JP2006051295A - Pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillow which can cool without giving a burden to a body and makes the cooling last long. <P>SOLUTION: The pillow 1 of this invention comprises a main body 3 having a recess 7 at a central part and a cold reserving body 5 incorporated in the above recess 7. The recess 7 opens to the central part of a side wall 8 of the main body at the side where the nape of a person is located. The above cold reserving body 5 includes a bag and a soft molding which is sealed in the bag and is comprised of a bridging high polymer excluding a medium. The above soft molding is comprised of a non-foaming polyurethane resin and its Asker F hardness is preferably 10 or more and 50 or less. Further preferably, the depth of an aperture where the above recess 7 opens to the side wall 8 of the main body is 1/3 or more than the height of the side wall 8 of the main body. This pillow is formed to hold the head portion by having a shape to follow the shape of the neck and the head so that no burden is given to the body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pillow. In particular, the present invention relates to a pillow used for cooling a person's neck and head.

  Conventionally, a water pillow has been used for cooling the head. Water pillows are cumbersome to replace ice and water. Replacement requires a place and container for handling water. Various ideas have been made to improve this bothersomeness. For example, a capsule-filled pillow that does not require water is described in JP-A-2002-330986. Instead of ice, the capsule is cooled and filled into a pillow for use.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-297 discloses a pillow in which a cold insulator is accommodated in a pocket provided in a pillow cover. A commercially available product is used for this cold insulator. Since this is a simple sheet shape, the thickness is thin. Large contact area with outside air and low cooling capacity.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-198151 discloses an immediate cooling type cooling package obtained by improving an endothermic reaction when a salt is dissolved in water. This initiates an endothermic reaction by mixing and dissolving in water when the isolated coolant is used. The progress of the reaction is continued by allowing the reaction product brine to gel. The generated gel is used in the same manner as the above-described cold insulator.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-163448 discloses a pillow in which a bag body in which a gel-like material is filled in a recessed hole provided in a lower portion of the center portion of a pillow core material (main body). Examples of the gel-like material include those in which a superabsorbent resin and water are mixed, and those in which water is added to open cell polyurethane foam. Even if the bag body is used for cooling, etc., the volume of the concave hole is limited, so that the cooling capacity is insufficient, and the position of the bag body is limited to the position of the head. Stay to keep the part cool.
JP 2002-330986 A JP 2001-297 A JP 2001-198151 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163448

  The shape of the pillow is said to be less burdensome on the body if it has a cervical vertebra shape similar to a standing posture. For this purpose, it is necessary to maintain the stability and sleeping comfort when the head is placed on the pillow while maintaining the shape of the pillow that has been uniformly formed. In order to maintain the shape of the pillow, it is necessary to provide resilience. Like the conventional water pillow, the pillow and the package as described above are all deformed with the head moving, and have no shape maintaining function. On the other hand, if the shape retention ability is too great, the shape following ability is poor, so that the stability and sleeping comfort of the head is deteriorated. That is, flexibility is required to improve stability and comfort. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can cool by holding the head in a shape along the shape of the neck and head so that the body is not burdened, and cooling lasts long. The purpose is to provide a comfortable pillow.

  The pillow according to the present invention includes a main body having a concave portion in the central portion and a cold insulator incorporated in the concave portion, and the concave portion opens in the central portion of the main body side wall on which the person's neck is located.

  Preferably, the cold insulator includes a bag and a soft molded body made of a crosslinked polymer that is enclosed in the bag and does not contain a medium.

  More preferably, the soft molded body is made of an unfoamed polyurethane resin and has an Asker F hardness of 10 to 50.

  More preferably, the depth of the opening in which the concave portion opens in the main body side wall is 1/3 or more of the height of the main body side wall.

  More preferably, the cold insulator further includes a non-flexible base portion having a thickness of 2 mm or more and 15 mm or less on the bottom surface, and the bag body is made of a material having a thickness of 0.02 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

  Preferably, the surface of the cold insulator is provided with a plurality of depressions.

  The cold insulator may be a sheet. Preferably, the sheet-shaped cold insulator has a thickness of 25 mm or less. The sheet-shaped cold insulator can be stored in a container in a wound state or a folded state.

