US20110227381A1

US20110227381A1 - Adjustable Back Rest Structure

Info

Publication number: US20110227381A1
Application number: US13/118,837
Authority: US
Inventors: Fu-Chieng Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Formosa Sounding Corp
Priority date: 2009-05-12
Filing date: 2011-05-31
Publication date: 2011-09-22
Also published as: US20100289305A1

Abstract

An adjustable back rest structure is essentially composed of a soft mat and a plurality of leaning pads. The soft mat at least has a fastening surface, and each of the leaning pads is provided with a locator at the back surface thereof. The soft mat can be covered or laid on a seat, a chair or a bed or the like which is either for sitting or lying. The fastening surface of the soft mat is exposed to be fastened with the locators of the leaning pads thereby fastening the locators respectively at a proper position which matches nearly for individual user's backbone curve thereby enabling the user to sit down or lie down in an easy posture.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/464,362 filed May 12, 2009, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to adjustable back rest structure, and more particularly, to adjustable back rest structure for a bed or seats such as car seat and chair, that contains a plurality of adjustable pads to be affixed to a soft mat so as to sustain the user's body on the back rest comfortably matching the user's back bone curve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 13, in this schematic view of the human backbone, wherein the backbone 100 is configured in S-like shape, and the back of the human body is symmetrically structured in two halves (right and left) with reference to the backbone as the longitudinal axis. Wherein the backbone 100 is composed of, from upper part to lower part, the cervical vertebra 101, the thoracic vertebra 102, the lumbar vertebra 103 and the sacrum 104, wherein the cervical vertebra 101 and the lumbar vertebra 103 each has a recessed portion. In case a person is to keep the sitting posture for a long time to work, a clearance will be formed between the curve of the backbone 100 and the chair or the bed (when lying down). However, it is hard to find a chair or a bed which is able to perfectly match individual back bone curve and make the user comfortable for a reason that everybody has his/her own particular habit to sit or lie. This causes the backbone 100 fail to have a proper support that leads to bringing about fatigue but also hurt the backbone 100 in the long run. Therefore, it is a common practice for person who is almost sitting on a seat or a chair all day long to work that he/she prepares a back rest for the seat of a chair in order to sustain the lumbar and the back in a comfortable posture nearly matching in the figure of his/her backbone curve. Indeed the back rest for a chair is a very important accessory for assuring health and comfort of the lumbar and the backbone, it is deplorable that there is no way to have a back rest which may satisfactorily fulfill most of the people's demand as everybody has his/her own particular stature and the sitting and lying posture.
Although there are many kinds of back rests for a chair manufactured according to the figure of the human backbone curve or with extra adjustable means, claiming able to solve the above shortcomings, actually there are following common flows:
1. The back rest configured as a human backbone curve has by no means a universal sustention effect as everybody has his/her own particular stature and the sitting posture.
2. The back rest equipped with an adjustable structure is deemed to be accompanied with heavy sophisticated means for assembling that leads to an increased fabrication cost and an expensive market price not affordable for everyone.
For these shortcomings noticeable on the prior art, an improvement is seriously required.
In view of the foregoing situation, the inventor of the present invention herein conducted a scrupulous research based on many years of experience gained through professional engagement in this field, with continuous experimentation and improvement culminating in the development of the adjustable back rest structure of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable back rest structure in which a soft mat is used to be laid on a seat, chair, bed or the equivalent for leaning against or lying down comfortably matching for the user's backbone curve.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable back rest structure which contains a portable soft mat with a plurality of leaning pads to sustain the user's body on a seat, chair or bed matching for his/her backbone curve anywhere.
It is one more object of the present invention to provide an adjustable back rest structure whose soft mat is covered on an extra sustentation member that can serve a better sustention effect accompanying the leaning pads.
To achieve these and other objects mentioned above, the adjustable back rest structure of the present invention is essentially composed of a soft mat and a plurality of leaning pads. The aforesaid soft mat, which is formed of cloth, or a cloth material laminated with soft rubber foam or soft plastic foam that makes the soft mat able to be portably rolled up or folded for putting away. A locator, which is provided on the rear of the leaning pad, is to be easily fastened with the fastening surface of the soft mat so as to fasten the leaning pad firmly on the soft mat. When in use, the soft mat is covered on, or laid on a seat, chair, bed or the like. The fastening surface is left exposed for the user to set the leaning pads appropriately on proper positions of the soft mat in accordance with his/her backbone curve so as to form a comfortable posture for leaning against or lying down. In the meantime, for a deep chair, a supplementary sustentation member can be inserted under the soft mat to aid the leaning pads to help the user's pose to match the backbone curve to the best.
These features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of the accompanying Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in a first embodiment of the preset invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled view in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an assembled view in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the composition of the material used for the soft mat in a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are both schematic views showing how the adjustable back rest structure is installed on a chair.

