The instant disclosure relates to chairs; more specifically, to chairs for home healthcare and healthcare applications (among others).
This invention generally relates to lift chairs and, more particularly, to reclinable lift chairs often used to assist in the care of invalids, elderly, disabled and/or persons recovering from injuries. Persons with a number of medical conditions often find the movement required to arise from a seated position particularly difficult. Persons who require lift chairs to assist in movement between a sitting and standing position are also often physically incapable of exercising and stretching without assistance. A persistent lack of stretching and exercise over time may further their physical degradation and reliance on aids such as lift chairs, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.
The instant disclosure relates to adjustable chairs with a plurality of adjustment points to facilitate enhanced user mobility and increase a user's physical activity through guided exercises.
In one example embodiment, an adjustable chair is disclosed including a backrest including a back support structure, a seat including a seat support structure, a base including a base mount, a lifting mechanism and a reclining mechanism. The lifting mechanism couples the base mount and the seat support structure, and adjusts a pitch of the seat support structure. The reclining mechanism couples the seat support structure and the back support structure, and adjusts an attitude of the back support structure relative to the seat support structure.
In some more specific embodiments, an adjustable chair consistent with the present disclosure may include a backrest including a back support structure, a seat including a seat support structure, a base including a base mount; a lifting mechanism, a reclining mechanism, a yaw mechanism, a backrest mount and a roll mechanism. The lifting mechanism couples the base mount and the seat support structure, and adjusts a pitch of the seat support structure. The reclining mechanism couples the seat support structure and the back support structure, and adjusts an attitude of the back support structure relative to the seat support structure. The yaw mechanism is coupled between the base mount and the seat support structure, and adjusts a yaw of the backrest relative to the seat. The backrest mount is coupled to the back support structure via the roll mechanism, and the roll mechanism may roll the backrest mount relative to the back support structure.
Some aspects of the present disclosure are directed to methods of operating an adjustable chair. In one example embodiment, the method includes receiving a user input indicative of a desired assisted exercise and/or stretch, and activating one or more of a plurality of mechanisms within the adjustable chair to facilitate the assisted exercise and/or stretch of the user.
The foregoing and other aspects, features, details, utilities, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from reading the following description and claims, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings.
Various example embodiments may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
While various embodiments discussed herein are amenable to modifications and alternative forms, aspects thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure including aspects defined in the claims. In addition, the term “example” as used throughout this application is only by way of illustration, and not limitation.
The instant disclosure relates to adjustable chairs with a plurality of motion and rotation mechanisms to facilitate enhanced user mobility and increase a user's physical activity through guided exercises and stretching. For example, a chair consistent with the present disclosure may include a lifting mechanism to assist a user from a seating to a standing position and facilitates standing stretches through the motion and rotation mechanisms of the chair limiting the need for direct caretaker intervention (during such stretches/exercises).
Often times people with and without physical limitations are unable to safely reach their physical fitness needs and goals, especially where their exercise requires intervention by a third-party for safety (e.g., to prevent a fall, or other injury). Additionally, the third-party may be a medical professional with limited availability (further limiting one's ability to regularly exercise). One particular benefit of a chair consistent with the present disclosure is the ability for a user with decreased mobility, for example, to safely stretch and exercise in conjunction with the chair without the need for direct caretaker involvement and greatly reduced risk of falls and other injuries.
Chairs consistent with the present disclosure have a myriad of applications and functionality, as will be clear in view of the drawings and detailed description herein. A few example features and functions are: back-rest (semi-)reclines, leg extension/raise, exercise from sitting and/or standing position, lift chair (sit to stand), facilitate physical exercise of many of the muscle groups of a user, physical therapy movements, mobility enhancement, muscle toning, upper core movements, lower extremity motion, leg raises, arm movements, leg movements, core movements and rotation, shoulder movements, supine flat user positioning, Trendelenburg (head lower) user positioning, full stand, partial stand, side-bending range of motion, up-down bending movements, among many others that will be clear to a skilled artisan in view of Applicant's disclosure herein.
