Pillow supporting alternate regions of a user's head in response to changes in the user's recumbent position

Abstract

A pillow supports alternate regions of a user's head depending upon the recumbent position of the user. When a user is in a supine position, the user's head rests on a central neck roll region which supports the occipital region of the user's head, maintaining it centered around a saddle point in the upper surface of the central neck roll region. When a user rolls into a lateral decubitus position, the user's head rolls onto a lateral cranial support region such that the center of gravity of the user's head is positioned approximately at the point on the upper surface of the lateral cranial support region that provides maximal support.

1 . A method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep comprising:
 providing a pillow supporting alternate regions of a user's head in response to the user rolling into alternate recumbent positions during sleep comprising:
 a U-shaped body having a central neck roll region extending between two lateral cranial support regions which extend in a superior direction from the central neck roll region and is defined by a convex external side and a concave internal side which defines a cranial pocket between the lateral cranial support regions; 
  wherein the central neck roll region comprises:
 an upper surface that curves convexly along a longitudinal axis and concavely along a transverse axis, thereby forming a saddle point at a center the upper surface of the central neck roll, 
 an inferior side surface that is convexly curved along a vertical axis, and a superior side surface that curves concavely along the transverse axis and curves convexly along the vertical axis, thereby forming a saddle point at a center of the superior side surface; 
  wherein each of the two lateral cranial support region comprises: 
 an upper surface that is convex along the longitudinal axis and convex along the transverse axis such that each of the two elevated lateral cranial support regions have a height that is greater than a height of the neck roll region, 
 a bottom surface that is substantially flat, 
 an inferior side surface that is convex along a vertical axis, 
 a superior side surface that is convex along both the vertical and the transverse axes, 
 an internal side surface that is convex along the vertical axis and concave along the longitudinal axis 
 wherein each of the two elevated lateral cranial support regions extend in a superior direction from the central neck roll region and define a U-shaped curved interior side of the pillow; 
 
   positioning a recumbent person's neck on the central neck roll region such that a person's body extends away from the two elevated lateral cranial support regions.   
     
     
         2 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 1  wherein the inferior side surface of the central neck roll region is substantially straight along the transverse axis. 
     
     
         3 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 2  wherein the inferior side surface of each lateral cranial support region curves in a superior direction as it moves laterally along the transverse axis 
     
     
         4 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 3  wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a first extremum located at a position which is superior relative to the saddle point of the upper surface of the central neck roll region. 
     
     
         5 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 4  wherein the inferior side surface of the pillow has a second extremum located on a top half of the inferior side surface. 
     
     
         6 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 5  wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a third extremum located on a bottom half of the region's superior side surface. 
     
     
         7 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 6  wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has a lateral side that is convex along both the vertical axis and the longitudinal axes. 
     
     
         8 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 7  wherein each of the lateral cranial support regions has an extremal ridge along the region's lateral side which extends from the first extremum to the second extremum. 
     
     
         9 . The method for supporting a person's head and neck during sleep of  claim 1  wherein a bottom surface of the central neck roll region is substantially flat.