PORTABLE SEAT CUSHION WITH EXTENDING FOOTREST

Abstract

A portable seat cushion with an enclosed leg rest (14) and footrest (16) that slides out from its interior in a telescoping manner. The attached leg rest (14) and footrest (16) elevate a user's extremities by way of the user's weight sitting upon the seat cushion. No supporting external bracing is required to keep the legs and feet horizontal, or nearly horizontal and above the ground (24). The leg rest and footrest can be adjusted by sliding the two components forward or back as needed. The assembly can be used only as a seat cushion (22) or in the extended position (24) as an elevated rest, similar to a recliner. The assembly is lightweight and compact for movement from one seat to another.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to portable foot and leg rests, specifically to such rests that can be used in a chair, couch or bench and rests or attaches to same.

Leg supports, foot rests and leg rests, have been produced in the past, namely in the form of the ottoman. Ottomans have been in western homes since at least the late eighteenth century, but they were relatively heavy and bulky pieces of furniture that tended to stay in one room.

Portable leg supports, foot rests and leg rests have been patented in the past. These tend to come in three varieties. First, there are various types of foot stools such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,374 to Fidler (1994), and U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,547 B1 to Russell, et al (2006). Although these foot stools are portable, they have the disadvantage of requiring assembly, and they require readjustment anytime a user shifts his stance or distance from the stool. In addition, these devices are not much better than using whatever handy object there is in the room, i.e. a trashcan or set of books.

A portable leg rest, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,221 to Stander (1995), offers the advantages of a combined seat cushion with a leg rest that extends outward, providing full, lengthwise support of the lower body. It is simple in construction and portable, being able to fold up into a component package that can be carried with one hand to another location or stored. The leg rest also has two feet at the bottom to prevent slippage. This design is flawed, however, in that in its extended position the leg rest is bulky to move and requires effort on the part of the user to adjust it once he is seated. It cannot be used on a swivel chair safely. This rules out most uses of this leg rest in an office work environment where most chairs are swivel. Also, the feet of this leg rest, which are adjustable to make them easier to come in contact with the ground, must be adjusted with effort by getting up from the chair, bending over and making the necessary changes. For some people who have health problems and need such a leg rest it is inconceivable that they can easily make the adjustment.

Several U.S. patents embody the third type of portable leg rest/footrest. U.S. Pat. No. D553,371 S to Haskell (2007), U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,033 to Hansburg (1966), U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,152 to Green (1934), U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,613 to Bushong (1952), U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,164 to Mead (1937), U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,192 to Faulise (2000), U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,484 to Aronson (1992), all incorporate the novel idea of a rest that need not attach to the chair but relies upon the user's own legs to keep them upright and support the user's legs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention a foot and leg rest comprising a seat cushion with a telescoping beam upon rests a platform for the user's lower body to rest upon. The seat cushion rests on a seat and the aforementioned platform at the end of the telescoping beam relies upon the force of the sitting user's body to lift and support his lower body without having to use external bracing. When the user does not want to raise his feet or legs he can stow the said platform within the seat cushion. The invention is light enough to be easily moved from one seat to another because of an attached handle. The invention can be easily adjusted in the seat it rests upon because it has no external bracing that drags on the floor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1A shows the footrest in a nearly closed position.

FIG. 1B shows the footrest in a fully extended position.

FIG. 1C shows the footrest in a stowed position.

FIG. 2 shows the footrest fully extended while on a seat.

FIG. 3 shows the footrest in a stowed position while on a seat.

DRAWINGS

Reference Numerals

10 rigid seat platform

12 handhold

14 extending leg rest component

16 extending footrest

18 cushion

20 button strap

22 portable seat cushion with extending footrest (stowed position)

24 portable seat cushion with extending footrest (fully extended position)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1A (closed position) and FIG. 1B (fully extended position). In the preferred embodiment a rigid seat platform 10 is a hard shell, made of plastic such as polycarbonate. However, the rigid seat platform can consist of any other material that can be formed, is sturdy enough to hold the weight of a sitting person, but can be somewhat yielding to fit most any sitting surface. Other materials can be wood, steel or aluminum, acrylic, fiberglass, or ceramics.

The rigid seat platform 10 is square, roughly 43.18 cm×43.18 cm so that it can fit in most any chair, including airline seats in the closed position. A cushion 18 lies on the upper surface of the rigid seat platform 10, consisting of a conventional fabric, leather or flexible vinyl materials. The underside of the rigid seat platform 10 is enclosed to form a hollow box with only one open end at the front whereby the rest of the components of the invention slide out with the use of a conventional drawer slide mechanism. The thickness of the whole rigid seat platform 10 is 5.08 cm, not including the cushion 18.

A handhold 12 rectangular in shape, with length dimensions of 12.7 cm and width dimensions of 2.54 cm, is cut through the top panel of the rigid seat platform 10. The handhold 12 is centered 2.54 cm from the leading edge of the rigid seat platform 10 to the front where the invention forms the opening of the hollow box. A handhold 12 is cut through the top panel of the extending leg rest component 14 and the extending footrest 16, also centered on those components 2.54 cm from the leading edges of the respective parts so that when the extending leg rest component 14 and the extending footrest 16 are nested inside of the rigid seat platform 10 all of the handholds 12 line up. The placement of the handholds 12 is such that when the invention is in the fully stowed position as in FIG. 1C a person can lift and carry it whole without fear of components sliding out. For added security button strap 20 is attached between handhold 12 on the bottom of extending footrest 16 and the leading edge of extending footrest 16. The button strap 20 wraps under and through the handhold 12 of the extending footrest 16, the handhold 12 of the extending leg rest component 14 and the handhold 12 of the rigid seat platform 10 until it loops over their leading edges and reattaches to the backside snap of itself.

The extending leg rest component 14 and the extending footrest 16 are composed of the same like material as that of the rigid seat platform 10, only with each component being slightly smaller in dimension to allow for the extending leg rest component 14 to easily slide into the interior of the rigid seat platform 10 and the extending footrest 16 to easily slide into the underside of the extending leg rest component 14, while allowing for side space because of the use of a conventional drawer slide mechanism or an even simpler tongue and groove arrangement. Unlike the rigid seat platform 10, however, the extending leg rest component 14 and the extending footrest 16 are made in a u-shape to slide in and out of the rigid seat platform 10. Neither needs to have a bottom panel attached to make them a fully enclosed box with only a forward opening.

A cushion 18 sits atop the extending footrest 16 in such a way that the extending footrest 16 can still easily slide into the recess of the extending leg rest component 14 when the invention is in the fully stowed position as seen in FIG. 1C.

Claims

1. A method for lifting a seated person's feet and legs whereby the weight of a seated person exerts force on one end of an elevated, extendable beam lying on a seat sufficient to support the load on the other end of the beam of the said person's feet and legs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the feet of the seated person rise until they are horizontal or nearly horizontal to the seated person's waist.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein no part of the said beam need touch the ground when a seated person sits atop one end of said beam.

4. An article of furniture for holding the feet and legs of a sitting human horizontally or nearly horizontally to the said human's waist, comprising:

(a) A rigid platform having sufficient size to accommodate the buttocks of a human and that lies on a seat,

(b) A beam joined horizontally to the said rigid platform and that extends from a retracted position to beyond the confines of the said rigid platform outward and to the front of the seat to accommodate the feet and legs of the sitting human,

(c) Said beam having a rigid or semi-rigid platform to support the feet and legs of the sitting human, all without benefit of external bracing.