US2589803A - Suspended work seat for dentists - Google Patents

Description

"Marh 18,1952

R. J. HALEY 2,589,803

SUSPENDED WORK SEAT FOR DENTISTS Filed Feb. 9, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET l i Y/y// 1/ /1 EE""' O: H O 9 "f FIGJ INVENTOR ROBERT J. HALEY TTOR EYS March 18, 1952 R. J. HALEY, 2,539,803

' SUSPENDED WORK SEAT FOR DENTISTS Filed Feb. 9, 1948 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET 2 v /1// Ill INVENTOR ROBERT J HALEY BY q ' ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES GFFICE This invention relates to movable work seats, and particularly to improvements in the class of seats intended for use by dentists while doing their kind of work.

Investigation will show that dentist generally stand While working on their patients. Stools are used by some dentists and special seats have been proposed, however, the general situation appears to be that many dentists find it too inconvenient to manage a stool in their work and for the most part they prefer to stand rather than experience the inconvenience of prior art seating structure.

In this situation the purpose of the invention to be disclosed is to provide a work seat for dentists that will not be in the way of any of his working movements, such as needed to place him in any of the position where he wants to work on the patient nor in the way of his desired movements back and forth between the patient in the chair, his cabinet, sink or work table adjacent the patients chair. The idea of keeping the work seat out of the way involves particularly the idea of keeping it out from under his feet and not blocking the walking area around the patient or the area in which the dentist wants towalk, stand and sit as he chooses.

The new seat and its utility can be best understood by reference to" an example and an expla- 'the patient and a work seat for the dentist which embodies my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a dentists oiiice illustrating a convenient position in which to have the track shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows another form of the seat holding member;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the seat or saddle shown in the side elevations of Fig. 1' and Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in cross section, of the same track as shown in Fig. 1, but illustrating a different trolley and hanging means for the work seat; and

Fig. 7 is a detail plan view partially in section of the carriage body member of the construction shown by Fig. 6.

The-structure of the example in the drawings consists in track member 2 to be supported at a ceiling height in thedentists operating or work 4 Claims. (Cl. 15553) room. The ceiling i not shown but it will be understood from the position of track 2 in Figs. 1 and 3 in relation to the patients dental chair I. This track member 2 fastened and held at ceiling height, as by mounting it to hang from oflice building members or end posts, not shown, provides a ceiling track to be used for a hanging saddle or seat 3. The dentist can easily straddle this saddle. When he sits on the saddle his weight is hung from the ceiling track member, by rod 5, to which the saddle is fastened by clamp 4, hook 6, chain 7, and hanger I0, rotatably mounted on carriage or trolley device 3, with carriage wheels 9 engaged with the tracks of track member 2. Some desirable features of the elements mentioned will be explained later.

Only the general aspect of the seat mounting is now being considered.

It will be clear from Figs. 1 and 3 that the floor of the dentists work room is free from any structural impediments due to the means for seating the dentist. He can walk about his office and patients chair, between the latter and tool cabinet ll (Fig. 2), work table l2 and sink l3. Not only can he walk freely over all such floor area as he uses most but he can walk followed by his seat, as will be explained, and sit down at any one of the many work positions to which he will move.

The saddle 3, rod 5, and chain 1 are not only a lightweight structure because of their small total bulk, but, being pivotally hung from'the wheeled carriage, they are parts which can be kept available and yet out of the dentist's way with little or no inconvenience. The rod 5 may be of tubing and is about as convenient to handle as a cane or walking stick.

In the expected use, the height of saddle'3 above the floor may be adjusted for a particular dentist in this way. He stands with legs slightly apart, as if he were about to work at the patients head from a standing position. The saddle 3 is moved vertically, by hanging hook 6 into one or another link of chain 1, until the dentist can sit astraddle by a slight bending of his knees. With the saddle adjustment close enough, the user can retain his 'contact with the saddle 3, so that when he walks from one position to another the saddle will follow his movements. He can turn around 360 at any place on the floor below the extent of the ceiling track indicated in Fig. 3,'and.saddle 3 will follow his movements on foot and be available to take his weight off his feet'when he merely bends his knees. The dentist can, of course, dismount from the saddle at will. When he does, it is useful to have the saddle remain in the position where he leaves it. Then he can remount with the least inconvenience.

