Supporting device for a person's back and head area
The invention relates to a supporting device for the back and head of a human being. Said device comprises a partial area of a back supporting section at the level of the shoulder blade, a central supporting surface in the region of a vertebral column and open areas which are arranged on the both sides of the central supporting surface in such a way that the shoulder blade regions can be lowered beyond the central supporting area. The invention can be used for furniture for the household or workplace.
This application is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 10/520 051, filed Dec. 29, 2004, hereby incorporated herein by reference, which was the national stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2003/006244, filed Jun. 13, 2003, which International Application was not published in English.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a supporting device for a person's back and head area, with a back support section and with a head support section, and to a home or workplace furniture item or leisure item with such a supporting device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSuch supporting devices are generally known in the form of couches or the like. Such supporting devices can be padded or unpadded. Individuals can take up position on supporting devices of this kind. If a person takes up a position lying on his back on such a supporting device, both the back area and the head area are supported. The back area extends from the coccyx to the neck area. To permit a secure support for the person, the supporting device has a back support section for the back area and a head support section for the head area. The back support section is designed with such a width as to permit a secure position of the person. In particular, the back support section has, at least from the hip area to the shoulder area, a width which corresponds at least to the width of the corresponding areas of the person, so as to allow the person to lie securely on it. Such supporting devices often have an orthopedic design and/or adapt naturally to the person's posture.
A person's posture is often poor in orthopedic terms. In particular, poor posture at the workplace or in other environments may lead to shortening of the chest muscles, which in turn can lead to a rounded back posture, in particular to a hunched back.
The object of the invention is to make available a supporting device of the type mentioned at the outset which, by simple means, in particular by allowing gymnastic exercises, makes it possible to counteract this shortening of the chest muscles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis object is achieved by the fact that, in a supporting position, a partial area of the back support section has, at the level of shoulder blade areas of the back area, a support surface in a spinal column area and, on both sides of the support surface, has open areas which are configured in such a way that the shoulder blade areas can move downward past the support surface.
According to the invention, therefore, a person lying on his back on the supporting device can stretch his chest muscles in a simple manner by extending his arms out to the sides and either leaves them, in the outwardly extended position, under their inherent weight or actively moves the arms and thus also the shoulders downward, i.e. toward the rear side of the back support section. Since, at shoulder blade level, the support surface provides only a central, preferably narrow and at least partial support in the spinal column area and since the shoulder blade areas can be moved at least substantially freely downward, i.e. past the support surface toward the rear side, it is possible to stretch the chest muscles. The person preferably lies on the supporting device in a position which is in an angle range of 45° to 90° to the vertical. In the supporting position, an at least approximately horizontal alignment of back section and head support section is particularly preferred. In this way, the inherent weight of the arm and shoulder areas already effects a desired stretching of the chest muscles, without the person necessarily having to actively exert force in order to achieve the aim of stretching the chest muscles. The supporting device thus fulfills a double function in that the provision of the recumbent position ensures a relaxed posture and, in addition, the simple lateral extension and subsequent lowering at least of the upper arms approximately at right angles to the thoracic cage ensures stretching of the chest muscles. If the forearms too, in straight continuation of the upper arms, are extended laterally outward approximately at right angles to the thoracic cage area, the lever effect caused by the inherent weight of the arms is further increased, so that the stretching effect of the chest muscles is also improved. The open areas present on both sides of the central support surface can each be completely open to the outside within the entire support surface formed by the back support section and the head support section. Alternatively, they can also be closed in the lateral outer edge areas if the transverse extent of the open areas is so great that, with the upper arms extended at right angles, at least the elbow areas can move downward through the open areas. However, the open areas are preferably also designed open laterally outward in order to permit the desired mobility of the shoulders and arms even when the total width of the supporting surface is small. From the coccyx or hip area to just below the shoulder blade areas, the back support section is advantageously made at least so wide that it corresponds to the width of a human thoracic cage, so as to permit secure supporting of the person's back area at least to just under the shoulder areas. The head support section too is preferably configured so that it ensures a secure supporting of the head.
The solution according to the invention can be applied in different environments. In particular, it can form part of various items of furniture in the home, office or workplace or in the leisure sector. The supporting device can in particular rest on a separate base, for example a frame, or can itself be provided with suitable support, frame or leg elements in order to permit positioning on a base. In a particularly simple embodiment, the supporting device is formed as a rigid support unit by means of a single panel made of shape-stable material, in particular wood or plastic, which is provided with the back support section, including the support surface and the lateral open areas, and with the head support section. In other functional arrangements, such a panel can be integrated within them or coupled to them. Thus, in particular, it is possible to arrange such a panel removably in the area of a room door or in the area of a room wall and, when so required, to remove it from the door or wall and position it on a suitable base. Alternatively, an embodiment is proposed in which such a panel is arranged releasably on an item of home or office furniture. In particular, it is proposed to fit such a panel standing in a pedestal forming part of a light, and in particular provided with at least one luminescent tube situated behind the panel. The panel serving as supporting device thus has an additional function, by serving as a shade or screen for the lighting means.
