Support pillows and mattresses for body alignment

Abstract

A pillow used with a mattress that efficiently provides low pressure and alignment to achieve restful and less fragmented sleep. The mattress supports a recumbent body. The pillow aligns the head and neck and acts with the mattress for body alignment. The mattress comprises a composite and a cover encapsulating the composite. The composite includes a performance layer and a core layer. The performance layer includes a shoulder section, a thoracic section and a hip section for location at different longitudinal positions corresponding to the shoulder region, the thoracic region and the hip region of the recumbent body. The shoulder section, the thoracic section and the hip section have different displacement parameters to match the body displacements in the shoulder region, the thoracic region, and the hip region for alignment of the body with low body pressure. A core layer supports the performance layer.

1 . A mattress, extending in a lateral direction from side to side and extending in a longitudinal direction from a mattress head to a mattress foot for supporting a recumbent body where the body includes a shoulder region, a thoracic region and a hip region, the recumbent body having a displacement profile where the body displacements in the shoulder region, the thoracic region and the hip region, respectively, are different, the mattress comprising,
 a composite extending in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction, the composite including,
 a performance layer including a shoulder section, a thoracic section and a hip section for location at different longitudinal positions corresponding to the shoulder region, the thoracic region and the hip region of the recumbent body, respectively, the shoulder section, the thoracic section and the hip section having different displacement parameters to match the body displacements in the shoulder region, the thoracic region, and the hip region, respectfully, for alignment of the body with low body pressure, 
 a core layer for supporting the performance layer, 
   a cover for encapsulating the composite,   a pillow located in the thoracic region.   
     
     
         2 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the performance layer is separated from the body only by high stretch material. 
     
     
         3 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the displacement parameters include ILD and density and wherein the ILD of the thoracic section is greater than the ILD of the shoulder section and is greater than the ILD of the hip section. 
     
     
         4 . The mattress of  claim 3  wherein the ILD of the shoulder section is approximately 18, the ILD of the thoracic section is approximately 27 and the ILD of the hip section is approximately 23. 
     
     
         5 . The mattress of  claim 3  wherein the ILD of the shoulder section is approximately 18, the ILD of the thoracic section is approximately 27 and the ILD of the hip section is approximately 23 and wherein the density of the shoulder section is approximately 2 lb/cf, the density of the thoracic section is approximately 2 lb/cf and the density of the hip section is approximately 2 lb/cf. 
     
     
         6 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the core layer has an ILD of approximately 36 and a density of approximately 1.8 lb/cf. 
     
     
         7 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the performance layer and the core layer are polyurethane or latex. 
     
     
         8 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the layers are one or more of rubber, plastic, latex, memory foam, urethane, polyurethane and polymer. 
     
     
         9 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein performance layer is latex and the core layer is polyurethane. 
     
     
         10 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the cover includes a stretch material that allows depression of the body into the composite without significantly modifying load deflection parameters of the composite. 
     
     
         11 . The mattress of  claim 10  wherein the stretch material has a tensile strength that allows the cover to stretch approximately 12% or more in the longitudinal direction and approximately 16% or more in the lateral direction when a recumbent body is on the mattress. 
     
     
         12 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the cover includes a top, sides and a bottom and includes a stretch material covering the top and the sides and including a non-stretch material on the bottom of the composite. 
     
     
         13 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the cover includes a top, sides and a bottom and includes a stretch material covering the top, sides and extending to the bottom of the composite and a non-stretch material on the bottom of the composite and including a zipper for zippering the stretch material to the non-stretch material on the bottom. 
     
     
         14 . The mattress of  claim 1  wherein the cover includes a top, sides and a bottom and includes a stretch material covering the top and the sides and includes an indicator stripe superimposed over the thoracic section of the performance layer and weaved into the stretch material for indicating a location of the thoracic section of the performance layer. 
     
     
         15 . A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising,
 a core having core variable displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the head in a non-distorting aligned position,   a plurality of removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core.   
     
     
         16 . The pillow of  claim 15  wherein the pillow has a pillow cover including pockets for holding the spacers. 
     
     
         17 . A mattress, extending in a lateral direction from side to side and extending in a longitudinal direction from a mattress head to a mattress foot for supporting a recumbent body where the body includes a shoulder region, a thoracic region and a hip region, the recumbent body having a displacement profile where body displacements in the shoulder region, the thoracic region and the hip region are different, the mattress comprising,
 a composite extending in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction, the composite including,
 a performance layer including a shoulder section, a thoracic section and a hip section for location at different longitudinal positions corresponding to the shoulder region, the thoracic region and the hip region of the recumbent body, respectively, the shoulder section, the thoracic section and the hip section having different displacement parameters to match body displacements in the shoulder region, the thoracic region, and the hip region, respectfully, for alignment of the body with low body pressure, the displacement parameters including ILD and density wherein the ILD of the thoracic section is greater than the ILD of the shoulder section and is greater than the ILD of the hip section, the performance layer having a glue interface between the thoracic section and the hip section for providing a tactile indication of the location of the thoracic region of the performance layer, 
 a core layer for supporting the performance layer wherein the core layer has an ILD and wherein the ILD of the core layer is greater than the ILD of the thoracic section, 
 a cover for encapsulating the composite wherein the cover includes a stretch material that allows depression of the body into the composite without significantly modifying load deflection parameters of the composite.