HEAD SUPPORT CUSHION

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0099254, filed Jul. 26, 2024, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a head support cushion and, more particularly, to a head support cushion designed to relax the neck while pulling the chin, thereby providing a posture correction effect.

Description of Related Art

Contemporary people who frequently use smartphones or computers tend to have their heads in a down-forward position and crane their necks forward. This improper posture causes pain as the muscles and ligaments of the neck and shoulders strain and stretch, contributing to turtle neck syndrome, also known as text neck or tech neck syndrome. Poor posture habits also cause rounded shoulders or rounding of the spine, which can lead to degenerative conditions of the shoulder such as shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tears.

Turtle neck and rounded shoulders cause stiffness in the shoulder and back muscles, headaches, and numbness in the arms, reduce work and learning efficiency and cause tiredness, and in rare cases, cause confusion or dizziness. Additionally, individuals with turtle neck syndrome and rounded shoulders are more likely to suffer from scoliosis and pelvic distortion, creating imbalances throughout the body.

To fix rounded shoulders and turtle neck posture, neck traction devices and neck stretchers are used. However, a neck traction device only straightens the neck part of the unbalanced whole body, putting a strain on the back and lower back and restricting the movement of neck muscles that are stiff due to the turtle neck, causing the muscles to become even stiffer. A neck stretcher induces a normal curve of the cervical spine, but there is a concern that the stretcher may worsen turtle neck.

DOCUMENT OF RELATED ART

• • (Patent Document 1) Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0427394, “FACE SUPPORT”

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present disclosure is intended to provide a head support cushion that pulls the chin of a user in the prone position and helps maintain a relaxed neck, providing posture correction through stretching using gravity.

In order to achieve the above objective, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a head support cushion, including: a support cushion member configured to form a horseshoe shape when seen in a plan view and support facial edges and a chin of a user in a prone position; and a height adjustment member provided below the support cushion member to position the support cushion member at a predetermined height so that a user's head seated on the support cushion member is positioned higher than user's feet, and configured to arrange the support cushion member slanted downward toward the front, which is a direction toward which the head of the user in the prone position faces.

In addition, the height adjustment member may include: a first height adjustment member formed in a ring shape when seen in a plan view, whose height gradually decreases from a rear end of a side toward a center of the front end, and on which the support cushion member is coupled.

In addition, on a rear central portion of an upper surface of the first height adjustment member, a portion open toward a rear of the support cushion member may be located, and the rear central portion may be formed to have a concave shape in a left-right direction.

In addition, the height adjustment member may further include: a second height adjustment member formed in a ring shape when seen in a plan view, whose entire body has a constant height, and in which a center portion of the front end is convex upward so that an entire upper surface of the second height adjustment member is in contact with the entire bottom surface of the first height adjustment member.

In addition, the support cushion member and the first height adjustment member, and the first height adjustment member and the second height adjustment member may be coupled to each other by a protruding groove structure.

According to the present disclosure, a height adjustment member allows a head support cushion to be positioned at an appropriate height for the user's body, and as a user lies down with his/her head positioned higher than his/her feet and his/her face rests on the head support cushion, his/her chin is pulled and the posterior neck muscles are relaxed. While maintaining such state, stretching using gravity is performed, and thus even if the user does not stretch hard on his/her body, the user can achieve a posture correction effect by resolving body imbalances such as turtle neck and rounded shoulders.

Furthermore, through a breathing hole formed in the height adjustment member, a user lying down with his/her face in close contact with the head support cushion can breathe comfortably while using the head support cushion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a head support cushion of the present disclosure according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the head support cushion of the present disclosure according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the head support cushion of the present disclosure according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the head support cushion of the present disclosure according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the head support cushion of the present disclosure according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views showing the structure of a support cushion member applied to the head support cushion of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing the structure of a first height adjustment member applied to the head support cushion of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing the structure of a second height adjustment member applied to the head support cushion of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a head support cushion of the present disclosure according to another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an example showing a state in which the user's face is seated on the head support cushion of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an example showing a user lying down using the head support cushion of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present disclosure, a head support cushion is proposed. In order to achieve posture correction through stretching using gravity as the chin of a user in the prone position may be pulled and the neck may be maintained in a relaxed state, the head support cushion includes: a support cushion member configured to form a horseshoe shape when seen in a plan view and support the facial edges and chin of the user in the prone position; and a height adjustment member provided below the support cushion member to position the support cushion member at a predetermined height so that the user's head seated on the support cushion member is positioned higher than the feet, and configured to arrange the support cushion member slanted downward toward the front, which is the direction toward which the head of the user in the prone position faces.

