US3162486A

US3162486A - Leg rests

Info

Publication number: US3162486A
Application number: US320334A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Emery
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-31
Filing date: 1963-10-31
Publication date: 1964-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-22

Description

Dec. 22, 1964 w. M. EMERY 3,

LEG RESTS Filed Oct. 31, 1963 F G 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTOR. W/LL/AM EMERV g m D 041 W,

AT TOR N EYS W. M. EMERY Dec. 22, 1964 LEG RESTS Filed 001:. 31, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. IO FIG. I

INVENTOR. M. EME/PV United States Patent 3,162,486 LEG RESTS William M. Emery, 44 Pittsford Way, New Providence, NJ. Filed Get. 31, 1963, Ser. N 320,334 3 tilmms. (Cl. 291-43?) My present invention refers to hassocks or leg rests. A study or" the art and my experience in manufacturing and an attempt to nationally market the leg rest shown in my Patent #3301662, has emphasized certain practical limitations in manufacturing and distributing a low price conventional hassock. Although my previous patent was designed for great simplicity and low cost production, it was necessary to provide and assemble a frame work for the top area, padding and a form fit cover plus a support frame adjustable for height or angle, also with conventional hassocks or my previous back rest it was difficult or economically impossible to provide a sufilciently resilient cushion to allow sufiicient heel depression without uncomfortable pressure thereon if the angle and leg were likewise to be supported and overhanging the heel did not prove sutiiciently comfortable to many users. So the foremost object of my present invention is to provide a hornogenous one piece top requiring no assembly of a plurality of parts, with no need for padding, no covering, no frame and yet one that will have paradoxically a feeling of softness although made of a firm non-resilient media.

Another object is to provide means of obtaining comfort equal to or surpassing that obtained by resilient cushion means by dispersing the weight of the leg and foot as a result of semi-conforming cavities in the foot rest. The cavities need not be semi-circular conforming to the free curve of the fleshy portions such as the calf but rather have a flatter curve of the calf that would result if it were supported by a soft resilient media.

Due to state laws and licenses respecting the use and certification that all padding is made of new materials,

etc, it is necessary to pay fees of approximately $700.00 1

annually plus the cost of obtaining certification stamps and tags for different states. This is not only a considerable annual expense for a small local business but also a great inventory or shipping complication since each hassock must be labeled for the state of its intended resale destination.

Accordingly, an important object rest as comfortable as if it were padded but without padding so that it may be freely distributed in the various states of the Union without certification state labels or stamps.

Since chairs are of different heights, etc. it is essential that most leg rests be pro-set for a predetermined height or angle. Accordingly, another objwt is to provide a leg rest with unique rockers that will automatically adjust the angle of the rest to suit the chair height and be completely self supporting-able to stand alone Without resting against the chair.

Another object is to provide means of support for a leg support top on rockers in a state of stabile equilibrium over a wide range of useful and comfortable angles despite the very light weight and simplicity of the entire assembly and so balanced that it returns automatically to a mean inclination.

Since there is no fixed position of comfort an essence of comfort is the ability to easily shift from one temporarily comfortable position to another. This cannot be conveniently accomplished by hassocks so common in the art which are preadjusted to a certain height of chair or have one end resting on the chair or are pre-set to a certain angle or height otherwise. Accordingly, a furis to provide a leg ther object and unique teaching of my invention is to provide for mobile comfort that is the extensive and easy variation of the angle and leg position without disturbing the relaxed position of the user in his chair, not manually but pedally by heel movement or heel hold, and furthermore to do this while maintaining parallel or uniform leg support by the hassock.

Another object is to secure maximum simplicity of con struction consisting substantially of only one piece molded top, complete in itself, and two identical rockers of one piece bent rod construction having a sliding fit into the top, separable for compact shipping and packing.

