Patent Application
20240130546
The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to pillows and more specifically to a character pillow incorporating a heating element.
There are a great number of people who suffer from pain that is derived from a number of sources. Regardless of its origin, essential in relieving this pain is the application of heat directly to the area. Conventional treatment often dictates the use of a hot water bottle or heating pad. While such a treatment regimen has worked well for generations, the sterile and medical appearance of a water bottle or heating pad is often intimidating to young children. They tend to quickly put the heating appliance down and do not gain the benefit of the device. Further, use of a water bottle often results in water spillage or dampness and a heating pad can be restrictive in terms of requiring it to be plugged in. Additionally, having a character pillow with overall aesthetic appeal as well as a pillow that is washable greatly helps continued usage by the child with the added benefit of managing cleanliness. Accordingly, there exists a need for a pillow incorporating a heating element for the reduction of pain, anxiety or for comfort.
The principles of the present embodiments provide for a character pillow that has a main body having a plurality of external features that may include a representation of common designs recognizable by children such as a rainbow, or character figure features such as an eye area, a pair of paw areas, a pair of arms, a pair of legs, a face, a pair of ears, or a tail. The above are provided by means of explanation and not intended to be limiting.
The pillow member has an outer shell of preferably plush material that is made up of an upper material layer and a lower material layer that are secured to one another to form a shell. The shell has an opening that will accommodate resilient fill material to be placed in the interior of the shell. One form of pillow is shown in
The center torso area may also contain a speaker that is electrically connected to a wireless transmitter that is adapted to be paired to a personal electronic device to play audible entertainment material through the speaker. The thermal element may also be adapted to pair with a personal electronic device to control activation and heat settings remotely.
The body may be a teddy bear body or take any form of character. The eye area may be a pair of LEDs for improving an aesthetic visual quality of the body. A power switch may conduct power to the series of thermal elements and the pair of LEDs. One of the pair of paw areas may include the power switch. The power switch may be electrically connected by a plurality of internal wires to the battery pack. Electrical power may be derived from the USB charging adapter of an A/C plug as well as rechargeable batteries and is routed along the charging cable to the charging port. The opening provides access to a plurality of internal electrical components for maintenance, repair, removal, or washing the body. The fastening means may be a fastener selected from the group consisting of a zipper, a hook-and-loop-type fastener, or one or more snaps. An interior of the center torso area may contain a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery may be charged via a charging regulator that may be connected to the charging port. The charging port may be electrically connected to the charging regulator which controls a plurality of charging current to the rechargeable battery to allow for the rechargeable battery to be charged even if the stuffed animal is off and not being used. The cavity may be bordered and contained by the cloth divider and the shell. The cavity may contain the rechargeable battery, the charging regulator, all of the internal wiring, and the speaker.
A cavity under the shell at the center torso area may have an internal cloth divider that retains the stuffing material about the center torso area or main portion of the pillow. The wireless transmitter may be adapted to be paired to the personal electronic device for playback of audio material through the speaker or control of the thermal elements and is wired in parallel. The series of thermal elements may be energized by the rechargeable battery to produce an amount of heat for pain relief and overall comfort when adapted to be held close to a user's body. The series of resistance heaters may be electrically connected by a plurality of internal wiring. A motor may activate a vibrating device that transmits a slight vibratory effect to the stuffed animal to aid in adapted to be soothing a user. The series of resistance heaters, the pair of LEDs, and the motor may be wired in parallel.
The best mode for carrying out the embodiments as described, herein depicted in
There is provided a character pillow having incorporated thermal elements as shown in
The opening includes a pocket member 21 that is accessible from the opening and is designed to enclose and support the battery pack 23. The battery pack 23 is part of a thermal or heat element 22 comprising the battery pack 23, at least one wire member 25 extending from the battery pack 23, at least one thermal pad 27 electrically connected to the wire member(s) 25. The thermal element wires 25, which are preferably carbon fiber wires that are capable of conducting heat through the thermal pads 27, extend outwardly from the battery pack with terminal ends 26 inserted within and electrically connected to the battery pack. Opposite terminal ends 28 of the wires are inserted between dual layers 29, 31 of the thermal pads 27 as shown in
In the current form, there are three temperature settings high, medium and low for different levels of comfort. A low heat setting that shows the color yellow is activated with pressing the switch 39 for approximately five seconds, thereby activating the device; a medium setting showing the color orange with an additional press of the switch and a high setting that shows the color red on the switch or heart 39 with another press of the switch. A final press and hold of the of the switch 39 for five seconds will turn off the thermal element. These settings provide a means for controlling the temperature level of the thermal element as well as a means for disabling the thermal element. The battery pack may also include an on/off light 38 to indicate whether the unit is on or off. There is also anticipated a remote application so that the activation of the switch as well as the temperature control may be modified with a remote application located on a cellular device. The thermal element 22 also has an automatic shut-off feature that shuts the thermal element off automatically within 30 minutes of heat activation. The battery pack 23 includes a charge port 45, a charge cord 47 and an A/C plug 49.
Referring in more detail to
The character pillow 11 is provided with the charging port 45 which connects to the charging cable 47. The distal end of the charging cable 47 may connect to a USB charging adapter (not shown) which in turn connects to an AC power plug 49 for purposes of charging the device 11. The center torso area, 63 is provided with the opening 19, as previously described, and preferably a fastening means 65, such as a zipper (as shown), hook-and-loop-type fastener (Velcro®), snaps, or the like. The exact method of the fastening means 65 utilized is not intended to be a limiting factor of the present embodiment. The opening 19 provides access to internal electrical components of the device 11 (as will be described below) for purposes of maintenance, repair, or removal of the battery pack 23 for purposes of washing the character pillow 11.
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The preferred embodiment can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After procurement and prior to utilization, the device 11 would be prepared in the following manner: the charging cable 47 would be connected to an AC power outlet; the charging cable 47 would be connected between the complete charging of the rechargeable battery and battery pack 23, the device 11 is then ready for use. When charging the device, it is recommended to first unplug the battery pack from the thermal element, then plug the battery pack into the wall charging port. Once charged, the battery pack is removed from the wall charger and electrically connected to the thermal element for use. During the charging period, once the battery pack is removed, the pillow 11 may be washed and exposed to water to clean the pillow.
During utilization of the device charging adapter 49 and to the charging port 45; after a suitable period of time to ensure charging, the following procedure would be initiated: the user would press the on/off switch 37 and after a period of warm up time, the thermal elements would provide warmth for the user in much the same manner as a sleeping pad. In the current form, the three temperature settings high, medium and low for different levels of comfort, may be utilized. The low heat setting that shows the color yellow is activated with pressing the switch 39 for approximately five seconds, thereby activating the device; a medium setting showing the color orange with an additional press of the switch and a high setting that shows the color red on the switch or heart 39 with another press of the switch. A final press and hold of the of the switch 39 for five seconds will turn off the thermal element. If LEDs are present, electrical operation can be verified via the illumination of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 57 in the eye areas 55. Should audio playback be desired, the user would pair their personal electronic device with the wireless transmitter 82 to allow for playback of soothing audio material via the speaker 81. If provided, a motor may provide a soothing vibratory effect to the device 11. After use of the device 11, it is simply deactivated via the power switch 37. The rechargeable battery 23 may then be recharged for future use in a cyclical manner.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the device and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the device and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
