JP3246766U - Neck Cooler - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a neck cooler that can maintain a coolness for a longer period of time than conventional ones, has excellent touch and cushioning properties, and is hygienic. [Solution] A neck cooler 10 having a tubular exterior 15 that curves around the back of the neck 12 and extends forward, and a refrigerant 16 that is filled inside the exterior 15. The exterior 15 is made of a material in which cloth is attached to the outer surface of a rubber sheet with closed cells having a thickness of 3 mm to 7 mm, and when the refrigerant 16 is filled inside the exterior 15, the refrigerant 16 is sealed so that it cannot be removed. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to a neck cooler.

In recent years, the outside temperature has risen, and especially in the summer when the temperature is high, it becomes difficult to maintain a normal body temperature, so there is a need to release body heat to the outside. If the body continues to be unable to release heat normally, there is a risk of experiencing poor health, such as dizziness or headaches.
In view of this, for example, a neck cooler (neck cooling device) capable of directly cooling the neck has been proposed, as shown in Patent Document 1.

JP 2023-21963 A

However, the neck cooler does not keep the coolness for long, so the refrigerant must be solidified frequently, making it difficult to use for normal users, and especially for people who work in hot places, such as people who are walking, people who work in greenhouses or vegetable gardens, and people who cook in restaurant kitchens or home kitchens.The refrigerant (cooling medium) used is a phase change material (PCM) that absorbs heat and changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase, but it is difficult to obtain a sufficient cooling temperature, and there are concerns about the impact on the environment when it is disposed of.
Furthermore, when using neck coolers, there is room for improvement in terms of, for example, the feel, cushioning, and hygiene.

This invention was made in light of these circumstances, and aims to provide a neck cooler that can maintain coolness for longer than conventional products, has a soft feel, cushioning properties, and is hygienic.

The present invention is as follows.
[1] A neck cooler having a tubular exterior that curves along the back side of the neck and extends toward the front, and a refrigerant filled in the exterior,
The exterior is made of a material in which a cloth is attached to the outer surface of a rubber sheet having a thickness of 3 mm to 7 mm and having closed cells, and the exterior is sealed so that the refrigerant cannot be removed when the refrigerant is filled in the exterior.

[2] The neck cooler according to the above [1], characterized in that the rubber sheet is a chloroprene rubber foam sheet, and the fabric is a jersey fabric.
[3] The neck cooler according to the above [1] or [2], characterized in that the refrigerant is water.
[4] The neck cooler according to any one of [1] to [3] above, characterized in that a recess is formed on the rear side of the neck area of the exterior, in which the outer periphery of the exterior is recessed inward in a plan view.

The neck cooler of this invention maintains coolness for longer periods than conventional products, and is soft to the touch, has excellent cushioning, and is hygienic.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the use state of a neck cooler according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Next, with reference to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described for understanding of the present invention.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a neck cooler (neck cooling device) 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is worn around the neck 12 of a user 11 to release body heat to the outside. The user 11 is not particularly limited, but is suitable for use by people who work in hot places, such as people who are walking, people who work in greenhouses or in home vegetable gardens, and people who cook in restaurant kitchens or home kitchens.
The details are explained below.

The appearance of the neck cooler 10 is C-shaped (or U-shaped) when viewed from above, with a central through hole 13 being the area where the neck is placed, and the front opening portion (discontinuous part of the exterior) that communicates with this through hole 13 being the insertion portion 14 for the neck.
The size of the neck cooler 10 is not particularly limited, but can be manufactured to suit children or adults, for example. Specifically, the outer peripheral portion has a length L1 in the front-rear direction of 15 cm to 30 cm (23.5 cm in this example), a width W1 in the left-right direction of 15 cm to 25 cm (21.5 cm in this example), and a thickness (height) of 2.5 cm to 7 cm (4 cm in this example), while the inner peripheral portion has a length L2 in the front-rear direction of 10 cm to 20 cm (14.5 cm in this example) that is shorter than the length L1, and a width W2 in the left-right direction of 7 cm to 15 cm (10 cm in this example) that is narrower than the width W1, but is not particularly limited.

