US20110247140A1 - Pillow - Google Patents
Pillow Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110247140A1 US20110247140A1 US13/133,810 US200813133810A US2011247140A1 US 20110247140 A1 US20110247140 A1 US 20110247140A1 US 200813133810 A US200813133810 A US 200813133810A US 2011247140 A1 US2011247140 A1 US 2011247140A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- link
- side link
- head
- pillow
- rear side
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G9/00—Bed-covers; Counterpanes; Travelling rugs; Sleeping rugs; Sleeping bags; Pillows
- A47G9/10—Pillows
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G9/00—Bed-covers; Counterpanes; Travelling rugs; Sleeping rugs; Sleeping bags; Pillows
- A47G9/10—Pillows
- A47G9/1009—Rigid frame constructions
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G9/00—Bed-covers; Counterpanes; Travelling rugs; Sleeping rugs; Sleeping bags; Pillows
Definitions
- Patent Documents 1 through 3 disclose burying a plurality of sensors for detecting pressure and area to a mattress or the like, identifies the sleeping posture by determining whether the portion contacting the mattress is a side portion or a back portion of a body depending on a contact area obtained from the detected result of each sensor, and changing the height of the pillow by adjusting an air amount inside a bag inside the pillow using an electric compressor and the like, or by elevating and lowering a link member using a motor, according to the sleeping posture.
- the height in the state where the load by the head and the biasing force of the biasing element balances is the height during lying sideways. Therefore, in order for the height during lying sideways be appropriate for the user, each user must adjust the biasing force of the biasing element in accordance with the body type, head weight and the like of each user. However, there is a problem that such adjustment is difficult. Further, the height of the pillow changes from slight variation of load by the head during sleep, so that the height during lying sideways becomes unstable. Therefore, there is a problem of giving soft and springy feeling to the user.
- the product of the sine of the tilt angle towards the front and the link length of the front side link is twice or larger than that of the rear side link. Therefore, when the same downward load acts on the upper end portion of the rear side link and the front side link, the rotational moment acting in the direction of making the front side link fall forward is twice or larger than the rotational moment acting in the direction of making the rear side link fall forward. Therefore, although there may be some difference according to the biasing force of the biasing element and the link length of each link, the load capacity (the load necessary for the load supporting link to commence downward displacement) of the rear side portion of the pillow is approximately twice or larger than the load capacity of the front side portion. Therefore, the load bearing link is easier to deform downwards as the acting position of the load acting downwardly on the head placement member is more towards the front side, and the load bearing link is more difficult to deform downwards as the same is more toward the rear side.
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2 ;
- the load capacity of the front side portion 1 a of the pillow 1 to which the neck is placed and the load capacity of the center portion 1 b to which the temporal region of the head is placed becomes larger, the smooth descending during lying on the back and the height maintenance during lying sideways becomes more reliable. Therefore, it is preferable because the rising and falling will not depend on physical shape or head weight which vary among individuals.
- the rise-fall speed of the upper surface of the pillow 1 may be set appropriately. As such, it becomes possible to suppress abrupt up-and-down movement, and as well as suppress the impact generated when the upper surface of the pillow 1 sinks to its most descended position. Further, with the up-and-down movement of the upper surface of the pillow 1 , the hollow 2 a repeats expansion and contraction, and large amount of air inside the hollow 2 a is taken in and exhausted from the air holes 2 c . Therefore, heat and moisture of the upper part of the pillow 1 decrease, so that sleeping becomes more comfortable.
- the lower surface of the upper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of the head placement member 2 comprised of a formed body made of low-resilience urethane foam sinks further down than the upper surface of the link mechanism 6 , 6 made of metal member from the self-weight of the head.
- the head placement member 2 , the outer cover cloth 5 , the meshed cloth 20 , the sponge member 21 and the flexible sheet 22 exist, but these are all formed from soft members, and no rigid members exist.
- the load supporting links 11 , 11 are in the most descended position. From this state, when the user turns sideways and pushes the shoulder inwards, the self-weight of the head does not work on the load supporting links 11 , 11 , or becomes extremely small, because the shoulder supports the head. At this time, the load supporting links 11 , 11 automatically displaces upwards by the biasing force of the tensile springs 15 , 15 , and the restoring force of the impact absorbing blocks 17 , 17 . Then, as is shown in FIG. 10 and FIG.
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Pulmonology (AREA)
- Bedding Items (AREA)
Abstract
A pillow that changes its height during lying on the back and lying sideways, automatically and reliably according to sleeping posture of a user. No adjustment is necessary, and the height is stable. A biasing device provided in a hollow of the head placement member of a pillow is equipped with a link mechanism including a load supporting link, a rear end side of which being placed slidably on an upper end portion of a rear side link and a front end side thereof being connected rotatably to a front end side of an upper side link, and a tension spring for biasing the load supporting link to push the same upwards.
Description
- 1. Technical Field
- The present invention relates to a pillow used for bedclothes, and more specifically to a pillow whose height during lying on the back and lying sideways changes automatically.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- As a posture of a person during sleep, the state where laying the standing upright state as it is to a lying on the back is most natural and is preferable. At this time, an occipital region of a head of a person which becomes the lowest position out of the head is at a position slightly higher than a back of the person. Therefore, in the pillow used as the bedclothes, it is preferable that the position of the occipital region of the head is made slightly higher than that of the back, when a person is sleeping on the back (hereinafter referred to as during lying on the back).
- On the other hand, when a person rolls over during sleep to sleep sideways (hereinafter referred to as during lying sideways), the head is supported by a shoulder, so that the position of the head becomes higher than during lying on the back. Therefore, it is preferable that the pillow automatically changes its height depending on during lying on the back and lying sideways.
- However, conventional ordinary pillows are produced while setting an intermediate height corresponding to a posture of lying on the back and a posture of lying sideways, assuming that the user sleeps while rolling over between the two lying postures. As a result, the pillows were too high during lying on the back and too low during lying sideways, and were not satisfactory. Further, pillows made of a soft low-resilience urethane form are available in the market, which provides sufficient lowness during lying on the back. However, they do not serve the purpose of the pillow during lying sideways because they are too low. Still further, pillows exclusive for lying sideways whose height is high using excess amount of short pipes or beads are available in the market. However, they are not suitable for use during lying on the back because they are too high, and may cause disorder to a neck of a person.
