Cpap pillow apparatus and method

Abstract

A pillow relies on a shell containing two types of fill material, one comparatively smaller, granular, and characterized by a comparatively larger spring constant, and another comparatively larger, more chunky in shape, and characterized by a comparatively smaller spring constant. Buckwheat hulls or polymeric granules with concavities or flutes may serve as the smaller granules and chunks of expanded elastomeric polymer may serve as larger granules. Below a threshold level of force (or pressure, which is force per unit area) the larger, softer, second fill material resists flow of the smaller, harder, stiffer fill material. However, upon freefall or else application of greater than threshold pressure, the pillow will conform non-resiliently to the gravity or pressure, and then remain in that shape, even under the pressure of the head and neck of a user.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is: 
     
         1 . A method of distributing pressure supporting a user of a pillow, the method comprising:
 providing a shell having a top and a bottom, each capable of being disposed substantially horizontally, connected by a wall capable of extending orthogonally therebetween to define a solitary cavity therewithin extending in longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions, mutually orthogonal;   providing a fill comprising a mixture of first granules and second granules intermixed, the first granules having a comparatively greater spring constant and flutes interlocking with one another absent application of a first value, representing a threshold level of shear stress therebetween, sufficient to cause relative motion therebetween, and the second granules having a comparatively lesser spring constant, comparatively larger size, and constituting a comparatively smaller fraction of total volume of the fill in order to further resist the relative motion absent a second, higher, value of the threshold level of shear stress;   filling partially the cavity with the fill;   shaping the top to form a recess, non-resilient in shape, by applying the second value of the threshold level of shear stress to the mixture;   positioning the shell under the head and neck of a user; and   maintaining the recess continuously under the head and neck.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second value is selected to form the recess by urging the mixture to flow away therefrom in the longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the fill is the exclusive content of the cavity; and   applying the second value is accomplished by a compression force against a portion of the shell.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the compression force is applied as an impact; and   the fill retains the same shape imposed by the impact.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the fill retains substantially the same shape imposed by the impact, while supporting continuously the user at a shoulder, neck, and back thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , comprising:
 forming the recess by the head and neck applying the impact, thereby rendering the recess conformal with the shape of the head and neck.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the shell is placed on a sleeping surface; and   the impact places a portion of the head at substantially the sleeping surface by displacing a vast majority of the fill away therefrom.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 forming the recess comprises positioning the crown of the head substantially at a level of a sleeping surface supporting the pillow and user, plus the top and bottom.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the recess comprises moving substantially all the fill away from under a lowest point of the shell under the crown of the head of the user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 reducing the first value and the second value to substantially zero by freefalling the fill inside the shell;   placing the shell on a sleeping surface; and   displacing the fill by pressure against the top, applied from a head and neck of a user and from a mask worn by the user.   
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 providing a pillow comprising a shell, defining a solitary cavity having longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions, mutually orthogonal, and formed of a top, a bottom, and a wall connecting the top and bottom;   providing a fill having first granules, second granules larger and softer than the first granules, both mixed in a pre-selected proportion effective to establish a first value of a threshold shear force required to impart relative motion between the first granules alone, and a second value, greater than the first value, required to impart relative motion within the mixture;   placing a quantity of fill in the cavity;   reducing the threshold shear force to substantially zero by freefalling the quantity in the shell;   placing the pillow on a sleeping surface;   forming a recess substantially continuously conformal to and along a user's head and neck by applying the threshold level of shear force; and   maintaining, by the fill, a shape, substantially non-resilient upon removal of the threshold level of shear force, supporting the head and neck continuously during sleep by the user on the sleeping surface.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein applying the threshold level of shear force comprises applying compression against the top. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising forming the recess conformal to the head, neck, and a shoulder of the user. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the recess is continuously conformal from the shoulder to the crown of the head. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein forming the recess comprises moving the fill laterally and longitudinally away from the recess. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising flowing temporarily by the first and second granules in response to the threshold level of force. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising applying the threshold level of shear force by applying a load to the shell. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the fill takes on a shape in response to the load; and   the shape remains substantially non-resilient upon formation.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  comprising reducing the threshold level of shear force to substantially zero by freefalling the fill in the cavity. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus operable as a pillow and comprising:
 a shell defining a single, one and only one, cavity defining a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, orthogonal to each other;   the shell, further comprising a top, a bottom, a first wall connecting and spacing apart the top and bottom, and a joinder connecting the top and bottom together opposite the first wall; and   fill, comprising a mixture of a first filler and a second filler, the first filler comprising a granular material having an effective diameter less than that of the second filler, and the second filler having a spring constant less than that of the first filler;   wherein the shape of the pillow is formable by applying a threshold level of pressure selected to be effective to overcome a resistance of the second filler to flow of the first filler in response to the pressure; and   and the first and second fillers are selected to maintain non-resiliently the shape under a head and neck of a user so long as the threshold level of pressure is not exceeded.