Patent Application
20190328129
The apparatus and methods disclosed herein relate to an automatically adjustable standing desk and adjustable desktop capable of monitoring the amount of usage in either sitting or standing modes. More specifically, the apparatus provides memory capable of storing the preferred sitting and standing heights for a user as well as indicating to a user the amount of time the user operates the desk in either sitting or standing modes. Additionally, the apparatus allows a user to adjust the desk into sitting or standing modes without the necessity of any physical force. Additionally, as disclosed herein, the features of this invention may be easily adapted to operate with various models of preexisting height adjustable desks with only minor modifications. Furthermore, the apparatus and methods disclosed herein provide for a novel presence detection system to ensure optimal use and maximize the health benefits associated with an adjustable standing desk.
In a 2008 study titled “Amount of Time Spent in Sedentary Behaviors in the United States, 2003-2004” published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, it is estimated that the average American spends almost 55% of waking time (7.7 hours per day) in sedentary behaviors such as sitting. Other studies have concluded that women who sat for over 6 hours per day were 94% more likely to die than those who were physically active and sat for less than 3 hours per day; men who sat for over 6 hours per day were 48% more likely to die than their physically active counterparts. Further studies have found also concluded that people who sit for long periods of time have an increased risk of disease. A study in 2010 reported that prolonged periods of sitting can compromise metabolic health even in adults who otherwise meet physical activity recommendations. As such, in the past few years, the standing desk adoption have become widespread and have become a standard employee health benefit.
Based on the various studies, there are number of benefits to decreasing the amount of time spent sitting in front of a desk. First, numerous studies have shown that excessive sitting shortens a person's life span by several years and increased the chance of dying from heart disease significantly.
It has been suggested that sitting is the ultimate passive activity, and that one burns more calories chewing gum than when one is merely slouching in a chair. When sitting it has been suggested that the electrical activity in the muscles flatlines, and the body consequently uses very little energy. Powering down the body like that for long periods of time can lead to a cascade of negative effects. Heart rate, calorie burn, insulin effectiveness, and levels of good cholesterol all drop. The body also stops producing lipoprotein, lipase and other molecules that are only released when flexing muscles, such as when standing and/or walking. These molecules play an important role in processing fats and sugars and without them, the body's metabolism suffers. Add these factors up, and it's no wonder that those who sit for long periods of time each day have larger waistlines and worse blood sugar and blood pressure profiles and are at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer than who sit less.
As mentioned above, when one sits, the heart rate and calorie burn go down. Weight gain typically creeps on gradually from consuming a few too many calories here and there and slowing down in small ways as we age. One individual test with a heart rate monitor found that the subject's heart rate was 10 beats higher when standing than sitting and the subject burned 30 calories in an hour of sitting as opposed to 72 in an hour of standing. This University of Chester study found standing to burn 42 more calories per hour compared to sitting.
Office workers are those mostly likely to be sitting in front of a desk most of the day. As such, office workers often experience back pain which stems from not using their backs enough. Years of slouching in a chair may take a substantial toll. Standing up engages your back muscles and improves one's posture. Anecdotally, many folks who have made the switch to a standing desk have reported that the change cured their back pain. One lab in Oregon concluded that people who sit more are at greater risk for herniated disk and strained cervical vertebrae in the neck leading to permanent imbalances. Numerous studies have indicated that an overwhelming majority of people felt healthier overall after standing at work.
In addition, standing increases one's focus and concentration in several ways. First, a standing individual is less likely to become drowsy and with the muscles engaged the individual stays alert. Second, standing allows the individual to be more active, shift from one leg to another, and pacing as desired, releasing restless energy, and improving focus and concentration. A study released by Office Ergonomics Research Committee found a 17.8% productivity gain when employees are supplied with ergonomic furniture, such as a standing desk.
The above examples are merely some of the well-known quantifiable advantages offered through a standing desk. Numerous other studies exist in this field.
