Patent Application
20250000266
The present invention relates generally to the field of chairs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a chair anchor device with a body that may be filled with a heavy material. A chair leg may be positioned into a channel on either side of the body and secured to the device via at least one fastener to stabilize the chair and prevent it from tipping over or moving. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
Chairs and bedside commodes present a potential safety concern due to their inherent instability, which can lead to inadvertent tipping and resultant accidents. The design of these items often prioritizes lightweight construction for ease of use, inadvertently creating an unfavorable weight distribution that heightens the risk of tipping when users attempt to sit down. This seemingly straightforward action of settling into a chair or bedside commode can unexpectedly escalate into a perilous situation, potentially resulting in significant harm and injury.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a device that increases the stability of a chair or bedside commode. More specifically, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a chair anchor device that can be applied to a chair or bedside commode, wherein the device prevents the chair/commode from moving or tipping. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a chair anchor device that can be applied universally to any chair. Furthermore, there exists a need for a chair stabilizing device that can be low cost manufactured, sold, and shipped as an empty box that can be weighted by the consumer, attached to a chair, and achieve chair stability.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a chair anchor device. The device is primarily comprised of a body, an interior space, and at least one channel. The body is generally rectangular and may be filled with a heavy material, such as water/sand, to weigh the device down. The bottom surface of the body may provide additional grip to the floor to prevent the device from sliding across the floor. A chair leg may be positioned into each channel on either side of the body and secured to the device via at least one fastener to stabilize the chair and prevent it from tipping over or moving.
In this manner, the chair anchor device of the present invention accomplishes all the foregoing objectives and provides a device that stabilizes a chair or bedside commode. More specifically, the chair anchor device prevents a chair or bedside commode from tipping over or sliding across the floor. Furthermore, the chair anchor device can be universally applied to any chair or bedside commode.
The following presents a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a chair anchor device primarily comprised of a body, an interior space, and at least one channel. The device is designed to be secured to the base of at least one rear leg of a chair or bedside commode and provide weight and stability to prevent the chair from tipping over or moving when a person is attempting to sit into the chair.
The device is comprised of a generally rectangular body that is preferably made from a plastic material. A bottom surface of the body may be made of a differing material to provide additional grip to the floor, preventing the device from moving. Any heavy material, but preferably water/sand, may be inserted into the interior space of the body via the fill opening to provide additional weight to the device. A cap may be secured onto the fill opening to prevent any water/sand from exiting the body. Further, the water/sand of the interior space of the body may be drained when the device is not in use by removing a cap from a drain opening, decreasing the weight of the device.
The device is further comprised of at least one channel that may accept a chair leg of a chair. The chair leg may be secured into the channel by at least one fastener. In one potential embodiment, at least one anchor point may extrude from the body of the device in which the fastener may be secured to for additional support. The anchor point and the fastener may work in unison to prevent the chair from moving or tipping over when a person is attempting to sit in the chair.
The present invention is also comprised of a method of using the device. First, a device is provided comprised of a body, an interior space, and at least one channel. Then, the cap of the fill opening is removed. Then, water/sand may be poured into the fill opening to fill the interior space of the body with water/sand. Next, the cap of the fill opening is replaced. Then, the two rear chair legs of the chair are placed into a channel on each side of the device and secured into the channel by the fastener.
Accordingly, the chair anchor device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it provides a device that stabilizes a chair or bedside commode. More specifically, the chair anchor device can be universally applied to any chair or bedside commode known in the art. Furthermore, the chair anchor device may prevent a chair or bedside commode from tipping over or sliding across the floor. In this manner, the chair anchor device provides a novel solution to prevent chair falls/tip-overs.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there is a long-felt need in the art for a device that increases the stability of a chair or bedside commode. More specifically, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a chair anchor device that can be applied to a chair or bedside commode, wherein the device prevents the chair/commode from moving or tipping. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a chair anchor device that can be applied universally to any chair. Furthermore there exists a chair stabilizing device that can be light weight, shipped, and made heavy by the ultimate consumer.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a chair anchor device. The device is primarily comprised of a body, an interior space, and at least one channel. The device is designed to be secured to the base of at least one leg of a chair or bedside commode and provide weight and stability to prevent the chair from tipping over or moving when a person is attempting to sit into the chair.
