U.S. patent application number 10/791133 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-09 for cushion members for a back support.
Invention is credited to Seong, Song Eun.
Application Number | 20040173656 10/791133 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32923731 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040173656 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Seong, Song Eun |
September 9, 2004 |
Cushion members for a back support
Abstract
Cushion members for a back support are provided on various
articles such as a rucksack and a chair to better ventilate between
a user's back and the back support, so that the perspiration and
heat generation by the user can considerably be reduced. The
cushion member for a back support includes a base made from hard
plastic material; and a plurality of cushioning elements provided
on one side of the base where the user's back contacts, wherein
each of the cushioning elements includes a plurality of ribs
forming an internal space therein and a plurality of holes formed
by the neighboring ribs and communicated with the internal
space.
Inventors: |
Seong, Song Eun; (Seoul,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MADSON & METCALF
GATEWAY TOWER WEST
SUITE 900
15 WEST SOUTH TEMPLE
SALT LAKE CITY
UT
84101
|
Family ID: |
32923731 |
Appl. No.: |
10/791133 |
Filed: |
March 2, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/644 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 2003/125 20130101;
A45F 2003/045 20130101; A45F 3/04 20130101; A45F 2003/127
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/644 |
International
Class: |
A45F 004/02; A45F
003/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 5, 2003 |
KR |
20-2003-0006468 |
Claims
1. A cushion member for a back support provided on one side of
articles with which a user's back contacts comprising: a base made
from hard plastic material; and a plurality of cushioning elements
provided on one side of the base where the user's back contacts,
wherein each of the cushioning elements includes a plurality of
ribs forming an internal space therein and a plurality of holes
formed by the neighboring ribs and communicated with the internal
space.
2. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the cushioning elements are provided all over the base.
3. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the cushioning elements are provided on a certain part of
the base.
4. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the base is formed in a size to contact the whole user's
back.
5. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the base is formed in a plurality of unit bases to be
provided on different parts of the back support where the user's
back contacts.
6. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein each of the cushioning elements is in the form of honeycomb
and includes three ribs forming the internal space therein and
three holes communicated with the internal space laterally, and a
further hole is provided in the center of a surface formed by the
convergence of the ribs to be communicated with the internal
space.
7. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein each of the cushioning elements is in the form of a curved
pentahedron and includes four ribs forming the internal space
therein and four holes communicated with the internal space
laterally, and a further hole is provided in the center of a
surface formed by the convergence of the ribs to be communicated
with the internal space.
8. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein each of the cushioning elements is in the form of a curved
tetrahedron and includes three elastic ribs forming the internal
space therein and three holes communicated with the internal space
laterally, with the end of each of the three ribs being internally
curved, and curved ends of the ribs forming a further hole
communicated with the internal space.
9. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the cushioning elements are consecutively arranged in the
form of curved tiles, each of which includes alternately-arranged
two vertical elongate holes and one horizontal elongate hole
communicated with the internal space.
10. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the cushioning elements on edge portions of the base are
formed to have different shape from those in central portions.
11. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 2,
wherein the base is formed in a size to contact the whole user's
back.
12. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 2,
wherein the base is formed in a plurality of unit bases to be
provided on different parts of the back support where the user's
back contacts.
13. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the base is formed in a size to contact the whole user's
back.
14. A cushion member for a back support as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the base is formed in a plurality of unit bases to be
provided on different parts of the back support where the user's
back contacts.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to cushion members for a back
support, and more particularly to cushion members for a back
support provided on various articles such as a rucksack and a chair
to well ventilate between a user's back and the back support, so
that the perspiration and heat generation by the user can
considerably be reduced.
[0002] Generally, a rucksack is a bag made of sturdy material and
furnished with shoulder straps, and is designed for carrying
articles such as camping, fishing or traveling supplies on the
back.
[0003] Recently, the rucksack is also being widely used by students
for keeping their books and various things.
[0004] The rucksack comprises a body for keeping articles therein,
a pair of shoulder straps attached to the body to be carried on
both shoulders of a user, and an opening and closing means, e.g., a
zipper to open and close the body.
[0005] In case of the rucksack for climbing, in addition to the
shoulder straps, a waist belt and a breast belt are provided so
that the rucksack can contact close to a user's waist and
breast.
[0006] If such a rucksack is filled with various things and worn by
the user by the shoulder straps, the load acts backward due to the
weight of the articles kept in the rucksack, which leads the
rucksack to contact the user's back closely.
[0007] Accordingly, if the rucksack is worn for a long time, the
user perspires a lot on his back and the heat comes out, which
leads the user to feel fatigue easily and deteriorates the
pleasantness of wearing the sack.