- Therefore various pillows which automatically change its height according to the sleeping posture have been proposed. In such pillows, most of them identifies whether the sleeping posture is a posture of lying on the back or a posture of lying sideways, and changes the height of the pillow depending on the identified result. For example,
Patent Documents 1 through 3 disclose burying a plurality of sensors for detecting pressure and area to a mattress or the like, identifies the sleeping posture by determining whether the portion contacting the mattress is a side portion or a back portion of a body depending on a contact area obtained from the detected result of each sensor, and changing the height of the pillow by adjusting an air amount inside a bag inside the pillow using an electric compressor and the like, or by elevating and lowering a link member using a motor, according to the sleeping posture. - However, in such pillows, when a body deviates from a predetermined position of the mattress by rolling over, the sleeping posture cannot be identified precisely, so that malfunction occurs. Further, they are not preferable because such pillow generates motoring sound and vibration, as well as requires electric source.
- Therefore, there is proposed a pillow which changes its height automatically using the fact that load borne by the pillow differs between a posture of lying on the back disclosed a pillow equipped with a lower supporting plate, a head supporting plate provided approximately in parallel to the lower supporting plate for placing head thereon, a supporting plate supporting mechanism which is provided on the lower supporting plate to support the head supporting plate vertically movable while maintaining the approximately parallel state, and a cushion member placed on the head supporting plate, wherein the supporting plate supporting mechanism has a first supporting member and a second supporting member the lower ends of which being connected rotatably to the lower supporting plate and the upper ends of which being connected rotatably to the head supporting plate, and that are tilted and extended from the lower supporting plate to the head supporting plate in parallel to each other, and a biasing element such as coil spring for biasing the first supporting member and the second supporting member via the head supporting member against the load for bringing them down to the tilted direction.
- When a user takes a posture of lying on the back with the head placed on the cushion member of the pillow, the first and the second supporting members fall against the biasing force of the biasing element from the self-weight of the head, so that the head supporting plate lowers to the lowest position, and the height thereof becomes the lowest. When the user rolls over and takes a posture of lying sideways, and the head is supported by the shoulder so that load acting on the head supporting plate decreases, the first and the second supporting members rise from the biasing force provided by the biasing element, and the height of the pillow increases until it becomes the state where the load from the head and the biasing force is balanced. Further, the pillow is equipped with an adjusting element for adjusting the biasing force by the biasing element, and is capable of adjusting the height during lying sideways. Moreover, the pillow is equipped with a stopper mechanism for stopping the supporting member at a predetermined tilt angle against the biasing force of the biasing element, so that the height during nonuse is uniform.
- [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-342457
- [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-57505
- [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-340198
- [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-98153
- However, in the pillow disclosed in
Patent Document 4, the height in the state where the load by the head and the biasing force of the biasing element balances is the height during lying sideways. Therefore, in order for the height during lying sideways be appropriate for the user, each user must adjust the biasing force of the biasing element in accordance with the body type, head weight and the like of each user. However, there is a problem that such adjustment is difficult. Further, the height of the pillow changes from slight variation of load by the head during sleep, so that the height during lying sideways becomes unstable. Therefore, there is a problem of giving soft and springy feeling to the user. - The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is aimed at providing a pillow whose height during lying on the back and lying sideways automatically and reliably changes depending on the sleeping posture of the user, which requires no adjustment, and which has stable height.
- The inventors of the present invention, upon conducting the invention, first unraveled that the order of the body abutting against the pillow and the position to which the load acts differ between the posture of lying on the back and the posture of lying sideways. That is, when a person lies down to the posture of lying on the back, such person lies on the back while pulling the neck upward and lift the head in order to protect one's valuable head by intuition. As a result, when a person lies down to the posture of lying on the back, the back, the neck, and the occipital region of the head in this order abuts against the bed or the pillow. On the other hand, when a person lies does to the posture of lying sideways, the side of the arm, the shoulder, and the temporal region of the head in this order abuts against the bed or the pillow. As a result, when a person lies down to the posture of lying sideways, the temporal region of the head first abuts against the pillow, so that the neck merely abuts against the pillow lightly.
- Therefore, the load acting on the pillow in lying down to the posture of lying on the back first becomes the largest under the neck, and thereafter a part of the load transfers to under the occipital region of the head, and the load under the neck and under the occipital region of the head becomes approximately equal. That is, during lying on the back, first the load acts under the neck, and then the load is dispersed to under the head. On the other hand, the load acting on the pillow in lying down to the posture of lying sideways concentrates under the temporal region of the head, but almost no load acts under the neck. That is, during lying sideways, the load concentrates to under the temporal region of the head.
- As such, the difference in load position by sleeping posture is unraveled, it became apparent that a pillow may descend smoothly during lying on the back and stably maintain its height during lying sideways, when it takes a structure enabling a front side portion of the pillow which is below the neck descends with light load and the center portion of the pillow which is below the temporal region of the head may bear larger load.
- In this case, as the difference between the load capacity under the neck and under the temporal region of the head becomes larger, the smooth descend during lying on the back and the maintenance of the height during lying sideways becomes reliable, so that it does not depend on individual variation such as the body type and the head weight. Specifically, it is preferable when the load capacity of the rear side portion of the pillow is twice or larger than the load capacity of the front side portion. If the load capacity of each portion becomes such load, then it smoothly descends when a person with small body size and light head weight sleeps in the posture of lying on the back, and, it surely maintains the height when a person with large body size and heavy head weight sleeps in the posture of lying sideways. In a parallelogram link disclosed in the above-mentioned
Patent Document 4, difference in load capacity between under the neck and under the temporal region of the head is hardly recognized, and there is a necessity for providing load capacity difference by the biasing force of the biasing element which biases the pillow upwards, and there is a necessity for performing delicate adjustment for each user. - In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pillow of the present invention comprises: a head placement member of a flat, approximately cuboid shape formed from a flexible member having a hollow therein; and a biasing device provided in the hollow for supporting the head placement member at an upper portion of the hollow of the head placement member by biasing upwards; wherein the biasing device is, when taking the side at which a neck is positioned in the state where a head of a person is positioned on the head placement member as a front side and the side at which a vertex of the head is placed as a rear side, equipped with a link mechanism comprised of a lower side link extending horizontally in a longitudinal direction, a front side link connected rotatably at a lower end portion thereof to a front end portion of the lower side link and which is tilted forward, a rear side link connected rotatably at a lower end portion thereof to a rear end portion of the lower side link and which is tilted forward, an upper side link connected rotatably at a front end portion thereof to an upper end portion of the front side link and connected rotatably at a rear end portion thereof to an intermediate portion of the rear side link, and a load supporting link with a rear end side thereof placed slidably on the upper end portion of the rear side link and a front end side thereof connected rotatably to a front end portion of the upper side link, a biasing element which biases the upper side link and the load supporting link so as to push the same upwards, and a regulating element which regulates tilting of the rear side link rearwards, wherein a link length of the front side link is longer than a link length of the rear side link, wherein in the state where the head of a person is not placed on the head placement member, a product of a sine of a tilt angle towards the front and the link length of the front side link is twice or larger than that of the rear side link, the tilt angle towards the front of the rear side link exceeds 0 degree and is equal to or smaller than 20 degrees, and the load supporting link is positioned at a most elevated position by being biased from the biasing element and by being supported by the upper end portion of the rear side link, and the biasing force of the biasing element is set so that the load supporting link descends to a most descended position when the front side link and the rear side link falls forward in the state where the head of a person is placed on the head placement member.
