 1 333729 are. ~urthermore, as there ls a correlation between the clearness of one' B breathing passageways and the presence of snoring, sleep posture can tend to aggravate or le~sen the severity of snoring.
SUMMARY OF TI~E INVENTION
To accompli~h proper n]eepillg ponition of the head, the present invention ut,ilize~ a pillow structure which places the head such that the bottom surface of the head is at or below the bottom surface of the neck.
Also to obtain optimal breathing passageway~ the neck and head are pl~ced in an extended or "sniffing"
position where the breathing pas~ageway~ are aligned and remain essentially optimally open whether the person i9 on his back or side. The pillow structure also acts to prevent twisting of the head when the person is lying on his back or side.
In so achieving the proper sleeping po~ition for the head of the user, the pillow include3 a base member which preferably is at an inc]ine with the forward edge of the base member being lesser in height than the back edge. A bol,ster member is secured to the top of the base member adjacent the forward or front edge of the ba~e member. The bolst,er i~ curved 8uch that its central section is closer to the back edge of the base member than are the end sections of the bolnter. The bolster alno han a peripllera], cro~s-sectional area which i~ general]y curved in nhape. In a preferred embodiment, t,he pil]--w ~lno ;ncllldes a convoluted laminate layer whlch i 8 ~ecured t,o t,he upper surface of the base member or, a]ternat;ively, han a convoluted surface formed directly in the upper ~urface of the base member.
Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of the base member ha~
formed therein a depres~ion which i~ po3itioned generally midway between the two ~ide~ of the ba~e member. The depres~ion preferably ha~ a boundary edge po~itioned directly behind the inner-mo~t portion of the bolster and extend~ rearwardly toward the rear edge of the ba~e member 80 a~ to create a relative]y ~mall vertically extending depression in the ba~e member. The depression is preferably formed ~o a~ to conform to the back of the head of the user.
It i~ also contemplated that the invention include a pair of lengthwi~e depres~ions with each of the pair originating at a respective ~ide of the ba~e member and each opening into the central depre~3ion.
Preferably each of the lengthwi~e depres~ion~ is concave in shape and al~o po~itioned along the ba~e member ~o a~
to open into the deepe.st portion o~ the central depression. A depth of about I to 3 inche~ has proven adequate for the purpo~e~ of the invention. The lengthwise depre~ion~ can al~o be ~emicircular in cro~s section ~uch that the depth of the depre~ion.q i~ equal to the radiu~ of the depre~ion~.
The convoluted ~urface extending from the base member i~ preferably ln what i~ termed a "hill and valley" de~ign. Moreover, the geller~l]y curved cro~-~ectional exterior nllrracf? o~ Ihe bol~ter prf?ferat)ly i~
~culptured ~o a~ to tlave a ~callop ~hape. The ~culpturing of the exterior nurrace of the bol~ter lead~
--- I o ---to the formation of a plurality of ridges and grooves which extend along the length of the bolster. These ridges and grooves assist in maintaining the person's head in position by preventing undue movement. More- .
over, the ridges and grooves lead to greater comfort as much of the weight of the head and neck is dispersed along the larger convoluted surface area at or behind the bolster rather than straight down. That is, by having the hills "squash" outwardly at their base the weight of the head is better distributed over the upper surface of the pillow and there i9 less of a localized vertical upward force acting against the head.
Convoluted surfaces for pillows and methods for forming pillows with convoluted surfaces are known, as may be seen from applicant's U.S. patent No. 4,320,543, whose teaching is incorporated herein by reference.
The specific shape of the bolster and the base member (with or without a convoluted laminate layer) acts to ensure proper positioning of the person's head while sleeping. The bolster's cross-sectional surface, which is generally curved in shape, is designed to nestle under and support a person's neck. The bolster also acts to provide some support to the lower part of the head of the user when the user is resting on his back. Further, the bolster's cross-sectional shape is designed such that a person resting on his slde will have the side of his face in the region of the chin essentially lying on a plane which is parallel to the upper surface of the base member covered by the bolster.
The user's head is also positioned such that a line, lying flush with the front edge of the base member and extending vertically upward, would extend tangentially off the bottom surface of the user's chin. "
',' ., ,;
The bolster's longitudinal or lengthwise curvature together Witll the front edge of the base member provide a concavity which enables the shoulders of a user to be properly positioned relative to the -pillow. This is true whether the user is sleeping on his back or on his side, since the curvature and length of the pillow are designed to accommodate the natural downward slope of both shoulders or just a single shoulder.
. .
In an embodiment which includes a recess for `:
the head in the upper surface of its base member, there is provided a region into which the major portion of the back of the head of the sleeping person is nestled when in the back sleeping position. Also, for the side sleeping position, the recess is positioned such that ;
the wider portion of one's face is within the recess and the thinner jaw portion is lying on the bolster so as to maintain the jaw in a forward extended position.
