BODY SUPPORT

Abstract

The invention relates to a body support (12) for users with a handheld media in which a person (26) and user of the body support (12) maintains a proper posture of the body to avoid damage that may arise due to strain on the lumbar (10) of the body and spine 36. Herein, it is intended to support the front part of a user's body by resting the body's front on the body support (12) on a formed curvature (14). The body support (12) curvature has a curve shape that allows the user's lumbar to arch (30) in its well-intended neutral position in a user with a correct posture.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to a body support for a user intended for use wherein the user rests on the stomach. In particular, the invention pertains to such body support intended for use wherein the user utilizes a handheld medium, and/or where the user supports his or her own head using a hand or hands. A body support according to the present invention provides that a person and user of the body support maintains a good posture of the body to avoid damage that may arise due to an overstressing of the lumbar, spine and neck of the body.

BACKGROUND ART

It is widely known that in today's era of exposure to computers, touchpads, smartphones and televisions has created an unnatural behavior that does not promote the natural dynamics of the body and its desire for exercise.

At work, being seated is to often common, which according to many studies and findings is considered to have a direct negative impact on human health and longevity.

At home, increased stationary sitting in front of the TV has been a well-known health problem since the 70's, in recent decades; the increased use of computers has led to increased stationary sitting. Over the years, new technology with, for example, mobile phones, touchpads and smartphones have been added and through the explosive use, usage has increased strongly in all age groups. Games, mail, text messages, social media, and other types of applications are especially addictive and often lead users to view the device several times per day. New exciting and innovative features are launched continuously and a continued increase in use is most likely.

Since both touchpads and smartphones are mobile, the use of a desk is no longer the natural area of use. From being stationary with the screen in front of the user, the area of use can be basically anywhere: at the table, on the couch, on the toilet, standing, traveling, sitting, resting, running etc. Furthermore, the devices are incredibly intuitive and easy to use and easy to carry, the user group has also been radically expanded. It is now not uncommon for children who are 2 years old to regularly use touchpads.

Studies show that it's not unusual for users of a smartphone to look at their smartphone about 150 times a day, for example: checking their mail, sending mail, checking texts, sending texts, checking social media news, news, playing games etc.

Today, the mobile phone is considered to be the most important thing to bring along and something we cannot be without, since it has such a wide range of use it creates a strong dependence for the user. A problem with this new use is that it is usually not used under optimal and/or ergonomic conditions to reduce strain on the body. It is common for a user to bend the neck forward/downwards, for example when sitting, standing, going on a bus, sitting on the couch, etc. to watch the screen and/or having another unnatural body position, for example, resting on the side of a couch or the like, which directly creates harmful stress on the body. With the high usage and repetition of this type of harmful strain on the neck, a likely symptom is pain in the neck and surrounding muscles. The time period of exposure of such a harmful strain is directly determinative of the occurrence of an injury, but also plays a major role for prevention and from a rehabilitation point of view when the injury has occurred.

In addition to a very strong strain on the neck of humans, the new utilization of mobile positions and constant recurring strain can also have an adverse effect on the wrists and the lumbar of humans.

In recent years, a number of these types of problems and negative effects have been noted, for instance the term “IPad-neck” that points to a significant and addictive increase in the use of touchpads and cellular phones, which has affected a large number of people. Many people experience such problems. Naprapaths around the world are witnessing a very strong increase in the number of people with this type of inconvenience. Not all too often, many people are on painkillers and completely unaware or untreated for their symptoms and/or seek help from physicians who in the worst case can misdiagnose patients. This kind of problem also costs society huge amounts of money.

When searching online, it appears that there is a very good insight into how problems are solved and how to prevent neck problems. For example, the following actions may be considered: cease to use a smartphone or touchpad, introduce breaks around every 15 minutes, stretch and increase blood circulation in the body, hold the touchpad or smartphone just in height with the head to avoid harmful strain, seek a naprapath or physiotherapist for treatment, increase your exercise dose to get better strength and protection against this kind of pain, get different types of ergonomic tools to improve the posture of touchpad/smartphone users.

