Beds – Support means for discrete portion of user – useable with bed... – For head or neck
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-15
2004-01-06
Grosz, Alexander (Department: 3673)
Beds
Support means for discrete portion of user, useable with bed...
For head or neck
C005S646000, C128S845000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06671907
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sleep apnea avoidance process and apparatus and especially to a sleep apnea avoidance process utilizing a pillow shaped to hold the face of a person resting on the pillow facing downwards at a predetermined angle.
There are several types of sleep apnea but in each type people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep. In sleep apnea, a person's brain will briefly arouse the person from sleep in order for them to resume breathing. This results in a fragmented and poor quality sleep. An untreated sleep apnea can cause cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, stroke, headaches and high blood pressure. Sleep apnea is very common in the U.S. and can occur at any age but special risk factors include being male, overweight, and over forty years old.
In the past, there have been a great variety of pillow shapes for positioning a person's head in a predetermined position for a variety of reasons. The U.S. Patent to Shaffer No. 6,128,797 is for a face down tanning and massage pad made of an inflatable plastic or rubber material or solid foam material with a center opening and ventilation for holding a person's head in a downward position. The Armstrong U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,813 is a sleep training pillow for the prevention of snoring and is designed to train a person to sleep in a position which prevents snoring. The pillow has a pillow support surface and a face support surface. The face support surface is inclined downward from a high end to a low end and a relief cavity is cut out near the low end of the pillow. In the Tommaney U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,551, an arched shape pillow apparatus is provided with an ear accommodation. In the Hartunian U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,035, a head support for a person lying in a prone position is provided which supports the patient's head at the chin and forehead and includes a side opening for an anesthetist to view a patient's face for passage of an endotracheal or other tube used during surgery. The Treace U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,831 shows a medical head support for a variety of uses in hospitals. The pillow has two inwardly angled portions along with a cutout and a hole to position the head facing upward or downward or to one side. A variety of U.S. design patents include many different shaped pillows, many with angled sides including the Larsen patent No. D215,536 for a Pillow and the Winston patent No. D236,062 for a Face Pillow and the Righini patent No. D282,803 for a Head Rest. Other U.S. design patents include the McDonald D340,380 for a Pillow for Separating Knees and the Pierce et al. design patent D343,754 for a Pyramid Shaped Pillow Set and the Marrone, II et al. design patent D414,974 for a Face Down Cushion. Other U.S. design patents include the Blackhurst patent No. D441,823 for a Practice Platform and the Miller U.S. Patent D442,006 for an Assembly of Pregnancy Support Pillows.
The present invention is directed towards a sleep apnea avoidance process and apparatus which supports the head in a position to keep the jaw from moving back with the head supported face down on the pillow and held in place by gravity and by the positioning of the arm through an arm cutout.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A sleep apnea avoidance process includes selecting a pillow having a pair of sides, each angled at a predetermined angle and shaped to hold a person's head face down on one side thereof. The selected pillow has a pair of arm openings thereunder to position a person's arm to assist in holding a person's head face down on the pillow angle side such that the user can use one or the other arms when placing the head on one or the other angled side of the pillow. The process includes resting on one of the pillow's angled sides with one arm placed through the arm opening whereby jaw movement and sleep apnea are avoided.
REFERENCES:
patent: D215536 (1969-10-01), Larsen
patent: 3694831 (1972-10-01), Treace
patent: 3883906 (1975-05-01), Sumpter
patent: D236062 (1975-07-01), Winston
patent: 4118813 (1978-10-01), Armstrong
patent: D282803 (1986-03-01), Righini
patent: 5214814 (1993-06-01), Eremita et al.
patent: D340380 (1993-10-01), McDonald
patent: 5269035 (1993-12-01), Hartunian
patent: D343754 (1994-02-01), Pierce et al.
patent: 5579551 (1996-12-01), Tommaney
patent: 5604944 (1997-02-01), Meade
patent: 5644809 (1997-07-01), Olson
patent: D414974 (1999-10-01), Marrone, II et al.
patent: 6128797 (2000-10-01), Shaffer
patent: D441823 (2001-05-01), Blackhurst
patent: D442006 (2001-05-01), Miller
patent: D471050 (2003-03-01), Haubner
Grosz Alexander
Hobby, III William M.
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