The arrangement desired for this purpose is provided by distributing the weight of the saddle 3, rod 5, and chain 1, in other words the parts hanging from carriage 8, so that the saddle will be hung as if it were the weight on a plumb line, i. e. always vertically below its point of suspension from above. Thus when the dentist gets off his seat such seat will not swing out of the plumb line but remain in the plumb line, except, of course, in any case of its being pushed out by the users movements it will return to, rather than remain in, the plumb line. built into the structure by the design for its weight distribution or by adding weights at the points desired to get the plumb line action.

Considering rod 5 of Fig. 1, its center of gravity would normally be in its long vertical portion. When the saddle is on the horizontal portion of rod 5, the saddle weight tends to move the bar into the position shown. In the modified bar 5a of Fig. 4 its weight or center of gravity can be located in the vertical line below the hook. The arrangement of bends in the rod places the saddle in the plumb line so that the weight of the saddle, provided the saddle is placed with its center of gravity on the plumb line, is not pertinent to the position of the rod. The form of Fig. 4 has the advantage of using less chain. When unhooked from a shorter chain (than in Fig. 1) the rod 5a can be put away and the remainder of the supporting apparatus is high enough to be more nearly out of normal sight.

Considering the hanger l!) of Fig. 1, its swivel joint with carriage or trolleydevice 8 is desirably of ball bearing construction as indicated or other easily turning bearing construction. It is useful to provide that, any turning movement of rod 5 cause the turning of hanger E on its carriage bearing to avoid any substantial twisting of chain 1. Such twisting might be enough to cause the chain length to change and move the saddle seat up and down, as for example if the dentist in his work happened to turn around several times in the same direction. In other words, in the example shown the turning joint preferably moves freely to avoid chain twisting movements.

An adjustable padded back rest, not shown, could be attached by a clamp to the vertical portion of rod as the saddle shown is to the horizontal portion. This is a minor convenience, however, not believed necessary in the most convenient use of the invention.

Of course, saddle 3 and rod 5 may be pivotally hung from a wheeled carriage of other construction than that shown in Fig. 1. A useful variation of structure is shown in Fig. 6. These two carriage constructions, with their way of making connection with links of chain, are preferred forms of structure and relate to some specific aspects of the invention as will be pointed out in some of the claims. In the broad aspect of the invention, however, the carriage may be a trolley Thi feature is device of any one of a variety of forms. The spe- "moves. Jerky movements should be substantially avoided. If the carriage starts and stops in I otherthan smoothmovements, these disagreeable jerks will be transmitted from the carriage to the dentist.

The carriage construction 14 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and the particular connections between the carriage and the work seat member 5 shown provide for a mode of operation which substantially avoids other than smooth movement of the carriage. lwo trucks l5 and i6 of identical structure and with wheels I! engaged with the tracks of track member 2, are joined together to make up the carriage construction [4, their rigid hanging members 18 rigidly attached to member l5 Thus carriage construction M is a substantial vehicle in that it has a vehicle body (member I9) suspended between two trucks. Hanger 20 passes through sleeve bearing 2| at the center of body member 99 positioned between the two trucks [5 and I5 and is free to swivel on ball bearings 22 as shown. Lateral movement of the hanger 29 is prevented, however, by close contact of the hanger with the bearing surface of sleeve bearing 2|.

Hanger 25 is of a substantial length beyond that necessary merely to locate in it the bottom eye 23 for attaching whatever number of links of chain I desired. The purpose of this is to provide a depending rod, swivelled for very easy turning movement on its vertical axis and prevented irom any tipping movement or deviation from the vertical.