The above solutions have a common problem and that is that it requires extra time that usually is not available, careful planning and discipline, and a greater restriction on the use of such devices. A major problem with the touchpad and smartphone is that they have the ability to become highly addictive and thus have created a deceptive habit in the user, which cause the user to in principle always have it close by to not miss: that mail, the message on social media or games in progress. This causes it to be very difficult to break an inverse pattern and to change the users behavior.

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that the use of touchpads and smartphones has a very high penetration in all ages, in general, it can be said that in 2016 it is not unreasonable that many 2-year-olds have access to a touchpad as it has a fantastic stimulating effect, since It can be used to show movies, fairy tales, games, pictures, puzzles, etc. Mobile phones/smartphones are something that children are exposed to a little later. In Sweden, all children have access to their own phone/smartphone between the ages of 6-10 years. Studies show that a majority of smartphone users state that “they can not live without a smartphone”, which is usually due to the fact that users have found a wide range of user applications where the phone is crucial for any particular important function for the person in his everyday life such as texting, games, social media, phone functions or the like.

The addictive effect has been found to be high in a large number of people and is probably the highest in children, which, due to the above-mentioned solutions to problems, can be difficult to solve as children may lack insight and understanding as well as the discipline to implement the necessary changes without the risk of conflict with the parent and a possible restriction of the use of such devices.

In addition to the above, it is also popular to have a game console, such as (Xbox® or Playstation® or similar) that also competes with the traditional PC computer.

Those, preferably new devices on the market also have a strong impact on the new generation and its television viewing habits. According to several sources, TV consumption is reduced in benefit of on-demand TV services, the user chooses what and when it wants to watch a particular TV program and, in particular, the driving force behind this redistribution, are these new types of devices such as touchpads and smartphones. This change takes place at record speed and is expected to have a major impact on the entire TV echo system as traditional TV-distributors face difficult and tough competition from brand new types of players on the market such as Netflix®, Youtube® and similar on-demand services.

The amazing sales volumes and competition in the field also ensure that smartphones and touchpads are available in all sizes and also for users with less money in the pocket, which means that everyone is basically affected by this. In keeping with the continued rapid development, the barrier for entry continues to decrease as technology becomes cheaper and cheaper.

“IPad neck” and similar concepts are here to stay. The explosive increase in usage: the high usage within all ages, the addictive uses that smartphones/touchpads add to, as well as the huge revenue generated for Apple®, Samsung®, etc. on this type of device makes it possible to in principle compare this usage to how cigarettes were commercialized during the 20th century. Many knew or spoke little about the risks of tobacco much in the same manner as for touchpads/smartphones, but rather about all the benefits they provide.

The effects of the highly addictive use of these new devices in combination with a very early exposure to children and long-term exposure in non-ergonomic positions risk seriously affecting human health and over time disrupt and/or deteriorate very important muscles. The costs on society and for individuals are likely to become apparent and the long-term effect of this is uncertain. Back pain is often called the new public disease in Swedish media, and it is stated that two out of three middle-aged Swedes have had back pain in recent years.

There are several different doctrines and experiences from naprapaths and physicians documented on the Internet about specific types of exercises that several seem to commonly recommend to their patients. These exercises can facilitate, counteract and remove the symptoms that the person in question has. A very effective method is to stretch the muscles around the neck, chest and back as well as perform certain posture exercises (postural exercises).

Symptoms typical to the use of a touchpad/smartphone are neck pain initially and then different sequelae the longer the trouble lasts. A not uncommon symptom is that the patient is injured in other parts of the body. This is because the human body automatically tries to compensate for an incorrect or weakened position in the body.

For example, a person who plays with his/her touchpad/smartphone during a large part of a day for several months in a row all to often has a posture that bends his/her neck forward. Over time, the main neck muscles around the vertebral column will weaken and the body will thus compensate for this by using larger and more superior muscles that will eventually become exhausted, which in turn leads to stiffness and pain in the muscles, shoulder and neck.

To address the above problems, the most effective way to rehabilitate the affected area is to ensure that the relationship between “correct position” and “wrong position” becomes corrected, i.e. the important thing is to minimize the occasions that adversely affect the muscles and ensure that the amount of occurrences that has a structural and/or neutral load on the body exceeds the occurrences of harmful strain. In addition to the “correct”/“wrong” position/posture, the user can speed up the healing process through treatment and special training exercises to relieve and speed up recovery, but the primary tool is to try to reduce usage that has a negative impact. The likely recommendation to the user with symptoms falls back on measures recommended as above.