  Since this pillow can cool by holding the head in a shape along the shape of the neck and the head, the body is not burdened by the cold insulator. Long-lasting cooling function with built-in cooler. In addition, a plurality of types of cold insulators to be incorporated are held and can be replaced. By selecting the cold insulator, it can be adjusted according to the physique, other people used and the situation.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  The pillow 1 concerning one Embodiment of this invention is shown by FIGS. 1-4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pillow 1. 2A is a plan view of the pillow 1, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a right side view. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

  The pillow 1 is formed of a main body 3 and a cold insulator 5. The main body 3 includes a recess 7 for incorporating the cold insulator 5. The recess 7 is a central portion of the main body side wall 8 on the side where the person's neck is located, and is open by being three-dimensionally cut in the depth direction of the main body. The side on which the person's neck is located is defined on one side of the long side of the rectangular outline of the main body 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body side wall 8 on the side where the person's neck is located is a surface that includes the long side and rises upward from the bottom surface. The cold insulator 5 has a contour that substantially conforms to the shape of the recess 7 so as to fill the recess 7. The cold insulator 5 is incorporated into a recess 7 having an opening at the center of the side wall 8. Thus, the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 are combined to form the pillow 1 when used. The approximate planar shape of the outline in which the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 are combined is a rectangle. The size of the contour is not particularly limited, but usually the lateral width L is 400 mm or more and 1000 mm or less, the depth W is 300 mm or more and 500 mm or less, and the height H of the side wall 8 is 10 mm or more and 190 mm or less.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the depth P of the opening of the recess 7 opening in the main body side wall 8 is about 83% of the height H of the main body side wall 8. When the depth P of the opening is too shallow, the volume of the cold insulator 5 becomes small and a sufficient cold insulation effect cannot be obtained. Preferably, the depth P of the opening is 1/3 or more of the height H of the main body side wall 8. The depth P of the opening may be equal to the height H of the side wall 8. As will be described later, the shape of the recess 7 is defined in accordance with the cold insulator 5 formed in consideration of the human body shape. It is considered that the shape (mainly height and curved surface shape) of the cold insulator 5 incorporated in the recess 7 can be changed. That is, it is formed in combination with the cold insulator 5 so that the shape of the entire pillow is smooth.

  It is preferable that the main body 3 has a hardness capable of supporting a person's head, and also has flexibility and resilience. Therefore, it is preferable that rubber or a synthetic resin material is used for the main body 3. As the rubber, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber or the like is used. As the synthetic resin material, a single or a plurality of combinations of thermoplastic elastomers belonging to a system such as polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, silicone, and polybutadiene are used. The material of the main body 3 is more preferably a polyurethane foam in terms of flexibility and various hardness adjustments. Of these, a low-resilience polyurethane foam is more preferred. The main body 3 is obtained by molding these materials by a molding method such as injection molding or extrusion molding.

  The cold insulator 5 is formed such that the cold insulator 5 is kept in a predetermined shape range by the recess 7 particularly when the cold insulator 5 has a large flexibility (also expressed as softness) and a small shape holding ability. For example, the material of the main body 3 is selected so that the flexibility thereof is small and the shape retaining property is high. Or surface materials, such as a peripheral side wall which makes the recessed part 7, may be made thick partially, and the shape of a recessed part may be made hard to change. Further, a material having a higher elastic modulus than the material of the main body 3 may be partially disposed around the recess 7.

  The recess 7 can be incorporated by replacing the cold insulator 5 as will be described later. Therefore, the recessed part 7 is formed in the shape along the shape of the cold insulator 5. However, there may be some gaps to absorb the dimensional error of the multiple types of cold insulators 5 made separately. Even when there is no gap, since the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 have flexibility, the cold insulator 5 can be incorporated within the range of flexibility. However, if the gap is too large, the range of the predetermined shape may not be maintained, for example, the head sinks too deeply.

  The concave portion 7 is provided on the basis of the position and size of the neck and the back of the head when used. The pillow 1 is formed with a curved surface in the center portion, which is likened to the shape of the back of the head from the neck when a person stands. This curved surface shape may be formed by the cold insulator 5 having flexibility supported by the shape retaining property of the main body 3.