Current Types of Adjustable Standing Desks and Desktops
Typical manually adjustable standing desks use a lever which allows the desk to be adjusted to a sitting height or a standing height. Once the lever is activated, a user manually pushes or lifts the desk to the desired height. Similarly, in an adjustable desktop, which sits on top of a standard desk, the lifting action is aided by a hydraulic. These desktops utilize a locking mechanism once the user adjusts the desk to the desired height, thus locking the desktop at that height and preventing accidental adjustments while in use.
Electric adjustable standing desks use up and down height adjustment buttons, typically located on the sides of the desk. However, prior art electric adjustable standing desks fail to provide ease for users to easily adjust to their optimal sitting and standing positions. Additionally, prior art electrical adjustable standing desks fail to properly inform its user of the optimal duration of standing during a typical work day. It is an object of the present invention to address the deficiencies of the prior art by providing an automatically adjustable standing desk and an automatically adjustable desktop capable of remembering the optimal sitting and standing heights for its user as well as providing an interface to properly inform its user of the optimal duration to use the adjustable standing desk or adjustable desktop in the standing mode.
Furthermore, although various models of electric adjustable standing desks exist in the market, there is need for a controller adaptable to operate with various brands and models of adjustable standing desks to provide for a uniform experience and ease of use.
Additionally, prior art electric adjustable standing desks consume additional power as the desks await instructions to raise or lower the desk. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wake-up detection functionality to reduce power consumption.
Despite the knowledge by an office user of the health benefits of standing at the adjustable standing desk, these health benefits are very rarely maximized as a challenge remains in ensuring a user sufficiently uses the adjustable standing desk in a standing capacity. For example, a typical office user often begins the day seated at the desk and through either neglect or forgetfulness does not adjust his or her desk to the standing position that day. This lack of optimal use is even more noticeable in the afternoons as the user becomes more tired after lunch. There exists a need for an adjustable standing desk to recognize that a user is present at the desk in a sitting position and promote or encourage the user to adjust the desk to the standing position after an extended period in the sitting position. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a user detection, position recognition and user reinforcement to ensure a user operates the adjustable standing desk optimally for maximum health benefits.
To ensure the full health benefits, an adjustable standing desk should ensure that a user does not remain in one position for too long. For example, if an adjustable standing desk was always used by a user in a sitting mode, then the health benefits of the desk is negated by this lack of use. Therefore, there is a need to promote and encourage a user towards his or her configurable health goals by ensuring the user does not remain in a seated mode for excessive periods and to provide a user with detailed reports which can reinforces optimal use of the adjustable standing desk. There also exists a need to allow offices and corporations which view the adjustable standing desk as a health benefit to ensure that its employees are properly taking advantage of the benefits of the adjustable standing desk.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiments taken together with the figures.
An apparatus and method for automatically adjusting and monitoring use of an adjustable standing desk are disclosed. The invention provides an electric adjustable desk with memory to store a user's preferred sitting and standing heights for the adjustable desk. A setup mode allows the user to store and adjust the preferred sitting and standing heights. A sensor allows the user to quickly adjust from the sitting to standing heights or vice versa.
In another aspect, the adjustable standing desk includes wireless communications with a mobile app on a portable handheld device a measuring device to provide metrics regarding the user's use of the desk in the standing position to promote the user to reach optimal standing use.
In another aspect, an electric adjustable desktop for placing on top of a desk is disclosed.
In another aspect, the adjustable standing desk further includes a proximity sensor configured to continuously detect the presence of a user within a certain distance from the desk to determine that a user has exceeded a preset sitting period and a notification system to maximize a user's standing usage.
While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of examples in the drawings and described in detail. It should be understood that the figures and detailed description discussed herein are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present inventions as defined by the appended claims. Description will now be given of the invention with reference to
As shown generally in
The automatically adjustable standing desk 100 also includes sensor 10. In an exemplary embodiment, sensor 10 is located preferably on the side of the desk, at a position which avoids inadvertent triggering of sensor 10. Sensor 10 may be a single sensor or a plurality of sensors. A user may trigger sensor 10 with a hand gesture to indicate their desire to adjust the standing desk from the preferred sitting height to the preferred standing height. Additionally, multiple sensors may be used to determine a direction of a hand movement and allow for incremental movements of the adjustable standing desk 100. Sensors may be infrared, capacitive sensors, microwave, PIR, ultrasonic or any other motion sensors known in the art.