From a user perspective, it is possible to summarize the most common ways in which a touchpad/smartphone is used: standing, lying on the back and sitting. Based on the human bodies design, it would be best for the user to stand upright while using the touchpad/smartphone, but without bending the neck. This does not cause any harmful strain on the body, however, it will be tiring for the user to hold the arms so as not to cause harmful strain or to be particularly comfortable over a long period of time.

Being on your back is also not very practical, without some kind of support holding your touchpad/smartphone. Too often, the user puts himself in a “more comfortable” position by placing a pillow under his head, yet “looking downward”, which provides a harmful strain on the head during long-lasting use.

Sitting down is possible if the touchpad/smartphone is held straight in front of one self, however, long-term sitting causes other harmful loads and health effects in the body. For example, a very large and far-reaching study by the Medical College of Wisconsin has shown strong evidence that a prolonged session seated has a strong impact on health, including higher risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease such as stroke and shorter lifespan.

Within the user group, children and toddlers, all exercises mentioned above have a common problem in that they require disciplined and continuous implementation to get an effect, which can be particularly difficult and challenging for children.

Another dilemma with children is that they have not developed the basic musculature of an adult, which means that they are particularly vulnerable to harmful and/or unnatural strains on the body, which can cause serious consequences later in life if the problems are not counteracted.

There is unfortunately no research on the consequences on children and toddlers that are exposed early to this type of use on these types of devices, but it is most likely that to much exposure to this type of neck problems at an early age and, during repeated and prolonged occasions, can result in a greater likelihood of developing, for example, hernias in very early adulthood.

International Patent Application WO2012170407 describes a support device configured for a user to interact with media.

The document DE102013014791 provides flexible and easy support for resting muscles when a user, for example, sits at a table or in on a couch.

In patent application EP2451318 a chair having a support, which may be used to support the upper part of a user's body, is described.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,625 A discloses a body support for a user intended for use where the user is resting on the stomach.

Patent Application US2015/0289664 A1 discloses a body support for a user intended for use where the user is resting on the stomach.

The document GB2262225 A shows a body support for a user intended for use where the user is resting on the stomach.

None of the above mentioned documents describe how the curvature of a body support can be adjusted for different positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As described above, there are a variety of treatments and aids available. Common to all is that they can not allow the user to continue using, for example, their touchpad and/or smartphone without limiting user time and requiring discipline and continuous implementation in an already fully packed daily schedule.

The present invention is intended to provide a body support wherein a user resting on the stomach has support for elbows in such a manner that the forearms and hands can be moved freely, and the user's body is in a curvature which causes minimal strain on the body, and where the user's neck is in a neutral or slightly backward position without any harmful strain when using a touchpad and/or smartphone.

The present inventors have discovered that a body support according to the invention comprising a resting surface providing a suitable curve for the lumbar region, in combination with elbow support as described below, causes the user to automatically take a body position for convenience purposes that does not cause harmful strain on either the neck or the back, even if the user uses said body support, for touchpad playing, book reading or the like, for long periods of time.

The body support design according to the present invention allows the user to rest with minimal strain on the back and also provides the user to play games, watch tv, use a touchpad/smartphone without risking neck pain. Surprisingly, resting on the stomach using the elbows as support has proven to allow prolonged use without the risk of harmful strain, without limiting the person's use of a touchpad/smartphone or other media.

Herein, the present invention provides a body support comprising a resting surface which provides a neutral curvature of the user's spine when the user is resting on the stomach on the resting surface, as well as arm rests on which the resting user supports the elbows on. The user can then use a handheld media and/or support his head in one or both of his hands. Accordingly, a person and user of the body support maintains a correct/better/good posture of the body to avoid damage that may occur due to a strain on the lumbar, spine, and neck.