  As is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the portion of the main body 3 where the back of the head is located when the person puts his head has a low height. The portion where the rear neck near the shoulder of the pillow 1 is arranged has a high height. When the cold insulator 5 is large, this shape is mainly formed and held by the cold insulator 5. When the cold insulator 5 is small, a predetermined shape is mainly defined by the shape of the main body 3.

  The main body 3 is provided with flexibility that can follow deformation in a state in which the cold insulator 5 is incorporated. A person changes the direction of his head or shifts his position. In order to improve deformation followability, a material having a low rebound resilience is preferable. The main body 3 including the concave portion 7 is not comfortable to use unless there is a certain degree of deformation followability. Therefore, it has moderate flexibility and resilience, and the weight of the head can be dispersed and supported over the entire head surface.

  The main body 3 preferably includes a plurality of depressions D on the surface. The depression D prevents the head and the like from being in close contact with the main body 3 when the person's head or the like is applied to the pillow. That is, a gap is formed between the head and the body 3. Since this gap is air permeable, it does not cause stickiness or stuffiness. The depression D is formed by providing a groove, a hole, a protrusion, or the like on the surface. The pillow 1 described in FIGS. 1 to 4 has a groove parallel to the longitudinal direction on the surface. The groove depth, spacing, and other shapes are provided so as to be comfortable to use according to the properties of the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5.

  The cold insulator 5 includes a cold insulator 9 and a sealing film 11 that encloses the cold insulator 9. The surface shape of the cold insulator 5 is formed following a curved surface from the neck to the back of the head in a standing posture. The cold insulator 5 is made separately from the main body 3 and is independent. A plurality of types of cold insulators 5 can be prepared for the main body 3. That is, only the cold insulator 5 can be removed from the main body and cooled or frozen. As long as it can be incorporated into the concave portion of the main body, it can be replaced with a cold insulator 5 having a different shape such as a height (thickness) and a curved surface shape. Moreover, you may prepare various things, such as the hardness of the cold insulating material 9, and cold insulation performance. These can be selected according to the situation.

  As for the size of the cold insulator 5, the width N is usually 100 mm or more and 500 mm or less, the depth M is 150 mm or more and 500 mm or less, and the height is 10 mm or more and 190 mm or less. In combination with the main body 3, the height of the cold insulator 5 is mainly adjusted so as to have a height for supporting the neck. The height of the cold insulator 5 varies depending on the depth of the back neck of the person to be used, the distance between the shoulder and the temporal region when lying down, and the preference.

  As described above, the cold insulator 5 forms a part of the pillow 1 by being fitted with a certain thickness in the central portion of the main body side wall 8 on the side where the person's neck is located. The three side surfaces where the cold insulator 5 is in contact with the main body 3 are protected from the outside by the main body 3 made of foam or the like. Since the foam of the main body 3 adjacent to this side surface has a heat retaining function, there is little heat conduction from the side surface of the cold body 5. Therefore, the area on the pillow surface side to which heat from the outside is transmitted relative to the size of the volume of the cold insulator 5 is relatively small. The cold insulator 5 is difficult to transmit extra heat from the outside due to this combination structure. Accordingly, the pillow 1 has a long cooling time.

  The cold insulator 5 also has a certain shape retaining ability while supporting the weight of the head and neck. This function can reduce the burden on the neck when a person puts his head on the pillow. However, if the shape retainability is too large, it tends to be too hard. If the cold insulator 5 is too hard, the deformation followability is insufficient when the position of the head or neck is shifted. It is uncomfortable to use unless there is a certain amount of deformation. The cold insulator 5 has flexibility that can follow the deformation. It has moderate flexibility and resilience, and the weight of the head can be dispersed and supported over the entire head surface. The material is preferably a gel material.

  The cold insulator 5 is usually used in a range where the surface temperature is 5 ° C. or higher and 30 ° C. or lower. The surface temperature of the cold insulator 5 is preferably 10 ° C. or higher and 25 ° C. or lower. More preferably, it is 12 degreeC or more and 20 degrees C or less. As the cold insulating material 9, a soft molded body made of a polymer containing no gel or medium, which is advantageous for use at this temperature for a long time, is selected. Gels include hydrogels that use water as a solvent and lipogels that use oil as a solvent, depending on the medium. Examples of the hydrogel include polyacrylic acid, polyacrylate (such as sodium polyacrylate), polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyethylene oxide. For example, polyacrylic acid having a weight average molecular weight of about 1 million to 5 million is preferably used.

