Beds – Support means for discrete portion of user – useable with bed... – For head or neck
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-03
2001-05-15
Grosz, Alexander (Department: 3628)
Beds
Support means for discrete portion of user, useable with bed...
For head or neck
C297S393000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The field has long been motivated to provide pillows for use when a person is sitting in repose. For example, over a century and a quarter ago Fast (U.S. Pat. No. 98,859) disclosed a device for supporting the head and upper spine of a user. The Fast device consists of a combination of an air-cushion placed at the back of a user's neck and two arm straps. The arm straps are tied to the user's arms and utilizes their weight as a counter-balance to assist in the support of the user's head. However, this combination encumbers a user's arms in order to accomplish its utility.
Later efforts in the field include the Thompson device (U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,707), which discloses a cradle-shaped pillow having a plurality of interior compartments, and a smaller-sized section for receiving the back of a user's neck. Kantor (U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,347) also discloses a head
eck cushion with a depressed section for receiving the back of a user's head. In contrast, Craig (U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,863) discloses a V-shaped pillow that increases in width toward the apex of the V-shape where the back of the user's neck is received. Davis et al. disclose a relatively stiff cushion for receiving only one side of a user's neck
These prior devices employ various structural elements and features in order to accomplish their utility. However, none of these cushion/pillow devices disclose or teach the use of a solid fill material which the user can insert or remove in order to either modify the firmness of the pillow, or to allow washing of the casing and replacement of the fill material. It would be beneficial to have a travel pillow for use when sitting in repose which combines simplicity of construction with the ability to adjust firmness and easily be cleaned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a travel pillow having a compact size and a U-shape for cradling the head and neck of a user while sitting in repose. The crotch of the U-shaped pillow fits around the user's neck sufficiently closely to hold the pillow in position. The travel pillow is particularly useful for supporting the head and neck of the user while sitting in an upright or semi-reclining position in a high-backed chair, such as those on an airplane, automobile, bus, or the like. Because the pillow has a substantially-uniform cross section, the pillow provides comforting support in a variety of head positions while the user is in repose.
The travel pillow comprises a U-shaped pillow body containing a fill material, and having a substantially uniform cross section around the U-shape of the pillow body. The two legs of the U-shaped body form a crotch between them and where they join at the base of the U-shape. The crotch defined by the two legs and the base of the U-shape is configured to receive the neck of a user sufficiently closely to hold the pillow body in position while in use. The present travel pillow utilizes a solid fill material (as opposed to being filled with air) to provide the substantially uniform cross section of the pillow body, and a closeable opening for adding or removing fill material.
The body of the travel pillow comprises a casing stuffed with a fill material. The casing defines the exterior surface of the pillow body. The interior surface of the casing defines the lumen or interior space of the pillow body. The lumen is a single, continuous interior compartment which contains the fill material of the pillow body. The casing comprises two fabric members of substantially the same size and shape. The fabric members of the casing typically are constructed of a washable, woven or knitted material. Materials suitable for practicing the fabric casing include man-made fibers, natural fibers, and combinations thereof, further including cottons, poly/cottons, fleeces, wools, flannels, etc.
The fabric members each have a perimeter edge and a horse-shoe or U-shape. The two fabric members contact and are connected to each other at their perimeter edges by a seam around their perimeter edges. The seam may be sewn together or sealed together in some other fashion compatible with the type of fabric involved. For example, some fabrics may be heat sealed together, while others may be glued. An appropriate fabric and method of connecting the perimeter seams of the members together is selectable by the ordinary skilled artisan.
One of the fabric casing members has a closeable opening set into it, the opening being removed from the perimeter edge of the fabric member. The opening is located on the fabric member along a chord removed from the perimeter edge in the crotch section of the horseshoe or U-shaped fabric member. The opening of the fabric member is made reversibly closeable by any of a number of means known to one of ordinary skill in the art, including zipper closures, buttons or snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, laces, etc. The opening and the means for opening and closing the opening is covered with a fly.
The lumen of the pillow body casing is a single, continuous interior compartment. The lumen is packed with a sufficient amount of fill material to provide the substantially uniform cross section around the U-shape of the body. The fill material can be any of a variety of fibrous or fluent materials selectable by the ordinary skilled artisan for stuffing in a pillow. It is intended that the fill material be biologically inert to reduce the opportunity for the growth of germs, molds or fungi on the fill material. Also, it is intended that the fill material be washable and/or replaceable by the user. Appropriate biologically inert fill materials include polystyrene, polyester, and similar man-made materials.
REFERENCES:
patent: 98859 (1870-01-01), Fast
patent: 1212515 (1917-01-01), Leavitt
patent: 1349258 (1920-08-01), Blocksom
patent: 2336707 (1943-12-01), Thompson
patent: 2522120 (1950-09-01), Kaskby et al.
patent: 3241161 (1966-03-01), Dashosm
patent: 3327330 (1967-06-01), McCullough
patent: 4060863 (1977-12-01), Craig
patent: 4139920 (1979-02-01), Evans
patent: 4345347 (1982-08-01), Kantor
patent: 4679262 (1987-07-01), Davis
patent: 4783866 (1988-11-01), Simmons et al.
patent: 6009577 (2000-01-01), Day
patent: 838455 (1960-06-01), None
Silver Abbye M.
Wolf Jeffrey M.
Grosz Alexander
Pernia Sherman D.
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