EP1421881A1 - Anatomic pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

A cushion comprises a member (1) composed of plastic fibres, a lower side (2), four side faces (3a-d) and an upper side (4). The latter is located in the middle of a depression (5) that extends from one side to the other. The fibres form a solid block, and consist mainly of polyester, but also of some polyester binder material.

Description

The present invention relates to a body-appropriate pillow, whose top has a trough-shaped depression, the from one side surface to the opposite side surface stretches and its core from a special synthetic fiber mixture consists.

Body-friendly pillows are known in principle, and currently commercially available body-hugging pillows show in usually a latex core. Have consumer testing however reveal that such pillows in terms of comfort and their performance for a relaxing and restful Worrying about sleep are not entirely satisfactory.

Furthermore, it is known from WO 99/16705, for example, Duvets, pillows and the like with one made of cellulose fibers and polyester fibers to fill existing filler.

EP-A-0 633 338 describes a flame retardant pillow consisting of a polyester core and a separable one from the polyester core Cover, whereby the polyester core from a binder-consolidated Nonwoven block is made up of fibers and filaments of the polyester core and the shell made of a flame-resistant modified Polyester are built up. With a special design can this pillow in addition to the nonwoven block have a cylindrical nonwoven roll, which from the same material. The shape of the pillow, with or without Nonwoven roll, do not meet the requirements of a body-shaped pillow can be placed. As polyester fibers come especially modified flame retardant Polyethylene terephthalate staple fibers and as binder fibers Bicomponent fibers of the core-sheath type with one core flame retardant modified polyethylene terephthalate.

WO 96/27315 describes a body-shaped pillow, which has a flat chamber filled with water and in contains other compressible polyester filling material. about the nature of the polyester material is not specified made.

WO 99/37188 relates to an inflatable therapeutic Pillow, the upper part of which is shaped to fit the body and fiber material, including polyester fibers or nylon fibers, etc. contains, and the lower part of which several inflatable elongated Has chambers. That for the physically shaped part of the Pillow's usable polyester fiber filler won't specified in more detail.

The invention has for its object a physically appropriate To provide pillows that have a simple structure owns and without liquid chambers or inflatable chambers gets along, is easy to manufacture and a more relaxing and allows more relaxing sleep than those currently available form-fitting pillow with latex core.

According to the invention, this task is carried out by a body-appropriate Pillow with a body made of plastic fibers, an underside, four side surfaces and a top solved A gutter-shaped depression approximately in the middle has, which extends from one side surface to the opposite Side surface extends, the plastic fibers form a solidified block, the vast majority made of polyester base fibers and for the most part made of polyester binder fibers consists.

It has surprisingly been found that body-appropriate Pillow with a body that is predominantly made of polyester base fibers and for the most part made of polyester binder fibers exists, a much more relaxing and relaxed Allow sleep than the currently available body-hugging pillows with a latex core.

Fig. 1

das erfindungsgemäße Kissen im Längsschnitt ohne Hülle;

Fig. 2

das erfindungsgemäße Kissen in perspektivischer Sicht, teilweise mit Hülle;

Fig. 3

Querschnittaufnahmen von zur Herstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Kissen bevorzguten Polyethylenterephthalathohlfasern;

Fig. 4

schematische Darstellung von zur Herstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Kissen bevorzugten Polyesterbinderfasern (Bikomponentenfasern).

Show in the drawings

Fig. 1

the pillow according to the invention in longitudinal section without cover;

Fig. 2

the pillow according to the invention in perspective, partly with cover;

Fig. 3

Cross-sectional images of preferred polyethylene terephthalate hollow fibers for the production of the pillows according to the invention;

Fig. 4

schematic representation of polyester binder fibers (bicomponent fibers) preferred for the production of the pillows according to the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention The surface of the pillow is wavy and exists of two wave crests and one in between Wave trough, which extends straight from one side to the extend opposite side surface. The wave crests can be different heights, and the bottom is preferably flat.

The pillow is preferably covered with a removable Cover, preferably consisting of a cotton-polyester blend or pure cotton. In addition, the pillow for easier removal from the removable cover with a thin, thermally bonded nonwoven or a thin Be knitted.

The polyester body preferably consists of approximately 80% Polyester base fibers and about 20% polyester binder fibers.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is as follows explained using the drawings.

