Lounge chair with body-accommodating openings

• US 6,938,287 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John S. Mahshie
• Original Assignee: John S. Mahshie
• Inventors: Mahshie, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Sunil
• Application Number:
  US10/670,672
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 297/900, 5110-112, 573/5, 563/1, 593/0, 565/6, 572/5, 563/8
• US Class Current: 5/111
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 17/66 having specially-adapted body-carrying surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/90 Chair for suntanning in the prone, i.e. facedown position

Abstract

A beach or lounge chair includes a generally horizontal component for supporting a user thereon and a leg assembly for holding the supportive component above the ground. The supportive component includes a first opening for accommodating the breasts of a female user. A pocket is attached to and depends from the lower side of the supportive component beneath the opening. The pocket accommodates and obscures the breasts of a user lying face down in a prone position on the support chair. Pressure on the breasts is thereby alleviated.

Claims

1. An outdoor lounge chair comprising:

a generally horizontal body support assembly for supporting a user thereon in a horizontally prone position;

a leg assembly for holding said support assembly above the ground or other like outdoor surface, said support assembly including an opening for receiving the breasts of a female user there-through; and

a pocket attached to and depending from a lower side of said support assembly beneath said opening for peripherally surrounding, enclosing and completely obscuring the female user'"'"'s breast;

said pocket including a thin, lightweight, flexibly collapsible material that hangs loosely beneath said support assembly and extends vertically and perpendicularly downwardly from said support assembly;

said pocket having a shape nonconforming to that of a female'"'"'s breasts and being at least 4½

″

deep whereby clearance is provided between most female users'"'"' breasts and a bottom of said pocket so that such breasts do not directly engage the bottom of said pocket and, instead, hang substantially loosely within said pocket without pressure being exerted by said pocket against the breasts, said pocket being large enough for loosely accommodating most users'"'"' accessories therein, even when such users lie horizontally prone on said support assembly with their breasts accommodated in said pocket.

2. The chair of claim 1 in which said support surface further includes an aperture positioned on said support assembly for accommodating the user'"'"'s eyes and at least a substantial portion of the user'"'"'s face, including the nose and mouth.

3. The chair of claim 2 in which said aperture has an oval configuration.

4. The chair of claim 2 in which said aperture has a T-shaped configuration.

5. The chair of claim 2 further including a reading material holder that is attached to and depends from a bottom surface of said support assembly below said aperture for supporting reading material thereon such that the material may be read through said aperture by a user whose face is engaged with said aperture.

6. The chair of claim 5 in which said holder includes a flexibly foldable rack attached at opposing ends thereof to the lower surface of said support assembly.

7. The chair of claim 5 in which said holder includes an elongate strap and at least one open side for inserting reading material into said holder and allowing the reading material to be conveniently illuminated by ambient light.

8. The chair of claim 1 in which said support assembly includes multiple, foldably interconnected segments.

9. The chair of claim 8 in which a support assembly includes an intermediate support segment and upper and lower support segments foldably joined to the intermediate support segment for supporting the head and legs of the user, respectively.

10. The chair of claim 9 in which said breast receiving opening and said pocket are formed in said upper support segment.

11. The chair of claim 8 in which said thin flexible material of said pocket is collapsible into a generally flat condition at least when said support assembly is folded.

12. The chair of claim 1 in which said pocket is composed of opaque material.

13. An outdoor lounge chair comprising:

a generally horizontal body support assembly for supporting a user thereon in a horizontally prone position;

a leg assembly for holding said support assembly above the ground or the like;

said support assembly including an opening for receiving the breasts of a female user therethrough and an aperture positioned on said support assembly for accommodating the user'"'"'s eyes and at least a substantial portion of the user'"'"'s face, including the nose and mouth;

a pocket attached to and depending from a lower side of said support assembly beneath said opening for accommodating and obscuring the female user'"'"'s breasts;

said support assembly including an intermediate support segment and upper and lower segments foldably joined to said intermediate support segment for supporting the head and legs of the user respectively, said breast receiving opening and said aperture being formed in said upper support segment;

said pocket being composed of a thin flexible material that is collapsible into a generally flat condition at least when said support assembly is folded and said pocket being composed of an opaque material for completely obscuring the breasts of the user below said support assembly; and

a reading material holder that is attached to and depends from the bottom surface of said support assembly below said aperture for supporting reading material such that the material may be read by a user whose face is engaged with said aperture;

said holder including an elongate strap having first and second strap segments that are attached directly to and depend perpendicularly and vertically from a lower side of said upper support segment on respective sides of said aperture, and an intermediate strap segment that interconnects the lower ends of said first and second strap segments and extends horizontally beneath said aperture, said holder including at least one open side for inserting reading material into said holder such that the reading material is supportable by said intermediate strap segment of said holder for allowing the reading material to be conveniently illuminated by ambient light;

said first and second strap segments being composed of a flexibly collapsible material that permits the reading material holder to be collapsed into a substantially flattened condition when the upper segment of said support assembly is folded into a juxtaposed condition against one of said intermediate and lower support segments.

14. An outdoor lounge chair comprising:

a generally horizontal body support assembly, said support assembly including an intermediate support segment and upper and lower support segments foldably joined to said intermediate support segment for supporting the head and legs of a user, respectively;

a leg assembly for holding said support assembly above the ground or other like outdoor surface, said support assembly including an opening formed in said upper support segment for receiving the breasts of a female user there-through; and

a pocket composed of a thin, lightweight, flexibly collapsible material attached to and depending from a lower side of said upper segment of said support assembly beneath said opening for peripherally surrounding, fully enclosing and completely obscuring from view the female user'"'"'s breasts, said pocket hanging loosely beneath said support member and extending perpendicularly and vertically downwardly therefrom and having a shape that is non-conforming to a female user'"'"'s breasts, said flexible material of said pocket being collapsible into a generally flat condition at least when said support assembly is folded with said upper support segment juxtaposed against one of said intermediate and lower support segments.

15. The chair of claim 14 in which said pocket depends at least 4½

″

beneath said lower side of said support assembly such that the breasts of most female users do not directly engage the bottom of said pocket and, instead, hang substantially loosely within said pocket without pressure being exerted by said pocket against the breasts.

16. The chair of claim 15 in which said pocket includes a capacity for loosely accommodating the accessories of most female users even when such a user is lying prone on said support assembly with the user'"'"'s breasts accommodated in said pocket.

17. The chair of claim 16 in which said pocket peripherally surrounds said breast receiving opening in said upper support segment.

18. The chair of claim 16 in which said pocket includes a horizontal planar bottom and vertical side walls that interconnect said support assembly to said bottom.

19. The chair of claim 18 in which said pocket has a generally rectangular configuration.