The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical gist of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, the head support cushion of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached FIGS. 1 to 11.

A head support cushion A of the present disclosure is to support the head of a user lying face down, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the head support cushion A includes a support cushion member 100 and a height adjustment member 200 provided below the support cushion member 100.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 10, the support cushion member 100 forms a horseshoe shape when seen in a plan view, and is arranged such that an open portion thereof faces rearward to support the facial edges (forehead, both cheeks) and chin of a user in the prone position, so that the user may comfortably lie down with the eyes, nose, and mouth accommodated in the support cushion member 100. The support cushion member 100 is preferably formed to have a strength sufficient to support the head while achieving a predetermined height, and may be formed to have a left and right width such that the outer edge thereof is located outside the user's head and the inner edge thereof is located inside the outline of the user's head.

In addition, the support cushion member 100 is formed such that the upper surface thereof slopes downward from the outer edge toward the inner side (cushion cavity), so that the facial edges and the chin of the user are in close contact with the upper surface of the support cushion member 100 while the user's eyes, nose, and mouth are accommodated in the cushion cavity. Thus, the user may maintain a stable prone position with minimal face contact. As an example, of the upper surface of the support cushion member 100, the front center portion where the forehead rests is formed to have an inclination of about 5 to 10°, and the remaining portion is formed to have a greater inclination (for example, about 30 to) 40° than the front center portion.

In addition, since the support cushion member 100 is formed such that the upper surface thereof has a curved shape sloping downward toward the inner side, and is open toward the rear, the user whose facial edges and chin are supported on the upper surface may breathe smoothly even when lying face down and feel a sense of visual openness and mental stability.

The height adjustment member 200 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, provided below the support cushion member 100 to cause the support cushion member 100 to be located at a predetermined height and be disposed inclined downward toward the front. At this time, the predetermined height at which the support cushion member 100 is located means the height at which the head of the user with his/her face seated on the support cushion member 100 while lying face down is positioned higher than the feet, as shown in FIG. 11. This refers to a state of lying face down facing forward, a direction the head of the user in the prone position faces, and sloping upward with respect to the floor, and the angle formed by the user in the prone position with respect to the floor may be approximately 10 to 20°, but is not limited thereto and may vary depending on the circumferences of the user's upper and lower body. However, the pelvis and shoulders of the user, who lies face down with an upward slope forward and has his/her head supported by the head support cushion A, may be supported using other cushions, etc. in order to maintain a stable prone position while strengthening the balance of the pelvis and shoulders. Additionally, in order to maximize the correction effect of turtle neck and rounded shoulders, the shoulders of the user may be supported by a shoulder support cushion B so that both shoulders are in a pulled-back state.

As shown in FIG. 5, the height adjustment member 200 allows the support cushion member 100 provided thereon to be disposed inclined downward toward the front. That is, the user's entire body, excluding the head, is tilted upward toward the front, and the head seated on the support cushion member 100 is horizontal or tilted downward toward the front. Accordingly, the user who lies face down with his/her head positioned higher than his/her feet and his/her face resting on the head support cushion A, may achieve a state in which the chin is pulled, the posterior neck muscles are relaxed, and the ears and shoulders are positioned on the same plane. This posture of the user is the same or similar to that of a user standing with a normal neck posture, not a turtle neck posture. Since stretching using gravity is performed while the user is in this posture, body imbalances such as turtle neck and rounded shoulders may be resolved even without stretching that puts a strain on the body.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and 7A and 7B, the height adjustment member 200 may include, as an example, a first height adjustment member 210 that has a ring shape when seen in a plan view, and on which the support cushion member 100 is coupled. To be specific, the first height adjustment member 210 may be formed to have a left and right thickness so that the inner edge thereof is located further on the outer side than the inner edge of the support cushion member 100 whereas the outer edge thereof is located further on the inner side than the outer edge of the support cushion member 100. In addition, the first height adjustment member 210 may be formed such that the height thereof gradually decreases from the rear end of the side toward the center of the front end, so that when the first height adjustment member 210 is placed horizontally, the upper surface of the first height adjustment member 210 is inclined downward toward the front, and accordingly, the support cushion member 100 placed thereon is disposed to be inclined downward toward the front.

