Patent Application
20240057773
Embodiments are related to cushions configured to support a reclining person's body without contact between the cushion and selected parts of the person's body.
Some medical procedures using incisions, abrasion, electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, acoustic energy, or injections may lead to swelling or inflammation of part of a person's body. Swelling or inflammation may also result from illness, infection, trauma, implants, or other conditions. It may be preferable to avoid applying contact pressure to the inflamed or swollen area for a period of time from a few hours to several weeks to enable a person to rest comfortably and to support recovery of the affected area.
For a person who has experienced trauma or had a medical procedure performed in the gluteal region of the body, sitting on an ordinary seat cushion or sleeping on one's back on an ordinary mattress may cause uncomfortable or medically disadvantageous contact pressure between the cushion or mattress and the inflamed or swollen gluteal region. The gluteal region may be considered to include parts of the body posterior to the pelvic girdle between the lower back and the perineum, for example the left and right gluteal muscles and nearby skin, adipose tissue, ligaments, arteries, veins, and nerves. The gluteal region may also be referred to as the buttocks.
For a person who has possibly had a procedure performed in the gluteal region and/or one or more procedures performed in the area of the chest, abdomen, or breasts, sleeping on one's stomach may case uncomfortable or medically disadvantageous contact pressure between a cushion or mattress and the inflamed or swollen area.
Example apparatus embodiments of a cushion assembly for supporting a sitting or reclining person include a cushion having a cushion top surface and a cushion bottom surface. The cushion is formed with a cushion aperture extending through the cushion top surface toward said cushion bottom surface. The cushion assembly includes an optional cushion insert configured for insertion into the cushion aperture.
The cushion insert includes an insert wall configured to fit within the cushion aperture. The cushion insert includes an insert wall top surface; an insert wall bottom surface, with the insert wall formed with a bilobate insert aperture extending through the insert wall top surface toward the insert wall bottom surface; and an insert wall ridge projecting into the bilobate insert aperture, with the insert wall ridge extending from the insert wall top surface toward the insert wall bottom surface.
The bilobate insert aperture is preferably formed with a first insert aperture lobe extending transversely away from a first side of the insert wall ridge and a second insert aperture lobe extending transversely away from a second side of the insert wall ridge opposite the first side.
In some cushion assembly embodiments, the cushion aperture is formed with a rectangular cushion aperture perimeter and the insert wall is formed with a rectangular insert wall outer perimeter configured to fit within the cushion aperture. The cushion aperture may alternatively be formed with an obround cushion aperture perimeter and the insert wall formed with an obround insert wall outer perimeter configured to fit within the cushion aperture.
The cushion optionally further includes a cushion ridge projecting into the cushion aperture from the cushion top surface toward the cushion bottom surface. The cushion optionally further includes a second cushion ridge projecting into the cushion aperture from the cushion top surface toward the cushion bottom surface, with the cushion ridge and the second cushion ridge on longitudinally opposite sides of the cushion aperture.
The cushion insert optionally further includes an insert wall outer surface formed with a channel extending from the insert wall top surface toward the insert wall bottom surface, and with the channel positioned to receive the cushion ridge. The cushion ridge, the insert wall ridge, and the channel are preferably positioned on a longitudinal centerline of the cushion aperture when the cushion insert is positioned in the cushion aperture.
The cushion aperture is optionally formed with a bilobate cushion aperture perimeter and the insert wall is formed with a bilobate insert wall outer perimeter configured to fit within the cushion aperture. The cushion aperture formed with a bilobate aperture perimeter is further formed with a first cushion aperture lobe extending transversely away from a first side of the cushion ridge and a second cushion aperture lobe extending transversely away from a second side of the cushion ridge opposite the first side. The cushion aperture optionally extends through the cushion bottom surface
The cushion insert optionally includes a second insert wall ridge projecting into the bilobate insert aperture, with the second insert wall ridge extending from the insert wall top surface toward the insert wall bottom surface, and the insert wall ridge and the second insert wall ridge positioned on longitudinally opposite sides of the bilobate insert aperture.
