WO1995022948A1

WO1995022948A1 - Back traction device

Info

Publication number: WO1995022948A1
Application number: PCT/SE1995/000191
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ulf Cederlid
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-02-23
Filing date: 1995-02-23
Publication date: 1995-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1996-08-23
Also published as: AU1865895A

Abstract

A back-relieving arrangement includes a seat cushion (30) of variable thickness (31-33), a suspension belt (40) which is intended to be fastened around the upper body of a user, and fastener means (24, 24') for suspending the belt (40) from a suspension point (22). The cushion (30) is carried by a plate (21) and the suspension point is formed by a back support plate (22) which is supported (25, 23) from the cushion plate (21).

Description

BACK TRACTION DEVICE

The invention relates to an arrangement of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1, namely an arrangement which includes a seat cushion whose thickness can be varied, a suspension belt or harness which is intended to be attached around the upper part of a user's body, wherein the belt is intended to be hung from a suspension point. (US-A 4,981,148) .

It is known from US-A 4,981,148 to fit a back-relieving arrangement to a chair, such as an aircraft seat.

The user places a thickness-variable seating cushion on the seating part of an aircraft seat, and then places a suspen¬ sion belt around the upper part of his/her body. A hook-like device is then hooked over the upper edge of the seat backrest. This hook-like device is provided with a strap which hangs down on the front side of the backrest. The strap and the suspension belt can be mutually connected with the aid of fastener means, preferably a Velcro^®-type fastener, which can be easily fastened and released. The user adjusts the seating cushion to a relatively large thickness and then sits on the cushion. The user then leans backwards and fastens the belt to the suspension strap. The thickness of the seating cushion is then reduced, so as to appropriately relieve the wearer's back or spinal column of load. A back support cushion is normally placed between the backrest of the aircraft seat and the user's back.

One problem with an arrangement of this kind is that a suspension bracket or hook has certain drawbacks. For instance, a hook which fits around the top edge of a backrest of average thickness will be unstable and uncomfort- able when used with a backrest edge which is thin or narrow, while such a hook cannot be used at all with a thicker backrest edge. Furthermore, this arrangement does not allow the use of a central neck support on the seat concerned, since when the seat has a high backrest, the suspension will hang obliguely in certain cases. In the case of certain types of seat or chair, for instance car seats, there are no surfaces on the backrest adjacent the neck support that can be used to hang such a hook-shaped bracket.

Furthermore, it is necessary with known arrangements of this kind for the backrest of the seat to be sufficiently high to obtain suspension through the medium of a strap. However, when the seat has a high backrest, the load will be applied at a high position, therewith imparting low stability to the seat when the suspension is subjected to load. Furthermore, the seat must have a robust structure which is capable of withstanding the forces that act on the upper end of the backrest.

The object of the present invention is to provide a back- relieving arrangement which will eliminate one or more of the aforesaid drawbacks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a backrest cushion which has favourable properties and which is particu¬ larly convenient for use together with the inventive back- relieving arrangement.

These objects are achieved in accordance with the invention with the arrangement defined in the following Claims.

By supporting the thickness-variable seat cushion on a plate, and by allowing the suspension point from which the user's suspension belt is hung to be supported from said plate with a structure which is pivotally connected to the plate, the inventive arrangement becomes independent of the structural singularities of the seat/armchair with which the inventive arrangement is used. In turn, this enables the inventive arrangement to be carried by a user from seat to seat and to be readily placed on or fitted to another seat. When using the inventive arrangement, the suspension point may be established by a backrest plate which carries one part of a Velcro^β-type fastener. In some cases, it may be desirable to give the backrest plate the form of a plate which is support¬ ed from the seat-cushion plate through the medium of widely separated side struts or stanchions. This will enable a swayback cushion of a car seat to extend through the space between the struts and allow the arrangement to be fitted to a car seat.

The invention also provides an orthopedically variable support for the lumbar region of the user. This support has the form of a semi-rigid load-distributing plate which supports a cushion whose size/thickness can be varied in a known manner.

The load distributing plate of the support includes vertical ribs which lie close to the load distributing plate. A conventional trousers belt can be threaded between the ribs and the support plate, such as to hold the support against the user's back with the aid of the belt. Because the ribs have a vertical length dimension which is much greater than the corresponding dimension of a conventional belt, the support plate can be easily moved vertically in relation to the belt fitted thereto. This facility is highly advantageous with regard to users having a pronounced waistline or a large stomach, since the belt will then be brought to a position which is determined by the girth of the user. The user is now able to sit on the support and inflate the cushion and move the cushion/plate vertically in relation to the belt until a comfortable position is reached. The plate will now remain in position, because the load-distributing plate and its ribs provide a firm clamping effect in coaction with the belt. The friction of the plate against the user's clothes will also contribute towards retaining the position of the plate. Because the inflatable cushion lies on the outside of the plate, the cushion will only exert a force on the user's back when the user leans backwards towards a backrest, for instance.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 illustrates schematically and in side view an inven¬ tive arrangement applied to a car seat.

Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the arrangement fitted to the car seat.

Fig. 3 illustrates schematically a suspension belt which is intended to be carried by the user and which coacts with the arrangement.

Fig. 4 illustrates schematically a swayback support which can be used beneficially by a user of the back-relieving arrange¬ ment.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the driving seat of a car, said seat 1 including a seat cushion 11 and a backrest 12. The inven¬ tive arrangement includes a seat-cushion plate 21 which rests on the seat cushion and which is connected to a backrest plate 22 by means of a pivot joint 23 and posts 25.

The seat-cushion plate 21 carries an airbag 30 to which there is connected a hose 31 and a pump 32 provided with a valve 33. Air can be pumped into the bag 30 by means of the pump 32 and air can be emptied from the bag 30 by means of the valve 33, all in a known manner. The bag 30 provides a seating cushion on which the user can sit.

Provided on the front edge of the seat-cushion plate 21 is a support pad 32 which is preferably movable backwards and forwards so as to provide a comfortable support for the thighs of the user when driving the car, and which will also enable the user to adjust the angle of his/her thighs in relation to the upper part of the body.

The backrest plate 22 is provided over a wide area with one- half 24 of a Velcro^®-type fastener means, preferably the eyelet part of said fastener means.

The user wears around his/her upper body and beneath the arms a belt 40 which is constantly stretched around the thorax and which is conveniently fitted with an adjustable buckle 41 of a known kind. The rear side of the belt 40 is provided over an extended area with the second half of a Velcro^®-type fastener, suitably the hooked part of said fastener, this region 24' being located on the rear side of the user. The back plate 22 and its part of the Velcro^®-type fastener means are located at a level at which said part of the Velcro^®-type fastener is able to coact with the corresponding part of the Velcro^®-type fastener means that is carried by the belt 40 worn by the user.

The arrangement is brought into use by inflating the inflat- able bag 30 until the bag is well filled. The user then puts on the belt 40 and tensions the belt properly around the thorax and beneath the arms, so that the belt-carried fastener means 24 will be exposed on the rear side of the wearer. The user then sits on the bag 30 and leans backwards so as to bring the two parts of the Velcro^®-type fastener means 24, 24' together. The user then opens the pump valve 33, so as to release air from the bag 30, therewith lowering the seat surface 35 of the bag, and therewith also the user. In so doing, the body weight of the user beneath the belt 40 is initially taken up by the back plate 22, such as to exert a stretching force on the user's spinal column. This stretch¬ ing force can be readily adjusted with the aid of the valve 33 and the pump 32 respectively. The user is able to adjust the angle of his/her thighs in relation to his/her hips with the aid of the support pad 32.

In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the back plate 22 is connected to the seat-cushion plate 21 through the medium of two mutually separated posts 25, so as to provide room for a swayback cushion 13 on the seat backrest 12, this swayback cushion being able to move forwards in the space between the posts 25, the bottom plate 21 and the bottom edge of the back plate 22 and therewith coact with the lumbar region of the user.

In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the inventive arrangement includes a separate belt 40, which is donned by the user, and a separate seat arrangement 21-25, although it will be understood that one part of the Velcro^®-type fastener means may be integral with the backrest 12 of the car seat, and that the airbag 30, hose, pump means 32 and valve 33 may be integra.1 with the seat-cushion part of the vehicle seat or chair.

It will also be understood by the person skilled in this art that the inventive arrangement can be used together with seating furniture in a domestic environment, such as an armchair, or can be used in conjunction with an office chair or like furniture.

It will also be understood by the person skilled in this art that the Velcro^®-type fastener means 24, 24' can be replaced with some other appropriate detachable fastener means. Naturally, it is not always necessary for the fastener means to be releasable, since the user is able to release him¬ self/herself by undoing the belt buckle 41, by way of an alternative.

The advantages afforded by the invention have been described above and will readily be perceived by the skilled person. One of the advantages afforded by the invention is that the user can readily adjust the aforesaid stretching force or traction force and that this stretching force cannot exceed the force exerted by the weight of the user's body beneath the belt suspension.

