ADJUSTABLE SEAT AND LEANING APPARATUS
An adjustable seating solution that enables users to adjust several seating characteristics is disclosed. In a relatively low sitting position, the disclosed device provides some support if the user leans back, but predominately supports the user's weight and requires the user to engage core muscles to maintain good posture. The disclosed apparatus enables the user to adjust the seat upward to a leaning position. A platform extends forward under the user's feet to ensure that when the user leans against the seat, the apparatus remains stable. The apparatus enables the seat portion to be tilted, such that varying contours can be selected to engage the user's body in a desired way. At low heights, the user can tilt the seat portion forward to require the user to further engage core muscles while seated. At higher heights, the user can customize the contour of the seat that engages the user's body.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/297,966, filed Oct. 19, 2016, which is a non-provisional of, and claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/346,046, filed on Jun. 6, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/243,912, filed on Oct. 20, 2015, which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
COPYRIGHT NOTICEA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUNDWith the large number of people who spend upwards of eight hours every day seated at a desk or in front of a computer screen, the health impacts and considerations of professions requiring such sedentary schedules have become an important issue. Individuals who spend their days seated in front of a desk or screen are concerned about potential health impacts such as back injury, eye fatigue, and general muscular atrophy. Employers whose employees spend their days seated are concerned about these health issues as well as the productivity of their employees.
Substantial effort has been expended to develop seating solutions that attempt to reduce the strain on peoples' bodies, thereby ideally reducing negative health impacts and increasing productivity. For example, many office chair designers have resorted to using mesh seating materials to conform to users' bodies, and have provided several adjustable components (including adjustable lumbar support members) to allow users to customize the size and shape of their chairs to their bodies. While these efforts have resulted in chairs that provide more comfort and customization, these efforts are nonetheless inadequate to provide completely customizable seating solutions.
Other efforts have focused on raised solutions designed to be “perched” on, and not as standing solutions against which a user can lean. For example, in such solutions, a user can position adjustable padded devices at an appropriate height to sit or “perch” on top of a stool-like seating portion. In this way, users can comfortably sit at a higher than standard height in front of a raised desk or computer screen, enabling legs to be more fully extended than when sitting in a standard-height office chair.
Such solutions are nonetheless also inadequate, as there are no known solutions that provide users with the choice to either stand and lean against a piece of furniture or sit as desired. These solutions are also inadequate because while the height is adjustable, the contour of the portion of the apparatus that engages the user's body is not adjustable to different uses or comfort desires.
Thus, although there have been efforts to develop customizable, comfortable workplace seating solutions, considerable shortcomings remain.
SUMMARYAn adjustable seating solution that enables users to adjust several seating characteristics, including several different contoured portions of the seating solution, is disclosed. The apparatus enables the user to select a desired seat height. In a sitting position, the disclosed device provides some support if the user leans back, but still beneficially requires the user to engage core muscles to maintain good posture. The disclosed apparatus enables the user to adjust the seat upward to a leaning position. A platform that extends forward under the user's feet ensures that even when the user leans against the seat, the apparatus remains stable. Finally, the disclosed apparatus enables the seat portion to be tilted as desired. In this embodiment, at low heights, the user can tilt the seat portion forward to require the user to further engage core muscles while seated. At higher heights, the user can customize the contour of the seat that engages the user's body.
The seating apparatus disclosed herein provides for substantially more adjustability than known seating apparatus, and enables users to change their seating or standing position through the course of a day. Specifically, the disclosed apparatus enables users to move from a seated position, in which core muscles are engaged to maintain good posture, to a partial standing position in which the user's legs must partially support his or her body weight, to a fully standing position in which the user's legs fully support his or her body weight. In each of these positions, the disclosed apparatus enables the user to select a seat tilt, and the unique shape of the seat portion provides for selectable contour of the seat portion that engages the user's body. These varying positions are described in more detail below with respect to the figures.
In various embodiments, a height adjustment mechanism enables the user to adjust the distance of a seat portion from a base portion of a seating apparatus, and thus to adjust the height of the seat portion of the apparatus relative to the user's body. In these embodiments, the disclosed seating apparatus enables the user to easily convert the apparatus from a chair-like or stool-like device to a leaning device, and enables the user to select different points on his or her body with which the seating apparatus will come into contact. In addition, because of the ability to adjustably tilt the seat portion of the disclosed apparatus, the user can select the amount and contour of the seat portion that comes into contact with the selected portion of his or her body. In this way, if a user wishes to stand and lean against the seating apparatus, the user can tilt the seat so that relatively focused pressure is placed on a small section of the user's body (e.g., the lumbar region of the user's back). Likewise, if the user wishes to partially sit and partially stand, the user can adjust the height and tilt of the seat portion to provide for such a configuration.
