US20130047338A1

US20130047338A1 - Pillow with better neck support structure

Info

Publication number: US20130047338A1
Application number: US13/217,768
Authority: US
Inventors: Yi-Fang Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-08-25
Filing date: 2011-08-25
Publication date: 2013-02-28

Abstract

A pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with the present invention comprises: a head support portion connected to a correction support portion, the head support portion is softer than the correction support portion. The user's head can be well positioned when laid on the head support portion which is softer than the correction support portion, and the correction support portion which is relatively harder can support the user's head in such a manner that the scapula of the user is supported on the second support section of the correction support portion, while the user's neck is suspended with respect to the traction section, so that the cervical spine, under its gravity, can be returned to a pressure-free and most ergonomic position, thus improving blood circulation in the brain cells.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pillow, and more particularly to a pillow with better neck support structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sleep quality is very import to people's health, a good sleep can make you feel energetic all day, but a bad sleep makes you feel like the longer you sleep the more you are tired. The factors affecting the quality of sleep are various and numerous, for example, the choice of environment or bedding will have direct influence on the sleep quality.
As for the bedding, pillow has the most influence on the sleep quality. People lay their heads on the pillows when sleeping, therefore, the softness and shape of the pillow will affect the comfort of sleeping. A choice of bad pillow may keep the neck in a wrong position for a long time, which will lead to cervical spine lateral flexion and Scoliosis, and more other worse diseases may occur as a result of cervical spine lateral flexion and Scoliosis.
Referring to FIG. 1, a user A lays his head on a conventional pillow 10 when sleeping on his back, however, this pillow 10 doesn't have any support structure to support the user's neck and shoulder, so that the user's neck and shoulder cannot be fully relaxed, and the user cannot comfortably sleep. Moreover, the side of the pillow 10 supporting the head of the user is mostly flat and unable to effectively position the user's head, probably causing neck sprain. On top of that, the conventional pillow 10 is not appropriately designed in terms of height, when the user sleeps on his side, the height of the pillow 10 has a great influence on the angle of the cervical spine and thoracic spine. If the angle is not right, the pressure caused by all night sleeping on side is as long as several hours, which will not only cause bad blood circulation, nightmare, but also will cause other worse consequences due to inadequate blood supply to the brain and spine.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a pillow with better neck support structure, which is not only capable of better supporting and positioning user's head, but also can adjust user's neck to an most ergonomic position through traction.
To achieve the abovementioned object, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with the present invention comprises: a head support portion connected to a correction support portion, the head support portion is softer than the correction support portion, and the correction support portion includes a first support section, a traction section and a second support section sequentially connected to one another, the head support portion is disposed on top of the first support section of the correction support portion and has an extension surface extending to the traction section, the traction section includes a connecting surface extending downward from the first support section to the second support section.
The user's head can be well positioned when laid on the head support portion which is softer than the correction support portion, and the correction support portion which is relatively harder can support the user's head in such a manner that the scapula of the user is supported on the second support section of the correction support portion, while the user's neck is suspended with respect to the traction section, so that the cervical spine, under its gravity, can be returned to a pressure-free and most ergonomic position, thus improving blood circulation in the brain cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of a conventional pillow;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an operational view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an operational view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an operational view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an operational view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is an operational view of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a head support portion 20 connected to a correction support portion 30. The head support portion 20 is softer than the correction support portion 30, and the correction support portion 30 comprises a first support section 31, a traction section 32 and a second support section 33 sequentially connected to one another. The head support portion 20 is disposed on top of the first support section 31 of the correction support portion 30 and has an extension surface 21 extending to the traction section 32.
The vertical direction from the head support portion 20 to the correction support portion 30 is defined as height direction Z, and the length direction and width direction are vertical to each other and also vertical to the height direction Z and are defined as X and Y, respectively. The length of the pillow in the length direction X is greater than the width in the width direction Y, and the length and width of the pillow are larger than the height of the pillow in the height direction Z.
The widths of the first support section 31, the traction section 32 and the second support section 33 of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y are represented by W1, W2 and W3, and they satisfy the relations: W1>W2>W3.
The traction section 32 includes a connecting surface 321 extending downward from the first support section 31 to the second support section 33, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting surface 321 is in the form of a concave arc and extends downward, so that the first support section 31, the traction section 32 and the second support section 33 constitute a stepped-like structure. The extension surface 21 of the head support portion 20 of this embodiment is arc-shaped. The sum of the heights of the head support portion 20 and the correction support portion 30 in the height direction Z is 15.5 cm, and the width of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y is 31 cm.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the user A lays his head A1 on the head support portion 20, since the head support portion 20 is softer than the correction support portion 30, the head A1 sinks into the head support portion 20, so that the sunken portion of the pillow provides a positioning effect for holding the user's head A1. Meanwhile, the correction support portion 30 can prevent user's head A1 from overly sinking due to the correction support portion 30 is harder than the head support portion 20.
Furthermore, when the user's head A1 is laid on the head support portion 20, the scapula A2 of the user A is supported on the second support section 33 of the correction support portion 30, while the cervical spine (neck) A3 naturally rests against the traction section 32 between the first and second support sections 31 and 33. Since the connecting surface 321 of the traction section 32 is a concave arc structure, which makes the cervical spine A3 suspended with respect to the traction section 32, so that the cervical spine A3, under its gravity (providing a kind of traction effect), can be returned to a pressure-free position, thus improving blood circulation in the nerves and vessels.
The intervals among the vertebraes of the spine allow for passage of nerves and vessels, bad sleep position would reduce the intervals among the vertebraes and cause pressure of nerves and vessels. The nerves take charge of the viscera, therefore, oxygen and nutrition cannot be carried to the cells of the viscera in case of pressure of nerves and vessels, causing damage to the viscera. Contrariwise, when the cervical spine is relaxed, blood circulation in the blood will be improved.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is similar to the previous embodiment except that: the extension surface 21 of the head support portion 20 is flat, and the connecting surface 321 of the traction section 32 of the correction support portion 30 takes the form of an convex arc-shaped structure extending downward to the second support section 33. When the user A lays head on the pillow, the cervical spine A3 is supported by the traction section 32, and the scapula A2 of the user A is supported on the second support section 33 of the correction support portion 30. Furthermore, the sum of the heights of head support portion 20 and the correction support portion 30 in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y is 31 cm. As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the pillows of these two embodiments are particularly suitable for slim and lightweight users with thin and long neck.
Referring to FIGS. 6-7, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention is similar to the previous embodiment except that: the connecting surface 321 of the traction section 32 of the correction support portion 30 has a bigger radian than the previous embodiments, so that when the user sleeps on the pillow, the distance between the cervical spine A3 of the user A and the connecting surface 321 of the traction section 32 of the correction support portion 30 is increased. Furthermore, the sum of the heights of the head support portion 20 and the correction support portion 30 in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y is 30.5 cm. The pillow of this embodiment is particularly suitable for heavyweight users with a short neck.
Referring to FIGS. 8-9, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention is similar to the previous embodiment except that: the connecting surface 321 of the traction section 32 of the correction support portion 30 is an inclined flat surface. The sum of the heights of the head support portion 20 and the correction support portion 30 in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y is 32 cm. The pillow of this embodiment is particularly suitable for heavyweight users with a short neck. The pillow of this embodiment is also suitable for heavyweight users with a short neck.
Referring to FIGS. 10-11, a pillow with better neck support structure in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention is similar to the previous embodiment except that: the sum of the traction section 32 and the second support section 33 of the correction support portion 30 of this embodiment is less than the sum of the traction section 32 and the second support section 33 of the previous embodiments. The sum of the heights of the head support portion 20 and the correction support portion 30 in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion 30 in the width direction Y is 25 cm.
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pillow with better neck support structure comprising: a head support portion connected to a correction support portion, the head support portion being softer than the correction support portion, and the correction support portion including a first support section, a traction section and a second support section sequentially connected to one another, the head support portion being disposed on top of the first support section of the correction support portion and having an extension surface extending to the traction section, the traction section including a connecting surface extending downward from the first support section to the second support section.

2. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vertical direction from the head support portion to the correction support portion is defined as height direction Z, and a length direction and a width direction are vertical to each other and also vertical to the height direction Z and are defined as X and Y, respectively, widths of the first support section, the traction section and the second support section of the correction support portion in the width direction Y are represented by W1, W2 and W3, and they satisfy the relations: W1>W2>W3.

3. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting surface is in the form of a concave arc and extends downward, so that the first support section, the traction section and the second support section constitute a stepped-like structure, the extension surface of the head support portion is arc-shaped.

4. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein a sum of heights of the head support portion and the correction support portion in the height direction Z is 15.5 cm, and the width of the correction support portion in the width direction Y is 31 cm.

5. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extension surface of the head support portion is flat, and the connecting surface of the traction section of the correction support portion takes the form of a convex arc-shaped structure extending downward to the second support section.

6. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein a vertical direction from the head support portion to the correction support portion is defined as height direction Z, and a length direction and a width direction are vertical to each other and also vertical to the height direction Z and are defined as X and Y, respectively, a sum of the heights of the head support portion and the correction support portion in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion in the width direction Y is 31 cm.

7. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein a vertical direction from the head support portion to the correction support portion is defined as height direction Z, and a length direction and a width direction are vertical to each other and also vertical to the height direction Z and are defined as X and Y, respectively, a sum of heights of the head support portion and the correction support portion in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion in the width direction Y is 30.5 cm.

8. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting surface of the traction section of the correction support portion is an inclined flat surface.

9. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein a sum of the heights of the head support portion and the correction support portion in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion in the width direction Y is 32 cm.

10. The pillow with better neck support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sum of heights of head support portion and the correction support portion in the height direction Z is 15 cm, and the width of the correction support portion in the width direction Y is 25 cm.