FR3117322A1 - Item of furniture, in particular furniture, of the armchair, bench, bed, box spring or similar type - Google Patents

Abstract

This piece of furniture, in particular a piece of furniture, of the seat, bench, bed, box spring or similar type, comprises an active element (7) that can be moved between a retracted position in said piece of furniture and an active deployed position, said active element being located in an active zone of said piece of furniture positioned in such a way as to act on a zone of the human body of a user and being configured to exert an effort on said zone of the human body capable of ensuring a localized stretching of one or more muscles of the body and /or act locally on the skeleton of the body. Figure for abstract: Fig 1

Description

Item of furniture, in particular furniture, of the armchair, bench, bed, box spring or similar type

The present invention relates to a piece of furniture capable of ensuring a compensating effect on the human body of a user by acting in a localized manner on the muscles of the body and/or on the skeleton.

This involves in particular causing compensation by an external intervention applied under the body in order to bring about a rebalancing, a realignment and a symmetrization of its structure by a localized stretching of the muscles in order to modify their tension, and to regain the mobility of the joints.

The invention relates more particularly to a piece of furniture, in particular a piece of furniture, of the armchair, bench, bed, box spring or similar type and relates, in general, to any piece of furniture on which the human body of a user is intended. to rest.

Such a piece of furniture can advantageously be made in the form of an armchair, a bed, a box spring or a bench and used in a home or in a care establishment.

It can also be used by professionals in specialized establishments.

Such a piece of furniture can also be used as a seat or armchair in means of transport. It may for example be a motor vehicle seat, a seat for an airplane or a train.

Such a piece of furniture can also constitute an armchair used in relaxation areas in dedicated areas provided in areas receiving the general public, for example in airports, even shopping centers or stations or even motorway service areas.

To date, furniture items such as relaxation seats are only suitable for temporarily improving the comfort of a user or for providing a relaxation effect due to this improved comfort.

On the other hand, they are inappropriate for providing any compensation effect on the human body. They are inappropriate for ensuring a function of rebalancing the structure of the human body and do not ensure any localized effect on the muscles, the skeleton or the joints of the human body.

The object of the invention is therefore to overcome this drawback and to propose a piece of furniture of simple structure which is capable of providing such a compensation effect on the human body. This includes compensating for the effects that appear on the body during prolonged posture inducing bodily imbalances or muscle tension.

The invention therefore relates to a piece of furniture, in particular a piece of furniture, of the armchair, bench, bed, box spring or similar type, which comprises an active element that can be moved between a retracted position in said piece of furniture and an active deployed position, the the active element being located in an active zone of said furniture element which is positioned so as to act on a zone of the human body of a user and being configured to exert a force on said zone of the human body capable of ensuring a localized stretching of one or more muscles of the body and/or act locally on the skeleton of the body.

The piece of furniture can thus be controlled so as to deploy the active element so as to ensure localized pressure on the human body and thus to compensate for bad postures which have had the effect of imposing imbalances in the structure of the body or cause tension in the muscles. The effort exerted by the active element is advantageously applied under the body in order to raise it locally and punctually to ensure this compensation, without effort or pain, just by the effect of the weight of the body at rest.

In one embodiment, the furniture element comprises a seat and a backrest capable of being angularly deployed with respect to the seat in the berth configuration, the deployable active element being located in an articulation region of the seat and backrest.

In one embodiment, the deployable active element is located in an area able to act in the sacrum region of the user's body, by lifting this region locally.

In another embodiment, the deployable active element is located in an area capable of acting in the region of the shoulder blades of the user's body.

According to yet another embodiment, the deployable active element is located in a zone capable of acting in the region of the cervical vertebrae of the user's body.

In various embodiments, the furniture element can be provided with an active element located in the zone of articulation of the seat and the backrest so as to act on the sacrum, with an active element located opposite the shoulder blades of the user, and an active element located next to the cervical vertebrae.

Of course, such a piece of furniture can optionally be provided with one or more active elements, in combination.

When several active elements are used, these can be independently controlled so as to act selectively on a specific region of the human body.

Preferably, the active element comprises a convex surface placed under an outer envelope of the furniture element.

The convex surface preferably comprises a radius of curvature of between 10 cm and 30 cm capable of lifting the body locally by 10 to 20 cm horizontally.

As a variant, the active element can be formed by an articulated zone of a structure of the furniture element capable of lifting the body locally by 10 to 20 cm horizontally.

According to another characteristic, the piece of furniture comprises a set of motor means controlled by a control member acting on the active element. The action exerted by the motor means has the particular effect of raising or lowering the active element and therefore of raising the body by 10 to 20 cm horizontally.

Advantageously, when the piece of furniture constitutes a seat, the latter is provided with a footrest that can be deployed with respect to the seat cushion.

In one embodiment, the piece of furniture can be associated with a heating element intended to be applied against the stomach of a user.

