US3148389A - Pillow - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1964 P. LUSTIG 3,148,389

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9 J K 45 Z6 Z6 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,148,389 PILLOW Paul Lustig, Sherman Oaks, Calif, assignor to Puroiied Down Products Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Fiied Jan. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 250,358 Claims. (Cl. 5337) The present invention relates generally to improvements in pillows and the like, and it relates more particularly to an improved pillow having adjustable physical characteristics.

The conventional pillow generally includes a flexible outer envelope or tick which encloses a resilient filler which may be of a unit of continuous nature such as a sponge rubber or any of the foamed synthetic elastomers or may comprise down, a resilient natural or synthetic fiber or a particularly resilient material as is well known in the art. The softness of the pillow, that is its response to applied pressure, is determined by the type of filler employed and by the bulk density or compactness thereof. The stifier the filler and the greater the compactness thereof, the harder the pillow. However, the softness of the conventional pillow in many cases cannot be adjusted and in other cases requires a complete alteration including the opening and closing of the tick and the modification of the filler, an operation which is not only inconvenient but economically unfeasible. It is well known that different persons prefer pillows of different degrees of softness and are usually uncomfortable when using pillows to which they have not accommodated. Thus when purchasing or acquiring a pillow care must be taken to select one possessing the desired degree of softness since this cannot normally be adjusted. Furthermore, transient guests in hotels, motels, and the like often spend uncomfortable nights by reason of the personal unsuitability of the provided pillow.

It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved pillow construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved pillow of an adjustable physical character.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved pillow possessing an adjustable degree of softness.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pillow of the above nature characterized by its versatility, simplicity, ease of use, large range of adjustability, and low cost.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of the body member of a pillow embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the pillow in a pocket open position, and a pair of inserts disposed in alignment with the pocket opening;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional View of the pillow shown housing a single insert; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view of the pillow shown housing a pair of inserts.

In a sense the present invention contemplates the provision of an adjustable response pillow comprising a main body member containing a filler, means defining a cavity located in said body member and separated from said filler, and having an opening affording access thereto, and a removable resilient insert removably nesting in said cavity.

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According to a preferred form of the present invention the body of the improved pillow is formed of four superimposed substantially rectangular panels of a flexible material joined to each other along their longitudinal edges and along one end edge, the other end edges of the upper pair of panels being joined as are the other end edges of the lower pair of panels, The upper pair of panels and the lower pair of panels delineate upper and lower closed pockets respectively and the intermediate panels delineate an intermediate open ended pocket, the open end of which is defined by the separately joined end edges of the upper and lower panel pairs. Mating separable fasteners are located along the outer edges of the intermediate pocket to permit the closing thereof. The upper and lower pockets contain a relatively soft filler material. The inserts are rectangular slabs of a relatively hard foamed resilient elastomeric material enclosed in a flexible sheath and one or more of these inserts are selectively removably disposed in the intermediate pocket and are each substantially coextensive therewith.

Referring now to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the body of the improved pillow which may be of any desired overall configuration and is preferably of rectangular shape as illustrated. The pillow body 11 includes upper and lower closed pockets 11 and 12 respectively and an open ended intermediate pocket 13 provided at its open end with releasable closing means, as will be hereinafter set forth, the pockets 11, 12 and 13 being substantially coextensive with the length and width of the pillow.

