US20130146723A1

US20130146723A1 - Head supporting apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20130146723A1
Application number: US13/315,458
Authority: US
Inventors: Misty D. JOHNSON; Troy P. JOHNSON
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-12-09
Filing date: 2011-12-09
Publication date: 2013-06-13

Abstract

A head support apparatus. The head support apparatus can include a head restraining portion including a strap, the strap adapted to engage a portion of a person's head and to engage a portion of a structure disposed rearward of the person's head, and a neck supporting portion including a first pillow, a second pillow, and a connecting portion coupled to the first pillow and the second pillow.

Description

BACKGROUND

Periods of extended travel frequently cause small children, such as infants and toddlers, to fall asleep due to boredom or lack of stimulation. When a child falls asleep, the neck muscles typically relax, causing the child's head to slump forward. This can cause straining of the neck muscles, as well as reduced airflow through the child's breathing passages, which can manifest as snoring. Additionally, if a vehicle executes maneuvers during travel, the head of the child can move from side to side as a consequence of inertial forces during the maneuvers. This can cause further strain to the child's muscles, and can cause the child to wake up repeatedly during travel. Accordingly, a safe and comfortable solution for supporting the head of the child is desired.

SUMMARY

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a head support apparatus may be disclosed. The head support apparatus can include a head restraining portion including a strap, the strap adapted to engage a portion of a person's head and to engage a portion of a structure disposed rearward of the person's head, and a neck supporting portion including a first pillow, a second pillow, and a connecting portion coupled to the first pillow and the second pillow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. The following detailed description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a head support apparatus in use.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a head support apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an exemplary embodiment of a head support apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a head support apparatus in use.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of a connecting portion of a head support apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be, described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description discussion of several terms used herein follows.
As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiment are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
According to at least one exemplary embodiment, and generally referring to FIGS. 1-5, a head support apparatus 100 may be disclosed. The head support apparatus 100 may include a head restraining portion 110 and a neck support portion 150. Head support apparatus 100 may be adapted to facilitate maintaining the head of a child 10 in a substantially upright position when the child is asleep.
Turning to FIGS. 2-3, head restraining portion 110 may include at least one strap 112. Strap 112 may include structures for coupling the strap to a portion of a seat 12 or to any other structure located substantially rearward of a child's head when the child is seated. For example, strap 112 may have a pair of ends, wherein each end can include hooked fasteners 114 (for example, similar to Velcro®) that can allow strap 112 to be coupled to any surface having a fabric, cloth, velour or similar covering. Consequently, as most child seats include a soft fabric covering, the hooked fasteners 114 may be used to secure strap 112 to the child seat. Strap 112 may be secured such that it snugly but comfortably retains the child's head in a substantially upright position against the child seat or any other surface located rearward of the child's head. Strap 112 may have any desired size and shape. In some exemplary embodiments, strap 112 may have a width of approximately 2 inches.
In other exemplary embodiments, strap 112 may have alternate structures for coupling strap 112; for example, strap 112 may be formed as a loop having structures for adjusting the length of strap 112. In such embodiments, strap 112 may encircle a portion of a seat or any other structure that is located substantially rearward of a child's head when the child is seated. The length of strap 112 may then be adjusted such that strap 112 snugly but comfortably retains the child's head in a substantially upright position. To that end, strap 112 may include structures such as buckles, side release buckles, strap length adjusters, strap slides, or any other known structure that enables head support apparatus 100 to function as described herein.
Head restraining portion 110 may further include a decorative portion 116 coupled to strap 112. Decorative portion 116 may have any desired ornamental design or surface configuration, for example a design that is appealing to children. For example, in some embodiments, decorative portion 116 may have the appearance of an animal, or a portion of an animal such as an animal face 118; or may have the appearance of a character, such as a character familiar to children. However, any appearance or ornamental design or object for decorative portion 116 may be contemplated and provided as desired. In some exemplary embodiments, strap 112 may include a resiliently deformable element 120, for example a flexible strip that may be made of plastic, metal, or any desired material. The resiliently deformable element can be adapted to provide additional support for the forehead of the child and to facilitate maintaining strap 112 in contact with the forehead.
In some exemplary embodiments, disposed rearwardly of decorative portion 116 and likewise coupled to strap 112 may be cushion 122. Cushion 122 may be adapted to contact the head of the child, substantially at the forehead, and may therefore be made of any soft, plush, resiliently deformable, or any similar type of material, so as to comfortably engage the head of the child. Cushion 122 may further be made of any permeable material and may be adapted to direct fluid away from the head of the child, for example so as to prevent irritation that caused by perspiration.
Neck support portion 150 can include a first pillow 152, a second pillow 154, and a connecting portion 156 coupled to the first pillow and the second pillow. Pillows 152, 154 may be sized and shaped so as to comfortably fit on the shoulders of the child and around the sides and rear of the neck, while supporting the head of the child, for example by contacting the lower portions of the jaw as well as the muscles of the neck. The size and shape of the pillows can facilitate keeping the head of the child substantially upright and can reduce the likelihood of the head falling to the right or left side while the child is seated and asleep. Pillows 152, 154 may include therein a soft, cushioning material, including synthetic fillers, down, memory foam, or any other desired material that enables head support apparatus 100 to function as described herein.
Pillows 152, 154 may each have a narrow end 158 sized to be disposed substantially between the shoulders and the neck. Pillows 152, 154 may each further have a wide end 160 sized to be disposed forward of the shoulders and along the jawline. The diameter of pillows 152, 154 may gradually increase between narrow end 152 and wide end 160. Furthermore, wide end 160 may include decorative elements 162 on the forward facing portion thereof. Decorative elements 162 may be any ornamental design or configuration, and may be related to decorative portion 116 of head restraining portion 110. For example, if decorative portion 116 has the appearance of an animal face, decorative elements 162 may have the appearance of animal paws, so as to create a unified ornamental theme and an appearance that the animal is embracing the child. However, any ornamental design or object for decorative elements 162 may be contemplated and provided as desired.
Connecting portion 156 may be coupled to the narrow end 158 of first pillow 152 and the narrow end 158 of second pillow 154. Connecting portion 156 may be sized such that it can comfortably pass at the back of the neck, above the shoulders and below the rear of the head. Connecting portion 156 may further be sized such that it has a narrow depth, thereby allowing the back of the head to contact the child seat or any other structure located rearward of the child's head, as shown in FIG. 4. Connecting portion 156 may include a deformable material 164, that may be bent, conformed, or otherwise shaped into diverse configurations. The deformable material 164 can further extend into, and be coupled to, pillows 152, 154. This can allow the user to adjust the distance between narrow ends 158 of pillows 152, 154, as well as the spatial relationship between pillows 152, 154, so as to adapt neck supporting portion 150 to a desired size and configuration to facilitate comfort for the child. In some exemplary embodiments, deformable material 164 may be a flexible wire. The flexible wire may include plastic caps on the ends thereof and may further be wrapped in fabric or a similar material so as to protect the wire and to protect the stuffing of the pillows 152, 154 from friction with the wire. In other exemplary embodiments, connecting portion 156 may include a rigid, or semi-rigid, material, such as, for example, a flexible plastic strip. In some exemplary embodiments, connecting portion 156 may further include structures for adjusting the length of connecting portion 156 so as to adjust the distance between narrow ends 158 of pillows 152, 154. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, connecting portion 156 may include a first half 166 and a second half 168, the two halves being disposed in slidable relation to each other. Detents 170 may further be provided along connecting portion 156, so as to allow the user to easily maintain the desired length of connecting portion 156.
The components of head support apparatus 100, including head restraining portion 110, neck supporting portion 150, and connecting portion 156 may be covered in any desired material, for example a fabric material, velour materials or the like, natural or synthetic materials, or any other materials that enable head support apparatus 100 to function as described herein.
The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A head support apparatus, comprising:

