Patent Application
20170245664
The present invention relates to a dual density molded foam pillow and method of producing the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a molded foam pillow including an interior portion with a density different than that of an outer portion of the pillow.
As is generally the case with support cushions, the effectiveness and desirability of the support cushion is partly a function of how well the support cushion supports the body of a user and partly a function of how well the support cushion conforms to the body of a user and provides a feeling of softness. In this regard, many users find support cushions, and in particular pillows, which are soft to be particularly desirable for supporting the head of the user as such support cushions significantly deform and cradle the head of the user to provide an increased feeling of softness. That deformation and increased feeling of softness, however, is often accompanied by a lack of support for the neck and shoulders of the user. Alternatively though, while many users find support cushions and, in particular, pillows, that are firm, to be particularly desirable for supporting the neck and shoulders of the user, such firm support cushions can be overly hard, and thus, undesirable, for supporting the head of the user.
The present invention includes a dual density molded foam pillow and method of producing the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a molded foam pillow including an interior portion with a density different than that of an outer portion of the pillow.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a support cushion in the form of a pillow is provided that includes an interior portion defining a perimeter. The pillow further includes an outer portion that extends around the perimeter of the interior portion of the pillow, with the interior portion having a generally rectangular shape and being flush with the outer portion of the pillow on the both the first side and the second side of the pillow to create a substantially continuous exterior surface. In this regard, the interior portion extends through the entire width of the pillow from the first side to the second side of the pillow and allows either the first side or the second side of the pillow to serve as the primary surface upon which the head of a user is supported.
In the exemplary pillow, the interior portion and the outer portion are generally comprised of a flexible foam (e.g., a visco-elastic foam) with the density of the interior portion typically being different than the density of the outer portion. In particular, the density of the flexible foam used in the outer portion, typically has a density sufficient for supporting the neck and shoulders of a user. The flexible foam comprising the interior portion, on the other hand, typically has a density less than that or the outer portion and is suitable tor supporting and providing a feeling of softness to the head of the user. For example, in certain embodiments, an exemplary pillow includes an outer portion that is comprised of visco-elastic foam with a density of about 70 kg/m3 to about 110 kg/m3 and a hardness of about 25 N to about 50 N, while the interior portion is comprised of a visco-elastic foam with a density of about 30 kg/m3 to about 50 kg/m3 and a hardness of about 5 N to about 25 N. In some embodiments, an exemplary pillow includes an outer portion that is comprised of visco-elastic foam with a density of about 100 kg/m3 and a hardness of about 45 N, while the interior portion is comprised of a visco-elastic foam with a density of about 40 kg/m3 and a hardness of about 10 N.
As a refinement, the exemplary pillows of the present invention can also be provided in various other configurations that similarly provide a feeling of softness to the head of a user and support to the neck and shoulders of a user, but yet do not include an interior portion that is flush with the outer portion on both sides of the pillow. For instance, in another exemplary embodiment, a support cushion in the form of a flexible foam pillow is provided that includes an oval-shaped, interior portion defining a perimeter and an outer portion that surrounds the perimeter of the interior portion of the pillow. The oval-shaped interior portion of this further exemplary pillow is also comprised of a flexible foam having a density less the flexible foam comprising the outer portion of the pillow. In this further pillow, however, the interior portion is not Hush with the outer portion on both sides of the pillow. Rather, in the pillow, the interior portion is recessed into an upper, first side of the pillow, white a lower, second side of the pillow is substantially flat. In this regard, to provide added support to the neck of a user and to provide an ergonomic surface on which a user can rest, in some embodiments, the pillow further includes four divots that each have an ovular shape and are positioned along the outer portion of the pillow such, that the divots are configured to support the neck of a user when the user is resting on the first side of the pillow and the head of the particular user is lying on the recessed interior portion of the pillow.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention that makes use of a recessed interior portion, a flexible foam pillow is provided that also includes an interior portion recessed into a first side of the pillow and that is entirely surrounded by an outer portion comprised of flexible foam having a density greater than that forming the interior portion. To provide support to the neck and shoulders of a user, however, the pillow does not make use of divots positioned in the outer portion. Instead, in the pillow, the outer portion is raised relative to the interior portion with different sides of the raised outer portion having varying heights. In use, the exemplary pillow can thus be arranged, depending on user preferences, such that an increased amount of support is provided if a neck of a user is positioned on one side of the outer portion, while a lesser amount of support is provided if a neck of a user is positioned on another side of the outer portion of the pillow.