The neck cooler 10 has a tubular exterior 15 that curves around the rear side of the neck 12 and extends forward, and a refrigerant 16 that fills the interior of this exterior 15.
The exterior 15 is made of a sheet-like material in which fabric is attached to the outer surface of a rubber sheet. The thickness of this material is set to 3 mm to 7 mm (preferably 6.5 mm or less: here, about 5 mm) in consideration of the ease of transmission of the coldness of the refrigerant 16, durability, etc.
The rubber sheet has closed cells, and a chloroprene rubber foam sheet is preferably used, but is not limited to this, and other rubbers such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and nitrile rubber (NBR) may also be used.

It is preferable that the diameter of the closed cells formed in the rubber sheet is 0.05 mm to 1 mm (preferably, the lower limit is 0.1 mm and the upper limit is 0.8 mm), and the cell content is 60 to 95% (preferably, the lower limit is 70% and the upper limit is 90%).
Here, if the diameter of the closed cells is less than 0.05 mm or the cell ratio is less than 60%, the material will not deform easily when pressed (resulting in too little flexibility) and the repulsive force from the material will be too great (resulting in too little cushioning), which is not preferred.On the other hand, if the diameter of the closed cells is more than 1 mm or the cell ratio of the closed cells is more than 95%, the material will easily deform when pressed (resulting in too much flexibility) and the material will not provide repulsive force (resulting in too little cushioning), which is not preferred.

A cloth is attached to the outer surface of the rubber sheet (the side that comes into contact with the skin of the user 11 when the neck cooler 10 is worn), and the rubber sheet and the cloth are integrated together.
The fabric is made of a jersey fabric made of synthetic fibers, which is attached (pasted) to the entire outer surface of the rubber sheet by either or both of bonding (rubber-based (e.g., chloroprene rubber-based) adhesive) and sewing. The jersey fabric can be made of synthetic fibers such as, but not limited to, polyamide fibers, polyester fibers, polypropylene hollow fiber fibers, or polyethylene fibers. In particular, by using a jersey fabric made of fibers with excellent water repellency such as polyethylene fibers, it becomes easier to maintain the surface dry and also easier to dry after washing.
The inner surface of the rubber sheet is exposed to the refrigerant 16 .

This fabric can regulate the stretch of the material, improve durability and shape stability, and can also be decorated (colored, etc.) The colors that can be applied to the fabric include, but are not limited to, red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, gray, etc.
In addition, the outer surface of the fabric (the surface that comes into contact with the skin of the user 11 when the neck cooler 10 is worn) can be printed directly with letters, designs, etc., or a separate sheet with letters, designs, etc. written on it can be attached (sewn on), or it can be plain.

From the standpoint of cooling capacity and environmental protection, it is preferable to use water as the refrigerant 16, but other coolants, such as water with a highly water-absorbent polymer added (the contents of ice packs), can also be used.
The amount of refrigerant 16 filled in the exterior 15 is, for example, about 0.4 L (liters, the same below) to 1.2 L (preferably with a lower limit of 0.5 L and an upper limit of 1 L (here, 0.6 L)), but this can be changed depending on the size of the neck cooler and is not particularly limited.
After the refrigerant 16 is filled inside the exterior 15, it cannot be taken out from inside the exterior 15 (it is in a sealed state).

Next, a method of manufacturing the neck cooler 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the material is cut to form two sheet pieces corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the neck cooler 10, which constitute the exterior 15. The two sheet pieces have the same shape (same size), but they can also be made to have different shapes (sizes).
Each of these sheet pieces has a C-shape (or U-shape) with a portion open when viewed from above.
Next, in order to ensure the waterproofness and strength of the exterior 15, the two sheet pieces are overlapped and the peripheral portions are joined with adhesive and sewn (scoop stitching with thread) to form a tube (bag). Note that the peripheral portion of the outer periphery region 17 located on the rear side around the neck 12 is not joined with adhesive or sewn (it remains open).

Specifically, a rubber adhesive is applied to the periphery (excluding the outer peripheral region) of the rubber sheet of one (or both) sheet pieces, one sheet piece is overlapped with the other sheet piece so that the rubber sheet is the inner surface (the fabric is the outer surface) and the peripheries match, and then one sheet piece (rubber sheet and fabric) is sewn together with a synthetic resin thread (e.g., nylon, etc.) having sufficient strength, but this is not particularly limited. Note that the sewing is preferably performed so that the thread passes through the outer half of the thickness of the rubber sheet, and no threading holes are provided in the inner half, which ensures waterproofness and strength of the joint, but this is not particularly limited.
Here, the thread may be colored the same or a different color as the fabric of the exterior 15, thereby improving the design.