The choice of material or materials being utilized to form the base member, bolster and convoluted upper surface is chosen 90 as to coordinate with the :
geometry of the pillow stlch that the optimal airway i~
achieved. That is, a person sleeping on his side has his head positioned such that a plane parallel to the surface supporting the pillow and body, approximately at the level of a person's spinal cord, would virtually bisect the person's head. Also, the plane is positioned so as to approxima1ely binect the person's nose which would indicate that tlle head i~ not undll1y twisted.
On the other hand, for a person lying on his back, the head is positioned such that a plane passing through the bottom surface of the chin and being ~iubstantially parallel to the neck's upper surface which is both extended along its length and forced upwardly away from the pillow supporting surface by the bolster, intersects the plane of tlle supporting surface of the pillow at an obtuse angle. In SUCII a position, a siecond plane extending through the tip of the nose and being parallel to the aforementioned plane also traverses the plane including the support surface of the pillow at an angle which is obtuse with the supporting isurface for the pillow. Moreover, the head is positioned such that at its lowest point it is about 5-20 cms above the pillow supporting surface or even more preferably about 8-10 cms above the pil]ow supporting surface. Also, the bottom surface of the center portion of the neck is generally about 2-5 cms higher from the supporting surface for the pillow than is the lowe~it point of the head.
The specific geometry of the present invention, as well as the coordinated use of the different materials used in making the pillow enables a person to sleep comfortably while experiencing a reduction in snoring.
Other advantages and improvements over the prior art willjbecome more apparent from the de~cription made hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 reprei~ientn a t)eri~t)ective view of one embodiment of the pillow of the prei~ient invention.
- 1 3 3 3 72 ~
F[G. 2 represenl,s a c~rc)sn-sec~ i(!n.]l Vi~W alon~3 the lines II-II of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3A-3D represent perspective views of other embodiments of pillows of the present invention.
FIG. 4 represents a side view of one embodiment of the invention as well as the position of the head and neck of a user ;n a back sleeping pc)sition.
FIG. 5 represents a side view of the invention as well as the position of the head and neck of a user in a side sleeping position.
FIGS. 6A-6C represent various sleeping positions of a person's head.
FIG. 7 represents a side view of the rear edge of the pillow illustrated in FIG. 3D.
FIG. 8 represents a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRI~TION OF Tll~ DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows a perspective plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 illustrates an anti--snoring pil]ow 10 having a bolster 12 secured to the upper surface of base member lg along one edge of the latter. The bolster 12 has a generally curved outer surface l6 which has contoured therein a plurality of essentia],]y paralle] ribs or sca]lops (1~, FIG. 2). Further, the bolster 12 is curved along its length such that its center portion 20 is disposed closer to the back edge 21 of the base member 14 than are the two ends 22 and 2~ of the bolster. In addition, the bolster i9 shown to have essentially the same vertical thickness over its entire length. As seen in FIG. 2, the bolster 12 i 8 hemiSplleriCal itl cro~g-section and can be initially made with a substantially cylindri-cal configuration which, when cut into essentially two equal halves or hemispheres and subsequently trimmed to the proper dimensions, is securely aLfixed to the upper surface adjacent the front end of the base member 14.
FIG. 1 also reveals a convoluted surface 26 which is integrally attached to the base member 14 either by forming the convolutions directly in the base member or as a separate layer of convoluted material laminated onto the upper surface of the base member 14.
When convoluted layer 26 is used, it is preferable to have the rear edge of bolster 12 vertical rather than curved 50 as to provide close contact with the forward edge of convoluted layer 26.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-~ectional view along lines II-II in the embodiment of the pillow of FIG. 1. Bolster 12 is depicted as being a separate element as with respect to base mem~er 14 and the convoluted layer 23, with all three components being adhesively or otherwise secured together, as is well known in the art. It i8 also contemp]ated that the bolster 12 and the base member 14 and the convolut:ed layer 32 can be formed an a unit;ary, integra] body. As can be seen in F'lG. ?., the upper ~urface 3() o~ the base member is inc]ined with its back edge 21 having a helght "H" which is greater than the heiqht "h" of front edge 1 ~~
28. Ill a preferred embodiment heigllt "Il" is about 1.2-5 times the height of "h". For in~tance, in one preferred embodiment, the height "H" is about 4.50 inches while the height "h" i9 about 3.25 inches. In addition, the depth "D" of the pillow is about 16.0 inches while the width "W" (FIG. 1) of the ba~e member 14 i~ about 22.0 inches. These measurements a~ well, a~ the amount of incline, if any, are variab:l.e, with the ul,ti,mate goal, being the proper po3i t:iOllitl(3 0~ l:he u~t?r'~ head a~ will be expl.ained more ul].y herearter. ~ preferred range of incline from the horizontal includes a range of 5 to 25.