Those having one or more of the following conditions, ailments, situations (among others) may benefit from the chair disclosed herein, including: Parkinson Disease, stroke patient, heart attack patient, Muscular Dystrophy, fatigue, obesity, the elderly, postpartum mothers, chronic migraine sufferers, brain injury, transitional care candidates, car accident patients, pain management, various chronic conditions, pre-surgery, post-surgical, sports-related injuries, genetic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, work-related injuries, fall risk users; balance compromised users (e.g., dizziness, Vertigo), circulatory system conditions, neurological disorders, limited mobility, paralysis patients, Lymphedema, physical therapy patients, spinal injuries, high blood pressure, Diabetes, Dementia, Edema, Lymphatic system conditions, Multiple Sclerosis, mobility limited (e.g., chair confined users and those bedridden), joint(s) replacement(s) patients, muscle weakness, physical rehabilitation, range of motion, strength building/maintenance, among other various conditions, ailments, applications that will be readily apparent to a skilled artisan in view of Applicant's disclosure herein.
Applications for chairs disclosed herein may include, for example: at home use, nursery, nursing home, transitional care, hospice care, medical facilities, medical clinics, physical therapy/rehabilitation clinics, and fitness facilities.
Chairs consistent with the present disclosure facilitate user exercises and stretches including, for example: reach and grasp, upper core movements, lower extremity movements, neck movements, arm extensions, sit-to-stand, leg lifts, lunge, standing hip abduction, weight shift(s), (mini) squats (one or both legs), sitting trunk rotations, various balance exercises (e.g., stand with eyes open/close), step-ups, shoulder press, shoulder range of motion exercises, chest press, bicep curls, tricep extensions, core exercise, knee to chest, leg kicks, torso twists, modified squats, knee extensions, heel slides, side-to-side movements, calf raises, neck turn, seated backbend, up-down-push movements, stretching exercises, lateral flexion, overhead stretch, side stretch, hop stretch, calf stretches, ankle stretches, foot stretches, knee stretches, strength building/maintenance, among others.
The benefits of a chair consistent with the present disclosure may include, for example: improved user independence, reduced hospital visits, reduced need for at-home care, physical and occupational therapy visits, etc.
Various example embodiments may be more completely understood in view of the following detailed description presented in reference to the accompanying drawings.
As discussed in more detail below, when the seat 103 is extended into a vertical inclination, auxiliary armrests 106A/B which are coupled to the backrest 104 may be lowered to provide a user additional support and the ability to carry some of their standing weight through their upper body. In some embodiments, the primary armrests 105A/B are coupled to a base 102 of the chair and remain static during various chair motions. In yet other embodiments, the primary armrests 105A/B may be coupled to the backrest 104 and rest on the base 103 of the chair 101 when the chair is in a seated configuration. In such an embodiment, the auxiliary armrests 106A/B are not necessary as the primary armrests serve both functions.
As shown in
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a user may individually control each mechanism (i.e., a reclining mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a leg rest mechanism, etc.) via a user interface (such as a remote) and/or by selecting a pre-programmed function (e.g., recline, stand, as well as various exercise and stretch programs).
In yet further embodiments, a reclining mechanism may further extend the backrest so to place the user into the Trendelenburg position (where the user's head is lower than the rest of their body). That is, the seat bottom 103 and leg rest 107 are (substantially) horizontally oriented and the backrest 104 is declining relative thereto. In such an embodiment, the reclining mechanism facilitates a rotation between the seating configuration and the Trendelenburg position of approximately 180 degrees.
For clarity,
It is to be understood that controller circuitry of the chair 101 may facilitate motion of one or more of the mechanisms simultaneously to facilitate fluid multi-axis motions of the chair 101 thereby allowing the user to naturally stretch and exercise in conjunction with the chair. A user interface of the chair, communicatively coupled to the controller circuitry, allows the user to select a single stretch/exercise, pre-programmed exercise/stretch routines, and/or create customized stretch/exercise routines.
In one specific embodiment, yaw motion 120 may be implemented simultaneously with a inclining/reclining motion of the chair to allow the user to conduct assisted rotational crunches and/or oblique crunches from a semi-upright or reclined position of the chair 101.
In some specific embodiments, the yaw and roll motions illustrated in
Controller circuitry may simultaneously (or in series) operate one or more of these various mechanisms to facilitate a user desired motion of the chair 201.