In yet further embodiments of the present invention that make use of an interior portion and an outer portion comprised of flexible foams having different densities, exemplary pillows are also provided that support the neck and shoulders of a user without the outer portion of the exemplary pillows extending around the entirety of the perimeter of the interior portion of the pillow. For instance, in another embodiment of the present invention, a pillow is provided that includes an interior portion and an outer portion that, rather than extending entirely around the interior portion, is divided into an upper area and a lower area that extend longitudinally along opposite skies of the pillow, with the interior portion then extending longitudinally between the upper area and the lower area of the pillow. In such a pillow, the interior portion of the pillow is again comprised of a less dense, softer flexible foam to provide a suitable surface for the head of a user, while the upper area and the lower area of the outer portion, of the pillow are comprised of a denser flexible foam to support the neck and shoulders of a user. In this additional pillow, however, a first transition portion and a second transition portion are further included and are placed between the interior portion and the upper area of the outer portion and between the interior portion and the lower area of the outer portion, respectively. In this regard, the first transition portion and the second transition portion are each also comprised of a flexible foam, but are typically comprised of a flexible foam having a density and/or hardness less than that of the outer portion of the pillow and greater than that of the interior portion of the pillow. As such, by including a first transition portion and a second transition portion in the pillow, a user resting on the pillow is provided with an amount of firmness and support that gradually decreases from the outer portion to the interior portion of the pillow.
Regardless of the particular type of support cushion contemplated by the present invention, each of the exemplary support cushions described herein are typically produced by making use of a foam molding system. In one exemplary implementation of a method for producing a pillow, a foam molding system is first provided. The foam molding system comprises a top mold and a bottom mold, with the top mold defining a recessed portion and the bottom mold similarly defining a recessed portion. When the top mold is then secured to the bottom mold, the recessed portion of the top mold and the recessed portion of the bottom mold align with one another to form a single internal cavity that in, in turn, is the negative of the pillow produced by the foam molding system.
Upon providing the foam molding system, a first Foam precursor is then dispensed into a central, portion of the bottom mold. After the first foam, precursor Is dispensed into a central, portion of the bottom mold, a second foam precursor is then dispensed into a peripheral portion of the mold. After dispensing the first and second foam precursors into the bottom mold, the top mold is then secured to the bottom mold. Upon securing the top mold to the bottom mold, the first and second foam precursors are then allowed to expand and completely fill the internal cavity formed from the recessed portions of the top mold and the bottom mold. After the first and second foam precursor expands, the first and second foam precursors then set in the foam molding system such that the expanded foam formed from the first foam precursor is bonded to or otherwise combines with, the expanded foam formed from the second foam precursor. After the foam precursor has reacted for an appropriate amount of time and the first and second foam precursors have set, a pillow is thereby formed and can then be removed from the foam molding system.
In an alternative method for producing a pillow in accordance with the present invention, a foam molding system is also first provided. In this alternative implementation, however, rather than dispensing a first foam precursor into the mold, upon providing the foam molding system, a foam insert that has previously been produced is placed into a central portion of the bottom mold. After the foam insert is placed into a central portion of the bottom mold, a foam precursor is then dispensed into the bottom mold around, the foam insert. Then, after dispensing the foam precursor into the bottom mold around the foam insert, the top mold is secured to the bottom mold. Upon securing the top mold to the bottom mold, the foam precursor is then allowed to expand and completely fill the internal cavity formed from the recessed portions of the top mold and the bottom mold. After the foam precursor expands, the foam precursor then sets in the foam molding system such that the resulting expanded foam is bonded to the foam insert. Subsequently, after the foam precursor has been allowed to react for an appropriate amount of time and the foam precursor has set, an exemplary pillow of the present invention is thereby formed wherein the foam insert forms the interior portion of the exemplary pillow and the set foam precursor forms the outer portion of the exemplary pillow. The pillow can then be removed, from the foam molding system.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art after a study of the description, figures, and non-limiting examples in this document
outer portion;
The present invention includes a dual density molded foam pillow and method of producing the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a molded foam pillow including an interior portion with a density different than that of an outer portion of the pillow.
Referring first to
Regardless of the particular configuration of the interior portion 20 and the outer portion 30 of the pillow 10, the interior portion 20 is generally comprised of first flexible foam and the outer portion 30 is generally comprised of a second flexible foam having a density different than, that of the first flexible foam so as to provide differing support to the head of a user, which would generally be resting on the interior portion 20, and to the neck and shoulders of a user, which would generally be resting on the outer portion 30. Various flexible foams that are capable of suitably distributing pressure from a user's body or portion thereof across the pillow 10 can be used in this regard including, but not limited to, latex, foam, reticulated or non-reticulated visco-elastic foam (sometimes referred to as memory foam or low-resilience foam), reticulated or non-reticulated non-visco-elastic foam, polyurethane high-resilience foam, expanded polymer foams (e.g., expanded ethylene vinyl acetate, polypropylene, polystyrene, or polyethylene), and the like.
In the embodiment shown in
The visco-elastic foam described herein for use in the interior portion 20 and the outer portion 30 of the pillow 10 can also have a density that assists in providing a desired degree of comfort and body-conforming qualities, as well as an increased degree of material durability. In some embodiments, the density of the visco-elastic foam used in the interior portion 20 and the outer portion 30 has a density of no less than about 30 kg/m3 to no greater than about 110 kg/m3. In some embodiments, the density of the visco-elastic foam used in the interior portion 20 or the outer portion 30 of the pillow 10 is about 30 kg/m3, about 40 kg/m3, about 50 kg/m3, about 60 kg/m3, about 70 kg/m3, about 80 kg/m3, about 90 kg/m3, about 100 kg/m3, or about 110 kg/m3. Of course, the selection of a visco-elastic foam having a particular density will affect other characteristics of the foam, including its hardness, the manner in which the foam responds to pressure, and the overall feel of the foam, but it is appreciated that a visco-elastic foam having a desired density and hardness can readily be selected for an interior portion and an outer portion of an exemplary pillow or for a particular application as desired.