A cushion assembly optionally further includes a releasable fastener affixed to the cushion; and a complementary releasable fastener affixed to the insert wall with the complementary releasable fastener positioned to engage with the releasable fastener.
In some cushion assembly embodiments, the bilobate insert aperture has an inner surface with a vertical dimension less than a vertical dimension of the cushion. Alternately, the bilobate insert aperture has an inner surface with a vertical dimension approximately equal to a vertical dimension of said cushion.
For some cushion assembly embodiments, the cushion insert is a first cushion insert, and the cushion assembly further includes a second cushion insert positioned with an insert wall outer surface of the second cushion insert in contact with an inner surface of the bilobate insert aperture of the first cushion insert.
Example embodiments of a cushion assembly are configured for providing comfortable support for a person sitting or reclining on the cushion assembly while providing for parts of the person's body to be suspended in a cushion aperture formed in the cushion assembly. At least one optional cushion insert is included with the cushion assembly to modify a perimeter shape and length and width dimensions of the cushion aperture, enabling adjustment of the cushion assembly to accommodate different body sizes and personal comfort preferences. The cushion insert includes an insert wall formed with a bilobate insert aperture shaped to admit parts of the person's body into two adjacent aperture lobes demarcated from one another by at least one intervening insert wall ridge. A cushion assembly optionally includes another, smaller cushion insert having an outer perimeter configured to fit within the inner perimeter of the outer, larger cushion insert.
A person using the cushion assembly will preferably position a swollen, inflamed, or pressure-sensitive part of the body, for example a treatment area that has been subjected to a medical procedure, in the void space of the cushion aperture with parts of the body outside the treatment area supported against the cushion and any installed cushion inserts. The cushion is optionally formed with a cushion ridge projecting into the cushion aperture from the top surface toward the bottom surface of the cushion. The cushion ridge is optionally positioned on the longitudinal centerline of the cushion aperture. A second cushion ridge may optionally be formed on a longitudinally opposite side of the cushion aperture from the first cushion ridge. Each of the cushion inserts have a wall surrounding a void space divided into two lobes by an insert wall ridge extending into the void space. The cushion ridge and insert wall ridges are positioned to nest into a channel formed on an outer surface of an adjacent cushion insert.
The ridges on the cushion assembly, for example the cushion ridges on the cushion and the insert wall ridges on each cushion insert, are positioned on a longitudinal centerline of the cushion aperture to press gently with equal pressure against both sides of the intergluteal cleft on a person's body when the buttocks are correctly positioned in the cushion aperture. The ridges provide tactile feedback to aid in guiding the person in positioning the median plane of their body on the longitudinal centerline of the cushion aperture. The median plane may also be referred to as the midsagittal plane. For a person resting on their stomach, the ridges provide light contact pressure against both sides of the intermammary cleft to guide the person in centering the median plane of their body on the cushion aperture. Centering the median plane of the body on the longitudinal centerline of the cushion aperture avoids contact pressure against swollen or inflamed areas of the body suspended in the cushion aperture. Tactile feedback from the ridges enables the person to accomplish the centering without the person seeing what they are doing, for example in a darkened room or when parts of the body are covered by clothing or a sheet or blanket.
Embodiments of the cushion assembly are effective for relieving contact pressure against a person's buttocks by enabling the person to position their buttocks within the cushion aperture without an inflamed or sensitive area on the buttocks contacting other parts of the cushion assembly. The cushion and cushion inserts are preferably made with a thickness dimension, a compression strength, and an elasticity sufficient to prevent contact between the parts of the body suspended in the cushion aperture and an object upon which the cushion assembly is placed. The example cushion assembly embodiments are further advantageous for allowing a person to sleep on their stomach while relieving contact pressure against the person's breasts. Some cushion assembly embodiments are sufficiently long to provide support for the person's head and legs while the person reclines with their buttocks suspended within the void space of the cushion aperture. Some cushion assembly embodiments include arm rests, a head rest, and/or a leg rest.