- According to the pillow of the present invention, in the state where the head of a person is not placed on the head placement member, the load supporting link is positioned at the most elevated position, and the head placement member supported by the load supporting link is also positioned at the most elevated position. Thereafter, when the head of a person is placed on the head placement member positioned at the most elevated position, the downward load from the self-weight of the head of a person acts on the load supporting link of the biasing mechanism via the head placement member. The load supporting link moves to deform downwardly from the load, but in order for the load supporting link to deform downwards, it is necessary to make the front side link and the rear side link fall forward from the configuration of the link mechanism, and also resist against the biasing force of the biasing element. The product of the sine of the tilt angle towards the front and the link length of the front side link is twice or larger than that of the rear side link. Therefore, when the same downward load acts on the upper end portion of the rear side link and the front side link, the rotational moment acting in the direction of making the front side link fall forward is twice or larger than the rotational moment acting in the direction of making the rear side link fall forward. Therefore, although there may be some difference according to the biasing force of the biasing element and the link length of each link, the load capacity (the load necessary for the load supporting link to commence downward displacement) of the rear side portion of the pillow is approximately twice or larger than the load capacity of the front side portion. Therefore, the load bearing link is easier to deform downwards as the acting position of the load acting downwardly on the head placement member is more towards the front side, and the load bearing link is more difficult to deform downwards as the same is more toward the rear side.
- If the rear side link is perpendicular or tilted rearwards, it becomes easier to fall rearward which is opposite to the direction the front side link falls, so that there is a fear that the link mechanism may break. Therefore, the tilt angle towards the front of the rear side link must exceed 0 degree. On the other hand, if the front side link is steeply tilted forward, it is not preferable because the front side link falls forward even when a slight load acts on the front side portion of the head placement member, and also it becomes too long in the longitudinal direction of the pillow in order to configure the link mechanism. The tilt angle towards the front of the front side link must be in an appropriate range taking these into consideration, and it is preferable that the tilt angle towards the front of the rear side link is 20 degrees or smaller. Therefore, it is preferable that the rear side link is in a forward-falling substantially vertical state in which the tilt angle towards the front is over 0 degree and 20 degrees or smaller.
- As explained above, the load concentrates under the temporal region of the head when lying in the posture of lying sideways. Under the temporal region of the head is the center in the longitudinal direction of the head placement member, and a similar downward load acts on the upper end portion of the front side link and the rear side link. By the action of these load, the front side link tends to fall forward, but the rear side link tends to maintain the forward-falling substantially vertical state. Because the front side link and the rear side link are connected via the upper link, the front side link does not fall forward unless the rear side link falls forward. As a result, the front side link and the rear side link does not fall forward, and the load supporting link maintains the most elevated position. Therefore, the head placement member does not descend, and merely deflects by the self-weight of the head, and maintains the most elevated position. This position is stable without moving vertically even when the load acting from the head to the head placement member varies to a certain extent.
- On the other hand, when lying in the posture of lying on the back, the load concentrates first under the neck. Under the neck is the front side of the head placement member, so that large downward load acts on the tipper end portion of the front side link, and approximately no load acts on the upper end portion of the rear side link. By the action of these loads, the front side link tends to fall forward with a large force, and tends to make the rear side link connected via the upper link fall forward. As a result, the front side link and the rear side link falls forward, and the load supporting link descends thereby. Once the load supporting link descends, it automatically descends to the most descended position against the biasing force from the biasing element. Therefore, the head placement member descends to the most descended position accompanied by the load supporting member. This position is stable without moving vertically even when the load acting from the head to the head placement member varies to a certain extent.
- Further, the biasing element may be one generating biasing force to the extent that the load supporting link does not descend from the self-weight of the head placement member, and to the extent not preventing the load supporting link from descending once it has started to descend. The biasing element is not for adjusting the height during lying sideways by the biasing force, as is the case with the biasing element disclosed in the above-mentioned
Patent Document 4, so that there may be variation to a certain extent in the generated biasing force. Therefore, maintenance of the biasing force by the biasing element is simplified, and the manufacturing of the pillow becomes easier. - Further, because the regulating element for regulating the tilting of the rear side link rearward is provided, it becomes possible to prevent link mechanism from breaking by the front side link falling forwards and the rear side link falling rearwards.
- It is preferable that, in the state where the head of a person is not placed on the head placement member, upper surfaces of the load supporting link and the head placement member are tilted upwards toward the front.
- In this case, when the head is placed on the pillow in the posture of lying on the back, it is further made certain for the neck to abut against the pillow before the occipital region of the head. Therefore, the load supporting link automatically and more reliably descends to the most descended position during lying on the back.
- Further, it is preferable that the biasing element is a tension spring with one end side being fixed to a portion of the load supporting link extended forward from a rotatable connecting portion with the front side link, and other end side being fixed to a vicinity of the rear end portion of the lower side link.
- In this case, the load supporting link has one end side of the tension spring fixed to the portion extended forward from the rotatable connecting portion, so that it is operated to lower the above-mentioned extended portion and the portion rearward from the rotatable connecting portion is raised by the biasing force of the tension spring. When a person sleeps in the posture of lying on the back, the above-mentioned portion rearward from the rotatable connecting portion is raised by the load acting under the neck, the contact pressure between the load supporting link and the upper end portion of the rear side link becomes smaller, so that the load supporting link becomes easier to slide and become more easier to descend.
- Further, it is preferable that the pillow is configured so as to make an impact absorbing member positioned between the lower side link and each of the front side link and the rear side link, respectively, when the front side link and the rear side link fall forward.
