BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The use of head support cushions is well-known in the art. Examples of such head support cushions are: U. S. Patent Nos. 1,542,674 (Darling) ; 2,107,962 (Sheasby); 2,795,802 (Myers); 3,315,282 (Lowery et al.) ; 3,926,181 (Eischen, Sr.); 4,074,376 (Bond); 4,730,801 (Cloward) ; 4,891,854 (Finkelstein) ; 4,907,306 (Nakaji); 5,632,050 (Zajas et al.) ; 5,682,632 (Cotroneo); 5,970,546 (Danis); 6,042,184 (Kofoed); 6,052,848 (Kelly) ; 6,128,797 (Shafer); D416,428 (Jackson) and D420, 845 (Rumage).

However, none of the above teach or suggest an apparatus that can be used for a variety of head positions without the need to introduce an new or external member, or whereby a portion of the apparatus can be formed to provide a support for a different head position.

Therefore, there remains a need for a head support for a user in a lying position, either face-up, face down or on the side and which includes body support members that can be manipulated to form a chest support, a neck support or a portion of the head support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An apparatus for supporting the head of a user while the user is lying in a face-down position, a face-up position or a side position. The apparatus comprises: head cradle for receiving a portion of the user's head; at least two elongated arms that are coupled to the head cradle and wherein the at least two elongated arms are manipulable to form a chest support or a neck support or a head support; and wherein the head cradle comprises an inner opening that receives the head of a user.

A method for supporting both the head and chest of a user lying in a face down position. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a head cradle

that includes an oval-shaped opening and ventilation for supporting the head of a user lying face down thereon; (b) providing at least two tapered elongated arms that are coupled to a portion of the head cradle at a first end and having free ends; and (c) extending the free ends of the at least two tapered elongated arms away from the head cradle for supporting the chest of the user thereon.

A method for supporting both the head and neck of a user lying in a face up position. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a head cradle that includes an opening for supporting the head of a user lying face up thereon; (b) providing at least two elongated arms that are coupled to a portion of the head cradle at a first end and having free ends and wherein the free ends are manipulated into a transverse position at a bottom surface of the head cradle for supporting the back of the neck of the user.

A method for supporting the head of a user lying in a side position.

The method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a head cradle that includes an opening for supporting the head of a user lying face up thereon; (b) providing at least two elongated arms that are coupled to a portion of the head cradle at a first end and having free ends and wherein the free ends are releasably secured to the head cradle to cover a substantial portion of said opening for supporting the side of the head of the user thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the head cradle with body support; Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the invention of Fig. 1 but with one of the depending arms positioned over the opening of the head support; Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the invention of Fig. 1 depicting both depending arms positioned over the opening of the head support; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the invention with a user, shown in phantom, lying face down on the invention; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the invention with a user, shown in phantom, lying on her back, face up, with her head positioned in the head cradle and with the depending arms folded to provide a neck support; Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the invention with a user, shown in phantom, lying on her side with her head positioned in the head cradle and with the depending arms folded over the opening in the head cradle to provide a head support; Fig. 10 is an alternate embodiment of the present invention using a different head cradle construction; Fig. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the alternate embodiment taken along line 11-11 of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is an inflatable embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the inflatable embodiment taken along line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in detail to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 a head cradle with body support (hereinafter"apparatus 20"). The apparatus 20 basically comprises a head cradle 22 and depending arms 24A and 24B that can be manipulated in different positions. The apparatus 20 is used by a person in a lying position, such as on a beach, treatment/examination table, bed, couch, lounge chair, etc. As will be discussed in detail later, the apparatus 20 can be used as a face/chest support (Fig. 7), as a head and neck support (Fig. 8) or as a side head support (Fig. 9).

In particular, the head cradle 22 is ring-like or annular-shaped having an inner portion 26 that conforms to the shape of a human face (e. g., an oval). As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the head cradle 22 comprises four parts: a rigid foam material 28 that is also annular- shaped;

a plurality of flexible plastic tubes 30A-30H (Fig.

4) positioned in recesses (not shown) in the rigid foam material 28; an annular-shaped fabric 32 filled with beads 34 that is positioned on top of the plastic tubes 30A-30H and the rigid foam material 28; and an outer fabric 36 that contains all of these components and which utilizes a single seam 38 (Fig. 4) to close the fabric 36 around these components.

The plurality of tubes 30A-30H permits the passage of air into/out of the inner portion 26 when the user is lying with his/her face down on the head cradle 22. The bead filled fabric 32 provides a flexible cushion that conforms to the head of the user, whether the user is lying face-down or head-up.

