US20230371719A1

US20230371719A1 - Hybrid Support Pillow

Info

Publication number: US20230371719A1
Application number: US17/746,073
Authority: US
Inventors: Ted S. Shin, Esq.
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-05-17
Filing date: 2022-05-17
Publication date: 2023-11-23

Abstract

A novel form of hybrid pillow is proposed which has memory foam in cylindrical form and shredded form is included. The hybrid support pillow structure provides comfort for all 3 types of sleepers. People sleep in various positions and typically change positions during sleep, so this is the universal solution for all types of sleepers.

Description

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the hybrid support pillow consists of a solid cylindrical piece of memory foam that runs along the base, with the remainder of the pillow filled with shredded memory foam.

Description of the Related Art

Pillows are an important piece of bedding that provide comfort and support for the head, neck and upper back. Having a supportive pillow helps ensure that an individual's neck rests in a neutral position while sleeping. This is important as it prevents muscle strain while sleeping: an individual needs this support when he or she is sleeping because the human spine is naturally curved. Having support for the head and neck helps to maintain the proper alignment of these areas of the spine. Sleeping without the adequate support not only has a negative impact on sleep, but it can also result in stiffness in the neck and back.
Having the right pillow is also key to a good night's sleep. Getting an adequate amount of sleep is an important factor for living a healthy life. Getting enough quality sleep requires the individual to have good sleeping conditions. One of the key factors toward getting the full benefits of time in bed is having a pillow that fills the needs of the user. The Great British Sleep Survey of 2012 showed that 67% of respondents rated bodily discomfort as the highest factor keeping them awake at night. Having the right pillow is thus critical for maintaining a sound sleep. Since pillows play an important role in sleep, they will have a considerable impact on an individual's quality of rest and overall well-being.
Many different types of pillows have been designed that use different materials in order to provide the user with a different feel, comfort level or health benefits. These include natural fill pillows (down, feathers or a combination of the two); synthetic fill pillows (which are filled with a man-made fill, customarily polyester; poly cluster fill pillows (which have a synthetic fill of polyester clusters coated with silicone to feel and move like down); foam pillows (which are made of solid pieces or chunks of foam); and memory foam pillows (which are made from a dense, sponge-like material that molds around a user's neck and head for extra support).
The relatively recent introduction of memory foam (which is polyurethane with additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density, and sometimes referred to as viscoelastic foam or “VEF”) has allowed the creation of pillows that take advantage of the “memory” and other properties of the memory foam. Memory foam pillows are especially suited for sleepers who prefer a firm pillow or have neck or spine issues.
When a pillow made with a filler material is not in use, regardless of which material is chosen as the filler, it should remain in a fluffy state and should be able to provide the level of support needed by the user. However, when the user lays his head down on the body of the pillow made with a filler, the filler becomes compressed and/or can shift. The compressed area of filler is thinner, relatively speaking, than the area of filler that is not compressed, which has a higher density. This causes the pillow to be unable to provide close comfortable support between the user's head and the pillow. This means that after using the pillow for a long period of time, the user may experience discomfort caused by muscle stiffness.
A large number of pillows comprising multiple layers—vertical and/or horizontal—for therapeutically supporting the head and neck of a person lying in a supine position are known in the art. Representative examples are afforded by US 2014/0283305 (Zysman); US 2014/0053336 (Hong-Yuan Cal); US 2013/0291306 (Willingham, et al.); US 2013/0263377 (Wootten, Jr.); US 2012/0204350 (Katsnelson); U.S. 2006/0064819 (Mollett); U.S. 2005/0278852 (Wahrmund et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 8,656,537 (Leifermann, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 8,607,391 (Poppe, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,169 (Wassilefky, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 8,015,640 (Xi Sun); U.S. Pat. No. 7,856,686 (Kwong Ming Cho); U.S. Pat. No. 7,530,127 (Leifermann); U.S. Pat. No. 7,415,742 (Wassilefky); U.S. Pat. No. 7,051,389 (Wassilefky); U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,855 (Cohen); U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,743 (Greenawalt); U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,532 (Connell); U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,564 (Greenawalt et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,844 (Liu); WO 2013/063644 (Poppe); US 2012/0102654 (Lee, et al.); WO 2011/141943 (Sciannameo); WO 2010/075296 (Mikkelsen, et al.); US 2006/0064819 (Mollett); US 2005/278852 (Wahrmund, et al.); WO 2005/085123 (Spinks); US 2005/0257320 (Mollett); U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,651 (Yee Keung Tang); U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,255 (Poppe); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,078 (Calla).
There are pillow devices outside the medical field that utilize a rigid internal structure in an attempt to provide specialized support for different aspects of the upper body. Other variations of pillow devices utilize air pressure to provide an internal structure to support the user.
A need still exists for a pillow made of pillow material, including but not limited to regular foam, memory foam, or fill, that allows different firmness levels for the user, where the firmness levels span the length of the pillow. The ability of the user to immediately convert the present invention from a back-sleeping pillow to a side sleeping pillow is not contemplated by the prior art and fills a much needed and desired niche in the marketplace.
None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve and surmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art.

