Chair for Extended Seating Periods

Abstract

In order to provide comfort during prolonged seating periods and facilitate proper sitting posture, a chair is configured to include a central chair portion defining a pair of seat back mounting sections, a pair of front leg mounting sections, a pair of rear leg mounting sections, and a seat surface. A seat back including a pair of seat back extensions is provided, with each of the seat back extensions mountable on one of the seat back mounting sections. A pair of front leg extensions is mountable on the front leg mounting sections of the central chair portion, while a pair of rear leg extensions is mountable on the rear leg mounting sections of the central chair portion. Such a chair construction permits the seat back, the front leg extensions, and the rear leg extensions all to be adjustable relative to the seat surface and lockable in any of a plurality of discrete positions with respect to the seat surface.

Description

[0001] The present application claims the priorities of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 786,049, filed Mar. 27, 2006, and U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 872,591, filed Dec. 4, 2006, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to the configuration of a chair, occasionally referred to as an ALCAT chair in the following description, that facilitates good, relaxed posture and, at the same time, provides adequate upper back support when a user is properly seated, as well as certain methods of using such a chair to provide greater comfort during prolonged sitting sessions. The invention is ideal for musicians or other individuals who find it necessary or desirable to remain seated for extended time periods. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Chairs in common use today have a number of basic problems. Typically such a chair incl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] It is one object of the invention to provide a chair configuration that both facilitates good, relaxed posture and provides adequate upper back support when a user is properly seated.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to use such a chair configuration to produce greater comfort during prolonged sitting sessions, thus rendering it ideal for musicians or other individuals who find it necessary or desirable to remain seated for extended time periods

[0009] These objects, as well as other objects and various features and advantages that will become apparent, are achieved by way of a chair according to the invention that is particularly adapted to provide comfort during prolonged seating periods and to facilitate proper sitting posture. Such a chair, according to the invention, includes a central chair portion defining a pair of seat back mounting sections, a pair of front leg mounting sections, a pair of rear leg mounting sections, and a seat surface. A seat back including a pair of seat back extensions is provided, with each of the seat back extensions mountable on one of the seat back mounting sections. A pair of front leg extensions are mountable on the front leg mounting sections of the central chair portion, while a pair of rear leg extensions are mountable on the rear leg mounting sections of the central chair portion. The seat back, the front leg extensions, and the rear leg extensions are all adjustable relative to the seat surface and lockable in any of a plurality of discrete positions with respect to the seat surface to produce the improved comfort during prolonged sitting sessions as noted above.

Problems solved by technology

Chairs in common use today have a number of basic problems.

A conventional chair construction tends to force a user to sit on gluteal muscles, impose a backward curve to the spine, and produce a caved-in chest, affecting heart and lung efficiency.

Shoulder tension may also affect the arms and hands of a user while seated on a conventionally configured chair, and a rounded lumbar and / or sacral area tends to produces muscle stress and potentially creates possible danger to vertebrae due to possible herniation or exacerbation of other existing conditions.

The user of a conventional chair construction such as that shown in FIG. 16 could have significant difficulty is achieving or maintaining this “good” sitting posture, i.e. a posture considered to provide the most relaxed sitting position, in which the pull of gravity on the user's body and associated stresses produced due to misalignment are minimized.

As it is difficult for the user to keep his or her torso in an essentially upright or perpendicular position relative to the seat surface, a relatively large body area is subjected to the force of gravity.

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