Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VARIABLE POSTURE CHAIR AND METHOD
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates, in general, to
an ergonomic chair built for distributing the weight
of a user while seated in a variety of postures on
the chair, and more particularly, relates to an
ergonomic chair or seating assembly in which the
various components of the chair can be adjusted and
rearranged geometrically to al]ow the user to fit
the chair to his body.
BACKGROUND A~T
; I have previously developed an ergonomlc
seating assembly in which three platforms or support
surfaces can be used to provide a highly comfortable
and efficient support system for a user while
seated. This seating assembly is set forth in my
U.S. Patent No. 4,650,249 and includes a seat, a
body support platform, and a leg support platform.
All three elements were movable to varying degrees
to attempt to enable the user of the ergonomic chair
to efficiently support his or her body weight in a
; number of different postures.
In addition to the chair of my patent,
various other chair or seat assemblies have been
devised which support the user's torso and/or legs.
Thus, in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,165,314, 3,754,787 and
3~759,511 chair assemblies are shown in which body
or torso support platforms are provided with varying
degrees of adjustment. In U.S. Patent Nos. 454,100,
2,364,050 and 4,607,882 chair assemblies are shown
in which the back of the chair can also be used as a
torso support platform if the user turns around and
sits facing what would nominally be regarded as the
~; chair back. Finally, in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,037,570,
3,541,313, 3,669,493, 3,863,978 and 4,328,991
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various seat assemblies are shown which include a
shin or leg support structure.
While these prior art chair assemblies have
various advantages and disadvanta~es, they tend to
be designed for a particular purpose and user
posture. Even the chairs which contemplate that the
user may sit in both a forward and a rearward facing
direction, tend to be very limited in the manner in
~;~ which a person's weight can be supported on the
~ 10 chair.
,~ Accordingly, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a chair assembly and method of
seating using three weight supporting platforms
which can be moved or arranged geometrically to
enable the user to be seated and supported in a
variety of different postures.
It is a further object of the present
invention to provide a chair assembly which is
~;~ capable of supporting the body of the user so that
the musculature can be relaxed in any one of a
plurality of seating postures.
` Another object of the present invention is to
provide a chair assembly and method in which the
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weight of the body of the user can be more evenly
distributed and supported over the chair assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a chair assembly which can be easily
adjusted and changed to accommodate changes in the
posture of the user while seated on the chair.
Still further an object of the present
invention is to provide a chair assembly having a
leg support platform in which the leg support
platform can be selectively positioned for support
of the user's legs when facin~ in a forward or a
rearward direction or can be stored to permit the
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user to support his legs on the floor.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a seat assembly and leg support therefor
which enables seating in a kneeling posture at
virtually any orientation around the seat assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a variable posture chair which is durable,
easy to adjust, requires minimum maintenance and is
compact.
The variable posture chair method of the
present invention have other objects and features of
advantage which are set forth in more detail and
will be apparent from the following description of
the Best Mode Of Carrying Out The Invention and the
accompanying drawings.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The variable posture chair of the present
invention includes a seat supported in a generally
horizontal orientation, a body or torso support
platform mounted proximate and above the seat, and a
leg support platform mounted proximate and below the
seat~ The improvement in the posture chair
comprises, briefly, the body support platform being
mounted in a near vertical orientation; and the leg
support platform being mounted in an upwardly
inclined plane intersecting the plane of the seat
for support of the shins of the person when the
person's chest is supported on the body support
platform and for support of at least one leg of the
person when the person's back is supported on the
body support platform. Preferably at least one of
the body support platform and the leg support
platform is movable, and most preferably, the leg
support platform is mounted for selective movement
between a deployed position and a stored position.
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1 Each of the body support platform ancl leg support platform
may be pivotally mounted so that they can rotate in a full
circle about a center post supporting the seat to allow
different geometric combinations with the seat to
accommodate various postures of the user.
In another aspect this lnvention resides in
providing a variable posture chair comprising a seat having
a periphery and supported in a generally horizontal
orientation; a body support platform mounted proximate said
periphery and above said seat in a near vertical orientation
for support of the front of the body when of a user seated
on said seat, said body support platform being positioned a
sufficient distance above said seat to enable a user, seated
on said seat to position his legs between said seat and said
body support platform; and a shin support platform
positioned below and proximate said periphery of said seat
and positioned on a side of said seat having said body
support platform, said shin support platform being upwardly
inclined on a plane facing inwardly toward said seat and
said shin support platfor~ extending outwardly of said
periphery of said seat by a sufficient distance for support
of said user's shins thereon while the front of the user's
body is supported on said body support platform.
; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
2~ FI5URE 1 is a side elevation view of a
; variable posture chair constructed in accordance
with the present invention with the person seated in
a forward tilted mode with his shins supported on
the leg support platform.
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FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view
corresponding to FIGURE: 1 with the leg support
platform rotated by 180 degrees ancl a person seated
in a forward tilted mode with his feet supported on
the f loor .
