GB2535286A

GB2535286A - Improved Seating

Info

Publication number: GB2535286A
Application number: GB1521245.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Tuton John
Original assignee: J P Tuton Ltd
Current assignee: J P Tuton Ltd
Priority date: 2014-12-03
Filing date: 2015-12-02
Publication date: 2016-08-17
Also published as: GB201521245D0; GB201421450D0

Abstract

Seating with a substantially horizontal support means 11 and a back support means 5. The horizontal support means includes an integrated cushion or pillow 11 adapted to reduce pressure exerted on specific parts of the body of the user when they are seated on the horizontal portion. The cushion may have a body 13 with a number of raised portions 15 disposed over its upper surface which in turn each have an upper surface 15a comprising the surface upon which the user sits. The cushion may be rectangular and may be castellated with raised portions. The raised portions 15 may be trapezoidal in cross section. The seating may be in the form of a chair and adapted to raise and lower or tilt the horizontal support means as required. The cushion may be formed from a resiliently deformable material.

Description

Improved Seating The present invention relates to improved seating.

It is often the case that a patient who has impaired mobility is provided with a riser recliner chair for use in their home. A riser recliner chair is seating which enables the user to selectively lie back, and also assists them in the event that they wish to leave the chair by incorporating a thick cushion and also facilitating the raising and lowering of the height of the chair, when required.

In the event that a user requires the use of a riser recliner chair, it is often the case that they also require some form of pressure relief, particularly if they are classed as being at high risk of developing pressure sores, which can be an issue in the event that they are sitting in the same position for a long period of time. Typically, in the event that a user is provided with a riser recliner chair for their home, they are visited by an occupational therapist for example, who assesses the situation to ascertain what additional equipment is required to provide pressure relief. This is of particular importance given that NICE guidelines dictate that a patient who is immobile for a long period of time should have access to 24/7 pressure relief.

In view of this, in the event that a user requires some form of pressure relief, it is often the case that the occupational therapist recommends the use of an additional pressure relieving cushion for use with the riser recliner chair, to prevent pressure

sores for example.

Whilst this is a common way of helping to ensure that the patient has access to 24/7 pressure relief, it can be disadvantageous for the user in that the use of an additional pressure relieving cushion can result in the user being elevated too high in the riser recliner chair, with the consequence that the arm rests are not at the correct height relative to the user, thereby not providing them with the correct support, and -2 -completely altering the ergonomics of the riser recliner chair. The undue elevation of the user in this way can also increase the likelihood of falls.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved seating, which overcomes or at least alleviates, at least the above-mentioned disadvantages associated with

the prior art.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided seating for a user, comprising a substantially horizontal support means upon which the user can sit, and a back support against which the user is able to rest their back, said seating being characterised in that the substantially horizontal support means comprises an integrated cushion adapted to reduce pressure exerted on specific parts of the body of the user when they are sitting on the substantially horizontal support means.

In having an integrated cushion for providing pressure relief to the user, this provides the advantage that the user or the occupational therapist does not need to add an additional pressure relieving cushion to the cushion already present on the seating, which would otherwise elevate the user to a greater height than the seating was ergonomically designed for.

Preferably, said seating is a chair.

Preferably, said seating is a chair that is adapted to raise and lower the substantially horizontal support means, when required.

Preferably, said seating is a chair that is adapted to tilt the substantially horizontal support means to allow the user sitting in the chair to recline, when required.

Preferably, said seating is a chair comprising first and second arm supports disposed to either side of the user sitting in the chair, in use. -3 -

Preferably, said integrated cushion comprises a body, said body comprising a plurality of raised portions disposed over at least a portion of its upper surface, each said raised portion itself comprising an upper surface which in use, provides a surface upon which a user sits, wherein the surface area of that portion of at least one said raised portion which is attached to the body of the cushion is less than the surface area of the upper surface of said at least one raised portion.

This provides the advantage that the seating provides the user with pressure relief, thereby alleviating the likelihood of the patient developing pressure sores, since the raised portions are able to depress more easily when the user sits down on the seating, ensuring that high levels of pressure are not applied to specific parts of the body of the user. To elaborate, this provides the advantage that the cushion reacts more effectively to pressure changes in order to contour to the shape of the user. This in turn reduces pressure points and creates a wider surface area for better pressure distribution and support for the user, thereby preventing the development of pressure sores.

