JP7586470B2 - pillow - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pillow for providing stable support to the back of the head and neck of a subject.

In general, in order to maintain the height of the occipital support and neck support sections, the pillow, including the occipital support and neck support sections, is divided into separate compartments by sewing partition cloth like walls to prevent the filling materials in the occipital support and neck support sections from escaping to the left or right.

Figure 10 is a top perspective view of a conventional pillow. Note that in the following figures, front (below the head), back (above the head), left, and right refer to the directions as seen by a subject lying on his back.

In Fig. 10, the pillow is symmetrical from front to back and left to right, and is composed of an occipital support chamber 101 located in the center, neck support chambers 102 and 103 located symmetrically on the front and back sides of the occipital support chamber 101, and side-sleeping support chambers 104 and 105 located symmetrically on the left and right sides of the occipital support chamber 101 and the neck support chambers 102 and 103. In this case, each chamber 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 is partitioned by a wall-like lattice-structured partition cloth 106, and therefore, each chamber 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 is provided with openable and closable fasteners 101a, 102a, 103a, 104a, and 105a (only 104a and 105a are shown) to insert filling members. In other words, five fasteners are provided. Therefore, the height of each chamber 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of filling material, such as pipes, in each chamber 101, 102, 103, 104, 105. In particular, by adjusting the height of the side-sleeping support chambers 104, 105, the step between the occipital support chamber 101 and the side-sleeping support chambers 104, 105 is properly maintained, and as a result, the occipital region of the subject's head can easily move from the supine position to the lateral position, making it easier to turn over in bed.

However, in the conventional pillow shown in FIG. 10, the chambers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 are separated by a lattice-structured partition cloth 106, which creates the problem of high manufacturing costs due to the complex sewing work of the partition cloth 106 and the work of inserting filling members into each of the chambers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105.

In addition, once the filling material is inserted into the occipital support chamber 101, the height of the occipital support chamber 101 remains almost constant, and if this height is inappropriate, the amount of filling material must be adjusted by opening and closing the fastener each time.

Furthermore, if the difference in level between the occipital support chamber 101 and the side-sleeping support chambers 104, 105 becomes too large due to the amount of filling material inserted, making it difficult to turn over, there is also the issue that the amount of filling material must be adjusted by opening and closing the fastener each time.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the pillow of the present invention is a pillow having a rear edge, a front edge, a right edge and a left edge, and is equipped with a first partition cloth provided in a left-right intermediate portion between the right edge and the left edge within the pillow and formed concavely toward the front edge, a second partition cloth provided in the left-right intermediate portion between the first partition cloth and the front edge, formed concavely toward the front edge and open between the front edge, two third partition cloths provided between the occipital support chamber and the right edge and opening in a V-shape toward the right edge, and two fourth partition cloths provided between the occipital support chamber and the left edge and opening in a V-shape toward the left edge , the space between the first partition cloth and the second partition cloth defining an occipital support chamber, and the space between the second partition cloth and the front edge defining a neck support chamber.

According to the present invention, the first partition cloth and the second partition cloth are separated, which makes sewing easier and reduces manufacturing costs by making it easier to insert the filling member.Furthermore, the height of the occipital support chamber and the height of the neck support chamber can be stabilized to values corresponding to the weight of the subject's occipital head and neck, making it easier to turn over in bed.

1A and 1B show a first embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention, in which FIG. 2A and 2B are top views for explaining the operation of the pillow in FIG. 1, in which (A) shows the flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her back, and (B) shows the flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her side. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a modified example of the partition cloth of FIG. 1 . 1. FIG. 4 is a top view showing a modified example of the partition cloth that determines the shape of the occipital support chamber and the neck support chamber of FIG. 2A and 2B show a first modified example of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a top view and FIG. 2B is a front perspective view. 1A and 1B show a second modified example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A and 1B show a second embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention, in which FIG. 8A and 8B are top views for explaining the operation of the pillow in FIG. 7, in which (A) shows the flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her back, and (B) shows the flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her side. Photographs of the pillow in Figure 7, (A) being a top view and (B) being an oblique view. FIG. 1 is a top perspective view showing a conventional pillow.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention, where (A) is a top view and (B) is a front perspective view.

