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US 2011/0225735 A1Published application
Reconfigurable Pillow
AssigneeHIP Innovations, LLC
InventorsSteve Heroux, Jianping Cai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pillow that can be manipulated into a variety of bent/folded/twisted configurations and can retain each of those configurations until manipulated into a different configuration. The pillow has a segmented toroidal shape and includes an envelope and a flowable fill filling the envelope so that the fill is under positive pressure throughout. The pillow has a plurality of constrictions that, in conjunction with the pressurized fill, provides the pillow with soft hinges that facilitate bending/folding/twisting of the pillow.
Claims20
A reconfigurable pillow, comprising:
- a fill comprising a plurality of discrete pieces configured to make said fill flowable;
- and
- an envelope containing said fill, said envelope:
- defining a generally toroidal shape;
- having an inner peripheral region that is substantially non-stretchable;
- and
- including a plurality of transverse constrictions providing the reconfigurable pillow with a corresponding plurality of soft-hinges and with a corresponding plurality of inter-hinge regions located between adjacent ones of said plurality of soft-hinges, wherein said fill is flowable between adjacent ones of said plurality of inter-hinge regions;
- wherein said fill is provided to said envelope in an amount such that when the reconfigurable pillow is bent from a first shape to a second shape, two or more of said plurality of soft-hinges activate to allow corresponding respective adjacent ones of said plurality of inter-hinge regions to rotate, and the reconfigurable pillow substantially maintains the second shape until the reconfigurable pillow is bent again.
5 more elements
A reconfigurable pillow, comprising:
- a flowable fill;
- and
- an envelope defining an interior cavity containing said flowable fill, said envelope:
- defining a generally toroidal shape;
- having a front portion that is generally circular;
- having a back portion that is generally circular and connected to said front portion, wherein said back portion is made of a stretchable material having at least a stretchability of at least 50%;
- having an inner peripheral region that is substantially non-stretchable;
- including a plurality of transverse constrictions providing the reconfigurable pillow with a corresponding plurality of soft-hinges and with a corresponding plurality of inter-constriction regions located between adjacent ones of said plurality of transverse constrictions, wherein each of said plurality of transverse constrictions allows communication between adjacent ones of said plurality of inter-hinge regions;
- and
- a plurality of elastic strips secured to said stretchable material along corresponding respective ones of said plurality of constrictions;
- wherein said flowable fill is provided within said interior cavity in an amount such that said flowable fill is under positive pressure throughout said interior cavity without any forces being applied externally to the pillow.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.