Orthopedic pillow

• US 6,047,425 A
• Filed: 07/01/1999
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adnan Khazaal
• Original Assignee: Adnan Khazaal
• Inventors: Khazaal, Adnan
• Primary Examiner(s): TRETTEL, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/345,841
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 5/636, 5/637, 5/640, 5/644, 5/645
• US Class Current: 5/644
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 9/1027 Details of inflatable pillows

Abstract

A orthopedic pillow for providing relief to user'"'"'s neck and upper back pain. The orthopedic pillow includes an inflatable bladder comprises a spaced apart pair of end lobes and a plurality of middle lobes interposed between the end lobes of the inflatable bladder. An outer pad substantially covers the inflatable bladder. A resiliently deformable sheet is embedded in the outer pad between the upper contours of the outer pad and the top faces of the lobes of the inflatable bladder.

Claims

1. An orthopedic pillow, comprising:

an inflatable bladder comprising a spaced apart pair of end lobes and a plurality of middle lobes interposed between said end lobes of said inflatable bladder;

said lobes each having a longitudinal axis extending generally parallel to one another;

said lobes having bottom faces lying in a common plane with one another;

said lobes each having an arcuate top face, each arcuate top face having a transverse cross section taken substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the respective lobe, said transverse cross section of each lobe having a concavity facing towards said bottom face of the respective lobe and an outwardly facing convexity;

an outer pad substantially covering said inflatable bladder;

said outer pad having a spaced apart pair of end regions each having an arcuate upper contour corresponding to said arcuate top face of an associated adjacent end lobe of said inflatable bladder, said outer pad having a middle region interposed between said end regions of said outer pad, said middle region of said outer pad having a generally flat upper contour extending over said arcuate top faces of said middle lobes of said inflatable bladder;

a resiliently deformable sheet being embedded in said outer pad between said upper contours of said regions of said outer pad and said arcuate top faces of said lobes of said inflatable bladder.

2. The orthopedic pillow of claim 1, further comprising a hand pump being in fluid communication with said inflatable bladder for inflating said inflatable bladder.

3. The orthopedic pillow of claim 2, wherein an elongate flexible tube fluidly connects said hand pump with said inflatable bladder, said flexible tube being outwardly extended from one of said sides of said inflatable bladder.

4. The orthopedic pillow of claim 1, wherein said hand pump has a release valve for permitting deflation of said inflatable bladder.

5. The orthopedic pillow of claim 1, wherein said top face of each lobe have an apex defined at a point on said top face furthest away from said bottom face of the respective lobe, wherein each of said lobe has a height defined between said apex and said bottom face of the respective lobe when said inflatable bladder is fully inflated, wherein said height of said first end lobe is greater than height of said second end lobe and said height of each of said middle lobes, and wherein said height of said second end lobe is greater than height of each of said middle lobes.

6. The orthopedic pillow of claim 5, wherein said heights of said middle lobes are about equal to one another.

7. In combination:

an orthopedic pillow comprising;

an inflatable bladder, an outer pad, having a pair of opposite ends, and a pair of sides extending between said ends of said inflatable bladder;

said inflatable bladder comprising a resiliently stretchable material;

a hand pump being in fluid communication with said inflatable bladder for inflating said inflatable bladder, wherein an elongate flexible tube fluidly connects said hand pump with said inflatable bladder, said flexible tube being outwardly extended from one of said sides of said inflatable bladder, said hand pump having a release valve for permitting deflation of said inflatable bladder;

said inflatable bladder comprising a spaced apart pair of end lobes and a plurality of middle lobes interposed between said end lobes of said inflatable bladder;

a first of said end lobes being positioned adjacent one end of said inflatable bladder, a second of said end lobes being positioned adjacent the other of said ends of said inflatable bladder;

said lobes each having a longitudinal axis extending between said sides of said inflatable bladder, said longitudinal axes of said lobes being extended generally parallel to one another;

said lobes having bottom faces lying in a common plane with one another;

said lobes each having an arcuate top face, each arcuate top face having a transverse cross section taken substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the respective lobe, said transverse cross section of each lobe having a concavity facing towards said bottom face of the respective lobe and an outwardly facing convexity;

said top face of each lobe having an apex defined at a point on said top face furthest away from said bottom face of the respective lobe;

each of said lobe having a height defined between said apex and said bottom face of the respective lobe when said inflatable bladder is fully inflated;

wherein said height of said first end lobe is greater than height of said second end lobe and said height of each of said middle lobes;

wherein said height of said second end lobe is greater than height of each of said middle lobes;

wherein said heights of said middle lobes are about equal to one another;

wherein said height of said first end lobe is about 7 inches, wherein said height of said second end lobe is about 6 inches, and wherein said height of each of said middle lobes is about 4 inches;

an resiliently deformable outer pad substantially covering said inflatable bladder such that said inflatable bladder is enclosed in said outer pad, said outer pad comprising a resiliently deformable fine polyester fiber material;

said outer pad having a spaced apart pair of end regions each having an arcuate upper contour corresponding to said arcuate top face of an associated adjacent end lobe of said inflatable bladder, said outer pad having a middle region interposed between said end regions of said outer pad, said middle region of said outer pad having a generally flat upper contour extending over said arcuate top faces of said middle lobes of said inflatable bladder;

a generally rectangular resiliently deformable sponge material sheet being embedded in said outer pad between said upper contours of said regions of said outer pad and said arcuate top faces of said lobes of said inflatable bladder; and

a removable pillow cover substantially covering said orthopedic pillow, said pillow cover comprising a fabric material and having a side opening, said flexible tube being outwardly extended through said side opening, said pillow cover having a closure for closing said side opening.