Beds – Support means for discrete portion of user – useable with bed... – For head or neck
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2001-11-27
Santos, Robert G. (Department: 3628)
Beds
Support means for discrete portion of user, useable with bed...
For head or neck
C005S643000, C005S645000, C005S639000, C005S944000, C005S951000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321402
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disposable pillow, and more particularly to a disposable pillow made of pulp through vacuum molding for use by a person, especially a patient, for a short period of time in hospital to avoid possible infection by contact with survived bacteria on the hospital-supplied pillow.
While the biochemical industry makes rapid and high developments of many different medicines, there are more and more types of bacteria developed strong ability to resist such medicines and extremely severe environment. That is why there are so many diseases that are still beyond our medical control.
A hospital is, on the one hand, a place at where patients are treated and, on the other hand, a public place being most dangerously subjected to harmful bacteria. There are patients who are infected with other disease while they are in hospital to accept treatment for a previously infected disease. And this occurs in part due to the patient's weak physical conditions that subject the patient to infection with bacteria existing in the hospital.
Diseases propagate through many ways. A patient might be infected by air, direct contact, blood, secretion or food. And a patient in hospital would inevitably use bedclothes and pillows supplied by the hospital. These bedclothes and pillows are not absolutely bacteria-free even though they have been properly sterilized. Taking the pillow as an example, it is an item closest to the patient's mouth and nose and is therefore a most possible way by which the patient's digestive and respiratory systems are infected. It is therefore most preferable that a patient prepares at least the pillow for his or her own use in the hospital.
A pillow having been used by a patient in the hospital is naturally not suitable for bringing home after the patient is out of hospital. Such pillow should preferably be properly disposed in the hospital to avoid unnecessary infection. Therefore, it is preferable to provide an economical and disposable pillow for use in hospital to protect the patient from infection with other diseases without forming an economic burden to the patient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a disposable pillow that is made of recyclable pulp and is therefore low in cost and price.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable pulp-molded pillow that is designed for economical use only by one patient during the period in hospital to avoid infection by contacting with a hospital-supplied pillow on which there might still be survived bacteria.
To achieve the above and other objects, the disposable pulp-molded pillow according to the present invention mainly includes an open-bottomed hollow outer body and preferably an inner support having a plurality of upright ridge portions. The outer body has a top surface within which a smoothly curved recess is formed for comfortably supporting a patient's head. The inner support is adapted to be positioned in and below the outer body with upper ends of the ridge portions fitly contacting with and therefore firmly supporting an underside of the top surface of the outer body, preventing the top surface from downward collapsed when a patient's head is supported thereat.
The outer body and the inner support of the pillow of the present invention are dried at high temperature when they are vacuum molded and then pressed with suitable machine to obtain smooth outer surface and dense and strong structure.
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Liauh W. Wayne
Santos Robert G.
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