U.S. patent application number 12/610372 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-05 for lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to RUOEY LUNG ENTERPRISE CORP.. Invention is credited to Lung-Tan Shih.
Application Number | 20110101749 12/610372 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43924603 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110101749 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shih; Lung-Tan |
May 5, 2011 |
LOWER-BACK SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR A BED OR A CHAIR
Abstract
A lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair includes
a sliding base, two scissor lifts, a driver and a supporting
member. The sliding base has a pair of slide slots and a pair of
rotating pins, a securing portion between the two rotating pins,
and a plurality of the locking apertures. Two scissor lifts both
have an X-shaped frame having a pivot. A driver has a positioning
end, an extendable rod, a through hole and a sliding rod placed
through the slide slot, the through hole and the first front cotter
holes. A supporting member has a pair of slide tracks and a pair of
rotating holes. The driver drives the sliding rod along the slide
slot of the sliding base to shorten the extendable rod, the scissor
lifts rotate around the pivots to lift such that the supporting
member is pushed away from the sliding base.
Inventors: |
Shih; Lung-Tan; (LUKANG
TOWN, TW) |
Assignee: |
RUOEY LUNG ENTERPRISE CORP.
LUKANG TOWN
TW
|
Family ID: |
43924603 |
Appl. No.: |
12/610372 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/284.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 20/027 20130101;
A47C 7/425 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/284.7 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/46 20060101
A47C007/46; A47C 3/00 20060101 A47C003/00; A47C 16/00 20060101
A47C016/00; A47C 21/00 20060101 A47C021/00; A47C 31/00 20060101
A47C031/00 |
Claims
1. A lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair
comprising: a sliding base forming a rectangular frame, front ends
and rear ends of two length-wise sides respectively having a pair
of slide slots and a pair of rotating pins, a securing portion
disposed on a down-extended portion between the two rotating pins,
and the sliding base including a plurality of the locking
apertures; two scissor lifts both forming an X-shaped frame having
a pivot, two bottom ends of each having a first front cotter hole
and a rear cotter hole, two top ends of each having a second front
cotter hole and rear rotating pin, the first front cotter hole of
each scissor lift aligned with the slide slot of the sliding base,
the rear cotter hole of each scissor lift pivoted to the rotating
pin, and a sliding pin is placed through the two second front
cotter holes of the two scissor lifts; a driver having a
positioning end, the positioning end pivoted to the securing
portion of the sliding base, another end of the driver having an
extendable rod and a through hole disposed at an end of the
extendable rod, the through hole aligned with the slide slot of the
sliding base; and a sliding rod is placed through the slide slot,
the through hole and the first front cotter holes; and a supporting
member having four corners corresponding to the four top ends of
the two scissor lifts, a pair of slide tracks and a pair of
rotating holes, each slide track corresponding to the sliding pin,
and each rotating hole pivoted to the rear rotating pins; wherein
the driver drives the sliding rod along the slide slot of the
sliding base to shorten the extendable rod, the scissor lifts
rotate around the pivots to lift such that the supporting member is
pushed away from the sliding base.
2. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the slide slot is an elongate slot
having an inner arcuate region and an outer arcuate region at two
respective ends.
3. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing portion of the sliding
base and the positioning end of the driver are pivoted
together.
4. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver is an electric motor.
5. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver is a hydraulic device.
6. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein a first spacer tube and a first pair of
washers are jacketed on the sliding pin between the two slide
tracks of the supporting member.
7. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two second spacer tubes and a
second pair of washers are jacketed on the sliding rod among the
slide slot, the through hole and the first front cotter hole.
8. The lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair as
claimed in claim 1, wherein a soft padding is disposed on the
supporting member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a lower-back supporting
structure for a bed or a chair, and more particularly to a
lower-back supporting assembly that provides lower-back support to
improve the comfort afforded by a bed frame or chair, which employs
scissor lifts that are capable of a scissoring movement to increase
the lift height of the supporting member, thereby providing a
lower-back supporting structure that can help users suffering from
lower-back pain.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Currently, most bed frames are designed for a user to lay
flat while sleeping, and a typical bed frame includes four legs and
supports. However, due to the stresses of modern life, many people
suffer from insomnia and therefore suffer from a lack of sufficient
rest. Consequently, many bed frames have included additional
features, such as providing head or leg lifting capabilities, and
the user can select and adjust a suitable position for him or
herself. However, these prior art bed frames all lack a lower-back
support function. The lower-back of the human body supports the
upper-body weight and has a concaved shape, which is the narrowest
portion in the upper body; therefore, the lower-back endures
tremendous pressure. If, when the user is laying flat, his or her
lower-back is not supported by the bed surface, the user cannot
experience the most comfortable posture or release the stresses
around the lower-back.
