Patent Application
20240225324
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The disclosure relates to chin support apparatuses and more particularly pertains to a new chin support apparatus for supporting a user's chin to prevent snoring.
The prior art relates to chin support apparatuses which wrap around a user's neck to support the chin. Some of these apparatuses utilize resiliently compressible materials such as polymer foams or metal compression springs. However, the prior art does not disclose an apparatus with a cushion that is bendable such that a first end and a second end of the cushion face a same direction and which has straps attached to the first end and the second end for engaging the user's neck.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cushion with a first end and a second end. The cushion has a first lateral side and a second lateral side which each extend between the first end and the second end. The cushion has a top surface and a bottom surface which each extend between the first end and the second end and between the first lateral side and the second lateral side. The cushion is positionable in a use configuration wherein the first end and the second end face a same direction. The cushion comprises a resiliently bendable material such that the cushion is bendable into the use configuration. A first strap is coupled to the first end of the cushion. The first strap extends from a first lateral side of the cushion to a second lateral side of the cushion and is configured for engaging the neck of the user. A second strap is coupled to the second end of the cushion. The second strap extends from the second lateral side to the second lateral side of the cushion and is configured for engaging the neck of the user.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each support block 40 of a pair of support blocks 40 is interchangeably mountable to the top surface 36 of the cushion 12. The cushion 12 bends around a selected support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40 when the selected support block 40 is mounted to the top surface 36 and the cushion 12 is positioned in the use configuration 18. A width of the selected support block 40 extends between the first end 14 and the second end 16 of the cushion 12 when the selected support block 40 is mounted to the top surface 36. The size of the width of each support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40 is different from each other. In one embodiment, the pair of support blocks 40 includes a first support block 40 and a second support block 40 such that the width of the first support block 40 is between 1.5 inches and 2.5 inches and the width of the second support block 40 is between 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches. Each support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40 extends between 0.75 inches and 1.25 inches away from the top surface 36 when mounted to the top surface 36. Each support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40 also fully extends between the first lateral side 32 and the second lateral side 34 of the cushion 12 when mounted to the top surface 36.
A block fastener 42 is coupled to the cushion 12 and each support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40. The block fastener 42 comprises a first mating member 44 and a second mating member 46, the second mating member 46 being matable with the first mating member 44. The first mating member 44 is coupled to the top surface 36 of the cushion 12, and the second mating member 46 is coupled to each support block 40 of the pair of support blocks 40. The block fastener 42 comprises a hook-and-loop fastener 48 but may comprise a snap fastener, latch, button, zipper, or the like.
A first strap 50 is coupled to the first end 14 of the cushion 12. The first strap 50 extends from the first lateral side 32 to the second lateral side 34 of the cushion 12 and is configured for engaging the neck 26 of the user 24. The first strap 50 comprises a pair of first strap segments 52, each of which is releasably attachable to each other via a first strap connector 54. The first strap connector 54 is coupled to each first strap segment 52 of the pair of first strap segments 52. The first strap connector 54 comprises a hook-and-loop fastener 56, but may comprise a snap fastener, buckle, zipper, button, or the like.
A second strap 58 is coupled to the second end 16 of the cushion 12. The second strap 58 extends from the first lateral side 32 to the second lateral side 34 of the cushion 12 and is configured for engaging the neck 26 of the user 24. The second strap 58 comprises a pair of second strap segments 60, each of which is releasably attachable to each other via a second strap connector 62. The second strap connector 62 is coupled to each second strap segment 60 of the pair of second strap segments 60. The second strap connector 62 comprises a hook-and-loop fastener 64, but may comprise a snap fastener, buckle, zipper, button, or the like.
A cover 66 is provided for removably encasing the cushion 12 and the selected support block 40. The cushion 12 and the selected support block 40 are positioned within an interior space 68 of the cover 66, and each of the first strap 50 and the second strap 58 extend outwardly away from the cover 66. The cover 66 conforms to the cushion 12 and the selected support block 40. The cover 66 has an opening 69 extending through a front end 70 of the cover 66 for receiving each of the cushion 12, the selected support block 40, and the second strap 58. The first strap 50 extends away from the opening 69. The cover 66 also has a pair of apertures 72, each of which extends through a back end 74 of the cover 66 for receiving each second strap segment 60 of the pair of second strap segments 60. Each second strap segment 60 of the pair of second strap segments 60 extend away from the back end 74 of the cover 66. The cover 66 is constructed of a soft material for non-abrasively engaging the skin of the user 24. The cover 66 is also washable with water and a detergent. The cover 66 may be constructed of cotton, polyester, nylon, or the like.
A retainer 76 is coupled to the cover 66 for retaining the cushion 12 within the interior space 68. The retainer 76 is coupled to the cover 66 adjacent to the first end 14 of the cover 66 and has a free end 78 which is removably attached to the cover 66 such that the retainer 76 crosses the opening 69 and retains the cushion 12 within the interior space 68. A retainer fastener 80 is coupled to the free end 78 of the retainer 76 and the cover 66 for releasably attaching the free end 78 to the cover 66. The retainer fastener 80 comprises a pair of snap fasteners 82 but may comprise a hook-and-loop fastener, a button, a zipper, or the like.
In use, one of the pair of support blocks 40 is selected and mounted to the top surface 36 of the cushion 12. The cover 66 is added which conforms to the cushion 12 and the selected support block 40. The cushion 12 is positioned into the use configuration 18 and positioned underneath a chin 84 of the user 24. The first strap 50 and the second strap 58 are positioned in engagement with the neck 26 of the user 24 such that the chin support assembly 10 is secured to the neck 26 of the user 24.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
