JP7788124B2 - cushion - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cushion that can be used while a person is lying down, and more specifically, to a cushion that allows a person to use a smartphone or the like while lying down on their stomach.

A variety of cushions have been proposed for use by people lying down on the floor.

For example, Patent Document 1 below proposes a cushion that includes an egg-shaped, stretchable bag and foam beads that are filled inside the bag. With this configuration, the cushion can be deformed to fit the shape of the body when sitting, making it possible to use the cushion in a variety of positions, such as lying on your back, stomach, or side.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-176499

However, such cushions pose problems in the following cases:

For example, when using a smartphone or tablet device or reading while lying face down, it is necessary to support the chest with a cushion and keep the face at a certain distance, allowing the arms to move freely. However, if the cushion is large enough to encase the entire body, when using it while lying face down, the elbows will rest on the cushion, raising the position of the elbows and bringing the smartphone or other device too close to the face.

On the other hand, if the cushion is made smaller so that the arms can be extended outwards to hug the cushion, the cushion will be too soft and will not be able to support the chest or face at a high position, so the weight will have to be supported by the elbows. This not only causes the elbows to hit the floor hard, causing pain, but also causes the shoulders and upper arms to protrude from both sides of the cushion, leading to problems such as fatigue building up in the upper arms when using a smartphone or similar device for long periods of time.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cushion that can firmly support the chest and upper arms when used while lying face down, while leaving both arms free to easily operate a smartphone or other device.

In other words, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the cushion of the present invention is a cushion comprising a base surface that comes into contact with the floor surface, an inclined surface that is inclined relative to the base surface, and a first wide portion that is provided on the upper side of the inclined surface and has a width in the left-right direction that is wider than the width of the central part of the inclined surface, and below the first wide portion is provided a narrow region that is narrower in left-right width than the first wide portion .

With this configuration, the entire chest of a person can be supported by the inclined surface, and the wide section at the top can support the shoulders, etc., reducing the strain on the elbows when used in a prone position. Moreover, the lower side of the wide section can be made relatively narrow, making it easier to use a smartphone or other device by passing your arm through the narrow area below .

In the invention, a curved portion having a curved surface in the left-right direction is provided in the center portion in the left-right direction of the first wide portion .

With this configuration, the neck and chin can be placed on the curved portion and supported over a wide area, making it possible to support the neck, chin, etc. comfortably.

Furthermore, a second wide portion having a width in the left-right direction wider than that of the central portion of the inclined surface is provided below the central portion of the inclined surface.

This configuration allows the second wide portion to be pressed down by the floor and the person's chest, allowing the cushion to be used in a secure and stable state.

According to the present invention, the entire chest of a person can be supported by the inclined surface, and the wide portion provided on the upper side can support the shoulders, etc., so that the burden on the elbows can be reduced when used in a prone position. Moreover, because the lower side of the wide portion can be made relatively narrow, it is possible to put the arm through the narrow area below , making it easier to operate a smartphone, etc.

1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of a cushion according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 shows a first use state of the embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a second use state of the embodiment. 1 shows a front view, left and right side views, a plan view, and a bottom view of the same embodiment.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figure 2, the cushion 1 of this embodiment is designed to support the upper body, including the chest, when a person is lying face down and operating a smartphone or tablet device, reading, etc., and is made of a relatively elastic material, such as polystyrene foam or urethane foam, that is resistant to deformation.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, this cushion 1 is configured with a base surface 2 that rests on the floor, an inclined surface 3 that is inclined relative to the base surface 2, an upper surface 31 provided at the top end of the inclined surface 3, an upright surface 5 that extends vertically downward from the upper surface 31, and side surfaces 4 provided on both sides of the inclined surface 3. This wedge-shaped configuration allows a user to operate a smartphone or the like in front of the upright surface 5 by placing their chest on the inclined surface 3, stretching both arms forward from the side surfaces 4, and resting their chin on the upper surface 31, as shown in Figure 2. This embodiment will be described in detail below.

First, the base surface 2 is a flat surface that is placed on a floor such as a wooden floor and is configured to have a width of approximately 30 cm to 60 cm from side to side and a front to back dimension of approximately 40 cm to 60 cm. Note that these dimensions are not limited to these and are set based on the average user's body size.

On the other hand, the inclined surface 3, which is inclined relative to the base surface 2, is angled to support the chest of a person lying face down with their elbows raised, reducing the strain on the parts of their elbows that are in contact with the ground. For example, the average inclination angle is set in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. Note that the average inclination angle here refers to the angle of the line connecting the rear end (lower end) and front end (upper end) of the inclined surface 3, and includes cases where the center of the inclined surface 3 is concave or convex.

The upper end of this inclined surface 3 is formed with an upper surface portion 31 (see Figures 1 and 4) on which a person's face and chin can be placed, and is also provided with a first wide portion 61 that can support the area near the person's shoulders and the base of the upper arms. This first wide portion 61 is wider in the left-right direction than the central portion of the inclined surface 3, and is provided to protrude approximately 10 cm to 15 cm in the left-right direction. This provides light support near the base of the person's upper arms, lightly supporting the arms and reducing contact of the elbows with the floor.

On the other hand, the upper surface 31 of this first wide portion 61 is formed at an angle closer to horizontal than the inclination angle of the inclined surface 3, and has a curved portion 32 that curves downward in the center. This curved portion 32 is designed to allow a person's chin or neck to rest on it; by resting the chin or neck on this, the contact area with the chin or neck is increased, reducing pressure.