FIG. 2 also illustrates the convolute surface 26 being provided by securing a layer of convoluted material 32 onto the upper surface 30 of base member 19.
Securement of the bolster can be achieved by attaching the bottom edge 34 of bolster 1~ to the upper ~urface of base member 14. Securement of both the convoluted material 32 and the bol~ter can be achievt?d by utilizing an adhe~ive or any other conventional type of bonding means known in the art,. Al,t,ernat,:ively, it is pos~ible, depending on the manufacturing technique, t,o form the bolster, base member and convolutet3 ~urface from a single piece of material.
The bol.~ter l2 i~ preferab~ly ~emi-circular in shape and i~ attached to the upper ~urface of the base member 14 a3 depicted ;n FI~. ~. varioun other nha~en could also be utilized provided the ntlape achieve~ a proper po~itionin~ of t,lle head and a h:i~h de~3ree of comfort. Jn a prt?l(?rrt?(l emt)~ elll, l.l~ r;l(3iun of t;h~
semi-circular bolnt,t?r range~3 rrom about, 1.5 to g inche~
and more preferably, the radiun of the bo].st,er in about 2.5 inche~. In addit;ioll, the ]ongit:-ldillaL length of the bolster i9 preferably s]igllt]y ]onger than the front edge length of the base member 1~. For in~tance, with a front edge of about 22 inches, the curved bolster would preferably have a length of about 22.75 inches. In a preferred embodiment the vertical thickness of the bolster is constant over its entire length. In another embodiment there is contemplated forming a slight dip in the bolster's vertical thickness near the center portion where the neck of the user will be supported.
.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the bolster 12, the layer of convolute material 32 and base member 14 are all formed of a cellular polyurethane material. While the polyurethane can be the same for each component of the pillow, it is preferred that each component be made of a different cellular polyurethane.
A densified polyurethane material sold under the trademark OMALUX, by E.R. Carpenter Company, Inc. has proven to be adequate for the purpose~ of the present invention especially with regard to the bolster material. It is also possible to form one or more components of the anti-snoring pillow of the invention of other material or combination~ of other material such as, but not limited to, goose down, air or liquid filled compartments, natural or synthetic fiber~ including hollow fill tubed fibers, or the like.
The firmness of the material being used is also variable. Nonetllele~n, a~ will t)e explalrled more fully hereafter, it is important to maintain the firmness of each of the three components at a value which will achieve a head po~ition that provides the user with optimal breathing passageways.
1'he weight of a l~umall's llead i~ said to generally range between ten and fourteen pounds.
Consequently, it is important to provide the material with a firmness which is well suited for handling such a weight -- a feature which is lacking in many of the prior art pillows. Referring again to FIG. 2, a human head 36 is depicted in dot-dash lines. Again, as the weight of the head normally varies between ten to fourteen pounds, it is important to pick a material having an adequate firmnes~ or ILD value. The ILD
firmness value represents the amount of displacement one can expect in a material when a weight acts thereon to compress the material. For instance, an ILD value of 14 .
would mean that a weight of 14 pounds would displace a four inch thick piece of the material one inch.
Similarly, a 12 pound wei~ht would displace a four inch thick piece of material having an ILD value of 12 by one inch.
In a preferred embodiment, the Il,D value for the anti-snoring pillow ranges between 6 to 25 and, more ;
preferably, between 10 and 21. It has also been found an advantage to vary somewhat the firmness value for :~
each of the component parts of the anti-snoring pillow (i.e., the bolster 12, ba~e member 14 and/or convoluted material 32). Specifica]ly, it has been determined advantageous for the purposes of the pillow of the invention to have the firmness value of the.bolster 12 to be initially lower than the initial firmnes~ value for the base member l4 and/or convolllled ~urface 32, such as, for examp]e, an IJ.D value of 14 for the bolster, and an Il.D value of 1~ for the ba~e member and an ILD value of 21 for the convoluted material for the first 25% of compression of the materia].
-- In -- ;' ~.
Additionally, it has proven advantageous to .. -form the bolster member of a cellular polyurethane foam having a higher density value then that of the base member. In such a case, if the bolster were to have an initial ILD value of about 11 and the base member an .:
initial ILD value of 16, than it would be easier to compress the bolster member than the base member. ~:~
However, upon further compression of the material the denser material becomes more difficult to compress than ;
the less dense base member materia]. Therefore, in a ~.
region of greater than 25% compression the II.D values reverse and it become~ more and more difficult to compress the denser material. This feature provides added comfort in the neck of a user as it is the neck which is being extended or "stretched" upwardly away from the supporting surface of the pillow. Comfort is enhanced because the initially less firm bolster 12 provides a soft surface for the neck. However, firm support on the neck is also required to prevent straining of the neck in its extended position. This firm support is provided as the denser bolster is compressed by the u.ser.