The pillow body 10 is formed of top and bottom rectangular flexible panels 14 and 16 and upper and lower intermediate rectangular flexible panels 17 and 18 respectively. The coinciding longitudinal borders 19 of the panels 14, 16, 17 and 18 are folded inwardly and joined by lines of stitching and the coinciding transverse borders 20 along one end of the panels 14, 16, 17 and 18, are likewise folded inwardly and joined by a line of stitching. The transverse end borders 21 of the top and upper intermediate panels 14 and 17 opposite the borders 2%) are joined by a line of stitching and the transverse end borders of the bottom and lower intermediate panels 16 and 13 opposite the borders 20 are likewise joined by a line of stitching. The upper closed pocket 11 is delineated by the top and upper intermediate panels 14 and 17 and the lower closed pocket is delineated by the bottom and lower intermediate panels 16 and 18. The intermediate pocket 13 is delineated by the intermediate panels 17 and 18 arid is provided with an end opening 23 edged by the borders 21 and 22. It should be noted pairs of the panels 14, 16, 17 and 18 may be integrally joined along a common edge and that the pillow body may be constructed and assembled in accordance with the usual practice.

In order to facilitate the opening and closing of the pocket 13 there are located along the borders 21 and 22 separable mating fasteners as defined by a slide fastener 24 of conventional construction, opposite mating strips of which are suitably attached to the respective borders 21 and 22.

The closed pockets 11 and 12 contain a relatively soft filler material A of any well known composition and content such as, down, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, for example Acrilan or Vycron, or the like. The panels 14, 16, 17 and 18 are formed of any suitable ticking material such as woven or knitted fabrics of natural or synthetic fibers or blends thereof, and the various panels may be formed of the same or of diiferent materials.

Associated with the pillow body 10 are one or more insert members 26 which are employed to affect the ad justment of the pillow softness. Each of the insert members 26 includes a rectangular slab 27 formed of a foamed elastomeric material such as synthetic or natural sponge rubber, foamed elastomeric polyurethane of other foamed synthetic elastomer. It should be noted that the slab 27 is advantageously harder than the filler carried by the closed pockets 11 and 12. The slab 27 is enclosed in a sheath 28 formed of a flexible material which may be of the type forming the pillow body panels.

The slab 27 is advantageously of a shape substantially similar to the body forming panels but of somewhat smaller transverse longitudinal and transverse dimensions so as to fit in a nesting position in the pocket 13 and be substantially coextensive therewith. The thickness of each of the insert members 26 .as related to the pocket 13 is such as to permit the nesting of a plurality of coinciding superimposed insert members, for example two, in the pocket 13.

In employing the improved adjustable pillow described above, when a soft pillow is desired, the pillow is used without any of the insert members 26, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawing. In the event that a harder pillow is desired, the slide fastener 24 is opened to afford access into the intermediate pocket 13 and an insert member 26 is placed in the pocket 13 and the slide fastener 24 closed. The pillow is thus of the form shown in FIGURE 5 and is of a medium hardness by reason of the decrease in the aggregate compressibility thereof per unit of downward force. The slab 27 being of an elastomeric material the desirable properties of the pillow are still retained. A pillow of still greater hardness may be achieved by nesting a pair of superimposed coinciding insert members in the pocket 13 in the manner described above, to produce the structure illustrated in FIGURE 6. Thus with the arrangement shown the pillow may be adjusted to three degrees of hardness. The number of degrees of hardness available would of course depend on the number of insert members 26 which may be nested in the pocket 13, which insert members may vary in thickness. Furthermore, while the pillow has been illustrated as of rectangular configuration it may be formed in any other desirable shape.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable response pillow comprising a plurality of coextensive flexible substantially rectangular panels including top and bottom outer panels and top and bottom inner panels disposed between said outer panels, the corresponding side edges and the edges along one end of said plurality of panels being joined, and the edges of said top inner and outer panels along said other end thereof and the edges of said bottom inner and outer panels along said other end being respectively joined whereby said top panels and said bottom panels delineate top and bottom closed pockets and said inner panels delineate a cavity having an end access opening substantially coextensive with a corresponding edge thereof, a relatively soft resilient filler material disposed in said top and bottom pockets, and a resilient insert member separably nesting in .and substantially coextensive with said cavity and movable through said access opening into and out of said cavity, said inner panels being normally in confronting superimposed contact in the absence of said insert memher.

