Portable Seiza Chair

Abstract

To provide a portable seiza chair whose seat can follow the movement of a user's body when in use and has excellent portability. [Solution] The portable seiza chair 1 has a flexible outer cover 5 and a pair of leg plates 6, 7 arranged within the outer cover 5, and the pair of legs 20, 30 are formed from the outer cover 5 and the pair of leg plates 6, 7, while the seat 10 is formed only from the outer cover 5.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a portable seiza chair, particularly to a portable seiza chair used when sitting in seiza position for long periods of time during tea ceremonies, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Portable seiza chairs used for sitting in seiza position for long periods of time during tea ceremonies, etc., are well known. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose portable seiza chairs that have a seat and a pair of legs supporting the seat, and that have an inverted triangular shape when viewed from the front and back when in use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3152827 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4808286 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the portable seiza chairs disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when in use, they form an inverted triangle when viewed from the front and back, allowing the user to easily tilt and twist their body while sitting, and to move in a proper manner.

[0005] However, these portable seiza chairs use boards for the legs as well as the seat, which makes it difficult for the seat to move with the body's movements, and there is a risk that the seat may tip over or shift position when the body is tilted or twisted. Also, when folded in thirds, three boards overlap, making the chair thick and difficult to store in a sukiya bag.

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to improve on conventional portable seiza chairs by providing a portable seiza chair that can follow the movements of the user's body when in use and is highly portable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a portable seiza chair with a seat and a pair of legs.

[0008] The portable seiza chair of the present invention has a flexible outer cover and a pair of leg plates arranged within the outer cover, and the pair of legs are formed from the outer body and the pair of leg plates, while the seat is formed only from the outer cover.

[0009] The portable seiza chair according to the present invention has the following preferred embodiments. (1) In terms of usage, the portable seiza chair has a width of 8 to 11 cm, a height of 8 to 14 cm, and a length of the seat 10 of 16 to 21 cm, making it a compact size specifically suited to Japanese women. (2) A lower corner where a pair of legs intersect is provided, and the lower corner is formed only by the exterior cover. (3) The exterior cover is made of fabric with a Japanese-style pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The portable seiza chair of this invention has a seat made only of an outer cover, which makes it more flexible than a seat with a seat plate, allowing it to follow the user's movements in accordance with the etiquette of the tea ceremony. Furthermore, its compact size, specifically designed for Japanese women, allows it to be stored in a sukiya bag, making it highly portable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] The drawings illustrate particular embodiments of the present invention of a portable seiza chair according to the present disclosure, including essential features of the invention as well as alternative and preferred embodiments. [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the portable seiza chair of the present invention in use. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the portable seiza chair of the present invention in use. [Figure 3] (a) A perspective view of the portable seiza chair in an assembled state. (b) A cross-sectional view taken along line III(b)-III(b) in Figure 3(a). [Figure 4] (a) Plan view of the portable seiza chair. (b) Cross-sectional view along line IV(b)-IV(b) in Figure 4(a). [Figure 5] 10(a) to 10(c) are diagrams showing how the unfolded state during manufacturing is changed into the assembled state. [Figure 6] (a) to (c) are diagrams showing how the portable seiza chair is changed from a stored state to a usable state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The portable seiza chair 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments include not only the essential features of the present invention, but also features that can be selectively adopted and features that can be combined as appropriate.

[0013] 1 and 2, portable seiza chair 1 has an inverted triangular shape when in use, and includes a seat 10 that supports a person's buttocks, and a pair of legs 20, 30 that support seat 10. Portable seiza chair 1 also has a pair of upper corners 2, 3 where seat 10 and the pair of legs 20, 30 intersect, and a lower corner (ground contact surface) 4 where the pair of legs 20, 30 intersect with each other. At lower corner 4, a sewn portion 4a is located.

[0014] As shown in Figures 3 and 4(a) and (b), the portable seiza chair 1 comprises a flexible outer cover 5 and a pair of leg plates 6, 7 arranged inside the outer cover 5. The portable seiza chair 1 is in a belt-like shape with a longitudinal direction Y and a width direction X in the state at the time of manufacture before the lower corners 4 are sewn at the sewn portions 4a. As a finished product, the chair is manufactured so that the sewn portions 4a do not come undone, and therefore does not unfold into a belt-like shape.

[0015] The exterior cover 5 covers the first and second surfaces that face each other in the thickness direction of the portable seiza chair 1, and is formed by laminating a first fabric 5a located on the first surface side and a second fabric 5b located on the second surface side, which are joined together. Specifically, the first fabric 5a and the second fabric 5b are joined together at their inner surfaces that face each other in the thickness direction with an adhesive (not shown), and are sewn together at a pair of stitching lines 13a, 13b that extend in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0016] The first and second fabrics 5a, 5b of the outer cover 5 are made of flexible fabric, preferably silk, which has excellent moisture retention and breathability, but other synthetic fibers such as cotton, linen, wool, polyester, and nylon can also be used. In this embodiment, a fabric with a Japanese-style pattern, such as that used for the obi of a kimono (preferably for men) or the border of a tatami mat, is used as the outer cover 5. In this way, using a fabric with a Japanese-style pattern can give the appearance a gorgeous Japanese style.

[0017] In addition to wood, various resin materials such as polypropylene resin and elastomer, stainless steel, metal, etc. can be suitably used for the leg plates 6, 7. The leg plates 6, 7 may or may not be fixed to the exterior cover 5 with an adhesive.

[0018] The portable seiza chair 1, in its manufactured state before being sewn at the stitching portion 4a of the lower corner 4, has first and second end edges 11, 12 extending in the width direction X and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction Y, and first and second side edges 14, 15 extending in the longitudinal direction Y between the first and second end edges 11, 12.