FIG. 1, and more ~pecifically FIG. 2, show a preferred embodiment of the invention having a depression 38 formed in the upper surface of base member 14. Depression 38 is generally shaped to conform to the back of the head.of a user 36 once the head~is p].aced within the depression. That is, the depre~ion is ..
formed such that the (3eepe~t porticrl of the depre~sio supports the ba~e of the head and the ~hal]ower edge portion 40 surrourlc3ing the forwarc3 part of depression 38 supports that area of the head 36 neare~t the neck 42.
In addition, the sha]low porti.on 40 of the depression 38 -- ~9 - l 3 3 3 7 2 9 is positioned just inwardly of the inllermost edge of the bolster 12 such that there is maintained a smooth and comfortable transition from the bolster 12 to the base member 14. A depth whi,ch has proven adequate for the purposes of the invention is one which at its deepest poi,nt in ba3e member 14 is between about 1 and 4 inches and more preferably about 2.6. The deepest portion of the depre3sion 38 and the firmness and densi,ty of the material for the base member 1~ and of the convoluted material 32 are such that the head of an average person (i.e., about 12 pounds) would be positioned such that the lowermost portion of the head would be at a height Ll above the bottom edge ~4 of the ba3e member lg (FIG.
2). Height L1 in base member 14 is preferably about 3 to 5 inches, and, more preferably, in the range of about 3.5 to 4 inches. The depression 38 is also of a depth sufficient to en3ure that the lowest part of the head supported therein is ].ower than the area of the nec~
which is supported by the bol.ster 1.2.
The depres~ion 38 extend~ rearwar(3:ly into the back edge so as to form back depression 13 which is preferably 3hal],0wer than the deepe~t, portion of the central depression 38. Back depre.ssion 13 provides an alternate head resti.n(3 position thus giving the pi.llow greater adaptabi,].ity.
Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the scalloped or ribbed surface 1~ of bolster 1~ i.,s provi.ded with a plurality of ri(l(Jes and (~ro--ve~ exten(3in(3 along the ]onc3itudillal. ]ellgth c~r tlle bo]~ter. A~ i.l,Ju~t.rat~(3 in FIG. 5, the sca,llope(l ~ur~ace l~ Or bolster 12 provides a mean~ for helping to prevent the sliding of the face 45 of u3er 46 away from l,he t)o]~ter. This is 1 33372~
-- ~o --achieved, in part, by having the soft portions of the user's face disposed somewhat superiorly to the grooves formed by scalloped surface 18 and the chin of the user's face resting on the edge of the bo].ster which is the edge closest to the head depression formed in the base member. In addi.tion, like the convoluted surface, the scalloped surface provides a more comfortable surface for supporting the neck and a portion of the face and further provides a sllrface which radiates the body heat more efficiently. The comfort of the surface of the bolster is attri.butable, i.n part, to it~ ability to disperse the weight: of the llead horizontally as well as vertically.
As illustrated in FIG. 1. and in FIGS. 3A-3D, the curved surface 48 of the pillow and the bolster comprises a central portion 20 and end portions 22 and 24 of the bolster and that portion of the base member disposed below it. The curved surface of the bol~ter 12 has a radius R which preferably i8 within the range of about 1.5 to 3 feet and, more preferab]y, about 2.5 feet. The arc of curved ~urface 48 i~ ~mal.] enough to avoid any undue abutment between a u~er's shoulders when in the back sleeping po~ition (a~ depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4) and the bolster and the end of the pil.low. The curved surface is of a shape WlliCIl genera]ly matches the contoured or inclined ~lo~e ol a user'~ ~houlders. Thi~
shaping of the front edge thus provi.den a slight abutment between the ~houlders and the front edge which assists in preventiny the pil:low from becoming out of position with re~pect to a user, e~pecially a back sleeper .
- ~ 333729 Furthermore, the curved surface 48 of the E~illow alld bc)lster 12 perlllit~ a u~er ~]eeping on his ~ide (~I(,. 5) ~o poliliorl the lower rleck and shoulder wltllin the centl-al al ~d 0~: the al^CUat~ erld of the pillow ln a marlrler WIllCh en~llre~ a(ided ~olllfort as well as prol)~r ~Up[)l)Lt lor Lhe h~dd an(i neck. While it would be po~sible in certain ~ituations to utilize a straight edge bolster, tlle prelerred embodilllents of the present invention utilize a curved bolster having the advantages noted above.
FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate different embodiments of pillows 50, 52, 54 ànd 55 which prevent or reduce snoring of a sleepin(3 individual. Each pillow 50, 52, 54 and 55 is devoid of a convoluted material layer or surface as well as a scalloped bolster surface. Rather, pillows 50, 52, 59 and 55 comprise a base member 56 and an arcuate bolster 58 supported on the upper surface of the arcuate end of the base member. FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment which does not have a depression area formed in the upper surface of base member 56 for receiving the head of the sleeper. FIG. 3B, on the other hand, illustrates a pillow which has a depression area 60 which includes a central depression 66 and shallower left and right side depressions 62 and 64.