Other aims, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

is a perspective side view of an embodiment of a piece of furniture according to the invention;

illustrates a particular embodiment of a piece of furniture according to the invention;

shows the internal structure of the furniture element of the ;

respectively illustrate embodiments of a piece of furniture according to the invention;

illustrate another embodiment of a piece of furniture according to the invention; And

illustrate an alternative embodiment of the embodiment of Figures 7, 8 and 9.

Reference will first be made to Figures 1 to 6 which illustrate a first embodiment of a piece of furniture in accordance with the invention, designated by the general reference numeral 1.

As can be seen in these figures, the piece of furniture here constitutes a seat.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the seat comprises a seat I, a backrest II articulated with respect to the seat I and a foot III.

The seat 1 is advantageously an adjustable seat and comprises a set of adjustment means acting on the height of the seat, on the inclination of the backrest, on the depth of the seat, etc.

The backrest II is thus capable of being fully deployed, substantially in the plane of the seat, so as to position the seat 1 in the reclining position.

The armrests 2 of the seat are in this respect articulated so as to retract, substantially in the plane of the seat, in the reclining position, and thus facilitate the positioning of a user on the seat.

As regards the seat, the latter comprises two parts 3 and 4 that are movable relative to each other so as to adjust the seat depth. However, part 4 can be fully deployed, as seen in the , so as to constitute a footrest.

Optionally, the backrest II is also height-adjustable and thus comprises two parts 5 and 6 that are movable relative to each other in translation so as to vary the height of the backrest in the seated position and, consequently, the length of the backrest in the lying position. The two parts can also be hinged with respect to each other, the upper mobile part 5 being able to be moved angularly with respect to the lower part 6 so as to reduce the total height of the backrest.

The backrest can thus be adjustable to a height such that the upper end of the backrest extends opposite the shoulder blades of a user, in the seated position, to allow a spontaneous stretching effort to be exerted at the level of the shoulder blades while remaining in a seated position.

In various embodiments, the means for adjusting the seat 1 can be either manual, the adjustment being carried out by acting on levers and springs and by manually modifying the configuration of the seat, or electric and controlled by appropriate control buttons. placed on the seat or integrated into a remote control or by smart phone (smartphone).

Furthermore, the seat is equipped with active elements 7 that can be deployed between a retracted position, illustrated for example on the , and a deployed position, visible for example in Figures 3 and 4.

In the retracted position, the active element retracts into the structure of the seat, while in the deployed active position the active element projects from the structure of the seat to exert a localized force on a zone of the body of the user by lifting it locally.

The active element is positioned in the seat in an area which corresponds to the area of the body on which it is appropriate to exert a localized force.

In the embodiment of the , the active element 7 is placed in the seat in an area which corresponds to the location of the user's sacrum when the seat is in the reclining position.

Thus, the active element is advantageously positioned in the zone of articulation of the seat I and of the backrest II.

It can also be positioned in the seat I, close to the articulation zone. In this case, when the active element is positioned in the seat, it is for example centered on a zone of the seat extending along about a quarter or a third, or even half of the length of the seat ( P position).

As shown in , the active element 7 can also be positioned in the folder.

The active element can, for example, in various embodiments, be positioned substantially in the middle zone of the backrest so as to be positioned opposite the shoulder blades of a user when the seat is in the extended position (position P'). The active element 7 can also, as a variant or in addition, be positioned in an area of the backrest corresponding to the location of the cervicals of the user's body (position P'').

The seat can thus be provided with one, two or three active elements at locations corresponding either to the position of the sacrum, or to the position of the shoulder blades, or to the position of the cervicals, or any possible combination of these three active elements. depending on the desired effects.

In the embodiment illustrated schematically in the , on which the exterior trim and the armrests have been removed for the sake of clarity, the seat has three active elements 7.

As can be seen, these active elements 7 consist of cylinders and thus comprise a convex peripheral surface C which acts on a surface of the body by lifting it locally.

Of course, the active elements can be constituted by portions of cylinders, for example half or thirds, or even quarters of cylinders.

The active elements are each mounted on a support associated with motor means, for example an electric or hydraulic motor, driven so as to cause the movement of the convex surface C of the active elements into a projecting position in which it acts locally on the human body.

For example, the active elements comprise a rigid central core, for example of plastic material, surrounded by an optional elastic covering, for example of foam, so as to maintain sufficient comfort for the seat when it is in the position of seated while conferring sufficient active properties when the active element is in the deployed position.

The active elements are also placed on the seat structure, under the outer shell, in order to improve comfort.

As stated earlier, active elements can be selectively activated to act either in the user's sacral region ( ), or in the region of the shoulder blades ( ), or in the cervical region ( ). They act by locally and punctually lifting a part of the body.

In these various positions, the active elements constitute a relatively hard and horizontal support for treating the desired muscular chain and ensuring compensation by in particular causing a modification of the tension of the muscles, a rebalancing and a symmetrization of the skeleton, a mobility and an opening of the joints.

It will be noted that the action of the active elements is exerted over a relatively short period , of the order of a minute.

The results are long lasting.

In addition, the use of the furniture element is particularly easy to implement since it does not require any prior preparation by the user.