The body support is intended to support the front of the user's body by resting the bodies' front (abdomen and chest) on a curvature that is formed by the body support. It is at least the upper body of the user, that is the torso, which is supported by the body supports resting surface. The curvature of the support has a structure that allows the lumbar to arch in its well-intended neutral position for a user with a correct/good/better posture. Such a good posture is illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7c, in contrast with a posture that is to curved, which is illustrated in FIG. 7b and the overly curved posture illustrated in FIG. 7a.

It will be appreciated that the structure can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, the support may be relatively stiff, the surface of the support being curved in such a way that the user's back takes the appropriate curvature. Alternatively, the support may be more resilient, or soft, whereby the user drops down in the support so that the appropriate curvature is achieved. In addition, many different combinations of these two extremes can be used, such as a relatively rigid core combined with a more resilient, thicker padding, to achieve the same effect. Thus, what is important is that the user's back curvature when the user is resting on the stomach of the support in the position illustrated in FIG. 7c.

In case, the support is so rigid that the user only drops down so much in the support that the user's back curvature is only negligibly affected, it is preferred that the resting surface curvature radius/curve creates an arch on the lumbar. The radius of curvature can in one embodiment be between 2 m and 3 m. The body support, however, is not necessarily limited to this range. In other embodiments, the radius may be 0.7 m and up too greater than 3 m. The curvature may also have the radius 0 when the body support with the resting surface is wedge shaped.

In this and other cases, it is preferred that the resting surface be curved as a concave, as illustrated in the drawings.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to set the slope of the body supports curvature for optimal fit based on the hips position on the body support.

Furthermore, the body support has one or more resting supports, which a person's elbows can rest on. The rest support provides that the forearms and hands are freely movable in order for the user to handle, such as holding or manipulating a handheld media and/or supporting his head with his hands, and wherein the curvature of the body support provides that the lumbar arches in its neutral position as described above, when the elbows have been placed in rest. In order to achieve this, it is preferred that the armrest design results in that for the convenience of the user the chest is placed resting on the resting surface in a position, wherein said spinal curvature is achieved. Thus, in this preferred example, the design of the armrest or armrests, in combination with their geometric relationship to the resting surface, which results in the user automatically placing himself in an ergonomically correct position on the body support. A preferred way of accomplishing this is that each armrest includes both a support for the user's armpit and a support for the user's elbow, which together results in the user's arms to be oriented vertically or obliquely downwardly when the armpit rests in the armpit support and the elbow rests on the elbow support. An additional way of achieving the same is that the armrest comprises a support for the user's upper arm and a support for the user's elbows whose common geometry provides the same arm angle. Of course, these two approaches can be advantageously combined, as illustrated in FIG. 7c.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the body support is provided with legs and/or a frame in order to form a piece of furniture.

One embodiment indicates that the body support is adjustable through, for example, an inflatable device.

A further embodiment indicates that the body support is provided with electronics for measuring usage time and/or biological parameters.

Furthermore, an embodiment indicates that the rest support is adjustable in height and/or laterally.

Yet another embodiment indicates that the rest is mounted on the body support detachably.

In yet a further embodiment indicates that it is provided with a holder for a computerized device.

In a further embodiment, the resting support is adjusted for different lengths of upper arms, wherein the rest is raised by plates of the same material or other suitable material and secured by, for example, Velcro straps, pushbuttons or other fasteners available on the market.

A further embodiment provides that said curvature is created when the body support in a vertical cross-section along the length of the body support is in the form of an elastic wedge, with a substantially straight upper resting surface, for example a substantially triangular shape, such as a rectangular triangle where the hypotenuse is constituted by the resting surface. In this case, the body support is at least partially or predominantly formed of an elastic material, whereby when a person rests on the body support, the lumbar arches in its neutral position, and wherein the curve is created when the elastic material imparts the weight of the person such as is described in general terms above.