Preferably, at least a portion of the cushion is made from resiliently deformable material.

Preferably, the upper surface of the body of the cushion is substantially rectangular.

Preferably, the upper surface of the body of the cushion is planar.

Preferably, said upper surface of said body of said cushion is castellated by said raised portions.

Preferably, said raised portions of said cushion are substantially reverse trapezoidal in cross section.

Preferably, said raised portions of said cushion are narrower at their base than at their upper surface. -4 -

It is to be appreciated that in being narrower at their base, the raised portions of the cushion are narrower at that part which is attached to the body of the cushion than at the surface which is presented to the user when they sit on the cushion.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -Figure 1 shows a front view of seating in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 shows a side view of a cushion which is an integral part of the seating of Figure 1.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a first embodiment of seating in accordance with the present invention is represented generally by reference numeral 1.

The seating 1 is in the form of a riser recliner chair and comprises a substantially horizontal support means 3 upon which the user can sit, and a back support 5 against which the user is able to rest their back. The back support 5 is connected to the substantially horizontal support means 3. The riser recliner chair 1 further comprises first 7 and second 9 arm supports disposed to either side of the user when they are seated.

The riser recliner chair 1 is adapted to facilitate the raising and lowering of the substantially horizontal support means 3, and to tilt the substantially horizontal support means 3, in order to facilitate the user getting out of the riser recliner chair 1 when required and in order to allow them to recline, when required.

As can be seen from Figure 1 in particular, the riser recliner chair 1 and in particular the substantially horizontal support means 3 comprises an integrated cushion 11 -5 -which is adapted to reduce pressure exerted on specific parts of the body of the user when they are sitting on the substantially horizontal support means 3.

The aim of this is to provide the advantage that the user or the occupational therapist does not need to add an additional pressure relieving cushion to an ordinary cushion already present on the seating, which would otherwise elevate the user to a greater height than the seating was ergonomically designed for.

As can be seen from Figure 2 in particular, the integrated cushion 11 comprises a body 13, having a plurality of raised portions 15 disposed over the upper surface 13a of the body 13. The integrated cushion 11 is made from resiliently deformable material and its upper surface 13a is substantially rectangular Each raised portion 15 itself comprises an upper surface 15a which in use, provides a surface upon which the user sits, and as can be clearly seen from Figure 2, the raised portions 15 are substantially reverse trapezoidal in cross section, being narrower at their base than at their upper surface 15a.

This provides the advantage that the seating provides the user with pressure relief, thereby alleviating the likelihood of them developing pressure sores, since the raised portions 15 are able to depress more easily when the user sits down on the riser recliner chair 1, ensuring that high levels of pressure are not applied to specific parts of the body of the user. To elaborate, this provides the advantage that the integrated cushion 11 reacts more effectively to pressure changes in order to contour to the shape of the user. This in turn reduces pressure points and creates a wider surface area for better pressure distribution and support for the user, thereby preventing the development of pressure sores.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. -6 -

Claims

Claims 1. Seating for a user, comprising a substantially horizontal support means upon which the user can sit, and a back support against which the user is able to rest their back, said seating being characterised in that the substantially horizontal support means comprises an integrated cushion adapted to reduce pressure exerted on specific parts of the body of the user when they are sitting on the substantially horizontal support means.
2. Seating as claimed in claim 1, wherein said integrated cushion comprises a body, said body comprising a plurality of raised portions disposed over at least a portion of its upper surface, each said raised portion itself comprising an upper surface which in use, provides a surface upon which a user sits, wherein the surface area of that portion of at least one said raised portion which is attached to the body of the cushion is less than the surface area of the upper surface of said at least one raised portion.
3. Seating as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the body of the cushion is substantially rectangular.
4. Seating as claimed in any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein said upper surface of said body of said cushion is castellated with said raised portions.
5. Seating as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said raised portions of said cushion are substantially reverse trapezoidal in cross section. 25
6. Seating as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said raised portions of said cushion are narrower at their base than at their upper surface.
7. Seating as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said seating is a chair.
8. Seating as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said seating is adapted to raise and lower the substantially horizontal support means, when required. -7 -9. Seating as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said seating is adapted to tilt the substantially horizontal support means to allow the user to recline, when required.10. Seating as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said seating further comprises first and second arm supports disposed to either side of the user, in use.11. Seating as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein at least a portion of the cushion is made from resiliently deformable material.12. Seating for a patient substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.