Patent Application
20120007396
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/669,686, filed Jan. 19, 2010, which is a U.S. national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT/US/2008/067500, filed Jun. 19, 2008, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/961,912, filed Jul. 25, 2007, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates generally to seating and more specifically an attachment to the original equipment back of a chair, for example a wheelchair, to enhance support characteristics of the back, and more specifically to a supportive back overlay that can be attached to the original sling or soft back of a wheel chair or other chair to provide added support.
Wheelchairs generally are constructed from a metal frame having the overall configuration of a chair. The frame includes wheels on the bottom so that the wheelchair can be moved about to increase mobility of the seated user. The wheelchair frame supports a seat extending between two sides of the frame and usually includes arm rests on each side of the seat for comfort and stability. The frame includes vertically extending back support posts with a back support structure extending between the posts to support the seated user's back. In many styles of wheelchairs, the seat and the back support or both are constructed from a flexible material, such as canvas cloth, vinyl or the like. Since these materials are flexible, they generally bow or assume a concave configuration when the user is seated and resting against the back support. These types of back supports are sometimes referred to as sling backs.
Many users find these flexible back supports to be uncomfortable and desire firmer support and less bowing behind their backs. Replacement back supports constructed from substantially rigid materials are known, but usually require removal of the original back support, modification of the frame and mounting of the replacement back support to the frame with hardware using tools. Hence, the replacement back is not simple to attach and once the replacement back is attached, it is cumbersome and time consuming to remove. This can be particularly problematic for an injured or disabled individual who requires the use of a wheelchair and may have no help in modifying his or her wheelchair. It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a substantially firm back support that can be easily and conveniently attached or removed from the back of a wheelchair, or any other chair, without the use of hardware or tools.
A supportive back overlay that can be used on the back of a chair, for example a wheelchair, which can be attached to the original back by a suspension element. One aspect of the supportive back overlay comprises a supportive cushion with a suspension element that slips over the original equipment chair back to hold the cushion in position behind a seated user's back. The suspension element can be associated with the supportive cushion in any acceptable manner. Representative or illustrative aspects of association include, but are not limited to, securing the in the cushion cover, by molding it into the cushion itself, or by attaching it to anchors that are affixed to the cushion.
One aspect of a supportive back overlay is indicated generally by reference number 10 in the figures. In general, the supportive back overlay 10 includes a suspension element 12, which also may be referred to as a clip, and a support element 14. The support element includes a cushion 16 and a cover 18. Suspension element 12, also referred to as a clip, comprises a frame 20 having opposed, spaced apart mirror image sections 22 and 24, respectively, which are connected at the top by bails 26 and 28. The bails 26, 28 are designed to extend over or hang on the upper edge of a back of a chair, for example, over sling back B of wheelchair W as seen in
Wheelchair W as illustrated is conventional in design having a rigid frame F. Of particular interest is that wheelchair W includes a conventional original equipment sling back B and a seat S. In general the wheelchair sling back is constructed from a substantially flexible material, such as a canvas fabric or even vinyl and is attached between two upright back elements U of the wheelchair frame. In any event, the sling back B, generally is not rigid and can bow, and hence offer less support and comfort when a user is positioned on seat S and leans back on sling back B. Although supportive back 10 is illustrated in used on a wheelchair, it will be understood that the scope of the present invention is intended to cover any use of the supportive back on anytime of seating structure that employs its own original equipment back. The bails are placed over sling back B and the support element 14 is held suspended against the front side of the sling back B, where it can support the back of a user seated in the wheelchair. The suspension element 12 can be formed from a heavy gauge wire, such as stainless steel wire. The illustrated configuration has a lobed design, which is aesthetically pleasing. The ornamental design is not critical, however, and in one aspect of the invention, suspension element 12 has sufficient width to extend across a substantial area of the sling back B. This adds to the stability and support characteristics of supportive back 10.
The back section 24 of the suspension element is visible on the back surface of the sling back B and includes an optional inlay 30 made of Plexiglas in the illustrated embodiment. Inlay 30, as shown, primarily is decorative and can bear indicia 32, such as the company name or logo. There can be any form of ornamentation of structures in the area occupied by inlay 30, without departing from the scope of the invention. As seen in
Cushion 16, as shown, can be a constructed of foam such as a medium density foam. However, soft or high density foam also may be used as long as the foam can be properly formed or molded. Alternatively, cushion 16 can be an air cell cushion, similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,136, which is incorporated herein by reference. Cushion 16 provides a comfortable, yet supportive surface on which the user can rest his or her back. The cushion 16 generally has some lateral flexibility or “give” when pressure is applied, but does not yield or bow as much as the original seat back and provides good support and stability and prevents the seated user from sinking or tilting back too far.
Cover 18 can be constructed from a durable, washable fabric, such as nylon or the like. Cover 18 has a back wall 34 with an external surface 36 that contacts the front surface of the sling back and hence preferably is constructed from a material having a higher coefficient of friction or tackiness, such as a rubberized fabric, that keeps the supportive back from sliding or moving when attached to the sling back. As seen in
When assembled, cushion 16 and the front section 22 of the suspension element 12 are secured inside cover 18. Bails 26 and 28 and rear section 24 of the suspension element are exposed. Bails 26 and 28 are dimensions so that there is a space 48 between rear section 24 of the suspension element and back wall 34 if the cover. The user can slide the suspension element over the upper edge of the sling back and suspend or hang the supportive back 10 on the original back. The front and rear sections 22 and 24 of the suspension element provide support and stability. The suspension element 12 and cushion 16 are sufficiently wide to extend substantially across the sling back to provide a firmer, more comfortable seat back by supplementing the original equipment sling back B. It can somewhat flatten and firm up the sling back. The supportive back overlay 10 can be provided in an array of sizes. It can be attached to just about any chair back and is easily removed. It requires no modification of the wheelchair frame, any specialized equipment, clamps or tools to attach or remove.
In the illustrated embodiment, suspension element 12 is shown removably secured in pocket 44 of the cover. This facilitates disassembly of the supportive back so the cover may be washed or the cushion replaced and so forth. However, the suspension element, whatever configuration used, can be more permanently attached to the cover, or may be removably attached by some other arrangement. The support element 14 could include hook-like means on the upper edge, either short or longer, for example designed like staffs with the vertical body of the staff extending the vertical length of the support element to provide addition stability and so forth.
Another representative embodiment of a supportive back overlay is indicated by reference number 50 in the drawings is shown in
Suspension element 84 includes four cross braces 70, of the type described above in reference to suspension element 54. Cross braces 70 define centrally placed holes 72A. Screws 98 extend through holes 72A of the four cross braces and threadedly engage threaded bore 94 to secure suspension element 84 to the back of cushion 82. Supportive back overly 80 is suspended on a sling back B in manner similar to that described above.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing written description and accompanying drawings are illustrative only, demonstrating the best mode of working the invention presently known to the inventor, and should not be used to construe the scope of the invention or claims in a limiting sense.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60961912 | Jul 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12669686 | Jan 2010 | US |
| Child | 13239752 | US |