It should be understood that term"annular-shaped"or"ring-like"as used throughout this Specification implies that the inner portion 26 of the head cradle 22 comprises a shape that conforms to the shape of the human face or head (e. g., oval) but does not require that the outside periphery of the head cradle 22 be circular, round, oval, etc. In fact, the outside periphery of the head cradle 22 can assume almost any shape.

As shown in Fig. 6, each of the dependent arms 24A and 24B comprises a fabric 40 (similar to fabric 36) that is also filled with beads 42 (similar to the beads 34). The fabric 40 is closed by a single seam 41 A and 41B for each of the arms 24A/24B, which is shown underneath the dependent arms 24A and 24B in Fig. 4. The upper portions 44A and 44B (Fig. 1) of each of the dependent arms 24A/24B comprise an internal fabric 46 also filled with beads 48. This bead-filled internal fabric 46 acts as a shoulder support for each dependent arm 24A/24B when the user is lying face down with his/her head in the inner portion 26, as will be discussed in detail later. When the dependent arms 24A and 24B are to be attached to the head cradle 22, the bead-filled fabric 46 is positioned in the upper portion 44A and 44B of the dependent arm fabric 40 (which itself has been substantially filled with the beads 42). The upper ends 48A and 48B of the dependent arm fabric 40 are then sown with a seam 50A and 50B to the head

cradle 22. Thus, the seams 50A and 50B also act as pivot locations for the dependent arms 24A/24B with respect to the head cradle 22.

Both the rigid foam material 28 and the beads (34,42,48) may comprise latex-covered closed cell foam rubber which are non-absorbent to water; alternatively, the beads may comprise polystyrene beads. All of the fabrics 32,36, 40 and 46 comprise a washable (e. g., cold water/delicate cycle) material. The outer fabrics 36 and 40 may comprise a light color to assist in reflecting, rather than absorbing, heat especially when the apparatus 20 is used on the beach or any outdoor activity where the user is exposed to the sun. Furthermore, the outer fabric 36 is also a breathable material in order to allow the passage of air in and out of the plurality of tubes 30A-30H in the head cradle 22. The material of the outer fabrics 36 and 40 also are amenable to having print placed thereon.

To permit the dependent arms 24A and 24B to be manipulated to provide the different supports of the apparatus 20, a releasably securement mechanism is provided. A hook/pile arrangement (e. g., Velcro@) can be implemented to achieve this. For example, the head cradle 22 comprises a first hook strip 52 and a second hook strip 54 that are disposed on the sides, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Furthermore, the inside surface of the free ends of the dependent arms 24A/24B comprise corresponding pile strips 56A and 56B. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the dependent arm 24B is folded over the head cradle 22 and the first hook strip 52 is engaged with the pile strip 56B. Then, as shown in Fig. 3, the other dependent arm 24A is then folded over the folded dependent arm 24B and head cradle 22 and the second hook strip 54 is engaged with the pile strip 56A. It should be noted that when the dependent arm 24A is folded over the already-folded dependent arm 24B, the force needed to engage the second hook strip 54 with the pile strip 56A causes the dependent arms 24A/24B to cover a substantial portion of the inner portion 26, thereby providing a head support as shown in Fig. 9.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 10, the hook/pile arrangement can be replaced with a snap mechanism. In particular, a female portion 154 of the snap is located on the head cradle 22A and the corresponding male portion 156A and 156B is located on respective dependent arms 24A'and 24B'. It should be noted that the locations of the male portions 156A and 156B do not correspond to the locations of the pile

strips 56A/56B on their respective dependent arms 24A/24B, but the coupling effect is the same.

It should also be noted that, although not shown, the bottom surface of the head cradle 22 may also comprise a hook/pile configuration for releasably coupling the head cradle 22 to an auxiliary member that is secured to a recreational device, e. g., a raft. Thus, the auxiliary member can be attached to the raft and then the head cradle 22 releasably secured to the auxiliary member. In this manner, the apparatus 20 can be used on a raft without the apparatus 20 sliding off.

When the apparatus 20 is to be used as a face/chest support as shown in Fig. 7, the dependent arms 24A/24B are placed in their elongated position. The user U then lies face down by placing his/her face into the inner portion 26. The users's U chest/upper torso is supported on the dependent arms 24A/24B, with each of the shoulders being supported by the upper portions 44A/44B of the dependent arms 24A/24B ; the arms 24A/24B are tapered to provide appropriate support to the chest. In this position, the user U can breathe normally due to the presence of the plurality of tubes 30A-30H. The bean-filled annular- shaped fabric 32 inside the head cradle 22 provides a soft conforming surface against which the user's face rests.

