Patent Application
20120086257
The present invention relates generally to removable or permanent orthopedic foot rests for salon styling chairs. In particular, an orthopedic foot rest system for salon styling chairs configured to be adjustable in height and supported by a collar system that eliminates the need for floor posts.
Any publications or references discussed herein are presented to describe the background of the invention and to provide additional detail regarding its practice. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.
Salon chairs are widely used by stylists and other individuals performing hairdressing services for patron seated in such chairs. A typical salon chair has a rigid tubular U-shaped footrest that is designed for use by the customer seated in the chair and is positioned directly in front of the customer to allow for its use. One footrest system available for salon chairs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,334 to Zvonik. Zvonik describes an improved footrest assembly for a salon chair that replaces a standard one-piece U-shaped tubular footrest. By providing pivotally mounted foot plates on a unique yet simple tubular frame having spaced supports which connect to existing mounting holes of a lower surface of the seat of the salon chair, a user, especially an elderly person, may much more easily get to and from a seated position in the salon chair with the foot plates pivoted up. After being seated in the salon chair, the foot plates are easily pivoted downward to a horizontal position for foot support. However, this footrest is designed for the patron sitting in the chair and not for the stylish. Other designs can be found in the filed for footrest but most if not all are directed for use by the patron not the stylist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,670, to Rodas, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, however teaches a tubular footrest unit that is supported by a plurality of upwardly and outwardly extending legs that support the bar from the floor and attach to the chair for use by the stylist. The legs in this system rest on the floor in front of the base and cause a serious tripping hazard for the hair stylist. Since the hair stylist moves around the chair in order to cut the client's hair, the legs of the device present a serious tripping hazard that far outweighs and benefit provided by the system. In addition, Rodas is not adjustable in height and therefore does not accommodate the varying heights of different stylist.
Still further Rodas does not provide a multi-level footrest that accommodates different stances that stylist may take when performing different cosmetic procedures. For example, hair coloring may require a different stance than cutting hair, where eyebrow waxing may require yet another stance. Rodas fails to provide such a device.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed in the market is a removable orthopedic footrest for salon chairs that does not have floor supports, can be adjusted both horizontally and/or vertically to accommodate different stylist, and has a various step down levels to accommodate different stances a stylist may use when working on a customer. The present invention provides such a device and is further described in the section and drawings discussed below.
The present invention is directed to an orthopedic footrest configured to surround the pedestal of a salon chair so that a stylist can rest his/her foot on it so as to reduce the amount of pressure on the back and hip when standing for long periods of time. This therefore reduces strain and many orthopedic medical conditions that may occur.
Accordingly, among the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a stationary or removable foot support unit that extends horizontally and/or vertically for a salon chair so as to aid in reducing medical conditions caused from standing and reaching all day. In particular, an adjustable foot support system that accommodates for different heights and stances used by a stylist so as to assure proper alignment of the hip joint relative to the floor. This assures maximum relief from a variety of medical conditions caused from standing for long periods of time. That is, this allows a person performing salon related services to work comfortably and safely for longer periods of time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foot support system described herein having a collar/bushing system that attaches the unit to the center pedestal of a salon chair and does not require legs to support the footrest off of the floor. This reduces a serious potential tripping hazard for the salon workers as they move around the chair to perform salon related services.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foot support system described herein that can be permanently attached to a salon chair or configured to be easily removed without the need for tools. This allows a stylist that works at different chairs and or at different salons to take the unit with them to use at their next job. It also allows a stylist to retrofit existing chairs in a salon that does not have this technology.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foot support system described herein in which the angle of the resting part of the foot support unit can be adjusted so as to provide the most comfortable position for the individual user.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a message/vibrating movement for the footrest portion of the foot support unit in order to aid in providing better circulation for the stylist using the chair.
In particular, the present invention is directed to a footrest for a salon chair comprising a footrest having a foot support portion configured to attach to the pedestal portion of a salon chair. Once attached to the pedestal portion of the chair the footrest extends outwardly form the pedestal portion of the salon chair so as to provide a foot support portion that is positioned off of the floor and does not have any support posts in contact with the floor. The footrest instead uses an adjustable collar system configured to be removably attached to the pedestal of the salon chair so that the footrest portion can be positioned closer to or farther from the floor.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a salon chair having the footrest described herein permanently attached to the chair. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the foot support portion of the footrest is connected to an adjustable collar by a plurality of spoke-like supports and is configured to have at least two different heights from the floor so as to provide a multilevel foot support portion while the foot rest is attached to the pedestal in a single position.
The footrest described herein can also be configured to further comprise a guide mechanism having a translational guide mechanism for translating the footrest support portions towards and away from the pedestal of said salon chair.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention the foot support portion of the footrest is configured as a single continuous support alternating in heights from the floor around the circumference of the foot support portion. That is, the foot support portion is attached to the top of the collar at one end, encircles around the collar and attaches to the collar below the original attachment. This gives a foot support spaced at different heights off of the floor.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention the footrest is described herein is configured to spin around the pedestal until locked into position by a braking system. In this embodiment, the footrest having a gradual continuous raising slope that can be adjusted by a person by releasing the braking system with their foot and spinning the footrest around the pedestal until a comfortable height is reached. This assures that the user can rest his/her foot on the footrest to achieve the proper angle to reduce stress on the hip and other joints associated with standing.
The present invention is also directed to a kit having the footrest of the present invention, additional attachments to fit different sized salon chairs, cushions for the foot support, removable roller rings of ball bearings in a carry bag for easy transportation.
The present invention is also directed to a method for preventing hip and back strain while performing salon services around a salon chair by properly using any one of the footrest embodiments described herein. The following sections and figures describe the invention in greater detail and specificity.
Hair stylists, as well as other professions, stand on their feet hunched over a client sitting in a salon chair on a continuous basis. This position over time often causes back, hip, joint and feet problems. These problems are often caused by the worker's own weight placed on his/her hips/joints as he/she stands to properly perform the services required. The vertical support of the weight is constantly shifting and tends to cause strains particularly in the back muscles and hip joints. One way to alleviate these problems is to reduce the amount of weight placed on the hip and feet of the worker. By the worker placing his/her feet on a footrest located at the base of a salon chair, less weight is being supported on the feet and hip of the leg attached to the foot resting on the foot rest.
However, the stylist resting his/her foot on the footrest at just any angle or height from the floor is not enough. In fact, resting the foot on the footrest at an incorrect height or position unnaturally forces the hip, back and/or knee of the stylist in an awkward position that could cause additional backache and joint injury.
It has been found that in order to relieve stress on the hip, back and knee, as well as, the feet of a person standing it is essential that hip be aligned at approximately 45-degree angle. Moving towards and away from the chair while performing the salon services on the customer sitting in the chair makes it difficult to maintain the proper resting angle with a single level footrest. In fact, at least 2 different levels are necessary to achieve the proper angle when moving about a customer in a chair while performing salon services. These levels vary with the height of the user and to be effective the footrest must be at the correct height so as to achieve the correct angle defined by the leg and the waist in order to enjoy the benefits of the present invention.
As with many salons many different stylist can use the same chair in a week or even in the same day. Each stylist will most likely be of a different height, size and may have different pre-existing medical histories as it pertains to their joints, back and hips. Therefore, taking into account the different number of users that may use the footrest of the present invention, there is a need for a model of the present invention that allows a person to easily adjust the permanent height of the footrest as well as provide a range of heights when permanently attached at a given height. That is, once the footrest of the present invention is attached to the pedestal of a salon chair, although it can be released and reset, the easier thing to do is to be able to adjust the height of the footrest without undoing the attachment to the salon chair. As described below in connection with the figures, the present invention can have different configurations depending on the user's height and/or preference.
The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention.
While the invention is described in the context of a hair salon, that is simply to assist the reader in understanding one particular use of the present invention and in light of the specification it will be clear that the invention can be used with any profession were standing in a major part of the job. For example, this can be used in a dentist office, an optometrist office, even in connection with professions that do work around a chair, i.e. a security guard. In these applications the footrest would be attached to a stand, pole, sitting chair or other device. All of these potential uses are considered to fall within the scope of the invention.
Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.
It is also understood that all spatial references, such as, for example, horizontal, vertical, top, upper, lower, bottom, left and right, are for illustrative purposes only and can be varied within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the references “upper” and “lower” are relative and used only in the context to the other, and are not necessarily “superior” and “inferior”.
