Back and lumbar support apparatus and system
A back and lumbar support apparatus comprising: a semi-rigid central support; a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the first panel; a second strap coupled to the first panel; and where the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length. A back and lumbar support apparatus comprising: a semi-rigid central support; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the first panel; a second strap coupled to the first panel; and where the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length. A back and lumbar support system comprising: a seating apparatus with a first arm, a second arm, a first back member, and a second back member; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the first back member and to the second back member; a semi-rigid central support coupled to the first panel; a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the panel and to the first arm; and a second strap coupled to the panel and to the second arm.
The disclosed apparatus and system relate to back supports. In particular, the disclosed apparatus and system relate to a lightweight, portable back support.
BACKGROUNDBack pain and back discomfort are widespread problems, especially when standing, sitting or lounging for extended periods of time. For persons with existing physical conditions involving the dorsal areas of the body, it may not even be a matter of duration, but simply resting on a sitting apparatus such as a beach chair that causes discomfort. Known back support devices have lumbar support mechanisms. Often these lumbar support mechanisms may be adjusted, such as in an automobile seat, by turning a crank to increase or decrease the amount of lumbar pressure exerted by the mechanism, or by pressing a button which inflates or deflates an inflatable lumbar support. However, these lumbar mechanisms are usually difficult to adjust, and difficult to quantify the amount of adjustments. It would be beneficial to the art to have available a device that can be adapted to fit directly on one's body or to fit directly on chairs, recliners, and other furniture for providing support to the cervical and/or lumbar regions of the spine where much of the above-described back discomfort and pain are localized. It would also be desirable to have a device where the lumbar support can be easily adjusted, and the amount of adjustment quantifiable. Additionally, existing back support systems designed for seating are typically passive devices, requiring the mass of the user's body to bear upon them in some fashion for them to provide their supportive function. However, users are often seated or moving about in ways that limit the ability of the back top bear upon the support, for the support to generate sufficient supportive force. There exists a need for a support system that can provide dynamic supportive force to the back through a range of positions. Additionally, while some back support systems can be configured to provide support for a given sitting position—such as in a well-designed office chair—observation and experience indicate that people rarely remain seated in a fixed position, but rather are often shifting position. While people move the typical back support remains fixed, and cannot provide support while users are moving outside the fixed range of the support. There is therefore a need for a support system that can provide support to the user through the typical range of motion of a seated or active upright user.
SUMMARYThe disclosed apparatus relates to a back and lumbar support apparatus comprising: a semi-rigid central support; a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the first panel; a second strap coupled to the first panel; and where the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length.
The disclosed apparatus also relates to a back and lumbar support apparatus comprising: a semi-rigid central support; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the first panel; a second strap coupled to the first panel; and where the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length.
The disclosed apparatus, in addition, relates to a back and lumbar support system comprising: a seating apparatus with a first arm, a second arm, a first back member, and a second back member; a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the first back member and to the second back member; a semi-rigid central support coupled to the first panel; a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support; a first strap coupled to the panel and to the first arm; and a second strap coupled to the panel and to the second arm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which:
The semi-rigid central support 14 is attached to a generally “diamond”-shaped first panel 22 of material. The panel comprises four generally catenary shaped edges 26, 30, 28, 32. Since the edges 26, 30, 28, 32 form a generally catenary curve shape, the first panel 22 is able to provide a supportive force to a broad area of the back, including the lumbar area. A first strap 34 and a second strap 38 are attached to the first panel 22 as shown in
The semi-rigid central support 14 and lumbar support 18 may be fully encased between a second panel (not shown) and the first panel 22. Additionally, a foam layer may also be located between the second panel and the first panel 22 for increased comfort and improved conformation to the physical shape of the user.
The second panel may be constructed of a flexible or semi-flexible material such as polyester, nylon, cotton, military webbing material, mesh, foam, plastic, wood or other suitable material. A non-flexible material may also be used to form the second panel if the construction of the second panel allows for the relative movement of the non-flexible sections of the second panel in such a way as to allow for the back and lumbar support apparatus 10 to conform to and provide physical contact with the user as required to provide the desired benefit of a supportive net force beneficial to maintaining the contour of the spine. The first panel 22 may be constructed in a similar manner as the second panel. Additionally, the second panel may be constructed of a flexible or semi-flexible material such as polyester, nylon, cotton, military webbing material, mesh, foam, plastic, wood or other suitable material. The second panel and first panel 22 may be joined together along their edges by sewing, gluing, thermal bonding, or other suitable attachment method. This joining method may also hold in place internal components such as a foam layer, the semi-rigid central support 14 and lumbar support 18, etc. Although this is described as one embodiment, other embodiments such as a one-piece molded polymer construction are possible that achieve the core utility described in this application.
In operation, one may use the disclosed back and lumbar support apparatus 10 to provide a level of comfort while standing, reclining, or sitting. The back and lumbar support apparatus 10 is suitable for use while active or while stationary. It can be used directly by attaching to the body. It may also be used indirectly as a fixed or flexibly mounted component of a seating apparatus or other items that can provide back support. It is configurable for a wide range of body types.
A primary source of back pain is from muscle fatigue related to maintaining proper contour of the vertebrae of the spine. The spine can be considered as vertical stack of “blocks”—the vertebrae—stabilized primarily by several layers of adjacent muscles, and secondarily by the broader muscle groups of the torso. Successful back support assists back and torso muscles in maintaining the proper contour of the spine, whether seated, reclined, standing, or moving. Since the back is a three-dimensional surface, the most effective back support system is one which provides three-dimensional support.