Example embodiments of a cushion assembly 100 are shown in the figures. As suggested in
The cushion 102 has a generally rectangular outer perimeter shape as shown in the examples of
The cushion 102 may be made as a box cushion from separate pieces of fabric and/or padding or may alternately be formed as a unitary structure. The interior volume of the cushion 102, excluding the void space 252 within the cushion aperture 104, may be filled with a padding material such as cotton batting, sheets or blocks of polymer foam, quilted material, felted material, and/or other materials suitable for use in making seat cushions and mattresses. The cushion may optionally be integrally formed from a single piece of closed-cell or open-cell polymer foam, with the cushion aperture 104 formed by cutting into a sheet of polymer foam or by molding the cushion to its final form including the cushion aperture.
The cushion 142 may be formed with a longitudinal dimension 142, also referred to as a length dimension 142, selected to permit an adult person of average height to recline against the cushion assembly with the shoulders and thighs supported against the cushion top surface 106. The cushion may be formed with a transverse dimension 144, also referred to as a width dimension 144, selected to permit an adult person of average body size to recline against the cushion assembly 100 without the torso and/or thighs extending beyond the first longitudinal side 110 and the second longitudinal side 112. The cushion may optionally be made with length 142 and width 144 dimensions corresponding to commercially available bed mattress sizes.
The perimeter 234 of the cushion aperture 104 is optionally formed with a first cushion ridge 149 projecting into the void space 252 of the cushion assembly 100 and an optional second cushion ridge 149 projecting into the void space toward the first cushion ridge from a longitudinally opposite side of the cushion aperture. The perimeter 234 corresponds to the intersection of an interior surface 118 (ref.
The longitudinal centerline 150 is preferably defined with respect to the positions of the cushion ridges rather than the outer dimensions of the example cushion 102. The cushion aperture may optionally be positioned with a longitudinal offset and/or a transverse offset relative to the longitudinal and/or transverse midpoints of the outer perimeter dimensions of the cushion 102.
In some embodiments 100, the perimeter 234 of the cushion aperture is further formed with a first arcuate cushion aperture lobe 233 extending in a transverse direction 248 from the cushion ridge 149 on a first transverse side 236 of the cushion ridge and a second arcuate cushion aperture lobe 233 extending in a transverse direction 248 from the cushion ridge on a second transverse side 238 opposite the first transverse side. Alternatively, the perimeter 234 of the cushion aperture may be formed with a rectangular shape, an obround shape, or other shapes, as will be explained in more detail with regard to
The cushion inserts are optionally attachable to one another by releasable fasteners.
The cushion inserts in the example of
As suggested in the example of
The same example of a cushion 102 appears in
An optional releasable fastener 132 affixed to the interior surface 118 of the cushion aperture 104 is positioned to connect to the optional complementary releasable fastener 134 affixed to the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 for the first cushion insert 120 when the first cushion insert is positioned in the void space 252 of the cushion aperture. Some embodiments 100 omit the releasable fasteners. A first insert wall ridge 148 and an optional second insert wall ridge 148 extend toward one another inside the cushion insert aperture 154 for the first cushion insert 120. First and second arcuate insert aperture lobes 232 demarcated from one another by the intervening insert wall ridges have a size and shape selected to fit into the corresponding first and second arcuate cushion lobes 233. First and second channels 152 formed in the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 have a position and shape selected to admit the first and second cushion ridges 149.
An optional set of nesting inserts 204 includes the first cushion insert 120 and optionally includes the second cushion insert 122. A releasable fastener 132 affixed to the insert wall inner surface 130 of the first cushion insert 120 is positioned to connect to the complementary releasable fastener 134 affixed to the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 for the second cushion insert 122 when the second cushion insert is positioned in the void space 252 of the cushion insert aperture 154 in the first cushion insert 120. First and second insert wall ridges 148 extend toward one another inside the cushion insert aperture 156 for the second cushion insert 122. First and second arcuate insert aperture lobes 232 demarcated from one another by the intervening insert wall ridges have a size and shape selected to fit into the corresponding void space 252 surrounded by the first and second arcuate insert aperture lobes 232 of the first cushion insert 120. First and second channels 152 formed in the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 of the second cushion insert 122 have a position and shape selected to admit the first and second insert wall ridges 148 of the first cushion insert 120.