In FIG. 1, the pillow is symmetrical and surrounded by a rear edge E1, a front edge E2, a right edge E3, and a left edge E4. It is made up of an occipital support chamber 1 located in the center, a neck support chamber 2 located in front of the occipital support chamber 1, a right side-sleeping support chamber 3 located to the right of the occipital support chamber 1 and the neck support chamber 2, and a left side-sleeping support chamber 4 located to the left of the occipital support chamber 1 and the neck support chamber 2. Both the front and back sides of the pillow are made of elastic material such as knit. In addition, a single fastener 7 that can be opened and closed freely for filling a filling member such as a pipe is provided, for example, on the left edge E4 of the pillow.

A wall-shaped partition cloth 6-1 with a concave front side is sewn to the center of the pillow, and a wall-shaped partition cloth 6-2 with a concave front side is sewn between the front edge E1 of the pillow and the partition cloth 6-1. In this case, an open end S1 exists on the left and right sides between the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2. On the other hand, an open end S2 is provided on the left and right sides between the partition cloth 6-2 and the front edge E2. Furthermore, wall-shaped partition cloths 6-3-1 and 6-3-2 in a "V" shape with one open end S3 on the occipital support chamber 1 side and two open ends S3' on the right edge E3 side are sewn, and wall-shaped partition cloths 6-4-1 and 6-4-2 in a "V" shape with one open end S4 on the occipital support chamber 1 side and two open ends S4' on the right edge E4 side are sewn. The partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, and 6-4-2 are made of a sturdy material, such as fabric. Unlike the lattice-shaped partition cloth 106 in FIG. 10, the partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, and 6-4-2 are separate, and therefore sewing the partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, and 6-4-2 is easier than sewing the lattice-shaped partition cloth 106 in FIG. 10.

The occipital support chamber 1 is defined by the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2, and has open ends S1 on the left and right. The neck support chamber 2 is defined between the partition cloth 6-2 and the front edge E1, and has open ends S2 on the left and right. The right side-sleeping support chamber 3 is defined between the partition cloths 6-3-1 and 6-3-2 and the left edge E3, and has an open end S3 on the center side and two open ends S3' on the front and rear sides of the right edge E3. The left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is defined between the partition cloths 6-4-1 and 6-4-2 and the left edge E4, and has an open end S4 on the center side and two open ends S4' on the front and rear sides of the left edge E4. Therefore, the filling member is movable within the pillow. As a result, for example, it is easy to insert the filling member into the entire pillow via the fastener 7 provided on the left edge E4 of the left side-sleeping support chamber 4.

The width W1 of the open end S1 of the occipital support chamber 1 is increased to increase the fluidity of the filling material in the occipital support chamber 1, and the width W2 of the open end S2 of the neck support chamber 2 is decreased to decrease the fluidity of the filling material in the neck support chamber 2. In other words, W1>W2. Therefore, the flow of the filling material from the occipital support chamber 1 to the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is ensured while maintaining the expansion of the neck support chamber 2. In this case, the width W2 of the open end S2 of the neck support chamber 2 may be made as small as possible to strongly suppress the fluidity of the filling material in the neck support chamber 2.

In addition, the widths W3', W4' of the open ends S3', S4' of the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 are made smaller to reduce the fluidity of the filling material in the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4. In other words, W1>W3', W1>W4'. Therefore, the flow of filling material from the occipital support chamber 1 to the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is ensured while maintaining the expansion of the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4. In this case, the widths W3', W4' of the open ends S3', S4' of the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 may be made as small as possible to strongly suppress the fluidity of the filling material in the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4.

The flow of the filling material (e.g., pipes) of the pillow in Figure 1 is explained below.

