Beds – Support means for discrete portion of user – useable with bed... – For head or neck
Patent
1998-09-29
1999-12-21
Melius, Terry Lee
Beds
Support means for discrete portion of user, useable with bed...
For head or neck
5645, 5643, A47G 900
Patent
active
060031778
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a pillow and in particular to a pillow to counteract obstructive sleep apnoea (USA), snoring and other breathing or posture problems during sleep.
Some pillows used for correcting head position while sleeping encourage people to sleep in supine position but sleeping lying upon the back creates breathing problems and can be dangerous for people suffering from OSA wherein the tongue and soft tissue fall back blocking airways or, in the case of snoring, the airway narrows. OSA sufferers need to sleep in side/coma or front positions to avoid or minimise these problems. Many conditions result in restless and disturbed sleep due to incorrect positioning of the head upon a pillow because many pillows do not allow for the natural movements of the head of a sleeping person. When in a side or coma sleeping position a sleeping person's face can turn into a pillow and become embedded, which causes pressure around the nose, upper cheek and eye areas. This pressure causes nasal obstruction and discomfort owing to the facial pressure and heat build up on cheeks in turn producing scrunch marks to these areas creating a cosmetic problem. Some people attempt to compensate for insufficient breathing space and discomfort by placing hands together under the head forming space between upper and lower arm. Pounding a temporary hollow in the pillow with one's fist is not a proper solution. Many people, particularly the elderly, have problems with stiffness and lack of flexibility of the cervical neck region of the spine. During sleep most therapeutic pillows result in a person's neck being held in an unnatural position to receive support and do not allow for natural movement of a person's head upon a pillow.
In further detail, problems which are associated with various kinds of conventional pillows are discussed below.
Soft-filled pillows are generally pillows filled with a soft material. If a user wishes to adopt the side/coma position the pillow is arranged so that the neck is supported, however, the face is inevitably embedded in the pillow. This causes obstruction of the nasal passage and mouth making it difficult to breathe. The uncomfortable pressure being exerted to the facial area around the upper cheek, eye and often ears produces a build up of heat on the face, especially in hot weather causing a feeling of restlessness. When asleep the neck relaxes and bends the chin towards the chest. When this happens this type of pillow does not provide good support for the chin and allows it to twist downwards. The strategy often used to alleviate one or more of these problems is for the user to bend the elbow and bring the hand up to rest the head, thereby elevating the head off the pillow. The space formed by the upper and lower arm creates a breathing space that enables the person to breathe without obstruction and reduces the pressure on the face. However, the arm eventually becomes tired and the blood flow often is restricted because of the bent elbow. Another way is for the user to put the face over the edge of the pillow if they wish to side or front sleep in an unobstructed breathing environment but they still experience the feeling of pressure. Both of these methods often result in very restless sleep and inevitably the body takes the line of least resistance and turns on the back. Though this may be comfortable for some, it is undesirable for snorers and possibly dangerous for obstructive sleep apnoea sufferers.
The main problem with molded foam pillows of conventional design is due to the inflexibility to adapt to individual differences. These pillows are usually designed with a hump for the neck support and a hollow or valley in the centre for the head section. This style may be suitable for some for back sleep but usually the neck is overstretched in this position which allows the jaw to open and in turn the tongue and soft tissue to fall backward, which results in snoring or the obstruction of the airway. If a user wishes to side sleep the neck must be held in a certain position to gain any b
REFERENCES:
patent: 1386652 (1921-08-01), Patton
patent: 2167622 (1939-08-01), Bentivoglio
patent: 2728926 (1956-01-01), Emery
patent: 3239854 (1966-03-01), Freedlander
patent: 3757365 (1973-09-01), Kretchmer
patent: 4118813 (1978-10-01), Armstrong
patent: 4197604 (1980-04-01), Nakamura
patent: 4207636 (1980-06-01), Ceriani
patent: 4287621 (1981-09-01), Kertz
patent: 4320543 (1982-03-01), Dixon
patent: 4375112 (1983-03-01), Leonhart
patent: 4536905 (1985-08-01), DeSantis
patent: 4726087 (1988-02-01), Schaefer et al.
patent: 4731891 (1988-03-01), Scheurer et al.
patent: 4752064 (1988-06-01), Voss
patent: 4759089 (1988-07-01), Fox
patent: 4777855 (1988-10-01), Cohen
patent: 4780920 (1988-11-01), White
patent: 4788728 (1988-12-01), Lake
patent: 4850067 (1989-07-01), Latorre
patent: 4899405 (1990-02-01), Rothbard
patent: 4908893 (1990-03-01), Smit
patent: 4908894 (1990-03-01), Sanders
patent: 4916765 (1990-04-01), Castronovo, Jr.
patent: 4918774 (1990-04-01), Popitz
patent: 4924540 (1990-05-01), Main
patent: 4996734 (1991-03-01), Rowe
patent: 5014377 (1991-05-01), Dixon
patent: 5027457 (1991-07-01), Sweet
patent: 5054143 (1991-10-01), Javaher
patent: 5084926 (1992-02-01), Wattie et al.
patent: 5123132 (1992-06-01), Dixon
patent: 5123133 (1992-06-01), Albert
patent: 5127117 (1992-07-01), Bridges
patent: 5138732 (1992-08-01), Wattie et al.
patent: 5163194 (1992-11-01), Dixon
patent: 5237714 (1993-08-01), Baron
patent: 5367731 (1994-11-01), O'Sullivan
patent: 5533218 (1996-07-01), Fahy
patent: 5557816 (1996-09-01), Pedersen et al.
patent: 5682633 (1997-11-01), Davis
Melius Terry Lee
Santos Robert G.
LandOfFree
Pillow does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Pillow, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pillow will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-493463