  Examples of the lipogel include gels made of polyurethane, polyolefin, polystyrene, polystyrene, silicone, polyethylene, polyester, vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, neoprene, and polybutadiene rubber. These polymers are used alone or in combination. Moreover, a softener, a plasticizer, a filler, etc. are added according to the property of these polymers, and elasticity can be provided or adjusted. Lipogel is made by cross-linking these polymers with oil. For example, 100 parts by mass of oil in which the polymer is dissolved at room temperature, 10 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the polymer, and an organic peroxide are used. As oil, plasticizers, such as vegetable oil, mineral oil, ester oil, are used, for example. As the organic peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, acetyl peroxide, cyclohexanone peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, and the like are used. Of the hydrogel and the lipogel, the lipogel is preferred from the viewpoint of having viscosity even at a low temperature. Among these, polyurethane gel is preferable from the viewpoint of good balance of pressure dispersibility, processability, price, and the like.

  As described above, the gel is generally formed by swelling a polymer having a three-dimensional network structure with a medium. Basically, these gels themselves do not have elastic resilience. In the case of using a gel with these solvents, the shape along the shape of the neck and the back of the head can be maintained depending on the shape retaining property of the main body 3 forming the recess 7 or the restoring property of the encapsulating film 11.

  On the other hand, a soft molded body made of a crosslinked polymer not containing the above medium is more preferable as the cold insulating material 9 in that the soft molded body itself has shape retention and elasticity. Here, not containing a medium means not taking a form swollen by the medium, and is distinguished from the case where a small amount of oil or the like is used as an additive. Specifically, the medium is 50% by mass or less based on the crosslinked polymer. There is also a risk that the gel medium water or oil may precipitate on the gel. Since the soft molded body does not contain a medium, the medium is stable without precipitation.

  This flexible molded body is obtained by crosslinking unfoamed urethane. The polyurethane resin is obtained by blending a polyol, polyisocyanate, and a crosslinking agent (curing agent) to form a crosslinked structure. Typical curing methods include a prepolymer method in which a polyol and a polyisocyanate are reacted in advance, and a one-shot method in which the above components are blended simultaneously. The flexible molded body preferably has an Asker F hardness of 15 to 50. This unfoamed polyurethane may be obtained from any method as long as the Asker F hardness can be adjusted within this range. In the present invention, the Asker F hardness is a hardness measured by a method based on a durometer hardness test specified in JIS-K6253. For specific measurement, an Asker F hardness meter from Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd. can be used. When the measured object is highly sticky, the hardness of the measured object is measured by interposing a film that does not prevent free distortion of the measured object between the hardness meter and the measured object.

  When Asker F hardness is less than 15, it is too soft and lacks stability. From this viewpoint, the Asker F hardness is more preferably 20 or more. Furthermore, the Asker F hardness is preferably 25 or more. When Asker F hardness exceeds 50, the tactile sensation is hard and the sleeping comfort is poor. In this respect, the Asker F hardness is more preferably 40 or less. More preferably, the Asker F hardness is 35 or less.

  As the isocyanate compound used as the material of the urethane prepolymer, modified MDI such as diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), polymeric MDI, liquid MDI, hydrogenated TDI, hydrogenated MDI, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI), xylylene diisocyanate (XDI) , Naphthalene diisocyanate (NDI), triphenylmethane triisocyanate and polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate.

  As the polyol, those having an average functional group number of 2 to 4 and an average molecular weight of 50 to 6000 are used. For example, low molecular weight divalent or trivalent alcohols, polyether polyols, condensed polyester polyols, polymerized polyester polyols, polycaprolactone polyols, and the like can be used. Suitable polyols include low molecular weight alcohols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3 butanediol, polyoxypropylene glycol (PPG), polyoxypropylene triol, polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene-triol, polyoxytetra Examples include methylene glycol and polyalkylene ether polyols.

