GROUND SEAT

Abstract

A ground seat, having a buttocks support having a downwardly facing surface adapted for placement upon the ground, a back support connected to the buttocks support for selective movement between stowed and usable positions, and a belt connected to the back support and movable between connected and disconnected positions and sized to be wrapped in its connected position around a user's bent legs.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to seats and more particularly to legless seats for sitting directly on the ground.

2. Background of Art

Sitting on the ground with no seats or walls for back support was historically the only way for Bedouin Arabs and many other nations. The most common way to sit is to bend the knees and slightly cross legs that are bent at the knee. However, early Bedouin Arabs would use their head garb to tie around the back and legs to maintain this position, thereby freeing the arms and providing some back support.

3. Objects and Advantages

It is a principal object and advantage of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a ground seat that provides adequate back support.

Another object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a ground seat that is easily manipulable to accommodate different sized persons.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, an embodiment of the present invention provides a ground seat, comprising (i) a buttocks support having a downwardly facing surface adapted for placement upon the ground; (ii) a back support connected to the buttocks support for selective movement between stowed and usable positions; and (iii) a belt connected to the back support and movable between connected and disconnected positions and sized to be wrapped in its connected position around a user's bent legs. Flexible straps are preferably used to interconnect the buttocks support to the back support and permit the two supports to be folded upon one another for stowing and ease of transport. Each of the buttocks and back supports may comprise rigid framework, such as, for example, interconnected slats of wood, covered with upholstery and padding (e.g., composed of foam, feathers, down, synthetic material, or the like). The belt is adapted to be wrapped around a user's bent and crossed legs and fastened (via Velcro®, buckles, or other suitable and conventional fastener).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view thereof showing a user sitting thereon;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view thereof showing a user sitting thereon;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view thereof showing a user sitting thereon;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view thereof showing a user sitting thereon; and

FIG. 8 is a series of perspective views of the leg encircling belt used in connection with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in FIG. 1 a ground seat designated generally by reference numeral 10. Ground seat 10 generally comprises a buttocks support 12, a back support 14 (with or without extra lumbar support) connected to the buttocks support 12 by straps/belts 16 that extend between the rear edge of buttocks support 12 and back support 14, for selective movement between stowed where the back and buttocks supports would be folded upon one another (not shown) and usable (shown) positions, and a belt 18 connected to back support 14 and adapted for secure fastening around the outside of a user's bent and crossed legs, as shown in FIGS. 4-7. Straps 16 permit movement of buttocks support 12 relative to back support 14 such that movement of the two supports between stowed and usable positions is easily facilitated by simply folding or unfolding the two supports relative to one another.

In one aspect of the invention, buttocks support 12 and back support 14 are preferably composed of a rigid or semi-rigid framework, such as a plurality of wooden slats interconnected to one another, and may be covered with a padded/comforting material, such as dense memory foam or the like, while in another aspect they may be composed of material covered cushions. Buttocks support 12 may include an essentially flat bottom surface, as shown, which lies directly on the ground, or an upwardly bowed contour that permits the central portion of the support to lie on the ground while permitting slight rolling to either side by the user.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, as opposed to using straps 16 to interconnect back support 14 to buttocks support 12, the two are simply stitched to one another along a common seam and composed of material that is resilient enough to withstand repeated folding and unfolding of the two supports relative to one another.

A second set of connecting straps/belts 16′ can be used for added stability to the ground seat 10. Belts 16′ are stitched to (or pass through a sleeve 26 on front edge of buttocks support 12—see FIG. 6) and extend between the opposite side edges of buttocks support 12 and back support 14, and may alternatively be a single sheet of pliable material that extends between the side edges of buttocks support 12 and back support 14, as shown in FIG. 3.

Belt 18 is preferably composed of nylon or other strong, flexible material and includes its opposite ends fixed (permanently or releasably) to back support 14 and its free ends selectively movable between fastened and unfastened positions. The belt is, of course, primarily used to buckle around the user's legs, and it can be designed to fit into a locking mechanism (not shown) in the buttocks support 12 to provide back support achieved through its wrapping of the legs. The belt 18 is preferably adjustable in length to permit the back support angle in any position desired by the user. Thus, the belt has a 3rd position (1st: wrapped around the legs, 2nd: folding position): connected with the butt support in certain mechanism to hold the back in a similar way to FIG. 9, and with adjustable angles.

Belt 18 may be tied around the legs of the user in several different manners as shown in FIG. 8. Male and female connectors 30, 32, respectively, that can securely engage and be selectively released from one another can be attached to the opposing ends of belt 18; the free ends of belt 18 can be free of any connectors and the belt tied in a bow or knot; or a double-ringed buckle 34 can be attached to one end of belt 18 while the opposite end can be secured through the buckle for fastening.

Claims

1) A ground seat, comprising: a) a buttocks support having a downwardly facing surface adapted for placement upon the ground;b) a back support connected to said buttocks support for selective movement between stowed and usable positions; andc) a first belt connected to said back support and movable between connected and disconnected positions and sized to be wrapped in its connected position around the outside of a user's bent legs.

2) The ground seat according to claim 1, wherein said buttocks support includes first and second opposite side edges and a rear edge, said ground seat further comprising a second belt extending between said rear edge of said buttocks support and said back support.

3) The ground seat according to claim 2, further comprising third and fourth belts extending between said first and second side edges of said buttocks support, respectively, and said back support.

4) The ground seat according to claim 1, wherein said first belt includes a first end having a female clip attached thereto and a second end with a male clip attached thereto, whereby the female clip and male clip may securely engage and selectively disengage from one another.

5) The ground clip according to claim 1, wherein said first belt includes a first end with a loop buckle attached thereto, whereby a second end of said belt may be securely anchored to said loop buckle and selectively disconnected therefrom.