[0008] In order to improve the above problems, a rucksack including
a back support formed in the shape of meshes has been disclosed in
Japanese Patent Publication No. 1991-71881, Japanese Patent
Laid-Open No. 1996-242923, Japanese Patent No. 3034502 and Japanese
Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-152819.
[0009] However, since such conventional rucksacks included fine
meshes in the back supports, the size of the meshes was not
sufficient for ventilation and they still gave unpleasantness to
the user if worn for a long time.
[0010] Meanwhile, during the summer season when the external
temperature and/or humidity is very high, people who spend most of
their working time sitting on chairs have no choice but to suffer
from the loss of concentration on their work or feel unpleasant due
to perspiration and heat generation from their backs while sitting
on chairs.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to
provide cushion members for a back support provided on various
articles such as a rucksack and a chair to well ventilate between a
user's back and the back support, so that the perspiration and heat
generation by the user can considerably be reduced.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide
cushion members for a back support, which enables a user to feel
cushioned and feel comfortable even after the user's wearing a
rucksack or sitting on a chair for a long time.
[0013] In order to achieve the above objects, according to the
present invention, a cushion member for a back support provided on
one side of articles with which a user's back contacts
comprises:
[0014] a base made from hard plastic material; and
[0015] a plurality of cushioning elements provided on one side of
the base where the user's back contacts, wherein each of the
cushioning elements includes a plurality of ribs forming an
internal space therein and a plurality of holes formed by the
neighboring ribs and communicated with the internal space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention, wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a front view of a rucksack to which the first
embodiment of the present invention is applied;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line A-A of FIG. 2;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a cushioning element of a
cushion member according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a front view showing a second embodiment of the
present invention;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the line B-B of FIG. 5;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a third embodiment of the
present invention;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a front view showing a fourth embodiment of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of
the cushioning elements according to the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of
the cushioning elements according to the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of
the cushioning element according to the present invention; and
[0028] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of
the cushioning elements according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to preferred
embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
[0030] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present
invention, in which a cushion member (1) is provided on the back of
a rucksack. The cushion member can be provided on one side of other
various articles such as chairs with which a user's back
contacts.
[0031] The cushion member (1) for a back support comprises a base
(2) made from hard plastic material, which is a substitute for
high-density foam sponge and urethane non-woven fabric, and a
plurality of cushioning elements (3) provided on one side of the
base (2) where the user's back contacts to ventilate between the
user's back and the back support.
[0032] When the cushioning elements (3) are applied to a rucksack
(4) as shown in FIG. 2, they do not only ventilate between a
wearer's back and a back plate of the rucksack (5), but also
diffuse the load of the rucksack (4) over the entire back of the
wearer.
[0033] The base (2) may be formed in a size to contact the whole
user's back. That is, the base (2) can be provided over the whole
back plate (5) of the rucksack (4) as in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0034] Further, the base (2) can also be formed in a plurality of
unit bases to be provided on different parts of the back support
where the user's back contacts.
[0035] The cushioning elements (3) can be provided all over the
base (2) or on a certain part of the base (2). As shown in FIGS. 1
to 3, the cushioning elements (3) can be formed substantially all
over the base (2).
[0036] Also, in consideration of the structure of human body, it is
possible to provide a plurality of the unit bases or the cushioning
elements (3) on certain parts of the back support where the user's
back contacts, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8. In this case, as the
cushion member (1) consists of one unit member, it is convenient
and simple to attach it to the back support.
[0037] In a second and a third embodiment within the scope of the
present invention, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the base (2) is
divided into two unit bases to be provided on two opposing parts of
the back support of the rucksack (4) or the chair.
[0038] When the two unit bases (2) are symmetrically provided on
the back support, it is preferable that the cushioning elements (3)
be formed to have different heights and widths. That is, as shown
in FIG. 6, the cushioning members (3) on the far edge of the unit
base (2) can be formed to be higher and larger than those formed in
the center of the unit base (2). This makes the wearer feel
comfortable while shouldering the rucksack (4).
[0039] FIG. 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment within the
scope of the present invention, wherein a plurality of the unit
bases (2) are provided on seven different parts of the back support
where the user's back contacts.
[0040] In this case, air ventilation is accomplished by the
cushioning elements (3) on each of the unit bases (2) and also can
be done through spaces formed among the plurality of the unit bases
(2). Therefore, the effect of ventilation can considerably be
enhanced.
[0041] In the fourth embodiment, as the cushion member (1)
comprises a plurality of unit members (6), it may be troublesome to
attach the unit members (6) to various parts of the back support of
the rucksack (4) or the chair. However, by diversifying color,
size, position, etc. of the unit members (6), the rucksack (4) or
the chair can have various designs and provide aesthetic
diversity.