In addition, in this embodiment, a second wide portion 62, which is wider in the left-right direction than the central portion, is also provided on the rear end (lower side) of the inclined surface 3. This second wide portion 62 prevents the wedge-shaped cushion 1 from tipping over in the left-right direction when in use, and is sandwiched between the lower back and the floor surface to stabilize the upright position. Like the first wide portion 61, this second wide portion 62 also protrudes approximately 10 to 15 cm in the left-right direction.

On the other hand, the side portions 4 provided on both sides of this inclined surface 3 form the side surfaces connecting the first wide portion 61 and the second wide portion 62, and furthermore, a narrow area 61A that is narrower left and right than the first wide portion 61 is provided below the first wide portion 61. By providing this narrow area 61A, it is possible to pass an arm through this part and operate a smartphone or the like in front of the standing surface 5 that stands upright relative to the floor.

Next, a first method of using the cushion 1 configured in this manner will be explained using Figure 2.

When using this cushion 1, first place the base surface 2 on a floor such as a wooden floor, and tilt the inclined surface 3 relative to the floor.

With the cushion 1 placed in this manner, the user lies face down with their chest in contact with the inclined surface 3. At this time, the user's chin, neck, etc. should be on the curved portion 32 formed on the upper surface 31, and the shoulders and the areas near the base of the upper arms should be on the first wide portion 61. Furthermore, the user's lower back presses against the second wide portion 62 below the inclined surface 3, stabilizing the inclined surface 3 of the cushion 1 at a small angle.

In this way, the user can hold and operate a smartphone or other device while lying face down. Because the face is supported at a high position, the smartphone can be kept away from the face. The inclined surface 3 fully supports the chest, and the first wide portion 61 supports the shoulders and the area near the base of the upper arms, reducing arm fatigue and elbows hitting the floor when using a smartphone or other device for long periods of time.

Next, a second method of using the cushion 1 configured in this manner will be explained using Figure 3.

In the first method of use described above, the inclined surface 3 is inclined at an angle of approximately 10 to 30 degrees, but in this second method of use, the standing surface 5 is placed in contact with the floor, and the inclined surface 3 is inclined at an angle of 60 to 80 degrees.

When using in this second method, place the standing surface 5 on the floor or similar, and press the base surface 2 against a room wall, bed frame, etc.

The cushion 1 can then be used as a backrest in this upright position. The first wide portion 61 applies pressure to the area around the lower back, while the curved portion 32 can be used to avoid contact with the spine. The second wide portion 62 of the inclined surface 3 can also support the area around the user's shoulders, and the second wide portion 62 can be sandwiched between the wall and the shoulders to stabilize the cushion 1.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the cushion 1 includes a base surface 2 that contacts the floor, an inclined surface 3 that is inclined relative to the base surface 2, and a first wide portion 61 that is provided above the inclined surface 3 and has a width in the left-right direction that is wider than the width of the central portion of the inclined surface 3. The narrow region 61A, which is narrower in left-right direction than the first wide portion 61, is provided below the first wide portion 61. This allows the inclined surface 3 to support the entire chest of a person, and the first wide portion 61 provided above the narrow region 61 to support the shoulders, etc. This reduces strain on the elbows when used while lying face down. Furthermore, because the narrow region 61A below the first wide portion 61 is relatively narrow, it is possible to place an arm through it to easily operate a smartphone, etc.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various ways.

For example, in the above embodiment, the angle of the inclined surface 3 is set to approximately 10 to 30 degrees, but this is not limited to this, and the amount of left-right protrusion of the first wide portion 61 and the second wide portion 62 is not limited to the above-mentioned amount of protrusion.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the upper surface 31 is provided with a concave curved portion 32, but the upper surface 31 may be flat and provided with an elastic material to improve cushioning.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second wide portion 62 is provided, but the second wide portion 62 may not be provided.

In addition, while the above embodiment is designed to use the chair with the base surface 2 in contact with the floor, the inclined surface 3 may also be in contact with the floor, with the user's chest in contact with the base surface 2. In this case, by using the chair with the elbows or arms resting on the first wide portion 61, which is located on the floor side, the strain on the elbows, arms, etc. can be reduced.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an upper surface portion 31 is provided, but this upper surface portion 31 may not be provided and the inclined surface 3 may be provided directly to the upper side.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the upright surface 5 is erected at a substantially right angle to the base surface 2, but the central portion of this upright surface 5 may also be curved.

1: Cushion 2: Base surface 3: Inclined surface 31: Upper surface portion 32: Curved portion 4: Side portion 5: Standing surface 61: First wide portion
61A...Narrow area
62...Second wide section

Claims (3)

a base surface that contacts the floor surface;
an inclined surface provided so as to be inclined with respect to the base surface;
a first wide portion provided on an upper side of the inclined surface, the first wide portion having a width in the left-right direction wider than the width of a central portion of the inclined surface ,
The cushion is characterized in that a narrow region having a width narrower than that of the first wide portion is provided below the first wide portion. 2. The cushion according to claim 1 , wherein a curved portion having a curved surface in the left-right direction is provided in a central portion in the left-right direction of the first wide portion . 2. The cushion according to claim 1, wherein a second wide portion having a width in the left-right direction wider than that of the central portion of the inclined surface is provided below the central portion of the inclined surface.