The back and lumbar support apparatus 10 provides vertical support which enables both fine and gross adjustment by the deformation of the semi-rigid central support 14 and secondarily by the vertical location of the lumbar support 18 along this semi-rigid central support 14. Gross adjustment may be provided for example, by the direct reshaping of the profile of the support through bending. Fine adjustment may be achieved through adjusting the height of lumbar support 18. This gross adjustment is typically made while the device is not in contact with the user. This fine adjustment may be made while the device is not in contact with the user, but may also be made while the device is in contact with the user by pulling an adjustment tab, by pushing an adjustment rod, or by other similar means.
Resilient and elastic properties of the materials and design further provide individual fit over a wide range of body positions for a wide range of body types.
The back and lumbar support apparatus 10 provides a tensioning system which includes the engineering benefits of a catenary curve design and horizontal support through the contour of the lumbar support. When the tension is increased on the triangular flaps 27, 31 force is transferred to the spine in a way that provides support to a broad area of the back. This is further enhanced by the material selection which allows for self-conforming ability to the individual body shape of the user.
One tensioning method, for indirect support when the back and lumbar support apparatus is integrated either fixedly or flexibly mounted into a chair, is to have adjustable length straps attached to the triangular flaps 27, 31. The seated user pulls the straps, which distributes the load along a broad portion of the back and promotes conformance to the user's body to provide a high level and efficient multi-dimensional back support. Additionally, when used indirectly, the additional forces generated by body weight and gravity may also promote additional tensioning and support.
The horizontal support considers the complex profile of the back for improved function. The horizontal support function is provided by the panel 22 as it wraps around the back under tension from straps 34 and 38. The generally catenary shaped edges 26, 30, 28, 32 distribute the point loads of the attachment points of straps 34 and 38 across a broad area of the panel 22. Vertical support is provided by the semi-rigid central support 14 The profile of the back, when seen from the side, appears as a two-dimensional curve. However, the specific shape of the back in the direct region of the spine is more complex. The spine can be considered as vertical stack of “blocks”—the vertebrae—stabilized primarily by several layers of adjacent muscles, and secondarily by the broader muscle groups of the torso. The local muscles of the back appear as two columns of muscles running up either side of the spine itself, the spine in effect representing a valley depressed below the two elevated ridges of muscle. Supports of the back are more effective if they can also nestle vertically into the valley between the columns of muscles, as provided by the disclosed back and lumbar support apparatus 10.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A back and lumbar support apparatus comprising:
- a semi-rigid central support;
- a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support;
- a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support;
- a first strap coupled to the first panel;
- a second strap coupled to the first panel; and
- wherein the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length.
2. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:
- a second panel attached to the first panel, wherein the first and second panels encase the semi-rigid central support and the lumbar support.
3. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:
- a foam layer located between the first and second panel.
4. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a first means of attachment coupled to the first strap;
- a second means of attachment coupled to the second strap; and
- wherein the first means of attachment and second means of attachment are configured to couple to each other.
5. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first means of attachment and second means of attachment are selected from the group consisting of side release nylon buckles, and center release buckles.
6. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semi-rigid central support is made from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, plastic, and nylon.
7. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lumbar support is made from a material selected from the group consisting of foam and plastic.
8. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first panel is made from a material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, cotton, military webbing material, mesh, foam, plastic, and wood.
9. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second panel is made from a material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, cotton, military webbing material, mesh, foam, plastic, and wood.
10. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first strap and second strap are configured to attach to each other generally about a person's waist.
11. A back and lumbar support apparatus comprising:
- a semi-rigid central support;
- a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the semi-rigid central support;
- a first strap coupled to the first panel;
- a second strap coupled to the first panel; and
- wherein the first and second straps are configured to adjust in length.
12. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first strap and second strap are configured to attach to a front of a seating apparatus, and the rear of the first panel is attached to back members of the seating apparatus via a plurality of attaching means configured to generally hold the back and lumbar support apparatus in place.
13. The back and lumbar support apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first strap and second strap are further configured to attach to a plurality of arms located on the seating apparatus.
14. A back and lumbar support system comprising:
- a seating apparatus with a first arm, a second arm, a first back member, and a second back member;
- a first panel, with four catenary edges, coupled to the first back member and to the second back member;
- a semi-rigid central support coupled to the first panel;
- a lumbar support slideably attached to the semi-rigid central support;
- a first strap coupled to the panel and to the first arm; and
- a second strap coupled to the panel and to the second arm.
15. The back and lumbar support system of claim 14, further comprising:
- a first attaching means with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached to the rear of the first panel and the second end is attached to the first back member;
- a second attaching means with a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is attached to the rear of the first panel and the fourth end is attached to the second back member;
- a third attaching means with a fifth end and a sixth end, wherein the fifth end is attached to the rear of the first panel and the sixth end is attached to the first back member;
- a fourth attaching means with a seventh end and an eighth end, wherein the seventh end is attached to the rear of the first panel and the eighth end is attached to the second back member; and
- wherein the first, second, third and fourth attaching means are configured to generally hold the first panel in a position such that it will lie against a user's back when a user sits in the seating apparatus.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 6, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 8, 2007
Inventor: John Fabel (Amherst, MA)
Application Number: 11/219,943
International Classification: A47D 1/10 (20060101);