Neck Support Pillow

Abstract

A support pillow providing head and neck support to a user laying upon it. The device employs a support pillow insert surrounded by a pillow casing having planar top and bottom surfaces and a sidewall extending between them. An insert engage able in the casing provides substantially planar support surfaces with a centrally located passage providing a relief for positioning one's head on the pillow. Proper support and spine alignment is provided by a shoulder portion of the pillow for the neck which may be formed of different material than the pillow, or varied in with or compressive force using inserts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pillow apparatus for spine alignment and neck support comprising:
 a pillow adapted for engagement within an interior cavity of a pillow casing;   said pillow having a body formed of resilient material and having substantially planar first surface opposite a substantially planar parallel second surface;   a sidewall communicating between said first and second surfaces, said sidewall defining a perimeter of said pillow;   a passage defined by an uninterrupted circumferential edge, said passage communicating between apertures in said first and second surface at a central portion of both said first surface and said second surface;   a pair of opposing shoulder portions of said pillow each of said opposing shoulder portions defined by an unbroken area of said pillow body running between said perimeter of said pillow and said circumferential edge defining said passage;   said shoulder portions each defining a support for a neck of a user having their head positioned in an as-used position, partially aligned with said passage when said pillow is positioned upon a support surface;   at least one of said shoulder portions being defined by a recess communicating from the sidewall adjacent the shoulder portion extending towards the central passage;   said passage forming a relief adapted for a positioning of a portion of said user's head positioned therein within circumferential edge;   said passage defining a heat sink for communication of heat thereto from said user's head while positioned in said as-used position;   whereby a user positioning their head upon said support surface area in said as used position, can employ either of said shoulder portions as a neck support while concurrently employing said passage as said heat sink.   
     
     
         2 . The pillow apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the two shoulder portions have different widths, each width being defined by a distance between said perimeter of said pillow and said circumferential edge defining said passage. 
     
     
         3 . The pillow apparatus of  claim 1 , at least one of said shoulder portions being formed with a pocket therein, said pocket being configured for cooperative removable engagement with an insert. 
     
     
         4 . The pillow apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the insert is elongated along a longitudinal axis thereof, and configured for being inserted into the pocket, such that the longitudinal axis of the insert is substantially parallel to a length of the unbroken area defining the pocket.