WO1994001021A1

WO1994001021A1 - Reclining chair designed for adopting the foetal position

Info

Publication number: WO1994001021A1
Application number: PCT/IT1992/000118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Amedeo Maffei
Original assignee: Amedeo Maffei
Priority date: 1992-07-07
Filing date: 1992-09-23
Publication date: 1994-01-20
Also published as: AU2690292A; ITMI921652A0; ITMI921652A1

Abstract

Reclining chair (30) made from a laminar structure of constant thickness throughout, substantially rectangular, with lateral expanded areas on which to rest the arms, the chair's outline (31) being shaped to follow the outline (21) of a human embryo (20) in the position it spontaneously assumes during pregnancy, and connected, roughly in a central position, to a supporting frame by means of an articulation and a device for adjusting, as preferred, the angle of said structure in relation to the floor.

Description

Reclining chair designed for adopting the foetal position

The invention concerns a reclining chair beneficial to health.

Reclining chairs are usually considered as being something midway between an armchair and a bed, their purpose being to enable the user to undertake activities that do not re¬ quire a seated position such as listening, watching or read¬ ing in the greatest comfort, and also to determine a state of relaxation which, though not actually inducing sleep, is both physically and mentally beneficial.

To this end special measurements and dimensional relation's have been worked out and established both for each component part of the chair and their relation to the floor, allowance being made for the effects of gravity on parts of the body especially the trunk and legs, as well as a study of angles between one part and another most likely to favour comfort and relaxation .

Excellent results have been achieved and well-built reclin¬ ing chairs now allow users to adopt much more comfortable and relaxing positions than are possible with ordinary armchairs or other kinds.

It is further known, however, that in many fields nature provides the best possible organic, structural and func- tional solutions for achieving certain purposes, much better than those created by man.

Purpose of the above invention is to create reclining chairs as far as possible incorporating solutions adopt¬ ed by nature to obtain maximum comfort for people wanting to relax, this term indicating the best physical, mental and spiritual conditions for relaxation and wellbeing. Bearing in mind how effective are nature's arrangements regarding procreation, a review has been made of the cha^¬ racteristics of the foetal position which, remaining al- most unaltered from conception to birth, is considered the best for both physical and mental development. Attention is focused in particular on two stages in growth of the embryo, one at two months old (Fig. 1) and the other shortly before birth (Fig. 2). Details may be clearly seen in these figures, especially the reciprocal positions of the various parts of the body such as the trunk, head, legs and hands.

In these same Figures a side view of the invented recli-" ning chair may also be seen. A comparison between the principal curves of the embryo and those of the chair clearly shows up structural and functional affinities.

Subject of the invention, therefore ,is.a reclining chair whose active surface, designed to receive the human body, on a longitudinal geometrical plane, presents an outline very similar to that of the human embryo in the position it spon aneously assumes during pregnancy. In these two outlines the rela ionships between dimen¬ sions of parts of the embryo and of the reclining chair, between the positions of those parts and between their reciprocal spacing, are maintained practically the same. In the chair outline, the active surface includes two concave areas, a central one to take the lower part of the human trunk and another for the shoulders and head, joined by an intermediate convex area. The central concave area is connected to the lower con¬ vex area at the end intended for the legs.

The upper concave area joins onto an upper terminal con¬ cave area of a wider radius. All the areas continue one after another without inter- ruption.

Advantageously all the curved areas are arcs of circles. Preferably the radius of arcs of the central and upper concave areas and of the lower convex area at the end, is the same while that of the intermediate convex area is about double.

In a preferred execution the arc of a circle of the cen¬ tral and upper concave areas and of the convex area at the lower end is about 30 cm. The lower end convex area is joined to a concave area of a very wide radius. The extreme tip of said area forms an upward angle of a few degrees only in relation to a geometric plane at a tangent to the two central and upper concave areas . Advan ageously the reclining chair concerned is given a laminar structure of practically unvarying thickness.

Said laminar structure can be made from a virtually rect- angular tubular frame to which a sprung network, covered with cold-foamed polyure hane , is welded. Said laminar structure is joined to a rigid supporting frame shaped as a downward-facing squared "C", by means of an articulation practically in the middle of said struc¬ ture in relation to the floor, and thus the centre of gra¬ vity for circulation of the blood and lymph. In one execution the device for adjusting the angle of the structure consists of a piston and cylinder served by fluid means and springs, and of a control lever .

One of the two elements, piston or cylinder, is held to the structure by a second articulation connected towards its front end, while the other element is connected to the frame by a third articulation. Axes of rotation of all three articula ions is crosswise to the structure.

In another execution the device for regulating the angle of the structure comprises an electric ratiomotor fed off the mains or independently, connected to controls placed preferably close to the arms of the chair described below. In this way the user can vary his position in relation to the floor by simple finger movements.

In one type of execution the supporting frame consists of two longitudinal metal bars, placed side by side and pa¬ rallel to each other, whose ends are respectively welded to two transversal, parallel, tubular feet that rest on the floor.