In one embodiment of the invention, the head support section and the back support section are separate structural parts which can be fitted to one another for the supporting position, forming the open areas. In this way, it is possible to fit the head support section and the back support section to each other to form the desired supporting position for back and head only when required. When not needed for stretching of the chest muscles, the head support section and the back support section can have entirely different functions. Thus, it is possible in particular to use the surface of at least one support section as a table top or as a seating arrangement when the supporting function for a person's body is not required.
In one embodiment of the invention, the open areas are formed by laterally open recesses of the back support section. In this case, the back support section in an area below the recesses, seen toward the foot of the body, is advantageously much wider than the central, preferably narrow support surface at the level of the shoulder blade areas, so that a secure support is obtained in the rear rib area of the person's body. The recesses advantageously form a division of the back support section from the head support section, so that the connection by means of the support surface is maintained only between the head support section and the back support section at least for the supporting position.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the recesses can be closed by detachable or movable cover elements. As soon as the recesses are closed by suitable cover elements, the back support section preferably including the head support section can have a continuous panel shape or continuous surface. In this way, the back support section and/or head support section can be used for completely different functions when they are not fitted together for the supporting position.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the back support section and the head support section are integrated in a rigid support unit. The back support section and the head support section are thus part of a common rigid unit. The back support section and the head support section advantageously form a shape-stable panel which, when not needed for chest stretching purposes, can be used in another way, in particular as a table, as a seating arrangement or similar.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the rigid support unit is arranged so as to be movable between an in particular vertical rest position and an in particular horizontal supporting position. In this way, it is possible for the back support unit formed by back support section and head support section to be moved to the desired supporting position only when so required. When not required, the support unit can have another function or can remain without any function in a rest position. In particularly preferred embodiments, the support unit is positioned movably in the area of table arrangements or is alternatively designed as a fold-out backrest of a chair or stool. It is advantageously also possible to integrate the support unit in a concealed manner in a seat or couch and bring it to the supporting position only when needed. Pivot bearings, linear guides and similar are in particular provided for the movable arrangement of the support unit between the rest position and the supporting position.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the head support section and the back support section are mounted with respect to one another so as to be movable between the rest position and the functional position by guide means. The guide means provided can be combined swivel/slide guides, purely linear guides or hinge arrangements, or otherwise configured cam guides.
The supporting device according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously for home furniture items, leisure items or workplace items. It is used particularly advantageously in seats, couches or combined seat/couch units. Such items of furniture can be both stationary and also movable, i.e. can be accommodated in particular in vehicles or even in buildings or rooms.
The invention also relates to an add-on unit which, together with existing items of furniture or other objects which each have a surface part, form a supporting device in the sense of the invention. The add-on unit according to the invention has a head support section and a spacer part serving as a support surface for the spinal column area. The add-on unit is secured by means of at least one connection element to a surface part of the item of furniture or of the object, and the surface part, when the head support section and spacer part are added on, takes over the function of the back support section of the supporting device. The spacer part is designed in such a way that the open areas are obtained on both sides for movement of the shoulder blades. The spacer part is also designed so narrow, as support surface for the spinal column area, that suitable shoulder blade movements are not impeded by the spacer part. By means of this solution, it is possible in particular to attach the add-on unit to existing table, seat and/or couch units and so obtain a supporting device according to the invention.
Further advantages and features of the invention are set out in the claims and in the description, given below, of preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention explained with reference to the drawings in which:
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The person lying on the supporting device preferably performs a stretching exercise such that, lying on his back, he extends his arms horizontally out to the sides and in doing so turns the palms of the hands upward. Through the inherent weight of the extended arms, these necessarily move, together with the shoulder areas and shoulder blade areas, downward in the area of the recesses 3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f toward a base, as a result of which the transversely running chest muscles lying to the front are stretched. In this way, it is possible to effectively counteract shortening of the chest muscles in a relaxed position and without great effort, by which means injury due to poor posture can be avoided or reduced.
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To bring it to the supporting position, the support unit 1 can in particular be placed on one or more support or frame elements. To fix the support unit 1 in the recess of the room door 9, detachable securing means are provided in the area of the room door 9.
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The support surface 4h is configured in a panel shape so that, in the plugged-in state, the head support section 5h remains positioned at a distance from the two back support sections 5h. In this way, the recesses 3h are formed.
