Cpap pillow apparatus and method

Abstract

A CPAP pillow relies on a shell shaped to provide large reservoirs of fill particles near or against the shoulders of a user and around and under the neck. The system and method uncouple the spring forces supporting a user from the forces used to configure the shape of the pillow in use. Thus, a user can fit the pillow to the body profile in three dimensions with substantially no residual pre-loading to cause discomfort, pressure points, or unsupported regions. The pillow supports, contacts, and cradles the head and neck. It accommodates shoulder intrusion without moving the pillow away from supporting the neck.

1 . A method of uniform support by profiling the head, neck, and shoulders of a user, the method comprising:
 obtaining a shell shaped to provide a cavity to contain a fill, the shell defining a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, orthogonal to each other;   the obtaining a shell, wherein the shell comprises a top and a bottom, each comprising a closed layer of material and shaped substantially rectangularly.   the obtaining a shell, wherein the shell further comprises, a first wall and a second wall, each rectangular, positioned opposite one another, and connected to both the top and bottom, to define substantially a parallepiped by spacing the top and bottom away from one another;   the obtaining the shell, further comprising providing a resistance to migration of the fill by forming a barrier proximate the connection between the first wall and the top and a barrier proximate the connection between the first wall and the bottom;   the obtaining the shell, further comprising enclosing the shell with third and fourth walls opposite one another and connected to the top and bottom to space the top and bottom away from each other;   obtaining the fill, comprising selecting, by a user, a first quantity thereof;   opening, by a user, the shell;   pouring into the shell by a user the first quantity of fill;   migrating, by a user, substantially the entire second quantity of fill toward the first wall;   uncoupling displacement of the fill from pressure exerted thereby by adjusting the height of the fill, forming relief regions shaped to the body of a user and extending into the fill; and   nesting the head and neck to be supported contiguously therealong by the fill by applying a force of movement of the head and neck against the top.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the shell further comprises providing first and second retreat regions containing the fill extending at least the thickness of the distance between the top and bottom at the first wall. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein providing the shell further comprises forming the retreat regions proximate the top, bottom, first wall, third wall, and fourth wall, proximate the connections therebetween, respectively. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fill comprises a granular material, each granule thereof comprising a core having flutes extending therefrom. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising providing pressure to support the head and neck of a user along a contiguous profile thereof extending in a longitudinal direction from the base of the neck to above the rearmost portion of the skull. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein providing pressure further comprises deflecting the flutes to provide a spring force exerting pressure in the transverse direction. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein providing pressure further comprises providing the spring force to a lateral extent across a profile extending contiguously across substantially the entire portion of the head and neck in contact with the shell. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing to the user access to any amount of fill selectable by a user; and   providing instructions to a user directed to adding the fill to the pillow by only partially filling the pillow in order to support manipulation of the pillow to selectively migrate the fill about inside the pillow.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein migrating further comprises:
 lifting the pillow by grasping the second wall;   free-falling, substantially, by the fill inside the pillow toward the first wall;   laying the bottom on a sleeping surface;   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein adjusting further comprises displacing, by a shoulder of the user, a portion of the first wall and the portion of fill proximate the displaced portion of the first wall, the displaced portion exerting substantially no residual pressure against the shoulder as a result of the displacement. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the fill comprises a granular material, each granule thereof comprising a core having flutes extending therefrom; and   nesting further comprises dislodging flutes from one another by applying a threshold level of force to disengage the flutes from each other freeing them to move substantially unobstructed to a new location for re-engaging by flutes of adjacent granules.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting further comprises applying sufficient force to the fill to flow the fill into a shape substantially profiling the head and neck of a user in at least three dimensions, causing the shell thereof to contact supportively the region extending longitudinally from the base of the neck to at least the rearmost extremity of the head, laterally from at least the leftmost extremity of the neck to the rightmost extremity thereof, and transversely sufficient to exert supporting pressure throughout the foregoing longitudinal and lateral extents. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting further comprises moving the head and neck to form a profile thereof in the top of the pillow, the profile being supported by the fill material substantially completely therealong. 
   