On the rear central portion of the upper surface of the first height adjustment member 210, a portion open toward the rear of the support cushion member 100 is located, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7A, the rear central portion is formed to have a concave shape in the left and right direction, allowing the user lying face down to rest on the support cushion member 100 to breathe comfortably. In addition, the front end of the first height adjustment member 210 is formed such that the height gradually decreases toward the center, so that the bottom surface of the front end of the first height adjustment member 210 is formed to be convex upward. Accordingly, when the first height adjustment member 210 is placed on the ground, the vicinity of the center of the front end of the first height adjustment member 210 is spaced from the ground, thereby securing a breathing hole toward the front. In addition, the first height adjustment member 210 may have at least one breathing induction hole 211, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and 7A and 7B, formed through the rear end thereof in order to additionally secure a breathing hole facing the rear.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and 8A and 8B, in addition to the first height adjustment member 210, the height adjustment member 200 may further include a second height adjustment member 220 coupled to the bottom of the first height adjustment member 210, and one or more second height adjustment members 220 may be provided. As shown in FIG. 9, when a plurality of second height adjustment members 220 are provided, the plurality of second height adjustment members 220 may be stacked and coupled to each other, and the first height adjustment member 210 may be coupled on top of the second height adjustment member 220 located at the uppermost side.

The second height adjustment member 220 may be formed in a ring shape, as an example, when seen in a plan view and may be formed to have a constant height as a whole. In this case, the constant height preferably means a height lower than the maximum height of the first height adjustment member 210. In addition, the second height adjustment member 220 may be formed to have a left and right thickness so that the inner edge thereof coincides with the inner edge of the first height adjustment member 210 whereas the outer edge thereof coincides with the outer edge of the first height adjustment member 210.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the second height adjustment member 220 may be formed so that the entire upper surface thereof is coupled to the entire bottom surface of the first height adjustment member 210, and accordingly, the front center portion of the second height adjustment member 220 may be formed to be convex upward to correspond to the front center portion of the bottom of the first height adjustment member 210. When the second height adjustment member 220 is placed on the ground, a breathing hole is created between the front center portion of the second height adjustment member 220 and the ground as shown in FIG. 4.

Meanwhile, the support cushion member 100 and the first height adjustment member 210 or/and the first height adjustment member 210 and the second height adjustment member 220 may be coupled to each other in various ways. However, the support cushion member 100 and the height adjustment member 200 may be made of EVA foam, which has good elasticity and is easy to manufacture. In this case, for a firm coupling, the support cushion member 100 and the first height adjustment member 210, and the first height adjustment member 210 and the second height adjustment member 220 may be mutually connected by a protruding groove structure.

As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6A to 8B, the first height adjustment member 210 and the second height adjustment member 220 may have a fastening protrusion 320 having a predetermined length in the front-back direction protruding from each side of the upper surface thereof, and the support cushion member 100 and the first height adjustment member 210 may have a fastening groove 310 corresponding to the fastening protrusion 320 on the bottom surface thereof. Accordingly, when the support cushion member 100, the first height adjustment member 210, and the second height adjustment member 220 are stacked in the vertical direction through coupling between the fastening protrusion 320 and the fastening groove 310, a firmly coupled state may be maintained, and a user lying face down may breathe comfortably with his/her face in close contact with the support cushion member 100 through the respective breathing holes formed toward the front and rear.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS