The present invention relates to a saddle, a saddle shell, and a method for producing a customized saddle shell, as well as to a bicycle having said saddle.
It is known that male cyclists increasingly experience erectile dysfunction caused by bicycle saddles and the associated pressure on the perineum and penile blood vessels. Especially men who suffer from enlarged prostates and who like to ride bicycles complain of numbness and reduced blood flow in the penis after long bicycle rides. This problem is not eliminated by the widely used gel saddles because the gel is displaced by the body weight. The man then presses down on a hard plastics shell of the saddle with his body weight, thereby compressing his prostate and the base of the penis.
A saddle having a narrow channel, designed to relieve the genital region, is known from EP 3 022 110 A1, for example. This channel is trapezoidal in a longitudinal axis of the saddle, has a constant width of 30 or 35 mm at the end pointing toward a rear edge of the saddle, extends across approximately three quarters of the saddle length, and tapers toward the nose of the saddle to a constant width of 10 or 20 mm. Narrow, long channels in a saddle generally result in the man's weight resting on the pubic bones with a relatively small contact area. This leads to a high pressure load on the pubic bones, which leads to chronic pain and inflammation of the periosteum (periostitis) of the sit and pubic bones (tuber ischiaticum and os pubis). Such saddle designs also can lead to tendinopathies of the piriformis muscle (“ham-string muscle”). These medical conditions are well known in sports medicine and result in a lengthy healing process. This condition can also be caused, among other things, by saddle designs which place high pressure loads on the periosteum.
The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore that of providing a saddle that is optimized with regard to a rider, an improved saddle shell and a method for producing a customized saddle shell.
According to the invention, a method for producing a customized saddle shell is presented in claim 1. The method preferably comprises the following steps: determining an individual extent of a genital region, in particular of a prostate. producing the customized saddle shell having a recess for accommodating and relieving the genital region, in particular the prostate, wherein the dimension and/or geometry of the recess can be determined on the basis of the extent of the genital region, in particular of the prostate.
The term extent should preferably include the meaning of the size of a spatial dimension of an object. In particular, extent should include the volume, the spatial shape, density, weight or dimension such as height, length and width. The genital region includes in particular the penis, scrotum, testes, epididymis, spermatic ducts, prostate, and the tissue and vessels surrounding the aforementioned organs.
The production method according to the invention enables in particular men with enlarged prostates to ride bicycles with little discomfort or risk. The saddle shell manufactured in this way can alleviate numbness and reduced blood flow in the penis. A large saddle support surface can be achieved by means of the customized recess, which, in particular in contrast to known saddles with a large, elongate channel, distributes the weight of a rider sitting on the saddle shell more evenly and/or over a larger area and thus reduces a painful or even disease-causing pressure load, for example on the pubic bones of the rider. The saddle shell produced in this manner is able to prevent or reduce periostitis or tendinopathies of the piriformis muscle. Above all, the saddle shell produced in this manner can shift the weight of the rider sitting on the saddle shell onto his ischial tuberosities. The prostate region of the rider sitting on the saddle shell preferably comes to be positioned above the customized recess, as a result of which a region on or around the prostate, also called the prostate pressure point, can be relieved. In short, the method according to the invention can be used to produce a saddle shell which can achieve an improved pressure distribution for a rider sitting on said saddle shell while at the same time relieving the individual prostate of the rider. The customization is particularly advantageous because the size of the prostate or the extent of certain genital region can be different for different individuals. Once the prostate extent, dimension or volume has been determined, the recess can be adapted accordingly.
The extent is preferably determined by means of an imaging method comprising an ultrasound measurement method and in particular a transrectal ultrasound measurement. This transrectal ultrasound measurement can take place via the rectum, with measurements preferably being made at a distance of approximately one centimeter above a sphincter muscle. The method step of determining the extent does not serve to perform a diagnosis for any therapeutic purpose, but rather to determine data or physical quantities, such as the extent, the volume, the spatial shape, the density, the weight, or the dimension, such as height, length, and width, in order to be able to determine the dimension and/or geometry of the recess on the basis of the extent of the genital region, in particular of the prostate.
The shape of the prostate can depend on its volume and resemble an ellipsoid or a chestnut if the volume is less than 80 ml; the length of the prostate can be determined in a sagittal plane, and the width and height of the prostate can be determined in a transverse plane. As a result, its volume can be approximately determined using the following formula.
For technical reasons, it may only be possible to determine the length of the prostate imprecisely. The prostate volume can approximately be determined from the width and the height in a transverse plane.