E I G U R E 3 i s a s i d e e l e v a t i o n v i e w
corresponding to FIGURE 1 with the user reversed
from FIGURE 1 and in a conventional seated mode.
FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view
coxresponding to FIGUP~E 2 with the person reversed
and sitting in a rearwardly reclined mode with feet
supported on the leg support platform.
FIGURE S is a side elevation view
corresponding to FIGURE 3 with the leg support
platform rotated by 180 degrees and a person sitting
in a kneeling mode.
F I G U RE 6 i s a s i d e e l e v a t i o n v i ew
corresponding to FIGURE 1 with the body support
platform rotated slightly in one direction and the
leg support platform rotated in an opposite
direction to support the user in a forward tilted
mode with one foot on the f loor .
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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The posture chair of the present invention,
: generally designated 1, includes a seat 3 which is
supported in a generally horizontal orientation.
Mounted in a near vertical orientation proximate
seat 3 is a body or torso support platform 2. Body
support platform 2 is positioned sufficiently above
seat 3 to enable the user 26 of the chair to
~ position his legs between platform 2 and seat 3.
: 10This enables the user to sit, as shown in FIGURES 1
and 2, with his legs on either side of the L-shaped
~:: arm assembly 41 to which body support platform 2 is
mounted. Moreover, the user may reverse himself on
the seat and use the body support platform 2 as a
back support, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.
In order to provide additional support for
the user, the variable posture chair of the present
invention further includes a leg support platform 4
mounted proximate and below seat 3 and, in the
preferred form, in a plane sloping upwardly and
~ intersecting with the plane of seat 3 for support of
: the user's shins while the user's chest in supported
in a near vertical orientation by platform 2.
: As thus far described, therefore, the chair
of the present invention can be selectively used in
a forwardly tilted mode as shown in FIGURE 1 to
provide support of the user's entire body weight in
a comfortable and relaxed position, or as a
conventional chair in a seatea mode, as shown in
FIGURE 3. The user need only stand up or raise off
seat 3 and reverse his position from FIGURE 1 to
that of FIGURE 3, or vice versa. While it is an
important feature of the present invention to
provide a posture chair in which one or both of the
body support and leg support platforms are movable,
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in its broadest aspect, neither the body support
platform nor leg support platform need be movable in
order to use the chair as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.
Enhanced versatility is achieved in the
posture chair of the present invention by providing
an assembly in which at least one of body support
platform 2 and leg support platform 4 are movably
mounted relative to seat 3. In the form of the
: invention shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, the leg
support platform 4 is mounted for pivotal movement
about central post assembly 10, while in the form of
; the chair in FIGURE 6, both the body and leg support
platforms are movable about central post assembly
10 .
Movably mounting platform 4 to post assembly
10 significantly increases the versatility of the
posture chair o~ the present invention. Platform 4
preferably is mounted to a member 5 that is
. telescoped on the end of radially and upwardly
20 extending arm 6. A locking screw 23 can be used to
enable adjustment and locking of the telescoped
members 5 and 6 in a position which is most
comfortable for the particular user employing the
chair. Arm 6 is fixedly mounted to a collar or
25 sleeve 7 that is pivotally mounted about post 10 and
supported on a spacer or bearing washer 8. Post
assembly 10, in turn, is mounted to base 9, which
advantageously may include casters 27 for rolling
support of the chair on a floor or similar support
30 surface. The collar 7 permits the user to rotate
platform 4 about the central longitudinal axis of
post assembly 10 between the position of FIGURE 1, a
deployed position, and the position of FIGURE 2, a
stored position.
The expressions "deployed position" and
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"stored position" are used to indicate whether or
not the leg support platform is positioned for
support of the weight of the user '5 legs. In
FIGURES 1 and 2, for example, the user's chest is
being supported by platform 2, while the leg support
platform is deployed in FIGURE 1 and stored in
FIGURE 2. By contrast, in FIGURES 3 and ~, the
user's back is supported by platform 2, while the
leg support platform is deployed in FIGURE 4 and
stored in FIGURE 3. The ability to move the leg
support platform relative to seat 3 enables the user
to select to either deploy or store the leg support
platform in either a tilted forward mode or a
conventional seated (rearwardly inclined) mode.
In addition to the four seating modes in
FIGURE5 1 through 4 which result from having one of
the body support platform and leg support platform
movable, in this case the leg support platform, the
chair of the present invention also can be used in a
kneeling mode or the posture shown in FIGURE 5. In
this posture, the body support platform 2 does not
function to support body weight, but it is available
to the user without obstructing the userls use of
the chair as a kneeling stool.