As shown in
To achieve the up-right seating configuration (shown in
To achieve the roll rotation illustrated in
In one specific embodiment of the lifting mechanism 335′, the motor may be a servo motor with planetary gear reducers to increase torque needed to lift a user of the chair.
In some specific embodiments, the yaw mechanism 536′ may further include a yaw limiting mechanism 5631-2 which limits the total yaw adjustment the yaw mechanism may induce between the back support structure 534 and seat support structure 533. As shown in
It is to be understood that the various mechanisms disclosed herein (e.g., lifting mechanism, roll mechanism, yaw mechanism, and leg rest mechanism) may utilize any one of the various mechanism solutions disclosed in the present application with respect to other portions of the chair.
As shown in
The chair 601 may further include storage compartments 672 under one or more of the primary armrests 605A/B. As shown in
The chair 601 may further include a table 671 coupled to a base 602 of the chair via a table support 674. The table support 674 may be telescoping to facilitate various table heights. In some embodiments, the table 671 may be collapsed into the storage compartment 672 of primary armrest 605A and stored therein.
To facilitate user control of the chair 601, the chair may further include a wired/wireless controller 673 or other user interface (such as a touch-screen tablet) that allows for a user to select various functions of the chair including various stretches and exercises as discussed herein. Controller circuitry of the chair 601 may include wireless communication modules, such as a wireless communication module capable of Bluetooth® communication protocol, to facilitate receiving control inputs from a user's cellphone, tablet, or other electronics device.
In operation, retractable foot/slider assembly 780 may receive an input torque on drive input 785 (via a user) which turns a primary gear 784 (worm gear) coupled to the same input shaft as the drive input 785. Rotation of the worm gear 784 rotates secondary gear 783 (with a mechanical advantage). The secondary gear 783 is coupled to an output shaft 786. At least a portion of the output shaft 786 is a female threaded rod. The secondary gear 783 (a spur gear) is rotationally coupled to the base 702, and accordingly the female threaded rod of the output shaft 786 rotates in response to an input torque on the drive input 785. A male threaded rod 782 is coupled to a foot/slider 781. In response to the respective rotation of the female threaded rod of the output shaft 786, which is threaded about the male threaded rod 782, the male threaded rod retracts or extends the foot/slider 781 relative to the base 702.
Importantly, due to the horizontal orientation of the drive input 785, a user may access and manipulate the retractable foot/slider assembly 780 single-handed and without requiring that the furniture be lifted to facilitate adjustment of the assembly (as is common with prior art furniture legs).
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the foot/slider 781 may be replaced with a castor wheel. In such an embodiment a piece of furniture, equipment or other object to which occasional movement is desirable, may regularly sit on a base 702 of the assembly 780 for optimal stability; however, when relocation of the item is desirable, castor wheels 781 may be extended from a cavity of the base 702 so that the weight of the item is transferred from the bottom of the base 702 to the castor wheels 781—thereby facilitating easy relocation of the item.
With further respect to
Depending on the application, the drive input 785 may facilitate hand adjustment (via a handle), receive a Philips or flat-head screw driver, or in more industrial applications receive a standard sized socket wrench. In yet more specific embodiments, the drive input may be coupled to a (servo-)motor communicatively coupled with controller circuitry of a chair consistent with the present disclosure. In such an embodiment, a user may initiate extending/retracting of the feet/sliders 781 via a controller to facilitate cleaning under the chair, re-positioning, leveling, etc. When used in conjunction with one or more on-board tilt sensors, controller circuitry of the chair may automatically adjust the respective feet/sliders to achieve a perfect level.
In some specific embodiments of the retractable foot/slider assembly 780, the primary and secondary gears are both bevel gears.
As discussed throughout the present disclosure, chair controller circuitry in response to a user input may implement various mechanisms of the chair to facilitate various exercises and stretches. In addition, the controller circuitry may utilize a speaker and/or display to verbally/visually communicate exercise/stretch instructions or to communicate upcoming actions. In addition, controller circuitry may facilitate voice activation of various functions.