- In this case, it becomes possible to suppress the impact and abutment sound generated from the front side link and the rear side link abutting against the lower side link.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of a pillow according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is an upper view of the pillow with a part taken away; -
FIG. 6 is a side view of a link mechanism at a most elevated state; -
FIG. 7 is a side view of the link mechanism at a most descended state; -
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional skeleton view of the pillow during lying on the back; -
FIG. 9 is a horizontal cross-sectional skeleton view of the pillow during lying on the back; -
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional skeleton view of the pillow during lying sideways; and -
FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional skeleton view of the pillow during lying sideways. - An embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention will now be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- As shown in
FIG. 1 throughFIG. 5 , apillow 1 includes a flat, substantially cuboid-shapedhead placement member 2 formed from a flexible member including a hollow 2 a therein, acap member 3 arranged at a rear side of thehead placement member 2 and which covers the rear side of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2, and abiasing device 4 provided in the hollow 2 a so as to bias and support anupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2 upwards. Here, in the situation where a head of a person is placed on thepillow 1, the side where a vertex of the head is positioned is referred to as the rear side, and the side where a neck of a person is positioned is referred to as the front side. Further, the whole outer side of thepillow 1 is covered by anouter cover cloth 5, in the state where thebiasing device 4 is provided inside the hollow 2 a and thecap member 3 is adhered to the rear end of thehead placement member 2. - The
head placement member 2 is formed from the flexible member. In the present embodiment, thehead placement member 2 is formed from a formed body made of a low-resilience urethane foam. The low-resilience urethane foam is familiar as a material for pillows, because it is low in resilience and is superior in adaptability. However, thehead placement member 2 may be made of a high-resilience urethane foam. As is shown inFIG. 1 andFIG. 5 , the external appearance of thehead placement member 2 takes a flat, substantially cuboid-shape, which has an approximately rectangle shape which is horizontally long when seen from above, and as is shown inFIG. 2 andFIG. 3 , formed so that the upper surface is inclined upward towards the front, the lower portion of the front side is inclined rearward, and the front upper corner is rounded with a large radius of curvature. The shape of thehead placement member 2 needs only be formed in a flat, substantially cuboid-shape. It is not limited to the shape in the figures, and may be, for example, oval shape when seen from above. - The hollow 2 a is formed to be opened at the rear side. The
head placement member 2 is formed with a number ofair holes 2 c which communicate the hollow 2 a with the exterior at the center portion of theupper portion 2 b of ahollow part 2 a, thereby preventing heat from being accommodated in the hollow 2 a. Theouter cover cloth 5 positioned above theair holes 2 c is provided with a three-dimensional knitting 5 a (refer toFIG. 2 throughFIG. 4 ), so as to exert ventilation from theair holes 2 c to the region where theair holes 2 c does not exist. Further, the vertical speed of thepillow 1 is made appropriate, by the ventilation volume of the air inside the hollow 2 a via theair holes 2 c. - In order to avoid a person from having a feeling of strangeness by sensing the presence of the
biasing device 4 arranged inside the hollow 2 a when a head of a person is placed on thepillow 1, theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2 is required to have a predetermined thickness or more, for example a thickness in the range of 2 cm to 3 cm. However, if the overall height of thepillow 1 is too high, it is not preferable because a sufficient lowness is not obtained during lying on the back. Therefore, the thickness of thehead placement member 2 at alower portion 2 d of the hollow 2 a is set to be thinner than the thickness of thehead placement member 2 at theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a. The thickness of thelower portion 2 d of the hollow 2 a is preferably thinned to, for example, about 1 cm. However, when the thickness of thelower portion 2 d of the hollow 2 a is thinned, sufficient strength is not obtained, and is easily ripped especially during forming. Therefore, by forming thehead placement member 2 by covering acloth 2 e to the outer periphery of an inner mold for the hollow 2 a, thehead placement member 2 is reinforced by adhering thecloth 2 e to overall inner surface of the hollow 2 a. Further, by providing thecloth 2 e, it becomes possible to prevent air leakage from other than theair holes 2 c of thehead placement member 2, and prevent excessive ballooning or breakage of the hollow 2 a. - Meanwhile, the upper surface of the
head placement member 2 of thepillow 1 easily fits the head of a person if it is made into a curved surface coinciding with a convex-concave curving line from the rear surface of the neck of a person to the occipital region of the head during tying on the back. On the other hand, the upper surface of thehead placement member 2 of the pillow should be flat in order to be suitable for the temporal region of the head during lying sideways. In order to solve this inconsistency, the upper surface of thehead placement member 2 is made flat, and theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a is formed into a curved surface in which the convex-concave curved surface from the rear side of the neck to the occipital region of the head is turned upside down, as is shown inFIG. 3 . More specifically, a convex-concave shape from a front side portion of a lower surface of a laterally center portion of theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of the head placement member (hereinafter referred to as an upper portion lower surface front side portion) 2 f to a center portion thereof (hereinafter referred to as an upper portion lower surface center portion) 2 g is formed so as to turn upside down the rear side curve shape of the neck to the occipital region of the head of a human when viewed from the side. That is, the upper portion lower surface front side portion 2 f is increased in thickness and the lower surface thereof projects downward, to match the depressed shape of the rear side of the neck, and the upper portion lower surface center portion 2 g is decreased in thickness and the lower surface thereof is depressed, to match the protruding shape of the occipital region of the head. By doing so, in the case where thebiasing device 4 becomes extremely thin and the hollow 2 a approximately disappears during lying on the back (refer toFIG. 8 ), the upper surface of thepillow 1 becomes a shape along the shape from the rear surface of the neck to the occipital region of the head of the user. Therefore, the user is capable of sleeping without receiving excess repelling force from thehead placement member 2. - As with the
head placement member 2, thecap member 3 is made of the flexible member, and in the present embodiment, is formed from a formed body made of a low-resilience urethane foam. Thecap member 3 has a thickness nearly equal to that of afront side portion 2 h of thehead placement member 2. Thecap member 3 is formed into a flat approximately cuboid-shape which is short in the longitudinal direction, with the front end surface thereof shaped to match the shape of the rear end surface of thehead placement member 2. The rear end surface of thehead placement member 2 is formed approximately vertically, and the hollow 2 a is sealed by thecap member 3 by matching the front end surface of thecap member 3 to this rear end surface, and adhering and fixing the matched surface with an adhesive and the like, in the state where thebiasing device 4 and the like are placed inside the hollow 2 a. Because thecap member 3 is positioned at the rear side end portion of thepillow 1, the head is not placed thereon, so that even if adhesive and the like harden, the user will not feel the presence thereof. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the height of thepillow 1. - The
