WO2004023938A1

WO2004023938A1 - Ergonomic seat workplace

Info

Publication number: WO2004023938A1
Application number: PCT/SK2003/000016
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juraj MICHÁLEK
Original assignee: Michalek Juraj
Priority date: 2002-09-12
Filing date: 2003-09-10
Publication date: 2004-03-25
Also published as: AU2003273214A1; SK13092002A3

Abstract

The solution concerns an ergonomic seat workplace for positioning at sedentary activities, which substitutes a table and a chair. It contains a part for sitting and is formed by a structure, comprising seat (1), front trunk support (2), means (4a and 4b) for fixing and adjusting the worktop, and a part constituting the worktop (3), where the distance of the seat (1) from floor is from 15 to 105 cm. The minimum distance between the structure of the seat (1) and the front trunk support (2) is from 10 to 33 cm. It may be further provided with at least one calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7). Seat (1) and front trunk support (2) may be joined with each other, or the seat (1), the front trunk support (2) and the calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7) are independent and possibly provided with at least one element (8, 9 or 10) for fixing them to an external bearing structure.

Description

Ergonomic seat workplace

Technical Field

The present invention concerns a new structure of an ergonomic seat workplace to be positioned at sedentary activities.

Background Art

When performing activities, where sitting is more convenient than other methods of positioning (schools, bureaus, offices and the like), standard office chairs and tables or possibly desks (pupils at school) are commonly used for sitting and working. However, sitting on such chairs and at the common tables causes, to a greater or lesser extent, health problems to everybody who works in such a way just for a few tens of minutes a day. The problem of existing solutions of such type of furniture (even the most adaptable and provided with various technically demanding accessories, as are adjustable height and slope of the seat, armrests or backrests or possibly the worktop of a table) consists in an insufficient adaptability to the needs and capabilities of a human body when performing various activities. The load on the bottom, sometimes also the elbows or the whole arms, but especially on the spine along its entire length causes temporary, but increasingly persisting pain, caused by unnatural load on the spine (see Fig. IA, IB - load on and deformation of the spine when sitting, Fig. IC - the spine when standing).

A further problem of existing tables and chairs consists in their low flexibility regarding individual peculiarities of body dimensions of the users. For example, only the seat height can be positioned with the ergonomic chair known from EP 1 163 865 A2, which consists of a seat, a backrest and a frame with a rear segment. A chair according to WO 00/05996 allows, like a chair according to WO 01/764 18 A1 , to position not only the seat height, but also its slope and the backrest. However, neither these elements meet sufficiently the ergonomic requirements concerning the bodily constitution of the users.

Flexibility from the point of view of physically handicapped users has not been taken into account nearly at all (even on the contrary, the hitherto used chairs and tables cause health problems to about two thirds to three quarters of their users).

The effort to solve the problems resulted in creation of a kneeling stool which partially unloaded bottom and the lowest part of spine, but it increased the load on the remaining part of the spine, arms and corresponding musculature by removing the seat back (one of the sources of incorrect positioning during sedentary work). The result is partial improvement which has brought impairment of other parameters of sitting.

The optima! position for the human spine is - except for lying on an ergonomically suitable pad - standing. In that case the spine as a whole, but also its respective vertebrae and intervertebral discs are loaded optimally, i. e. uniformly and in the center of gravity, and not non-uniformly and excentrically.

The aim of the present invention is to provide such ergonomic workplace to be used at sedentary activities, which eliminates the disadvantages of existing chairs and tables to the greatest extent and contributes to diminishing the incidence of health problems caused by the existing furnitures for sitting.

Disclosure of Invention

The above mentioned disadvantages are eliminated by an ergonomic seat workplace to be positioned at sedentary activities. The subject-matter of the technical solution consists in that the ergonomic seat workplace containing a part for sitting is formed by a structure comprising a seat, a front trunk support, supports of the worktop and a part constituting the worktop. The distance of the seat from floor is from 15 to 105 cm and the distance between the seat structure and the supports is from 10 to 33 cm. The front trunk support is provided with means for attaching and adjusting the worktop and it has also a bearing function. For example, it may bear a lighting equipment.

The seat workplace further comprises at least one calf support and/or shin support and/or sole support. The seat and the front trunk support may be joined together, while the seat is preferably provided with the calf support and/or shin support and/or sole support.

According to another embodiment the seat, front trunk support and calf support and/or shin support and/or sole support may be independent and possibly provided with at least one element for fixing them to an external structure. Position of independent supports (for front trunk, calf, shin, soles) may be fixed by means of the external bearing structure. It is preferred, when the front trunk support, which is preferably adjustable in height, is provided with at least one fixing element for fixing it to the bearing structure.

The seat, calf support and/or shin support and/or sole support may be provided with a common fixing element for fixing them to a bearing structure. By the "bearing structure" is meant a wall, ceiling or floor.

