Chair

Abstract

A chair adapted to support a person so that his weight is distributed between his posterior and his knees. The chair includes a knee support and a seat support sloping generally downward toward the knee support. The sloping seat and the knee support co-operate to shift a portion of the person's weight onto the knee support so that the weight borne by the person's posterior is reduced, thus permitting use of the chair over an extended period of time without the person developing a pain in his posterior. An arcuate, lateral foot rest permits the person to place his feet in a number of comfortable positions.

Description

This invention relates to chairs and is particularly directed to a chair having means by which a person seated thereon may distribute his weight between the chair seat and a knee support.

When a person is seated upon a conventional chair, the bulk of his weight is borne by the seat of the chair. The chair may be provided with a back against which the person may lean but little, if any, weight is borne by the back of the chair. If a person is seated upon the chair for an extended period, his posterior may become quite painful. There is no provision for reducing the weight acting downwardly on the person's posterior.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a chair having means by which a person seated thereon may reduce the weight borne by his posterior.

It is another object to provide a chair having a seat and a knee support so that the person seated thereon may distribute his weight between his posterior and his knee.

It is another object to provide a chair having means by which the distribution of the weight borne by the seat and knee support can be readily adjusted.

It is a further object to provide a chair having means by which a person seated thereon may maintain a straight, vertically disposed body for an extended period of time without discomfort.

These and other objects may be accomplished by providing a chair adapted to support a person and having a seat, and a knee support, said seat and said knee support being spaced apart to accommodate the person's legs, the seat sloping generally downward toward the knee support, the seat and knee support co-operating with each other when the person's posterior rests on the seat and his knees rest on the knee support to shift a portion of the person's weight onto the knee support so that the weight borne by the person's posterior is reduced.

A fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description of three embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basic chair;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an adjustable version of the chair;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the chair shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a collapsible version of the chair;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the collapsible chair shown in FIG. 4 when it is collapsed.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.

With reference to the drawings, the basic chair according to the invention is indicated generally by reference to numeral 10. Chair 10 includes a frame comprising an upright 12, a spacer 14 and a base 16. Chair 10 further has a seat generally indicated by 18, a knee support 20 and a foot support 22.

When the chair is in use, upright 12 is inclined generally vertically and seat 18 is secured to the upper end thereof. Base 16 is secured to the lower end of the upright and extends generally horizontally from the upright.

Seat 18 is preferably the combination of a rectangular planar body 25 and a pad or cushion 26 secured to the upper surface of the planar body. The seat is disposed generally obliquely to the horizontal commencing at a rear edge and sloping generally downward, preferably at an angle of about 30.degree. to the horizintal, toward knee support 20 and terminating at front edge 34.

Spacer 14 is inclined generally vertically and has a side edge 24 which meets upright 12 and lies on a plane on the upright which is generally equidistant from the side edges of the upright. The spacer extends longitudinally of the upright along substantially its entire length or height and laterally of the upright in a plane disposed generally normal to the plane containing the upright. The lower edge 28 of the spacer is secured to base 16 and lies on a plane on the base which is generally equidistant from the side edges of the base.

Two foot supports are secured to the frame, one of which is indicated by the numeral 22, the other of which is hidden by spacer 14. Foot support 22 commences at the edge 30 of base 16 said edge being spaced horizontally apart from a point spaced vertically below front edge 34 of the seat. The foot support slopes upward and by said point, continues upwardly vertically below the seat, and terminates at upright 12. Preferably the supports are arcuate in shape having their centers at the same points on support 20 as the points of contact of the knees of a person seated on the chair The width of the foot supports are at least about as wide as knee support 20 and seat 18. Thus, the person's feet will contact the foot support as he swings his legs from the position illustrated to a position in which his heels contact upright 12. Therefore, when the person is seated upon the chair, the foot supports provide complete support for the person's feet no matter what position his feet may be at on the foot supports.

Knee support 20 is preferably a rectangular planar body to which a pad or cushion 32 may be secured. The support is secured to the upper edge of spacer 14 and is inclined at an oblique angle to the vertical. Preferably, the support is disposed at an angle of about 30.degree. to the vertical and is spaced from the lower front edge 34 of seat 18 a sufficient distance to accommodate the legs of the user of the chair.

To use the chair, a person first straddles spacer 14 and lowers his body until his posterior contacts seat 18. The person places each foot on a separate foot support and rests his knees and shins upon knee support 20. The person's weight will be distributed between the seat and the knee support.