FIG. 8A, B are both schematic views showing a supplementary sustentation member is used in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10A, B are both schematic view illustrating how the user's backbone is supported by leaning pads.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view in a sixth embodiment wherein the adjustable back rest structure of the present invention is applied to a bed.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view in a seventh embodiment wherein the adjustable back rest structure of the present invention is applied to a car seat.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a human backbone curve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the adjustable back rest structure in a first embodiment essentially comprises a soft mat 1 and a plurality of leaning pads 2.
The soft mat 1 having at least a fastening surface 11 is made of cloth able to be rolled up or folded for putting away.
The leaning pads 2, each provided with a locator 21 on the rear surface, has a buffering effect. The number of the leaning pads is not limited, but preferably 2 to 5.
The locators 21 are to be fastened to the fastening surface 11 of the soft mat 1 each adjustably set at a proper position.
The fastening surface 11 of the soft mat 1 is like a looped or hooked surface of fasteners, Velcro or the like to be fastened with the corresponding locator 21's fasteners like a hooked or looped surface thereby firmly grabbing the leaning pad 2 at any desire position on the soft mat 1.
The size and shape of the leaning pads 2 may be made identical or different with one another for the user to select optionally.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first one shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 that it is provided with at least a fastening strap 3 on the surface of the soft mat 1. The fastening strap 3 has a fastening surface 31 to fastened with the locators 21 of the leaning pads 2 such that the leaning pads 2 may be fastened to the soft mat 1 at any desired position. Other features of the construction are identical to that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 so the description will be omitted.
Meanwhile, the fastening surface 31 of the fastening strap 3 is like a hooked or looped surface of fasteners, and the locator 21 of the leaning pad 2 also has a corresponding looped or hooked fastening surface so as to fasten the leaning pad 2 firmly with the soft mat 1.
Referring to FIG. 5, in a third embodiment of the present invention, other than using a cloth 12, the soft mat 1 may be formed of a cloth 12 laminated with a rubber foam 13 or a soft plastic foam . One surface of the soft mat 1 is a fastening surface 11 while the other one thereof is a skid proof surface. The soft mat 1 can be rolled up or folded for putting away.
Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, both are schematic views showing how to install the adjustable back rest on a chair. As shown in FIG. 6, a cover 14 provided to one end of the soft mat 1 is covered on the back 41 of a chair 4, or alternatively shown in FIG. 7, an end of the soft mat 1 and the head of the back 41 of the chair 4 are fastened with each other through fasteners 5. Both means elucidated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are able to cover the soft mat 1 on the back 41 of the chair 4. The fastening surface 11 of the soft mat 1 is exposed to fasten the leaning pads 2 at any desired location on it so as to sustain the user's lumbar, back and neck comfortable along the backbone.
It should be understood that means for installing the soft mat 1 on the chair 4 elucidated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is but one of the embodiment of the present invention, and shall not be construed as limitations applicable to the invention herein. All the cases in which the soft mat 1 has a fastening surface 11 to bond the leaning pads 2 and then cover on the chair 4 will apparently come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims of the present invention, and therefore shall be embraced therein.
Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the fourth embodiment, there is provided a supplementary sustentation member 6 having a sustentation surface 61 and the shape near human backbone curve to serve as a sustention framework or sustention plastic board by inserting it between the back 41 of the seat (chair) and the mat 1. The fastening surface 61 thereof is exposed to allow covering or enclosing the soft mat 1 over such that the backbone of the user 7 is sustained by the sustentation member 6, and the leaning pads 2 on the soft mat 1 aid to sustain the user's backbone more perfectly by adjusting their positions to correct the shape of the sustentation member 6 more close to that of the user's backbone.
