This application is based upon and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 from China Patent Application No. 201721621412.2 filed on Nov. 29, 2017, which is hereby specifically incorporated herein by this reference thereto.
The present invention relates to a seat, especially to a seat with a flipping footrest assembly.
In the modern society, due to the change in lifestyle and work, people are spending more and more time sitting, no matter when it is at work, commuting in cars, or even when having a break. However, staying in such a sedentary posture over a long period is detrimental to human health. For example, it could weaken the muscles and lower the flexibility in the blood vessels. To overcome the health problems brought by this modern disease, seats and chairs with different kinds of functions are invented.
Among them, the design for seats used in a car often includes a cushion, a seat back, and a headrest. The seat back is mounted on top of the cushion and extends upwardly. The headrest is mounted on top of the seat back. However, this kind of seat structure does not include any particular design for the legs and feet to rest thereon. Specifically, in a car, a driver and passengers are forced to have their legs bent. Therefore, if the traveling time is long, there is no proper and effective way in a car for the driver and the passengers to stretch and rest their legs. Therefore, the conventional car seat is defective. To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a seat with a flipping footrest to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide a seat with a flipping footrest assembly. When necessary, the user may expand the footrest assembly and turn it into a place where the feet and legs can be rest.
The seat with a flipping footrest assembly has a cushion, a seat back, and a footrest assembly. The cushion has a front surface which is a convex surface. The seat back is mounted on a rear surface of the cushion and extends upwardly. The footrest assembly is pivotally mounted on the front surface of the cushion, is capable of pivoting up and down relative to the cushion, and comprises a first footrest and a second footrest. The first footrest is pivotally mounted in the front surface of the cushion and is capable of pivoting up and down relative to the cushion. A rear surface of the first footrest is adjacent to the front surface of the cushion and is a concave surface. The rear surface of the first footrest corresponds in shape to the front surface of the cushion. When the first footrest pivots up and down relative to the cushion, the rear surface of the first footrest moves along the front surface of the cushion. The second footrest is pivotally mounted on the first footrest and is capable of pivoting up and down relative to the first footrest.
Moreover, the footrest assembly comprises a folded condition, a partially expanded condition, and an expanded condition. In the folded condition, the first footrest pivots relative to the cushion and pivots to a position below the cushion, and the second footrest pivots relative to the first footrest and pivots to a rear end of the first footrest. In the partially expanded condition, the first footrest pivots relative to the cushion and pivots to a front end of the cushion, the rear surface of the first footrest is disposed close to the front surface of the cushion, so from a side view, an extended surface of a top surface of the first footrest and a top surface of the cushion jointly form a continuous and smooth line, and the second footrest is disposed to a position below the first footrest. In the expanded condition, the second footrest pivots relative to the first footrest and pivots to a front end of the first footrest, so the top surface of the first footrest and a top surface of the second footrest jointly form a continuous surface, and the second footrest, the first footrest and the cushion are disposed sequentially from front to rear.
Given the foregoing structure of the seat with a flipping footrest assembly and in the premise of not leaving the car, the user may pivot the footrest assembly relative to the cushion and expand it, so the user may lay their legs on the footrest assembly. Therefore the user may adequately stretch their legs inside the car, especially during a long distant drive, so the bent legs may have some relief from staying in such posture for a long time. On the other hand, the conventional car seat is not equipped with a structure that is specially designed to support and hold the legs, therefore the presented invention can offer a more comfortable seating experience. Meanwhile, because the rear surface of the first footrest corresponds in shape to the front surface of the cushion, which is a convex surface, when the user flips up the first footrest, the top surface of the cushion and the top surface of the first footrest can jointly form a smooth and almost continuous surface, so when the users put their legs thereon, they can barely feel any discontinuity or interspaces between the cushion and the first footrest, which may also enhance the comfort level of the present invention.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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The seat back 20 is mounted on a rear surface 12 of the cushion 10. The rear surface 12 of the cushion 10 is a surface disposed on an opposite side from the front surface 11 of the cushion 10. The seat back 20 extends upwardly from the cushion 10.
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The status of use is as follows.
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In the partially expanded condition, the first footrest 31 is pivoted relative to the cushion 10 to be nearly horizontal, but the pivot angle of the first footrest 31 is not limited thereto, as long as the user may fully stretch his/her legs on the first footrest 31. Besides, in this condition, because the pivoting of the first footrest 31, the second footrest 32 is relatively disposed under the first footrest 31.
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When the present invention is in use, by switching the footrest assembly 30 sequentially from the folded condition to the partially expanded condition and the expanded condition, the user's legs may stretch out and be placed on the first footrest 31 and the second footrest 32. Furthermore, in the expanded condition, two smooth and continuous surfaces are respectively formed between the top surface 13 of the cushion 10 and the top surface 312 of the first footrest 31, and between the top surface 312 of the first footrest 31 and the top surface 321 of the second footrest 32. These two smooth and continuous surfaces have minimal or even no gaps and holes at all, therefore the user may comfortably stretch their legs on the footrest assembly 30.
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201721621412.2 | Nov 2017 | CN | national |