More specifically, the device is comprised of a body that is generally rectangular and is preferably made from a plastic material. The body may be comprised of a bottom surface, a fill opening, an interior space, and a drainage opening. In one potential embodiment, the bottom surface of the body may be made from a differing material, such as rubber, to provide additional grip to the ground surface. The fill opening allows for the interior space of the body to be filled with something, preferably water/sand, to weigh the device down. The fill opening may be further comprised of a cap that can seal closed the fill opening to prevent any water/sand from exiting the interior space of the body. The drainage opening allows for the interior space of the body to be drained of the water/sand to decrease the weight of the device when not in use. The drainage opening may be further comprised of a cap that can seal closed the drainage opening such that the water/sand of the interior space of the body may remain in the interior space of the body while the device is in use.
The device is further comprised of at least one channel. The channel preferably runs the length of the body from the top surface of the body to the bottom surface. The channel may accept a chair leg, preferably a rear chair leg, to secure the chair such that it cannot move. At least one fastener of the channel may be used to further secure the chair leg to the device. The fastener may be any fastener known in the art, such as, but not limited to, a magnet, a hook-and-loop fastener, a strap, a snap button, etc. In the embodiment in which the fastener is a strap, at least one anchor point may extrude from the body of the device, providing a secure location to which the strap fastener may attach.
The present invention is also comprised of a method of using the device. First, a device is provided comprised of a body, an interior space, and at least one channel. Then, the cap of the fill opening is removed. Then, water/sand may be poured into the fill opening to fill the interior space of the body with water/sand. Next, the cap of the fill opening is replaced. Then, the two rear chair legs of the chair are placed into a channel on each side of the device and secured into the channel by the fastener.
Accordingly, the chair anchor device of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it provides a device that stabilizes a chair or bedside commode. More specifically.
the chair anchor device may prevent dangerous situations by preventing a chair or bedside commode from tipping over or sliding across a floor as a person attempts to sit down. Furthermore, the chair anchor device can be universally applied to any chair or bedside commode known in the art. In this manner, the chair anchor device provides a novel solution to prevent chair falls/tip-overs.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The device 100 is comprised of a body 110 that is generally rectangular in shape and is preferably made from a plastic material, such as, but not limited to, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyethylene, thermoplastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid, acetal, nylon, fiberglass, etc. In addition, the body 110 may be transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque in differing embodiments. Furthermore, any surface of the body 110 may be comprised of any number of indicia in the form of patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, etc. The body 110 may be any shape as needed to provide adequate weight to a chair 10.
The fill opening 112 may accept any filling, such as water/sand 113 or another heavy liquid or solid material. The water/sand 113 then fills the interior space 114 of the body 110 to add weight to the body 110. The fill opening 112 is further comprised of a cap 116 that can seal the fill opening 112 closed to prevent any water/sand 113 from exiting the interior space 114 of the body 110 during use. The cap 116 and the fill opening 112 are preferably threaded such that the cap 116 may be easily twisted on and off the fill opening 112.
At least one drainage opening 118 of the body 110 allows the water/sand 113 of the interior space 114 to be removed/drained as needed. The drainage opening 118 is further comprised of a cap 120 that can seal the drainage opening 118 closed to prevent any water/sand 113 from exiting the interior space 114 of the body 110. The cap 120 and drainage opening 118 may be threaded such that the cap 120 may be easily twisted on and off the drainage opening 118.
More specifically, at least one fastener 132 of the channel 130 may be used to further secure the chair leg 12 to the device 100. The fastener 132 may be any fastener known in the art, such as, but not limited to, a magnet, a hook-and-loop fastener, a strap, a snap button, a set screw, a bolt, an elastic band, etc. In differing embodiments, at least one anchor point 134 may extrude from the body 110 to provide a secure location in which the fastener 132 may attach to prevent movement of the leg 12 out of the channel 130. The anchor point 134 and fastener 132 may be used together to secure the chair 10 to the device 100 and prevent the chair 10 from moving or tipping over as a result of the increased weight of the device 100.
The present invention is also comprised of a method 200 of using the device 100, as seen in
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons, may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “chair anchor device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the chair anchor device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the chair anchor device 100 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the chair anchor device 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only. and that many other sizes and shapes of the chair anchor device 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the chair anchor device 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the chair anchor device 100 may be of any size, shape, and/or configuration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/523,671, which was filed on Jun. 28, 2023, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63523671 | Jun 2023 | US |