According to the person's position on the chair, more or less weight will be borne by the knee support. If the person's knees are not contacting knee support 20, all his weight will be borne by the seat. As a person moves his posterior toward the knee support, more weight will be borne by the knee support and proportionately less by the seat. As the angle between the person's back and his legs above his knees approaches 180.degree., the knee support will bear most of the person's weight.

A person seated upon the chair will find the chair considerably more comfortable if he is able to change the position of his feet periodically. Arcuate-shaped foot supports permit him to do so since his feet will contact the supports anywhere along their lengths provided the position of his knees on knee support 20 remains somewhat the same.

The chair shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 permits adjustment of the seat attitude and the distance from the lower front edge of the seat to the individual knee supports with a simultaneous change in the attitude of the knee supports. This adjustable chair has a base comprising a pair of main base members 100 an 101 and a pair of cross members 102 and 103 which extend laterally beyond the main base members 100 and 101 for lateral stability. A pair of curved frame members 104 and 105, bolted to the main base members 100 and 101, rise rearwardly to support pivotally secured seat back 111 and the rearward ends of pivotally secured seat frame members 108 and 109. The arcuate frame member 104 bears similarly arcuate lateral foot support 114 which is relatively elongated to support the person's left foot in a variety of positions and which includes a generally horizontal portion 112 at its upper end. Arcuate frame member 105 also bears a similarly arcuate lateral foot support 115 which also includes a generally horizontal portion at its upper end (not visible). Arcuate frame member 105 is also relatively elongated to support the person's right foot in a variety of positions.

Compound brace members 116 and 117 each consist of three portions. These portions are 116a, 116b, 116c, 117a, 117b and 117c respectively.

The arcuate frame members 104 and 105 are braced by brace members 116c and 117c secured to the rearmost end of main base members 100 and 101 in co-operation with brace members 116a, 116b, 117a and 117b and brace members 118 and 119 secured to the rearmost and foremost ends of main base members 100 and 101 respectively.

As already mentioned, the rearward end of seat frame members 108 and 109 are pivotally secured to the upper end of curved frame members 104 and 105 by pivots 106 and 107 shared with back 111. The forward end portions of seat frame members 108 and 109 are supported by the upper end of knee support frame members 122 and 123 pivotally secured at their lower ends to main base members 100 and 101.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower end of knee support frame 122 and 123 pass respectively through an elongated opening 121 in foot support 114 and an elongated opening in foot support 115 hidden by main base member 101. The forward end of seat frame member 108 and the upper end of knee support frame member 122 contain slots 126 and 128 respectively. The attitudes of knee supports 130 and 131 and seat 110 may be locked in selected attitudes by a locking device comprising a threaded bolt 124 passing through slots 126 and 128, the bolt being fastened with a wing nut (not shown). Similarly, seat frame member 109 and knee support frame member 123 are locked together by threaded bolts 125 and a wing nut (not shown), the bolt 125 passing through slots 127 and 129 respectively. On the upper end of knee support frame member 122 is secured a knee support 130 on which is secured a pad or cushion 132. Knee support 131, secured to knee support frame member 123, bears a pad or cushion 133. Knee supports 130 and 131 extend beyond the upper end of knee support frame members 122 and 123 by the width of cross-member 134 which holds knee supports 130 and 131 in the same plane. An additional cross-member 136 which is generally U-shaped, the arms of the "U" containing the outer faces of knee support frame members 122 and 123 and the ends of the arms of the "U" abutting the front side of knee supports 130 and 131, is fastened to the knee supports for added rigidity.

The seat frame members 108 and 109 together support seat generally 110 comprising a rectangular planar body 135 and a pad or cushion 113 secured to it. A seat position reference devise 138 is pivotally secured between brace members 116 and 117. The reference device 138 comprises a generally vertical member 140 on which is mounted a multiple position catch 141 having stops 139 which the person engages with pin 142 mounted in the frame member 108 on the person's left hand to maintain the seat in a selected attitude when the locking device is released to permit adjusting the knee support alone. Member 140 pivots on pivot 143 which extends between frame members 16 and 117. The seat position reference device engages with pin 142 to maintain seat 110 in a satisfactory selected attitude during adjustment of the knee support to a new selected attitude.