When the apparatus 20 is to be used as a head and neck support as shown in Fig. 8, the user U folds the dependent arms 24A/24B into a somewhat transverse position at the base, or bottom surface, of the head cradle 22. The user U then lies with the back of his/her head positioned in the inner portion 26. The user U can adjust the height of the neck support, formed by these folded dependent arms 24A/24B, by moving the arms 24A/24B back and forth.

When the apparatus 20 is to be used as a side head support as shown in Fig. 9, the apparatus 20 is folded as described earlier with respect to Figs.

2-3. In that configuration, the inner portion 26 is covered by the dependent arms 24A/24B and therefore the user U can lie with the side of his/her head on top of the folded dependent arms 24A/24B.

Figs. 10-11 depict an alternate embodiment of the apparatus 20 using a different head cradle 22A construction. In particular, as shown most clearly in Fig. 11, the head cradle 22A comprises the annular-shaped fabric 32 filled with

beads 34 (discussed earlier) which rests on top of a rigid support ring 130 (e. g., molded plastic). The support ring 130 comprises an upper annular-shaped surface 132 and a lower annular-shaped surface 134 that are vertically separated from each other by a plurality of struts (e. g., six and only four of which 136A, 136B, 136C and 134 are shown) of different heights. The differing strut heights (e. g., strut 136A having the greatest height and strut 136D having the smallest height) provide for a slightly-raised head position when the person is lying down with his/her head in the head cradle 22A; the angle a (Fig. 11) shows such a slight angle to a horizontal reference. The support ring 130 replaces the rigid foam material 28 discussed earlier and also eliminates the need for the plurality of flexible plastic tubes 30A- 30H also described earlier. Because of the use of the plurality of struts in the support ring 130, the lower portion of the head cradle 22A is mostly open space.

Moreover, when the support ring 130 and the annular-shaped fabric 32 are covered with the outer fabric 36, netting (e. g., nylon netting) sections 137 form portions of the outer fabric 36 that permit the passage of air through the head cradle 22A, thereby providing for ventilation when the user is lying with his/her head face down in the cradle 22A.

One exemplary way of forming the support ring 130 is by molding the upper annular-shaped surface 132 to comprise an upper portion 138 of each strut and molding the lower annular-shaped surface 134 to comprise a lower portion 140 of each strut. The two annular-shaped surfaces 132/134 are then coupled together (e. g., press fit the upper 138 and lower 140 portions) between the upper 138 and lower 140 portions of each strut. Alternatively, the entire support ring can be a single molded piece.

As discussed earlier, it is also preferable that the fabric 36 used in the head cradle 22A comprise a material that"breathes"or absorbs moisture (e. g., sweat) such as a stretch-Terrycloth material.

It should also be noted that the upper portions 44A'and 44B' (Fig. 10) are longer than upper portions 44A and 44B discussed earlier with respect to Figs.

1-9 and that the dependent arms 24A'and 24B'are shorter than dependent arms 24A and 24B discussed earlier in Figs. 1-9. Other than that, upper portions 44A'

and 44B'and dependent arms 24A'and 24B'function to support the shoulders and chest of the user as discussed earlier with respect to Figs. 1-9.

The releasable securement mechanism used in the apparatus 20 of Figs. 10-11 is shown using a snap mechanism (e. g., snap components154, 156A/156B) but it should be understood that this is only by way of example and that any other well-know releasable securement mechanism can be used such as the hook/pile arrangement shown in Figs. 1-9 and 12.

Figs. 12-13 depict an inflatable embodiment of the apparatus 20. In particular, the head cradle 22B, upper portions 44A"/44B"and dependent arms 24A"/24B"comprise a unitary member that can be inflated using a valve 200.

Furthermore, the head cradle 22B itself comprises a unitary member having an upper annular-shaped section 222 and a lower annular-shaped support section 224 comprising a plurality of legs 226 disposed on each side of the head cradle 22B that form archways 228. The lower annular-shaped support section 224 supports the head cradle 22B and the archways 228 provide ventilation for the user when he/she is lying with his/her face in the head cradle 22B. The releasable securement mechanism shown in Fig. 12 uses the hook/pile arrangement (hook strip 52 and pile strip 256A) but, as mentioned previously, could be any other well-know releasable securement means such as a snap mechanism (see Fig. 10). The inflatable embodiment may comprise a plastic material or other well-known durable material that is suitable for inflation. The valve 200 comprises a displaceable air filler stem 201 that can be seated inside the head cradle 22B after inflation (see Fig. 13), as is also well-know for inflatable products. Other than that, the apparatus 20 shown in Figs. 12-13 can be used in the same manner as discussed with respect to the apparatus 20 of Figs. 1-11.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, readily adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.