US1680069A - Sanitary pillow - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1928.

, 1,680,069 N. scHENK SANITARY PILLOW Filed Jari. 17, 1927 ZNVENTG BVM Patented Aug. 7, 1928A.

PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS SCHENK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSURI.

SANITARY PILLOW.

Application led January 17, 1927. serial No. ltttl?.

rlliis invention relates to a device that is intended to be used for the same purpose as a feather pillow.

'lhe object of the invention is to provide a t sanitary pillow which is an improvement on the conventional feather pillow now in general use, in thatv it is of such construction that it will not cause the users head to perspire in hot weather; it is of such construe' lt tion that air can circulate freely through same, thus keeping the users head cool, and preventing the device from becoming heated or from absorbing perspiration from the userls head; it will support the users head in lt a comfortable and natural position without liability of cramping the users neck or subjectng it to a strain that causes discomfort; it is odorless, due to the fact that it does not comprise a filling of feathers, down to or similar material; it can be foldedcompactly and stored in a small space when not in use, and it can be manufactured and sold ata low cost.

' Briefly described, my invention consists of t a sanitary pillow or head supporting dcvice that comprises a non-metallic portion, referably a piece of fabric of any preferred Eind on which the users head rests, and a resilient supporting means for said head e11- ao gaging portion constructed so as to yieldingly suspend said portion between two separated oints, and permit said portion to havepracticallyl a universal movement when in use. In other words, the fabric head engaging portion of the device and the resili ent supporting means that sustains same are so constructed and combined that when the device is in use said fabric portion will be capable of moving upland down in a vertical position, it will be capable of moving laterally or sidewise in either direction a limited distance and it will also be capable of moving a slight ldistance in a direction lengthwise of the users body. The result is that when the device is in use the usershead is supported in a comfortable and natural position, and when the user rolls over or moves lengthwise of the bed, the fabric pol'- tion of the device will shift bodily in the so same direction that the users head moves.

The resilient supporting means can be co nstructed from various kinds `of material; it

can be formed in one piece; it can be a builtup structure composed of a plurality of parts and it can be constructed entirely from resilient material or partly from rigid material and partly from resilient material. lt 1sv preferably constructed from a piece of thin sheet metal tempered so as to impart the required degree of resiliency to same. The form or shape of said resilient supporting means can vary greatly without departing from the spirit of my invention, but it preferably comprises a base provided at its opposite ends with upwardly-projecting arms that support or sustain the non-metall1c head engaging portion and which have suiicient flexibility or resiliency to flex sidewise or laterally and also up and down a limited distance when the device is in use. If desired, said resilient means can be formed from .a plurality of resilient members of similar shape arranged in superimposed position, or in nested relation, so as to enable the user or owner of the device to vary the resilienc of same, by using .only one of said members when a very soft pillow is desired, and to use two or more of said members when ahard pillow is desired.

The non-metallic head engaging portion of the device can either consist of a single place of fabric, or a plurality of layers of fabric, and said portion can be combined with the resilient supporting means pre-` viously referred to in any preferred manner. For example, the head engaging portions can consist of `a fabric casing, inside of which the resilient supporting means is arranged;

it can consist of one or more layers of fabric stretched between the upwardly-projectinor arms of the resilient supporting means and connected to said arms in any preferred manner either adjustably, permanently or detachably, or said head engaging portion can be constructed from one or more layers of fabric stretched transversely across the ends of saidarms and downwardly over the sides of same and held taut either by connecting the ends of said fabric portion together or connecting said portion to the base or to the arms of the resilient supporting means.

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view, showing one end of the non-metallic head engaging portion of the device detached from the resilient supporting means.

Figure 2 is a perspective view, showing the two elements of the device arranged in operative relationship.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the resilient supporting means before it is flexed into its normally operative position.