The flow of the filling material when the subject lies on his/her back is shown in FIG. 2A. In the occipital support chamber 1, the weight of the subject's head causes the filling material to move mainly left and right from the center of the occipital support chamber 1 through the open end S1 formed by the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2, as shown by the arrow X. In this case, the flow of the filling material is appropriately suppressed by setting the width W1 of the open end S1 formed by the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2 to an appropriate size, and the center of the occipital support chamber 1 has a stable height depending on the weight of the subject's head. On the other hand, in the neck support chamber 2, the filling material also moves mainly left and right, as shown by the arrow Y. In this case, the width W2 of the open end S2 of the partition cloth 6-2 of the neck support chamber 2 is relatively small, and accordingly the flow of the filling material is strongly suppressed, and the center of the neck support chamber 2 does not drop in height much due to the weight of the subject's head and neck, and maintains a stable height.

The neck support chamber 2 supports the subject's neck. In this case, the human neck is flattened by the seven cervical vertebrae and the splenius capitis muscle. Therefore, as mentioned above, it is preferable to suppress the fluidity of the filling material in the neck support chamber 2 as much as possible to maintain a flat shape in order to eliminate irritation. For this reason, a three-dimensional molded fabric is combined as the lining of the knit pillow material to make the neck support chamber 2 even flatter.

The flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her side is shown in Figure 2 (B). In the side-sleeping support chambers 3, 4, the filling material moves mainly in the front-to-back direction, as shown by the arrow Z. In this case, the flow of the filling material is strongly suppressed according to the widths W3', W4' of the open ends S3', S4' of the partition cloths 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, 6-4-2, and the center of the side-sleeping support chambers 3, 4 remains at a stable height with only a small drop in height even under the weight of the subject's head. Therefore, the step between the occipital support chamber 1 and the side-sleeping support chambers 3, 4 is a stable value, making it easier to turn over in sleep.

As shown in FIG. 3A, one of the open ends S2 of the neck support chamber 2 may be closed with a partition cloth 6-2 to further suppress the fluidity of the filling material in the neck support chamber 2. However, both of the open ends S2 on the left and right sides of the neck support chamber 2 cannot be closed with the partition cloth 6-2. This is because it would be impossible to insert the filling material into the neck support chamber 2 where there is no fastener.

As shown in FIG. 3B, one or both of the open ends S3' (S4') of the side-lying support chamber 3 (4) may be closed with partition cloths 6-3-1 (6-3-2), 6-4-1 (6-4-2) to further suppress the fluidity of the filling material in the side-lying support chamber 3 (4). In this case, even if both open ends S3' (S4') are closed, the open end S3 (S4) still exists, so it is possible to insert the filling material.

Figure 4 is a top view showing modified examples of the partition cloths that determine the shapes of the occipital support chamber 1 and the neck support chamber 2 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 4 (A), the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2 may be triangular with respect to the front edge E2, and as shown in Figure 4 (B), the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2 may be stepped. In other words, the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2 can have various shapes as long as the open ends S1 and S2 can be secured.

Although not shown, the partition fabrics 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, and 6-4-2 can also be made in other shapes such as arcs, steps, etc., in addition to being straight.

In the first embodiment described above, the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 is provided with concave (V-shaped) partition cloths 6-3-1 and 6-3-2 on the right edge E3 side, and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is provided with concave (V-shaped) partition cloths 6-4-1 and 6-4-2 on the left edge E4 side, and the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 is defined between the partition cloths 6-3-1 and 6-3-2 and the right edge E3, and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is defined between the partition cloths 6-4-1 and 6-4-2 and the left edge E4. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the partition cloths 6-3-2 and 6-4-2 do not have to be provided. In this case, the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 is defined by the partition cloth 6-3-1, the front edge E2', and the right edge E3, and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is defined by the partition cloth 6-4-1, the front edge E2, and the left edge E4. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, it is not necessary to provide the partition cloths 6-3-1, 6-3-2 and the partition cloths 6-4-1, 6-4-2. In this case, the right side-sleeping support chamber 3 is defined between the occipital support chamber 1 and the neck support chamber 2 and the right edge E3, and the left side-sleeping support chamber 4 is defined between the occipital support chamber 1 and the neck support chamber 2 and the left edge E4.

Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of the pillow according to the present invention, where (A) is a top view and (B) is a front perspective view. In Figure 7, the open end S2 of the partition cloth 6-2 is not provided, so the height of the neck support chamber 2 is fixed. However, at least one open end S2 may be provided. Also, the partition cloths 6-3-2 and 6-4-2 in Figure 1 are omitted.

In Fig. 7, a wall-shaped partition cloth 6-5 with a concave front side is added almost parallel to the partition cloth 6-1 in Fig. 1. In this case, open ends S5 are provided on the left and right sides between the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-5 . The center distance between the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1 is smaller than the center distance between the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2.

The flow of the filling material (e.g., pipes) of the pillow in Figure 7 is explained below.

The flow of the filling material when the subject lies on his back is shown in FIG. 8 (A). In the occipital support chamber 1, the weight of the subject's head causes the filling material to move mainly left and right from the center of the occipital support chamber 1 through the open end S1 formed by the partition cloths 6-1 and 6-2, as shown by the arrow X. At the same time, between the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1, the weight of the subject's head causes the filling material to move from between the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1 toward the open end S5, as shown by the arrow U, but the amount of filling material moving in the direction of the arrow U is less than the amount of filling material moving in the direction of the arrow X. At this time, the amount of movement of the filling material between the rear edge E1 and the partition cloth 6-5 is small. As a result, the area between the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1 rises at an incline. Due to this inclination between the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1, the subject's head is stably maintained by the occipital support chamber 1.

The flow of the filling material when the subject is lying on his/her side is shown in Figure 8 (B). In this case too, in the side-sleeping support chambers 3 and 4, the filling material mainly moves in the front-to-back direction as shown by the arrow Z. In this case, the flow of the filling material is strongly suppressed according to the widths W3', W4' of the open ends S3', S4' of the partition cloths 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, and 6-4-2, and the center of the side-sleeping support chambers 3 and 4 remains at a stable height with only a small drop in height even under the weight of the subject's head. This makes it easier to turn over in bed.

Figure 9 shows photographs of the pillow in Figure 7, (A) is a top view, and (B) is an oblique view.

As shown in Figure 9, the partition cloths 6-5 and 6-1 rise at an angle.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, and 6-5 may also be triangular with respect to the front edge E2, and the partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, and 6-5 may also be stepped. In other words, the partition cloths 6-1, 6-2, and 6-5 can have various shapes as long as the open ends S1, S2, and S5 can be secured.

Although not shown, the partition fabrics 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, 6-4-2, and 6-5 can also be made in other shapes, such as arcs or steps, in addition to straight lines.

Also, in the second embodiment described above, the partition cloths 6-3-2 and 6-4-2 may be provided, and the partition cloths 6-3-1, 6-3-2 and the partition cloths 6-4-1 and 6-4-2 may not be provided.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to any modifications within the scope of the above-described embodiment.

1: Head support chamber 2: Neck support chamber 3: Right side-sleeping support chamber 4: Left side-sleeping support chamber 6-1, 6-2, 6-3-1, 6-3-2, 6-4-1, 6-4-2, 6-5: Partition cloth 7: Fastener E1: Rear edge E2: Front edge E3: Right edge E4: Left edge 101: Head support chamber 102, 103: Neck support chamber 104, 105: Side-sleeping support chamber 106: Partition cloth

Claims (13)