The seat back 111, which is pivotally secured near its lower extremity to the upper end of curved frame members 104 and 105, comprises two generally upright members 144 and 145 and two cross-members 146 and 147 which form a rigid unit.

The lower extremities of upright members 144 and 145 have notches 148 separating teeth 149 which co-operate with pin 150 and a second pin (not shown) to lock back 111 in one of a number of attitudes. Upright members 144 and 145 may be straight but are preferably shaped to conform to the general contours of a person's back.

This chair is used in a manner very similar to that already described for the chair shown in FIG. 1, the person using the chair adjusting the attitudes of seat back 111, seat 110 and knee supports 130 and 131 to suit his particular anatomical proportions and the job at hand. The attitudes of seat 110 and knee supports 130 and 131 may be adjusted simultaneously by loosening the wing nuts on bolts 124 and 125, adjusting seat 110 and knee supports 130 and 131 to a selected attitude, and re-tightening the wing nuts. If only the attitude of knee supports 130 and 131 is to be changed, the attitude of seat 110 is fixed by engaging pin 142 with one of the stops 139 on seat position reference device 138. Then the attitude of knee supports 130 and 131 is adjusted as desired. Careful adjustment enables the person using the chair to comfortably place his feet over most of the length of foot supports 114 and 115.

This chair may be modified by providing several positions for the seat frame member and knee support frame member to be pivotally secured to. This modification would permit wider variation in the positioning of the knee support and the seat thus permitting the people of widely varying anatomical proportions to adjust the chair to their requirements.

In addition, the knee support frame members and the seat frame members may have separate locking mechanisms to permit adjusting the knee supports and the seat separately.

Instead of the foot support being rigidly fastened to the frame, it may be height-adjustable, and, if desired, curvature adjustable.

The collapsible version of the chair shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has an A-frame comprising front legs 200 and 201, rear legs 202 and 203 and bracing means comprising a cord or rope 204. Front legs 200 and 201 and rear legs 202 and 203 are pivotally mounted to the bottom side of rectangular planar body 206 on hinges 209, 210, 208 and 211 respectively such that they pivot on a common axis. This arrangement permits folding the legs up against the seat so that the chair forms a relatively compact unit when collapsed. Rear legs 202 and 203 are fastened together by upper cross-member 212 and lower cross-member 213, the latter containing a hole 214 through which passes cord or rope 204 which ends in knot 216. The other end of chord or rope 204 passes through hole 218 in cross-member 220 which fastens front legs 200 and 201 together and ends in a knot (not shown). Cord or rope 204 functions as an angular separation limiting means to limit the angular separation of front legs 200 and 201 from rear legs 202 and 203. If the chair is used out-of-doors, the legs may sink into soft ground far enough that no cord or rope is necessary to keep them from slipping apart.

Rectangular planar body 206 and two pads or cushions 222 and 223 secured to it form seat 224. The pads or cushions 222 and 223 are spaced apart by approximately the width of knee support frame member 226 which is rigidly secured to rectangular planar body 206. On the forward end of knee support frame member 226 is pivotally mounted hexagonal planar body 228 to which are secured two pads or cushions 230 and 231 spaced apart by at least the width of knee support frame member 226. Hexagonal planar body 228 and pads or cushions 230 and 231 comprise the knee support indicated generally as 232. The shape of hexagonal planar body 228 may be considered to be a rectangle, the two lower corners of which have been removed to produce a lower horizontal edge long enough to fit into stops in the form of pairs of notches 234 on the front of legs 200 and 201. The stops co-operate with the knee support to prevent it from sliding on the frame, thus permitting the person to adjust the knee support selectively to a variety of positions. When knee support 232 is in position with its lower edge fitted into a pair of notches 234, seat 224 slopes generally downward towards knee support 232.

To use the collapsible chair, a person extends front legs 200 and 201 and rear legs 202 and 203 until the cord or rope 204 is fully extended. Then the person raises knee support 232 by its upper edge and places its lower edge in one pair of notches 234. Then the person places his posterior on seat 224 and adjusts the position of his knees on knee support 232 for maximum comfort, adjusting the attitude of the knee support, if necessary. Since seat 224 slopes generally downward towards knee support 232, a portion of the person's weight is borne by his posterior and a portion of his weight is borne by his knees.