[0005] Some typical chairs have lower-back support structures, but
the user must manually do the adjustment. The prior structure
utilizes an elastic sheet to provide support to a back board, and
the back board is attached to a string. With a tightening rotation
or release of the string, the back board is placed in different
positions to provide lower-back support. However, the prior art
lower-back support structure requires manual operation which is
inconvenient, and the elastic sheet cannot provide sufficient
support height.
[0006] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a lower-back
supporting structure for a bed or a chair to mitigate and/or
obviate the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An objective of the present invention is to provide a
lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair.
[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, a
lower-back supporting structure for a bed or a chair comprises a
sliding base, two scissor lifts, a driver and a supporting member.
The sliding base is a rectangular frame, and front ends and rear
ends of two length-wise sides respectively have a pair of slide
slots and a pair of rotating pins. Each slide slot is an elongate
slot having an inner arcuate region and an outer arcuate region at
two respective ends. A securing portion is disposed on a
down-extended portion between the two rotating pins, and the
sliding base includes a plurality of locking apertures. The two
scissor lifts both are an X-shaped frame having a pivot; two bottom
ends of each has a first front cotter hole and a rear cotter hole,
and two top ends of each has a second front cotter hole and rear
rotating pin. The first front cotter hole of each scissor lift is
aligned with the slide slot of the sliding base, the rear cotter
hole of each scissor lift is pivoted to the rotating pin, and a
sliding pin is placed through the two second front cotter holes of
the two scissor lifts. A first spacer tube and a first pair of
washers are jacketed on the sliding pin. The driver is an electric
motor or a hydraulic device. The driver has a positioning end; the
positioning end is pivoted to the securing portion of the sliding
base, and the securing portion of the sliding base and the
positioning end of the driver are pivoted together by a pin.
Another end of the driver has an extendable rod and a through hole
disposed at an end of the extendable rod. The through hole is
aligned with the slide slot of the sliding base. A sliding rod is
placed through the slide slot, the through hole and the first front
cotter holes. Furthermore, two second spacer tubes and a second
pair of washers are jacketed on the sliding rod among the slide
slot, the through hole and the first front cotter holes. Therefore,
the driver and the sliding base are capable of moving relative to
each other. A supporting member has four corners corresponding to
the four top ends of the two scissor lifts, a pair of slide tracks
and a pair of rotating holes; each slide track corresponds with the
sliding pin, and each rotating hole is pivoted to a corresponding
rear rotating pin. Subsequently, the driver drives the sliding rod
along the slide slot of the sliding base to shorten the extendable
rod, the scissor lifts rotate around the pivots to lift such that
the supporting member is pushed away from the sliding base.
[0009] When the extendable rod of the driver is extended, the
extendable rod pushes the sliding rod towards the outer arcuate
regions of the slide slots, and the first front cotter holes of the
scissor lifts are pushed in the same direction so the scissor lifts
rotate around their pivots. A maximum distance between the first
front cotter hole and the rear cotter hole is then reached.
Alternatively, when the extendable rod of the driver contracts, the
through hole of the extendable rod pulls the sliding rod to slide
towards the inner arcuate regions of the slide slots, and with the
sliding rod being pivoted to the first front cotter holes of the
scissor lifts the sliding rod simultaneously pulls the first front
cotter holes to slide towards the rear cotter holes. Meanwhile, the
scissor lifts rotate around their pivots, and a minimum distance
between the first front cotter holes and the rear cotter holes is
then reached. Additionally, the second front cotter holes and the
rear rotating pins of the scissor lifts also move to closer to each
other. The rear rotating pins are pivoted on the rotating holes of
the supporting member, and the rear rotating pins of the scissor
lifts lift the ends having the rotating holes of the supporting
member. The second front cotter holes with the sliding pin slides
and pushes against the slide track of the supporting member.
Therefore, with the contraction of the driver and the simultaneous
rotation of the scissor lifts, the supporting member is able to
lift up while remaining horizontal.
[0010] The lower-back supporting structure utilizes the driver to
push the sliding rod along the slide slots, and with the scissoring
movement of the scissor lifts the supporting is lifted
horizontally. This simple assembly structure can provide lower-back
support to improve the comfort of the bed frame or chair. Moreover,
the scissor lifts both are an X-shaped frame and capable of
scissoring movement around the pivots to increase the lift height
of the supporting member. Therefore, the lower-back supporting
structure can help users to ease their lower-back pain.