A pillow having a rear edge, a front edge, a right edge, and a left edge,
A first partition cloth is provided in a left-right intermediate portion between the right edge and the left edge of the pillow and is formed in a concave shape toward the front edge;
a second partition cloth provided between the first partition cloth and the front edge in the left-right intermediate portion, formed concavely toward the front edge, and open between the second partition cloth and the front edge;
Two third partition cloths are provided between the occipital support chamber and the right edge, and are opened toward the right edge in a V-shape;
Two fourth partition cloths are provided between the occipital support chamber and the left edge, and are opened toward the left edge in a V-shape.
Equipped with
The first partition cloth and the second partition cloth are open,
A rear head support chamber is defined between the first partition cloth and the second partition cloth,
A pillow defining a neck support chamber between the second partition cloth and the front edge. A right side-sleeping support chamber is defined between the third partition cloth and the right edge,
2. The pillow according to claim 1 , wherein a left side-sleeping support chamber is defined between the fourth partition cloth and the left edge. One or both of the front and rear ends between the right edge of the third partition cloth are open,
3. The pillow according to claim 2 , wherein one or both of the front and rear ends between the left edge of the fourth partition cloth are open. Both front and rear ends of the third partition cloth between the right edge and the front edge are closed,
3. The pillow according to claim 2 , wherein both front and rear ends of said fourth partition cloth between said left edge are closed. A pillow having a rear edge, a front edge, a right edge, and a left edge,
A first partition cloth is provided in a left-right intermediate portion between the right edge and the left edge of the pillow and is formed in a concave shape toward the front edge;
a second partition cloth provided between the first partition cloth and the front edge in the left-right intermediate portion, formed in a concave shape toward the front edge, and open between the second partition cloth and the front edge;
A third partition cloth is provided between the occipital support chamber and the right edge, and is spaced apart from the front edge toward the right edge;
A fourth partition cloth is provided between the occipital support chamber and the left edge, and is spaced apart from the front edge toward the left edge.
Equipped with
The first partition cloth and the second partition cloth are open,
A rear head support chamber is defined between the first partition cloth and the second partition cloth,
A pillow defining a neck support chamber between the second partition cloth and the front edge. The third partition cloth, the right edge, and the front edge define a right side-sleeping support chamber,
6. The pillow according to claim 5 , wherein a left side-sleeping support chamber is defined between said fourth partition cloth, said left edge and said front edge. The pillow according to claim 1 or 5 , wherein the third and fourth partition cloths extend in an arc shape, a straight line shape or a stepped shape when viewed from above. A pillow having a rear edge, a front edge, a right edge, and a left edge,
A first partition cloth is provided in a left-right intermediate portion between the right edge and the left edge of the pillow and is formed in a concave shape toward the front edge;
a second partition cloth provided between the first partition cloth and the front edge in the left-right intermediate portion, formed in a concave shape toward the front edge, and open between the second partition cloth and the front edge;
Equipped with
The first partition cloth and the second partition cloth are open,
A rear head support chamber is defined between the first partition cloth and the second partition cloth,
A neck support chamber is defined between the second partition cloth and the front edge,
Further, a fifth partition cloth is provided on the rear edge side of the first partition cloth substantially parallel to the rear edge side and formed in a concave shape toward the front edge,
The pillow between the first partition cloth and the fifth partition cloth has an upper surface that is inclined and rises from the first partition cloth toward the fifth partition cloth. The back head support chamber and the neck support chamber are spaced apart from the right edge to define a right side-sleeping support chamber,
9. The pillow according to claim 8 , wherein a left side-sleeping support chamber is defined between the occipital support chamber and the neck support chamber and the left edge. The left and right ends of the occipital support chamber are open as open ends,
9. The pillow according to claim 1 , 5 or 8 , wherein at least one of the left and right ends of the neck support chamber is open as an open end. The pillow according to claim 10 , wherein the width of the open end of the occipital support chamber is greater than the width of the open end of the neck support chamber. The pillow according to claim 1 , 5 or 8 , wherein each of the first and second partition cloths extends in an arc shape, a straight line shape or a stepped shape when viewed from above. A pillow having a rear edge, a front edge, a right edge, and a left edge,
A first partition cloth is provided in the left-right middle portion between the right edge and the left edge of the pillow, and is formed concave toward the front edge to define an occipital support chamber;
a fifth partition cloth provided substantially parallel to the rear edge side of the first partition cloth in the left-right direction intermediate portion and formed in a concave shape toward the front edge;
Equipped with
an upper surface of the pillow between the first partition cloth and the fifth partition cloth in the left-right intermediate portion is inclined and rises from the first partition cloth toward the fifth partition cloth;
moreover,
A third partition cloth is provided between the occipital support chamber and the right edge, and is spaced apart from the front edge toward the right edge;
A fourth partition cloth is provided between the occipital support chamber and the left edge, and is spaced apart from the front edge toward the left edge.
A pillow comprising:

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