US20210337991A1

US20210337991A1 - Neck and back pain relieving pillow

Info

Publication number: US20210337991A1
Application number: US17/128,015
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Jon Smith, Sr.
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-04-29
Filing date: 2020-12-19
Publication date: 2021-11-04

Abstract

A substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user and a method for using the same to relieve neck pain of the user. The pillow includes a fabric outer surface assembly circumscribing a compressible inner portion. Two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies are parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability to optimally support the user's neck. A depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and is designed to support the user's head.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional application with Ser. No. 63/017,641 filed on Apr. 29, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The inventive concept relates generally to a neck and back pain-relieving pillow.

BACKGROUND

An orthopedic pillow is a pillow designed to correct body positioning in bed or while a person is lying on other surfaces. Its design conforms to orthopedic guidelines to ensure the right placement and support of one or more specific parts of the body to provide safe and healthy rest to the sleeper. Pillows have been traditionally made of foam and fiber, but other types now exist, such as pillows made of memory foam, a heat-sensitive material that can acquire the shape of the body lying upon it. Orthopedic pillows are regarded as therapeutic pillows based on claims that they can help relieve various conditions including sleep apnea, snoring, insomnia, breathing difficulty, blood circulation problems, acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease, lower back pain, sciatica pain, neck pain, whiplash, rotator cuff injury, amongst others. There are many types of orthopedic pillows for almost every part of the human body, as well as orthopedic beds, mattresses, top mattresses, supports, and cushions for different orthopedic problems. Some of them have multi-purpose and multi-position designs for different physical ailments and sleep disorders. A sleep pillow with a curved design that adapts to head, neck, and shoulder contours for back sleepers and side sleepers may relieve neck pain, frozen shoulder, stiff neck, and headaches, and may help breathing to reduce snoring and sleep apnea symptoms.
Currently, there are a number of solutions for relieving back and neck pain. One of these solutions attempts to utilize medicine, but this solution fails to meet the needs of the market because the medicine may not work for the user and may have side effects. Another solution attempts to utilize special mattresses, but this solution is similarly unable to meet the needs of the market because special mattresses can be expensive. Still another solution seeks to utilize medical professionals, but this solution also fails to meet market needs because medical professionals may be unavailable. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the market for an apparatus that alleviates neck and back pain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive concept is a substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user. A fabric outer surface assembly circumscribes a compressible inner portion of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly. At least two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies are parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability designed to optimally support the user's neck. One of the two substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies is firmer than the other. A depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and is designed to support the user's head.
The depressed portion of the compressible inner portion and the two substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies provide contoured support for the resting or sleeping or otherwise reclined user.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the compressible inner portion includes a poly fill. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the compressible inner portion includes a down fill. The down fill in one embodiment weighs substantially six ounces. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the compressible inner portion includes a memory foam. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the compressible inner portion is at least partially air wherein inner air pressure at least partially determines the degree of compressibility. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the compressible inner portion could include other materials such as nanomaterials or could include another gas or a liquid. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that use of air, another gas, or a liquid would infer the use of a lining impervious to these materials.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the fabric outer surface of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly could be made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials, some of which may have other properties such as anti-microbial properties or properties that make the fabrics easy to clean. The fabric outer surface may also be customizable. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the cover fabric is made from a synthetic fiber. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the synthetic fiber is anti-microbial. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the fabric outer surface assembly is removable.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user, the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies is further formed as a central cavity portion designed to limit lateral movement of the user's head. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion adapted to limit lateral movement of the user's head is substantially four and a half to seven inches in diameter. In another embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion adapted to limit lateral movement of a user's head is substantially four and a half inches to five inches in diameter.
One embodiment of the inventive concept is a substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain for a user that involves selecting one of the two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion circumscribed by the fabric outer surface, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability adapted to optimally support the user's head. This embodiment involves aligning a depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly to support the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that substantially horizontally is at least partially in relation to the surface on which the inventive concept rests. For example, if the inventive concept is disposed on a reclining bed or chair, the recline or incline of the inventive concept would be proportional to the recline or incline of the bed or chair.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for relieving neck pain, the compressible inner portion further supports the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain, a central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies to limit lateral movement of the user's head to further support the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain, the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is adapted to limit lateral movement of a user's head wherein the central cavity portion is substantially four and a half to seven inches in diameter.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain, the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is adapted to limit lateral movement of a user's head wherein the central cavity portion is substantially four and a half inches to five inches in diameter.
In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain, the central cavity portion of the compressible inner portion is at least partially filled with air wherein inner air pressure further optimizes the degree of compressibility.
The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly is designed to alleviate the strain and discomfort on people's necks and upper backs from sleeping on conventional pillows, though the substantially planar therapeutic pillow may be used as a conventional pillow even before harmful conditions develop. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly has two foam tubes embedded into it, one firmer and one softer than the other, that keep the spine in the proper alignment while sleeping. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow may have several sizes and version, one with six ounces of down encompassing the foam tubes and incorporating the remainder of the pillow and another with a poly-fill material of the same design plus smaller junior and infant-oriented designs. A substantially concave center helps users to avoid tilting head issues. The inventive concept may reduce the chances for sudden infant death syndrome if used with other preventative measures.
It would be advantageous to have a substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly that is ergonomic. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to have a substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly that is customizable. Still further, it would be advantageous to have a substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly that is made of foam. The inventive concept may include an adult size, a junior size, and an infant size.
The inventive concept advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a neck and back pain-relieving pillow, which provides a solution for neck and back pain while resting or sleeping.
Among other things, it is an advantage of the inventive concept to provide a neck and back pain-relieving pillow that does not suffer from problems or deficiencies associated with prior solutions. It is still further an advantage of the inventive concept to be customizable. Still further, the inventive concept may have multiple custom fabric designs. The term poly as used in context is synonymous with polyester.
The inventive concept now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description, and any preferred and/or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete, and will fully convey the full scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly.