a head restraining portion including a strap, the strap adapted to engage a portion of a person's head and to engage a portion of a structure disposed rearward of the person's head; and

a neck supporting portion including a first pillow, a second pillow, and a connecting portion coupled to the first pillow and the second pillow.

2. The head support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a cushion coupled to the strap, so as to be disposed between the portion of the person's head and the strap.

3. The head support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a decorative portion coupled to the strap.

4. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the neck supporting portion is adapted to be disposed at the sides and rear of the neck of the person.

5. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion facilitates varying the spatial relationship between the first pillow and the second pillow.

6. The head support apparatus of claim 5, wherein the connecting portion includes a deformable wire disposed therein.

7. The head support apparatus of claim 6, wherein portions of the deformable wire are disposed within the first pillow and the second pillow.

8. The head support apparatus of claim 5, wherein the connecting portion includes a first half and a second half disposed in slidable relation to each other.

9. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first pillow and the second pillow include a wide end and a narrow end.

10. The head support apparatus of claim 9, wherein the connecting portion is coupled to the narrow end of the first pillow and the narrow end of the second pillow.

11. The head support apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wide end of the first pillow includes a decorative element and the wide end of the second pillow includes a decorative element.

12. The head support apparatus of claim 11, wherein the decorative elements of the first and second pillows are related to a decorative portion coupled to the strap.

13. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the head restraining portion is adapted to impede forward movement of the person's head.

14. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the neck supporting portion is adapted to impede lateral movement of the person's head.

15. The head support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the structure disposed rearward of the person's head is a child seat.

16. A head support apparatus, comprising:

head restraining means for impeding forward movement of a person's head;

coupling means for coupling the head restraining means to a structure disposed rearward of the person's head; and

neck supporting means for impeding lateral movement of the person's head.

17. The head support apparatus of claim 16, wherein the neck supporting means further comprises:

a first lateral support means;

a second lateral support means; and

a connecting means coupled to the first lateral support means and the second lateral support means.

18. The head support apparatus of claim 17, wherein the connecting means is adapted to vary the spatial relationship between the first lateral support means and the second lateral support means.