These and other objects together with their successful attainment will be obvious from the following specification and claims when considered with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the leg rest hassock,

FIG. 2 is a section along line llll of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a section along line Ill-III of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a section along line Til- V of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a section along line VV of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a section along line Vl-VI of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 is a View in elevation of my hassock,

FIG. 8 is a section of one of the leg sockets shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 7,

FIG. 9 shows my leg rest hassock in use,

PEG. 10 shows an alternate C shaped rocker support, and

FIG. 11 shows an alternate L shaped rocker support.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 the actual construction of my leg rest hassock is the acme of simplicity consisting primarily of only three parts, a one piece top 2%) and two identical rockers 21. To evolve from an art of relatively more complicated devices such simplicity is certainly a meritorious advance.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show in detail the homogenous one piece top 25) which may be molded of expanded polystyrene or other material or by other methods such as vacuum forming.

Two blind sockets 22 are molded in the under side of top 26 at the heel end 23 and two sockets 24 are likewise molded at the calf end 25. There are two U shaped support rockers 21, each having a long vertical end is and a short vertical end 27 and a rocker portion 36. Ends 26 insert or slide into sockets 24 and ends 27 insert into sockets 23 to support the top 29 with a normal downward inclination toward the heel end 23.

The U shaped rockers 21 may be made of bent steel rod or tubing or other suitable material and the natural springiness of their structure provides sufficient friction to hold them in their sockets even if the lit in the sockets is not very tight. When thus made the entire hassock may weigh less than two pounds and will ship with rockers disassembled compactly thus providing convenient port ability and economical distribution.

In the upper surface of top 2% is formed an imprint of a pair of legs from calf to heel. Since the right and left imprints are substantially similar, any reference to one will apply equally to the other, so numerical designations will not be duplicated. Each imprint 30 is continuous but may be said for exposition to include a relatively deep heel impression 31, a large tendon depression 32 and a calf depression 33.

Normally when your calf and heel rest on a flat resilient cushion, the weight of each section is not proportionately supported by the cushion because it is never padded in sufiicient depth to allow the heel to sink of itself deeply enough into the cushion to allow the area between the calf and heel to impress sulliciently into the cushion so that each area, calf, heel and leg carries its own proportionate weight especially the tendon area; accordingly, a properly proportioned imprint can provide a weight distribution superior to a conventionally resilient cushion.

Assuming that the cross section of a calf could be represented by a circle of 2 inch radius, if such a calf were half submerged in water and the water solidified, the

imprint would obviously be a tight fitting semi-circle with a 2 inch radius. In contra-distinction, a feature of calf depression 32, which is clearly shown in FIG. 6, is its long radius arc of flattened bottom 34. This more nearly approximates the imprint which a calf would make in a resilient cushion. Thus the imprint 24 is relatively shallow and not confining. Imprint 39 is formed throughout to provide considerable freedom forlateral and rotational movement because no immobile position is long comfortable.

Since the heel and large tendon areas are firmer and less meaty-than the calf, it will be noted bycomparing the transverse sections shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, there is less bottom flattening of

depressions

31 and 32 yet in all cases sufiicient lateral spacing is provided for freedom of movement such as the turning, rolling or twisting oi the leg, or the flexing of the ankle. This provides a wide.

range of mobility and also successfully provides comfort for either large or small adults of both sexes, although it is quite possible to construct the hassock in a range E of sizes, however, this so far seems unnecessary, even for 90 to 200 pound users.

As shown by the transverse sections FIGS. 3 to 6, sides 34, 35 and 36 of

depressions

31, 32 and 33 respectively are never. vertical and the top edges are rounded.

The lateral sides are not necessarily accurate nor a conare quite flexed and the top 20 severely inclined. All

of this mobility can be accomplished by the user from his relaxed sitting posture and done entirely by the holding power of his heels in depression 31.