All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but will also be understood to include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”
The following discussion includes a description of a footrest of the present invention, related components and exemplary methods of employing the footrest unit for salon chairs in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. As stated above, alternate embodiments are also disclosed. Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Turning now to
Attached to the outside surface 55 of the adjustable collar system 25 is a plurality of spoke-like supports 20 that are attached to the adjustable collar system 25 at one end and a foot support member 15 at the other. The foot support member 15 is configured to encircle the plurality of spoke-like supports 20. The plurality of spoke-like supports 20 are configured to secure the foot support member 15 at different heights to the outside surface 55 of the adjustable collar system 25. That is, the foot support 15 is attached to the outside surface 55 of the adjustable collar system 25 at the top portion 10 of the collar system 25 at one end and graduately cascades down so as to attach at the bottom portion 30 of the collar system 25 at about 360 degrees from the first attachment. In between these two attachment points, the foot support is attached to the collar system 25 by the plurality of spoke-like supports 20 as described herein. This allows the foot support to have different heights off of the floor as a user moves around the circumference of the foot support member 15.
This configuration assures that a user can rest their foot on the foot support 15 at the proper height when standing and working on a customer sitting in the chair. As discussed herein, it is essential that the footrest 05 be at the correct height so that the user's hip is at approximately a 45 degrees angle with the floor and the hip of the user so as to be most effective in relieving stress on the joints from standing. This embodiment of the present invention is designed so that a person of any height can adjust the height of the footrest 05 to achieve the proper angle. Spinning the foot support 15 about the adjustable collar system 25 attached to the salon chair either decreases or increases the height of the footrest 05 off of the floor depending on whether the footrest 05 is being spun in the direction of the increasing slope or decreasing slope of the footrest 05.
The footrest 05 of the present invention is also equipped with a collar braking system that is released when a braking system button 45 is pressed and locked when the braking system button 45 is pressed again. One continuous braking button 45 or several braking system buttons 45 can be located on the underside of the foot support 15. The braking buttons are attached to the collar braking system so that a user can press the braking button 45 to release the brake, spin the footrest 15 to the proper height and lock the footrest 05 in place by activating the braking system by pressing the braking system button 45 again. Once locked, the braking system remains locked until unlocked once again. The collar locking system can be a magnetic locking system, mechanical locking system, a friction locking system or any other type of locking system as long as it can be locked and unlocked with the push of the brake locking system button 45.
As described in
This, as well as the embodiment described in
Similarly, the collar system 115 and the ball bearing system 130 are configured to have at least one break point 140 that allow the separate ball bearing collar (shown in
As shown in
The top 435 rim is configured to have a breaking point 430 that is line with a breaking point 430 on the bottom rim 420. These breaking points are designed to open so that the ball bearing system 400 can be placed about the pedestal of the salon chair. Each of the rims can be flexible so that they can bend and provide enough lead way so that the ball bearing system 400 can be opened and wrapped about the pedestal. The flexible first 435 and second 420 rims will then return back to their original circular configuration so as to hug closely to the pedestal surface. Once in place the two breaking points 430 can be adhered together either with a pin or a screw that also functions to hold the ball bearing system 400 in place. The fastening member can also be a clasp, clip, pin, Velcro®, or the like. Alternative locking members and hinges can be used and fall within the scope of the present invention.
In a configuration where the top rim 435 and bottom rim 420 are made from rigid material each rim will be equipped with a hinge member 425 that diametrically opposes the each breaking point. This allows the rigid frame to open so that it can be placed in position about the salon chair and closed once it is in place. As with the flexible system, once the ball bearing system 400 is in place, the two breaking points 430 can be adhered together either with a pin or a screw that also functions to hold the ball bearing system 400 to the salon pedestal. Once in place the two breaking points 430 can be adhered together either with a pin or a screw that also functions to hold the ball bearing collar system 400 in place. Alternative locking members and hinges can be used and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Once the ball bearing collar system 400 is attached to the pedestal of the salon chair, the footrest is attached to the pedestal of the chair directly on top of the ball bearing collar 400 so that the footrest is allowed to spin about the pedestal as discussed herein. That is, in this configuration the footrest discussed herein sandwiches the ball bearing collar 400 against the surface of the pedestal to allow the footrests of the present invention to rotate on the ball bearings 410 about the pedestal.
In this configuration, the ball bearings rotate about the axis of the connecting strands 415 and allow the footrest that is connected to the salon chair on top of the ball bearing collar 400, to rotate freely about the pedestal of the salon chair.
It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplification of the various embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