In an alternative embodiment, sensors may be replaced by height adjustment buttons wherein the buttons are correlated to the stored preferred sitting or standing heights. Sensor 10 may also be disposed at the front of the desk in a location which avoids inadvertent triggering of sensor 10. In another alternative embodiment, a sensor may detect an upward pressure is applied to the desk and automatically adjust the height to the other preset height. In addition to mechanical buttons, infrared sensors for hand gestures, upward pressure, in another alternate embodiment, the desk may include a voice capture device to allow for adjustments using voice input and speech recognition.
In the exemplary embodiment, an LED 20 is located on the side of desk 100. LED 20 is used as an indicator to inform the user the status of the desk. This includes indicating when the desk is in setup mode, when the desk is in normal operation mode, transmission mode, or when the desk is low on power. LED 20 may be a single LED with multiple colors or a cluster of LED arrangements wherein different colors or flashing patterns indicate different modes. For example, a steady green light from LED 20 indicates that the desk 100 is in standard operation mode. A flashing light from LED 20 may indicate that the desk is in height setup mode. Other modes of operation include a transmission mode wherein the desk 100 transmits usage data to the Internet or a smart device; a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity setup mode; or a mode indicating an error in operation.
The microcontroller 110 is coupled to a motor controller 120. Motor controller is coupled to a motor 130. Motor 130 is responsible for adjusting the lengths of legs 30. In the preferred embodiment, a single motor 130 is capable of adjusting the lengths of all legs 30 of the desk 100. However, multiple motors may be used without deviating from the spirit of the invention. In an alternate embodiment, the motor controller may also be built into the microcontroller 110.
Microcontroller is electrically coupled to LED 20. Depending on the current operational mode of the desk 100, the microcontroller alters the light variations of LED 20. Additionally, microcontroller 110 is electrically coupled to sensor 10. In an alternative embodiment, microcontroller 110 may be a part of an integrated circuit board which have both LED 20 and sensor 10 mounted thereupon.
The wireless transceiver 140 is operable with a portable handheld device 150 having a mobile application 160 designed to interact with adjustable desk 100. The wireless transceiver may transmit directly to the portable handheld device 150 or via the internet thru a Wi-Fi connection and a remote cloud server 170.
Subsequently, the user moves the adjustable standing desk to a second standing height position 230 via sensor 10, buttons, manually, thru the mobile application or any other means for adjusting the height of the desk 100. Once the adjustable height desk has stored the standing height, LED will provide an indication that setup of the standing height is complete. These settings are stored in a profile for an individual user as a single adjustable standing desk may support multiple users.
In an alternate embodiment, an eye detection sensor may be used in conjunction with desk 100 to optimize the standing and sitting heights. For example, the desk of the present invention may provide the addition of a port (e.g. USB) to allow for the addition of an accessory. A webcam or retina scanner may be connected to desk via the port. When in use, the webcam or retina scanner is typically attached to a desired monitor placed on the desk. The webcam or retina scanner searches for the position of the user's eye level to determine the optimal height for both the sitting and standing heights.
Although an eye detection sensor may be used in conjunction with desk to optimize standing and sitting heights, the webcam may also optimize standing and sitting heights using hand-level detection or a combination of eye-level and hand-level detection.
For most users, whether standing or sitting, the hands typically rest at a 90-100 degree angle away from the user's torso when in the comfortable or ideal position. Additionally, the user's eyes should be typically 40-75 cm away from the placement of any monitors or displays on the table. In a further embodiment of the configuration mode for the sitting height, adjustable standing desk 100 initially begins at the lowest height for the sitting position. The user is then instructed to place his or her hands at a comfortable position. The desk then adjusts the height upward until detection of the user's hands. When the height is reached, desk 100 stores in memory the optimized sitting height for user. Likewise, a user is instructed to place his or hands at a comfortable position while standing. The desk then adjusts the height upwards until detection of the user's hands. When the height is reached, desk 100 stores in memory the optimized standing height for user. Detection of a user's hands may be performed by a webcam, pressure sensor, IR sensor, or any other sensor suitable for detecting the presence of hands on the desk.
