Therapeutic pillow

Details Therapeutic pillow Therapeutic pillow

1998-11-06

2001-03-20

Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)

Beds

Support for users body or part thereof

Removable support specially adapted for seating

C005S654000, C005S909000, C297S452260

Reexamination Certificate

active

06202234

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a therapeutic pillow. More particularly, the present invention relates to a therapeutic pillow for sitting upon that supports the tail bone and cradles the buttocks for assuring that support for the tail bone is held securely in place.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the most debilitating ailments that human beings must endure is back pain. It can become so severe that people are unable to walk or make any movement without suffering tremendous discomfort. Even mild lower back pain can make it difficult to perform daily tasks.
Back problems are the single most costly work place injury. Office workers are especially vulnerable to back injuries and muscle disorders due to the long hours they spend sitting down. In 1990, back cases represented 32% of all workers' compensation claims, and the average cost of back claims was 50% higher than that of other work-related injuries. Further, according to a recent study, the risk of a disabling episode of back pain is so common that nearly 80% of adults experience one or more episodes during their life times.
In early years, consumers spent a substantial amount of money on medical products and prescription drugs in an attempt to reduce lower back pain. One of the biggest problems with pain medicine is that it can inflict an assortment of side effects that can leave the user feeling drowsy and unable to function normally.
Millions of people have suffered lower back pain for many years. In most. cases, the products that are already on the market fail to provide substantial relief.
Numerous innovations for back devices have been provided in the prior art. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a therapeutic pillow for sitting on that supports the tail bone and cradles the buttocks for assuring the support for the tail bone is held securely in place.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,568 to Baxter et al. teaches a pressure exerting device comprising a resilient wedge shaped member and modified U-shape air bladder which may be filled to a selected air pressure and exerts a pre-selected pressure in a uniform manner over selected lumbar and sacroiliac areas of the body.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,727 to Sheppard teaches a reversible seat supplement, or seat cushion and/or backrest, that includes upper and lower portions which are both contoured, generally concave on one side and convex on the other side; and a keyhole shaped opening including an enlarged opening toward the rear at the base of the spine and the coccyx, and a narrow slot for the anal and urogenital triangle region extending forward to a point more than half way across the seat. Wedge shaped openings angling forward and outward from the central portion of the seat avoid pressure on the sciatic nerves. An optional front vertical opening may be provided to receive a container for a cup of coffee or the like. Bulky material from the seat or the backrest prevent the backrest from flopping forward onto the seat, thus limiting normal folding of the seat back to about 90 degrees from the horizontal seat/pad. The seat back has optional devices to adjust the lumbar pressure. The seat and back portions have a device for alternately combining the reverse sides of the opposite portions to achieve a more personally sizable unit, with the option to use either portion separately as singular reversible unit.
STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,427 to Pagano et al. teaches a birthing board which is portable, simple, and inexpensive. The birthing board has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end and a back end with the front end being substantially thicker than the back end, so that the top surface is generally inclined from the back end to the front end. The top surface is curved to provide lumbar and pelvic support along a central axis which extends from the front end to the back end, and has a concave shape to support a woman's buttocks and hips in the vicinity of the front end and in a dimension transverse to the central axis. The front end is recessed in the vicinity of the central axis. The bottom surface of the board is convex in shape in a dimension transverse to the central axis and generally level in dimension parallel to the central axis.
YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,545 to Jolley teaches an orthopedic seat cushion for permitting free circulation and protecting the user's coccyx comprising a unitary body formed of expanded polymeric foam and a skin enclosing said foam is disclosed.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,355 to Franzen Jr. teaches an orthopedic pillow for helping to correct and helping to prevent hyperkyphosis and rigidity of the thoracic spine and for returning the normal lordotic cervical curve that comprises a base panel having a first end portion, a second end portion, a left top surface segment extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a right top surface segment extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, a first crown for supporting the thoracic spine, the first crown being formed on the first end portion of the base panel, extending toward the second end portion of the base panel, and dividing at least partially the left top surface segment from the right top surface segment, and a transition ramp formed in the first end portion of the first crown for supporting the spine just under and below the shoulder blades of a reclining person. Other embodiments of the invention include a cylindrical pillow having a transition ramp, a removable pillow apparatus for supporting the neck of a person sitting in a bucket seat of a car, and a chair having a pillow having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape with a center axis that extends between its upper end portion and its lower end portion.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,239 to Franzen Jr. teaches an orthopedic pillow for helping to correct and helping to prevent hyperkyphosis and rigidity of the thoracic spine and for returning the normal lordotic cervical curve that comprises a base panel having a first end portion, a second end portion, a left top surface segment extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a right top surface segment extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, a first crown for supporting the thoracic spine, the first crown being formed on the first end portion of the base panel, extending toward the second end portion of the base panel, and dividing at least partially the left top surface segment from the right top surface segment, and a transition ramp formed in the first end portion of the first crown for supporting the spine just under and below the shoulder blades of a reclining person. Other embodiments of the invention include a cylindrical pillow having a transition ramp, a removable pillow apparatus for supporting the neck of a person sitting in a bucket seat of a car, and a chair having a pillow having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape with a center axis that extends between its upper end portion and its lower end portion.
FINALLY, STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,153 to Pliska teaches a tailbone cushion to eliminate discomfort of patients afflicted with hemorrhoids, fissure, damaged coccyges (tailbone) or the like associated with sitting on hard surfaces. The tail bone cushion of the present invention consists of a cushion section having front, rear and side edges and generally flat top and generally flat top and bottom surfaces. The cushion section has a cutout centrally disposed in the rear edge providing said cushion section with a U-shaped configuration. The cutout is sized and located to eliminate contact between the patient's tailbone and either the cushion or the surface underneath the cushion. The cushion section is preferably tapered in thickness and firmness from r

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