Inside the concave area at the upper end, close to the in¬ ternal surface of the reclining chair, there is a piece of metal whose purpose is to receive magnetic attraction from small permanent magnets within a semicy1 indrical headrest. A cross section of this headrest shows that there are two convex curves, one substan ially equal to that of said upper concave area, while the radius of the other curve is small to rest the head.

In this way the headrest can, if desired, be associated to the chair at the preferred height by exploiting said magnetic attraction and its field of action. The shape of the larminar structure is roughly rectangu¬ lar and consists of two trapezoids, one at the top and one at the bottom, their sides being at a slight angle and their wider ends matching up.

Shortly before reaching the middle of the structure, said sides curve out into two lateral areas of convex expan¬ sion. These expanded areas broaden the structure practically at its central point making it wider there than at its upper and lower ends; this to provide space for resting the hands as would be done by the arms of a chair. Preferably this extra width in the middle is 40% more than that at each end. The invention clearly offers many advantages.

Reclining on this chair the person can assume what amounts to a foetal position, this being by its very nature the best able to procure physical and mental wellbeing, the fundamental conditions for satisfactory growth of a child inside its mother's womb.

In the adult this position also induces wellbeing, in the highest sense of the two parts of this word, a position able to reduce stress and improve the person's physical, mental and spiritual state. The chair's central convex area produces beneficial flex¬ ion in the lumbar vertebrae while the concave area at the — — upper end determines optimum tension of the cervical ver ebrae.

The device for adjusting angularity of the active struc¬ ture in relation to the floor enables the centre of gra- vity for blood and lymph circulation to be altered as preferred .

All this is achieved by simple and essential means that combine maximum structural economy with a functional reclining chair of really pleasing appearance. This latter advantage naturally reinforces the sense of mental and physical wellbeing since it is natural that beauty and enjoyment should go hand in hand. Characteristics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatically drawn figures.

Fig. 1 Comparison between a two-month old embryo and the reclining chair subject of the invention. Fig. 2 Comparison between a baby about to be born and the reclining chair. Fig. 3 Side view of the chair. Fig. 4 Plan view of the chair. Fig. 5 The chair seen from the back. Fig. 6 The chair seen from the front. The embryo 10 in Fig. 1 is about two months old and is brought into view by removal of the chorion membrane. It is here seen inside the sac 11 containing amniotic fluid, joined to the placenta 12 by the umbilical cord 13. The unborn baby 20 in Fig. 2, now shortly before birth, is portrayed in detail. For purposes of comparison the reclining chair 30, subject of the invention, has been drawn 'beneath' the embryo 10 and unborn baby 20. There is evident similarity between the outlines of the embryo 10 and unborn baby 20, and the sideview of the invented reclining chair 30.

In particular both the contour 15 outlining the embryo 10 with the pair of convex areas 16 at the base of the trunk and 17 at the shoulders with the head, and the con¬ tour 21 outlining the unborn baby 20 with the pair of convex areas 22 at the base of the trunk and 23 at the shoulders with the head, closely correspond to the con- tour 31 marking the working outline of the reclining chair 30 with the pair of concave areas 32 and 33, reproduced to the scale of the embryo and of the unborn baby, with equal dimensional relationships among the various pairs of curves, with their reciprocal distances and positions.

The reclining chair 30 in Figs. 3-6, which show the lami¬ nar structure 40 of unvarying thickness A), has been drawn to sizes suitable for an adult body while respecting the above dimensional proportions with the bodies of the embryo 10 and of the unborn baby 20. The central and upper concave areas 32 and 33, drawn as arcs of a circle, are joined by the convex area 34 aimed at inducing beneficial flexion of the lumbar vertebrae. The upper concave area 32 joins a lower convex area 36, at the position occupied by the legs and this terminates on entering a wide concave curve 37 that leads onto the lower end of the reclining chair, at a slightly upward angle in relation to the geometrical plane, at a tangent to the central and upper curved areas 32 and 33. The radius of curves in three areas - central 32, upper 33 and lower 36 - is practically the same, optimum value being about 30 cm, while that of the convex curve is prac¬ tically double . The reclining chair's laminar structure 40 consists of a tubular frame 41 to which an electrically welded spring network 42 is welded, overlaid by a layer 43 of cold-foamed polyurethane . The chair's structure 40 is fixed to the supporting frame 50 by an articulation 51 comprising a free crosswise shaft 52 with eyeholes 53 to fix it to said structure. The frame 50 is formed of a pair of longitudinal parallel rods 54, 55 placed side by side and bent in the shape of of a square overturned 'C' with feet 56, made of two cross¬ wise tubes, welded to its lower ends.