With further respect to the density and hardness of the pillow 10, as indicated above, the density of the interior portion 20 is typically different than the density of the outer portion 30. In particular, in the pillow 10 shown in
Referring now to
As a refinement, the exemplary pillows of the present invention can also be provided in various other configurations that similarly provide a feeling of softness to the head of a user and support to the neck and shoulders of a user, but yet do not include an interior portion that is flush with the outer portion on both sides of the pillow. For instance, as shown in
Referring now to
In yet further embodiments of the present invention that make use of an interior portion and an outer portion comprised of flexible foams having different densities, exemplary pillows can also be provided to support the neck and shoulders of a user without the outer portion of the exemplary pillows extending around the entirety of the perimeter of the interior portion of the pillow. For instance, and referring now to
In the pillow 410, and referring still to
Of course, exemplary pillows having an amount of firmness and support that gradually decreases from the outer portion to the interior portion of the pillow can also be provided in a number of additional configurations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, and referring now to
As a further refinement to the exemplary pillows of the present invention, various covers and materials can also be included and used with the exemplary pillows. For example, it is contemplated that a pillow of the present invention can further include a cover in the form of a fire sock that surrounds the various portions of a pillow and is comprised of a flame retardant material. In some embodiments, an exemplary cover of the present invention can also be comprised, of another textile, such as cotton, that provides a user with a sufficiently soft surface on which to rest.
In some embodiments of the exemplary pillows described herein, it is also contemplated, that an amount of phase change material can be incorporated into a first side, a second side, or both of an exemplary pillow. Such phase change material is typically comprised of microspheres that include substances having a high heat of fusion and that store or release heat as the substances oscillate between solid and liquid form (i.e., phase change materials). As the phase change material changes from solid to liquid form (i.e., melts) as the result of heat generated by a user lying on an exemplary pillow, the phase change material thus continually absorbs heat and provides a cooling effect to the user until all of the phase change material has been transformed from a solid to a liquid form.
As vet another refinement to the present invention, although the support cushions shown in
Regardless of the particular type of support cushion contemplated by the present invention, each of the exemplary support cushions described herein are typically produced by making use of a foam molding system. In one exemplary implementation of a method for producing a pillow, such as the pillow 10 described above, and referring now to
Referring still to
In some embodiments, such foam precursors can be applied separately to produce a first and second flexible foam in an exemplary pillow. In other embodiments, however, the foam precursors can be applied as part of a continuous process whereby the isocyante index and shot weight of a particular foam precursor is varied over the course of being continually dispensed into a mold so as to produce a support cushion having variable densities, such as those described herein above. As such, the terms “first foam precursor” and “second foam precursor” are used herein to refer to two separate compositions that are used to produce a support cushion in accordance with the present invention, but are further inclusive of single compositions where the ingredients are varied over time to produce flexible foam having variable properties.
Irrespective of the particular manner in which the foam precursor is dispensed, and referring still to
Alter the foam precursor has reacted for an appropriate amount of time and the first and second foam precursors have set, a pillow is thereby formed and can then be removed from the foam molding system, as indicated by step 650. Specifically, to remove the pillow from the foam molding system, the top mold is removed from the bottom mold to allow the resulting pillow to be easily lifted from the bottom mold and fully cured outside of the foam molding system. In some implementations, the curing of an exemplary pillow produced by the present invention can take about 2 hours to about 4 hours, with an additional amount of time to allow the exothermic reaction of the foam precursor to complete and to allow the resulting pillow to fully cool. Of course, the pillow may also cure within the foam molding system itself; however, because of the extended curing time, in some implementations, it is more economical to remove the pillow and allow the foam precursor to cure separate from the foam molding system so that steps 600-650 may be repeated in the production of additional pillows or support cushions.
Referring now to
Referring still to
After the foam precursor expands, the foam precursor then sets in the foam molding system such that the resulting expanded foam is bonded to the foam insert, as indicated by step 740. Subsequently, after the foam precursor has been allowed to react for an appropriate amount of time and the foam precursor has set, an exemplary pillow of the present invention is thereby formed wherein the foam insert forms the interior portion of the exemplary pillow and the set foam precursor forms the outer portion of the exemplary pillow. The pillow can then be removed from the foam molding system, as indicated by step 750.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional embodiments are also possible without departing from the teachings of the present invention or the scope of the claims which follow, This detailed description, and particularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, is given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/057,646, filed Sep. 30, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2015/052839 | 9/29/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62057646 | Sep 2014 | US |