Central depression 62 is adapted to conform to the back of the user's head much like depression 33 of FIG. 2.
Side depressions 62 and 64 share a boundary with central depres~ion 62 and are adapted to conform to the side of a user's face when in a ~ide sleeping position (FIG. 5) and yet provide proper positionillg of the head.
FIG. 3C illu~trates an embodiment where rather than havillg depre~iorl~ beiny formed in the upper surface of base member 56 a different type of material is utilized in forming a central region 67. The cut out portion of region 67 has a fir~t material 68 and a second material 70 being u~ed to form the central area.
Dependilly on ~he type o~ Illa~erial.~ being utilized to forn~ the ba~e member and the central area it is possible to have a different firmness value for each of the materials. Preferably the material 70 in central area 67 i~ a high quality cellular polyurethane material having a high den~i.ty and being lower in initial firmne~s in order Lo posi.tion the head of the user in a manner which i.s optimal a~ described above and thus reduce and even prevent snoring by the user when asleep.
FIG. 3D il1ustrates ~till another embodiment of the pillow of the invention wherein the depression 57 formed in the central portion of the pillow extends to the rear edge 21. rhis extension of the depression results in the formation of a depression 53 as illustra-ted in FIGS. 3 and 7. The depression 53 provides an added advantage to the pillow of the present invention by making it further adjustable to a person s body shape and preferences. Thus the depression 53 at the back edge of the pillow which is shallower than the central depression 57 as seen in FIG. 7 provides an optimal air passageway for the user. The depression 53 preferably narrow~ as it extends towards the rear edge of the pillow as shown in FIG. 3D. It is to be understood that the head supporting areas of the pillows illustrated in FIGS. 3B 3C and 3D are depressions having the same characteristics and features as the depressions in the pillows illustrated in FIGS. 1 2 and 5. Furthermore it i~ al~o corltelllplated that a convoluted surface which follows the contours of the upper surface can be formed in or added to the upper ~urface of the base member.
As noted previou~ly, it iu important in achieving a~ effective anti-snoring pillow or a pillow which sub~tantially reduces snoring, that the breathing passageways of a user be maintained as clear as pos~ible. '~'his is shown in FIG. 4 where a user ~4 has his head 76, nose passageway 78, and mouth passageway 80 po~itioned on the pillow of the irlvention so as to minilllize or prevent snoring when a~leep. FIGS. 6A-6C
illustrate various possible positions in which a user can have his head placed on a pillow. FIG. 6B
schematically illustrates the extended or "sniffing"
position in which the user has an optimal breathing passageway. As can be ~een in FIG. 6B and FIG. 4, the tip of the nose 82 of the user as well as the chin 84 are positioned such that a plane 83 passing generally along the bottom surface of the chin and generally parallel to the extended neck of the individual intersects the plane of the surface of the bed supporting the bottom of the pillow at angle "a" from the horizontal and angle "a" is an obtuse angle. In other words, the plane passing generally along the bottom surface of the chin would intersect the user in the general area of tlle chest at an obtuse angle.
It qhould be noted, though, that if the angle "a" becomes too large then partial blockage of the breathing passages begins to occur.
FIG. 6A illustrates, schematically, a head positioned in a manner wllereby angle "a" is about gOo.
This position of the head does not provide the clear breathing passayeway as the position ~hown in FIG. 6B, and, accordingly partial blockage of the breathing pas~age~ begins t,o occur, cau~ing ~he individual to snore when asleep.
..
FIG. 6C illuetrates, echematically, the head tilted towards the chest of the user. Angle "a" thus becomee an acute angle. If angle "a" becomes too small, the head i8 placed in a position which again leads to partial blockage of the breathing passageways and to increased snoring by the sleeping individual.
The pillow of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, positions the head of a user in a back sleeping position in the extended position so that the breathing passageways are at an optimum open condition.
It is further contemplated that a range of obtuse angles "a", as defined above would preferably vary from about 125 to 165 and even more preferably be in the order of about 155.
FIG. 5 illustrates the pillow of the invention wherein the user 90 is in a side sleeping position with his head 46 nestled comfortably in pillow 10. As shown in dashed line the head 46 of the user is positioned at a hei~ht La from the bottom edge 92 of the pillow.