1 and 2 show the plastic fibers Body 1, which has an underside 2, four side surfaces 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d and has a top 4. Around the middle of the Body 1 is a trough-shaped recess 5, the from one side surface 3b to the opposite side surface 3d stretches.

In the preferred embodiment, the top 4 of the Body 1 wavy, and the trough-shaped Well 5 consists of a trough 5, which is between two Wave crests 6 and 7 are located, which are straight from one Extend side surfaces 3b to the opposite side surface 3d. It is useful if the wave crests are different Have heights, with the wave crest on which the neck rests, forms the smaller wave crest and has a height of approx. 8 to 12 cm, preferably about 10 cm. The head facing crest preferably has a height of approx. 9 to 13 cm, especially about 11 cm and the trough should preferably between 6 and 10 cm high, in particular approximately 9 cm.

The body 1 of the body-appropriate pillow is preferably with a removable cover 8, which is preferably made of a cotton-polyester blend or pure cotton consists. For easier removal of the fiber block from the removable The fiber block can be covered with a thin thermally bonded nonwoven or a thin knitted fabric be related.

The body 1 of the body-appropriate pillow is made of a fiber block molded, which is predominantly made of polyester base fibers and to a lesser extent from polyester binder fibers consists. In a preferred embodiment contains the polyester body 1 about 80% polyester base fibers and about 20% polyester binder fibers.

The polyester fiber material is known per se.

In addition to other common polyester base fiber materials especially polyethylene terephthalate fibers, which are preferably hollow fibers.

The polyester base fibers used in the preferred embodiment made of polyethylene terephthalate preferably have one round cross-section, are preferably 4-hole hollow fibers and have a preferred titer of about 4-20 dtex and have a preferred stack length of about 25-100 mm on (see Fig. 3).

The polyester binder fibers are preferably bicomponent fibers, in particular of the core-shell type and preferably have a round cross-section and a titer of about 5 - 20 dtex (see Fig. 4). The core-sheath fiber is characterized by different melting temperatures of the jacket those of the fiber core. The fiber sheath melts significantly lower temperatures than the core, which mostly consists of Standard polyethylene terephthalate exists.

The two types of fibers are processed into a staple fiber mixture and, as such, processed into a nonwoven fabric on a commercial card. In this processing step, the fibers are broken down to the individual fiber and placed in a layer of tangled fibers to form a fleece. Several layers of this fleece are placed over a stacker until a preferably square meter weight of 1500-5000 g / m ^{2 is} achieved.

This multi-layer fiber fleece is now in a hot air oven bound at 160 ° C - 220 ° C and to a height of approx. 5 - 20 cm compacted. The jacket of the bicomponent fiber melts and connects the crossing points with each other.

The block of nonwoven fabric obtained in this way is used in another Production step by cutting into the desired wave form brought.

The block of nonwoven fabric produced in this way can fit into a suitable thin envelope are made from a thin, thermal consolidated nonwoven or a thin knitted fabric. This cover is sewn around the nonwoven core.

In the following, the nonwoven core thus enclosed is converted into a Covered, preferably made of a polyester / cotton blend or pure cotton. This, preferably zipped cover should be like the block of nonwoven be shaped.

The nonwoven block and the thin cover made of thermally bonded Nonwoven fabric or thin knitted fabric is due to rinsing clean with warm water. The cover that can be separated from the pillow made of polyester / cotton blend or pure cotton Machine washable at 60 ° C.

Preparation example

A fiber mixture consisting of 73% 4-hole polyethylene terephthalate hollow fibers with a titer of 13 dtex and 63 mm staple length and 27% bicomponent fibers of the sheath-core melt fiber type with a titer of 15 dtex and a staple length of 63 mm is made on one commercial card processed into a nonwoven fabric of 2000 g / m ² .

This fleece is compressed to a height of 15 cm and in solidified in a hot air oven at 170 ° C. to form a fiber block.

The present fiber block is made by means of a vibrating Cut wire to the pillow with the desired waveform. The footprint of the pillow of this example is 57 x 39 cm. The more pronounced wave crest has a height of 11 cm, the wave valley has a height of 9 cm and the less pronounced wave crest has a height of 10 cm.

This pillow is in a removable cover with Zipper consisting of a polyester / cotton blend.

