WO2011073513A1

WO2011073513A1 - Cushion

Info

Publication number: WO2011073513A1
Application number: PCT/FI2010/051026
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sami Savolainen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-18
Filing date: 2010-12-14
Publication date: 2011-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-18
Also published as: FI20090489A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a cushion comprising a body part (1 ) made of a soft material and provided with a first surface (2), which is arranged to act as a support surface for the head, and a second surface (3), which is arranged to act as a surface that is supported against an underlying surface during use. The first surface (2) of the cushion is provided with a recess (4) for supporting the head. The second surface (3) of the cushion is provided with at least one channel (5) extending from the recess (4) to the edges of the cushion, the channel (5) being supported by a separate support member (6), which is arranged to support the walls of the channels and thus to prevent the blocking of the channels during use. The support member (6) is a detachable member.

Description

CUSHION

[0001] The invention relates to a cushion comprising a body part made of a soft material and provided with a first surface, which is arranged to act as a support surface for the head, and a second surface, which is arranged to act as a surface that is supported against an underlying surface during use, the first surface of the cushion being provided with a recess for supporting the head and the second surface of the cushion being provided with at least one channel extending from the recess to the edges of the cushion, the at least one channel being supported by a separate support member, which is arranged to support the walls of the channels and thus to prevent the blocking of the channels during use.

[0002] It is generally known in the field that massage treatments are carried out either on massage tables intended for physiotherapy or such that a person to be massaged lies on a mattress or some other suitable pad, for example.

[0003] The invention relates to giving massage treatments especially in cases where there is no separate message table available and massage is carried out on a smooth pad suitable for the purpose. However, the invention may also be used in connection with separate massage tables.

[0004] Known massage tables comprise a separate extension piece for the head, allowing the physiological position of the head during massage. In practice, in the middle of the extension piece there is an opening smaller than the head so that a person being massaged can lie on the stomach when his/her back is being massaged and simultaneously keep the head straight and the face down without straining the neck or the chin.

[0005] There are also head paddings specifically designed for massage tables available. However, such paddings cannot be used independently without a massage table or a support piece designed for the padding, which elevates the padding from a mattress, floor or other smooth surface.

[0006] When massage is carried out on, for instance, a common mattress, the head is usually supported by a common cushion. When the head rests on such a cushion, the neck is not allowed to be in a resting position without causing muscle tension. In this case, the head of the person being massaged is always turned to the right or to the left, and the twisted position of the neck causes tension in the area of the neck and the shoulders. If the person being massaged holds his/her head straight and the face down, the entire weight of the head rests on the chin, thus tiring the chin.

[0007] It is known in the field that massage cushions and massage supports can be divided roughly into different categories according to their use. The first category includes cushions intended to be used as head paddings on massage tables. The second category includes cushions that act as support cushions for limbs or the neck. The third category comprises cushions with a separate motor part for automatic massage.

[0008] There are also solutions similar to massage tables in the field, which are mainly massage pads or massage mattresses.

[0009] A disadvantage of the known solutions is, however, that none of the support/cushion solutions provides a massage position that is accomplished on massage tables without using a massage table, in other words, so that a head support is set onto a separate pad, which elevates the used padding above the massage plane.

[0010] In addition, massage tables are heavy and difficult to move. For the above reasons, they are usually fixedly mounted in their place, wherefore it is difficult to provide massage treatments in homes, for example.

[0011] Also, the high price of massage tables is a clear disadvantage.

[0012] If massage treatments are given on a conventional mattress, a person being massaged must have his/her head turned to the right or to the left to allow free breathing. This causes muscle tension. If the person being massaged keeps his/her head straight while lying on the stomach during massage, the neck twists to an unphysiological position and the weight of the head rests on the chin, causing strain.

[0013] It is an object of the invention to provide a solution, by which the prior art drawbacks can be eliminated. This is achieved by a cushion according to the invention, which is characterized in that the support member is a detachable member.

[0014] Above all, the invention provides the advantage that, on each smooth surface, the person being massaged can be brought to a position which does not cause muscle tension or other inconvenient strains, for example. Another advantage of the invention is its simplicity, due to which the manufacturing costs are low. The invention is also very well suited to massage treatments performed in homes.

