Pillow Core

The invention relates to a pillow core.

Conventional pillow cores have been made of materials such as silk cotton, feathers or the like. When the user rests his or her head on a pillow having such a core, the pillow tends to sink at the associated portion thereof because of the inadequate supporting capacity of its core. As a result, users may not feel well when their body turns over. Besides, a pillow made of such materials will become contaminated if frequently used, even if a pillow-towel or pillow case is used to cover it. A pillow may also acquire an offensive odor if stored for a long period of time. Moreover, it can be troublesome to wash and dry a pillow with silk cotton or feathers within it.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pillow core comprising plastic-made springs. The core has excellent supporting capacity and elasticity. Also, the core can be easily washed and dried.

The object of the invention is achieved by providing a pillow core comprising plastic-made link frames and plastic-made springs. The plastic link frames include cross-bars and a plurality of frame holes for receiving the plastic springs. The plastic link frame can connect a plurality of springs of different dimensions into a pillow core having the size of a conventional pillow. Springs within the pillow core may have different lengths so that they can conform to the curve of a user's neck.

In comparison with conventional pillow cores, the core of the present invention has an advantage in that it provides improved supporting capacity, elasticity and ventilation while eliminating areas of heat concentration. Also, the core of the present invention can easily be made into different sizes and have different curves in order to accommodate different necks. Moreover, the core is easy to carry. Further, the necessity for cleaning and drying the core is eliminated, and the natural resources which provide feathers and silk cotton are saved. The pillow of the present invention is attractive and inexpensive.

The invention and its preferred embodiment will be hereinafter explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is the perspective view of the plastic spring of the invention;

FIG. 1B shows the state of the plastic spring of FIG. 1A when being compressed by force exerted thereto;

FIG. 2A is the side elevation view of the plastic spring of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B shows the plastic spring of FIG. 2A when being compressed from both ends thereof;

FIG. 3 schematically shows the plastic link frame for connecting the plastic springs according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is the view of the pillow core of a pillow size formed by a plurality of plastic springs connected by the plastic link frames as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 schematically shows the interconnecting member of the plastic link frame of the pillow core according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is the side elevation view of the pillow core according to a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross section of a plastic spring according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross section of a plastic spring according to another embodiment of the present invention.

A plastic spring 1 according to the present invention is shown. The plastic spring 1 is made by press forming a plastic sheet. The spring 1 comprises a plurality of protuberances 5, 6 and recesses 10. The spring 1 may be circular or polygonal in cross section. When force is applied to the spring 1, it will contract under compression (see FIG. 1B). Upon the removal of the force, the spring will return to its pre-compressed length which may be equal to or less than its original length, as discusses below.

According to a preferred embodiment of the spring of the invention, the width, also referred to as the diameter if the spring has a circular cross section, of the protuberance portions 6 at both ends of the spring is larger than that of the middle protuberance portions 5. A large step member 3 and a small step member 4 (see FIG. 2A) are both provided at the bottom of the upper protuberance 6 and the top of the lower protuberance 6, as shown in FIG. 2A. The large step member 3 has a width (diameter) which is smaller than that of its respective protuberance 6 and larger than that of its respective small step member 4. Therefore, when force is exerted against the spring 1, a lower half or an upper half portion of each respective protuberance 6 and the associated large step member 3 and small step member 4, at both ends of the spring, will enter into the other half portion of the protuberance 6, and then overlap on the neighboring protuberance 6 (see FIG. 2B). When the pressure is released, the protuberances 6 will not rebound. Instead, they will maintain the state shown in FIG. 2B and the spring 1 will move between this state and a compressed state when pressure is applied to the core. As a result, the stiffness of each spring at both ends thereof is enhanced, and the supporting capacity is more evenly distributed when compared to conventional pillows. Especially important is that, when the user's head moves on the pillow, unpleasant sounds will not be generated from inside the pillow.

Now, referring to FIG. 3, the plastic link frame 15 for connecting the plastic springs according to the present invention is shown. The link frame 15 includes cross bars 20 and a plurality of frame holes 25. When the plastic springs are inserted into the frame holes 25 and the frame holes 25 are locked exactly in their respective recesses 10, a pillow core as shown in FIG. 4 is formed.

The plastic link frame can be tailored to meet the requirements of pillow cores having various sizes. For easy manufacture, the plastic link frame 15 may be made in a plug-socket form, as shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, a number of sockets 30 are formed along the cross bar 20 and pins 35 are formed on one side of the frame holes 25 so that two small-sized link frames can be assembled into a larger link frame by inserting the pins 35 into the sockets 30 on the cross bar 20. As a result, the size of the pillow core can be capriciously customized and the costs incurred from the press forming of the large-sized plastic link frame kept relatively low.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the height of the springs 1 may be selected so that the pillow core can be customized according to the neck profile and the individual preferences of the user.

To firmly fasten springs 1 into a pillow core, two or more link frames 15 spaced from each other along the length of the springs may be provided. These frames 15 secure adjacent springs 1 at their upper, lower or middle portions by positioning frame holes 25 around the springs 1 as discussed above. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the structure in which two-tier link frames 15 are used to connect the springs 1.

After the pillow core has been completely assembled, a pillow can be formed by placing the assembled pillow core into a pillow case.