JP7536354B1 - pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a pillow that improves on the conventional technology and stably supports the head and neck, allowing the user to sleep in a relaxed state. [Solution] A pillow 10 has a longitudinal direction Y and a width direction X that intersect with each other, and is provided with an upper region 11 and a lower region 12, and a longitudinal center line P that bisects the dimension in the width direction X, the lower region 12 has a curved shape that is convex downward, and a central portion 14 of the lower region 12 intersects with the longitudinal center line P in the thickness direction Z. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a pillow that supports the user's head and neck while the user sleeps.

Conventionally, pillows for stably supporting the head and neck of a user are well known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pillow equipped with a head support part for supporting the head of the user and a neck support part for supporting the neck.

Utility Model Registration No. 3206814

Referring to FIG. 6(a), according to the pillow 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1, the height of the head support part 122 is lower than the height of the neck support part 121, so that the neck support part 121 fits the neck 103 of the user and can stably support the head 102 and neck 103.

However, with the pillow 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the user 101 is lying on his/her back, the neck support part 121 pushes the chin upward, which may injure the neck 103.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6(b), in the case of a conventional pillow 200 having an overall flat shape, the head 102 is supported only by the top of the head, and the neck support part 221 is not in sufficient contact with the neck 103, making it unstable and making it impossible to sleep in a relaxed state.

Furthermore, for example, in the case of a conventional pillow 300 with a flat lower surface and an upper surface that is convexly curved upward, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the entire head 102 is pushed diagonally upward, and a natural S-shaped curve cannot be formed from the head 102 to the neck 103, making it impossible to sleep in a relaxed state.

The purpose of the present invention is to improve on the conventional technology by providing a pillow that stably supports the head and neck, allowing the user to sleep in a relaxed state.

To solve the technical problem, the present invention relates to a pillow having a thickness direction, a longitudinal direction, and a width direction that intersect with each other, and having an upper region, a lower region, and a longitudinal center line that bisects the dimension in the width direction.

The pillow according to the present invention is characterized in that the lower region has a curved shape that is convex downward, and a central portion of the lower region in the longitudinal direction intersects with the longitudinal center line.

According to one or more embodiments of the pillow of the present invention, the lower region has a curved shape that is convex downward, and the central part of the lower region intersects with the longitudinal center line in the thickness direction, so that the pillow naturally comes to rest in a balanced state while rocking back and forth, and the head and neck are stably supported, allowing the user 1 to sleep in a relaxed state.

The drawings show a particular embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention, including essential features of the invention as well as alternative and preferred embodiments.
1 is a perspective view of a pillow according to the present invention. Side view of the pillow. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a user is using the pillow while lying on his/her back. 3A is a diagram showing a state in which the user is using the pillow while lying on his/her back, (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the user is using the pillow while lying on his/her side, and (c) is a diagram similar to FIG. 3A in another usage mode. 5(a) is a perspective view of a pillow according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line V(b)-V(b) in FIG. 5(a), and (c) is an exploded view of the pillow's filling material. (a) A diagram showing a state in which the pillow disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, (b) A diagram showing a state in which a conventional pillow is used, and (c) A diagram showing a state in which another conventional pillow is used.

The pillow 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The following embodiment includes essential features of the present invention, as well as features that can be selectively adopted and features that can be combined as appropriate.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the pillow 10 according to this embodiment has a width direction X, a longitudinal direction Y, and a thickness direction (vertical direction) Z that intersect with each other, and includes both end faces 10a, 10b positioned opposite each other in the longitudinal direction Y, and both side faces 10c, 10d positioned opposite each other in the width direction X.

The pillow 10 includes an upper region 11 located on the contact surface side that contacts the head 2 of the user 1, and a lower region 12 located on the placement surface side on which the pillow 10 is placed, such as a futon.

The pillow 10 further has a longitudinal centerline P that bisects the dimension W1 in the width direction X, and a transverse centerline Q that bisects the dimension L1 in the length direction Y. The dimension W1 in the width direction X and the dimension L1 in the length direction Y of the pillow 10 can be freely designed as appropriate to suit the size of the user's body, but for example, the width dimension W1 is 40 to 70 cm and the length dimension L1 is 60 to 90 cm.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is preferable that the height dimension (thickness dimension) H1 of the pillow 10 is about 5 to 12 cm, assuming that the weight of the head 2 causes it to sink about 2 cm. In addition, in the pillow 10, the height dimension of the upper region 11 and the height dimension of the lower region 12 are approximately the same, and the boundary 13 between them is located in the approximate center of the height dimension H1 of the pillow 10. However, the height dimension of the lower region 12 may be greater than the height dimension of the upper region.