biasing device 4 is provided with a pair oflink mechanisms FIG. 6 , eachlink mechanism 6 comprises alower side link 7 extending horizontally in the longitudinal direction, a front side link 8 with the lower end portion thereof being connected rotatably to the front end portion of thelower side link 7, a rear side link 9 with the lower end portion thereof being connected rotatably to the rear end portion of thelower side link 7, an upper side link 10 with the front end portion being connected rotatably to the upper end portion of thefront side link 8 and the rear end portion thereof being connected rotatably to the intermediate portion of therear side link 9, and aload supporting link 11 with the rear portion being placed slidably on the upper end portion of therear side link 9 and the front portion thereof being connected rotatably to the front end portion of theupper side link 10. Therear side link 9 is configured to stand in a predetermined forward-falling substantially vertical state, that is, to have a tilt angle β in a forward direction of exceeding 0 degree to 20 degrees or less, preferably 3 degrees or more to 15 degrees or less. On the other hand, a tilt angle α in the forward direction of thefront side link 8 is configured to be larger than the tilt angle β in the forward direction of therear side link 9. More specifically, it is configured so that the product of the sine of the tilt angle α in the forward direction of thefront side link 8 and the link length of thefront side link 8 becomes twice, preferably two-and-a-half times larger than the product of the sine of the tilt angle β in the forward direction of therear side link 9 and the link length of therear side link 9. Further, thefront side link 8 is configured so that theload supporting link 11 is tilted upwards toward the front, and the link length of thefront side link 8 is made longer than the link length of therear side link 9. When thebiasing device 4 is arranged in the hollow 2 a, theload supporting link 11 faces theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a. - The
lower side link 7, thefront side link 8, therear side link 9, and theload supporting link 11 are each formed from elongated metal plate having identical width. Although not shown, each links of thelower side link 7 and thefront side link 8, and thefront side link 8 and theload supporting link 11, are connected rotatably by a hinge mechanism. Thelower side link 7 and therear side link 9 are connected rotatably by a pin mechanism, using rear sidelink fixing pieces lower side link 7. On the other hand, theupper side link 10 is formed from a pair of elongated metal plates spaced apart to a distance exceeding the width of thelower side link 7 and the like. The rear end portion of theupper side link 10 is connected rotatably by a pin mechanism to upperlink fixing pieces rear side link 9. Further, the front end portion of theupper side link 10 is connected rotatably by a pin mechanism to upper link fixing pieces 11 a, 11 a, formed integrally so as to project downward from left and right side ends of the front end portion of theload supporting link 11. Theload supporting link front side portion 2 d of thehead placement member 2 when seen from the side, and the overall height of thepillow 1 is reduced. - The
rear side link 9 is equipped with a slidingportion 9 b coated with a low-friction material such as a polytetrafluoroethylene, at an upper end portion of the rotatable connecting portion with the upper side link 10 which is extended upwardly. Theload supporting link 11 is placed on top of the slidingportion 9 b. Because the slidingportion 9 b is coated with the low-friction material, theload supporting link 11 smoothly slides on the slidingportion 9 b in the longitudinal direction, and also the noise generated during sliding is suppressed. The slidingportion 9 b may not necessarily be coated with the low-friction material, and the top end portion of the slidingportion 9 b may be rounded instead. - As shown in
FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 , both left and rightlower side links member 12. The lower connectingmember 12 is comprised of a thin rectangular-shaped metal plate, and connectsextended portions 7 b, which are bothlower side link rear side links rear side links member 13. The intermediate connectingmember 13 is comprised of a thin rectangular-shaped metal plate, and connects the portions positioned between the rotatable connecting portion between thelower side links rear side links load supporting links member 14. The upper connectingmember 14 is comprised of a thin rectangular-shaped metal plate, and connects the portions of theload supporting links portion 9 b of therear side links members links - Each
link mechanism 6 configured as mentioned above is, as is shown inFIG. 2 ,FIG. 3 andFIG. 6 , equipped with thelower side link 7 receiving overall load of the head, thefront side link 8 largely tilting forward so as to easily fall towards the front side with a small downward load, therear side link 9 standing in the forward-falling substantially vertical state so as to be capable of enduring a large downward load, and the upper side link 10 connecting thefront side link 8 and therear side link 9. Theselinks front side link 8 having large tilt angle β and therear side link 9 having small tilt angle α and which is in the forward-falling substantially vertical state. Therefore, in the case where an upper rotatable portion of therear side link 9 and an upper rotatable portion of thefront side link 8 are connected by the upper side link 10 to match thefront side link 8 having small movement amount, theupper side link 10 becomes a rearward inclined state to a great extent. Therefore, if theupper side link 10 is used as the link supporting theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2, there arises an inconvenience that the upper surface of thepillow 1 tilts greatly. Therefore, in thelink mechanism 6 of thepillow 1, in order to prevent the supporting link from becoming a rearward inclined state to a great extent, and also to make thelink mechanism 6 thin at the most descended state, therear side link 9 is extended further upward from the rotatable connecting portion with theupper side link 10, theload supporting link 11 is placed slidably on the slidingportion 9 b which is an upper end portion of the extension, and the front portion of theload supporting link 11 is connected rotatably to the front end portion of theupper side link 10. By configuring thelink mechanism 6 this way, theload supporting link 11 becomes the link supporting theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2, and it becomes possible to arbitrarily set the tilt thereof close to horizontal. - As is shown in
FIG. 2 toFIG. 5 , thebiasing device 4 is equipped with tension springs 15, 15 as a biasing element for biasing the upper side links 10, 10 and theload supporting links tension spring 15 is tightened by fixing one end side to an outer side of thelower side link 7 rearward from the rotatable connecting portion with therear side link 9, and the other end side to an outer side of theload supporting link 11 forward from the rotatable connecting portion with thefront side link 8. A hook on the one end side of thetension spring 15 is hooked to a hole on aspring fixing piece 7 c, which is integrally formed so as to project upward from both outer end portions of theextended portion 7 b of thelower side link 7. Further, the hook on the other end side of thetension spring 15 is hooked to a hole on aspring fixing piece 11 c, which is integrally formed so as to project downward from both outer ends of the extendedportion 11 b extended forward from the rotatable connecting portion with thefront side link 8. By doing so, thetension spring 15 biases theload supporting link 11 to push upward, and as well as the front side link 8 to rise upright. - Further, because the front end of the
tension spring 15 is fixed to the extendingportion 11 b which projects forward from the rotatable connecting portion, theload supporting link 11 is operated so that the extendingportion 11 b descends by the biasing force of thetension spring 15, and the main body rearward of the rotatable connecting portion is lifted up. As a result, the contact pressure between theload supporting link 11 and the slidingportion 9 b becomes small, so that it becomes easier for theload supporting link 11 to slide on the slidingportion 9 b. - The