This invention contemplates the storing of additional standing and sitting heights, user preference data, so that the desk may be used by multiply individuals of a household or an office. In one embodiment, switching between user profiles having different user preference data can be done via a gesture control or a switch. In another embodiment, the webcam or retina scanner may also be used for switching profiles and to identify a new user of the desk and set up a new profile having additional present heights. In a further embodiment, a bio-metric scanner, such as a fingerprint reader, may be incorporated to identify a user from the stored user profiles. Those skilled in the art would recognize that a number of other methods can be used to switch user profiles that would not deviate from the spirit of the invention.
Because of the advancements in current smartphone cameras and software, smartphone cameras with compatible software may be used instead of a webcam or retina scanner. Like the webcam or retina scanner, the smart phone may be attached to a monitor during setup mode and used to optimize the height of the sitting and standing modes.
Continuing with
In an alternate embodiment operating in conjunction with the camera and/or retina scanner, the desk may automatically adjust to the preset standing or sitting heights based on detection of the height level of the user after a predetermined period. For example, a user uses the desk at a sitting height in the morning. At lunch time, the user leaves for a period of time. Upon returning after 30 mins, the user elects to use the desk at a standing height after eating. The camera and/or retina scanner detects, for a predetermined amount of time, that the user is in front of the desk but not at the sitting position and as such automatically adjusts the desk to the standing position.
In another alternate embodiment operating in conjunction with the camera and/or retina scanner, the desk may include an auto scan mode. In this example, the auto scan mode works without the need for setting up stored sitting and standing heights. When the auto scan mode is enabled, the desk detects the presence of an individual standing or sitting in front of the desk for a predetermined time. In auto scan mode, visual cues are given by the LED to indicate that the desk is currently auto scanning. Additionally, other audio cues may also be integrated such that a user standing in front of the desk recognizes that the desk is in auto scan mode. To detect the presence of a user for a predetermined time, auto scan mode makes a number of predetermined cycles to identify a user's eye-level and adjust accordingly. However, if no user's eye level is identified during the predetermined cycles, the operation ceases until the detection of another user arrives within the proximity of the desk. In an alternate embodiment, auto scan includes the use of a sensor to confirm that no objects are directly below the desk before any adjustment of the desk height occurs.
While connected to the adjustable standing desk, the mobile app may also be employed to adjust the height of the desk or adjust the height from the preset standing and sitting heights. The mobile app may also include speech recognition which allows for adjustment of standing and sitting heights using voice input.
Presence Detection
The present invention also discloses a novel functionality to optimize the standing use of an adjustable standing desk as well as reducing the consumption of power.
A proximity sensor is utilized to detect the presence of a user at the desk. A proximity sensor may be a thermal sensor to detect body heat of an individual present at the desk or any other proximity sensor known by one of ordinary skill in the art. Other types of proximity sensors include ultrasonic, sonar, radar, inductive, capacitive and/or optical sensor. In an exemplary embodiment, a thermal or infrared proximity sensor checks for the presence of a user every interval to determine if a user is still present at the desk. An interval may be 60 seconds, 90 seconds, or any other interval configured for continuous detection. In the exemplary discussion of
A typical thermal sensor measures the surface temperature of a nearby user by detecting the intensity of the infrared radiation and is ideally tuned to recognize the heat signature of a human wavelength. Although a standard pyroelectric sensor may be used a proximity sensor, ideally a MEMS IR sensor or any other sensor capable of detecting the presence of a user without the need for movement by the user provides optimal detection.