Fig. 4 illustrates a variable orthopedic support for support¬ ing the lumbar region of a wearer. The support includes a flexible load-distribution plate 55 which, when subjected to load, adapts to the wearer's back. The cushion 51 includes means 52, 53, 54, 57 for varying the size of the cushion 51. The plate 55 is provided with connector means 56 to which a conventional trousers belt 60 can be connected. The connec- tion means 56 are configured to enable the load-distribution plate 55, and therewith also the cushion 51, to move verti¬ cally relative to the belt 60. The cushion 51 will preferably lie on the outer surface of the support plate. When the cushion lies on the outer surface of the support plate 55, the cushion, when inflated, will exert pressure against the lumbar region of the wearer essentially solely when the cushion 51 is pressed against an external support, such as the backrest of a chair.

The plate 55 and the cushion 51 may be enclosed in a casing (not shown), for instance made of a resilient fabric. This casing may be provided with a zip fastener or like device. A person suffering from back trouble can wear the support relatively permanently and the cushion may be inflated to a size appropriate to the chair normally used by the wearer. The means provided for adjusting the size of the cushion can also be used to finely adjust the supportive effect of the cushion. The connection means illustrated in Fig. 4 include vertical pairs of slots 56 at each end of the plate 55. The slots 56 define ribs 58. The belt can be threaded through the slots between the ribs 58 and the load-distribution plate 55. The ribs 58 provide a significant clamping effect against the belt 60 so that the plate 55 will remain in position after being adjusted vertically in relation to the belt 60 when fitted. The cushion 51 is normally an air bag provided with a hose 52 to which a pressure release valve 54 is connected. A pump bladder 53 is connected to the hose 52. The hose 52 may also incorporate a dismantling coupling 57 having a shut- off valve, so as to enable the bladder 53, and possibly also the valve 54, to be disconnected when necessary. The cushions 30, 32 on the seat-cushion include corresponding valve arrangements 39.

Referring again to Fig. 4, it will be understood that the support is not restricted to the provision of ribs 58 with the aid of slots 56 formed in the plate 55. Naturally, the ribs 58 may be separate elements attached to the top and bottom edges of the load-distribution plate 55, and the ribs 58 may be located in several desired positions between the side edges of the plate.

An important feature of the support 50 is that the free vertical lengths of the ribs 58 are much greater than the width of the belt 60, so as to enable the plate 55 to be moved vertically to a desired position in relation to the belt 60 fitted around the wearer's waist.

That side of the casing which faces towards the wearer may be provided with slits that are directed towards the slots 56. In their deflated states, the cushion/bladder may have a thickness which corresponds to the thickness of the plate 55 and may lie freely in the casing, between said casing and the plate. The casing can be easily replaced, due to the zip fastener.

Claims

1. A back-relieving arrangement including a seat cushion (30) of variable thickness (31-33), a suspension belt (40) which is intended to be fastened around the upper body of a user, and fastener means (24, 24') for suspending the belt (40) from a suspension point (22), characterized in that the cushion (30) is carried by a plate (21); and in that the suspension point is formed by a back support plate (22) supported (25, 23) from the cushion plate (21).

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the back support plate (22) is pivotally connected to the cushion plate (21) by a pivot connection (23).

3. An arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, charac¬ terized in that the suspension belt (40) is connectable to the back support plate (22) by means of a detachable fastener means, for instance a Velcro^®-type fastener (24, 24').

4. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cushion includes an airbag (30) whose thickness can be adjusted by pumping fluid into and releasing fluid from the bag with the aid of a pump (32) provided with an adjuster valve (33) for adjusting the level of the supporting surface (35) of the cushion (30) in relation to a chair seat (11) on which the cushion plate (21) is placed.

5. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by a support pad which is displaceably mounted on the front part of the cushion plate (21) and which functions to support the backs of the user's thighs and which enables the user's thighs to be adjusted to a desired angle in relation to the user's hips.

6. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterized by a variable orthopedic support intended particularly, but not exclusively, to support the lumbar region of the user and which is provided for the user, wherein the support includes a flexible, semi-rigid load distribution plate (55) which is provided with a cushion (51) of variable size, wherein the cushion is provided with means (52, 53, 54) for varying the thickness of the cushion, wherein the distribution plate (55) is provided with connec¬ tion means (56, 58) which coact with a conventional trousers belt or waist belt (60), and wherein the connection means (56, 58) are configured to enable the load distribution plate and therewith also the cushion (51) to be moved vertically in relation to the belt (60) when worn.

7. An arrangement according to Claim 6, characterized in that the cushion (51) lies on the outer surface of the distribution plate (55) .

8. An arrangement according to Claim 7, characterized in that the connection means (56, 58) include vertical, elongat¬ ed ribs (58) provided on the distribution plate (55), wherein the belt (60) is threaded between the load-distribution plate

(55) and the ribs (58).

9. An arrangement according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, charac¬ terized in that the ribs (58) are defined by vertical slots

(56) provided in the distribution plate (55).