The pillow 10 is preferably cushioned, and may be formed, for example, as a single unit from a foam such as urethane with elastic resilience, or may be formed by filling a filler into an outer bag made of cloth or synthetic resin. Fillers include various materials commonly used in pillows, such as bisoft pipes, urethane chips, wood chips, elastomer pipes, urethane foam, buckwheat hulls, and cotton, and these can be used alone or in appropriate combinations according to the user's body type and preferences. Note that the pillow 10 is not symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line P, but the density of the filler is appropriately adjusted so that the center of gravity G is located at the position shown in Figure 2.

The upper region 11 of the pillow 10 extends in the longitudinal direction Y and includes first and second support parts 21, 22 that are positioned opposite each other in the width direction X and convex upward, and a concave curved part 23 that is positioned between the first support part 21 and the second support part 22 in the width direction X.

As shown in FIG. 2, the height dimension H2 of the second support part 22 (the distance from the boundary 13 to the upper edge of the second support part 22) is greater than the height dimension H3 of the first support part 21 (the distance from the boundary 13 to the upper edge of the first support part 21). In other words, when the pillow 10 is placed at rest, the second support part 22 protrudes upward from the first support part 21.

When the pillow 10 is in use, when the first support part 21 is used so as to abut against the neck 3 of the user, the first support part 21 functions as a neck support part, and the second support part 22 can function as a head support part for the user. On the other hand, when the second support part 22 is used so as to abut against the neck 3 of the user, the second support part 22 functions as a neck support part, and the first support part 21 can function as a head support part for the user.

The lower region 12 has an inverted semi-cylindrical shape, that is, a curved shape that is convex downward, and a central portion 14 in the longitudinal direction Y of the lower region 12 is positioned so as to intersect with the longitudinal center line P.

To explain the shape of the lower region 12 in more detail, when the pillow 10 is placed on a flat support surface T, the center of gravity G of the pillow 10 is located on a perpendicular line PL extending downward from the center point O of the imaginary arc R that forms the lower edge of the lower region 12. When placed still on the support surface T, the pillow 10 maintains a balanced state with the lowest part 14a of the central portion 14 in contact with the support surface T.

Referring to FIG. 4(a), when the pillow 10 is placed on a support surface 5 such as a futon or mattress and the user is using the pillow in a supine position, the first support portion 21 abuts against the user's neck, while the head portion 2 abuts against the concave curved portion 23.

At this time, the weight of the head 2 causes the second support part 22 of the pillow 10 to be raised, and the entire pillow 10 is tilted towards the body (forward). In this way, the pillow 10 swings back and forth and then naturally comes to rest in a balanced state, so that a resistance acts on the first support part 21, fitting it to the neck 3, and the entire back of the head 4 is in contact with the concave curved part 23 without any gaps being formed between it and the first support part 21. As a result, the head 2 and neck 3 are stably supported, and the user 1 can sleep in a relaxed state.

In addition, even if the user moves the head 2 back and forth or sideways while sleeping, the entire pillow 10 swings back and forth to maintain a balanced state at all times, so there is no risk of the head falling into the concave curved portion 23 of the pillow 10, the chin rising and injuring the throat, or the chin dropping and crushing the throat.

Referring to FIG. 4(b), even when the user is lying down, the second support portion 22 is slightly raised and the entire pillow 10 is in a balanced state with the entire pillow 10 tilted slightly forward. In this state, the entire side of the user's head is stably maintained in contact with the concave curved portion 23, allowing the user 1 to sleep in a relaxed state.

Referring to FIG. 4(c), unlike FIGS. 3(a) and (b), the user 1 is using the pillow 10 in a supine position with the second support part 22 in contact with the user's neck 3. Even in this usage mode, the pillow 10 is in a balanced state with the pillow 10 tilted forward, and the head 2 and neck 3 are stably supported, allowing the user 1 to sleep in a relaxed state. Since the second support part 22 is higher than the first support part 21, it is pressed more strongly against the neck 3 than the first support part 21. It is a matter of preference of the user 1 as to which of the first and second support parts 21 and 22 to use as the neck support part, and the user 1 can freely select the usage mode as appropriate.