Test example

The pillow described in the manufacturing example was the Institute research group industrial anthropology in Kiel for Test compared to commercially available latex pillows and one Pillow made of visco-elastic foam.

The support height and the angle between Head and torso in lateral and supine positions on hard and soft mattresses measured.

Surprisingly, this was achieved in the manufacturing example described fiber core pillow a better rating.

So the fiber core pillow is considered advantageous over that Pillow made of visco-elastic foam. The subjective Impressions of the test subjects underline this assessment.

Although the values for latex are almost identical, it is still the fiber pillow was clearly beneficial by the test subjects rated.

Results of the institute's research group Industrial anthropology in Kiel

of mattress Position (back / side) fiber pillow latex Visco-elastic foam support height Hard move 2 2 2 page 3 3 4 Soft move 2 2 4 page 2 2 4 angle Hard move 3 2 2 page 3 3 4 Soft move 4 4 4 page 2 3 4

Rating was from 1-5, with 1 being the top grade.

In a further test series, the temperature and humidity development measured at the back of the neck and the microclimate to determine.

In this test, the pillow described cut subjectively also better off than the latex pillow, with better results in the microclimate.

Results of the institute's research group Industrial anthropology in Kiel

Visco-elastic foam latex fiber block microclimate Temperature ° C head 35.7 35.5 34.6 neck 35.7 35.4 34.7 Relative humidity head% 29.6 27.2 28.6 neck 39.1 37 33.5

The temperature development in the head and neck area is with the fiber block pillow lower, also the relative humidity, especially in the neck area is less. The microclimate which is created by the fiber block cushion is thus cheaper for the sleeper.

Results of a consumer test

Furthermore, the pillow described was subjected to an end-user test checked in the market. The test was carried out by DELTA Marketing Research International, Spain.

• 82 % der Befragten beurteilen das Kissen als komfortabel oder sehr komfortabel
• 77 % der Befragten bestätigen eine Reduzierung des Schnarchens
• 85 % der Befragten mit Nackenschmerzen konstatieren eine Linderung ihrer Beschwerden.

100 subjects tested the pillow for 3 weeks with the following results:

• 82% of the respondents rated the pillow as comfortable or very comfortable
• 77% of the respondents confirm a reduction in snoring
• 85% of those with neck pain find relief from their symptoms.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

body

2

bottom

3a

side surface

3b

side surface

3c

side surface

3d

side surface

4

top

5

Deepening / trough

6

Wellenberg

7

Wellenberg

8th

reference

Claims (14)

Body-appropriate pillow with a body (1) made of plastic fibers, an underside (2), four side surfaces (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) and a top (4), the Top (4) approximately in the middle a gutter-shaped Has recess (5), which extends from a side surface (3b) extends to the opposite side surface (3d) and wherein the plastic fibers form a solidified block form, the predominantly of polyester base fibers and to a lesser extent from polyester binder fibers consists. A body-hugging pillow according to claim 1, wherein the Polyester base fibers are polyester hollow fibers. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 or 2, in which the top (4) is wave-shaped and consists of two wave crests (6, 7) and one intermediate trough (5), which is rectilinear from one side surface (3b) to the opposite Extend side surface (3d). Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 3, in which the wave crests (6, 7) are different are high. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 4, in which the underside (2) is flat is. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 5, which preferably with a removable cover (8) a cotton-polyester blend or pure Cotton is covered. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 6, in which the fiber block with a thin, thermally bonded nonwoven or a thin Knitted fabric is related. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 7, in which the polyester body (1) is about 80% made of polyester base fibers and about 20% of polyester binder fibers consists. A body-hugging pillow according to claim 8, wherein the Polyester base fibers made of polyethylene terephthalate fibers with preferably consist of a round cross section. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 8 or 9, in which the polyester base fibers are made of polyether hollow fibers consist. A body cushion according to claim 10, wherein the Hollow polyester fibers are 4-hole hollow fibers. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 10 or 11, in which the hollow polyester fibers unite Titers of about 4-20 dtex and a stack length of about Have 50 - 75 mm. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 12, in which the polyester binder fibers are bicomponent fibers are, preferably of the core-shell type. Body-friendly pillow according to at least one of the claims 1 to 13, in which the polyester binder fibers have a Show titers of about 5 - 20 dtex.

Images