When the volume of the prostate is greater than 80 ml, its shape can resemble a sphere or a chestnut. Therefore, in particular, only the width in the transverse plane is used to determine the volume. Thus, the following formula is preferably used for determining the prostate volume:
Values from the following table of values are preferred as dimensions for the recess for accommodating and relieving different prostate volumes:
Preferably, the first dimension is a length of the recess and the second dimension is a width of the recess. However, this allocation can also be advantageous in reverse. The production costs, for example tool costs, can be reduced if the various prostate volumes are combined in groups, and fixed dimensions of the recess are produced for these groups. In particular, a division into five size ranges is preferred.
The allocation of the prostate volumes, min. volume, mean volume and max. volume, to the five size ranges as well as to the dimensions is not conclusive, but can also be subdivided into finer size ranges, or be expanded upward or downward. A recess for a prostate volume greater than 120 ml is also possible, the dimension or dimensions of which can be determined by extrapolation or interpolation from the aforementioned table of values.
The aforementioned table of values advantageously takes into account a riding position of the rider sitting on the saddle shell, as well as a pressure distribution when taking into account the riding position of a cyclist inclined forward toward a handlebar. This can lead to a slight inclination of the pelvis forward, whereby pressure is increasingly exerted on the prostate pressure point, which is advantageously absorbed and relieved by means of the saddle shell.
In a preferred embodiment of the saddle shell, the shell can be produced by means of an injection molding process using a polymer such as polypropylene or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS for short). The division of the prostate volumes and, consequently, of the dimensions of the recess into a finite number of size ranges enables injection molding tools to be produced inexpensively.
Furthermore, according to the invention, a saddle shell according to claim 7 is provided. The saddle shell according to the invention preferably has a recess for accommodating and relieving pressure on a genital region, in particular the prostate, wherein the dimension and/or the geometry of the recess is formed according to the method according to the invention. The geometry includes in particular a circle, an ellipse, a chestnut shape, and an isosceles triangle.
Even more preferably, the recess is designed in the form of an isosceles Reuleaux triangle. The isosceles Reuleaux triangle has convex, i.e., outwardly curved, sides and can also have rounded corners. In order to make a comfortable sitting experience and improved injection molding possible, the recess can have beveled or rounded edges. A peripheral edge of the recess can be convex, i.e., outwardly curved. The recess takes into account in particular the anatomical design and size of the prostate and can reduce a damaging pressure response and the associated pain in the case of a rider sitting on it.
In an advantageous development of the saddle shell, the dimension and/or geometry comprises a length in a first axis, which preferably extends from the seat plane to the saddle nose or in a sagittal plane, and a width in a second axis of the saddle shell, which is preferably perpendicular to the first axis or extends in a transverse plane.
It is also considered advantageous that a region of the saddle shell is designed as a sitting surface and has a surface that is curved toward a seat plane and toward a saddle nose. The curved surface preferably comprises a saddle pad and is in particular formed from a plastics material, for example a thermoplastic elastomer such as polyurethane. In a further embodiment, the saddle pad can also be provided with a cover material.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a depression is formed along a longitudinal axis of the saddle shell. Therein, a center of the recess is preferably arranged at a predefined distance from a rear saddle edge in such a manner that it is positioned in the region of a perineum of a rider sitting on said saddle. This center can be understood as a fixed point for the dimensions and/or geometries. In the preferred embodiment, the predefined distance between the rear saddle edge and the fixed point of the recess is 80 to 100 mm, in particular 90 mm.
Furthermore, a saddle according to the invention according to claim 14 is proposed, which in particular has the saddle shell according to the invention, a frame and two saddle struts.
The saddle shell according to the invention is preferably glued to the frame. The saddle shell can be covered with a foam rubber layer to improve seating comfort.
In addition, a bicycle according to the invention having a saddle according to the invention is proposed. In principle, the saddle according to the invention can be any type of seat, chair, or seating device for any type of vehicle or furniture.
Embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to the drawings and to the description following them. In the drawings:
Furthermore,
In the saddle pad 29 itself, a depression 22, which tapers toward the saddle nose 26, is formed along a longitudinal axis L20. A center Z30 of the recess 30 is formed in this depression 22 at a predefined distance A30 from a rear saddle edge 24. The distance A30 between the rear saddle edge 24 and the center Z30 of the recess 30 is 90 mm. The geometry based on the position of the center Z30 and the length 34 and width 36 of the recess 30 is selected as an isosceles triangle or chestnut shape, depending on the anatomical conditions of the prostate 42 when sitting on the saddle 10.
The perspective view of the upper side 12 of the saddle shell 20 in
Furthermore, the plan view of the rear saddle edge 24 of the saddle shell 20 shown in
The saddle 10 having the saddle shell 20 furthermore has at least two saddle struts (not shown in the figures), which are preferably formed from a steel alloy with high tensile strength, such as chromium-molybdenum steel.
A30 Distance (between 24 and 30)
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2019 000 882.0 | Feb 2019 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/DE2020/000005 | 1/18/2020 | WO | 00 |