In an exemplary embodiment, the proximity sensor is ideally disposed at a corner of the desk to avoid interference of the use of the desk. However, the proximity sensor may also be incorporated into the primary hardware unit of an adjustable standing desk, wherein the hardware unit is provided with any necessary openings for transmission and reception of infrared rays. Alternatively, the proximity sensor may be disposed on any portion of the desk which provides the sensor with a direct line of sight towards a user.
An exemplary proximity sensor is programmed to identify the presence of a user no more than 24 inches away from the desk. This distance may be configured as necessary depending on the size of the adjustable standing desk, the type of work, or any other factors which may contribute to a user being closer or farther away from the desk.
In an exemplary operation, where the ambient temperature was between 72-78 degrees, the tested proximity sensor was capable of at least identifying the following states:
A: No individual is at the desk
B: At least one individual is near the desk but is further than 24 inches from the sensor
C: At least one individual is at the desk and within 24 inches from the sensor
In this example, where the proximity sensor detects a condition satisfying state C, the adjustable standing desk continuously logs the sitting or standing time. While the adjustable desk continuously logs the time and the adjustable standing desk is in the sitting position, the current amount of sitting time is compared to a sitting interval limit to determine whether a reminder is necessary to instruct the user to change desk position. While the adjustable continuously logs the time and the adjustable standing desk is in the standing position, the current amount of standing time is accumulated for reporting and comparison to the preset goal.
The proximity sensor also serves the function of powering down the all other electrical components of the adjustable standing desk when no user is detected over a predetermined time period. This power saving feature would enable shutting off the LCD display, linear actuators, Bluetooth, and any other power consuming aspects of the adjustable standing desk.
Turning to
If a user is detected, step 830 checks the amount of time the user has been present in the current height setting of the adjustable standing desk. This calculation identifies the amount of consecutive time in which the user has been present. To avoid inaccurate calculations due a user briefly stepping away from the desk, consecutive time may be calculated by excluding short periods where the user was not present. For example, if a user has been in the sitting position for an hour but has gotten up to use the restroom during that period, the adjustable standing desk does not reset the consecutive time in the sitting position based on the short absence of the user.
If step 830 determines that the user has not been present at the adjustable standing desk in the current height position for more than a predetermined time, then the adjustable standing desk returns to step 820 and implements a wait period before reattempt to detect whether a user is present.
However, if in step 830 the adjustable standing desk determines that the user has been present at the current height position for equal to or more than the predetermined period (notification_time), the adjustable standing desk will provide notification to the user that the user should adjust the adjustable standing desk to an alternate height position. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the adjustable height desk is set with an optimal sitting time of no more than 30 minutes continuously, if step 830 determined that a user has been in the sitting position and present for more than 30 minutes, the adjustable standing desk would notify the user to switch the desk to a standing mode for a set period.
This presence detection and notification solves the significant problem where a user will not realize that he or she has been in the sitting position too long and/or forgets to use the adjustable standing desk in the standing mode. Without presence detection and notification, many users will operate the adjustable standing desk primarily in one height mode and not realize the full health benefits of the desk. Furthermore, where the user sets a goal or a default goal is implemented, the presence detection and notification operate to ensure a user meets or exceeds his or her ideal standing time.
To ensure that the adjustable standing desk is used to its optimal health benefits, the desk's controller hardware and corresponding software includes application programing which allows a user to set his or her standing goals. For example, turning to
Additionally, based on the presence detection and duration of the user sitting at the desk, the adjustable standing desk may provide other recommendations via the app, LCD display or other means to the user such as “drink water,” “go for a walk,” “stretch,” etc.
While many of the functions and features described above are described with respect to an adjustable standing desk, the same features and functionality may be incorporated onto an adjustable tabletop desk without deviating from the spirit of the invention. An adjustable desktop refers to a small adjustable platform which are placed upon a standard non-adjustable desk. These platforms allow for adjusting the height of the usable space from near the original non-adjustable desk height to that of a height which allows for a user to use in a standing position.
Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15967563 | Apr 2018 | US |
| Child | 16372395 | US |
