IE20190137A1 - A lift chair - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention describes a lift chair for assisting a person moving between a seated and q standing position. More specifically, the present invention relates to a lift chair which provides additional support to the user during movement between the seated and standing position by definig a space that allows the user to stand within the boundary of the lift chair, which provides better access to the arms of the chair that can be used to support the user when moved between the seated and standing position. <Figure 2>

Description

A LIFT CHAIR Field The present invention relates to a lift chair for assisting a person moving between seated and standing positions. More specifically, the present invention relates to a lift chair which provides additional support to the user during movement between the seated and standing position.

Background Lift chairs configured to assist a person moving between seated and standing positions are well known in the art. The basic function of the known lift chairs relates to the raising and lowering of at least a section of the chair to achieve the desired result of assisting the user. Depending on the lift chair configuration and complexity, some lift chairs are configured to raise and lower the chair structure, while other lift chairs may be configured to raise only the seat section and/or the backrest section. In general, at least one section of the lift chair is configured to move between a neutral position to an inclined or tilted position. For example, the seat section and the backrest section of a lift chair may be moved together between a neutral and a tilted position to raise and lower the user to the standing position and seated positions.

WO2015044632 describes a known lift-recliner chair with movable seat and backrest sections. The lift-recliner chair is configured to move the seat and backrest section between a neutral position to a tilted position to move the user between the seated and standing positions.

However, the known lift chairs have a major drawback. In general, the known lift chairs are configured to lift the user outside the boundary of the chair. For example, with the known lift-chairs the user is moved to a standing position that is located directly in front of the chair, i.e. the user's feet are positioned in front of the chair. However, positioning the user outside the boundary of the chair raises safety concerns. As the user is moved outside the boundary of the chair, it becomes difficult to use the arms of the chair for support, which may cause loss of balance, leading to accidents. Depending on the mobility of the user, the loss of balance may become a bigger safety concern. 6/08/2019 Summary of the invention The aim of the present invention is to provide a lift chair that overcomes the drawbacks of the known solutions. More specifically, the aim of the present invention is to provide a lift chair with increased safety.

The aim of the present invention is achieved according to the invention with the lift chair showing the technical characteristics of the aspects below.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lift chair is provided. The lift chair comprising: a frame comprising a pair of spaced apart side members, and a pair of spaced apart back members; side guiding means secured on an inner portion of each of the side members; back guiding means secured on an inner portion of each of the back members; a seat section movably mounted on the side guiding means; a backrest section gingerly mounted to a back portion of the seat section, the backrest section being movably mounted on the back guiding means; and an actuator mechanism coupled to the seat and backrest sections; characterised in that the actuator mechanism is configured for actuating the backrest section along the back guiding means, so as to raise and lower the back portion of the seat section, which facilitates the actuation of the seat section between a seating position, whereby the seat section is positioned flat on the side guiding means, and an assisted standing position, whereby the seat section is positioned at a lift angle with respect to the side guiding means causing a standing space to be defined between the pair of spaced apart side members .