2. An adjustable response pillow comprising a plurality of coextensive flexible panels including top and bottom outer panels and top and bottom inner panels disposed between said outer panels, the corresponding side edges and the edges along one end of said plurality of panels being joined and the edges of said top inner and outer panels along said other end thereof and the edges of said bottom inner and outer panels along said other end being respectively joined whereby said top panels and said bottom panels delineate top and bottom closed pockets and said inner panels delineate a pocket having an end access opening, separable fasteners disposed along opposite edges of said access opening to permit the releasable closing thereof, a relatively soft resilient filler material disposed in said top and bottom pockets, and a plurality of superimposed slabs of a relatively hard elastomeric material individually separably nesting in and substantially coextensive with said cavity and individually separably movable through said access opening into and out of said cavity.

3. An adjustable response pillow comprising a main body member containing a filler, means defining a cavity located in said body member and separated from said filler and substantially coextensive with the length and width of said body member, said body member having an opening formed therein along an edge thereof for a major part of the length of said edge affording access therethrough to said cavity, and a plurality of individual resilient insert units separably nesting in said cavity and removable therefrom and insertable therein through said opening and occupying substantially a major part of the length and width of said cavity, said means defining said cavity including confronting upper and lower flexible Walls which are normally in superimposed contact in the absence of said insert units.

4. An adjustable response pillow comprising a main body member having upper and lower outer flexible walls and upper and lower inner flexible walls, said upper walls and said lower walls delineating upper and lower substantially coextensive pockets respectively and said inner walls delineating a substantially coextensive inner cavity, said body member having an opening formed therein along an edge thereof for substantially a major part of the length of said edge affording access therethrough to said cavity, a resilient filler material disposed in said upper and lower pockets, a resilient insert member separably nesting in said cavity and movable through said opening into and out of said cavity and occupying substantially a major part of the length and Width of said cavity, said inner walls delineating said cavity being in confronting superimposed contact in the absence of said insert memher.

5. An adjustable response pillow comprising a main body member having upper and lower outer flexible walls and upper and lower inner flexible walls, said upper walls and said lower walls delineating upper and lower substantially coextensive pockets respectively and said inner walls delineating a substantially coextensive inner cavity, said body member having an opening formed therein along an edge thereof for substantially a major part of the length of said edge affording access therethrough to said cavity, a resilient filler material disposed in said upper and lower pockets, a plurality of resilient insert members separably nesting in said cavity and individually movable through said opening into and out of said cavity and being substantially coextensive with said cavity, said inner walls delineating said cavity being in confronting superimposed contact in the absence of said insert members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,118,486 Buchman May 24, 1938 2,293,530 Beehler Aug. 18, 1942 2,815,515 McKinley Dec. 10, 1957 2,898,975 Wagner Aug. 11, 1959 2,962,731 Bounds Dec. 6, 1960 3,089,154 Boyles May 14, 1963

Claims (1)

1. 3. AN ADJUSTABLE RESPONSE PILLOW COMPRISING A MAIN BODY MEMBER CONTAINING A FILLER, MEANS DEFINING A CAVITY LOCATED IN SAID BODY MEMBER AND SEPARATED FROM SAID FILLER AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING FORMED THEREIN ALONG AN EDGE THEREOF FOR A MAJOR PART OF THE LENGTH OF SAID EDGE AFFORDING ACCESS THERETHROUGH TO SAID CAVITY, AND A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL RESILIENT INSERT UNITS SEPARABLY NESTING IN SAID CAVITY AND REMOVABLE THEREFROM AND INSERTABLE THEREIN THROUGH SAID OPENING AND OCCUPYING SUBSTANTIALLY A MAJOR PART OF THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF SAID CAVITY, SAID MEANS DEFINING SAID CAVITY INCLUDING CONFRONTING UPPER AND LOWER FLEXIBLE WALLS WHICH ARE NORMALLY IN SUPERIMPOSED CONTACT IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID INSERT UNITS.

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