FIG. 2 illustrates the perspective view of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly with the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion.

FIG. 3 illustrates the perspective and the interior view of the down and poly versions of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly.

FIG. 4 illustrates the interior view of the air and memory foam versions of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly.

FIG. 5 illustrates the planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain.

FIG. 6 illustrates the planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain using the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion.

FIG. 7 illustrates the front view of the junior version the planar therapeutic pillow assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Following are more detailed descriptions of various related concepts related to, and embodiments of, methods and apparatus according to the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that various aspects of the subject matter introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the subject matter is not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.
Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates that the inventive concept is a substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user 100. A fabric outer surface assembly 110 circumscribes, with reference to FIG. 3, a compressible inner portion 350. At least two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies 150 a, 150 b are parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion 350, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly 150 a and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly 150 b having differing pliability designed to optimally support a user's neck. One of the two substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies 150 a, 150 b is firmer than the other. A depressed portion of the compressible inner portion 160 is laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly 150 b and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly 150 b and is designed to support the user's head. The depressed portion of the compressible inner portion 160 and the two substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies 150 a, 150 b provide contoured support for the resting or sleeping or otherwise reclined user.
Referring again to FIG. 1 there is further illustrated that the fabric outer surface 110 of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly 100 could be made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials, some of which may have other properties such as anti-microbial properties or properties that make the fabrics easy to clean. The fabric outer surface 110 may also be customizable. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user 100, the cover fabric 110 is made from a synthetic fiber. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the synthetic fiber is anti-microbial. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly 100, the fabric outer surface assembly 110 is interchangeable.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user 100, the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies 160 is further formed as a central cavity portion 200 designed to limit lateral movement of the user's head. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion adapted to limit lateral movement of the user's head, the central cavity portion 200 of the depressed portion is substantially four and a half to seven inches in diameter. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the central cavity portion 200 of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion adapted to limit lateral movement of the user's head is substantially four and a half to five inches in diameter.
Referring now to FIG. 3 there is illustrated one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly 100, the compressible inner portion 350 includes a poly fill 352. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly, the compressible inner portion 350 includes a down fill 354. The down fill 354 in one embodiment weighs substantially six ounces.
Referring now to FIG. 4 there is illustrated that in one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly 100, the compressible inner portion 350 includes a memory foam 456. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly for a user 100, the compressible inner portion 350 is at least partially air 458 wherein inner air pressure at least partially determines the degree of compressibility. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the compressible inner portion could include other materials such as nanomaterials or could include another gas or a liquid.
Referring now to FIG. 5 and with reference to FIG. 1-4 there is illustrated one embodiment of the inventive concept is a substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain for a user that involves selecting 500 one of the two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies 150 a or 150 b parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion circumscribed by the fabric outer surface, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability adapted to optimally support the user's neck. This embodiment involves aligning a depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly to support the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine 510. In one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for relieving neck pain, the compressible inner portion further supports the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.
Referring now to FIG. 6 there is illustrated, with reference to FIG. 1-5, that in one embodiment of the substantially planar therapeutic pillow method for mitigating neck pain, a central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies and aligned 600 to limit lateral movement of the user's head to further support the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.
Referring now to FIG. 7, and with reference to FIG. 1-4, there illustrated the substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly 100 in a junior version 100 j.
There is also provided a method for mitigating neck pain for a user including the steps of providing a fabric outer surface cover and inserting into fabric cover two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies parallelly disposed within a compressible inner portion circumscribed by the fabric outer surface cover, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability adapted to optimally support the user's neck. The method further includes the step of aligning a depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly to support a user's head in a substantially horizontal state thereby aligning a user's spine.
The following patents are incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,638,564, 2014/0109318, 9,808,370, 8,707,485, and 4,494,261.
While the inventive concept has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the inventive concept is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Upon reading the teachings of this disclosure many modifications and other embodiments of the inventive concept will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this inventive concept pertains, and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings.

Claims

1. A substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly comprising:

a fabric outer surface assembly circumscribing a compressible inner portion;

two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies parallelly disposed within the compressible inner portion, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability adapted to support the user's neck; and

a depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly adapted to support the user's head.

2. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the compressible inner portion is a poly fill.

3. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the compressible inner portion is a down fill.

4. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 3 wherein the down fill is substantially six ounces.

5. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the compressible inner portion is a memory foam.

6. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the compressible inner portion is at least partially air wherein inner air pressure at least partially determines the degree of compressibility.

7. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein a cover fabric comprises a synthetic fiber.

8. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 7 wherein the synthetic fiber is anti-microbial.

9. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies is further a central cavity portion adapted to limit lateral movement of a user's head.

10. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 9 wherein the central cavity portion of the depressed portion is substantially four and a half to seven inches in diameter.

11. The substantially planar therapeutic pillow assembly of claim 1 wherein the fabric outer surface assembly is interchangeable.

12. A method for mitigating neck pain for a user comprising the steps of:

providing a fabric outer surface cover;

inserting into fabric cover two compressible and substantially cylindrical foam tube assemblies parallelly disposed within a compressible inner portion circumscribed by the fabric outer surface cover, the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly having differing pliability adapted to optimally support the user's neck; and

aligning a depressed portion of the compressible inner portion laterally disposed between the first substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly and the second substantially cylindrical foam tube assembly to support a user's head in a substantially horizontal state thereby aligning a user's spine.

13. The method of claim 13 wherein a memory foam of the compressible inner portion further supports the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a central cavity portion of the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion is laterally disposed between the cylindrical foam tube assemblies and aligned to limit lateral movement of the user's head to further support the user's head in a substantially horizontal state aligning the user's spine.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the depressed portion of the compressible inner portion adapted to limit lateral movement of the user's head is substantially four and a half to seven inches in diameter.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the central cavity portion is at least partially filled with air wherein inner air pressure further optimizes compressibility as defined by a user.