Then, without turning the tubular exterior 15 inside out, the refrigerant 16 is supplied into the exterior 15 from the open outer peripheral region 17 in that state (with the jersey fabric facing outward).
The coolant 16 needs only to be supplied until the exterior 15 is inflated, and it is not necessary to supply the coolant 16 excessively so that the fabric of the exterior 15 stretches.
As described above, after the refrigerant 16 is filled inside the exterior 15, the outer circumferential region 17 is joined by the above-mentioned rubber adhesive and sewing. As a result, the exterior 15 is sealed (hermetically sealed) so that the refrigerant 16 cannot be removed.
In this manner, the neck cooler 10 is completed.

Next, a method of using the neck cooler 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Since the neck cooler 10 has the refrigerant 16 filled in the exterior 15, the neck cooler 10 is placed in a freezer or the like as it is, without the need to put the refrigerant 16 into the exterior 15, and the refrigerant 16 is frozen.
After freezing the refrigerant 16, hold both ends (front ends) that form the insertion part 14 of the neck cooler 10 with your hands to widen the insertion part 14. At this time, a recess 18 is formed on the rear side around the neck 12 of the exterior 15, where the outer periphery of the exterior 15 is recessed inward (toward the through hole 13) in a plan view, so the frozen refrigerant 16 in this portion bends, and the width of the insertion part 14 widens to an extent that the neck 12 can be inserted. Note that the neck cooler 10 can also be placed in a freezer or the like to freeze the refrigerant 16 after widening the width of the insertion part 14 in advance to form a natural U-shape.
After the neck cooler 10 is placed around the neck 12 of the user 11, both ends forming the insertion portion 14 are held by hand, and the insertion portion 14 is narrowed to fit closely around the neck 12.

The neck cooler 10 of the present invention is lightweight and can maintain its coolness for about 3 to 4 hours even in an environment of 33°C, so it can spread coolness from the neck up without being too cold. If the frozen refrigerant 16 inside the exterior 15 melts and is no longer cold, it can be placed back in the freezer as is and the refrigerant 16 can be frozen again before it can be used again.
Furthermore, the neck cooler 10 does not require the refrigerant 16 to be put in and taken out of the exterior 15, which saves time and improves workability.
Furthermore, even if the surface of the exterior 15 (fabric) of the neck cooler 10 becomes dirty, it can be easily restored to good hygiene by washing it with a neutral detergent or the like.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a neck cooler that can maintain coolness for a longer period of time than conventional ones, has a soft feel, cushioning properties, and is also hygienic, and is particularly suitable for use by people who work in hot places, such as people who are walking, people who work in greenhouses or in home vegetable gardens, and people who cook in restaurant kitchens or home kitchens.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to one embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and includes other embodiments and modifications that are possible within the scope of the matters described in the scope of the utility model registration claims. For example, the case where the neck cooler of the present invention is configured by combining part or all of the above-mentioned respective embodiments and modifications is also included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the neck insertion part is left open (discontinuous) when the neck cooler is used (see FIG. 1), but for example, both ends forming the insertion part can be connected via a connecting member (e.g., a hook-and-loop fastener, a hook, a button, etc.) to keep the neck insertion part closed (continuous). This improves the stability of the neck cooler when worn.

10: neck cooler, 11: user, 12: neck, 13: through hole, 14: insertion part, 15: exterior, 16: refrigerant, 17: outer periphery, 18: recess

Claims (4)

A neck cooler having a tubular exterior that curves along the back side of the neck and extends toward the front, and a refrigerant filled in the exterior,
The exterior is made of a material in which a cloth is attached to the outer surface of a rubber sheet having a thickness of 3 mm to 7 mm and having closed cells, and the exterior is sealed so that the refrigerant cannot be removed when the refrigerant is filled in the exterior. The neck cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that the rubber sheet is a chloroprene rubber foam sheet and the fabric is a jersey fabric. The neck cooler according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the refrigerant is water. The neck cooler according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer periphery of the exterior is recessed inwardly in a plan view on the rear side of the neck area.

Images