   
       14 . A method of profiling the head, neck, and shoulders of a user, the method comprising:
 obtaining a shell shaped to provide a cavity to contain a fill, the shell defining a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, orthogonal to each other;   the obtaining a shell, wherein the shell comprises a top and a bottom, each comprising a closed layer of material and shaped substantially rectangularly;   the obtaining a shell, wherein the shell further comprises, a first wall and a second wall, each rectangular, positioned opposite one another, and connected to both the top and bottom, to define substantially a parallepiped by spacing the top and bottom away from one another;   the obtaining the shell, further comprising providing a resistance to migration of the fill by forming a barrier proximate the connection between the first wall and the top and a barrier proximate the connection between the first wall and the bottom;   the obtaining the shell, further comprising enclosing the shell with third and fourth walls opposite one another and connected to the top and bottom to space the top and bottom away from each other;   obtaining the fill comprising a granular material, each granule thereof comprising a core having flutes extending therefrom;   selecting, by a user, a first quantity of the fill;   opening, by a user, the shell;   pouring into the shell by a user the first quantity of fill;   forming retreat regions in the shell proximate the first wall by migrating substantially the entire first quantity toward the first wall to extend from the third wall to the fourth wall;   uncoupling displacement of the fill from pressure exerted thereby by adjusting the height of the fill to form between the retreat regions an indented region shaped to the neck of the user along substantially the entire length thereof;   nesting the head and neck to be supported contiguously therealong by the shell supported by fill therebelow from the base of the neck to above the rearmost portion of the skull;   providing supporting pressure corresponding to the spring load imposed substantially exclusively by deflection of the granules, in response to substantially exclusively bodily weight of a user thereon;   the providing supporting pressure, further comprises providing the spring force to a lateral extent across a profile extending contiguously across substantially the entire portion of the head and neck in contact with the shell;   the migrating, further comprising
 lifting the pillow by grasping the second wall, 
 free-falling, substantially, by the fill inside the pillow toward the first wall, and 
 laying the bottom on a sleeping surface; 
   the adjusting, further comprising displacing, by a shoulder of the user, a portion of the first wall and the portion of fill proximate the displaced portion of the first wall, the displaced portion exerting substantially no residual pressure against the shoulder as a result of the displacement; and   the nesting, further comprising dislodging flutes from one another by applying a threshold level of force to disengage the flutes from each other, freeing them to move substantially unobstructed to a new location for re-engaging by flutes of adjacent granules.   
   
   
       15 . A method of adjusting a pillow, the method comprising:
 providing a shell having a top panel, a bottom panel, a first wall panel connected to both, and a second wall panel opposite the first wall panel and connected to the top and bottom panels;   the providing the shell further comprising providing a barrier proximate a connection between the first wall panel and the top panel and between the first wall panel and the bottom panel;   the providing the shell, further comprising providing first and second end panels, each fixed to the top, bottom, first wall, and second wall panels;   the providing the shell further comprising providing first and second retreat regions formed by the top, bottom, and first wall, at the connections thereof with the first and second end panels, respectively;   providing a first quantity of fill;   providing instructions to a user;   selecting, by a user, a second quantity of the fill;   opening, by a user, the shell;   pouring into the shell by a user the second quantity of fill;   migrating, by a user, substantially the entire second quantity of fill toward the first wall panel by grasping the pillow away from the first wall panel and free falling of the second quantity;   laying, by a user, the bottom panel on a sleeping surface;   adjusting, by a user, by forming relief regions by removing portions of the second quantity therefrom;   the adjusting, further comprising applying force to the second quantity through the top panel, the force being selected to flow at least a portion of the second quantity by disengaging the granules thereof from one another;   urging a portion of the second quantity away from a relief region and toward the retreat regions;   placing the head and neck of a user in the relief region; and   supporting the head and neck with a substantially uniform pressure exerted by the granules through the top.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein adjusting further comprises nesting the head and neck of the user in the pillow by moving the head and neck to form a profile thereof in the top of the pillow, the profile being supported by the fill material substantially completely therealong while exerting substantially no significant upward pressure. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the profile further comprises substantially contiguous support extending longitudinally from just above the shoulders of the user lying thereon to the crown of the head of the user. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the shell comprises at least three distinct layers. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the two outermost layers of the at least three distinct layers are formed of the same material and the fill is buckwheat hulls. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein adjusting further comprises applying sufficient force to the fill to flow the fill into a shape substantially profiling the head and neck of a user in at least three dimensions, causing the shell thereof to contact supportively the region extending longitudinally from the base of the neck to at least the rearmost extremity of the head, laterally from at least the leftmost extremity of the neck to the rightmost extremity thereof, and transversely sufficient to exert supporting pressure throughout the longitudinal and lateral extents.