biasing device 4 is equipped withstoppers rear side links stopper 16 is provided on thelower side link 7 in the vicinity of the rotatable connecting portion with therear side link 9. In the present embodiment, thestopper 16 is configured by bending a leading end portion of thelower side link 7 which is projected upwardly from a rear portion of the rear sidelink fixing piece 7 a for rotatable connection with the rear side link 9 inwardly. However, the stopper may be provided rearward of theload supporting link 11. By therear side link 9 abutting against a foldedfront end surface 7 d, therear side link 9 is regulated from tilting rearwardly from a predetermined forward-falling substantially vertical state. If therear side link 9 becomes a rearward-falling state, it becomes easy for the rear side link 9 to fall rearwardly, which is the direction opposite to thefront side link 8, so that there is a fear that thelink mechanism 6 is damaged. Thestopper 16 prevents this from happening. - The
biasing device 4 is equipped withimpact absorbing blocks front side links rear side links load supporting links impact absorbing blocks impact absorbing blocks lower side link 7 and each of thefront side link 8 and therear side link 9 when each links 8, 9 falls, and in the present embodiment, is provided by being fixed to the upper surface of thelower side link 7 by an adhesive and the like. Theimpact absorbing blocks 17 for thefront side link 8 is provided on the upper surface of anextended portion 7 e of thelower side link 7 extended forward from the rotatable connecting portion with thefront side link 8. Theimpact absorbing blocks front side link 8 or therear side link 9 by an adhesive and the like. When thefront side link 8 and therear side link 9 falls, and eachlink impact absorbing blocks load supporting link 11 at this time becomes the most descended position. Further, because the flexedimpact absorbing blocks impact absorbing blocks front side link 8 and therear side link 9 upward, and assist the upward biasing by the tension springs 15, 15. Here, spring members such as a coil spring and a flat spring may be used as theimpact absorbing blocks - Further, the
biasing device 4 is attached with alower plate 18, anupper plate 19, ameshed cloth 20, asponge member 21, and aflexible sheet 22. Thelower plate 18 is formed of a rigid resin plate comprised of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and the like, and is formed into a shape in which a front portion and a center portion which is positioned downward of the head to be placed on the upper surface of thepillow 1 is cut out from a substantially rectangular shape which is substantially identical to the lower surface of the hollow 2 a, that is, a substantially U-shape with the front side opened. Thelower plate 18 is fixed to the lower surface of thelower side links member 12 by rivets or the like not shown. By placing thelower plate 18 to the lower surface of the hollow 2 a, it becomes possible to place thebiasing device 4 to a predetermined position within the hollow 2 a. As such, because the lower surface of thelower side links member 12, that are thin metal members, is covered with thelower plate 18, the user does not perceive the presence of metal members from below the pillow, so that the user senses no uncomfortable feeling. - The
upper plate 19 is formed of a rigid resin plate comprised of a PET and the like, covers the upper surface of theload supporting links member 14, and is formed into a substantially U-shape by cutting out the front portion and the center portion similarly to thelower plate 18. Theupper plate 19 is fixed to the upper surface of theload supporting links member 14 by rivets and the like not shown. As such, because the upper surface of theload supporting links member 14, that are thin metal members, is covered with theupper plate 19, the user does not perceive the presence of metal members from above the pillow, so that the user senses no uncomfortable feeling. - The
meshed cloth 20 is stretched across theupper plate 19 at an appropriate strength so as to supplement the cut-out front portion and the center portion, and supports the head and prevents large drop of the head when lying sideways. As mentioned above, the upper portion lower surfacefront side portion 2 d of thehead placement member 2 is projected downwards. It is preferable to match the projection position to the position under the center portion where themeshed cloth 20 is stretched. In this case, even when themeshed cloth 20 is stretched loosely in order to lower the height of thepillow 1 at the most descended state, the center portion of the planar upper surface of the pillow does not dent when not in use. Therefore, it becomes possible to obtain thepillow 1 of a neat overall shape. - The
sponge member 21 is formed from a high-resilience urethane form as the flexible member, and is provided so as to be positioned at the uppermost surface of thebiasing device 4. Therefore, even if thehead placement member 2 is made sufficiently soft, and also theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a is thinned to a certain extent, the user does not feel the hardness of theupper plate 19 from above the pillow. Thesponge member 21 is formed with air holes communicating with theair holes 2 c of thehead placement member 2. - The
flexible sheet 22 is formed from a single soft resin sheet made of urethane or the like, and is stretched laterally between the front upper surface of theload supporting links lower side links flexible sheet 22 reinforces the front side portion of themeshed cloth 20, and as well as improves the touch of thepillow 1 contacting the shoulder portion of the user when lying sideways, by forming an arc shape projecting forward. - The
pillow 1 configured as explained above is, when not in use where nothing is placed thereon, biased by the biasing force (tensile force) of the tension springs 15, 15 so as to lift up theload supporting links load supporting links portion 9 b at the upper end of therear side links rear side links pillow 1 eventually exists at the most elevated position. The height of thepillow 1 at that state is suitably from 8 cm to 16 cm, for example. - In the pillow which automatically lifts and drops, there was a big problem of obtaining sufficient lowness suitable for lying on the back when the upper surface of the pillow descends to its lowermost. Therefore, it is preferable for the
biasing device 4 which is provided inside thepillow 1 and which performs lifting and dropping to be as thin and low as possible in the most descended state. The distance between an occipital region of a head of a person lying on the back and the bed is approximately 2 cm to 5 cm, which vary among individuals, and a person feels strange if a rigid member is provided therebetween. Therefore, the head is supported by soft materials such as themeshed cloth 20. However, if the both sides of the pillow are high when thebiasing device 4 descends to its lowermost, the lowness of approximately 2 cm cannot be obtained unless themeshed cloth 20 is stretched across considerably loosely. But when themeshed cloth 20 is stretched across loosely, the temporal region of the head drops excessively when the pillow is elevated and the person lies sideways, so that the person feels strange. This can be solved by stretching themeshed cloth 20 tightly across, but in order to do so, it is desirable for thebiasing device 4 at its most descended state to have a height of 1 cm or less. - Therefore, the
biasing device 4 of thepillow 1 is provided so that theupper side link 10 is, as is explained above, positioned so as to be paired in laterally outwardly sandwiching theother links front side links rear side links load supporting links upper side link 10 does not interfere with theother links biasing device 4 becomes extremely thin. - Further, when the difference between the load capacity of the front side portion 1 a of the
pillow 1 to which the neck is placed and the load capacity of thecenter portion 1 b to which the temporal region of the head is placed becomes larger, the smooth descending during lying on the back and the height maintenance during lying sideways becomes more reliable. Therefore, it is preferable because the rising and falling will not depend on physical shape or head weight which vary among individuals. As a result of experiments, it was proven that the load capacity of the front side portion 1 a to be 4 kg, and the load capacity of therear side portion 1 b to be twice or larger than the front side portion 1 a, that is, 8 kg or more, to be successfully not depend on individual variation. And the load capacity of each part may easily be obtained by making the product of the sine of the tilt angle α of thefront side links rear side links front side links rear side links part 1 a, 1 b becomes the above-mentioned load, it becomes possible to obtain thebiasing device 4 capable of smoothly descending to its lowermost position when a small person with light head weight lies on the back, and capable of reliably maintaining the uppermost position when a large person with heavy head weight lies sideways, without adjusting the biasing force of the tension springs 15, 15. Therefore, further, because thepillow 1 does not need an adjustment mechanism therein, the manufacturer is capable of making the pillow lighter and as well as mass-production at low cost. The term thepillow 1 or abiasing element 4 smoothly rises and falls means that the same rises and falls with small resilient force, without abrupt speed change, and at an appropriate speed so as not to disturb the user's sleep. - As is explained above, the