Figure 4 is an elevational view, illustrating how the'device operates when it is in use; and

Figure 4a is a detail view, illustrating the resilient supporting means as being composed of a plurality of members arranged in superimposed position or nested relation.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the preferred resilient supporting means of the device consists of a strip A of thin sheet metal that is tempered so as to impart some resiliency to same and which is bent so that the intermediate portionE of said strip is bowed upwardly and the end portions of said strip are curved slightly in the opposite direction to said bowed intermediate portion, as shown in Figure 3. The nonmetallic head engaging portion B of the device is formed either from a single strip of fabric or from a plurality of thicknesses or layers of fabric, preferably a plurality of layers of fabric that are suiiciently porous to permit air to circulate through same, and said portion is illustrated in Figure l as being attached to a fabric casing a' inside of which the resilient member A is adapted to be arranged. To arrange the fabric portion B and the resilient supporting means A in operative relationship the strip of metal that constitutes said means A and which is arranged inside of the casin is flexed into the position shown in Figure 2, thus causing the upwardly-bowed central portion of the strip A to assume the form of a flat base l and the curved end portions of said strip to assume the form of upwardly-projecting arms 2 at the endsof said base whose terminals or ends curve inwardly slightly. After the fabric portion B of the device has been stretched taut transversely across the ends of the arms 2, the free end of said portion B is secured to the free end of the casing at a point under the base 1 of the resilient supporting meansA in any preferred manner, as, for example, by means of hooks 3 on the free end of said fabric head engaging portion B that are hooked into eyes or loops 4 on the free end of the casing m. After the elements A and B have been combined in this manner a device will be produced that is capable of being used for the same purpose as a con-` ventional feather pillow, but which is a decided improvement on a feather pillow, in

that it is sanitary, it is cool in hot weather, it will support the users head in a natural and comfortable position without subjecting the users neck to a strain, and it can be stored in a small space when it is not in use. The member A can be constructed in various ways and can have any desired degree of resiliency, but it is preferable to construct said member so that it will resiliently sustain the fabric head engaging portion B, and the upwardly-projecting parts of said member A between which the portion B is suspended will be capable of flexing sidewise when the user rolls or turns over in the bed on which he is reclining, thereby permitting the fabric portion B to bodily shift laterally a limited distance with the users head as shown in Fig. 4. D ue to the resiliency of the arms 2, the fabric head engaging portion of the device is also capable of shifting bodily a slight distance in a direction lengthwise of the users body. In other words, a device of the construction above described comprises a porous fabric portion B for receiving the users head, that is suspended between two upwardly-projecting arms 2 on a flat base l, which arms 2 are resilient enough to permit the fabric head engaging portion B to have practically a universal movement, i. e., a slight vertical movement towards and away from the base l of the resilient supporting means, a slight lateral movement relatively to the bed on which the user reclines and a slight movement lengthwise of the bed.

It is immaterial how the resilient supporting means A of the device and the fabric head engaging portion B of same are combined, and while I prefer to construct said elementsso that they can be disassembled easily, or taken apart, it is not absolutely essential that the device be constructed in this manner.

In instances where it is desired to produce a device that can be changed easily to vary the tension of the resilient supporting means of the device, said means can be formed from a plurality of resilient members A, A and A2 arranged in superimposed position or nested relation, as shown in Figure 4". If the user desires a soft pillow, only one of said members will be used to sustain the fabric head engaging portion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A head rest composed of a supporting means comprising a relatively broad strip of resilient sheet metal having an upwardly curved intermediate portion and upwardly bowed end portions curved slightly in the opposite direction to said curved intermediate portion, a flexible head engaging portion attached to one of said end portions, and means for connecting said head engaging portion to the other of said end portions 2. A` head rest comprising a relatively whereby the intermediate portion of said broad strip of resilient' sheet metal having strip is held in" a substantially horizontalintegral upwardl bowed arms at the ends 10 position and the end portions of said strip thereof and a exlble head engaging member in an upright position when the free end of attached. to the ends of said arms.

said head engaging portion is attached to the other of said end portions. NICHOLAS SCHENK.

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