  The polyurethane prepolymer has, for example, an isocyanate compound and a polyol in an equivalent ratio (NCO / OH) of 1.3 to 5 of an isocyanate group (NCO) of the isocyanate compound and a hydroxyl group (OH) contained in the polyol. And is reacted at about 50 ° C. to 120 ° C. for about 3 to 10 hours. These viscosities are preferably in the form of a low-viscosity liquid at ordinary temperature from the viewpoint of workability. The isocyanate group content in the polyurethane prepolymer is usually 1% to 15% by weight. Among them, the isocyanate group content is preferably 2.5% to 10%. The liquid viscosity of the polyurethane prepolymer is preferably 2000 to 20000 CPS (25 ° C.) from the viewpoint of workability.

  As the curing agent, a compound having active hydrogen is used. For example, a curing agent containing a polyol is suitably used for curing the urethane prepolymer. Of these, poly (oxyethylene) polyol, poly (oxyethylenepropylene) polyol, and polytetramethylene ether glycol are preferred, and those having a molecular weight of 300 to 6000 and functional groups of 2 to 4 are preferred.

  Adjustment of the hardness of the flexible molded body is performed by changing the type and blending amount of the curing agent to change the degree of crosslinking and using an additive such as a catalyst. As the catalyst, amine-based catalysts such as tolylenediamine, lead octylate, dibutyltin diurarate and the like are used alone or in combination. Formulations containing polyols, polyisocyanates and curing agents are heated and crosslinked at 50 to 150 ° C. for about 1 to 120 minutes.

  It is more preferable to add a heat storage material to the unfoamed polyurethane composition. This heat storage material can also be blended into a hydrogel or a lipogel. As the heat storage material, a material that gradually melts when the temperature of the cold insulation material 9 rises and absorbs this heat when melted is used. As a heat storage material for the cold insulating material 9, a material having a melting point of 5 ° C. or higher and 30 ° C. or lower is preferable, and 10 ° C. or higher and 20 ° C. or lower is particularly preferable. For example, n-tetradecane (melting point 5.9 ° C.), n-pentadecane (melting point 9.9 ° C.), diethyl 1,9-nonanedicarboxylate (melting point 16 ° C.), n-hexadecane (melting point 18.2 ° C.), tridecane Examples include methyl acid (melting point: 19 ° C.). Among these, n-paraffins such as n-pentadecane are more preferably used because they have good phase change stability and a large amount of heat storage.

  This heat storage material is blended in an amount of 5% by mass or more, preferably 10% by mass or more of the polyurethane blend from the viewpoint of maintaining the effect. When the amount of the heat storage material is large, the elastic modulus of the flexible molded body tends to increase, and the hysteresis loss tends to increase. For this reason, it is preferably 60% by mass or less. More preferably, it is 50 mass% or less. As a specific example of the heat storage material, “heat storage material microcapsule solid granulated product” (manufactured by Mitsubishi Paper Industries, Ltd., Research Institute) can be cited. In this heat storage material, a mixture containing n-paraffin as a main component is microencapsulated. These microcapsules are blended into the urethane prepolymer composition. Since the melting point of this heat storage material is about 15 ° C., a comfortable low temperature is maintained for a long time.

  The elastic modulus at 23 ° C. of the molded body obtained by cross-linking in this way is preferably 0.1 N / mm or more from the standpoint of restoration. More preferably, it is 0.2 N / mm or more, and further, it is 0.3 N / mm or more. From the viewpoint of flexibility, the elastic modulus of the molded body is preferably 0.7 N / mm or less. Preferably it is 0.6 N / mm, Furthermore, it is 0.5 N / mm or less.

  These soft molded bodies are obtained by, for example, filling the encapsulating film 11 having a predetermined shape and crosslinking. The soft molded body may be obtained by pouring into a metal mold or extrusion molding with an extruder and then crosslinking. The encapsulating film 11 is not particularly limited as long as the encapsulating film 11 is not broken against a certain amount of external force and the gel-like material does not soak in or deteriorates by the gel-like material. Examples of the encapsulating film 11 include those made of polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), polybutylene-terephthalate (PBT0), polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, and polyvinylidene chloride. Moreover, the film or aluminum vapor deposition film in which any one of the plurality of resins is combined may be used.

  When the unfoamed thermosetting polyurethane is used, a polyurethane film is suitable as the encapsulating film 11. Since the adhesiveness between the polyurethane cross-linked product and the film is good, the film hardly peels from the polyurethane cold insulation material 9. Therefore, the surface state of the cold insulator 5 is kept uniform, and the shape retention is good.

