Patent Application
20220369835
The present invention relates generally to bedding and, more particularly, to pillow protectors.
Pillows used in households, hospitals, hotels, rental properties (e.g. Airbnb) and other public accommodation facilities can be a source of allergens and microbes (hereinafter referred to as ‘allergens’ or ‘contaminants’) that contribute or exacerbate pathologies such as allergies, asthma, chronic sinusitis, and other respiratory-related diseases.
It is not common practice to wash or frequently replace a used pillow, nor practical to regularly wash or sterilize a used pillow throughout its lifecycle. The most adoptable practice is to use a generic pillowcase (also known as a pillow protector or pillow cover) to encase a pillow as an effort to protect the pillow from contamination whenever it is being slept on. Periodically, the generic pillowcase is washed when it is soiled, becomes odorous, or used by patients in the hospitals or by guests in public accommodations. However, simply washing or changing to a clean generic pillowcase would not remove the pre-existing allergens and microbes that are inhabiting and growing inside a used pillow. Conventional pillow encasings are made from interwoven porous materials that contribute to creating an environment in which allergens accumulate. This material allows moisture from the ambient air or the sleeper's breath, saliva, dandruff and dead skin cells to permeate and accumulate in or on the pillow. Thus, it creates an environment which promotes the accumulation and growth of microbes and allergens such as dust-mites. Additionally, conventional pillowcases are open on one end, possess zippers, or alternative means of enclosure with innate gaps and/or punctures resultant from the sewing assembly process. These gaps or holes provide opportunities for contaminants to ingress and establish colonies in the pillow. Furthermore, dead skin cells that penetrate through and accumulate on the pillow surface can become a source of nourishment for the contaminants. In conjunction with the porous materials, conventional encasings allow for airborne contaminants to deposit the pillow or transfer of containments to freely pass between the user and the pillow.
Thus, a practical solution to prevent the user from contacting pre-existing contaminants found on pillows is desirable.
In general, the present invention provides a disposable hygienic and anti-allergenic pillow protector that prevents the transfer of contaminants from the pillow to the user.
By employing a customized material and a reliably sealed encasing, the disposable pillow protector completely isolates the user from the pillow and thus minimizes the risk of contamination of allergen-producing entities and egression of allergens. To provide a protective barrier between the user from the pillow, the material must prevent moisture, contaminants, allergens, and skin sheds to pass through, yet remain breathable and comfortable to be slept on.
As described further below, the disposable pillow protector is made using three or more layers of spunbond non-woven filtration fabric that is water-impermeable, water-repellent, antimicrobial and breathable. The disposable pillow protector is fabricated with ultrasonic welding/bonding technology, thereby eliminating the holes from sewing needles. Thus, all seams of the disposable pillow protector are leakproof from allergens and moisture. The disposable pillow protector includes a compatible opening for a pillow to be inserted inside. The opening can be sealed with strips of double-sided adhesive tape covered with easy peel-off liners bonded to the opening, thus making it ready to use and seal after a pillow is inserted inside. This disposable pillow protector provides a sterile barrier around the pillow to prevent contamination and to minimize allergen egression.
Although this disposable pillow protector may be used for persons of any age, there is a clear need for such a product to protect vulnerable populations at risk of asthma, allergies, and other respiratory diseases. Such a product can be used as a pillow protector or as a protective layer between a generic pillowcase and a pillow. The opening closure function is intended for single-use that allows for easy encasing of a pillow. This affordable single-use disposable pillow protector facilitates personal hygiene and minimizes interacting with pre-existing microbes and allergens on pillows. This single-use disposable pillow protector effective minimizes the chance of transmitting respiratory infective diseases amongst users sleeping on shared pillows, especially those pillows that are provided by public accommodation facilities such as hotels.
An inventive aspect of the disclosure is a method of making a hygienic disposable pillow protector involves a step of folding a pillow protector material to define a first surface and a second surface, and to also define a closed end and an open end that is opposite the closed end. The pillow protector material is aligned to further define two unsealed edges. The method then involves sealing the unsealed edges of the pillow protector material by ultrasonic welding or bonding to define two sealed edges extending from the closed end to the open end to thereby define an opening sized to enable insertion of pillow into the disposable pillow protector. The method then involves applying a first strip of double-sided adhesive tape and applying a second strip of double-sided adhesive tape. A pillow may inserted into the disposable pillow protector and the opening sealed by forming folded seams with the first and second strips of tape.
Another inventive aspect of the disclosure is a disposable pillow protector comprising a pillow protector material folded to define a first surface and a second surface, and to also define a closed end and an open end that is opposite the closed end, the pillow protector material being aligned to further define two unsealed edges. The disposable pillow protector comprises two sealed edges that are sealed by ultrasonic welding or bonding and that extend from the closed end to the open end to thereby define an opening sized to enable insertion of pillow into the disposable pillow protector. The disposable pillow protector also includes a first strip of double-sided adhesive tape and a second strip of double-sided adhesive tape.