Yet another embodiment indicates that the elbow support is adjusted stage less.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Henceforth, embodiments and exemplifications of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the spine and lumbar of people in ascending age;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the body support with a rest support in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the body support with another rest support than in FIG. 2, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the body support as a piece of furniture in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates how a person uses the body support to handle a touchpad in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates how a person uses the body support to, for example, watch TV in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c schematically illustrates an incorrect curvature of the body support in FIGS. 7a and 7b and a good curvature of the body support in FIG. 7c in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates how the elbow support is adjusted stage less in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention aims at providing a body support where a user is resting on the stomach with support for elbows in such a manner that the forearms and hands can be moved freely and that the user's body is in a curvature, which causes minimal strain on the body. It has been found that a user resting on the body support of the invention with the arms supported by the armrests as it is intended to be utilized tends to keep the neck slightly backward, which does not cause any harmful strain. The body supports design in accordance with the present invention allows the user to rest with a minimal strain on the back as well as providing the user to play games, watching TV/touchpad without the risk of sustaining neck pain. The body support is preferably placed on a surface such as a floor, bed, sofa or other suitable surfaces.

The present invention also solves a fundamental problem of not having to interrupt activities in order to exercise and technically the person in question does not have to stop and/or exercise when it concerns the conditions “right”/“wrong” placement of the lumbar. A form of rationalization.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the spine and lumbar of people in ascending age. The lumbar spine is made up of five lumbar vertebrae L1-L5, where L5 is closest to the cross bone, which in turn is above the tailbone. It is of utmost importance that a human skull does not expose the lumbar spinal cord to excessive strain for a long time, the more the skull/head is angled forward, the higher the weight/force the neck and backbone are exposed to.

Measurements have shown that the neck is exposed to a weight corresponding to 4.55-5.45 Kg when it is angled 0 degrees relative to the vertical, 12.27 Kg at 15 degrees angle forward relative to the vertical, 18.18 Kg at 30 degrees angle forward, 22.27 kg at 45 degree angle forward and 27.27 kg at 60 degree angle forward when a person stands straight up.

FIG. 1 illustrates four people schematically with backbones in increasing age from left to right, where the lumbar 10 and the rest of the spinal column is bending more and more with rising age. The person to the left has a correct/better/good posture along the lumbars neutral position. Thus, it is such a neutral or ergonomically correct posture that is achieved by means of a body support according to the present invention. The persons in FIG. 1 are adults and not children, but it is emphasized that the child's ergonomics work in a manner similar to that of adults. In other words, the invention is applicable on both adult and non-adult users, in a completely analogous manner. With the increasing use of mobile phones, touchpads and even television viewing, people tend to keep their heads in a forward-looking position when using modern computerized devices, as well as standing or sitting when they push/click on the devices and obtaining unwanted strain on the neck and spine, which over time provides the spine to deform according to the illustration in FIG. 1. Children do not yet have fully developed spines, and they can then suffer from pain due to deformations of the neck and spine, which can quickly lead to a public health problem.

In order to exemplify the present invention in a coherent manner, the term computerized device in the description text is used herein to include mobile phones, smart phones, touchpads/tablets, laptops, televisions and similar. The body support is not limited to being used solely for computerized devices, but can be used in principle for anything that the user wishes to perform for an extended period of time without any problems such as watching TV, reading a newspaper, reading a book, drawing, playing soccer games, hanging out, using laptop etc. In the present invention, these are referred to as handheld media. In addition, the user can support the head while, for example, viewing TV and for conversations.

The present invention intends to provide a body support 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2 in a possible embodiment. The body support 12 is made of a type of suitable material that is friendly to rest on such as, for example, an inflatable material with fabric coverings or made of plastic or other suitable material. Furthermore, it can be made of a solid-like material such as a memory foam, such as Tempur®, or other common material for the manufacturing of furniture with ergonomic support. The support can of course also be made of a combination of several such materials, such as a hard/rigid core clad in a thick, thin or varying layer of memory foam. The surface coating can also vary, and for example, consist of textile materials.

The body support 12 has a curvature 14, which provides the lumbar to arch in its neutral curvature of a standing person with a good/correct/better lumbar curvature in the lumbar vertebras L1-L5. Furthermore, the body support 12 has a rest/loadbearing support 16 for a person's elbows, wherein the forearms and hands are free to move in order to be able to click on a computerized device or rest the head on the hands when, for example, viewing television without the head of the person leaning forward. The rest support 16, properly used with the elbows resting on said elbow support as explained above, makes it natural for the person to hold his head at an angled position which is straight or slightly reversed relative to the general direction of the spine, which is an ergonomically advantageous position, without any hassles or notable effort. Worth noting is that this position allows the person to stay in this way for a long time without any inconvenience. The person/child rests with the body's front on the body support. In FIG. 2, the body support 12 has one and the same rest support 16 for both elbows.

