Reclining Chair

Abstract

A chair includes first and second support areas disposed in such an angular relationship with respect to the floor and to each other than an individual incapable of supporting himself may be supported in a reclining position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to providing support for persons in a reclining position.

There are many handicapped persons who, because of neurotic or muscular disorders, are unable to sit in chairs or otherwise support themselves. In order to feed such infirm persons, it is necessary for a nurse or other attendant to manually support at least the head of the infirm person, leaving only one hand free to feed, and at the same time otherwise control, the patient. Providing support solely for the head is also not satisfactory since the rest of the body remains prostrate, which makes it difficult for the person to swallow his food.

Of course, there are many other occasions when it is desirable to support an infirm person, such as a mentally retarded child, in at least a recumbent or reclining position so that the person can be attended. For instance, it is necessary to support retarded children and children who are victims of muscular or neurotic diseases, such as muscular distrophy, in at least a reclining position for substantial periods of time in order to instruct the children. From the viewpoint of the infirm child, it is simply more comfortable to be supported at some position other than the prostrate position that he is otherwise relegated to for the better part of his life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved chair which will support a person unable to support himself in a reclining position so that the person may be fed or otherwise attended.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the reclining chair according to the concept of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is view of another embodiment wherein the reclining chair has castors for ease of movement.

In the drawing the letter A generally designates a chair on a floor B for providing support for a person who is unable to support himself. The chair A is of unitary construction and includes a first support area 10 having a substantially flat portion 10a which is disposed at an oblique angle with respect to a horizontal plane such as the floor B on which the chair is placed. The first support area 10 further includes a curved surface area 10b which is connected to rear wall 11.

The chair A further includes a second support area 12 which is disposed at an oblique angle with respect to the floor B but is approximately perpendicular to the flat portion 10a of the support area 10. A connecting support area 13 connects the first support area portion 10a and the second surface 12. The connecting surface area 13 may be bowed so that a person placed in the chair will be more comfortable, or it may provide a flat surface as shown in the drawings.

A third support area 14 is also disposed in a plane oblique to the horizontal or floor on which the chair is sitting. The third support area 14 is connected to the second support area and cooperates with the first, second and third support areas to receive and maintain a person in a recumbent or reclining position. The substantially flat portion 10a of the first support area is disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the second support area 12 and is also in a plane substantially parallel to the third support area 14.

The first support area 10 supports the upper body of a person sitting therein so that a substantial portion of the person's body is in a reclining position which allows the person to be fed or otherwise attended to with much greater ease. The second support area 12 provides the support for the buttocks and upper leg regions of the lower body of the person sitting in the chair so that the person will be supported even though he is unable to provide any muscular support himself. The third surface area provides a comfortable resting position for the lower portion of the legs below the knee joint if, of course the person is sufficiently tall that his legs extend onto the third support area 14.

The chair A further includes the vertically extending shoulders 15 and 16 that are formed at the sides of the support areas 10, 12, 13, and 14 to provide sides or extended chair arms that prevent a person who cannot control himself from falling out the sides of the chair. The vertically extending shoulders 15 and 16 are connected to surfaces 17 and 18, respectively, which are disposed in planes substantially parallel to the first, second and third support areas which actually support the person. Finally, upstanding side walls 19 and 20 are attached to the surfaces 17 and 18 and to the rear supporting wall 11 in order to provide support for the entire chair as a unit.

It is understood that the chair A can be constructed out of fiber glass or plastic and therefore may be of the unitary construction disclosed in the preferred embodiment of this invention. It is to be further understood that, if it is desirable to construct the chair A from more than one type or piece of material, proper connecting means such as hinges and brackets may be used to connect the support areas and rear walls to each other.

In dealing with children who are suffering from handicaps such as mental retardation, it is desirable to maintain these children in the inclined position for long periods of time so that the children can observe their environment and be taught as well as fed and otherwise attended to. Unfortunately, there is tremendous shortage of professional nursing help in hospitals and clinics which makes it impossible for the children to be supervised so closely that chair wetting may be prevented. And, due to this shortage of nurses, some time may pass before a wet child is discovered. In order to at least make the children more comfortable by allowing the waste to be drained, a plurality of holes such as 21 and 22 are cut into the connecting support area 13 at the lowest point with respect to the ground so that the undesirable waste can be eliminated. A pan 22 can be positioned below the holes in order to collect the waste. In this manner the children can be kept reasonably clean and free of foul odors until a nurse or attendant can take care of their needs.

In FIG. 2 the chair A is shown as being mounted on casters such as 23 and 24 which allow the chair and any patients sitting therein to be moved about with ease.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the chair disclosed is designed to be very comfortable and may be used as a comfort chair. Since the chair A is fiberglass, it may be used as a patio chair and will remain intact in spite of exposure to moisture and other environmental elements.

Claims

I claim:

1. A chair of unitary construction for providing support for a person unable to support himself, comprising:

a. a first support area disposed at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal for receiving and supporting the upper body of the body:

b. a second support area disposed at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal and cooperating with said first support area in order to receive the lower body of the person and to provide support for the person in a reclining position whereby the individual can be fed or otherwise attended;

c. a third support area cooperating with said second support area to receive the portion of the legs below the knee joint and provide support therefor;

d. a fourth support area interposed between said first and second support areas; and

e. a hole disposed in said fourth support area in order to provide drainage; and,

f. shoulder portions integrally connected with each of the sides of said first, second, third and fourth support areas in order to maintain an individual comfortably positioned within said chair wherein a support chair of unitary construction is provided.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 including:

a. Casters mounted on said chair to engage the floor in order to provide support for said chair whereby said chair and any person positioned therein may be easily moved about.