As various applications of a chair in accordance with the present disclosure include users at high-risk for falls. Various safety feature may be implemented to reduce the risk or injury associate with the chair's use. For example, and as discussed in more detail above, a seatbelt (also referred to as a gait belt) may be utilized. In some more specific embodiments, two or more gait belts, a 3-point harness, or a 5-point harness may be utilized to further secure users with enhanced muscle weakness. In some specific embodiments, one or more ends of the belts and/or harnesses may be coupled to the chair structure via a force/pressure sensor. In response to excess force being exerted on the force/pressure sensor when the chair is in a standing configuration during an exercise/stretch (e.g., indicative of a user losing their footing and hanging from the belt/harness), the controller circuitry may automatically return the chair to an up-right seated configuration to allow the user to rest and regain their footing before proceeding.
In addition, the chair may include one or more panic buttons (such as near the base of the chair). When a user is in distress, such as after a fall, a user is more likely to reach a panic button in proximity to the floor.
The chair may also utilize one or more sensors to detect user presence. For example, a pressure/force sensor may be positioned between a seat support structure and a seat of the chair. When in use, in the up-right seated configuration, a sudden absence of a signal from the pressure/force sensor indicative of the user's presence may indicate a fall and trigger an audible/visual alarm for third-person intervention. In more specific embodiments, chair controller circuitry may be communicatively coupled to emergency services to facilitate alerting medical personality that a fall may have occurred.
Although several embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the present teachings. The foregoing description and following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.
Various embodiments are described herein of various apparatuses, systems, and methods. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments, the scope of which is defined solely by the appended claims.
Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or the like, in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Thus, the particular features, structures, or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment may be combined, in whole or in part, with the features structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments without limitation.
Any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated materials does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.
Various modules or other circuits may be implemented to carry out one or more of the operations and activities described herein and/or shown in the figures. In these contexts, a “module” is a circuit that carries out one or more of these or related operations/activities (e.g., chair controller circuitry). For example, in certain of the above-discussed embodiments, one or more modules are discrete logic circuits or programmable logic circuits configured and arranged for implementing these operations/activities. In certain embodiments, such a programmable circuit is one or more computer circuits programmed to execute a set (or sets) of instructions (and/or configuration data). The instructions (and/or configuration data) can be in the form of firmware or software stored in and accessible from a memory (circuit). As an example, first and second modules include a combination of a CPU hardware-based circuit and a set of instructions in the form of firmware, where the first module includes a first CPU hardware circuit with one set of instructions and the second module includes a second CPU hardware circuit with another set of instructions.
Certain embodiments are directed to a computer program product (e.g., nonvolatile memory device), which includes a machine or computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which may be executed by a computer (or other electronic device) to perform these operations/activities.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/129,342, filed 22 Dec. 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2850075 | Wilson | Sep 1958 | A |
3592423 | Mui | Jul 1971 | A |
3596991 | Mckee | Aug 1971 | A |
3640566 | Hodge | Feb 1972 | A |
3641620 | Hage | Feb 1972 | A |
3964786 | Mashuda | Jun 1976 | A |
4407543 | Mashuda | Oct 1983 | A |
4860733 | Parker, Jr. | Aug 1989 | A |
4921247 | Sterling | May 1990 | A |
5022708 | Nordella | Jun 1991 | A |
5096008 | Mankowski | Mar 1992 | A |
5346280 | Deumite | Sep 1994 | A |
5437609 | Leonard et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