SUMMARY

In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
The primary desirable object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved form of a cylindrical base of the pillow supports.
It is further the Objective of invention to provide pillow with memory foam, with shredded memory foam.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of comfort to the sleeper.
Another object of the present invention is that the hybrid pillow is designed to provide exceptional support to the neck and head for all types of sleepers.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved the cylindrical base of the pillow supports the curvature of the neck for proper head and neck alignment during sleep. The rest of the pillow is filled with shredded memory foam to provide the head with soft support for improved comfort.
It is an object of the invention that the pillow is made up in parts, and has many other materials in it example; cylindrical portion to be made of memory foam, latex or other materials only.
It is an object of the invention where the pillow filling can be including but not limited to shredded memory foam, down, synthetic down, latex and other materials.
It is further objectives of the present invention to provide a zippered pillow case which will show a pocket along the base of the pillow to hold the cylindrical pillow inside. The purpose of the pocket is so the cylindrical pillow stays secure at the base and the filling of the pillow does not move all around the base of the pillow.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved assembly which is based on reliable material and allows consistent and easy use.
This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, ures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 discloses the complete view of assembly as per preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 discloses the side view of pillow as per preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 discloses the inner view of material involved in configuration of proposed assembly as per preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 discloses another side view of pillow as per preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 discloses the complete view of pillow with side zip in open form as per preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 discloses the exploded view of pillow where inner material involved in configuration of proposed assembly can be seen.

The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Accordingly, this is a new design for bed pillows. Most pillows are uniform in materials as they are either solid memory foam or filled with all shredded memory foam, or all latex, or filled with all down/synthetic down filling. However, the hybrid support pillow combines a solid cylinder made of memory foam which provides the best support for the curvature of the neck and shredded memory foam which creates a softer area for superior comfort for the head and face.
This pillow is also ideal for side sleepers who place a pillow between their legs when they sleep. The firmness of the cylinder at the base of the pillow forms ideal space between the knees for proper spine alignment, while the soft area of the pillow provides improved comfort for the legs.
The advantage of the hybrid neck support pillow is that it provides exceptional support for the curvature of the neck with a solid memory foam cylinder and maintains comfort for the head and face with shredded memory foam (or alternatively, synthetic down filling). There are no foreseeable disadvantages to the hybrid support pillow.
The target market consists of people who want the best pillow so they can get the best rest possible. People sleep in various positions and typically change positions during sleep, so this is the universal solution for all types of sleepers.
The hybrid pillow is made of a long cylindrical piece of memory foam that is 3 to 4 inches in diameter and between 26 inches and 36 inches long (depending on the size of the pillow) that is secured and runs along the base of the pillow to provide neck support. The rest of the pillow is filled with shredded memory foam to provide comfort to the head and face (which is ideal for side and stomach sleepers). The pillow ranges in size from Standard (20 inches by 26 inches), Queen (20 inches by 30 inches), and King (20 inches by 36 inches). The pillow zips up at one end so that shredded memory foam filling can be added or removed to adjust the firmness for personal preference.
While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, many variations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed. The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interior configuration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with which it is used.
Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A cylindrical base hybrid pillow having an upper surface, a lower surface and a perimeter edge, the pillow comprising two parts: a firmer part and a softer part comprising:

a memory foam in the cylindrical piece and base;

a pillow filled with shredded memory foam;

2. The pillow of claim 1, where the firmer and softer parts are internally sealed together along the entirety of their surfaces.

3. The pillow of claim 1, where the firmer lower part has different pillow material density than the pillow material of the softer upper part.

6. The pillow of claim 1, where the firmer part is made from the same pillow material as the softer part.

7. The pillow of claim 1 where the two parts, once sealed together, are covered by a covering, where the covering includes a top layer and bottom layer.

8. The pillow of claim 1 where the firmer part and a softer part are made of memory foam.

9. The pillow of claim 1 where the bottom surfaces of the firmer lower part and softer upper part are generally flat.

2. A pocket where the cylindrical pillow stays secure at the base and the filling of the pillow does not move all around the base of the pillow.