The collapsible chair also lends itself to modifications. Instead of two front legs, one bifurcated leg with a broad foot may be used. Alternatively, two seat support members and one front leg may be used. One bifurcated rear leg with a broad foot may replace the two rear legs.

In addition, the cord or rope for bracing the legs at the desired separation may be replaced by one or two rigid members hinged to one of cross-member 220 or lower cross-member 213, the rigid member(s) being provided with notches which co-operate with the other of cross-member 220 or lower cross-member 213.

Instead of the seat being fixed, it may be made adjustable by providing a second rectangular planar body pivotally secured near its front edge to rectangular planar body 206 also near its front edge. A multiple position height adjustment device provided near the rear edges of both planar bodies would permit fixing the height of the rear edge of the upper planar body, thus permitting variations in the seat attitude to suit variations in the knee support attitude. The same result may be achieved by providing a plurality of points on the knee support where the knee support member may be pivotally secured.

It may be preferable to provide means for altering the height of the edge of the foot support of the basic and adjustable versions of the chair. Thus, the feet of the user of the chair will remain in comfortable contact with the foot support as his legs swing from a substantially vertical position to a more horizontal position.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the embodiments of the present invention as described hereinabove without departing from the scope and purview of the appended claims.

Claims

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A chair adapted to support a person, the chair having a seat, a knee support and a lateral arcuate foot support for supporting both feet of the person and having a width at least about as wide as said knee support and said seat, the seat commencing at a rear edge, sloping generally downwardly and terminating at a front edge spaced apart from the knee support, said foot support commencing at a point spaced horizontally apart from a point spaced vertically below the front edge of the seat thence extending upwardly and by said point and continuing upwardly vertically below the seat, the seat and knee and foot supports cooperating with one another so that when the person's posterior rests on the seat and his knees rest on the knee support, the person may shift a portion of his weight unto the knee support so that the weight borne by the person's posterior is reduced and so that the person may freely shift the position of both feet from a position vertically below the knee support to a position vertically below the seat.

2. A chair as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attitude of the seat is adjustable.

3. A chair as claimed in claim 1 in which the attitude of the knee support is adjustable.

4. A chair as claimed in claim 1 in which the knee support is pivotally secured to a frame and the seat is pivotally secured to the frame, further including a locking device and a seat position reference device, the locking device co-operating with both the seat and the knee support to lock the seat and the knee support in selected attitudes, the seat position reference device co-operating with the seat to maintain the seat in a satisfactory selected attitude during adjustment of the knee support to a new selected attitude.

5. A chair as claimed in claim 1 further including a back having teeth, the back being pivotally secured to a frame and a removable pin inserted in the frame, the removable pin co-operating with the teeth on the back to lock the back in a selected attitude so that the person is able to adjust the attitude of the back when the removable pin is removed.

6. A chair as claimed in claim 1 wherein the chair has a collapsible frame including front and rear legs pivotally secured to the seat on a common axis to permit folding the legs up against the seat so that the chair forms a relatively compact unit when collapsed.

7. A chair as claimed in claim 1 in which the knee support is pivotally secured to the frame, further including a plurality of stops on the frame, the stops co-operating with the knee support to prevent the knee support from sliding on the frame so that the person is able to adjust the knee support selectively to a variety of positions.

8. A chair adapted to support a person, the chair comprising a frame, a seat pivotally secured to the frame, a knee support pivotally secured to the frame, the seat sloping generally downward toward the knee support, a back pivotally secured near its lower extremity to the frame, the back having teeth at its lower extremity pivoting with it, a removable pin inserted in the frame, the removable pin co-operating with the teeth on the back to lock the back in a selected attitude, lateral arcuate foot supports rigidly secured to the frame, the foot supports being relatively elongated to support the person's feet in a variety of positions, a locking device comprising two threaded bolts with one nut each, each bolt co-operating with both the seat and the knee support to lock each of the seat and the knee support in a selected attitude, a seat position reference device provided with stops, and a pin on the seat, the person engaging the stops with the pin on the seat to maintain the seat in a selected attitude when the locking device is released so that when a person sits on the chair with his posterior resting on the seat and his knees resting on the knee support, he is able to place his feet on the foot supports, lean on the back, adjust the attitude of the back when the removable pin is removed, and adjust the attitude of each of the seat and knee support to alter the portion of his weight borne by his posterior when the locking device is released, adjustment of the knee support alone being made when the seat position reference device is engaged with the pin on the seat.