[0011] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of a pushing movement
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view showing an embodiment
of the present invention being installed onto a bed frame.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a lower-back supporting
structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment
lower-back supporting structure being installed onto a bed frame
and lifting up.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment
supporting member with a soft padding according to the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing showing a user laying flat on
an embodiment bed frame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. An embodiment lower-back
supporting structure 100 for a bed or a chair comprises a sliding
base 10, two scissor lifts 20, a driver 30 and a supporting member
40. The sliding base 10 is a rectangular frame, and front ends and
rear ends of two length-wise sides respectively have a pair of
slide slots 11 and a pair of rotating pins 12. Each slide slot 11
is an elongate slot having an inner arcuate region 111 and an outer
arcuate region 112 at two respective ends. A securing portion 13 is
disposed on a down-extended portion between the two rotating pins
12, and the sliding base 10 includes a plurality of locking
apertures 14. The two scissor lifts 20 both are an X-shaped frame
having a pivot 21; two bottom ends of each has a first front cotter
hole 22 and a rear cotter hole 23, and two top ends of each has a
second front cotter hole 24 and rear rotating pin 25. The first
front cotter hole 22 of each scissor lift 20 is aligned with the
slide slot 11 of the sliding base 10, the rear cotter hole 23 of
each scissor lift 20 is pivoted to the rotating pin 12, and a
sliding pin 241 is placed through the two second front cotter holes
24 of the two scissor lifts 20. A first spacer tube 242 and a first
pair of washers 243 are jacketed on the sliding pin 241. The driver
30 is an electric motor or a hydraulic device. The driver 30 has a
positioning end 31; the positioning end 31 is pivoted to the
securing portion 13 of the sliding base 10, and the securing
portion 13 of the sliding base 10 and the positioning end 31 of the
driver 30 are pivoted together by a pin 32. Another end of the
driver 30 has an extendable rod 33 and a through hole 331 disposed
at an end of the extendable rod 33. The through hole 331 is aligned
with the slide slot 11 of the sliding base 10. A sliding rod 34 is
placed through the slide slot 11, the through hole 331 and the
first front cotter holes 22. Furthermore, two second spacer tubes
341 and a second pair of washers 342 are jacketed on the sliding
rod 34 among the slide slot 11, the through hole 331 and the first
front cotter holes 22. Therefore, the driver 30 and the sliding
base 10 are capable of moving relative to each other. A supporting
member 40 has four corners corresponding to the four top ends of
the two scissor lifts 20, a pair of slide tracks 41 and a pair of
rotating holes 42; each slide track 41 corresponds with the sliding
pin 241, and each rotating hole 42 is pivoted to a corresponding
rear rotating pin 25. Subsequently, the driver 30 drives the
sliding rod 34 along the slide slot 11 of the sliding base 10 to
shorten the extendable rod, the scissor lifts 20 rotate around the
pivots 21 to lift such that the supporting member 40 is pushed away
from the sliding base 10.
[0022] For an embodiment structure of the present invention, please
refer to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The two scissor lifts 20 are separately
placed at two length-wise sides of the sliding base 10, and the
first front cotter holes 22 of the scissor lifts 20 are placed
adjacent to the inner side of the slide slot 11. The rear cotter
holes 23 of the scissor lifts 20 are pivoted to the rotating pin 12
so that the two scissor lifts 20 are installed symmetrically. The
driver 30 is coupled with the pin 32, which passes through the
positioning end 31, so that the positioning end 31 is pivoted to
the securing portion 13 of the sliding base 10. The extendable rod
33 of the driver 30 is arranged towards the slide slots 11 of the
sliding base 10 and placed between the two scissor lifts 20. The
sliding rod 34 is placed through the slide slot 11 for sliding
movement and also through the first front cotter holes 22 of the
two scissor lifts 20 and the through hole 331 of the driver 30, and
the first spacer tube 341 and the washer 342 are jacketed on the
sliding rod 34 at two sides of the through hole 331 to secure the
movement of the driver 30 and also serve as spacers to prevent the
legs of the scissor lifts 20 from collapsing towards each other.
