AU2002300266B2

AU2002300266B2 - Ergonomic seat with inclined femoral portion

Info

Publication number: AU2002300266B2
Application number: AU2002300266A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jeffrey Herbert
Original assignee: Heygarth South Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Heygarth South Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1998-02-02
Filing date: 2002-07-22
Publication date: 2004-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2019-01-29

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

STANDARD

PATENT

Applicant(s): HEYGARTH SOUTH PTY. LTD.

Invention Title: ERGONOMIC SEAT WITH INCLINED FEMORAL

PORTION

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

IA-

ERGONOMIC SEAT WITH INCLINED FEMORAL

PORTION

This invention relates to a seat such as a chair but also incudes other seating appliances such as sofas, couches, tools and the like. This invention relates to an improvement or modification to the seat disclosed in our international application No. PCT/AU94/005 1 3 (WO 95/06424) The contents of this international application are incorporated into this specification by this reference.

The seat disclosed in the above-mentioned international application is intended to improve seating posture and to ensure that proper bodily functions are not impaired adversely affected when a person is seated.

This invention relates to further improvements or modifications to further improve seating posture.

THE NEXT PAGE IS PAGE 3 2002300266 EDITORIAL NOTE There is no page 2 of the description.

M

3 The invention may be said to reside in a seat including: a seating portion for connection to a base so that the seating apparatus can be supported on the ground, said seat portion having a front and a rear; said seat portion having, an upwardly inclined portion which inclines upwardly from the front of the seat portion to a first intermediate position between the front and rear of the seat portion, an inclined support portion extending between a second intermediate position and the rear of the seat portion, and a mid portion extending from the first intermediate position to the second intermediate position; wherein the upwardly inclined portion is-for supporting the femurs of.a person so that the femurs and knees are supported in a position below the person's acetabulum, said mid portion being for receiving and holding the ischial bones when the person sits down and said inclined support portion being for supporting-the person's gluteal muscles and sacra iliac ligaments; the upwardly inclined portion including a first cushioning material; the mid portion including a second cushioning material; the first cushioning material being denser than the second cushioning material so that when a person sits on the seating apparatus, the second cushioning material is compressed and holds the ischial bones and the first cushioning material which is of higher density than the second cushioning material prevents a person from slipping 4 forward on the seat; and the first and second cushioning material being formed from dense cushioning material and the second cushioning material being mechanically altered to decrease its density so as to provide the second cushioning material with a density which is less then the first cushioning material.

Preferably the second cushioning material is mechanically altered by providing cuts or grooves in the second cushioning material to thereby enable the cushioning material to compress more than the first cushioning material.

Preferably the inclined support portion is formed from a third cushioning material which is of substantially the same density as the first cushioning material.

Preferably the first cushioning material, second cushioning material and third cushioning material include an integral cushioning member of cushioning material and wherein the integral cushioning member is provided with cuts or grooves to decrease the density of the cushioning member in the vicinity of the cuts and grooves to thereby provide the second cushioning material which is less dense than the first cushioning material.

Preferably the inclined support portion includes a wedgeshaped cushioning member of dense cushioning material which is coupled to the integral cushioning member to form the inclined support portion, the wedge-shaped cushioning member being formed from a fourth cushioning material which is denser than the second cushioning material.

Preferably the first cushioning material is the same as the fourth cushioning material.

5 A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a seat embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an underneath view of the seat of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the seat of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a rear view of the seat of Figure 1.

With reference to the drawings, a seat 10 is shown which includes a base plate 12. The base plate 12 is to be connected to a stand (not shown) which may include adjustment mechanisms for altering the height and also possibly the inclination of the seat 10. A back rest (not shown) may also be coupled to the stand.

The base plate 12 includes a front inclined portion 12a which merges into a substantially flat section 12b. The seat 10 includes a seating portion generally designated by reference 14 which is connected to the base plate 12 by adhering the seating portion 14 to the base plate 12. The seating portion 14 includes a cushioning member 16 of high density which may be cut from a block of high density foam material. When the cushioning member 16 is cut from the block of foam or otherwise provided, it will generally be in the form of a flat panel or sheet. When the member 16 is adhered to the base plate 12, the member 16 will take up the shape of the base plate 12 to provide an upwardly inclined portion 18 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. A cushioning member 20 of wedge-shaped configuration in side view shown in Figure 1 and of generally curved or concave configuration in plan as shown in Figure 3 is adhered to the member 16. As is best shown in Figure 3, the member 20 has side parts 22 adjacent sides 24 of the seating portion 14 which extend closer to front F 6 of the seat then a mid-portion 26 on a front edge of the member 20. The member 20 provides a bowl-shaped or curved support region toward the rear of the seat.

The upwardly inclined portion 18 extends from the front F of the seat 10 to a first intermediate point P1.

A generally horizontal flat portion extends from the intermediate point P1 to a second intermediate point P2 which may coincide with the midpoint 26 which is the part of the front edge 30 of the member 20 which is closest to the rear R of the seat.

A substantially flat region 40 is provided between the first intermediate point P1 and the second intermediate point P2. As is best shown in Figure 2, part of the side portions 22 of the member 20 overlap the horizontal portion at the sides 24 of the seat portion 14.