[0015] The invention will now be explained in more detail by means of embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cushion according to an embodiment of the invention in its position of use,

Figure 2 shows a cross section of Figure 1 along arrows II - II,

Figure 3 shows the cushion of Figure 1 in an upside-down position,

Figure 4 shows a view of the cushion of Figure 1 , in which the details that cannot be seen are marked with a broken line,

Figure 5 shows a schematic perspective view of a part, by which a detail of the embodiment of Figure 1 can be implemented,

Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the use of the part according to Figure 5 when the embodiment of Figure 1 is implemented, and

Figure 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

[0016] Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a cushion according to the invention. The cushion of the invention comprises a body part 1 made of a soft material. The body part 1 has a first surface 2, which is arranged to act as a support surface for the head, and a second surface 3, which is arranged to act as a surface that is supported against an underlying surface during use.

[0017] The body part may be made of any suitable soft material, such as foam plastic or memory foam.

[0018] According to the essential idea of the invention, the first surface 2 of the cushion is provided with a recess 4 for supporting the head. The idea is to provide a support for the face, if the person to be massaged is going to lie on his/her stomach so that the face rests on the recess, or for the back part of the head, if the person to be massaged is going to lie on his back, with the neck pointing downwards. The recess 4 is preferably in the middle part of the cushion, as shown by the figures.

[0019] The recess may be shaped in any suitable manner. Preferably the recess is shaped to narrow in the depth direction. Such a solution is shown in Figure 2.

[0020] The recess 4 may preferably be arranged to extend through the cushion, as shown by Figure 2, for example. In the application of Figure 2 the through hole of the recess is formed by providing the narrowing recess with an extension that extends to the second surface 3 of the cushion. The through hole of the recess can also be seen in Figures 1 and 3. The through hole of the recess may naturally also be formed in such a manner that the narrowing part of the recess extends as such to the second surface 3 of the cushion.

[0021] The second surface 3 of the cushion, i.e. the surface that, in the position of use of the cushion, is against a mattress, for instance, is provided with at least one channel 5 extending from the recess 4 to the edges of the cushion. In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, there are four channels 5, which are arranged at an angle of 90 degrees to one another.

[0022] The purpose of the channels is to provide air paths, which pass from the recess 4 extending through the cushion to the edges of the cushion, when the cushion is set on, for example, a mattress so that the second surface of the cushion is against the mattress. Such an arrangement allows free breathing when the person being massaged lies on his/her stomach and the face rests on the recess 4. It is to be noted that this takes place without a separate pad that elevates the cushion from the surface of the mattress or a similar pad.

[0023] The channels 5 may be formed in any suitable manner. Preferably the channels are formed by using a support member 6 shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 shows schematically the formation of the channels by means of the support member 6. The support member 6 supports the channels 5 and thus prevents the channels 5 from collapsing when the weight of the head rests on the cushion. The support member 6 may also be arranged to support the recess 4 at least in the region of the channel ends.

[0024] The above-mentioned support member 6 may also be formed into a detachable member, which may be removed when the person being massaged lies on his/her back.

[0025] Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment differs from the one shown in Figures 1 to 3, for example, in how the channels 5 are formed.

[0026] In the embodiment of Figure 7 the cushion is made of two materials with varying hardnesses. A part 7 of the cushion, forming the second surface 3 of the cushion, is made of a material harder than the rest of the body part 1 of the cushion. The channels 5 are provided in the cushion part 7 made of a harder material. The interface between the cushion part 7 made of a harder material and the part made of a softer material is shown schematically in Figure 7 by means of a broken line.

[0027] The above embodiments of the invention are not intended to restrict the invention in any way, but the invention may be modified freely within the scope of the claims.

Claims

2101277PC WO 2011/073513 PCT/FI2010/051026 6 CLAIMS

1. A cushion comprising a body part (1) made of a soft material and provided with a first surface (2), which is arranged to act as a support surface for the head, and a second surface (3), which is arranged to act as a surface that is supported against an underlying surface during use, the first surface (2) of the cushion being provided with a recess (4) for supporting the head and the second surface (3) of the cushion being provided with at least one channel (5) extending from the recess (4) to the edges of the cushion, the at least one channel (5) being supported by a separate support member (6), which is arranged to support the walls of the channels and thus to prevent the blocking of the channels during use, characterized in that the support member (6) is a detachable member.

2. A cushion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that there are four channels (5), which are arranged at an angle of 90 degrees to one another.

3. A cushion as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support member (6) is arranged to also support the recess (4) at least in the region of the channel ends.

4. A cushion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recess (4) is arranged to narrow in the depth direction.

5. A cushion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recess (4) is arranged to extend through the cushion.