At the front the structure 40 is connected, by means of a second articulation 57 comprising shaft 58 with eyeholes 59, to the piston 60 of a device 61 for height adjustment ,worked by a lever 62 and fixed to the frame 50 by an articulation 63. Said structure 40 is substantially rectangular being formed, geometrically, of two trapezoids 45, 46 at the wider ends, having sides at a slight angle, joined at about the central transversal axis of the structure 40, with two expansions 47 curving out like equal arcs of a circle at the side and so forming two arm rests on the same plane as that of the structure, said expansions augmenting its width by about 40%. Near the beginning of the upper curved area 35 a metal la¬ mina 65 lies inside the structure just below the surface. A headrest 70 is made from two opposite semi-cylindrical bodies, an inner one 71 of a radius the same as that of the curved area 35, and an outer one 72 to support the head, in¬ side which are small magnets 73 placed just under the sur¬ face . The headrest 70 can thus be adjusted either by stabilizing these magnets, or doing without them,as preferred.

Claims

C l a ims

1 . Re c l i n i n g c h a i r ( 30 ) characterized in that the outline (31) of its active surface on which the human body will rest, substantially corresponds to the outline ( 15, 21) of the embryo ( 10, 20) in the posi¬ tion it spontaneously assumes during pregnancy, proportions among the dimensions of the various parts of the embryo and of the reclining chair, among the positions of said parts and among the reciprocal distances separating said parts be- ing maintained, as between said outline ( 15, 21) of the em¬ bryo ( 10, 20) and said outline (31) ^"of the reclining chair (30), practically equal.

2. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 1, characterized in that, in said outline (31) of its active surface, there are two concave areas, a central one (32) to receive the lower part of the human trunk and an upper one (33) to receive the shoulders and the head, said two areas being joined by an intermediate convex area (34), the central concave area (32) being joined to a lower end convex area (36) to receive the legs, the upper concave area (33) being joined to an upper end concave area(35) of a wider radius, all said areas (31-36) being joined one to another smooothly and with^¬ out interruption.

3. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 2, characterized in that all the curved areas (31-36) form arcs of circles.

4. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 2, characterized in that the central (32) and upper (33) concave areas and the lower end convex area (36) are shaped as the arc of a circle of about equal radius while that of the curve forming the intermediate convex area (34) is practically double.

5. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 2, characterized in that the arcs of a circle of the central (32) and upper (33) concave areas and of the lower end convex area (36) are roughly 30 cm.

6. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 2 , characterized in that the lower end convex area (36) is joined to a concave area (37) of very wide radius, the ultimate end of said latter area being at a slight upward angle in relation to a geometrical plane at a tangent to the two central (32) and upper (33) concave areas.

7. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 2, characterized in that, inside the upper end concave area (35), a metal lamina (65) is inserted just below the sur¬ face of said area (35), said lamina being placed so as to receive magnetic attraction of small permanent magnets(73) mounted in a semicylindrical headrest (70) whose cross section consists of two convex curves, one (71) being vir¬ tually equal to the curve of said upper end concave area (35) and the other (72) being shaped as the arc of a small circle for resting the head, it being thus possible to ad¬ just the height of the headrest (70) on the chair (30) as desired by exploiting said headrest's magnetic attraction and field of action.

8. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 1, characterized in that it is made of a laminar structure(40) of practically constant thickness throughout.

9. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 8, characterized in that said laminar structure (40) consists of a substantially rectangular tubular frame (41) to which a spring net (42) is welded and over which is laid a cold- -foamed layer (43) of po Iv rethane .

10. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 8 , characterized in that the laminar structure (40) is sub¬ stantially rectangular, being geometrically formed of two trapezoids, an upper one (46) and a lower one (45) match- ing with the wider ends and having sides diverging at a slight angle, joined smoothly a short way from the struc¬ ture's central zone, to two lateral convex expansions( 7) , said expansions (47) making the structure (40) wider prac¬ tically in the centre than it is at the upper and lower ends, so providing space for resting the hands, similarly to the arms of a chair, the best width at this central point being about 40% over the width at the two ends.

11. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 8, characterized in that the laminar structure (40) is con- nected to a rigid supporting frame (50), shaped roughly like a square downward-facing 'C', by an articulation(51 ) practically central to the structure (40), and by a de¬ vice (61) for adjusting the angle of the structure (40) as preferred in relation to the floor, and therefore the centre of gravity of blood and lymph circulation.

12. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 11, characterized in that the device (61) for regulating the angle of the structure (40) consists of a piston (60) and cylinders served by fluid means and springs, and of a con- trol lever (62), one of said two parts, piston (60) or cy¬ linder, being connected to the structure (40) near to its front end, by means of a second articulation (57) and the other part, cylinder or piston (60), being connected to the frame (50) by a third articulation (63), the axes of rotation of all three articulations (51, 57, 63) being transversal to the structure (40).

13. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 11, characterized in that the device (61) for adjusting the angle of the structure (40) comprises an electric ratio- motor adequately fed from the mains or independently, connected to controls preferably placed near to the hands in their resting position, it being thus possible to vary the position of said chair (30) in relation to the floor by simple movements of the fingers.

14. Reclining chair (30) as in claim 11, characterized in that the supporting frame (50) is made of two longitudinal metal bars (54, 55) placed side by side and parallel one to the other, whose ends are weld¬ ed respectively to two transversal tubular feet (56)pa- rallel to each other.