It has been found that the lift chair of the present invention increases the safety of the user by defining a standing space within the boundary of the chair. The standing space is created between the pair of spaced apart side members when the seat section is positioned at the standing positioned. The standing space provided by the lift chair of the present invention allows the user to stand within the boundary of the lift chair, which provides better access to the arms of the chair that can be used to support the user when moved between the seated and standing position. Therefore, by locating the standing position within the boundary of the lift chair, may result in increased safety for the user and thus minimise accidents. In the lift chair of the present invention, the backrest section is configured to move along the back guiding means, which causes the back portion of the 6/08/2019 seat section to move between a raised and a lowered position, which facilitates the movement of the seat section between the seated and standing positions. Therefore, the user is supported throughout the transition between the seated and standing positions by both the backrest and seat sections. The user may use the arms of the chair as support members to improve stability and increase safety. It should be noted that during the actuation of the back rest section the position of the chair is maintained unchanged, and it is not tilted in any way as it is the case with the lift chairs of the prior art.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the lift angle is preferably between 20.0 degrees and 70.0 degrees, more preferably between 20.0 degrees and 40.0 degrees, and even more preferably between 30.0 degrees and 35.0 degrees. The lift angle may be adapted according to the mobility requirements of the user. As the standing position is located within the boundary of the lift chair, the lift angle may be increased to assist a low mobility user, which is not possible with the known lift chair without risking the loss of balance. The lift angle may be adjusted by the user through a control panel.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the seat section is configured to pivot about a pivoting axis during actuation of the backrest section. According to embodiments of the present invention, the pivoting axis is defined towards a front portion of the seat section. According to embodiments of the present invention, the seat section is configured to move along the side guiding means during actuation of the backrest section. The pivoting axis allows for the seat section to tilt as the back portion of the seat section is moved by the actuation of the backrest section along the back guiding means. As the seat section tilts about the pivoting axis towards the standing position, the seat section is moved along the side guiding means towards the pair of the back members, due to the actuation of the backrest section, which causes the standing space to be created between the pair of the spaced apart members.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the range of movement of the seat section along the guiding means defines the dimensions of the standing space between the pair of spaced apart side members. The range of movement of the seat section may be defined by the range of movement of the backrest section along with the back guiding means. Furthermore, the range of movement may be defined by the lift angle of the seat section.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the actuator mechanism is operated via a user accessible control panel. The control panel may be attached to the exterior of the lift chair, e.g. in one of the side panels. The control panel may be a remotecontrol panel. Furthermore, the control panel may be connected to to the actuator via a 6/08/2019 cable. Moreover, the control panel may be integrated into a computer device, e.g. in the form of a software application.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the control panel comprises buttons for regulating at least the speed of the actuator. The user via the control panel may operate the actuator to move the seat section between the seated and standing positions. Furthermore, the user via the control panel may adjust the speed of actuation, and the angle of the seat section. The control panel may allow the user to pre-program certain functions such as actuation speed, angle, and the like.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the actuator comprises an actuating arm attached to the back of the seat section. According to embodiments of the present invention, the actuating arm is configured to be linearly actuated. The actuator may comprise a motor, which when operated is configured to actuate at least the second arm of the actuator linearly to actuate the backrest section. The arm may be in the form a telescopic arm.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the back-guiding means have an arcuate form. The backrest section being configured to move between a default position, whereby the backrest members are positioned below the curved portion of the guiding means, and an extended position, whereby at least a portion of the backrest section is located above the curved section of the back guiding members. At the default position, the backrest section is configured to support the back of the person seating on the lift chair, while at the extended position the backrests section is configured to support the back of the person moving from between the seated and standing position. In this way, the back of the person is supported throughout the transition between the seated and standing position.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the side guiding means have a substantially straight form. In this way, the seat section can be moved along the guiding during the actuation of the backrest section.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the backrest and seat section are mounted on the respective back, and side guiding means via guide members extended outwards from the side of each of the seat and backrest sections. The back and side guiding means may be in the form of rails or brackets, which are fixed to an inner section of the corresponding side and back members. The guiding means may be configured to cooperate with guiding members affect the movement of the backrest and seat section along the respective back and side guiding means. Each guiding member may comprise a wheel, or another rotating object, coupled to a pin extending from the side of the corresponding 6/08/2019 backrest and seat section. The seat section may comprise two guiding members mounted at each side of the seat section and forming the pivoting axis.

Brief Description of the drawings The following drawings are provided as an example to explain further and describe various aspects of the invention.

Figure 1 shows an example of a lift chair with the seat section in the seating position and the backrest section in the default position according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows an example of a lift chair with the seat section in the standing position and the backrest section in the extended position according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 3a and 3b show an example of a backrest section being actuated between the default position and the extended position.

Detailed Description The present invention will be illustrated using the exemplified embodiments shown in figures 1 to 3, which will be described in more detail below. It should be noted that any references made to dimensions are only indicative and do not restrict the invention in any way. While this invention has been shown and described with reference to certain illustrated embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. Furthermore, while the invention has been described with references to a particular lift chair for assisting users between the seated and standing position, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be made to facilitate other types of lift chairs and lift mechanism for assisting user in related fields without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows an example of a lift chair 100 according to embodiments of the present invention. The lift chair 100 comprises a chair frame comprising a pair of spaced apart side members 110, arm sections forming the arms 130 of the chair, and a pair of spaced apart back members 120. The lift chair is provided with a seat section 140, which is 6/08/2019 movable between a seated and a standing position, and backrest section 150, which is movable between a default position and an extended position. The backrest section 150 is hingedly connected to a back portion of the seat section 140. The hinged connection may be established with the use of a hinge 180 or a similar type of connecting element. The seat and backrest sections 140, 150 are movably mounted on the side members 110 and back members 120 via corresponding side guiding means 160 and back guiding means 170. The side and back guiding means 160, 170 may be in the form of rails, brackets, or another equivalent component offering similar functionality, which is securely mounted on an inner section of the respective side members 110 and back members 120. As shown in figure 1, the side guiding means 160 may be of a linear shape, to facilitate the movement of the seat section 140. The back guiding means 170 may be of an arcuate form. The seat section 140 and backrest section 150 are mounted on the respective side and back guiding means 160, 170 via corresponding guiding members 161, 171. The guiding members 161, 171 may comprise a rotatable element, e.g. a wheel, which is connected to a pin, or an equivalent element, extending for the side of each of the seat and backrest section 140, 150. The seat section 160 may be pivotably mounted on the side guiding means 170 via the guiding means 161. The seat section may be configured to pivot about a pivoting axis when the back portion of the seat section is lifted by the actuation of the backrest section. The pivoting axis may be defined at the location of the guiding means 161. The lift chair 100 comprises an actuator 190, which may be mounted under the seat section 150, as shown in figure 1. Although, it is appreciated that the actuator 190 may be positioned at a different location than the one shown in figure 1. The actuator 190 may be provided with an actuated arm 191, which is connected to a back side of the backrest section 150. The actuating arm may be actuated to move the backrest section 150 between a default position and an extended position.