The structure of the ergonomic workplace according to the present invention may be preferably made of steel tubes or tubes of light alloys of various diameter. The seat may be made of perforated metal sheet, laminate, plastic, wood, it may be strung and so on. The sole support may be made of unperforated sheet or perforated sheet or possibly of wooden grid.

An ergonomic seat workplace according to the present invention distributes the load on the user uniformly on several body parts and surfaces in such a way that the overall stress is not harmfull for health and it is neither physically nor psychically uncomfortable. A part of the body (thus a fraction of the body weight) is supported through the calf or (alternatively) through the shin (like in the case of a kneeling stool), a part is supported through the pectoral muscle (lat. usculus Pectoralis aior, see Fig. 4) and possibly through the head (the forehead, the chin). Thereby the bottom is unloaded and it is neither desirable nor possible to lean against the worktop by the elbows.

It is the possibility to support the front trunk or the front trunk and the head which is the main advantage of the present invention. It minimizes the load on all parts of human body, especially the spine from the neck to the coccyx, thus allowing quite new quality of positioning which is not only harmless, but it even acts correctively (rehabilitatively) on an injured or tired back.

Besides that this ergonomic seat workplace allows easy and simple adjustment of the height and slope of the worktop according to the bodily constitution and the kind of working activity, from horizontal to nearly vertical position for people with a difference in stature of up to 40 cm with the same ergonomic seat workplace. It enables us to meet the needs of the whole population optimally by means of four to five workplace sizes. It is possible thanks to the fact that the distance x (see Fig. 1 and 2) is one of the least varying parts of human body during its growth, but also between different individuals having equal stature. Therefore, also differences in this dimension between tail and small people, or between adults and children, are minimal, although extreme body deviations cannot be excluded. In this case the ergonomic seat workplace offers a correction by adjusting the worktop position by fixing sleeves in the section designated as y, which possibly may be provided with stops as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Brief description of drawings

The present invention is explained in more detail by means of drawings, on which Fig. 1 is a front view of the basic embodiment of the ergonomic seat workplace, Fig. 2 is a side view of the seat workplace from Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 is a plan view of the seat workplace from Fig. 1 , Fig. 4 is a front view of the seat workplace from Fig. 1 , complemented with supports and worktop, Fig. 5 is a side view of the seat workplace from Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a plan view of the seat workplace from Fig. 4, Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are side views of possible embodiments of seat workplaces, provided with elements for attaching them to a bearing structure. Fig. 13, 14 and 15 show the respective specific embodiments which will be described in more detail in the Examples. Figs. 16, 17, 18, 20, 21 , 22 and 23 show further possible embodiments of the present technical solution. Fig. 19 shows a plan view of the ergonomic workplace corresponding to Figs. 17 and 18, and Fig. 24 is a plan view corresponding to Figs. 20 to 23.

Examples of embodiments of the invention

Example 1 Ergonomic seat workplace - basic variant

An ergonomic seat workplace according to Fig. 13 for the stature category of 165 to 205 cm has been made of bent metal tubes.

A part of the structure bearing the seat (1), and a part bearing the front trunk support (2) and the means (4a) and (4b) for fixing and adjusting the worktop (3) position have been welded to a surface forming the sole support (7) which has been made of perforated metal sheet. The structure including the seat (1) has no calf and shin supports. The front trunk support (2) has been provided with means (12) for adjusting its width. The means (12) for adjusting the width of the front trunk support (2) are formed by two pairs of metal bands with a guiding gap which bands are firmly fixed (welded) to the workplace structure, approximately in the area of the waist and arms of a sitting man. The front trunk supports (2) have been slidingly fitted in the gap of each of the band pairs and after adjusting according to the chest width of the sitting man they have been fixed with screws. The sole support (7) as well as the seat (1) have been made of perforafed metal sheet.

Worktop (3) of the ergonomic workplace is formed by a plexiglass plate provided with the means (4) in the form of a thin stranded wire extending through the upper part of the front trunk support (2) and serving for fixing and adjusting the position (positioning) of the worktop. The ergonomic workplace has been further provided with a support, made of strip steel, for a personal computer monitor.

The distance of the seat (1) from floor is 72 to 73 cm, the gap between the structure of the seat (1) and the support (2) is 24 to 25 cm.

Example 2

An ergonomic seat workplace according to Fig. 15 for the stature category of 135 to 175 cm has been made of metal tubes of two diameters by bending. The bottom part of the structure (i. e. the structure bearing the seat (1), calf support (5) and shin support (6)) has been made of steel tubes of a greater diameter than that of the upper part of the structure bearing the front trunk support (2) with the means (4a) and (4b) for fixing and adjusting the worktop (3). The seat (1) has been made of laminate.

