Patent Application
20240065460
This application relates to an arm-positioning cushion and pillow for improving sleep performance and resting comfort of a person who generally sleeps prone or on their side
Generally, the quality and quantity of sleep affects mental and physical health and feelings of well being. Many individuals prefer to sleep on their side (“side sleepers”) or in a side/prone position rather than in a complete prone or complete supine position. This side sleeper preference is primarily for comfort, although may also be preferred due to improved quality and quantity of sleep which may improve mental and physical health aspects such as obesity, impairment to sleep quality due to mild sleep apnea and/or snoring, habit, or illness among other reasons. Accordingly, there remains a desire to improve the quality and quantity of sleep a person may obtain. In particular there remains a continuing need to provide a sleeper improved and greater flexibility in slide sleeping positions while maintaining and/or improving support and comfort to help a sleeper maintain a sleep position such as by limiting or reducing compression of the sleeper's upper extremities.
Traditional pillows do not adequately provide for a sleeper's needs or comfort. When a sleeper's head, or head and pillow, rest on the arm and/or shoulder (especially after extended periods of recumbence) pain, dysesthesias and paresthesias frequently occur. This discomfort and annoyance due to these conditions may cause the side sleeper to change positions frequently, causing the sleeper to awaken, and thereby diminish the quality and quantity of sleep. Chronic restlessness and wakefulness may lead to sleep deprivation with subsequent diurnal fatigue, depression and other side effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,586 discloses an arm-positioning pillow. While the disclosure of the '586 patent represented an improvement in the state of the art at the time, there remains a continuing need to provide an improved arm-positioning pillow with additional comfort and easier access to position the arm into the pillow
In one aspect of the present invention, an arm positioning pillow is provided. The pillow includes a pillow top portion for supporting a sleeper's head. The pillow top portion includes a top surface and a generally planar lower surface and the pillow top portion is formed from a material having a first resiliency. The pillow also includes a plurality of separate base portions adjacent the pillow top portion lower surface for supporting the pillow top portion and formed from a material having a second resiliency that is less than the first resiliency of the pillow top portion material to support the pillow top portion. The base portions are positioned to define a first recess extending at a first angle from one inlet formed below a first front edge of the pillow top portion towards a first rear edge of the pillow top portion and a second recess extending at a second angle divergent to the first angle, from the one inlet formed below the first front edge of the pillow top portion towards the first rear edge of the pillow top portion, so that an arm of the sleeper is repositionable between the first recess and the second recess relative to the sleeper's head without removing the arm of the sleeper from the positioning pillow. The pillow further includes an access notch formed in the first front edge of the pillow top portion, wherein the access notch is located adjacent the one inlet to enable the arm of the sleeper to access the inlet from the top of the pillow top portion.
In another aspect of the present invention, an arm positioning pillow is provided. The pillow includes a pillow top portion for supporting a sleeper's head. The pillow top portion includes a top surface and a generally planar lower surface and the pillow top portion is formed from a material having a first resiliency. The pillow also includes a plurality of separate base portions adjacent the pillow top portion lower surface for supporting the pillow top portion and formed from a material having a second resiliency that is less than the first resiliency of the pillow top portion material to support the pillow top portion. The base portions are positioned to define a first recess extending at a first angle from one inlet formed below a first front edge of the pillow top portion towards a first rear edge of the pillow top portion and a second recess extending at a second angle divergent to the first angle, from the one inlet formed below the first front edge of the pillow top portion towards the first rear edge of the pillow top portion, so that an arm of the sleeper is repositionable between the first recess and the second recess relative to the sleeper's head without removing the arm of the sleeper from the positioning pillow. One or more of the base portions includes a second rear edge that extends to the first rear edge of the pillow top portion and is flushed with the first rear edge of the pillow top portion.
Other aspects of the arm positioning pillow will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations in addition to the described example embodiments. Thus, the following more detailed description of the example embodiments, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments, as claimed, but is merely representative of example embodiments.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obfuscation. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain example embodiments.
Throughout the present description, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “forward”, “rear”, and “rearward” shall define directions or orientations with respect to the pillow as illustrated in
Referring to
With particular reference to
A first recess 241 is defined by the left front lower portion 221L and the left rear lower portion 225L. A second recess 242 is defined by the right front lower portion 221R and the right rear lower portion 225R. An inlet 243 is formed below the front edge 301 of the pillow top portion 300 and located at the front of the first and second recesses 241, 242. The first recess 241 extends at a first angle from the inlet 243 towards a rear edge 229 of the pillow top portion 300. The second recess 242 extends at a second angle divergent to the first angle, from the inlet 243 towards the rear edge 229 of the pillow top portion 300, so that an arm of the sleeper is repositionable between the first recess 241 and the second recess 242 relative to the sleeper's head without removing the arm of the sleeper from the positioning pillow 100. The first and second recesses 241 and 242, respectively, define a recess that is shown as being preferably angled (i.e., substantially “v” shaped) in this embodiment and which allows an arm of the side sleeper to pass at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from the X-direction, which may be a direction of sleep of a user of the pillow 100 including a side sleeper, as represented by the line X-X in
Alternatively, it should be noted that the sleeper may optionally use the pillow 100 from either side of the direction of sleep X-X thereby providing even greater flexibility in adjusting the performance and comfort of the pillow 100 by providing the sleeper greater flexibility in the position of the sleeper's arms. Even more optimally, the sleeper may optionally use the pillow to achieve a better balance of performance factors that will provide a side sleeper with a more optimal sleeping experience and comfort and will provide a more sound and restful sleep.
Access notch or cut out 304 is formed in the front edge 301 of the pillow top portion 300 at the center of the front edge 301 of the pillow top portion 300. The access notch 304 is located adjacent the inlet 243 to enable the arm of the sleeper to access the inlet 243 from the top of the pillow top portion 300. The access notch 304 may extend rearwardly to the inlet 243.
Except at the notch 304, the front edges 223 of the left and right front lower portions 221L, 221R are offset inwardly or rearwardly from the front edge 301 of the pillow top portion 300 at a distance that is more than the width of the narrowest portion of the first and second recesses 241, 241. In other words, the front edge 301 of the pillow top portion 300 extends forwardly from the front edge 223 of the closest base portion to the front edge 301 at a distance that is more than the width of the narrowest portion of the first and second recesses.
Although various embodiments of the disclosed arm-positioning cushion and pillow have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.