A similar design with an add-on unit is shown in
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With this configuration, it is possible to use the table arrangement 30 also as a supporting device. The corresponding supporting position is shown in
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All the embodiments described above are shown only schematically. Dimensions and proportions of individual parts or sections in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to practical configurations. The corresponding support sections, support units or supporting devices can thus also have padded, unpadded, not flat, but curved or orthopedically shaped surfaces. The invention is therefore not limited to the described illustrative embodiments and instead also encompasses other designs obvious to a skilled person.
Claims
1. A supporting device for a person's back and head area, with a back support section and with a head support section, characterized in that, in a supporting position, a partial area of the back support section has, at the level of shoulder blade areas of the back area, a support surface in a spinal column area and, on both sides of the support surface, open areas which are configured in such a way that the shoulder blade areas can move downward past the support surface.
2. The supporting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the head support section and the back support section are separate structural parts which can be fitted to each other for the supporting position, forming the open areas.
3. The supporting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the open areas are formed by laterally open recesses of the back support section.
4. The supporting device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the recesses can be closed by detachably or movably arranged cover elements.
5. The supporting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the back support section and the head support section are integrated in a rigid support unit.
6. The supporting device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the rigid support unit is arranged to be movable between an in particular vertical rest position and an in particular horizontal supporting position.
7. The supporting device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the head support section and the back support section are mounted relative to one another so as to be able to be moved between the rest position and the supporting position by guide means.
8. A home or workplace furniture item or leisure item, characterized in that a supporting device as claimed in claim 1 is provided.
9. The home or workplace furniture item or leisure item as claimed in claim 8, configured as a set and/or couch.
10. An add-on unit with a head support section and a spacer part and with at least one connection element for securing the add-on unit to a surface part, the spacer part being configured as a support surface for a spinal column area, and the securing being done such that the surface part as back support section serves for the overall creation of a supporting device as claimed in claim 1.
11. A method of stretching the chest area by using a longitudinally elongate supporting device, said method comprising:
- providing a longitudinally elongate supporting device including a head support section and a back support section, said back support section defining a first support surface disposed at the level of shoulder blade areas of a person, and a second support surface, said first support surface being disposed between said head support section and said second support surface, said first and second support surfaces each having a width dimension defined transversely relative to a longitudinal central axis of said supporting device and said second support surface having a longitudinal dimension defined parallel to the central longitudinal axis of said supporting device, said first support surface defining a pair of areas which open sidewardly outwardly on opposite sides of said back support section for receiving the respective shoulder blade areas of the person, each said area having an innermost edge defined by an outer longitudinal edge of said first support surface and located adjacent the central longitudinal axis, said width dimension of said first support surface being defined transversely between said innermost edges of said areas and being significantly less than said width dimension of said second support surface, said width dimension of said first support surface being sufficiently narrow so that said first support surface supports substantially only a spinal column region of the person to permit the respective shoulder blade areas of the person to move downwardly below said first support surface without meeting any substantial resistance from said supporting device, said longitudinal dimension and said width dimension of said second support surface being of a dimension sufficient for fully supporting the person's thoracic region, said areas each having a maximum width dimension extending transversely between the respective said innermost edge to an outer extent in longitudinal alignment with an outer longitudinal edge of said second support surface, said width dimension of each said area being greater than said width dimension of said first support surface;
- lying on said supporting device with the back positioned in direct supportive engagement with said supporting device;
- positioning the head on said head support section;
- positioning the back on said back support section with the spinal column region on said first support surface of said back support section, the thoracic region on said second support surface of said back support section, and the shoulder blade areas over the respective said areas such that the shoulder blade areas do not meet any substantial resistance from said supporting device when the arms are extended sidewardly and then moved downwardly; and
- performing a stretching exercise by extending the arms horizontally sidewardly with the palms facing upward, and then allowing the arms to move downwardly under their inherent weight so as to move the shoulder blade areas downwardly into the respective areas, thereby stretching the chest area.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of providing said supporting device comprises providing said head support section with a width dimension defined transversely relative to the longitudinal central axis of said supporting device, said width dimension of said head support section being greater than said width dimension of said first support surface.
