CA2117701A1 - Support pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

A pillow for supporting the head and upper body of a recumbent person having an opening to accommodate the person's shoulder and upper arm.

Description

1 7 ~ ~

This invention is concerned with a pillow for reducing pressure on the shoulder and arm of a recumbent person. Many people sleep on their sides and in doing so, much of their weight is borne on their shoulders and arms. This can result in pain and discomfort and particularly, but by no means exclusively, for those who 5have sustained a shoulder or arm injury. The present invention seeks to provide a pillow which will reduce this effect.

Accordingly, there is provided a pillow comprising a head supporting portion and an upper body supporting portion, adjacent ends of said portions defining 10a space to accommodate the shoulder and upper arm of a user.

The upper body supporting portion is preferably wedge shaped, the thick end being closest to the head supporting portion. Again preferably, the upper body supporting portion is of a length to support the body from the axilla to the hips.
The top edge of the upper body supporting portion adjacent to the head supporting portion is preferably convexly rounded for comfort and particularly to relieve p~ssure on the breasts. Likewise the top edge of the adjacent end of the head s.l~olling portion is formed to support the neck of a user.
It is pl~re,red that the pillow be moulded of a non-allergenic plastic m~teri~l such as polyurethane. The head or body supporting surface or both of them may be of so-called egg carton form or they may be covered with a bubble-form m~tPri~l commonly used as packaging m~tesi~l~ for fragile goods.
A plerelled embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accoll,pa~lying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pillow according to this invention;
and CA,2i7~7~
'~, Figure 2 shows the pillow in use.

The pillow comprises a head supporting portion 10 and an upper body supporting portion 12 connected by a web 14 at the lower edge of their adjacent ends.
S The whole is moulded from foamed polyurethane or other flexible m~teri~l. It will be recognized that the pillow could be fabricated rather than moulded.

Portion 12 is generally wedge shaped and its upper surface may be contoul~d most comfortably to support the body of a user. It is of a length to extend from the axilla to the hip or mid-thigh of a user. It will be understood that portion 12 may be shortened to support only the thorax of a user.

The edge 16 of portion 12 is gently rounded to fit the axilla of a user and to relieve pressure on the breasts of a female user. It may be desirable to provide a laterally extending concavity in the upper surface adjacent the edge 16 for that same purpose.

The upper edge 18 of the adjacent end of portion 10 is also rounded to fit the neck and shoulder region of a user and the upper surface can be contoured to define a shallow bowl to support the head.

The shoulder and arm accommodating space 20 is defined by the cPnt ends of portions 10 and 12 and by the upper surface of the web 14. It extends across the full width of the pillow and is sized to accommodate the shoulder and upper arm of a user comfortably. The entry to the space in the top of the pillow is preferably sized so that the two portions are flexed apart as the arm is placed into it so that it gently holds the neck/shoulder and axilla regions of the user.

The upper surfaces of the pillow may be of so-called egg carton form.
Clearly, it could also be rippled or dimpled.

I~A2 1 1 77~1 It is pl~r~lled that the pillow should have a removable pillow casing which is washable. The pillow case will be shaped to conform to the pillow and have an o~>ening for removal of the pillow. That opening may be closed, for example, by hook and loop mat.ori~l or by a slide fastener. The opening is preferably disposed on a surface other than the top surface of the pillow.

Figure 2 shows a person using the pillow. It can be seen that the upper body supporting portion extends almost from the knees to the under arm. However in variants, that length may be significantly less.
It will be appalellt that the user's weight is largely carried by the head and body supporting portions of the pillow and the pressure on the shoulder and arm is very much reduced.

In other embodiments of the invention, the upper surfaces of the pillow may be covered by bubble wrap m~t~ri~l. The edges of those surfaces where they meet the sides may be rounded. It is possible to fabricate the pillow rather than to mould it and in those instances, different parts of the pillow could have different degrees of firmness. This could also be achieved by a two or more stage moulding.

Claims (8)

1. A pillow comprising a head supporting portion and an upper body supporting portion, adjacent ends of the portions defining a space to accommodate the shoulder and upper arm of a user.

2. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the upper body supporting portion is of generally wedge shape, the thick end of the wedge being adjacent the head supporting portion.

3. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the two portions are joined at the lower edges of their adjacent ends by a web extending the full width of the pillow.

4. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claimed 2 wherein the body supporting portion is of a length to support a user from axilla to hip.

5. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the upper edge of the end of the body supporting portion adjacent the head supporting portion is rounded.

6. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the upper edge of the end of the head supporting portion adjacent the body supporting portion is rounded.

7. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the upper edges of the adjacent edges of the head and body supporting portions are rounded.

8. A pillow as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein an opening to said space is of lesser width than the interior of the space.