When the active element is placed under the sacrum, the force exerted by the active element causes a rectification of the axis of the femur with respect to the pelvis. This rectification makes it possible to compensate for contractures and/or shortenings of the flexor muscles of the thigh on the pelvis caused by prolonged sitting positions in which the thigh and the pelvis are in pathological flexion.

The active element allows, by this compensation, a recovery of the natural amplitude of the hip, a stretching of the psoas, iliac and rectus femoris muscles, as well as a correction of the lumbar hyperlordosis of certain kyphosis and scoliosis.

When the active element acts in the area of the shoulder blades, a replacement of the vertebrae relative to each other has been observed, according to a natural alignment, and a normalization of the interspinous and anterior intervertebral spaces, corresponding to a recovery of physiological curvatures. and reduced spinal stress.

In addition to the action provided by the active element in the area of the shoulder blades, when the user stretches his arms back, the intercostal muscles, the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor are stretched, as well as a correction of lumbar hyperlordosis.

The action of the active element in the area of the shoulder blades finally allows an opening of the shoulder girdle and a gain in mobility of the spine.

As indicated above, the action of the active element in the area of the shoulder blades can be obtained by the seat in the seated position, by acting on the means of adjustment of the height of the backrest.

When the active element is placed in the area of the cervical vertebrae, a stretching of the latissimus dorsi is obtained, and a stretching of the muscle under the scapularis, by the action of the arms pulled back, which contributes to the correction of hyperlordosis lumbar and any other kyphosis or scoliosis.

The combined action of these active elements makes it possible to restore awareness of the physiological position of the skeleton, a good position of the pelvis in relation to the spine as well as mobility of the whole spine and allows the improvement of the amplitude of the rib cage and, consequently, an improvement in respiratory function, well-being and self-confidence.

In the embodiment described previously with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the external intervention applied to the human body of a user is obtained by using an active element that can be moved between a retracted position and an active deployed position.

As visible in Figures 7 and 8 and 9, the effect can also be obtained by making the structure of the furniture element in several parts articulated relative to each other, the articulation zones A constituting protruding active zones acting locally on the structure of the human body.

In the embodiment of the , the articulation zone extends opposite the user's sacrum.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, the articulation zones extend respectively opposite the shoulder blade zone and in the cervical zone.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 9, the piece of furniture consists of a seat capable of adopting a couch position.

As indicated above, this does not depart from the scope of the invention when the piece of furniture consists of any other type of furniture.

There is schematically shown in Figures 10 to 12 a bench or a bed base provided with one or more active zones according to the invention, here produced for example by articulated zones of the structure of the bench.

This active zone can act in the area of the sacrum ( ), in the area of the shoulder blades ( ) or in the cervical area ( ).

As in the embodiments described previously, the active element can be formed either by a convex surface that can be moved between a retracted position and an active deployed position, or by an acting articulation zone, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 , on specific areas of the human body structure.

It will be noted that in the various embodiments described above, the active element, which is moved under the action of motor means, can be controlled either by control buttons placed on the furniture element or on a remote control, or by means of a software application embedded in a mobile telephone.

Finally, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described. Indeed, the piece of furniture can advantageously be supplemented by a heating element, for example made in the form of a heating plate, which is intended to be applied against the stomach of a user, when the active element or elements act , in the lying position of the piece of furniture, for an instantaneous action on the fascias, which accelerates and deepens the rebalancing of the skeleton.

Claims (10)

Furniture element, in particular furniture, of the seat, bench, bed, box spring or similar type, characterized in that it comprises at least one active element (7) movable between a retracted position in said furniture element and an active deployed position, said active element being located in an active zone of said piece of furniture which is positioned so as to act on a zone of the human body of a user and being configured to exert a force on said zone of the human body capable of ensuring a localized stretching of one or more muscles of the body and/or act locally on the skeleton of the body. Furniture element according to Claim 1, in which the furniture element comprises a seat (I) and a backrest (II) capable of being deployed with respect to the seat in the sleeping configuration, and in which the deployable active element (7) is located in an articulation region of the seat and the backrest or in the seat. Furniture element according to claim 2, in which the deployable active element (7) is located in a zone capable of acting in the region of the sacrum of the body of the user, by lifting this region locally. Furniture element according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the deployable active element (7) is located in a zone able to act in the region of the shoulder blades of the user's body. Furniture element according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the deployable active element (7) is located in an area able to act in the region of the cervical vertebrae of the user's body. Furniture element according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the active element comprises a convex surface (C) placed under an external envelope of the furniture element. Furniture element according to claim 6, in which the convex surface comprises a radius of curvature comprised between 10 cm and 30 cm capable of lifting the body locally by 10 to 20 cm. Furniture element according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the active element is formed by an articulated zone (A) of a structure of the furniture element capable of lifting the body locally by 10 to 20 cm . Furniture element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a set of motor means controlled by a control member, acting on the active element to raise or lower it by 10 to 20 cm. Furniture element according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, comprising a heating element intended to be applied against the stomach of a user.