  The thickness of the encapsulating film 11 is preferably 0.01 mm or greater and 1.0 mm or less. If it is thinner than 0.01 mm, the film is easily broken and the durability may be inferior. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the encapsulating film is preferably 0.02 mm or more, more preferably 0.04 mm or more. When it is thicker than 1 mm, the flexibility is poor, and when a person's head comes into contact, it feels hard and the sleeping comfort becomes worse. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the encapsulating film is preferably 0.5 mm or less. More preferably, it is 0.3 mm or less.

  The encapsulating film 11 preferably has a tensile strength of 10 N or more, an elongation at break of 200% or more, and a tear strength of 5 N or more. If the tensile strength and tear strength are smaller than the above values, the durability may be inferior. If the elongation at the time of cutting is less than 200%, the flexibility is small and the degree of freedom of deformation may be too small. Therefore, it is difficult for the cold insulator 5 to follow the shape of the person's neck or head, and the sleeping comfort tends to be poor. Further, if the cut elongation is small, the film restrains deformation of the soft molded body or the like due to turning over, and the deformation force is borne only by the film. In this case, stress concentration tends to occur in the film, and the durability of the film is deteriorated.

  In the manufacture of the cold insulator including the soft molded body, first, a molding die is prepared which is formed so as to follow the shape of a person's neck and head. The mold surface is covered with the encapsulating film 11. The encapsulating film is brought into close contact with the mold surface by air suction or the like. The mold covered with this film is filled with an unfoamed polyurethane compound for a soft molded body that becomes the main body of the cold insulating material 9. In order to integrate and join the encapsulating film 11 on the blend, an unfoamed polyurethane blend having a higher degree of crosslinking than the unfoamed polyurethane blend is filled. This blend is heated at a predetermined temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time of 1 to 120 minutes to obtain a cold insulator.

  The cold insulator 5 thus obtained is formed with a non-flexible base portion 13 having a thickness of 2 mm or more and 15 mm or less on the bottom surface thereof. If this thickness is less than 2 mm, the bonding between the film and the soft molded article may be insufficient. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the non-flexible base portion 13 is more preferably 3 mm or more, and further 5 mm or more. If the thickness exceeds 15 mm, the flexibility of the flexible molded body may be reduced. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the non-flexible base portion 13 is preferably 12 mm or less, and more preferably 10 mm or less. Since the encapsulated film of the cold insulator and the cold insulator 9 are highly integrated, the encapsulating film 11 is not easily broken and the shape stability of the cold insulator 5 is increased.

  It is preferable to provide a plurality of depressions D also on the surface of the cold insulator 5. When the cold insulator 5 is made of a soft molded body, the recess D is formed by a molding die. Due to the recess D, the cold insulator 5 is provided with air permeability. In this cold insulator 5, stuffiness due to human perspiration is prevented when the person's head or neck is in direct contact with the cold insulator. The cold insulator 5 can be provided with an exterior cover similar to the main body 3 as the exterior of the encapsulating film 11. The material of the exterior cover may be the same as a known cover. As the exterior cover, natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and wool or synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinylidene chloride are used. Nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics and the like made of these fibers are used. From the viewpoint of improving the touch, those laminates and those having a large porosity are preferred. Natural leather or synthetic leather may be used for this exterior cover. However, the thickness of the exterior cover is taken into consideration so that the function of the uneven shape on the surface is not lost.

  It is said that when the human head and neck are cooled, the body temperature should drop by 1 ° C. in 2 hours during sleep. When the pillow 1 is used, the cold insulator 5 that has been cooled in a refrigerator or the like in advance is inserted into the main body 3. The refrigeration body 5 cools the occipital region and the neck muscles when the pillow 1 is applied. The cold insulator 5 has a good cold insulation property because it is difficult for excess heat to be transmitted as described above. Therefore, the cooling body 5 maintains the cooling effect for a long time.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a pillow 17 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the pillow 17 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing the pillow of FIG. This pillow 17 also includes a main body 19 and a cold insulator 21. The main body 19 includes a recess 25 that opens at the center of the main body side wall 23 on the side where the person's neck is located. In each drawing, the main body 27 is shown on the upper side, and the cold insulator 29 fitted in the main body is shown on the lower side. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the recess 25 is open at the center of the main body side wall 23 and at the upper part in the depth direction. The recess 25 is surrounded by four surfaces formed by cutting the main body 19. In this case, the thickness of the main body 19 at the bottom of the recess 25 is relatively thin. This portion prevents deformation of the main body 27 located on the left and right sides of the recess 25 from spreading to the left and right.

