Ergonomically responsive chair

• US 20050280301A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seth Foster Eisenberg, William L. Freed
• Original Assignee: Seth Foster Eisenberg, William L. Freed
• Inventors: Eisenberg, Seth Foster, Freed, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/337
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/022 having independently-adjustable supporting parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/023 the parts being horizontally-adjustable seats ; Expandable seats or the like, e.g. seats with horizontally adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 9/002 with exercising means or having special therapeutic or ergonomic effects

Abstract

An apparatus—which could be a chair (10), but could also be an apparatus that supports a person in other than a seated position—comprising a moveable platform (including a seat (12) in case of a chair) urged always toward a neutral position when a person is seated or otherwise positioned on the apparatus (10). The motion of the platform/seat (12) toward and away from the neutral position is constrained so that the platform/seat (12) remains at least approximately horizontal in its orientation relative to the floor on which the apparatus/chair (10) is positioned even when traveling along a path not horizontal to the floor, i.e. e.g. along a path inclined to the floor. A method is also provided in which the apparatus/chair (10) is used to provide lower-back therapy.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use by a person in a seated or other position, comprising:

a platform, for supporting the person in the seated or other position, and having an allowed range of travel starting from a neutral position; and

a base, for holding the platform off a floor or ground, and coupled to the platform so as to provide the allowed range of travel, wherein in the allowed range of travel the platform moves at least horizontally over the floor or ground toward and away from the neutral position;

wherein the base is coupled to the platform so as to provide a restoring force tending to always move or hold the platform in the neutral position in respect to the base with the person supported on the platform and so always urging the platform toward the neutral position, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is or can be adjusted to be at least comparable to a force tending to push the platform away from the neutral position caused by the person merely sitting on or being otherwise positioned on the platform in a relaxed state, and further wherein the platform remains in an approximately horizontal orientation throughout the range of travel.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is comparable to the restoring force acting on the platform at a position displaced from the neutral position by a significant portion of the range of travel of the platform.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is sufficient to require that in order to move the platform away from the neutral position the person must push against a backing or a wall to which the platform is held by friction or a mechanical connection.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is greater than a force resulting from the person merely slumping against a wall or a backing to which the platform is held by friction or a mechanical connection.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position would continue to move the platform through the neutral position and further away from the allowed range of travel of the platform but for a stopping means acting when the platform is in the neutral position.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is greater than approximately three per cent of the weight of the person.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is given approximately by the formula:

R=m(W+S)+b,

where W is the weight of the person supported by the platform, b=−

3.61 pounds, and m=0.057, and S is an offset accounting for the weight of at least the platform.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the platform is rollably or slidably coupled to the base.

9. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is all or part of a chair, and the platform comprises a seat of the chair.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform is adapted so that when the platform is forced to move horizontally away from the neutral position it also moves in an upward direction for at least some portion of the allowed range of travel along a path making an angle with respect to the floor or ground.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform comprises means for adjusting the angle of the path and means for adjusting the angle of the platform so as to allow maintaining the platform in an approximately horizontal orientation after adjusting the angle of the path.

12. An apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform comprises rollers rotatably coupled to either the base or the platform, and rail slots inscribed in a rail for engaging the rollers, with the rollers and rail slots disposed so that the rollers are constrained to move along a path that is generally upward when the platform is moving away from the neutral position.

13. An apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform is adapted to urge the seat in a horizontal and also upward direction when the seat is not load-bearing so as to tend to position the platform up and away from the neutral position when the person is not supported on the platform.

14. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the urging of the platform toward the neutral position is provided by a resilient coupling of the base to the platform.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform is adapted to allow making operable a force urging the platform away from the neutral position so as to enable positioning the platform away from the neutral position when the person is not supported on the platform.

16. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the urging of the platform toward the neutral position is provided under the control of a controller receiving inputs from a sensor provided with the apparatus and coupled to the apparatus so as to sense and indicate when the person is positioned on the platform.

17. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein a reverse biasing force is provided under the control of the controller, with the controller regulating the magnitude of the reverse biasing force or the restoring force or both so as to provide a net restoring force that is comparable for different people of different weight.

18. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the platform is pivotably coupled to the base so as to pivot in a plane level to the floor or ground, and wherein the platform pivots about a line normal to the floor or ground and passing through the center of the platform.

19. A method for providing therapy for the lower back of a person, comprising:

providing an apparatus on which the person may be seated or otherwise positioned, the apparatus comprising;

a platform, for supporting the person in the seated posture or other positioned posture, and for having an allowed range of travel starting from a neutral position; and

a base, for holding the platform off a floor or ground, wherein the base is coupled to the platform so as to provide the allowed range of travel in which the platform moves at least horizontally over the floor or ground toward and away from the neutral position;

wherein the base is coupled to the platform so as to provide a restoring force tending to always move or hold the platform in the neutral position in respect to the base when a person is seated or otherwise positioned on the platform and so always urging the platform toward the neutral position, wherein the restoring force acting on the platform in the neutral position or even only slightly displaced from the neutral position is or can be adjusted to be at least comparable to a force tending to push the platform away from the neutral position and caused by the person merely sitting or otherwise positioned on the platform in a relaxed state, and wherein the platform remains in an approximately horizontal orientation throughout the range of travel; and

providing instructions to the person indicating that the person should adjust the apparatus so that the restoring force resists the person slumping when in a relaxed state, and should then sit or assume another posture on the platform and repetitiously move the platform toward and away from the neutral position.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a platform, for supporting a person in a seated or other position, and having an allowed range of travel starting from a neutral position; and

a base, for holding the platform off a floor or ground, and coupled to the platform so as to provide the allowed range of travel in which the platform moves along a path extending at least horizontally over the floor or ground toward and away from the neutral position;

wherein the base is coupled to the platform so as to provide that the allowed range of travel is upward when moving away from the platform for at least part of the allowed range of travel, and further wherein the platform remains in an approximately horizontal orientation throughout the range of travel.

21. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform comprises means for adjusting the angle of inclination of the path with respect to the floor or ground, and means for adjusting the orientation of the platform so as to allow maintaining the platform in an approximately horizontal orientation after adjusting the angle of inclination of the path.

22. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the platform is pivotably coupled to the base so as to pivot in a plane level to the floor or ground, and wherein the platform pivots about a line normal to the floor or ground and passing through the center of the platform.

23. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform further comprises means for urging the seat in a horizontal and also upward direction when the seat is not load-bearing so as to tend to position the platform up and away from the neutral position when the platform is not load-bearing.

24. An apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the coupling of the base to the platform further comprises means for making operable a force urging the platform away from the neutral position so as to enable positioning the platform away from the neutral position when the person is not supported on the platform.

25. A method for providing therapy for the lower back of a person, comprising:

providing an apparatus on which the person may be seated or otherwise positioned, the apparatus comprising;

a platform, for supporting the person in the seated or other position, and having an allowed range of travel starting from a neutral position; and

a base, for holding the platform off a floor or ground, and coupled to the platform so as to provide the allowed range of travel in which the platform moves along a path extending at least horizontally over the floor or ground toward and away from the neutral position;

wherein the base is coupled to the platform so as to provide that the allowed range of travel is upward when moving away from the platform for at least part of the allowed range of travel, and further wherein the platform remains in an approximately horizontal orientation throughout the range of travel; and

providing instructions to the person indicating that the person should adjust the apparatus so that the restoring force resists the person slumping when in a relaxed state, and should then sit or assume another posture on the platform and repetitiously move the platform toward and away from the neutral position.