[0019] The portable seiza chair 1 has first to fourth folding lines 41 to 44 extending in the width direction X and positioned at a given distance from the first edge 11 toward the second edge 12. The portable seiza chair 1 also has a first region 51 positioned between the first folding line 41 and the second folding line 42 and having a leg plate 7 interposed therebetween, a second region 52 positioned between the second folding line 42 and the third folding line 43, and a third region 53 positioned between the third folding line 43 and the fourth folding line 44 and having a leg plate 6 interposed therebetween.

[0020] When the portable seiza chair 1 is in use, the first area 51 becomes the leg 30, the third area 53 becomes the leg 20, and the second area 52, which is located between the second folding line 42 and the third folding line 43 and consists only of the outer cover 5, becomes the seat 10.

[0021] 5(a) to 5(c), the assembly process of the portable seiza chair 1 during manufacturing will be described. First, the first region 51 and the third region 53 are folded so as to face each other along the second and third folding lines 42, 43. Next, the ends where the first and second side edges 11, 12 are located are folded along the first and fourth folding lines 41, 44 and sewn together at the sewing portion 4a, resulting in a finished product in the shape of an inverted triangle.

[0022] As shown in Figure 6(a), the seat 10 does not have any plate material arranged therein like the pair of legs 20, 30, and therefore can be folded in half along the folding line 45 located in the center. This makes the portable seiza chair 1 more compact than the inverted triangular shape when in use, and it is easy to store and to carry.

[0023] 6(b) and (c), the portable seiza chair 1 is folded in half for storage, and by spreading the pair of legs 20, 30 apart from each other, the folded seat 10 is extended. As a result, the portable seiza chair 1 assumes an inverted triangular shape in the front-to-back direction when in use.

[0024] 1 and 2, leg plates 6, 7 are arranged on a pair of legs 20, 30 supporting seat 10, so seat 10 can be firmly supported, while seat 10 is formed only from a fabric exterior cover 5, so it is less rigid and more flexible than conventional portable seiza chairs that have seat plates arranged on the seat, and can therefore move easily following the movements of the user's body. As a result, when the user leans or twists their body in accordance with the etiquette of the tea ceremony, seat 10 follows the movement of the buttocks, preventing portable seiza chair 1 from tipping over.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(b), the lower corner 4 where the pair of legs 20, 30 intersect is formed only from the exterior cover 5, so that the entire lower corner 4 abuts against the floor surface in a planar manner, allowing the user to maintain a stable seating position.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), in the usage state, the width W1 of the portable seiza chair 1 is 8 to 11 cm, preferably 9 cm, the height H1 is 8 to 14 cm, preferably 10 to 11 cm, and the length L1 of the seat 10 is 16 to 21 cm, preferably 19 cm. Since the average ischial width of Japanese women is 11 to 14 cm, if the length L1 of the seat 10 is of this size, the user can sit stably on the seat 10. However, various dimensions can be appropriately modified in design as long as the compact size is tailored to Japanese women.

[0027] Conventional portable seiza chairs were slightly larger than the portable seiza chair 1 of the present invention, with each dimension being 1.2 to 1.5 times larger. This resulted in a higher seat height for women, making it difficult to sit in a demure manner during a tea ceremony. Furthermore, they were relatively bulky and not compact enough to fit in a tea bag, making them less portable. Furthermore, the fabric used for the exterior cover 5 was plain, such as black, with no pattern, and made of polyester resin or the like, giving it a rough feel.

[0028] The portable seiza chair 1 according to the present invention is relatively small compared to conventional portable seiza chairs, and can be said to be a compact size specifically designed for Japanese women. When used in a certain way, it does not increase the seat height of Japanese women when they sit on it, allowing them to sit in a quiet manner during tea ceremonies. Furthermore, because it can be folded in half and has a compact size, it can be stored in a sukiya bag, making it highly portable.

[0029] Furthermore, as mentioned above, by using a fabric with a Japanese pattern, such as that used for the obi of a kimono or the edge of a tatami mat, as the exterior cover 5, the portable seiza chair 1 can be said to have an excellent design that will brighten the mood of the Japanese woman who will use it.

[0030] In addition, although not shown, in another embodiment, both ends of the leg plates 6, 7 extending in the width direction X may be covered with a cushioning material such as felt. In this case, even when the portable seiza chair 1 is repeatedly folded, it is possible to prevent wear and deterioration of the exterior cover 5 due to friction with both ends of the leg plates 6, 7. Furthermore, both ends of the leg plates 6, 7 may be curved to achieve the same technical effect.

[0031] In the illustrated example, the lower corners 4 are sewn together using sewn portions 4a, but various known joining methods such as adhesive or pressure sensitive adhesive bonding or heat welding can be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 Portable Seiza Chair 4 Lower corner 5 Exterior cover 5a 1st fabric 5b Second fabric 6 leg plates 7 leg plate 10 Seat area 20 Legs 30 Legs H1 Height of portable seiza chair L1 Length of seat W1 Width of portable seiza chair

Claims

1. A portable seiza chair having a seat and a pair of legs, A portable seiza chair having a flexible outer cover and a pair of leg plates arranged within the outer cover, wherein the pair of legs are formed from the outer cover and the pair of leg plates, while the seat is formed only from the outer cover.

2. In use, the portable seiza chair has a width of 8 to 11 cm, a height of 8 to 14 cm, and a seat length of 16 to 21 cm, and has a compact size specialized for Japanese women.

3. 3. The portable seiza chair according to claim 1, further comprising a lower corner where a pair of legs intersect, said lower corner being formed solely by said exterior cover.

4. 3. The portable seiza chair according to claim 1, wherein the outer cover is made of a fabric with a Japanese pattern.

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