  The cold insulator 21 includes a cold insulator 27 made of a soft polymer molded body that does not contain the medium, and a sealing film 29 that encloses the cold insulator 27. A non-flexible base portion 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the cold insulator 21. The cold insulation material 27 is formed in a shape that follows the shape of the back of the head from a person's neck. The thin and flexible sealing film 29 does not have a sufficient outer shape restraining function. Since the cold insulating material 27 has a shape holding function in the cold insulating material 27 itself, the formed shape is held without the support of the encapsulating film 29. The pillow 17 has a shape that follows the shape of the back of the head from a person's neck while the cold insulation material 27 of the cold insulation body 21 is rich in flexibility. With the cold insulator 21 provided with the cold insulator 27, the neck and the head can be held and cooled so that the body is not burdened. Although not shown, a number of depressions are provided on the upper surface side of the main body 19 and the cold insulator 21. According to this pillow, the cooling lasts and the sleeping comfort is good.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a pillow 40 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The pillow 40 includes a main body 42 and a cold insulator 44. The main body 42 includes a concave portion 46 for incorporating the cold insulator 44 at the center thereof. The cold insulator 44 is composed of a cold insulator and an encapsulating film, like the cold insulator 5 shown in FIG. The material of the cold insulating material is the same as that of the cold insulating material 9 shown in FIG. The cold insulator 44 has a sheet shape. Although the sheet-shaped cold insulator 44 is disadvantageous compared to the block-shaped cold insulator 5 in terms of the time for which the cold-retaining effect is maintained, the most important cold-retaining effect before and after falling asleep is exhibited.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the cold insulator 44 of the pillow 40 in FIG. 8 is refrigerated. FIG. 9 also shows a container 52 including a body portion 48 and a lid 50. In order to cool the cold insulator 44, the cold insulator 44 is first wound. Since the cold insulator 44 is a sheet, it can be easily wound. Next, the cold insulator 44 is placed in the body 48. Next, the lid 50 is placed on the body 48. Next, the container 52 is stored in the refrigerator. By holding the container 52 in the refrigerator for a certain time, the temperature of the cold insulator 44 decreases. The container 52 is taken out from the refrigerator, and the cold insulator 44 is taken out from the container 52. The cold insulator 44 is used in combination with the main body 42.

  By using the pillow 40, hair, sweat, hair styling, fragrance, and the like adhere to the cold insulator 44. The refrigerator usually stores food. By storing the cold insulator 44 in the container 52, contact between the cold insulator 44 and the food product is prevented. The container 52 also prevents odor transfer from the cold insulator 44 to the food product. This container 52 contributes to hygiene. The size of the container 52 is determined so that the container 52 can be easily stored in the refrigerator. For example, a container 52 having the same size as a bottle for a normal soft drink is prepared. The combination of the cold insulator 44 and the container 52 contributes to space saving of the refrigerator.

  From the viewpoint of preventing odor migration, the container 52 is preferably made of a material that does not have air permeability (for example, synthetic resin). From the viewpoint that the cold insulator 44 is cooled in a short time, it is preferable that the container 52 is made of a breathable material (for example, paper). The container 52 having air permeability does not sufficiently prevent the transfer of odor, but prevents the cold insulator 44 from contacting the food product. A vent may be formed in the container 52.

  From the viewpoint that it can be easily wound, the thickness of the cold insulator 44 is preferably 25 mm or less, more preferably 20 mm or less, and particularly preferably 15 mm or less. From the viewpoint of maintaining the cold insulation effect, the thickness is preferably 5 mm or more. The cold insulating material may be folded and stored in the container. In this case, a box-shaped container is used.

  Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be clarified by examples. However, the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner based on the description of the examples.

