PILLOW, IN PARTICULAR PADDED PILLOW

Abstract

 A pillow having an upper face (2), a lower face (3), and a spacer (6), the latter connecting the upper face and the lower face and separating a first inner longitudinal chamber (4) and a second inner longitudinal chamber (5), the said spacer having a section which increases from the said lower face to the said upper face and forming a third chamber which is empty.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow, in particular a padded pillow, and more particularly a pillow with adjustable padding.

[0002] Diverse structures have been proposed for pillows in order to improve the support and comfort features thereof; in the case of padded pillows, it is nevertheless difficult to achieve precise forms, especially in the presence of concavities. Therefore, there are many types of anatomical pillows made using soft materials which are nevertheless able to maintain the desired form over time. Materials which are commonly used for this type of product include foam rubber and latex. Nevertheless, due to the high cost thereof, in particular of latex, the said pillows do not allow any adaptation of the form and stiffness according to specific needs and the unalterable structure of the said pillows makes them difficult to wash; depending on the type of material, they are also subject to alterations resulting from degradation over time and use. Furthermore, they do not allow for differentiating stiffness in the various areas of the pillow, which is desirable in order to maximise comfort.

[0003] The drawbacks previously outlined have now been overcome, according to the present invention, by means of a pillow having an upper face, a lower face, and a spacer, the latter connecting the upper face and the lower face and separating a first inner longitudinal chamber 4 and a second inner longitudinal chamber 5, the said spacer having a section which increases from the said lower face to the said upper face and forming a third chamber.

[0004] According to one preferred aspect, the said spacer has an essentially trapezoidal or triangular section, with the smaller base or a vertex facing the lower face.

[0005] According to a further preferred aspect, the said spacer forms a third empty chamber located between the first two longitudinal chambers. For example, the three chambers may be separated by one or more strips of fabric connected thereto, in particular sewn to the upper and lower faces.

[0006] According to a still further aspect, the first and/or second chamber feature an opening which may be accessed from the outside, in order to take away or remove padding material. The said opening may be fastened with suitable means, such as buttons, Velcro, or zips.

[0007] Preferably, 'invisible' zips are used, which do not cause discomfort during use of the pillow.

[0008] The first and second chambers are filled with special padding, made of a natural or a synthetic material, for example polyester fibre, feather, down, cotton, wool

[0009] The pillow may comprise an outer case comprising the said lower face and the said upper face and which can be made of fabric, which may be natural and/or synthetic, for example cotton, a cotton and polyester blend, polyester ...

[0010] The present invention will now be illustrated through a detailed description of an embodiment, provided merely by way of example, which in no way limits the scope of protection defined by the annexed claims and with the aid of figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows, schematically, a perspective view of a section of a pillow according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows, schematically, a further view of the pillow in Figure 1.

[0011] The pillow according to the present invention comprises a case 1, which comprises the upper face 2 and the lower face 3. Delimited by the two faces, the inside of the pillow is divided into a first 4 and a second 5 longitudinal chamber. The first and second chambers may be padded or accessible so that padding may be added thereto. The pillow comprises the spacer 6, which forms a third chamber. According to a preferred aspect, the said third chamber is an empty chamber.

[0012] According to a further preferred aspect, the said third chamber is delimited by a strip of fabric, which is fastened (for example, with stitching) to the upper face 2 and the lower face 3 along three seams. A first 7 and a second seam 8 fastening the said fabric to the upper face, may run in a mutually parallel arrangement, suitably spaced apart, and a third 9 may run along the lower face. In this way, the first 4, the second 5, and the third chamber 6 are delimited by the case and the strip of fabric. The third chamber may therefore assume a section (i.e. when the strip of fabric is stretched by, for example, filling the first two chambers) which increases in width from the lower face of the pillow to the upper one. In particular, the section may have an essentially triangular conformation.

[0013] The case is preferably shaped so that the two chambers 4 and 5 have an essentially convex, rounded section at the upper face, while the upper face has a concavity at the spacer 6. In this way, upon filling the first and second chambers with suitable padding, one can obtain a pillow which is essentially shaped in a similar way to that shown in the figure. The lower face may be essentially flat. This may be achieved using, for example, two seams 10, 11 to join the lower and upper faces. The two faces may also be made of different fabrics, for example a stiffer fabric for the lower face, if desired. It should be noted that the lower face is intended to be resting on a surface (for example a mattress), therefore allowing the form shown to be achieved.

[0014] The first and second chambers are designed to be filled with a padding material. According to a preferred aspect, the first chamber 4 is stiffer than the second 5, and this may be achieved by adjusting the amount of material or by using different materials. This way, a pillow may be obtained which offers adequate support for the cervical spine area - through a concavity (in correspondence with the spacer) which is suitable to accommodate the nape - and a softer part.

[0015] The pillow may be completed with fastenings at the ends thereof (not shown in Figure 2) which allow one to see the contents thereof.

[0016] The presence of openings to access the chambers is useful for adding, removing, or replacing the padding.

[0017] According to a particular aspect, represented in Figure 1, a zip 12, for example an invisible zip can allow access to both the first and second chamber for the purposes stated above. However, as said, other means of access may be featured, and openings may also be featured in other positions.

Claims

1. A pillow having an upper face (2), a lower face (3), and a spacer (6), the latter connecting the upper face and the lower face and separating a first inner longitudinal chamber (4) and a second inner longitudinal chamber (5), the said spacer having a section which increases from the said lower face to the said upper face and forming a third chamber, in particular forming an empty chamber positioned between the two longitudinal chambers.

2. A pillow according to Claim 1, wherein the said spacer has an essentially trapezoidal or triangular section, with the smaller base or a vertex facing the lower face.

3. A pillow according to any of the previous claims, wherein the first chamber (4) and the second chamber (5) are filled with a special padding.

4. A pillow according to any of the previous claims, wherein the first and the second chamber have an essentially convex, rounded section at the upper face, while the upper face has a concavity at the spacer.

5. A pillow according to any of the previous claims, wherein means (12) are envisaged for accessing the two chambers from the outside.

Drawing