US 5,261,134 · Granted 1993-11-16
The Curved Pillow That Stops Babies From Rolling Over
Imagine a pillow shaped like a curved tube that cradles a baby's whole body and keeps them from rolling onto their stomach while they sleep. The pillow is firmer on the sides and has a center well where the baby sits, supported along their entire spine. It's portable, folds up when not in use, and works for infants all the way up to young kids.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a portable infant pillow with a distinctive tubular shape that's rounded on top and bottom, tapered at both ends, and curved inward like an oval. What's protected here is the specific geometry: the concave center well that cradles the child's body, the symmetrical left and right sides that provide lateral support, and the tapered ends that touch each other when the pillow is folded up for storage. The combination of firm, resilient padding along the spine and the curved design that prevents rolling is what the patent locks down.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a real safety concern for parents: keeping infants safely positioned during sleep and rest. The design combines two features—anatomical spine support and a self-contained shape that discourages rolling—into one portable product. Rather than relying on positioning aids or bumpers scattered around a crib, this single pillow is designed to do both jobs at once. The portability matters too, since parents can take it between home, childcare, and travel.
Real-world use
A parent traveling with a toddler could pack this pillow in a diaper bag, unroll it on any flat surface, and have a familiar support structure that keeps the child positioned safely during a nap.
Original USPTO abstract
A portable pillow for support of an infant, toddler or young child is disclosed. The upper and lower surfaces are rounded, resulting in a generally tubular shape, tapered at the ends and curved in an oval so that the tapered ends engage one another when the pillow is not in use. The pillow is generally concave with respect to a vertical axis of symmetry, and since the left and right sides are symmetrical, the infant body is provided with sufficient pressure and vertebral support that he or she is prevented from rolling over when placed in the center well of the device. The pillow also provides anatomically correct support along the vertebral column of a toddler or young child. This support is accomplished by firm, resilient padding and thus minimizes vertebral strain for all ages.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,261,134
- Filing date
- 1992-09-14
- Grant date
- 1993-11-16
- Assignee
- Matthews Susan H
- Inventor(s)
- MATTHEWS; SUSAN H.
- CPC class
- A47D13/083
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