Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
1
A SEAT PORTION FOR A SEAT
This invention relates to a seat portion for a seat. This invention also
relates to a seat comprising the seat portion and a backrest portion.
Seats that are used in public places such for example as stadiums,
airports, parks and train and bus stations are usually such that they are
made of a hard non-compressible material such for example as metal, a
rigid plastics material or stone. The seats are notoriously uncomfortable, and
they become more uncomfortable with increasing length of use. In addition
to becoming uncomfortable, the seats may cause undue pressure on parts
of a person's body, causing back pain and/or circulatory problems.
It is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned
problem.
Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention
there is provided a seat portion for a seat, the seat portion having a concave
recess for receiving a person's buttocks, and the seat portion being made of
a hard material which is such that the seat portion does not compress when
the seat portion is sat upon by a person.
The seat portion of the present invention is able to be comfortably sat
on. In addition, it is able to ensure that undue pressure, is not applied to
parts of the body causing pain and/or circulatory problems. Thus, for
example, the seat portion may avoid applying undue pressure on nerves
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
2
and may also ensure that there is a good blood supply to the nerves. Undue
pressure on venous return may be avoided. Generally, a person is able to
sit on the seat comfortably, and to have a drastically reduce possibility of
pressure-induced circulatory and nerve supply problems than would be the
case if the person were sifting on one of the above mentioned known seats.
The hard material for the seat portion of the present invention may be
stone, metal, a rigid plastics material, wood or any other suitable and
appropriate hard material.
The seat portion may be one in which the concave recess comprises
two depressions connected together with a central neck part, the two
depressions being part-circular depressions.
In one embodiment of the invention, the seat portion is one in which
the concave recess extends into a first concave passage portion for
receiving a rear thigh part of a first leg of the person, and a second concave
passage portion for receiving a rear thigh part of a second leg of the person,
the second concave passage portion being spaced apart from the first
concave passage portion. The positioning apart of the first and the second
concave passage portions enables the person's legs to be kept apart to a
required degi-ee that gives comfort while reducing the possibility of pressure-
induced circulatory and nerve supply problems.
Preferably, the first and second concave passage portions extend to
the periphery of the front edge of the seat portion.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the seat portion
comprises only the two depressions. Thus only the buttocks are
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
3
accommodated for and there is no special provision for the rear thigh parts
of the legs of the person.
The present invention also provides a seat comprising the seat
portion and a backrest portion.
Preferably, the backrest portion has a concave recess for receiving a
spine part of the person's back, the backrest portion being made of a hard
material which does not compress when the backrest portion is lent on by
the person.
The concave recess in the back portion may extend into a
transversely extending passage portion for receiving a shoulder part of the
person's back. The concave recess will then have a part for receiving the
spine part of the person's back, and another part for receiving the shoulder
part of the person's back.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the concave recess is
only for receiving the spine part of the person's back. In this case, no
separate accommodation is made for a shoulder part of the person's back.
The seat may be one in which the seat portion is separately
manufactured from the back portion, and in which the seat portion and the
backrest portion are subsequently secured together. Any appropriate
securing means such for example as bolts may be employed. The precise
type of securing means employed may depend upon the particular type of
hard material from which the seat is made.
Alternatively, the seat portion and the backrest portion may be
integrally manufactured together. This may be especially so when the seat
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
4
is made from a hard material such as sheet metal or a moulded plastics
material.
The seat may be used in a wide variety of public spaces such for
example as stadiums, airports, parks, train stations, underground stations,
offices and the like. The seat may be in the form of a single seat for
receiving a single person, or the seat may be joined together to form a
bench-style seat for receiving a plurality of persons.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of
example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first seat portion for a seat;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first backrest portion for being
combined with the first seat portion of Figure 1 to make a seat;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second seat portion for a seat;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second backrest portion for being
combined with the second seat part of Figure 3 to make a seat; and
Figure 5 is a rear view of a person showing points in the body where
undue pressure may cause induced circulatory and/or nerve supply
problems.
Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a seat portion 2 for a seat. The
seat portion 2 has a concave recess 4 for receiving a person's buttocks.
The seat portion 2 is made of a hard material which is such that the seat
portion 2 does not compress when the seat portion is sat upon by a person.
The hard material may be stone, metal, a rigid plastics material or wood.
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
The concave recess portion comprises two depressions 6, 8
connected together by a central neck portion 10. The concave recess 4
extends into a first concave passage portion 12 for receiving a rear thigh
part of a first leg of the person. The concave recess 4 also extends into a
second concave passage portion 14 for receiving a rear thigh part of a
second leg of the person. The second concave passage portion 14 is
spaced apart as shown from the first concave passage portion 12. The legs
of a person sitting on the seat portion 2 are thus held apart and in an
optimum position for comfort and reduced pressure induced circulatory
and/or nerve supply problems. The first and second concave passage
portion 12, 14 extend to the periphery of a front edge 16 of the seat portion
2. Thus the thighs of the person are able to extend comfortably along the
seat portion 2 and over the front edge 16.
Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a backrest portion 18 which,
together with a seat portion 2, is able to form a seat. The backrest portion
18 has a concave recess 20 for receiving a spine part of the person's back.
The backrest portion 18 is made of a hard material which does not
compress when the backrest portion is lent on by the person.
The concave recess 20 in the backrest portion 18 extends into a
transversely extending passage portion 22 for receiving a shoulder part of
the person's back. Thus the backrest portion 18 is able accommodate both
the spine and the shoulders of the person's back for providing a good
degree of comfort.
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
6
Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a seat portion 24 for a seat.
The seat portion 24 has a concave recess 26 for receiving a person's
buttocks. The seat portion 4 is made of a hard material which is such that
the seat portion 24 does not compress when the seat portion 24 is sat upon
by a person. The seat portion 24 may be made of the same or a different
material to the seat portion 2.
The seat portion 24 is such that the concave recess 26 comprises
only two-part circular depression 28, 30. Thus the seat portion 24 is only
able to accommodate the person's buttocks, and the rear thigh parts of the
legs of the person sitting on the seat portion 2 will simply rest on the
surface
24 of the seat portion 24.
Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a backrest portion 36 which
together with the seat portion 24 is able to form a seat. The backrest portion
36 has a concave recess 38 which is only for receiving the spine part of the
person's back. The shoulder part of the person's back rests on the surface
40 of the backrest portion 36.
The backrest portion 36 is made of a hard material which does not
compress when the backrest portion is lent on by the person. This hard
material may be the same as that of the seat portion 24 or it may be different
from that of the seat portion 24.
The seat formed by the seat portion 2 and the backrest portion 18,
and also the seat formed by the seat portion 24 and the backrest portion 36
may be such that the seat portion is separately manufactured from the
backrest portion and then subsequently secured together, for example by
CA 02583453 2007-04-12
WO 2006/040516 PCT/GB2005/003822
7
bolts or any other suitable and appropriate securing means. Alternatively,
the seat portion and the backrest portion may be integrally manufactured
together, for example from sheet metal or a moulded plastics material.
Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown a rear view of a person 42
who might sit in a seat of the present invention. It will be seen that the
person has buttocks 44 which have ischial tuberosities 46. Undue pressure
of these ischial tuberosities is avoided by the concave recesses 4, 26 in the
seat portion 2, 24 respectively. The person 42 also has a spine part 48
along their back 50. The spine part 48 is able to be accommodated by the
concave recesses 20, 38 in the backrest portions 18, 36.
Some persons may prefer backrest portions which have a passage
part 22 as shown by the backrest portion 18. This passage part 22 is able to
receive a shoulder part 52 of the person 42, the shoulder part 52 containing
areas 54, 56 requiring brachial plexus relief.
It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention
described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been
given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus,
for example, the illustrated seat portions and the illustrated back portions
may be of different designs to those shown. Similarly, the various recesses
shown in the drawings may be of different designs shown. The seat portion
2 may be used with the backrest portion 36, and the seat portion 24 may be
used with the backrest portion 18.