Referring to FIG. 9, in the fifth embodiment the soft mat 1 is affixed to the fastening surface 61 of the sustentation member 6 and exposing its fastening surface 11 for setting the locators 21 of the leaning pad 2 on it.
Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the schematic view illustrates how the user's backbone is supported by the leaning pads. As shown in FIG. 10A, as the human back is symmetrically configured right and left, hence a plurality of leaning pads 2 are used to support the backbone curve 71 so that the human body may be sustained at both sides of the backbone. Further to this, in order to sustain the recessed portions of the cervical vertebra 101 and the lumbar vertebra 103 along the backbone curve 71 (see FIG. 13 also), a plurality of leaning pads 2 are used for sustaining the backbone curve 71 by putting them along any necessary position including under the lumbar or neck or elsewhere, or as shown in FIG. 10B, the leaning pads 2 are stacked on top of each other in a nearly triangular shape longitudinally and transversely elongated bar shape or in other geometrical configuration so as to let the user 7 enjoy a comfortable feeling by being sustained at the backbone, lumbar, neck or back. The leaning pads 2 can be randomly settled at the desired position on the soft mat 1 such that the user 7 may adjust the leaning pads 2 to the position according to the actually need thereby able to keep sitting for a long time without feeling bodily fatigue.
Referring to FIG. 11, in the sixth embodiment the soft mat 1 is laid on the bed surface 81 of a mattress 8 with the leaning pads 2 distributed at proper position where they shall be placed such as under the user's neck, back, lumbar, legs and ankles to allow the user 7 keeping a posture corresponding to the backbone curve as near as possible thereby capable of enjoying easy sleep.
Referring to FIG. 12, in this seventh embodiment of the present invention, the sustentation member 6 or the soft mat 1 is laid on the car seat 91 of a car 9 so as to sustain the driver's backbone curve thereby enabling the driver to run the car 9 comfortably.
Therefore, by removing the stacked leaning pads at random, the user may properly fill the clearance between the backbone and the chair or the bed so as to assure a reliable sustention effect.
In short, it emerges from the description of the above embodiments that the invention has several noteworthy advantages, in particular:
1. The product of the present invention is applicable to any furniture for sitting and lying to sustain the user with a right and comfortable posture by only adjusting the leaning pads to a proper position.
2. The equipment is portable to any place for use.
3. A supplementary sustentation member can be inserted under the soft mat to aid the leaning pads to correct the user's pose to match the backbone curve as near as possible.
4. The equipment is widely applicable to various kinds of seats, chairs, beds sofas, vehicle seats or Japanese Mat (Tatami).
Many changes and modifications in the above described embodiments of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof.
Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the cope of the appended claims.

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. Adjustable back rest structure comprising:

a soft mat having at least a fastening surface and able to be rolled up;

a plurality of leaning pads each provided with a locator at the back surface thereof; and

a sustentation member having a sustentation surface configured nearly according to the human backbone curve; wherein

said soft mat is covered on, enclosed over, or adhered to the sustentation surface of said sustentation member, and fastening the locators of said leaning pads on the fastening surface of said soft mat such that said leaning pads are fastened to said soft mat.

18. Adjustable back rest structure of claim 17, wherein said sustentation member is a sustention framework.

19. Adjustable back rest structure of claim 17, wherein said sustentation member is a hard plastic board.

20. Adjustable back rest structure of claim 17, wherein the best number of said leaning pads is 2 to 5.