Patent Application
20250024947
The present invention relates generally to chairs and furniture. More specifically, the present invention is a sensory chair allowing for movement while seated.
Sensory devices are commonly used by children and adults with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and/or sensory processing disorders to help the user focus, whether at home, school, work, or in other areas of their life. Specifically, sensory chairs allow for movement while seated to stay active and focused without getting up from a seat. However, many sensory chairs utilize balance balls, uneven rocking supports/legs, or rotating seats. While these types of chairs are useful in allowing the user to move while seated, they are not suitable for all users, particularly younger users who may fall from the chair or tip the chair.
On objective of the present invention is provide a sensory chair that may position a user in a 90-90 configuration wherein the torso of the user is at a 90° angle relative to their thighs while their knees are bent at a 90° angle. An additional objective of the present invention is to allow the user to stand on the foot plate, essentially allowing the user to move around while maintaining contact with the sensory chair. The present invention seeks to overcome the above referenced shortcomings of the prior art by providing a sensory chair with a stable frame that allows for a wide range of movement from the seated position, whether at a dining table, desk, or other location.
A sensory seat having a support structure, a seat portion and a plurality of connection members. The seat portion swings from the support structure by means of the connection members, thereby allowing multi-directional movement of the seat portion.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term-differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.
Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of a sensory seat 1, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.
As shown in
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat portion 100 comprises a seat bottom 120, a seat back 130, a left seat side 140, and a right seat side 150. The left seat side 140 and the right seat side 150 are each connected perpendicular to the seat bottom 120, extending parallel to one another away from the seat bottom 120. The seat back 130 is connected to the seat bottom 120, the left seat side 140, and the right seat side 150, creating a partially enclosed basket structure. The seat back 130 may be positioned perpendicular to the seat bottom 120, though in some embodiments, a seat angle is delineated between the seat bottom 120 and the seat back 130 with the seat angle preferably being an obtuse angle. The seat portion 100 may comprise an internal surface and an external surface. Additionally, the seat portion 100 may comprise a plurality of attachment ports 110. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of attachment ports 110 is located on the seat back 130, the left seat side 140, and the right seat side 150. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat portion 100 comprises one attachment port on the left seat side 140, one attachment port on the right seat side 150, and two attachment ports on the seat back 130.
As shown in
The top edge 212,222 and the bottom edge 211,221 of each support member 210,220 are oppositely positioned from one another about each support member 210,220. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom edge 211,221 of each support member is greater in length than the top edge 212,222, keeping the sensory seat 1 from rocking back and forth when the seat portion 100 is moved. The at least one seat attachment mechanism 213,223 is a portion of the support structure 200 configured to receive and secure the plurality of connection members 300.
Furthermore, in the context of the present invention, the at least one foot plate receiver 214,224 is a groove, slot, and/or channel traversing inwardly from a frontmost portion of the first and second support members 210,220, for engaging and supporting a foot plate 400. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one foot plate receiver 214,224 is cut into each of the first support member 210 and the second support member 220, in mirrored locations. Moreover, within the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support members 210,220 comprise a plurality of foot plate receivers 214,224, spaced along a leading edge (frontmost portion of each aforementioned support member), wherein each foot plate receiver is parallel. Additionally, as shown in
In the context of the present invention, the plurality of connection members 300 is a plurality of elongated strands configured to connect the seat portion 100 to the support structure 200. As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the present invention further comprises a foot plate 400. In the context of the present invention, the foot plate 400 is a panel that slides into a pair of corresponding (aligned) foot plate receivers 214,224. In such embodiments, the foot plate 400 offers a rigid supporting member for a user to rest their feet, thus providing a surface for those users that may not be able to reach the ground supporting the present invention. The foot plate 400 may be selectively slidably engaged within the at least one foot plate receiver 214,224 of the support structure 200. In the preferred embodiment, the foot plate 400 is engaged on one end with one of the plurality of grooves 214 of the first support structure 210 and is engaged on the opposite end with one of the plurality of grooves 224 of the second support structure 220. The foot plate 400 may be moved between the plurality of foot plate receiver 214,224 of the at least one foot plate receiver to arrange the foot plate 400 closer to or farther from the seat portion 100 depending upon the height of the user. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foot plate 400 is positioned at an elevation lower than the seat portion 100.
As shown in
Further, in use, the user sits on the seat bottom 120 of the seat portion 100 with their lower back resting against the seat back 130. The foot plate 400 may be moved to the correct position prior to sitting in the seat portion 100 or once the user is seated. In some embodiments, the seat portion 100 may be moved relative to the support structure 200 by adjusting the plurality of connection members 300. Once the user is seated in the seat portion 100, they may move the seat portion 100 relative to the support structure 200 using their feet planted on the foot plate 400 or by shifting their weight within the seat portion 100.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63513911 | Jul 2023 | US |