The wedge-shaped member 20 in combination with the member 16 define an inclined support portion 50 which extends from the point P2 at the mid-portion 26 of the seat 10 to the rear of the set and which also curves forwardly towards the side edge of the seat 24 to overlap the horizontal portion 40 as described above. The concave or curved wedge member therefore provides a generally bowl-shaped rear inclined support portion 50 which extends from the second intermediate point P2 to the rear R of the seat The cushioning member 16 which forms the upwardly inclined portion 18, the flat horizontal portion 40 and the lower part of the inclined support portion 50 is formed from high density cushioning material. The wedge member 20 is also formed from the same high density cushioning material and, as is explained above, may be glued to the member 16.

Alternatively, the members 16 and 20 could be cut from a block of high-density cushioning material and formed 7 integrally rather than separately as described above.

The flat portion 40 is made to be of less density than the upwardly inclined portion 18 and also the inclined support portion 50 by providing a plurality of V-shaped grooves or cuts 60 in the cushioning member 16 between the points P1 and P2. The grooves or cuts 60 extend right across the lower surface of the cushioning member 16 from one side 24 to the other side 24 of the seating portion 14. The cuts 60 act to mechanically alter the cushioning material 60 in the vicinity between the points P1 and P2 so as to reduce the overall density of the cushioning material between the points P1 and P2 and therefore of the flat horizontalportion 40 as compared to the upwardly inclined portion 18 and the inclined support portion In use, the upwardly inclined portion 18 supports the femurs of a person so that the femurs and knees are supported in a position below the person's acetabulum. The horizontal flat portion 40 receives and holds the ischial bones when the person sits down and the inclined support portion wraps around and supports the person's gluteal muscles and sacra iliac ligaments. The lower density of the horizontal portion 40 results in that portion compressing more than the upwardly inclined portion 18 and also the inclined support portion 50 so as to hold-the ischial bones and prevent a person from slipping forward.

This compression generally forms a slight bowl or dishing of the horizontal portion 40 whilst the inclined portion 18 remains substantially uncompressed so as to form a barrier between the compressed horizontal portion 40 and the inclined support portion 18 which prevents a person from slipping forward or sliding on the seat.

Preferably the upwardly inclined portion 18 is angled at an angle of approximately 300 to 500 with respect to the horizontal and the rear inclined support portion 50 is 8 angled at an angle of approximately 300 to 50' with respect to the horizontal.

The length of the generally horizontal portion between the points P1 and P2 is in the order of 160 to 180 mm.

The seating portion 14 may be completed by an upper upholstery or cushioning member 80 which extends completely over the upper surface of the seating portion 40 and which is formed from relatively low density foam material. A fabric cover or the like (not shown) may be provided over the seating portion 14 to complete the seat Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.

Claims

1. A seat including: a seating portion for connection to a base so that the seating apparatus can be supported on the ground, said seat portion having a front and a rear; said seat portion having, an upwardly inclined portion which inclines upwardly from the front of the seat portion to a first intermediate position between the front and rear of the seat portion. an inclined support portion extending between a second intermediate position and the rear of the seat portion, and a mid portion extending from the first intermediate position to the second intermediate position; wherein the upwardly inclined portion is for supporting the femurs of a person so that the femurs and knees are supported in a position below the person's acetabulum, said mid portion being for receiving and holding the ischial bones when the person sits down and said inclined support portion being for supporting the person's gluteal muscles and sacra iliac ligaments; the upwardly inclined portion including a first cushioning material; the mid portion including a second cushioning material; the first cushioning material being denser than the second cushioning material so that when a person sits on the seating apparatus, the second cushioning material is compressed and holds the ischial bones and the first cushioning material which is of higher density than the second cushioning material prevents a person from slipping forward on the seat; and rmelbfiles horeSLuisa\Keep\Speci\24O39-99 Div~doc 22/027/02 10 the first and second cushioning material being formed from dense cushioning material and the second cushioning material being mechanically altered to decrease its density so as to provide the second cushioning material with a density which is less than the first cushioning material.

2. The seat of claim 1, wherein the second cushioning material is mechanically altered by providing cuts or grooves in the second cushioning material to thereby enable the cushioning material to compress more than the first cushioning material.

3. The seat of claim 1, wherein the inclined support portion is formed from a third cushioning material which is of substantially the same density as the first cushioning material.

4. The seat of claim 1, wherein the first cushioning material, second cushioning material and third cushioning material include an integral cushioning member of cushioning material and wherein the integral cushioning member is provided with cuts or grooves to decrease the density of the cushioning member in the vicinity of the cuts and grooves to thereby provide the second cushioning material which is less dense than the first cushioning material.

The seat of claim 1, wherein the inclined support portion includes a wedge-shaped cushioning member of dense cushioning material which is coupled to the integral cushioning member to form the inclined support portion, the wedge-shaped cushioning member being formed from a fourth cushioning material which is denser than the second cushioning material. rnclb-fi-les' hcmeS\Luisa\Keep\Speci\24039-99 Div.doc 22,,07/02 11

6. The seat of claim 1, wherein the first cushioning material is the same as the fourth cushioning material. Dated this 22nd day of July 2002 HEYGARTH SOUTH PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia \me1b files homeS. Luisa\Keep\Speci\24039-99 Div -doc 22/ 07/02