EP1799076B1

EP1799076B1 - Seat

Info

Publication number: EP1799076B1
Application number: EP05789170.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Patricia Ann Moule
Original assignee: Way To Win Ltd
Current assignee: Way to Win Ltd
Priority date: 2004-10-15
Filing date: 2005-10-05
Publication date: 2016-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2025-10-05
Also published as: EP1799076A1; GB0423003D0; CA2583453A1; WO2006040516A1; AU2005293423A1

Description

This invention 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.
US 904 469 A discloses a chair having a seat portion and a backrest portion. The seat portion has a concave recess for receiving a person's buttocks. The concave recess extends into a first concave passage portion for receiving a rear thigh part of a first leg of the person, and into a second concave passage portion for receiving a rear thigh part of a second leg of the person. The distance of the concave recess from side edges of the seat portion is greater than the distance of the first and second concave portions from the side edges of the seat portion. The backrest portion is formed by a pair of side members which extend upwardly from rear legs of the chair. The side members support an apertured flat central portion.
It is ah aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problem.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a seat comprising a seat portion and a backrest portion having the characteristics set out in claim 1.
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 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 sitting on one of the above mentioned known seats. The positioning apart of the first and the second concave passage portions enables the person's legs to be kept apart to a required degree that gives comport while reducing the possibility of pressure-induced circulatory and nerve supply problems.
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 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 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.
An embodiment 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, the seat portion being a seat portion according to the present invention;
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, the seat portion being a seat portion not according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second backrest portion not according to the present invention and shown for being combined with the second seat portion 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.
The concave recess portion comprises two depressions 6, 8 connected together by a central neck part 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 portions 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 18 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.
Referring now to Figure 3, not according to the invention 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 not according to the invention, 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 persoh'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 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 portions 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 recesse 20 in the backrest portions 18.
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 embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only.

Claims

A seat comprising a seat portion (2) and a backrest portion (18), and in which the seat portion (2) is one wherein:
(i) the seat portion (2) has a concave recess (4) for receiving a person's buttocks (44);

(ii) 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 (2) is sat upon by a person (42);

(iii) 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 (42), and into a second concave passage portion (14) for receiving a rear thigh part of a second leg of the person (42);

(iv) the second concave passage portion (14) is spaced apart from the first concave passage portion (12) by a raised seat portion (2) extending to the periphery of a front edge (16) of the seat portion (2);

(v) the first and second concave passage portions (12, 14) extend to the periphery of the front edge (16) of the seat portion (2);

(vi) the concave recess (4) is for receiving a person's buttocks (44) and extends transversely of the seat portion (2) towards side edges of the seat portion (2); and

(vii) the distance of the concave recess (4) for receiving a person's buttocks (44), from the side edges of the seat portion (2) Is less than the distance of the first and second concave portions (12, 14) from the side edges of the seat portion (2);
and the backrest portion (18) is one wherein:
(viii) the backrest portion (18) is made of a hard material which does not compress when the backrest portion (18) is lent on by the person (42);

(ix) the backrest portion (18) has a concave recess (20) for receiving the person's spine (48);

(x) the concave recess (20) for receiving the person's spine (48) extends into a transversely extending passage portion (22) which is for receiving the person's shoulders (52) and which extends towards side edges of the backrest portion (18); and

(xi) the distance of the transversely extending passage portion (22) for receiving the person's shoulders (52) from the side edges of the backrest portion (18) is less than the distance of the concave recess (20) for receiving the person's spine (48) from the side edges of the backrest portion (18).
A seat according to claim 1 in which the hard material of the seat portion (2) is stone, metal, a rigid plastics material or wood.
A seat according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the seat portion (2) is separately manufactured from the backrest portion (18), and in which the seat portion (2) and the backrest portion (18) are subsequently secured together.
A seat according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the seat portion (2) and the backrest portion (18) are integrally manufactured together.