Patent Application
20220240685
This invention is directed to a pillow. More particularly to a leg pillow to be used to assist in sleeping and orthopedic comfort.
Many individuals sleep on their sides instead of another position. This can be a very comfortable position, but in some cases it may cause, among other things, compression of the spinal cord, pressure on the internal organs and strain on muscles, ligaments, bones, and joints. This sleeping position may also result in prolonged contact between the thighs, knees, and calves, which can lead to an interruption of blood-flow, bruising, and possible cramps. Side sleeping can also cause additional unwanted pressure, impingement and alignment issues on the lumbar spine, thoracic spine, hips, and sacroiliac joints.
If the individual side sleeper already suffers from other health complications, the above problems may be exacerbated. For example, side sleeping may increase the pain for sufferers of arthritis, degeneration, spinal pain, particularly mid and lower back pain, and various knee and hip conditions.
In response to the pain and discomfort caused by side sleeping, many individuals resort to sleeping with an object, such as a pillow, between their legs. This helps restore the proper alignment of the spine, hips, thighs, calves, and ankles, and can help relieve discomfort. A standard pillow shape has drawbacks in that it isn't designed for use between an individual's legs, so it isn't anatomically correct and doesn't provide adequate support for restoring proper alignment.
There have been many attempts to design a pillow that is specifically for use by side sleepers. Many of these leg pillow have shortcomings such as complicated design that requires the need for straps and other fasteners as well as not being properly sized for a full range of motion. There are also storage issues with these leg pillows as they can be very large and/or don't look attractive on a bed.
Thus, there is a need for a leg pillow that provides adequate support to restore proper body alignment and that is simple to use and does not require the use of straps and fasteners.
Accordingly, it is the subject of this invention to provide an efficiently-sized leg pillow that is simple to use and provides proper body alignment for side sleepers without the use of straps and fasteners.
In one embodiment, a leg pillow is provided including: a body of resilient material, the body having a bottom side, a top side, an upper edge, a lower edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, a recess defined by an upper interior edge, a lower interior edge, a first side interior edge, and a second side interior edge, wherein upper interior edge is longer than lower interior edge; a leg support indentation located on the top side between upper edge and upper interior edge and defined by a first leg support indentation side wall and a second leg support indentation side wall; a bottom leg support indentation located on the bottom side between between upper edge and upper interior edge and defined by a bottom first leg support indentation side wall and a bottom second leg support indentation side wall; and an upper portion and a lower portion and wherein the upper portion is approximately one third of the body and the lower portion is approximately two thirds of the body and wherein the upper portion includes a first raised portion on one side of leg support indentation and a second raised portion on the other side of leg support indentation and wherein the upper portion also includes a bottom first raised portion on one side of bottom leg support indentation and a bottom second raised portion on the other side of bottom leg support indentation.
In one embodiment, the leg pillow of the present invention is double sided and allows each leg to bend independently of each other, thereby providing full range of motion for the legs while being fully supported.
As can be seen in
Leg pillow 10 also has a recessed space 24, which is defined by upper interior edge 26, lower interior edge 28, and first and second side interior edges 30, 32. Upper interior edge 26 and lower interior edge 28 are straight across, but are convex curved from the top side 14 to the bottom side 12. Side interior edges 30, 32, are also convex curved from the top side 14 to the bottom side 12 and are wider at the section that starts from the upper interior edge 26 than at the section that ends at the lower interior edge 28. It is noted that in some embodiments, first and second side interior edges 30, 32, upper interior edge 26, and lower interior edge 28, are not convex curved from top side 14 to bottom side 12 and may be straight.
It is noted that while the edges and sides have been described as convex or straight, in other embodiments, the edges and sides may be different than described in the preferred embodiments. In particular, an edge or side that was described as convex may be straight. An edge or side that was described as straight may be convex.
Leg pillow 10 also includes leg support indentation 34, which is located between upper edge 16 and upper interior edge 26. There is a leg support indentation 34, 34a, (
In a preferred embodiment, the leg pillow 10 is made of high density memory foam. In this embodiment, leg pillow 10 weighs approximately four pounds and the design of leg pillow 10 provides an anti-tilt mechanism, which prevents leg pillow 10 from flipping and forcing the user on his or her stomach during the sleep process. High density memory foam allows the leg pillow 10 to be molded to any particular user. In other embodiments, the leg pillow 10 may be made of any suitable material or components. In some embodiments, the leg pillow 10 may have an inflatable core and have a foam outer layer.
Benefits of the leg pillow 10 include the ability to bend the legs independently of each other, which allows for independent leg motion and a full range of motion while providing continuous leg support. Recessed space 24 allows for air circulation. Leg support indentations 34, 34a, allow leg pillow 10 to hold the legs securely in place.
In use, leg pillow 10 may be placed between the thighs 102 or the knees 104 wherein the leg support indentation 34 and bottom leg support indentation 34a support the thighs 102 or knees 104 and the ankles 106 are supported by the lower edge 18 or lower portion 19. Leg pillow 10 may be utilized while an individual is lying on their side or back. This is shown in
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As shown in
In one embodiment, leg pillow 10 has middle seam 40, which can include a zipper to remove a cover. Also included are top seam 46 and bottom seam 48.
In another embodiment, an additional pillow or insert may be placed inside recessed space 24, thereby forming a full pillow with no recessed spaces.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the leg pillow has been described in detail herein, the invention is not necessarily so limited and other examples, embodiments, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments, examples, uses, and modifications may be made without departing from the process and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application having Ser. No. 63/143,243, filed on Jan. 29, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63143243 | Jan 2021 | US |