Embodiments of the disclosed apparatus therefore improve known seating solutions by providing users with more control over the height and contour of the seat portion presented for engagement with the user's body. Throughout the user's day, the user can adjust the seating apparatus as appropriate for different tasks and according to whether the user feels pain or wishes to engage his or her legs and core in different ways.
Additional benefits of the disclosed seating apparatus will become apparent from the attached figures and the following detailed description.
The seating apparatus disclosed herein provides for substantially more adjustability than known seating apparatus, and enables users to change their seating or standing position through the course of a day. Specifically, the disclosed apparatus enables users to move from a seated position, in which core muscles are engaged to maintain good posture, to a partial standing position, in which the user's legs must partially support his or her body weight, to a fully standing position in which the user's legs fully support his or her body weight. In each of these positions, the disclosed apparatus enables the user to select a seat tilt, and the unique shape of the seat portion provides for selectable contour of the seat portion that engages the user's body. These varying positions are described in more detail below with respect to the figures.
Referring now to
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First, referring to the seating portion 102 of
Referring now to the adjustable stem portion 104 of
The base portion 106 of
Specifically, in the embodiment of
In
In
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In the embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, a lever 1408 and a cable 1410 are provided to enable the seat height to be adjusted. Specifically, in this embodiment, actuating the lever 1408 pulls on the cable 1410, which in turn retracts two internal pins 1412 and 1414 from engagement with all three stem portions. Retraction of the pins 1412 enables the operator to raise and lower the seat portion 1402 as desired. When a desired height is achieved, releasing the lever 1408 releases the cable 1410 and causes pins 1412 and 1414 to re-engage with respective aligned holes of the three stem portions. Following such engagement, the stem portions cannot move again without re-actuating the lever 1408 and correspondingly disengaging the pins 1412 and 1414.
It should be appreciated that in various embodiments, other raising/lowering mechanism can be used. For example, a gas cylinder arrangement or a single pin arrangement could be used.
In certain embodiments, multiple levers (e.g., one lever per pin) could be used as desired, for example in the gas cylinder embodiment as shown in
In one embodiment, the disclosed seating apparatus does not rely on a knob to adjust the tilt angle but instead relies on a spring-loaded seat flex mechanism. In this embodiment, the spring-loaded mechanism enables the user to adjust the seat tilt by leaning against the seat at different angles. The seat then pivots about a pivot point to the appropriate angle for the pressure applied by the user, and returns to a neutral of horizontal position when the user stands up from the seating apparatus.
In one embodiment, the base portion includes a pad to cushion the user's feet while the user sits or stands on the seating apparatus. In this embodiment, appropriate foam, solids, or liquids are included within the pad of the base portion to reduce pressure and stress on the user's feet while standing or sitting on the seating apparatus.
In one embodiment, the disclosed seating apparatus is die cast from an appropriate material, such as aluminum. In various embodiments, one or more portions of the seating apparatus include cushioning applied to the die cast structural components, such as the base portion or the seat portion. In some embodiments, one or more components (such as the seat portion) are made from plastic due to less severe structural strength requirements.
In various embodiments, the disclosed apparatus is able to adjust its height in one or more of the following ways:
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- 1. A user pulls a pin by hand to raise and lower a seat;
- 2. A user steps on a foot step to release an engagement apparatus (such as a pin), whereupon the apparatus allows the user to raise and lower the seat;
- 3. A user engages a finger paddle control under the seat portion, which releases the engagement apparatus (such as a pin) to enable the user to raise and lower the seat; and/or
- 4. The apparatus includes a gas cylinder or other pneumatic device that enables the apparatus to shift from a perching position to a standing-only position. In this embodiment, a separate engagement apparatus (such as a pull-pin) enables the seat height to be altered.
In summary, the apparatus disclosed herein is configured to assist in keeping a user moving throughout the day by making it easier to stand longer and with better posture, perch-sit when desired, or fully sit as desired. In various embodiments, the disclosed apparatus enables various muscle groups to relax and then engage again as the user changes positions throughout the day. While embodiments of the disclosed apparatus may not fully remove weight form the user's feet as he or she leans against the apparatus, it alters how the leg muscles engage and therefore makes the user feel more supported, balanced and relaxed.