The lumbar curvature 14 provides a person to easily arch and comfortably rest and get good support for playing, viewing television and reading in the correct position against the surface 18 of the curvature 14 when the elbows are correctly placed in the rest support.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, it is provided that the curvature is formed when the body support 12 has an elastic wedge-shaped curvature 14 of an elastic material, whereby when a person rests on the body support, the lumbar 10 of the person arches in its neutral position, and wherein the curvature is formed when the elastic material gives way to the weight of a person.

In order to adjust the rest 16, 20 for different lengths of upper arms, the rest support can be raised with plates of the same material or other suitable material and attached to, for example, Velcro straps, pushbuttons or other fasteners, which are on the market (not shown). Otherwise, any stage less setting of the rest support can be a possible embodiment. The stage less setting is shown in an embodiment more closely below with reference to FIG. 8.

The body support 12 can be marketed in different sizes and then labeled with XS, S, M, L, XL and so on or through other sizes.

In one embodiment of the body support, a person may, for example, starting from the position of the hip on the body support 12 adjust the inclination of the body support curvature 14 for optimal fit. In this case, the body support 12 may be provided with at least one knob/lever which functions like the mechanism of the backrest of the seats in a car. The mechanism is then built into the body support. In one embodiment, a plate is incorporated into the body support 12 where the abdomen is positioned which bends downward or upward depending on which direction the knob/lever is actuated to accommodate an optimum posture of the arch. For example, the bending of the plate occurs downward when the lever is released in stages and upwards when the plate is tensioned. In this regard, the body support can be adapted to different body configurations.

In FIG. 3, the body support 12 has been provided with two rest supports 20, one for each elbow. In one embodiment, the rest support 20 may be arranged to be removable from the body support 12 (not shown) and may also be raised and lowered and/or rotated. The same applies to the individual rest support 16 according to FIG. 2. Moreover, a holder (not shown) for a computerized device may be provided on the body support 12. The holder may also be used or designed for reading newspapers, journals, etc.

In a more advanced form, the body support 12 can be equipped with electronics for example timing how long a person has used the support 12 or with biological sensors for measuring, for example, pulse and other known sensors for measuring other biological parameters.

Furthermore in one embodiment of the present invention, the body support may be connected to a Virtual reality (VR) device or used to watch or play with the VR device.

In addition, the body support 12 may be provided with an electrical inflation and draining device as known for air mattresses or ergonomic car seats that can be adapted to a particular person. In this example, it is preferred that the inflatable portion when in the fully inflated position does not occupy more than a maximum of 50%, more preferably maximum 25%, of the total volume of the body support so that a main or underlying structure entails the general shape of the resting surface and the inflation/drainage only causes a minor adjustment of the curvature of said cavity. This results in a stable construction that is still adjustable. In an alternative embodiment of the inflatable part, it can be emptied or filled manually with an air mattress pump via a valve. In this regard, the body support can be adapted to different body configurations.

Further, in order to enhance convenience for the user, a leg support (not shown) for legs and feet may be provided on the body support 12. This may in one embodiment be foldable to be joined to the body support 12 when moved and for packaging purposes. The body support 12 may also be used as a furniture 22 shown in an embodiment of FIG. 4, wherein the support 12 is provided with legs 24. The furniture 22 may also consist of the body support 12 and a frame/stand (not shown), which the support 12 can be placed into. The Body support can also be produced in a version that is adapted to be placed in an existing couch. Also, in one embodiment, the support 12 can easily be separated from the frame of the furniture through being detachable, such as with buttons or Velcro straps, arranged in a stand.

The stand itself can be detachable for folding or a stand with simple folding functions for easier transport and/or packaging.

Furthermore, the body support itself may be shaped to be adjusted, in terms of the length and width of the body, to approximately correspond to a conventional bed foundation.

It is preferable that the body support is greater than or equal to 0.5 m long, wider or equal to 0.3 m and higher or equal to 0.3 m in accordance with measurements suitable for a user's body.