pillow 1 is capable of automatically obtaining sufficient height during lying sideways and as well as obtaining sufficient lowness suitable for lying on the back, and capable of solving troubles especially the middle-aged people with a decline in physical performances have against pillows. Further, similar to selecting the size of a shirt and shoes, by selecting the appropriate type ofpillow 1 from a previously prepared types with a combination of height (most elevated position) and lowness (most descended position), the user is capable of using the pillow suitable for lying on the back and lying sideways, without performing troublesome adjustment. It becomes possible to provide pillows suitable to people of approximately all body type and head weight, by preparing 9 types of pillows with a combination of 3 types of height and 3 types of lowness. The change in height may be performed, for example, by changing the link length of thefront side links rear side links pillow 1, changing the thickness of thelower portion 2 d of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2, and changing the thickness of theimpact absorbing blocks - Next, the operation of the
pillow 1 when placing the head on the upper surface of thepillow 1 in order to lie down in the posture of lying on the back will be explained below. In general, when a person lies in the posture of lying on the back, such person pull the neck in order to protect one's valuable head by intuition, so that the occipital region of the head is lifted to touch thepillow 1 last. As a result, one's back first abut against the bed, and then abut against thepillow 1 in the order of lower neck and occipital region of the head. As shown inFIG. 2 and the like, the front side portion 1 a of thepillow 1 to which the lower neck abut against is higher than thecenter portion 1 b to which the occipital region of the head abut against by about 2 cm to 4 cm. Therefore, when a person lies on the back, the neck is first placed on the front side portion 1 a of thehead placement member 2, and thereafter the occipital region of the head is placed on thecenter portion 1 b of thehead placement member 2. The upper surface of thepillow 1 and theload supporting links load supporting links portion 11 c forward from the rotatable connecting portion with thefront side links load supporting links load supporting links portion 9 b of therear side links load supporting links rear side links front side links rear side links front side links front side links load supporting links head placement member 2 to sink, thepillow 1 with the head of a person in the posture of lying on the back smoothly sinks. - When the
front side links front side links pillow 1 with a head of a person lying on the back being placed from sinking. - When the upper surface of the
pillow 1 sinks, thefront side links rear side links impact absorbing blocks impact absorbing blocks front side links rear side links lower side links links pillow 1 sinks to its most descended position, as is shown inFIG. 8 andFIG. 9 . The flattenedimpact absorbing blocks links impact absorbing blocks front side link 8 or therear side link 9, so that it does not prevent thepillow 1 with a head of a person in the posture of lying on the back being placed from sinking. - Further, when the upper surface of the
pillow 1 sinks, the volume of the hollow 2 a decreases and the air inside the hollow 2 a flow out to the outside via theair holes 2 c. Therefore, by arbitrarily forming the number and the size of theair holes 2 c and setting the air flow out amount per unit time, the rise-fall speed of the upper surface of thepillow 1 may be set appropriately. As such, it becomes possible to suppress abrupt up-and-down movement, and as well as suppress the impact generated when the upper surface of thepillow 1 sinks to its most descended position. Further, with the up-and-down movement of the upper surface of thepillow 1, the hollow 2 a repeats expansion and contraction, and large amount of air inside the hollow 2 a is taken in and exhausted from theair holes 2 c. Therefore, heat and moisture of the upper part of thepillow 1 decrease, so that sleeping becomes more comfortable. - Further, when a person sleeps while placing the head on the upper surface of the
pillow 1, the lower surface of theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2 comprised of a formed body made of low-resilience urethane foam sinks further down than the upper surface of thelink mechanism head placement member 2, theouter cover cloth 5, themeshed cloth 20, thesponge member 21 and theflexible sheet 22 exist, but these are all formed from soft members, and no rigid members exist. Therefore, when a person sleeps while placing the head on the upper surface of thepillow 1, the person does not sense the rigid member beneath and feel uncomfortable, and also obtains soft touch. Further, because no rigid member exists beneath the head or the neck, soft touch can be obtained without thickening the thickness of theupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a of thehead placement member 2. Moreover, because soft touch can be obtained without using thehead placement member 2 with thickupper portion 2 b of the hollow 2 a, the height of thepillow 1 can be suppressed low. - Next, the operation of the
pillow 1 when a person places the head on the upper surface of thepillow 1 in order to lie in the posture of lying sideways will be explained. In general, when a person lies sideways, the side of the arm and the shoulder first abut against the bed in order to receive body weight, and then the temporal region of the head is placed on thecenter portion 1 b of thepillow 1. As shown inFIG. 10 , the difference of height between the temporal region of the head and the shoulder is large during lying sideways, majority of the load of the head is received by thecenter portion 1 b of thepillow 1, and a part of the load of the head is supported by the shoulder via the neck. The upper surface of thepillow 1 is tilted to rise towards the front. However, during lying sideways, the neck is more depressed than the temporal region of the head, so that load received by the front side portion 1 a of thepillow 1 under the neck which has little load capacity is small. Majority of the load of the head is received by therear side links meshed cloth 20 and theload supporting links rear side links rear side links load supporting links pillow 1 during lying sideways becomes stable, and does not give soft and springy feeling to the user. Because of the height of the side of the shoulder, it is impossible to place load under the neck even intentionally during lying sideways. - Next, the operation of the
pillow 1 when a person rolls over from lying sideways to the posture of lying on the back will be explained. During lying sideways, as is shown inFIG. 10 andFIG. 11 , theload supporting links load supporting links FIG. 8 andFIG. 9 . As is apparent, even when a user rolls over from lying sideways to the posture of lying on the back, theload supporting links - Next, the operation of the
pillow 1 when a person rolls over from lying on the back to the posture of lying sideways will be explained. During lying on the back, as is shown inFIG. 8 andFIG. 9 , theload supporting links load supporting links load supporting links tensile springs impact absorbing blocks FIG. 10 andFIG. 11 , theload supporting links stoppers load supporting links - With respect to the current situation where people sleeping in the posture of lying sideways is increasing, if the
pillow 1 is turned front side back and is used so that therear side links pillow 1. In this case, the smoothness of thepillow 1 sinking will be slightly inferior when sleeping in the posture of lying on the back, however this becomes no problem by getting used to. The pillow automatically changes to the lowness suitable for lying on the back.