The length of chain between the hanger 29 and rod 5 supporting the seat, permits the necessary swinging movement of the seat for it to follow the dentists bodily movement. It will be noted that when the dentist moves and his seat follows, the chain makes a substantially greater angle for any such movement that it would if it were connected higher up and closer to the carriage. This larger angle results in a larger horizontal component of force to move the carriage on its track. Thus a much smaller movement of the dentists body along the floor will cause an effective movement of the carriage at the ceiling level and there will be only a small lag between the horizontal movements of carriage and dentist with substantially no jerks as compared to a swinging chain connection at the ceiling level.

In its most useful aspect, the idea of the invention includes that of providing for a dentists seat with very little bulk between the floor and ceiling of the office. What apparatus there is between the floor and ceiling in the examples of the invention shown is no more than a bicycle saddle, a rod similar to one piece of bicycle tubing, and a short piece of chain. put away out of use about as easily as an umbrella or a cane and yet its scope when used without encumbering the dentists oflice floor or working space, is much more extensive than any prior art seating arrangement for a dentist at work now known to me.

Having fully disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. Seating apparatus for a dentists personal use while working on a patient, comprising a saddle small enough to be easily straddled when in sitting or standing position, a support carrying the saddle and projecting backwardly from its rear side a short distance to be oiTset from a user on the saddle, then upwardly higher than the users head will be when in sitting or standing position astride the saddle, then forwardly to a point generally overlying the saddle, then vertically to a ceiling level, a horizontal track to be supported at such ceiling level, atrolley device movable on said track, said support f rogn It can be said saddle including an upper swivel joint means hanging from the trolley device for suspending the support construction between the saddle and the trolley device, all in form'adapted for use substantially as disclosed.

2. In apparatus for the use disclosed the combination of'a ceiling track, a pair of spaced trucks riding on the tracks, a body member suspended from said trucks and fastened to them so as to prevent relative movement, the body member being close to and parallel to the track, said body having a'bearing centrally thereof. a rigid rod mounted in the bearing to depend vertically from thebody a substantial distance from the ceiling track to provide substantial clearance for moving the trucks and said body horizontally, said bearing being of a type permitting free turning on a vertical axis and preventing tipping movement of the rod, a generally 0 shaped rigid rod like frame member, a saddle attached at the bottom horizontal portion of such member, a short flexible member connecting the upper end of said frame member to the lower end of said rigid rod, all constructed and arranged for a dentists seat to move with him when he walks a floor below the ceiling track and move the body member suspended by its tracks smoothly and with little lag between the dentist's movements and the movement of said trucks and suspended structure.

3. Seating apparatus for a dentists personal use while working on a patient, comprising a saddle small enough to be easily straddled when in sitting or standing position, a support carrying the saddle and projecting backwardly from its rear side a short distance to be offset from a user on the saddle, then upwardly higher than a users head will be when in sitting or standing position astride the saddle, then forwardly to a point generally overlying the saddle. then vertically to a ceiling level, a horizontal track to be supported at such ceiling level. a carriage device movable on said track, said support concarriage device for supporting said saddle substantially as disclosed.

4. Seating apparatus for a dentists personal use while workingpn a patient, comprising a saddle small enoughto be easily straddled when in sitting or standingposition, a support carrying the saddle andlprojecting backwardly from its rear side a short distance to be offset from a user on the saddle, then upwardly higher than a user's head will be when in sitting or standing position astride thefs addle, then forwardly to a point generally overlying the saddle, then vertically to a ceiling level, a horizontal track to be supported at such ceiling level, a carriage device movable on said track, said support from said saddle including a swivel joint and suspension means connected to the carriage device for hanging the saddle-from the carriage device, the center of gravity'of said saddle normally being in a direct vertical line below the con nection of said suspension means with the carriage whereby said saddle acts as the weight of a plumb line in the operation of said apparatus.

ROBERT J. HALEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 508,423 Johnson Nov. 14, 1893 715,668 Kiddie Dec. 9, 1902 1,941,907 Martin' Jan. 2, 1934 1,971,294 Bunker Aug. 21, 1934 2,244,650 Curran June 3, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 68,880 Switzerland Apr. 17, 1915

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