The supporting member 40 is placed above the scissor lifts 20, and
the inner side of the rotating holes 42 are pivoted to the rear
rotating pins 25 of the two scissor lifts 20. The second front
cotter holes 24 of the scissor lifts 20 are placed on the outer
side of the slide track 41 of the supporting member 40, and the
sliding pin 241 is placed through both of the second front cotter
holes 24 and the slide tracks 41. The first spacer tube 242 and the
washer 243 are jacketed on the sliding pin 241 between the two
slide tracks 41. Therefore, the scissor lifts 20 and the supporting
member 40 are capable of relative sliding movements, and the
assembly structure of the lower-back supporting structure 100 is
completed.
[0023] For the actual operation, please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4
with further reference to FIG. 2. When the extendable rod 33 of the
driver 30 is extended, the extendable rod 33 pushes the sliding rod
34 towards the outer arcuate regions 112 of the slide slots 11, and
the first front cotter holes 22 of the scissor lifts 20 are pushed
in the same direction so the scissor lifts 20 rotate around their
pivots 21. A maximum distance between the first front cotter hole
22 and the rear cotter hole 23 is then reached. Alternatively, when
the extendable rod 33 of the driver 30 contracts, the through hole
331 of the extendable rod 33 pulls the sliding rod 34 to slide
towards the inner arcuate regions 111 of the slide slots 11, and
with the sliding rod 34 being pivoted to the first front cotter
holes 22 of the scissor lifts 20 the sliding rod 34 simultaneously
pulls the first front cotter holes 22 to slide towards the rear
cotter holes 23. Meanwhile, the scissor lifts 20 rotate around
their pivots 21, and a minimum distance between the first front
cotter holes 22 and the rear cotter holes 23 is then reached.
Additionally, the second front cotter holes 24 and the rear
rotating pins 25 of the scissor lifts 20 also move to closer to
each other. The rear rotating pins 25 are pivoted on the rotating
holes 42 of the supporting member 40, and the rear rotating pins 25
of the scissor lifts 20 lift the ends having the rotating holes 42
of the supporting member 40. The second front cotter holes 24 with
the sliding pin 241 slides and pushes against the slide track 41 of
the supporting member 40. Therefore, with the contraction of the
driver 30 and the simultaneous rotation of the scissor lifts 20,
the supporting member 40 is able to lift up while remaining
horizontal.
[0024] For an embodiment application, please refer to FIG. 5 to
FIG. 7 with further reference to FIG. 2. The lower-back supporting
structure 100 can be installed onto an upper bed board 51 of a bed
frame 50 or a chair back of a chair. Therefore, when a user lays
flat or sits, his or her lower-back is above the lower-back
supporting structure 100. Taking the bed frame 50 as an example,
the lower-back supporting structure 100 is screwed onto an opening
52 of the bed frame 50 through the locking aperture 14 of the
sliding base 10, and the opening 52 is located at a position on
upper bed board 51 corresponding to the lower-back of the user.
When the lower-back supporting structure 100 is not activated, the
driver 30 is extended, the scissor lifts 20 stretch out like opened
scissors, and so the supporting member 40 is not pushed away from
the sliding base 10. In addition, the upper bed board 51 is able to
have a raised lower-back supporting structure in a horizontal state
or an inclined state. A mattress 53 is placed above the bed frame
50 to provide more comfort for the user. When the user wants to
have lower-back support, he or she only needs to control the driver
30 for contraction to drive the scissor lifts 20 to close up and
thus lift up the supporting member 40, and a raised area on the
mattress 53 is thereby formed under the lower-back of the user.
Please refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. A soft padding 54 is placed on
the upper side of the supporting member 40, and the entire
structure is capable of being contained in the mattress 53 and
individually supporting the lower-back area. Accordingly, the
supporting member 40 can support the lower-back area of the user,
to reduce stress around the lower-back area when the user is laying
flat, which can help the user feel more comfortable.
[0025] With the above-mentioned structure, the following benefits
can be obtained: the lower-back supporting structure 100 utilizes
the driver 30 to push the sliding rod 34 along the slide slots 11,
and with the scissoring movement of the scissor lifts 20 the
supporting 40 is lifted horizontally. This simple assembly
structure can provide lower-back support to improve the comfort of
the bed frame 50 or chair. Moreover, the scissor lifts 20 both are
an X-shaped frame and capable of scissoring movement around the
pivots 21 to increase the lift height of the supporting member 40.
Therefore, the lower-back supporting structure 100 can help users
to ease their lower-back pain.
[0026] Although the present invention has been explained in
relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that
many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
hereinafter claimed.
* * * * *