Seat

Abstract

A seat with a contoured pan comprised of two concavely shaped pads adapted to support the thighs of a user at an optimal selected angle of 27 degrees to the horizontal plane. The combined features enable a user to be directed into a comfortable seating position that emulates the shape of the spine when standing.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application is related to International Application No. PCT / GB2012 / 051429, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a seat; particularly a seat for use in an office chair, task chair, aircraft seat, bicycle, vehicle, wheelchair, pushchair, child's seat / car seat or bench. Specifically, the invention is a seat that actively directs the sitter into a correct sitting position as hypothesised by the inventor, i.e. a position that emulates the position that the sitter's spine and pelvis would achieve if they were standing.BACKGROUND[0003]Traditional chairs with near horizontal seat pans (both forward to back and side to side) force people to sit in a posture that is detrimental to proper functioning of their spines and associated tissues, which can lead to strain, injury and, in some cases, spinal degeneration. Specifically, horizontal seat pans force a sitt...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]Through an extended process of prototyping and empirical testing resulting in the present invention, it has been possible to reproduce the pelvic and spinal positions achieved when standing.

[0021]Preferably the seat pan is comprised of two separate, at least partially concave, shaped seat pads for each side of a user, wherein each pad supports the tissues and shapes around each ischial tuberosity. This structure enhances the body's natural cushioning features and so reduces the need for wasteful / excessive cushioning.

[0026]The leaf spring also allows the springing movement of a back post, a movement that helps in the treatment of hypertonicity in the back muscles provided by a series of “back balls” located on a seat back portion. The pads also have a silicon mounting bush within the lug at the front and between the mountings at the back, which allow for a controlled amount of roll in the seat pad.

[0028]The seat can be used in an adapted form for use in bicycle and motorcycle seats. Research has shown that use of standard bicycle saddles can lead to low fertility and erectile dysfunction in males. The standard saddle is also irritating to haemorrhoids. Many people do not ride bicycles as they find them uncomfortable and this is because much of the body weight is transferred through the perineum rather than the ischial tuberosities as outlined by the present invention.

Problems solved by technology

Firstly, as most seats have horizontal or slightly downward sloping seat pans this does not allow the lumbar spine to achieve a stable position and so requires the overuse of insufficient spinal and paraspinal muscles to maintain an upright position.

These muscles are not meant to maintain an upright position for a sustained period.

Secondly, the human body is full of asymmetries, no place more so than in the legs, as they are the longest parts of the body.

When sitting on a normal, fixed, non-adaptive chair the pelvis is usually forced into a horizontal position, hence creating changes, stresses and discomfort on the spinal scoliosis.

Furthermore, it looks simple but has a high level of complexity and is a practical innovation.

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