US3480760A - Electrically heated pillow - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 25, 1969 s. YOUNG ELECTRICALLY HEATED-PILLOW Filed Nov. 6, I9"? INVENTOR. Samzzei Yawzg United States Patent 3,480,760 ELECTRICALLY HEATED PILLOW Samuel Young, Fairlield Wool Co. Inc., Taylor St., Danbury, Conn. 06810 Filed Nov. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 680,751 Int. Cl. H05b 3/34, 3/54, 3/44 US. Cl. 219-528 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to an electrically heated pillow of the type for supporting a persons head while sleeping, to provide gentle even diffused heat. More particularly, the invention relates to a pillow having a generally planar electric heating element located symmetrically in the center of the pillow.

Conventional pillows of the type for supporting a persons head generally include an outer casing stuffed with some resilient material, such as bulked fibers, feathers, or the like. Such pillows are conventionally placed within a readily removable pillow slip, which may have ornamental designs applied thereto. It has been discovered that the addition of an electric heater within the pillow can provide useful warmth, without affecting its general utility as a pillow. It has been known to provide blankets, comforters, and the like with an internal electric heater, as exemplified by US. Patent to Pecker, No. 2,138,745. However, the construction disclosed by Pecker would be unsuitable for use as a pillow, since it does not have the desirable soft resiliency and thickness. Likewise known are various electrically heated seat cushions, as exemplified by US. Patent No. 1,994,759 to Dermott, No. 2,712,592 to Goldstein, and No. 1,881,198 to Kirk. These constructions are also unsuited for the puropses of the present invention. Seat cushions such as disclosed in Goldstein and Kirk are too rigid for comfortably supporting the head, and such cushions are typically too thin, In addition, the structures disclosed in these references do not provide gentle, even diffusion of the heat as is desired according to the present invention. The Dermott construction is liable to failure due to a puncture.

Certain known heating pad constructions are particularly adapted for applying heat to particular regions of the body, typified by Chadner, 3,103,219. However, pads of this type are not usable as an ordinary pillow, since they are specially shaped to conform to a particular body contour, when the body is in a particular position.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an electrically heated pillow of the type for supporting a persons head.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character which provides gentle, difiused heat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pillow of the above character in which the heating element is located substantially at the center of the pillow.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pillow of the above character in which the central heating element is surrounded by at least one inch of soft resilient stufiing.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character wherein the stuffing is permeable to air.

A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character in which the stufiing consists of bulked fibers.

3,480,750 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 A further object is to provide a pillow of the above character in which electric current for the heating element is supplied through a cable extending through one edge of the pillow casing.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the pillow illustrated in FIGURE 1, partially broken away to show the stufiing and the heating element; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the preferred pillow 20, accordingly to the present invention may have a conventional generally rectangular form, and includes casing 22 filled with stuffing 24. An electrical heating element 26 is disposed in the center of pillow 20. Cable 28 extends from heating element 26 out through one edge of casing 22, and terminates in a suitable plug 30 for connection to conventional house current. A control 32 may be interposed in cable 28 if desired. Control 32 can be a simple switch, or can be of any other desired construction for controlling application of power to heating element 26.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, element 26 may have a construction similar to commercially available electric heating pads. Thus, element 26 may include an electrical resistance wire 34 arranged in a sinuous path in the plane of an enclosing flexible, thin, insulating envelope 36. Heating element 26 is thus oriented within pillow 20 within the plane defined by the edges of casing 22.

Stufiing 24 surrounds heating element 34 on all sides, and fills casing 22 to the thickness normally found in pillows of the type herein described.

Stuffing 24 is preferably composed of bulked fibers, of either plant or animal origin or of synthetic materials such as polyester or polyamide, although other selected softly resilient materials can be used. The stufiing should be permeable to air, and should be a relatively poor conductor of heat. This prevents development of excessive temperature at the pillows surface and provides for gentle, diffused heat. In this regard, it is preferred that casing 22 also be permeable to air. Casing 22 may therefore be constructed of ordinary woven fabric. To insure adequate circulation of air through pillow 20, ventilating grommets 38 may be provided in casing 22. With this construction, heat is transferred largely due to warm air rising from element 26, while stufiing 24 prevents casing 22 from physically touching element 26 in the event of local application of pressure. The poor heat conductivity of stuffing 24 is thus an important feature of the invention.

When heating element 26 is constructed to provide substantially the same amount of heat as is provided by common electric heating pads, it has been found that 'stufling 24 should have an uncompressed thickness in all directions from heating element 26 of at least one inch, and preferably greater than 1 /2 inch, in order to provide the desired support for the head and the necessary diffusion of heat.

According to another aspect of the invention, element 26 is located symmetrically in the center of the pillow,

with cable 26 extending through one shorter edge of casing 22. This permits pillow 20 to be placed within a pillow slip with either side up, while still providing the same gentle, diffused heat.

It may be seen from the above disclosure together with the accompanying drawing that the present invention provides an electrically heated pillow providing gentle, diffused heat. Since the heating element is located symmetrically with respect to the pillow stufiing, with the cable extending from the heating element through one edge of the pillow casing, the pillow may be inserted in a pillow slip with either side up, while still providing the same gentle heat. The low heat conductivity of the stutfing, together with its bulk, prevents casing 22 from touching element 26 in the event of localized application of pressure. Since heat is transmitted largely by warm air rising from element 26, the heat is gently diffused, eliminating the possibility of localized hot regions of the pillow.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efliciently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of langauge, might be said to fall therebetween.

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

1. An electrically heated head-supporting pillow comprising:

(A) a substantially planar electrical heating element including an electrical resistance wire and a nonpermeable, flexible, insulating envelope enclosing said resistance wire;

(B) a body of resiliently depressible stuffing material permeable to air and having low heat conductivity encompassing and surrounding the heating element, providing a resilient heat insulation barrier at least one inch thick enclosing the heating element;

(C) a pillow casing enclosing the body of stufling material;

(D) an electrical cord for supplying heating current to said heating element extending from the heating element through the stufiing material and through the casing;

(E) and perforation means provided in the casing,

allowing fresh air to circulate into the casing, avoiding excessive heat accumulation and permitting free expansion and contraction of the pillow during use.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 515,693 2/1894 Nutting 219-529 1,439,094 12/1922 Gingras 219-529 2,114,396 4/1938 McFarlan et al. 219-528 2,392,712 1/1946 Woodman 219-529 2,627,018 1/1953 Duren 219-527 2,712,592 7/1955 Goldstein et al. 219-528 X 3,202,801 8/ 1965 Saluri 219-528 1,881,198 10/1932 Kirk 219-528 X VOLODYMYR L. MAYEWSKY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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