5470298 | Curtis | Nov 1995 | A |
5803545 | Guguin | Sep 1998 | A |
5806920 | Blount | Sep 1998 | A |
5988574 | Podgorski et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5992931 | LaPointe et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6154690 | Coleman | Nov 2000 | A |
6336235 | Ruehl | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6349907 | Hollington et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6533353 | Johnston | Mar 2003 | B2 |
6855098 | Reitz et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6979284 | Curtis | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7094188 | Reitz et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7147278 | Johnson et al. | Dec 2006 | B2 |
7276018 | Studdard | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7287732 | Balistreri | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7413245 | Johnson et al. | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7419216 | Hunziker | Sep 2008 | B2 |
7484700 | Selle | Feb 2009 | B2 |
7537553 | Mongelluzzo et al. | May 2009 | B2 |
7549705 | Man et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7556227 | Thuelig | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7600817 | Kramer et al. | Oct 2009 | B2 |
7640090 | Uchida | Dec 2009 | B2 |
7762158 | Shieh et al. | Jul 2010 | B2 |
7946672 | Saikawa | May 2011 | B2 |
8104835 | Ovre | Jan 2012 | B2 |
8205843 | Phillips et al. | Jun 2012 | B2 |
8220770 | Justis | Jul 2012 | B2 |
8262038 | Hallet | Sep 2012 | B1 |
8302221 | Camp, Jr. | Nov 2012 | B1 |
8403352 | Hunziker | Mar 2013 | B2 |
8641588 | Verheem | Feb 2014 | B2 |
8783770 | Tanaka et al. | Jul 2014 | B2 |
8795141 | Huang | Aug 2014 | B2 |
8905906 | Man et al. | Dec 2014 | B2 |
8944977 | Foster et al. | Feb 2015 | B2 |
9045058 | Katoh | Jun 2015 | B2 |
9078796 | Hall | Jul 2015 | B1 |
9220939 | Chen | Dec 2015 | B2 |
9233271 | Chen | Jan 2016 | B2 |
9301895 | Hough et al. | Apr 2016 | B2 |
9351890 | Hough et al. | May 2016 | B2 |
9427371 | Lamar | Aug 2016 | B1 |
9446286 | Wang | Sep 2016 | B2 |
9492339 | Leib | Nov 2016 | B2 |
9629765 | Mitchell | Apr 2017 | B1 |
9682682 | Aoki | Jun 2017 | B2 |
9713559 | Hough et al. | Jul 2017 | B2 |
9795528 | Delmestri | Oct 2017 | B1 |
9854912 | Iacobucci | Jan 2018 | B2 |
9975458 | Takeuchi | May 2018 | B2 |
10021979 | Miller | Jul 2018 | B2 |
10143607 | Ravn | Dec 2018 | B2 |
10272282 | Harlow | Apr 2019 | B2 |
10507146 | Alhajery et al. | Dec 2019 | B1 |
10537181 | Brodbeck | Jan 2020 | B2 |
10667612 | Matlin et al. | Jun 2020 | B2 |
10888476 | Fakhrizadeh | Jan 2021 | B2 |
10960255 | Bourke et al. | Mar 2021 | B2 |
11077002 | Crump | Aug 2021 | B1 |
20010050500 | Piretti | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20030073552 | Knight | Apr 2003 | A1 |
20030227161 | Redman | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20040212177 | Kuiken | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20060103209 | Olcheski | May 2006 | A1 |
20060116259 | Smith | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20070085396 | Hunziker | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070246986 | White | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20080146422 | Bae | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20080168855 | Giefer et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20090105046 | Rudlich | Apr 2009 | A1 |
20090108648 | Biggs et al. | Apr 2009 | A1 |
20090233773 | Cardey | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20100117427 | Fukuyama et al. | May 2010 | A1 |
20110140484 | Chang | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20130119733 | White | May 2013 | A1 |
20140138995 | Leib | May 2014 | A1 |
20150060162 | Goffer | Mar 2015 | A1 |
20150084307 | Goldish | Mar 2015 | A1 |
20150209207 | Cooper | Jul 2015 | A1 |
20150257950 | Ten Holter | Sep 2015 | A1 |
20150283009 | Borisoff | Oct 2015 | A1 |
20160045382 | Goffer | Feb 2016 | A1 |
20160058191 | Hegedus | Mar 2016 | A1 |
20160206099 | Robertson | Jul 2016 | A1 |
20160346143 | White | Dec 2016 | A1 |
20170056262 | Yamada | Mar 2017 | A1 |
20170224112 | DeVereux | Aug 2017 | A1 |
20180001729 | Goffer | Jan 2018 | A1 |
20180042798 | Davies | Feb 2018 | A1 |
20180055703 | Ortiz | Mar 2018 | A1 |
20180221226 | Moore | Aug 2018 | A1 |
20180369049 | Eskridge, III | Dec 2018 | A1 |
20190053970 | Vatti | Feb 2019 | A1 |
20200046128 | Sramek | Feb 2020 | A1 |
20200229998 | Paz | Jul 2020 | A1 |
20200246207 | Williams | Aug 2020 | A1 |
20210244585 | Ohta | Aug 2021 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2513499 | Apr 1983 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20220192381 A1 | Jun 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63129342 | Dec 2020 | US |