Claims (4)
1. A pillow, comprising:
a head placement member of a flat, approximately cuboid shape formed from a flexible member having a hollow therein; and
a biasing device provided in the hollow for supporting the head placement member at an upper portion of the hollow of the head placement member by biasing upwards;
wherein the biasing device is, when taking the side at which a neck is positioned in the state where a head of a person is placed on the head placement member as a front side and the side at which a vertex of the head is positioned as a rear side, equipped with
a link mechanism comprised of a lower side link extending horizontally in a longitudinal direction, a front side link connected rotatably at a lower end portion thereof to a front end portion of the lower side link and which is tilted forward, a rear side link connected rotatably at a lower end portion thereof to a rear end portion of the lower side link and which is tilted forward, an upper side link connected rotatably at a front end portion thereof to an upper end portion of the front side link and connected rotatably at a rear end portion thereof to an intermediate portion of the rear side link, and a load supporting link with a rear end side thereof placed slidably on the upper end portion of the rear side link and a front end side thereof connected rotatably to a front end portion of the upper side link,
a biasing element which biases the upper side link and the load supporting link so as to push the same upwards, and
a regulating element which regulates tilting of the rear side link rearwards,
wherein a link length of the front side link is longer than a link length of the rear side link,
wherein in the state where the head of a person is not placed on the head placement member, a product of a sine of a tilt angle towards the front and the link length of the front side link is twice or larger than that of the rear side link, the tilt angle towards the front of the rear side link exceeds 0 degree and is equal to or smaller than 20 degrees, and the load supporting link is positioned at a most elevated position by being biased from the biasing element and by being supported by the upper end portion of the rear side link, and
the biasing force of the biasing element is set so that the load supporting link descends to a most descended position when the front side link and the rear side link falls forward in the state where the head of a person is placed on the head placement member.
2. The pillow according to claim 1 , wherein in the state where the head of a person is not placed on the head placement member, upper surfaces of the load supporting link and the head placement member are tilted upwards toward the front.
3. The pillow according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing element is a tension spring with one end side being fixed to a portion of the load supporting link extended forward from a rotatable connecting portion with the front side link, and other end side being fixed to a vicinity of the rear end portion of the lower side link.
4. The pillow according to claim 1 , wherein the pillow is configured so as to make an impact absorbing member positioned between the lower side link and each of the front side link and the rear side link, respectively, when the front side link and the rear side link fall forward.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2008/003718 WO2010067401A1 (en) | 2008-12-11 | 2008-12-11 | Pillow |
Publications (1)
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US20110247140A1 true US20110247140A1 (en) | 2011-10-13 |
Family
ID=40921809
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/133,810 Abandoned US20110247140A1 (en) | 2008-12-11 | 2008-12-11 | Pillow |
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US (1) | US20110247140A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4286907B1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20110117066A (en) |
CN (1) | CN102245061A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2010067401A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120073057A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-03-29 | Sramek Roger A | Pillow having structurally varying core and cover |
US20150223622A1 (en) * | 2014-02-07 | 2015-08-13 | Edward Mobley | Universal Prone/Supine Pillow |
US10905266B1 (en) * | 2020-03-24 | 2021-02-02 | Chern Shing Top Co., Ltd. | Pillow structure |
Families Citing this family (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP5264793B2 (en) * | 2010-01-28 | 2013-08-14 | 株式会社医研工業 | pillow |
CN103190793B (en) * | 2013-04-20 | 2015-01-14 | 王林超 | Pillow |
JP5468706B1 (en) * | 2013-11-19 | 2014-04-09 | 株式会社医研工業 | pillow |
KR200481901Y1 (en) * | 2014-07-04 | 2016-11-23 | 이강천 | Pillow |
CN104188449B (en) * | 2014-09-12 | 2016-04-13 | 沈国定 | The sub-assembly of a kind of body-building cushion and automatic adjustable pillow head thereof |
CN104939594A (en) * | 2015-07-24 | 2015-09-30 | 周化庆 | Liftable pillow |
WO2017178867A1 (en) | 2016-04-13 | 2017-10-19 | Reddy Jordi | Pillow |
CN106213923B (en) * | 2016-08-24 | 2018-09-11 | 沈国定 | A kind of bistable state automatic adjustment pillow |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP3699472B1 (en) * | 2005-02-18 | 2005-09-28 | 株式会社医研工業 | pillow |
JP2007098153A (en) * | 2005-07-14 | 2007-04-19 | Hiroyuki Mano | Pillow |
-
2008
- 2008-12-11 US US13/133,810 patent/US20110247140A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2008-12-11 JP JP2009500655A patent/JP4286907B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2008-12-11 CN CN2008801323347A patent/CN102245061A/en active Pending
- 2008-12-11 WO PCT/JP2008/003718 patent/WO2010067401A1/en active Application Filing
- 2008-12-11 KR KR1020117014871A patent/KR20110117066A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120073057A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-03-29 | Sramek Roger A | Pillow having structurally varying core and cover |
US20150223622A1 (en) * | 2014-02-07 | 2015-08-13 | Edward Mobley | Universal Prone/Supine Pillow |
US9138087B2 (en) * | 2014-02-07 | 2015-09-22 | Latitude Innovations | Universal prone/supine pillow |
US10905266B1 (en) * | 2020-03-24 | 2021-02-02 | Chern Shing Top Co., Ltd. | Pillow structure |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JPWO2010067401A1 (en) | 2012-05-17 |
CN102245061A (en) | 2011-11-16 |
JP4286907B1 (en) | 2009-07-01 |
KR20110117066A (en) | 2011-10-26 |
WO2010067401A1 (en) | 2010-06-17 |
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