The above description of is exemplary of the features of the seating apparatus disclosed herein. It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A seating apparatus, comprising:
- an adjustable stem portion adjustable in height along a first axis; and
- an adjustable seat portion including: a first contoured portion on a first side of the adjustable seat portion; a second contoured portion on a second side of the adjustable seat portion, the second side substantially orthogonal to the first side; a stem engagement portion connected to the adjustable stem portion; a pivot apparatus connected to the stem engagement portion and the adjustable seat portion, the pivot apparatus configured to enable the adjustable seat portion to pivot in relation to the adjustable stem portion; and a pivot locking apparatus configured to selectively lock a pivot angle of the pivot apparatus at a plurality of pivot angles, the plurality of pivot angles including: a first angle in which the first contoured portion is substantially parallel to first axis; and a second angle in which the second contoured portion is substantially parallel to the first axis.
3. The seating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first contoured portion and the second contoured portion are both convex in a dimension along a second axis and are both flat or convex in a dimension along a third axis normal to the second axis.
4. The seating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the adjustable seat portion includes a plurality of different thicknesses of foam to provide for different amounts of support in the first contoured portion and the second contoured portion.
5. The seating apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a horizontal base portion connected to the adjustable stem portion opposite the adjustable seat portion.
6. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the adjustable stem portion includes:
- a first nesting support connected to the stem engagement portion of the adjustable seat portion;
- a second nesting support including a sleeve for receiving the first nesting support, wherein the first nesting support and the second nesting support are movable relative to one another along the first axis; and
- a third nesting support connected to the horizontal base portion, the third nesting support including a sleeve for receiving the second nesting support, wherein the second nesting support and the third nesting support are movable relative to one another along the first axis.
7. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the adjustable stem portion includes at least one pneumatic actuator selectively actuatable to position the adjustable seat portion at any one of a plurality of potential seat heights.
8. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the horizontal base portion includes a pad portion.
9. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the adjustable stem portion is adjustable between a minimum height and a maximum height, and the maximum height is greater than twice the minimum height.
10. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the horizontal base portion includes at least one movement mechanism.
11. The seating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one movement mechanism includes a set of wheels.
12. The seating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the horizontal base portion includes an upward sloping portion opposite the movement mechanism.
13. An adjustable seating and leaning apparatus, comprising:
- a seat portion having a top contour and a front contour, the front contour substantially orthogonal to the top contour;
- a pivot connected to the seat portion, wherein the pivot is selectively lockable at a plurality of pivot angles;
- a stem portion connected to the pivot at a proximate end and a base portion at a distal end, wherein the stem portion is extendable along a first axis throughout a range from a minimum height to a maximum height; and
- a stem portion adjustment mechanism configured to selectively fix the extension of the stem portion.
14. The adjustable seat and leaning apparatus of claim 13, wherein the maximum height is greater than twice the minimum height.
15. The adjustable seat and leaning apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stem portion adjustment mechanism includes two gas cylinders.
16. The adjustable seat and leaning apparatus of claim 13, wherein the base portion includes a movement mechanism.
17. The adjustable seat and leaning apparatus of claim 13, wherein the seat portion is pivotable between a first seated position in which the top contour is substantially parallel to the first axis, and a second leaning position in which the front contour is substantially parallel to the first axis.
18. A seating apparatus, comprising:
- an adjustable seat portion including a pivot apparatus and a pivot locking apparatus, wherein the pivot locking apparatus is selectively engageable at a plurality of pivot angles to set a pivot amount of the adjustable seat portion relative to horizontal;
- a horizontal base portion extending forward of the adjustable seat portion in at least one direction;
- a stem portion connected to the adjustable seat portion and the horizontal base portion, the stem portion being telescopically adjustable to adjust the height of the adjustable seat portion relative to the horizontal base portion; and
- a height adjustment mechanism configured to selectively lock the height of the adjustable seat portion relative to the horizontal base portion.
19. The seating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the seating apparatus is configurable in a sitting position, a leaning position, and a standing position.
20. The seating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the adjustable seat portion includes a plurality of portions having different contours, the plurality of portion having different contours including:
- a first contoured portion on a first side of the adjustable seat portion; and
- a second contoured portion on a second side of the adjustable seat portion, the second side substantially orthogonal to the first side.
21. The seating apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first contoured portion and the second contoured portion are both convex in a dimension along a first axis and are both flat or convex in a dimension along a second axis normal to the first axis.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 24, 2018
Publication Date: Jul 19, 2018
Inventor: Jonathan Sheinkop (Highland Park, IL)
Application Number: 15/904,329