[Example]
Rubber composition based on natural rubber (natural rubber 100 parts by weight, filler 115 parts by weight, softener 4 parts by weight, zinc white 5.5 parts by weight, stearic acid 1.1 parts by weight, foaming agent 5 parts by weight , 2 parts by mass of sulfur, 0.9 parts by mass of vulcanization accelerator, 0.6 parts by mass of anti-aging agent), and molded by vulcanization and foaming at 150 ° C. for 10 minutes. Manufactured. On the other hand, a polyurethane film (thickness 0.1 mm, tensile strength 20 N, tear strength 8 N, elongation at break 220%) is laid on a mold having a shape corresponding to the concave shape of the main body, and the polyurethane prepolymer is heated. The mold was poured into a mold at about 50 mm, filled with a curable polyurethane composition, and crosslinked at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes. The mold was cooled, and the molded body was taken out to obtain a cold insulator. This cold insulator was combined with the main body and covered with an exterior cover (for main body; 100% cotton) to obtain a pillow of the example.

[Comparative example]
Commercially available flat pillow (made of polyurethane foam, 550 mm wide, 380 mm deep, high) with a commercial cold insulator (Dunlop Home Products, product name “Soft Snow Pillow”, 30 mm thick, 190 mm long, 340 mm wide) 10 mm, with 100% cotton exterior cover) was used as a comparative example.

[Evaluation]
Test method: The head was placed, and the neck and the surface temperature of the cold insulator were measured using MT-8 manufactured by Gram. The result is shown in FIG. Furthermore, 10 testers were allowed to use the cold insulator at 15 ° C., and sensory evaluation was performed on the comfort, fit, and stuffiness. The average value evaluated for each of the five levels (very good is 5, good is 4, normal is 3, bad is 2, and very bad is 1) was calculated, and the results shown in Table 1 were obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the pillow of the example has a smaller temperature rise after the start of use than the pillow of the comparative example, and clearly has a superior cooling function. Moreover, as shown in Table 1, the pillow of the example has a higher evaluation than the pillow of the comparative example. From this evaluation result, the superiority of the present invention is clear.

  The present invention can be applied to a medical device such as a brain disorder patient in addition to being used as a normal sleep pillow.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pillow according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 (a) is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (b) is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (c) is a side view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a pillow according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a front view showing the pillow of FIG. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing the pillow of FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pillow according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the cold insulator of the pillow in FIG. 8 is refrigerated. FIG. 10 is a graph showing temperature changes when the pillows of the example and the comparative example are used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 17, 40 ... Pillow 3, 19, 42 ... Main body 5, 21, 44 ... Cold insulator 7, 25, 46 ... Recessed 8, 23 ... Side wall 9, 27 ... Cold insulation material 11, 28 ... Film for encapsulation 13, 31 ... Non-flexible substrate 52 ... Container D ... Dimple

Claims (11)

  The pillow which consists of a main body provided with a recessed part in the center part, and the cold insulator incorporated in the said recessed part, and this recessed part is opened in the center part of the main body side wall in the side where a person's neck is located.   The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the cold insulator includes an encapsulating film and a soft molded body made of a crosslinked polymer that is enclosed in the encapsulating film and does not contain a medium.   The pillow according to claim 2, wherein the soft molded body is made of an unfoamed polyurethane resin and has an Asker F hardness of 10 or more and 50 or less.   The pillow according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a depth of an opening portion in which the concave portion opens in the main body side wall is 1/3 or more of a height of the main body side wall.   The cold-retaining body further includes a non-flexible base portion having a thickness of 2 mm or more and 15 mm or less on a bottom surface thereof, and the bag body is made of a material having a thickness of 0.02 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. The pillow according to any one of the above.   The pillow according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a plurality of depressions on a surface of the cold insulator.   The pillow which consists of a main body provided with a recessed part in the center part, and the cold insulator incorporated in the said recessed part, and this cold insulator is a sheet form.   The pillow according to claim 7, wherein the cold insulator has a thickness of 25 mm or less.   The pillow according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the cold insulator includes an encapsulating film and a soft molded body made of a crosslinked polymer that is enclosed in the encapsulating film and does not contain a medium.   The pillow according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the soft molded body is made of an unfoamed polyurethane resin and has an Asker F hardness of 10 to 50.   A combination of the cold insulation body of the pillow according to any one of claims 7 to 9 and a container in which the cold insulation body is wound or folded.

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