The calf support (5) and shin support (6) have been made of plastic wickerwork (elastic plastic hoses of a diameter of 4 to 6 mm, possibly wrapped in fabric) between the tube structure of the foot support. The means (12) for adjusting the width of the front trunk support (2) have been formed in the same way as in Example 1 of two pairs of metal bands which have been firmly fixed to the workplace structure, approximately in the area of the waist and arms of a sitting man.

Worktop (3) of the ergonomic workplace is formed by a wooden plate with a cutout, filled with plexiglass, allowing to watch a personal computer monitor. The plate has been adjustably fixed by the means (4b) like in the preceding Example - provided with a thin stranded wire extending through the upper part of the front trunk support (2). The ergonomic workplace has been further provided with a support, made of strip steel, for a personal computer monitor.

The distance of the seat (1) from floor is 61 to 62 cm, the gap between the structure of the seat (1) and the front trunk support (2) is 15 to 16 cm.

Example 3

The ergonomic workplace of Fig. 14 is similar to that of Fig. 15, but it has been produced by welding steel tubes. To ensure strength, the welds at the corners, where they are mostly stressed, have been reinforced. In this embodiment, the front trunk supports (2) are not provided with means for adjusting their width. If the seat workplace is intended for lower statures (approximately up to 170 cm), it is not necessary to adjust the width of the front trunk support (2). The seat (1) has been formed of wooden grid and the ergonomic workplace has been further provided with a means for deposition of stationery.

The distance of seat (1) from floor is 61 to 62 cm, the gap between the structure of the seat (1) and the front trunk support (2) is 15 to 16 cm.

Example 4 The seat workplaces shown in Figs. 7 and 9 are provided with elements 8 for fixing them to a bearing structure - the ceiling. They differ from each other only by the type of seats (1), calf supports (5) and shin supports (6).

Example 5

The seat workplaces shown in Figs. 8 and 10 consist of a front trunk support (2), which is provided with an element (9) for fixing it to a vertical bearing structure - a wall, as well as the seat (1), provided with shin supports (6) and calf supports (5).

Example 6

The seat workplace from Fig. 11 is provided with an element (10) for fixing it to a bearing structure - the floor.

Example 7

The seat workplace from Fig. 12 contains all three fixing elements, where the seat is provided with a fixing element (9), while the shin support (6) and calf support (5) are fixed to the floor by a fixing element (10) and the front trunk support (2) is fixed to the ceiling by a fixing element (8).

Example 8

The seat workplace from Fig. 16 doesn't include foot supports. One sits on it with legs extended under the seat.

Example 9

Besides the seat (1), front trunk support and worktop (3), the seat workplaces from Figs. 17 and 18 are provided with calf supports (5), shin supports (6), and may be provided also with sole supports (7). The sole supports (7) are provided in the form of a cradle. In the rear part, there are spaces created for accommodating a computer and possibly also a bag.

Example 10

The seat workplaces from Figs. 20 to 23 represent further embodiments of the present technical solution. They are provided with the calf supports (5), shin supports (6) and some of them also with the sole supports (7). Like in Example 9, there are spaces created for accommodating a computer and possibly also a bag.

Claims

1. An ergonomic seat workplace for positioning at sedentary activities, containing a part for sitting, characterized in that it is formed by a structure comprising a seat (1), front trunk support (2), means (4a and 4b) for fixing and adjusting the worktop, and a part constituting the worktop (3), wherein the distance of the seat (1) from floor is from 15 to 105 cm and the minimum distance between the structure of the seat (1) and front trunk support (2) is from 10 to 33 cm.

2. A seat workplace according to claim 1, ch a ra cte rized i n that it is further provided with at least one calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7).

3. A seat workplace according to claim 1, ch a ra cte rize d i n t at the seat (1) and the front trunk support (2) are joined with each other.

4. A seat workplace according to claim 3, c h a ra cte rized i n that the seat (1) is provided with a calf support (5) and/or a shin support (6) and/or a sole support (7).

5. A seat workplace according to claim 1 or2, characterized in that the seat (1), front trunk support (2) and the calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7) are independent and possibly provided with at least one element (8, 9 or 10) for fixing them to an external bearing structure.

6. A seat workplace according to claim 5, ch a racte rize d i n that the positions of the front trunk support (2) and calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7) are fixed relative to each other by means of an external bearing structure.

7. A seat workplace according to claim 1 or2, characterized in t at the front trunk support (2) is provided with at. least one head support (11).

8. A seat workplace according to claim 1 or2, characterized in that the front trunk support (2) is provided with at least one fixing element (8, 9) for fixing it to the bearing structure.

9. A seat workplace according to claim 1 or2, characterized in th at the front trunk support (2) is provided with means (12) for adjusting its width.

10. A seat workplace according to claims 5, 7 and 9, characterized in that the seat (1), the calf support (5) and/or shin support (6) and/or sole support (7) are provided with a common fixing element (8, 9 or 10) for fixing them to the bearing structure.