US2336707A - Pillow - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 14, 1943. 1 THOMPSON P ILLOW Filed June 9, 1941 INVENTOR Patented cs. 14, 1943 PILLOW Etta Thompson, St. Louis, Mo. Application June 9, 1941, Serial No. 397,275

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in pillows. More particularly, the invention relates to pillows that are used to support the wearers head in such a manner that they relieve strain on the wearers neck,

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved pillow that supports the wearers head.

Many different kinds of pillows have been known and used for some time. Most of these pillows are rectangular in shape and are not designed to conform to any particular part of the human anatomy. This type of pillow is quite serviceable where the user is lying down, but it is not very helpful where the user is sitting up. This has been the eXperienCe of many invalids and sick people who must sit up all day in hospitals. It often taxes the strength of these persons too much, to sit up for any length of time without some sort of support for their heads. These persons often try to use the ordinary rectangular pillow to give them the desired amount of support for their heads. When this type of pillow is placed behind the users head, it keeps the user from sitting in a natural position. The body of the pillow, that is behind ones head, forces ones head forward. The users head tends to move back to the natural position and presses against the body of the pillow. This pressure against the pillow causes a distinct pressure on the back of ones head and neck, and also strains the muscles of the neck. This pressure and neck strain cooperate with the inclination of the users head to prevent the attainment of real comfort from the use of the ordinary rectangular pillow. In some cases, persons have tried to use a corner of the pillow to reduce the size of the portion of the pillow that is behind their heads, but the pillows soon slip out of place. This also interferes with the patients comfort and rest. For these reasons, the ordinary rectangular pillow is not very satisfactory when it is used to support the head of a person who must sit up day after day. The invention, on the other hand, provides a new form of pillow that is specially designed to support the Wearers head in a comfortable position and thereby prevent any neck strain. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new form of pillow that supports the wearers head and prevents any neck strain.

When the ordinary rectangular pillow is used by patients that must sit up all day, it does not give lateral support to the head. The back of the users head may rest against the pillow, but the rest of the users head is not given any support by the pillow. Where this is the case, the

user may fall asleep and begin to nod, If the patients head happens to nod to one side, it may incline farther and farther. It may incline so This will awaken the user and may even strain the muscles of his neck. This is quite objectionable since patients should secure proper rest and should not be subject to any sort of strain. The invention obviates this objection by providing a pillow that gives lateral support to the head of the user. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a pillow that gives lateral support to the head of the user.

Where a person tries to sleep while traveling, his head will nod unless it is supported. Where the sleepers head nods, the sleeper may be awakened. This prevents the attainment of proper rest. This occurs quite often when one is traveling, because the jostling that results from the movement of the conveyance fosters the nodding of the head. Travelers have tried to relieve In addition these pillows sometimes tend to slip out of place. This forces the user to hold the pillow or to lean against some part of the conveyance to hold the pillow in place. Because of this, the ordinary pillow is not suitable for adding to the comfort of travelers that are sitting up. The invention, on the other hand, provides a novel form of pillow that is designed to fit around the users neck, This pillow has large side portions that support the'users head and neck. When the user falls asleep, he may sleep uninterruptedly because the pillow supports his head and avoids neck strain, It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pillow that fits around the neck of the user and has relatively large sides that give lateral support to the users head.

The pillow provided by the present invention has been scientifically designed to support the back of a users neck and head without exerting an unpleasant pressure thereon. Where the ordinary pillow is placed behind the users head and a pressure on the pillow. quite uncomfortable. This it provents the attainment of real comfort. The pillow provided by the invention however, is specially designed to provide suflicient support for the head and neck without creating an unpleasant pressure on the head and neck or the user. This is the result of the provision of a small center portion for the pillow, that engages the back of the users neck. Thi central portion is designed to be compressible, under light pressure, to fit the concave portion Of the users neck. When the central portion of the pillow is compressed, it cooperates with the chair or seat to support the head. In that way any pressure between the users head and neck and the pillow and chair is distributed so that no part of the head is subjected to an unpleasant pressure. It is therefore a pillow having a small, easily compressed portion that engages the back of the users neck.

Other objects and advantages of the invent on will appear from the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description, a preferred form of the invention is shown and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description do notlimit the invention and the invention willbe defined by the appended claim.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the pillow'provided by the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pillow shown in Fig. l, and shows the internal structure of the pillow.

Referring to the drawing'indetail, the relatively large side portions of the pillow'are denoted by the numeral in. These relatively large side portions of the pillows may be of any suitable design or shape but they must be large enough to give lateral support to the head. These side portions limit the lateral movement of the head and keep it from inclining so far that the neck muscles are strained. The side portions are preferably designed so that their free ends tend to stay together. The tendency of the free ends of the side portions to stay together, tends to maintain the pillow in position around the'usersneck. In some cases, the ends of the portions H) of the p11- low may be provided with pieces of ribbon or tape.

These pieces of ribbon or tape may be tied together to positively prevent the removal of the pillow from around the neck of the user. This transforms the pillow into a dollar that can be worn to give support neck. This is often done in connection with operations. After eye operations the patient must sometimes lie on his back for many hours without moving his head. It has been found that th pillow provided by theinvention gives sufficient support to the head to hold it in the desired position for the specified period of time. The pillow provided by the invention will permit the patient to lie in a natural and comfortable position, but it will prevent any movement of the users head. The factthat the ends of the to the wearer's head and portions it are tied together makes certain that the pillow will not move and fail to support the patients head. The side portions Ill of the pillow are separated from each other by a small and soft portion l2. The portion [2 is preferably soft and yielding and it must be smaller than the side portion Hi. This center portion [2 is separated from the side portion ill by partitions l4. These partitions l4 may be of any suitable design and shape, but they must separate the interior of the portions Ill from the interior of the portion I2. The pillow may also be provided with a tape l5 that is used as a trim. This adds to the appearance of the pillow but it is not an essential element of the pillow. In making the pillow, the manufacturer stuiis the side portions I!) of the pillow rather tightly. The stufiing is not so tight that the side portions It are hard and unyielding, but it is tight enough to enable the portions [0 to give lateral support to the wearers head and thereby prevent neck strain. The center portion 52, on the other hand,'is stuffed rather loosely. The amount of stuffing in portion !2 is calculated to permit the back portion I2 to be compressed to the size of the space between the wearers neck and the back of a chair. The proper amount of stuffing permits a compressing of the back portion of the pillow with a relatively light pressure. This gives the back of the wearers neck the proper support while it enables the wearers shoulders and back of his head to rest gently against the back ofthe chair. This provides'proper rest by distributing the support of the head evenly between the shoulders, the pillow, and the back of the users head. The user of the pillow provided by the invention can sleepin comfort. The pillow will permit him to sit in a natural position of relaxation and will give support to his head and thereby prevent neck strain.

Any material may be used in stuffing the pillow, but the invention preferably uses a high grade material that will not lose its life.

The'drawing and specification show and describe a'preferred form or the invention but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes in the form of the invention can be made without-afiecting the scope of. the invention.

What I claim is:

A pillow adapted foruse by a person in a sitting position and adapted to rest on and be supported by the shoulders of theuser, said pillow comprising a relatively small and compressible center portion connected at its ends to a plurality of relatively large and relatively incompressible side portions, said center portion and said side portions arranged in substantially U-shape forming a neck receiving aperture, said side portions having their free ends spaced apart in normally close relation, a plurality of partitions that separate the interior of said center portion iromthe interiors of said side portions, and said center portion, said side portions and said partitions arranged to give the exterior portion of the pillow a smooth, uninterruptedsurface.

ETTA THOMPSON.

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