Height L2 ie contemplated to be within the same ranges as height L1 discussed with respect to the pillow shown in FIG. 2, namely, in a range of about 3 to 5 inches and, preferably, between 3.5 and 4 inches. Also height ~' L2 will be less than the height from the bottom surface of the neck supported on the upper surface of the bolster to the bottom 92 of the pillow. Thue, if cellular polyurethane foams of different densities were used for both the base member 14 and the convoluted material layer 32, the firmness value would be such that the user's head 96 would act to compress the foam to the extent necessary to come within the preferred ranges of heights Ll ~nd ~2. For example, if a head of a person were to weigh 12 pounds and the ILD value of the foam used was 12, then a four inch thick combination of base member and convoluted material in the area of head contact would compre~s essentially about an inch thus leaving the head about 3 inches from the bottom edge 92, which height is within the preferred range for L1 and L2.
FIG. 5 also illustrates a pillow providing a head position which improves the clearness of the breathing passageway~ of the person sleeping on his side. In this position, the spine 94 of the user, shown schematically, is essentially parallel to the bottom surface 92 of the pillow 10. Again, it is important to avoid twisting of the neck when attempting to provide optimal breathing passageways. The proper head position of FIG. 5 for a side sleeper is such that a plane Pl which is parallel to the bottom surface 92 would pass through some portion of the user's nose 96 and the spine 94. The bolster 12 is of a height and firmness which is suitable for keeping the head in the position shown in FIG. 5. This is achieved by providing support in the cheek and chin area of the user such that there is virtually no twistin~ T of the spinal column 94, head and neck of the person while sleeping. In addition, the bolster 12 acts like a neck brace in keeping the chin up and away from the clavicle area of the user.
Preferably, the user's head is positioned such that plane P2 is lyinq flush with the chin area of the side of the u~er's face and is parallel with the inclinsd, upper surface of the base member. Also, the user's head is preferably positioned such that line L3, lying flush with the curving front edge of the base member and extending vertically upward, extends tangentially off the bottom surface of the user's chin.
The pillows of the present invention may be produced by various methods. For instance, the entire :-pillow 10 can be formed in a molding operation so as to be unitary and consisting essentially of the same material, such as a cellular polyurethane.
Alternatively, an outer layer for the pillow could be manufactured, again by moldin~ or the like, which, when filled with a fluid, either liquid or gaseous, would expand into the desired shape. In the preferred embodiment, the base member 14, convoluted material layer 32 and bolster 12 are separately formed of cellular polyurethane of different densities in individual molds. Thereafter, the bolster 12 is bonded by adhesive, heat or the like to the upper front edge area of the base member 14. Also, the convoluted material layer 32 of cellular polyurethane foam with the "hills and valleys" can be laminated to the rest of the upper surface of the base member 14.
If a depression for supportin~ the head of the sleeper is desired, such a~ in the pre~erred embodiment, it can be formed either directly by molding or indirectly by pressure cutting a depression out of the upper surface of the base member 14. The convoluted layer 32 of substantially uniform thickness is then 1 3337~9 adhesively secured to the upper surface of the base member 14 and such layer assumes the configuration of such upper surface, including the depressed areas, such as the depression 38, to form the final pillow, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing. Moreover, to achieve the longitudinal curve in the bolster, a moon shaped section is cut from the front edge of the base member 14 and the semi-circular or semi-hemispherical bolster 12 is adhesively adhered to the upper cutout surface of the base member 14, such that the outermost edge of the bolster coincides with the outermost front edge of the cut out base member. To complete the operation, the front edge corners of the base member would need to be cut off to conform with the bent ends of the bolster.
FIG. 8 reveals another embodiment of the invention which is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 but further includes a pair of lengthwise depressions 100,102 which originate at the sides of the base member 14 and open into central depression 38. The lengthwise depressions, in combination with the central depression, extend the entire length of base member 14 and thus form locations 104,106 into which the head of a user can be nestled.
Each lengthwise depression can have an equal depth and radius or, alternatively, one lengthwise depression can be deeper or wider than the other thereby providing the pillow with greater head size adaptability as well as greater pillow use adaptability. Suitable depths for the lengthwise depressions 100,102 have been found to be anywhere between about 1 to 3 inches.
Insofar as the position of the lengthwise depressions on - 2~ -the front to rear extending incline, a suitable position has been one which has lengthwise depressions 100,102 opening into the deepest part of central depression 38.
In addition, there lies the possibility of positioning one lengthwise depressi.on higher upon the inclined upper surface of the base member than the other.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the ~pirit and scope of the invention, and all such modification as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (28)
1. A pillow having a base member with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side, a second side and a bottom and upper surface, and said pillow including an elongated bolster having a cross-section which is curved and said bolster being supported by said base member at a position closer to said front edge than to said rear edge, and said bolster having a lengthwise shape which is essentially the same as the lengthwise shape of said front edge, the improvement characterized in that the rear edge of said base member is higher than the front edge such that the uppermost surface of said base member slopes downwardly from the rear edge of said pillow to the front edge of said pillow, said base member having a depression formed therein which is positioned in a central region of said base member and is defined by a boundary edge formed in said base member, and said bolster having a cross-section that is essentially semi-circular in shape and said bolster having a central region and two end regions with the height of the central region above the bottom surface of the pillow being the same as the height of said end regions above the bottom surface of the pillow, said depression having a forward boundary section positioned just rearward of the central region of the bolster, said bolster having an uppermost surface which represents the upper surface of said pillow and said uppermost surface being higher than the entire boundary edge defining said depression, and said bolster, depression and base member being dimensioned and arranged so as to function as an anti-snoring pillow.
2. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in Claim 1, wherein said upper surface of said base member slopes in a range from about 5 to 25° and said front edge being curved along its length and said bolster having-a corresponding lengthwise curvature.
3. An anti-snoring pillow comprising:
a base member with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side, a second side and a bottom and an upper surface:
a bolster, said bolster being supported by said base member at a position closer to said front edge than to said rear edge, and said bolster having a lengthwise shape which is essentially the same as the lengthwise shape of said front edge, the rear edge of said base member being higher than the front edge such that the uppermost surface of said base member slopes downwardly from the rear edge of said pillow to the front edge of said pillow, said base member having a depression formed therein which is positioned in a central region of said base member and is defined by a boundary edge formed in said base member, and said bolster having a cross-section that is essentially semi-circular in shape, said bolster further having a central region and two end regions with the height of the central region above said base member being the same as the height of said end regions above said base member, said front edge being curved along its length and said bolster having a corresponding lengthwise curvature, said depression having a forward boundary section positioned just rearward of the central region of the bolster, said bolster having an uppermost surface which represents the upper surface of said pillow and said uppermost surface being higher than the entire boundary edge defining said depression.
a base member with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side, a second side and a bottom and an upper surface:
a bolster, said bolster being supported by said base member at a position closer to said front edge than to said rear edge, and said bolster having a lengthwise shape which is essentially the same as the lengthwise shape of said front edge, the rear edge of said base member being higher than the front edge such that the uppermost surface of said base member slopes downwardly from the rear edge of said pillow to the front edge of said pillow, said base member having a depression formed therein which is positioned in a central region of said base member and is defined by a boundary edge formed in said base member, and said bolster having a cross-section that is essentially semi-circular in shape, said bolster further having a central region and two end regions with the height of the central region above said base member being the same as the height of said end regions above said base member, said front edge being curved along its length and said bolster having a corresponding lengthwise curvature, said depression having a forward boundary section positioned just rearward of the central region of the bolster, said bolster having an uppermost surface which represents the upper surface of said pillow and said uppermost surface being higher than the entire boundary edge defining said depression.
4. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in either claim 1 or claim 3 wherein said rear edge is about 1.2 to 5 times greater in height than said front edge.
5. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 2, wherein said depression has a depth of 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cms).
6. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in either claim 1 or claim 3 wherein said bolster is semi-circular in cross-section providing a curved and an uncurved face with the uncurved face of the semi-circular bolster being in contact with the upper surface of said base member and the radius of the semi-circular bolster being from 1.5 to 5 inches (3.8 to 13 cms).
7. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in either claim 1 or claim 3 wherein the forward most portion of said bolster is as far forward as the front edge of said base member.
8. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 3 wherein the radius of the lengthwise curve of said bolster is in the range of about 1.5 to 3 feet.
9. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein said bolster is scalloped in cross-section so as to have a plurality of ridges extending along the length of said bolster and grooved recesses between said plurality of ridges.
10. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein the upper surface of said base member, except for that portion covered by said bolster, is convoluted so as to include a plurality of hills of foam material with valleys therebetween.
11. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 1 or claim 3 further comprising a layer of convoluted material which is laminated to the upper surface of said base member.
12. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein said pillow is formed of at least two different types of polyurethane foam.
13. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 12, wherein said base member is comprised of a material having an initial firmness value greater than said bolster and said bolster is formed of a material of a higher density than said base member.
14. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 12 wherein said bolster is formed of polyurethane foam having an initial firmness ILD value of about 11 and said base member is formed of polyurethane foam having a firmness value of about 16.
15. An anti-snoring pillow comprising:
a base member with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side, a second side and a bottom and upper surface:
a bolster, said bolster having a lengthwise shape which corresponds with the lengthwise shape of said front edge, the rear edge of said base member being higher than the front edge such that the uppermost surface of said base member slopes downwardly from the rear edge of the pillow to the front edge of the pillow at an angle from 5 to 25°, and said base member has a depression formed therein which originates at a central region of said base member and is about 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cms) deep, said depression being defined by a boundary edge in said base member, and said bolster having a length formed of a mid-region and two end regions the combination of which extends essentially from the first side to the second side of said base member, said bolster having a planar bottom surface secured to a portion of the sloping uppermost surface of said base member at a location between the front edge of said base member and the central depression formed in said base member, said bolster extending off of said base member for about 1.5 to 5 inches (3.8 to 13 cms) with the planar bottom surface of said bolster being at an incline equal to that of the uppermost surface of said base member, and said bolster having the same vertical height along the entire length of said bolster such that the mid-region of said bolster is at the same vertical height as the adjacent end regions, and said pillow being dimensioned and arranged such that the uppermost portion of said bolster is higher in level than the uppermost portion of said bordering edge defining said central depression, such that said bolster in combination with said base member is adapted to function as an anti-snoring pillow.