Figure 2 shows an example of a lift chair 100 with seat section 140 in the standing position and the backrest section 150 in the extended position. As shown, the actuation of the backrest section 150 causes the back portion of the seat section 150 to move between a substantially horizontal position to a raised position. The movement of the back portion of the seat section causes the seat section 140 pivot about the pivoting axis, which facilitate the movement of the seat section 140 between a seating position, whereby the seat section 140 is positioned flat on the side guiding means 160, as shown in figure 1, and an assisted standing position, whereby the seat section 140 is tilted at a lift angle with respect to the side guiding means 160 causing a standing space 200 to be defined between the pair of spaced apart side members 110. The standing space 200 provided by the lift chair 100 of the present invention allows the user to stand within the boundary of the lift chair 100, which 6/08/2019 provides better access to the arms 110 of the lift chair 100 that can be used to support the user when moved between the seated and standing position. Therefore, by locating the standing position within the boundary of the lift chair 100, in contrast with the known lift chairs where the standing position is located outside of the boundary of the lift chair, may increase safety for the user and thus minimise accidents.

Figure 3a and 3b show examples of a backrest section 150 being actuated between the default and extended position. As shown, the back guiding means 170 may be of arcuate shape. The shape of the back guiding means 170 may define the position of the backrest section 150 as it is moved from the default position, shown in figure 3a, to the extended position, shown in figure 3b. As shown in figure 3a, the backrest section 150, when positioned in the default position, is placed at an angle so as to support the back of a person seating on the chair, which angle is dictated by the angle of the lower curved section of the back guiding means 170. As shown in figure 3b, when the backrest section 150 is positioned in the extended position, it is placed substantially vertical, so as to support a person being moved between the seated and standing positions. The backrest section 150 is configured to move along the back guiding means 170, which causes the back portion of the seat section to move between a raised and a lowered position, which facilitates the movement of the seat section 140 between the seated and standing positions. Therefore, the user is supported throughout the transition between the seated and standing positions by both the backrest and seat sections 150, 140. The user may use the arms of the chairs 130 as additional support members to improve stability and increase safety.

Claims (15)

1. A lift chair comprising: a frame comprising a pair of spaced apart side members, and a pair of spaced apart back members; side guiding means secured on an inner portion of each of the side members: back guiding means secured on an inner portion of each of the back members: a seat section movabiy mounted on the side guiding means; a backrest section hingedly mounted to a back portion of the seat section, the backrest section being movabiy mounted on the back guiding means: and an actuator mechanism coupled to the seat and backrest sections; characterised in that the actuator mechanism is configured for actuating the backrest section along the back guiding means, so as to raise and lower the back portion of the seat section, which facilitates the actuation of the seat section between a seating position, whereby the seat section is positioned flat on the side guiding means, and an assisted standing position, whereby the seat section is positioned at a lift angle with respect to the side guiding means causing a standing space to be defined between the pair of spaced apart side members.

2. A lift chair according to claim 1. wherein the lift angle is preferably between 20.0 degrees and 70.0 degrees, more preferably between 20.0 degrees and 40.0 degrees, and even more preferably between 30.0 degrees and 35.0 degrees.

3. A lift chair according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the seat section is configured to pivot about a pivoting axis during actuation of the backrest section.

4. A lift chair according to claim 3, wherein the pivoting axis is defined towards a front portion of the seat section.

5. A lift chair according to any one of preceding claims, wherein the seat section is configured to move along the side guiding means during actuation of the backrest section.

6. A lift chair according to claim 5, wherein the range of movement of the seat section along the guiding means defines the dimensions of the standing space between the pair of spaced apart side members.

7. A lift chair according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator mechanism is operated via a user accessible control panel.

8. A lift chair according to claim 7, wherein the control panel is attached io the exterior of the lift chair.

9. A lift chair according to claim 7, wherein the control panel is a remote-control panel.

10. A lift chair according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the control panel comprises buttons for regulating the speed of the actuator.

11. A lift chair according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator comprises an actuating member attached at the back of the backrest section.

12. A lift chair according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuating member is configured to be linearly actuated.

13. A lift chair according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the back guiding means have an arcuate form.

14. A lift chair according to any one ot the preceding claims, wherein the side guiding means have a substantially straight form.

15. A lift chair according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the backrest and seat section are mounted on the respective back and side guiding means via guide members extended outwards from the side of each of the seat and backrest sections.