The optional set of nesting inserts 204 includes the third cushion insert 124. A releasable fastener 132 affixed to the insert wall inner surface 130 of the second cushion insert 122 is positioned to connect to the complementary releasable fastener 134 affixed to the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 for the third cushion insert 124 when the third cushion insert is positioned in the void space 252 of the cushion insert aperture 156 in the second cushion insert 122. First and second insert wall ridges 148 extend toward one another inside the cushion insert aperture 158 for the third cushion insert. First and second arcuate insert aperture lobes 232 demarcated from one another by the intervening insert wall ridges have a size and shape selected to fit into the corresponding void space 252 surrounded by the first and second arcuate insert aperture lobes 232 of the second cushion insert 122. First and second channels 152 formed in the outer surface 128 of the insert wall 126 of the third cushion insert 124 have a position and shape selected to admit the first and second insert wall ridges 148 of the second cushion insert 122.
As suggested in the example of
The intersection of the inner surface 130 with the insert wall top surface 127 forms the smooth, continuous, arcuate inner perimeter 230 of the insert wall. The insert wall outer surface 128 also extends around both insert aperture lobes, and the intersection of the insert wall outer surface 128 and the insert wall top surface 127 forms the smooth, continuous, arcuate insert wall outer perimeter 228 for the example cushion inserts in
The insert wall inner perimeter 230 is preferably formed as a smoothly-varying, continuous, uninterrupted curve around the bilobate insert aperture of each cushion insert. The arcuate profiles of the edges of the insert aperture lobes 232 and insert wall ridges 148 differ from perimeter shapes resulting from use of a commercially available product sometimes referred to as “pluck foam”. Pluck foam divides a foam sheet into many square or rectangular blocks separable from one another along score lines cut into the sheet. An aperture with a square or rectangular perimeter can be formed by removing one or more blocks from the pluck foam sheet, but an aperture ideally having a smoothly curved perimeter will be approximated by a perimeter having many straight segments joined at projecting vertices. A person positioning themselves on the cushion may find it difficult to distinguish by touch between the many vertices around the perimeter of the insert aperture and the insert ridges projecting into the insert aperture. Furthermore, an insert ridge formed in a sheet of pluck foam may be inadvertently torn away when a person sits or reclines on the foam.
The insert wall is further formed with one, and optionally two, of the insert wall ridge 148 on longitudinally opposite sides of the void space 252. The convex arcuate surface of each insert wall ridge forms part of the insert wall inner surface 130 and the insert wall inner perimeter 230. The insert wall ridges protrude toward one another and extend from the insert wall top surface 127 toward the insert wall bottom surface 131. Each insert wall ridge is formed with a radius of curvature 224 having the center of curvature of the radius positioned on the longitudinal centerline 150. The insert wall 126 is also formed with one, and optionally two, of the insert wall channel in the insert wall outer surface 128. The concave arcuate surface of each insert wall channel forms part of the insert wall outer surface 128 and the insert wall outer perimeter 228. Each insert wall channel is formed with a radius of curvature 225 having its center of curvature positioned on the longitudinal centerline 150. The positioning of ridges and channels permits the ridge of a cushion insert to fit into the channel of the next-innermost cushion insert.
Section B-B in
The example cushion assembly 100 of the previous figures includes one or more cushion inserts having an insert wall with a bilobate insert wall outer perimeter 228 and a bilobate insert wall inner perimeter 230. The bilobate insert wall outer perimeter 228 fits within the bilobate cushion aperture perimeter 234 of the cushion aperture 104. As suggested in the examples of
As suggested in the examples of
Unless expressly stated otherwise herein, ordinary terms have their corresponding ordinary meanings within the respective contexts of their presentations, and ordinary terms of art have their corresponding regular meanings.