Top 20 being molded of expanded polystyrene (probably 3 lbs./ cu. ft. density) weighs less than half a pound which is less than the weight of the rockers 21. This results in a relatively low center of gravity that keeps the structure in stable equilibrium even though the center of the arc of the rockers may be below top 20. As previously explained due to the long and

short leg lengths

26 and 27 respectively, the top is normally inclined doWnward toward the heel end 23 ata substantial angle preferably midway between a level position and a position of approximately the maximum angle that might result from use with a low chair with the hassock drawn close to the chair with the knees of the user raised and fully flexed. So constructed and arranged the hassock will'automatically adjust its inclination simultaneously in accord V with two variables: (1) the height of the chair and (2) the nearness of the hassock 31.

Numerous variations of construction, shapes and angles are possible without departing from the teaching of my invention including the turning of the U supports into 0 supports using the bottom of the C as a rocker as illustrated in FIG. 10 or into an L shaped rocker as shown in FIG. 11.

It should be specifically noted that my pre-formed impression in firm material provides better distribution of weight 'over the supporting area and is thus more comfortable than a depression made by resting legs and heels. on a conventionally padded flat hassock, especially when the general incline of my supporting surface always closely parallels itself to the legs.

My theory and teaching is that the comfort resulting from resiliency is not essentially due to softness but rather to the final contour of the supporting area especially if the weight is evenly or gradually distributed over a sumcient area to avoid points of concentration, and this may be obtained in a molded non-resilient media better than in a resilient cushion. Furthermore, the cost and licensing problems incident to certification or" padding and the cost of covering and supporting the padding are eliminated,-resulting in a very simple, efficient structure, economical to produce and'distribute, and a pleasure to use. Also a second teaching recognizes for the first time in the art, the essentiality of easy mobility for comfort and desirability of having a wide choice'of positions and angles readily available and easily varied without disturbing the users relaxed lounging position in his chair.

Accordingly, I claim:

1. A leg and foot restcornprising a molded non- V resilient substantially one piece top, imprints molded therein of both heels, ankles, large tendon and calf, said imprints being similar to an impression which would be made in a resilient media it said bodily par-ts were impressed therein including a deep heel impression and a somewhat flattened calf impression, all of said impressions being loosely fitting to allow freedom of foot and leg, normal angular or rotational leg movement and ankle movement, and means to support said leg and foot rest at a suitable height and inclination.

2. 'A leg and foot rest comprising a molded nonresilient substantially one piece top, imprints molded therein of both heels, ankles, large tendons and calves, said imprints being similar to an impression which would be made in aresilient matter if said body parts were impressed therein including a. deep heel impression and a somewhat flattened calf impression, all of said impressions'being loosely fitting to allow freedom of foot or leg, normal angular or rotational leg movement and anklemovement, sockets in said top adjacent each corner thereof, a pair' of U-shaped rockers, the ends of the vertical poritions of said-U-shaped rockers adapted to.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,566,178 12/25 Williams 248-143 2,482,306 9/49 Waldheim 297-271 2,659,419 11/ 53 Waldheim et a1 297-445 2,751,268 6/56 Creelman 5-345 2,856,986 10/58 OLeary 297-439 2,914,116 11/59 Gohmann 297-439 3,034,830 5/62 Avedon 297-445 3,038,175 6/62 Faget etal. Q 5-345 SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK B.

Claims

1. A LEG AND FOOT REST COMPRISING A MOLDED NONRESILIENT SUBSTANTIALLY ONE PIECE TOP, IMPRINTS MOLDED THEREIN OF BOTH HEELS, ANKLES, LARGE TENDON AND CALF, SAID IMPRINTS BEING SIMILAR TO AN IMPRESSION WHICH WOULD BE MADE IN A RESILIENT MEDIA IF SAID BODILY PARTS WERE IMPRESSED THEREIN INCLUDING A DEEP HEEL IMPRESSION AND A SOMEWHAT FLATTENED CALF IMPRESSION, ALL OF SAID IMPRESSIONS BEING LOOSELY FITTING TO ALLOW FREEDOM OF FOOT AND LEG, NORMAL ANGULAR OR ROTATIONAL LEG MOVEMENT AND ANKLE MOVEMENT, AND MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID LEG AND FOOT REST AT A SUITABLE HEIGHT AND INCLINATION.