The foregoing presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify essential, key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later. Other aspects of the invention are described below in relation to the accompanying drawings.
Further features and advantages of the present technology will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
In general, and as will be described in greater detail below, a first aspect of the present invention is a method of making a single-use disposable hygienic and anti-allergenic pillow protector (hereinafter referred as a “disposable pillow protector”). In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the disposable pillow protector is composed of three or more layers of spunbond non-woven filtration fabric or equivalent material. Instead of conventional sewing with needles and thread, the disposable pillow protector is fabricated, in the illustrated embodiment, by ultrasonic welding/bonding technology. The opening can be sealed with double-sided adhesive tape or multiple strips of such tape. Together, these components constitute an integrated leak-proof barrier to encase a pillow, which effectively prevent or at least mitigates the transmission of allergens and microbes between the sleeper and pillow. The beneficial properties of the completed disposable pillow protector are substantiated by American PPE testing standard ANSI/AAMI PB70 (level 2 or higher) although it will be appreciated that the novel method and the disposable pillow protector produced by this method are not limited to this testing standard. Any other compatible industrially recognized testing methods and standards may be employed to substantiate the anti-allergenic properties of the disposable pillow protector.
Reference will be made to the embodiment depicted in the figures. In addition to the drawings, this description discloses other embodiments beyond the drawings. Accordingly, there is no intent to limit the invention to a single embodiment or embodiments that are disclosed herein. The intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents within the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
The disposable pillow protector material 12 has an inside pillow protector backing layer 14. The disposable pillow protector 12 is folded to define a first surface 11 and a second surface 13. As shown in these figures, the second surface 13 extends beyond the first surface at the opening. In other words, the second surface 13 has an upper protruded margin 15 that is provided as the designated space for a strip of double-sided adhesive tape to be bonded as will be explained below. The width of the margin can be made compatible with the intended width of the double-sided adhesive tape. The underlying material is aligned to protrude at the opposite of the fold (the opening) by a margin of 2 cm, for example, although another size of margin may be used to match a width of any particular double-sided adhesive tape being used.
From the foregoing description, various innovative features and aspects become apparent. Pre-forming of the disposable pillow protector by applying ultrasonic welding/bonding methodology (instead of needle-based sewing) seals all the seams adjacent to the fold of the pillow to render it waterproof and allergen-proof. This method does may be performed using an alternative seam sealing technique that does not puncture the material and thus preserves its protective barrier against allergens and moisture.
The application of built-in industrial grade double-sided adhesive tapes enables the closure using a simple D-I-Y process for a user to seal the opening easily after a pillow is encased inside. This method of securing the encased pillow and rendering it waterproof and allergen-proof may be achieved using any alternative methods for D-I-Y closure that fully seal the opening to ensure that no moisture or allergens ingress or egress. This ready-made closure, which helps maintain personal hygiene, enables the fabrication of a versatile and cost-effective single-use, disposable pillow protector.
In one embodiment, the disposable pillow protector material is composed of three or more layers of spunbond non-woven fabric designed or engineered to be water-impermeable, water-repellent, and air-permeable. The composite of this spunbond non-woven filtration fabric can be customized with suitable combinations of polyurethane-based, polyethylene-based, and polytetrafluoroethylene-based membrane with micropores, but not limited to other alternative composites of compatible properties. Thus, the disposable pillow protector made of the above mentioned spunbond non-woven fabric provides the desired hygienic properties.
The method described herein enables a disposable pillow protector to be made that avoids conventional sewing with thread and needle which causes numerous punctures and gaps. Due to the novel method of making this disposable pillow protector, it is impenetrable to moisture, water, and contaminants. Thus, it minimizes allergens, contaminants, moisture, and microbes passing from the encased pillow to the user. By minimizing egress of contaminants and allergens from the encased pillow, the user is protected from exposures that can exacerbate respiratory or dermal medical conditions.
Similarly, the disposable pillow protector minimizes the ingress of contaminants, bacteria, food sources, and moisture from the user and environment to the encased pillow. This minimizes the formation or maintenance of an environment that sustains organisms such as bacteria, bedbugs, dust mites, and other microbes.
For the purposes of interpreting this specification, when referring to elements of various embodiments of the present invention, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including”, “having”, “entailing” and “involving”, and verb tense variants thereof, are intended to be inclusive and open-ended by which it is meant that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
This new technology has been described in terms of specific implementations and configurations which are intended to be exemplary only. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many obvious variations, refinements and modifications may be made without departing from the inventive concepts presented in this application. The scope of the exclusive right sought by the Applicant(s) is therefore intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.