a base member with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side, a second side and a bottom and upper surface:
a bolster, said bolster having a lengthwise shape which corresponds with the lengthwise shape of said front edge, the rear edge of said base member being higher than the front edge such that the uppermost surface of said base member slopes downwardly from the rear edge of the pillow to the front edge of the pillow at an angle from 5 to 25°, and said base member has a depression formed therein which originates at a central region of said base member and is about 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cms) deep, said depression being defined by a boundary edge in said base member, and said bolster having a length formed of a mid-region and two end regions the combination of which extends essentially from the first side to the second side of said base member, said bolster having a planar bottom surface secured to a portion of the sloping uppermost surface of said base member at a location between the front edge of said base member and the central depression formed in said base member, said bolster extending off of said base member for about 1.5 to 5 inches (3.8 to 13 cms) with the planar bottom surface of said bolster being at an incline equal to that of the uppermost surface of said base member, and said bolster having the same vertical height along the entire length of said bolster such that the mid-region of said bolster is at the same vertical height as the adjacent end regions, and said pillow being dimensioned and arranged such that the uppermost portion of said bolster is higher in level than the uppermost portion of said bordering edge defining said central depression, such that said bolster in combination with said base member is adapted to function as an anti-snoring pillow.
16. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein the height of the rear edge of said base member is about 1.2 to 5 times greater than the height of the front edge of said base member.
17. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein said bolster is semi-circular in cross-section providing a curved and an uncurved face with the uncurved face of the semi-circular bolster being in contact with the upper surface of said base member and the radius of said semi-circular bolster being in the range of about 1.5 to 5 inches (3.8 to 13 cms).
18. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein said front edge of said base member is curved inwardly toward the rear edge and said bolster is curved along its length to conform to the curvature of said front edge, and a forward most portion of said bolster is essentially in contact with the front edge of said base member.
19. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein the pillow is formed of a polyurethane material having a firmness value which, in combination with the incline of said upper surface, is adapted to position a head of a user at about 8 to 10 cms above the bottom surface of said base member and the neck of the user about 2 to 5 cms higher.
20. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 19, wherein said base member is firmer than said bolster.
21. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein said depression has a forward boundary positioned just rearward of a portion of the bolster which is closest to the rear edge of said base member, and said depression having a deepest point which is of less height from the bottom surface of said base member than is the lowest point of said bolster.
22. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 further comprising a laminated layer of convoluted material secured to the upper surface of said base member only.
23. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 22, wherein said depression has a three petal configuration which includes a central and two side sections, said central section being adapted to conform to a back of a head of the user and said side sections adapted to conform to a side of the head of a user.
24. An anti-snoring pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein said depression extends to the rear edge of the base member thereby forming a neck slot in said rear edge.
25. A pillow as recited in claim 3 wherein the uppermost portion of said bolster is at a level which is higher than the uppermost level of the rear edge of said base member.
26. A pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein the uppermost portion of said bolster is at a level which is higher than the uppermost level of the rear edge of said base member.
27. A pillow as recited in claim 15 wherein said bolster and base member are formed of two different polyurethane foam materials and the front edge and bolster curve along their length with the forwardmost portion of said bolster being commensurate with the front edge.
28. A pillow as recited in claim 15 further comprising an upper layer formed of foam hills separated by valleys, said upper layer being applied to all of said base member except for a portion of the base covered by said bolster.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000616893A CA1338114C (en) | 1988-05-06 | 1994-07-19 | Pillow |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US19084788A | 1988-05-06 | 1988-05-06 | |
| US190,847 | 1988-05-06 | ||
| PCT/US1989/001873 WO1989010714A1 (en) | 1988-05-06 | 1989-05-02 | Pillow |
| USPCT/US89-01873 | 1989-10-18 |
Related Child Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000616893A Division CA1338114C (en) | 1988-05-06 | 1994-07-19 | Pillow |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1333729C true CA1333729C (en) | 1994-12-27 |
Family
ID=26779650
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000598788A Expired - Fee Related CA1333729C (en) | 1988-05-06 | 1989-05-05 | Pillow |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1333729C (en) |
| DE (1) | DE404843T1 (en) |
-
1989
- 1989-05-02 DE DE1989905937 patent/DE404843T1/en active Pending
- 1989-05-05 CA CA000598788A patent/CA1333729C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE404843T1 (en) | 1991-09-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |