Smart Pillow System

A method for operating a smart pillow system deformable by a controller for maintaining the cervical spine of a user who is a human being in a neutral alignment despite changes in the position of the user from lying on his or her side or on his or her back, comprising the following steps:

• providing a smart pillow comprising at least one inflatable bladder, and a controller, the controller comprising an air pump to increase air pressure in the at least one inflatable bladder, a pressure gauge to measure air pressure in the at least one inflatable bladder, and a valve to release air from the at least one inflatable bladder, and a microprocessor operatively connected to the air pump, pressure gauge, and valve to operate the same,
• inflating the at least one inflatable bladder to a reference pressure,
• having the user lie with his or head on the smart pillow in one of the side or supine positions,
• measuring and recording in the microprocessor the pressure of the air in the at least one inflatable bladder for the one of the side or supine positions,
• having the user move to the other of the side or supine positions,
• measuring and recording in the microprocessor the pressure of the air in the at least one inflatable bladder for the second position,
• comparing in the microprocessor the recorded pressures of air to determine which is larger, and
• assigning in the microprocessor the larger recorded pressure to the supine position and the smaller recorded pressure to the side position.

A method for operating a smart pillow system deformable by a controller for maintaining the cervical spine of a user who is a human being in a neutral alignment despite changes in the position of the user from lying on his or her side or on his or her back, comprising the following steps:

• providing a smart pillow comprising at least one inflatable bladder, and a controller, the controller comprising an air pump to increase air pressure in the at least one inflatable bladder, a pressure gauge to measure air pressure in the at least one inflatable bladder, and a valve to release air from the at least one inflatable bladder, a microprocessor operatively connected to the air pump, pressure gauge, and valve to operate the same, and one or more shoulder pressure sensors adapted to sense pressures exerted by the shoulders of the user and communicate these pressures to the microprocessor,
• having the user lie with his or her head on the smart pillow system in one of the side or supine positions and his or her shoulders in contact with the smart pillow system wherein the shoulders will cause the shoulder pressure sensors to detect pressures exerted by the shoulders,
• communicating the pressures sensed by the shoulder pressure sensors to the microprocessor,
• analyzing in the microprocessor the pressures sensed by the shoulder pressure sensors to determine whether the user is in the side position or the supine position,
• inflating the at least one bladder to a height determined for the sensed position of the user.