13. A method of stretching the chest area by using a longitudinally elongate supporting device, said method comprising:
- providing a longitudinally elongate supporting device including a head support section defining a flat head support surface and a back support section, said back support section defining a first flat support surface disposed at the level of shoulder blade areas of a person, and a second flat support surface, said first support surface being disposed between said head support surface and said second support surface, said head support surface and said first and second support surfaces all lying within a common horizontal plane, said first and second support surfaces each having a width dimension defined transversely relative to a longitudinal central axis of said supporting device and said second support surface having a longitudinal dimension defined parallel to the central longitudinal axis of said supporting device, said first support surface defining a pair of areas which open sidewardly outwardly on opposite sides of said back support section for receiving the respective shoulder blade areas of the person, each said area having an innermost edge defined by an outer longitudinal edge of said first support surface and located adjacent the central longitudinal axis, said width dimension of said first support surface being defined transversely between said innermost edges of said areas and being significantly less than said width dimension of said second support surface, said width dimension of said first support surface being sufficiently narrow so that said first support surface supports substantially only a spinal column region of the person and said areas being unobstructed sidewardly outwardly in a direction away from the central axis and being unobstructed downwardly in a direction transverse to the common plane to permit the respective shoulder blade areas and the arms of the person in respective sidewardly outwardly extended positions generally parallel to the common plane to move downwardly below the common plane without meeting any substantial resistance from said supporting device, said width dimension of said second support surface, longitudinally between a location on said second support surface corresponding axially to a hip area of a person and a location on said second support surface immediately axially adjacent the respective said areas in which the shoulder blade areas are positioned, being of a dimension sufficient for fully supporting the width of person's thoracic region while lying on the back, said areas each having a maximum width dimension extending transversely between the respective said innermost edge to an outer extent in longitudinal alignment with an outer longitudinal edge of said second support surface, said width dimension of each said area being greater than said width dimension of said first support surface;
- lying on said supporting device with the back positioned in direct supportive engagement with said supporting device;
- positioning the head on said flat head support surface of said head support section;
- positioning the back on said back support section with the spinal column region on said first flat support surface of said back support section, the thoracic region on said second flat support surface of said back support section, and the shoulder blade areas over the respective said areas; and
- thereafter performing a stretching exercise comprising: fully extending the arms; thereafter positioning the fully extended arms horizontally sidewardly outwardly generally parallel to the common plane with the palms facing upward; thereafter allowing the arms and the respective shoulder blade areas to move downwardly into the respective said areas and below the common plane under their inherent weight without meeting any substantial resistance from said supporting device and thereby stretching the chest area and improving the posture.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of providing said supporting device comprises providing said head support section with a width dimension defined transversely relative to the longitudinal central axis of said supporting device, said width dimension of said head support section being greater than said width dimension of said first support surface.
15. A method of stretching the chest area using a longitudinally elongate supporting device defining a longitudinal axis and having a head support section, and a back support section having a thoracic support surface and a narrow-width support surface located axially between the head support section and the thoracic support surface and including a pair of recesses on opposite sides thereof, said method comprising the steps of:
- lying on the supporting device with the back positioned in direct supportive engagement with the supporting device;
- positioning the head on the head support section;
- positioning the back on the back support section with the spinal column region supported on the narrow-width support surface, the shoulder blade areas positioned over the respective recesses, and the thoracic region supported on the thoracic support surface;
- fully extending the arms;
- positioning the fully extended arms horizontally sidewardly outwardly with the palms facing upward; and
- lowering the arms and the associated shoulder areas downwardly into the respective recesses and below the support surfaces of the back support section, thereby stretching the chest area and improving the posture.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of lowering the arms is performed after said step of positioning the fully extended arms horizontally sidewardly outwardly.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of lowering the arms comprises allowing the arms and the associated shoulder areas to move downwardly under their inherent weight.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of positioning the fully extended arms comprises positioning the fully extended arms horizontally sidewardly outwardly generally parallel to a plane in which the support surfaces of the back support section are disposed.
19. A method of stretching the chest area using a supporting device, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a longitudinally elongate supporting device defining a longitudinal axis and having a head support section, and a back support section having a thoracic support surface and a narrow-width support surface located axially between the head support section and the thoracic support surface and including a pair of recesses on opposite sides thereof, said method comprising the steps of:
- lying on the supporting device with the back positioned in direct supportive engagement with the supporting device;
- positioning the head on the head support section;
- positioning the back on the back support section with the spinal column region supported on the narrow-width support surface, the shoulder blade areas positioned over the respective recesses, and the thoracic region supported on the thoracic support surface;
- fully extending the arms;
- positioning the fully extended arms horizontally sidewardly outwardly with the palms facing upward; and
- lowering the arms and the associated shoulder areas downwardly into the respective recesses and below the support surfaces of the back support section, thereby stretching the chest area and improving the posture.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 1, 2009
Publication Date: Oct 29, 2009
Inventor: Joachim Berc (Los Angeles, CA)
Application Number: 12/459,443
International Classification: A63B 26/00 (20060101); A47B 37/00 (20060101); A47C 13/00 (20060101);