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, each of the cushioning elements
(3) formed on the base (2) comprises a plurality of ribs (8)
forming an internal space (7) therein and a plurality of holes (9)
formed by the neighboring ribs (8) and communicated with the
internal space (7).
[0043] The ribs (8) are very important since they serve to keep
cushion of the cushioning elements (3). If the ribs (8) are too
weak in their strength, the cushioning elements (3) can be easily
deformed flat by the weight of goods contained in the rucksack (4),
so that the internal space (7) can be shut down and air ventilation
cannot be made smoothly. Therefore, it is preferable that the ribs
(8) are made from hard plastic material.
[0044] On the contrary, if the ribs (8) are too strong, the feeling
of wearing can deteriorate.
[0045] Thus, the ribs (8) should be designed to keep a suitable
feeling of wearing and prevent the internal space (7) from being
shut down.
[0046] FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of the cushioning elements
(3) of the present invention, wherein the cushioning element (3) is
in the form of honeycomb and includes three ribs (8). The ribs (8)
form the internal space (7) therein and form three holes (9)
communicated with the internal space (7) laterally. Further, the
three ribs (8) converge to form a flat top surface (10), which is
in contact with the user of the rucksack (4) or the chair, and
another hole (11) is provided in the center of the flat top surface
(10) to be communicated with the internal space (7).
[0047] The hole (11) on the flat top surface (10) serves to
minimize the generation of heat from the user's back by minimizing
the contact area with the user's back, rather than to improve
ventilation.
[0048] FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the cushioning elements
(3) of the present invention, wherein each of the cushioning
elements (3) is in the form of a curved pentahedron and includes
four ribs (8). The ribs (8) form the internal space (7) therein and
form four holes (9) communicated with the internal space (7)
laterally. Further, the four ribs (8) converge to form a flat top
surface (10), which is in contact with the user of the rucksack (4)
or the chair, and another hole (11) is provided in the center of
the flat top surface (10) to be communicated with the internal
space (7).
[0049] As in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the hole (11) on
the flat top surface (10) in FIG. 10 serves to minimize the
generation of heat from the user's back by minimizing the contact
area with the user's back.
[0050] FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the cushioning element
(3) of the present invention, wherein the cushioning element (3) is
in the form of a curved tetrahedron and includes three elastic ribs
(8). The elastic ribs (8) form the internal space (7) therein and
form three holes (9) communicated with the internal space (7)
laterally. However, the end of each of the three ribs (8) should be
internally curved so that curved ends (8a) of the ribs (8) can form
a hole (11) communicated with the internal space (7).
[0051] In this case, although the contact area between the
cushioning elements (3) and the user's back can be minimized and
the generation of heat and sweat from the user's back can be
reduced, since the ribs (8) do not converge to form any flat
surface and stand independently, the ribs (8) in this embodiment
should be designed to be stronger than those in the other
embodiments, in consideration of the load imposed thereon.
[0052] FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the cushioning elements
(3) according to the present invention, wherein the cushioning
elements (3) are consecutively arranged in the form of curved tiles
(12), each of which includes alternately-arranged two vertical
elongate holes (13a) and one horizontal elongate hole (13b). The
vertical holes (13a) and the horizontal holes (13b) are
communicated with the internal space (7).
[0053] According to the fourth embodiment as described above, the
ventilation through furrows formed between the curved tiles (12) in
the vertical direction of the drawing can be optimized.
[0054] The cushioning elements (3) can be formed in an overall
uniform pattern on one side of the base (2), but they can be formed
to have various shapes depending on where they are located.
[0055] Specifically, since the flow or the supply of plastic resin
is not smooth to the edges of the base provided on the back support
during an injection molding, the cushioning elements (3) may not be
formed in a desired shape. Therefore, it is preferable that the
cushioning elements (3) on the edge portions of the base be formed
to have different shape from those in the central portions. For
example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cushioning elements (3) on
the edge portions of the base may be formed to be larger than those
in the central portions.
[0056] As described above, according to the present invention, it
is possible to provide cushion members for a back support of a
rucksack or a chair, which well ventilate between a user's back and
the back support and reduce considerably the perspiration and heat
generation by the user.
[0057] Further, the cushion members for a back support according to
the present invention make a user feel cushioned and comfortable
even after the user's wearing a rucksack or sitting on a chair for
a long time.
[0058] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the present invention
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The
present invention covers the modifications and variations provided
they come within the scope of the appended claims and their
equivalents.
* * * * *