In FIG. 5 it is illustrated how a person 26 uses the body support 12 to handle a touchpad 28 in one embodiment of the present invention. The person 16 can lift the touchpad 28 or other handheld media against the face with his hands and elbows to tilt his head slightly to obtain a field of view and a posture with a more elevated view of the touchpad 28 as described above.

FIG. 6 illustrates how a person 26 uses the body support 12 to, for example, watch TV in one embodiment of the present invention with an arch 30 which allows a good posture of the neck, spine and lumbar 10 as described above.

FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c schematically illustrates an incorrect curvature of the body support in FIGS. 7a and 7b as well as a good curvature of the body support in FIG. 7c in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 7a, the body supports 12 curvature 32 is unevenly formed mostly upwardly towards the body of the person, which causes the spine 38 to receive an undesirable and harmful curvature.

Likewise in FIG. 7b, an unwanted and harmful curvature of the spine 38 is obtained as the curvature 34 of the body support 12 leans strongly downwards.

FIG. 7c illustrates a curvature 36 of the body support 12 in accordance with the present invention, which causes the spine 38 to achieve a good and healthy curvature with a good arch 30. In addition, the broken lines marking in FIG. 7c indicates that the person 26 drops down into the elastic curvature 36 of the body support 12 to get a good arch 30.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates how the elbow support 30 is adjustable in a stage less manner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The stage less embodiment has the reference number 40. It can also be provided on all forms of elbow support according to the present invention. The elbow support 40 with the telescopic support 42 may also be provided on the body support 12 without any other elbow support 20 provided.

Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the elbow support 40 is arranged on a telescopically adjustable support 42 where the telescopic support is attached to the elbow support with a lockable ball device 46, 48 which provide the elbow support 40 to be adjusted upwardly, downwardly and laterally. The telescopic support may be attached to the body support 12, for example, via a joint 44 inserted into the body support. The ball device may be lockable via friction between the ball 46 and the receptor hole 48, or by other known means.

In addition, it is possible to use other displaceable devices present on the market than purely telescopic 42 and also existing joints, which are not comprised of ball devices 46, 48. For example, a tube may be provided in an existing elbow support that can be pulled and pushed into the elbow support, with the elbow support provided and lockable in stage less steps or in fixed positions, for example with a clamp/sprint around the tube/through the tube that locks and abuts the existing elbow supports surface.

Claims

1. A body support for a user intended for use where the user is resting on the stomach, whereby a person and user of the body support maintains a better posture of the body to avoid damage that may occur due to the strain on the body's lumbar, spine and neck, wherein the body support is at least one of a body support in itself and a piece of furniture with the body support mounted; and

the body support comprises a resting surface adapted to support the front of the body of the user through resting the front of the body on said resting surface, the body support having a structure permitting the lumbar to arch in its well-intended neutral position on a user with a good posture when the user is lying on said resting surface, the body support having rest support on which a person's elbows can rest, wherein the rest supports permit the forearms and hands to move freely so that at least one of a hand held media and a hand rest for a person's head, wherein the inclination can be adjusted outwardly of the hip position on the body support on the body support curvature for optimal fit, and;

wherein said rest supports are shaped in relation to the resting surface that the lumbar of the user arches in its neutral position when the front of the body is supported on the resting surface and when the elbows have been placed in the rest.

2. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the body support is provided with legs and/or a frame to form a piece of furniture.

3. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the body support is inflatable.

4. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the body support is provided with electronics for measurement of usage time and/or biological parameters.

5. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the rest support is adjustable in height and/or laterally.

6. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the rest support (16, 20) is mounted detachably on the body support (12).

7. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the body support is provided with a holder for handheld media.

8. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the rest support is adapted to be adjusted for different lengths of the user's upper arms.

9. The body support according to claim 8, wherein the rest support can be raised by means of plates of the same material or other suitable material and attached, for example, to conventional Velcro straps, pushbuttons or other fasteners.

10. The body support according to claim 1, wherein the resting surface is straight while the body support is formed of an elastic material, wherein when a person resting the lumbar on the body support arches in its neutral position and wherein the curve is formed when the resilient material gives way to the weight of the person.

11. The Body support according to claim 1, wherein the elbow support has stage less adjustability.