In the form of the invention shown in FIGURE
6 a sixth posture mode is shown in which the ability
to pivot both platform 4 and platform 2 about
central post assembly 10 allows the user to move the
two platforms to a position at which they are at a
slight angle to each other. This allows one leg to
be supported on platform 4, while the other leg is
supported on the floor and the user's chest is
supported on platform 2. Moreover, the user can
pass his legs between seat 3 and support means 28
for the torso support platform 4. This allows
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platform 4 to be ro~ated between chest and back
supporting positions without requiring the user to
leave seat 3.
The details of construction of the two L-
shaped mounting assemblies for body support platform2 can now be described. In the form of the
invention shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, body support
platform 2 is mounted to an upper vertically
oriented arm member 20 having a socket which
receives a steel post or channel 19 in telescope
relation thereto. The two telescoped parts can be
; selectively adjusted and locked in position by latch
means 21, and it is preferable that an accordion
boot 22 extend between the upper member 20 and arm
lower member or housing 18. The chair seat is
pivotally mounted to housing 18 by pivot pin 15,
which permits tilting in a forward and a rearward
direction to a limited degree. It is preferable
that such tilting be limited to about 15 degrees in
a forward direction and about 15 degrees in a
rearward direction from a horizontal plane. Such
tilting will allow the seat to be tilted slightly
toward platform 2 when it is used as a chest support
platform (FIGURES 1 and 2) or tilted away from
platform 2 when it is used as a kneeling stool
(FIGURE 5).
In the most preferred form, a hydraulic
cylinder or lift assembly 11 is pivoted between pins
14 and 24 to enable adjustment and control of the
degree of tilting of seat 3 with respect to housing
18.
In a similar manner, the body support
platform 2 preferably is adjustably tiltable from a
vertical position. Thus, L-shaped post or channel
19 is pinned for relative rotation to housing 18
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- through pivot pin 17. A second hydraulic cylinder
lift 12 is pivotally attached to channel 19 through
pin 16 and to housing 18 by pivot pin 25. Extension
and contraction of lift 12, therefore, will cause
pivoting of the steel post member 19 with respect to
housing 18 to enable adjustment of the body support
platform. In the preferred form, the body support
platform can be positioned between vertical and a
rearwardly tilted plane of not more than about 35
degrees.
Finally, the post 10 most preferably is
provided by a lift or hydraulic cylinder assembly
that can be used to raise and lower seat 3. Such
hydraulic lifts or cylinders 10, 11 and 12 are well
known in the chair art and the details of
construction of the same are not pertinent to the
present invention. All three of these cylinders can
be controlled from a central control lever 13.
Manipulation of the control lever 13 by angular
displacement of the same in various directions can
release and thereafter lock various ones of the
lifts 10, 11 and 12 to permit the desired
adjustment.
It is also possible to pivot housing 18 about
the upper end 43 of post assembly member 44. This
allows the seat and body support platform to be
pivoted as a unit with respect to the base and leg
support platform or the leg support platform to be
pivoted on collar 7 without movement of the seat and
body support platform.
In the form of the invention shown in FIGURE
6, the support platform 2 is mounted to an L-shaped
arm assembly 41 which is fixed to a collar or sleeve
29 pivotally mounted to center post assembly 10
below the collar 7 for the leg support platform.
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The FIGURE 6 body support platform mount assembly 41
includes a curved arm portion 28 secured to collar
29 and having the post 19 pivotally mounted to an
upper end thereof. The angular o:rientation of post
5 19 with respect to member 28 can be adjusted and
locked in position by locking screw 30. The
assembly above the angular adjustment locking knob
~` 30 is as described for the chair FIGURES 1 through
5.
As may be seen best in FIGU~E 6, it is
preferable that the body support platform include
laterally extending arm support portions 46 and a
chin support portion 47. The arm support surfaces
or portions 46 enable the weight o the user's arm
15 to be selectively supported, and the chin support
portion 47 allows the user to rest his muscles,
particularly in the forward leaning or tilting mode.
`~ It is further preferable that body support
platform 2, ~eat 3 and leg support platform 4 be
20 molded to conform to the respective body parts which
are supported on the same. As best may be seen in
. FIGURE 4, leg support platform 4 can include a pair
of molded recesses or grooves 48 which are
dimensioned to receive the shins of the user or the
25 feet of the user when supported on the platform.
Similarly, seat 3 can be molded to conform to the
buttocks of the user, as seen in FIGURE 4, and the
platform 2 is preferably curved to conform to the
front or back of the user's torso.
The method of supportin~ a person of the
present invention enables a person to assume any one
of six different weight support combinations while
seated on the posture chair of the present
invention. The method includes the steps of
35 positioning a seat suppoxt platform 3 under the
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buttocks of the person, positioning a movable body
support platform 2 for selected support of either of
the person's chest or back at a height above the
seat sufficient to enable the person's legs to be
positioned between the seat and body support
platform, and positioning a movable leg support
platform below the seat for movement between a
deployed position for selective support o:E the
person's shins, legs or feet and a stored position
enabling support of the person's feet on the floor.
This method will enable the person to sit in any one
of the six positions of FIGURES 1 through 6.
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