Prone pregnancy cushion

• US 5,400,449 A
• Filed: 09/21/1994
• Issued: 03/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter J. Satto
• Original Assignee: Peter J. Satto
• Inventors: Satto, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRETTEL, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/309,727
• Time in Patent Office: 188 Days
• Field of Search: 5/462, 5/465, 5/930, 5/631, 5/632
• US Class Current: 5/631
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/021 Foot or leg supports
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/025 Supports specially adapted for pregnant women
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/026 Supports for lying in a prone position A47C20/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/12 Women
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05715 with modular blocks, or inserts, with layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/065 Rests specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 5/93 for pregnant user

Abstract

A prone pregnancy cushion, for allowing a pregnant woman to lay on her abdomen, comprising an early stage segment, a later stage segment, and an attachment mechanism connecting the early stage segment and later stage segment. The early stage segment and later stage segment each have abdominal hollows and breast hollows, containing breast cut-outs and abdominal cut-outs which are removable to accommodate women of different sizes and at different stages of their pregnancy.

Claims

1. A pregnancy cushion, for supporting a pregnant woman laying face-down, comprising:

a) an early stage segment, in the shape of a rectangular prism having a top plane and a bottom plane, an abdominal hollow extending downward from the top plane toward the bottom plane, and a breast hollow extending downward from the top plane toward the bottom plane;

b) a later stage segment, in the shape of a rectangular prism having a top plane and a bottom plane, an abdominal hollow extending downward from the top plane toward the bottom plane, and a breast hollow extending downward from the top plane toward the bottom plane; and

c) an attachment mechanism, connecting the early stage segment and later stage segment.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the abdominal hollows further contain a shallow abdominal cut-out and a deep abdominal cut-out, the shallow abdominal cut-out and deep abdominal cut-out both being selectively removable, the deep abdominal cut-out extending further downward from the top plane.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the combination of the shallow abdominal cut-out and deep abdominal cut-out extend further downward in the later stage segment than in the early stage segment.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the breast hollows further contain a shallow breast cut-out and a deep breast cut-out, the shallow breast cut-out and deep breast cutout being selectively removable.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, where in both the early stage segment and the later stage segment, the abdominal hollow is nearer to the attachment mechanism than breast hollow.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the abdominal hollow and breast hollow are adjacent to one another in both the early stage segment and later stage segment.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the attachment mechanism further comprises a top flap, attaching to the top plane of both the early stage segment and later stage segment, and a bottom flap, attaching to the bottom plane of both the early stage segment and later stage segment.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the upper flap and top plane each bear portions of a hook and loop pile fastener device.

9. A method of using a pregnancy cushion by a pregnant woman, comprising an early stage segment and a later stage segment, the early stage segment and later stage segment connected with an attachment mechanism, the early and later stage segment each having a breast hollow and abdominal hollow containing removable breast cut-out portions and a removable abdominal cut-out portions, comprising the steps of:

a) performing a step selected from;

i) removing an abdominal cut-out portion in the early stage segment if the woman is at an early stage of her pregnancy, and

ii) removing an abdominal cut-out portion in the later stage segment if the woman is at a later stage of her pregnancy; and

b) laying down on the cushion with the abdomen extending into the abdominal hollow, and the legs supported by the segment in which the abdominal cut-out has not been removed.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of:

using as a pillow an item selected from the breast cut-out and abdominal cut-out.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of removing an abdominal cut-out further comprises removing a breast cut-out.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the abdominal cut-out comprises a deep abdominal cut-out and a shallow abdominal cut-out, and step of removing an abdominal cut-out is further selected from removing a shallow abdominal cut-out, and removing a shallow and deep abdominal cut-out, depending on the size of the abdomen.