As described above, by using the pillow 10 according to the present invention, the user 1 can sleep in a relaxed state, preventing excessive tension in the neck 3 and is expected to prevent tension headaches. In addition, by preventing the chin from rising, it becomes difficult to open the mouth, which naturally encourages nasal breathing and is expected to prevent the tongue from dropping down into the throat due to its own weight, compressing and closing the airway.

In this embodiment, the central portion 14 in the longitudinal direction Y of the lower region 12 is positioned so as to overlap with the longitudinal center line P, so that when the user lies on his or her back or side, the pillow sways and tilts to provide a balanced and stable fit to the back of the head 4 and neck 3. However, if the central portion 14 is positioned biased toward the first support portion 21 or the second support portion 22, that is, if the central portion 14 does not intersect with the longitudinal center line P, the pillow 10 may tilt significantly, lose balance, and become unstable.

Referring to FIG. 5(a), the pillow 10 includes an outer bag 30 that covers the entire pillow, and a filling material 40 that is entirely covered by the outer bag 30. The outer bag 30 has a zipper 31, and the filling material 40 is removably contained in the outer bag 30 by opening and closing the zipper 31.

The outer bag 30 is made of cloth or synthetic fiber, and the filling material 40 has a two-layer structure consisting of an upper layer filling body 41 located in the upper region 11 and a lower layer filling body 42 located in the lower region 12. The upper layer filling body 41 is made of natural materials such as feathers, wool, cotton, and buckwheat husks, and artificial materials such as polyester cotton, acrylic cotton, beads, and pipes. Meanwhile, the lower layer filling body 42 is made of soft urethane foam, hard urethane foam, Tempur, etc. The upper and lower layer filling bodies 41, 42 may be compression molded from these constituent materials, or may be enclosed in a thin inner bag.

The lower layer filling body 42 has a higher elastic resilience than the upper layer filling body 41, while the upper layer filling body 41 has a higher rigidity than the lower layer filling body 42. Because the lower layer filling body 42 has a higher elastic resilience than the upper layer filling body 41, when the user 1 sleeps, the lower layer filling body 41 is not crushed by the weight of the head 2, but can maintain a tilted state while rocking and balance to maintain a stable fit between the back of the head 4 and the neck 3. In addition, because the upper layer filling body 41 has a higher rigidity than the lower layer filling body 42, the upper layer filling body 41 does not sink under the weight of the head 2, but can fit the head and neck in a state of being slightly deformed to match the S-shaped shape in the front-to-back direction of the head and neck.

In this way, the upper region 11 and the lower region 12 are formed from upper and lower layer fillers 41, 42, each of which has different characteristics, and this provides a better fit than if the upper region 11 and lower region 12 were made only of filler 40 made of the same material and characteristics.

The above-mentioned present invention can include at least the following embodiments, which can be adopted separately or in combination with each other.
( 1 ) The filling material further includes an upper filling material located in the upper region and a lower filling material located in the lower region, and the lower filling material has higher elastic resilience than the upper filling material.
( 2 ) The upper filling body has higher rigidity than the lower filling body.

Reference Signs List 1 User 2 Head 3 Neck 4 Back of head 10 Pillow 11 Upper region 12 Lower region 14 Central portion of lower region 21 First support portion 40 Filling 41 Upper layer filling 42 Lower layer filling X Width direction Y Longitudinal direction

Claims (3)

A pillow having a thickness direction, a longitudinal direction and a width direction which intersect with each other, and having an upper region, a lower region and a longitudinal center line which bisects the dimension in the width direction,
The housing further includes both end surfaces opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction and both side surfaces opposed to each other in the width direction,
the upper region includes first and second support portions extending in the longitudinal direction along one of the side surfaces between the side surfaces and positioned opposite each other in the width direction, the first and second support portions being convex upward, and a concave curved portion positioned between the first support portion and the second support portion in the width direction,
The lower region has a curved shape that is convex downward, and a central portion of the lower region in the longitudinal direction intersects with the longitudinal center line,
The pillow is characterized in that the height dimension of the second support part is greater than the height dimension of the second support part, and when the pillow is placed at rest, the second support part protrudes upward further than the first support part . 2. The pillow of claim 1, further comprising a filling body, the filling body including an upper filling body located in the upper region and a lower filling body located in the lower region, the lower filling body having a higher elastic resilience than the upper filling body. 3. The pillow of claim 2 , wherein the upper filling has a higher stiffness than the lower filling.

Images