WO2007139365A1

WO2007139365A1 - Chair with posture correction and traction and massage function

Info

Publication number: WO2007139365A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/002676
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chang Jun Park
Original assignee: Chang Jun Park
Priority date: 2006-06-01
Filing date: 2007-06-01
Publication date: 2007-12-06
Also published as: KR100768480B1

Abstract

A chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions is designed to help a user to seat on the chair in a right posture at all times. The chair includes a pair of side plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship with each other. A plurality of seat rollers is rotatably mounted between the side plates, the seat rollers arranged in such a manner that the seat rollers have a height gradually reducing from a front side toward a rear side of the side plates to allow hips of a user to naturally move backward on the seat rollers. A back panel is mounted to the rear side of the side plates. A pair of backrests is attached to a front surface of the back panel to support a back of the user around a waist. The back panel and the backrests are interconnected by a rotatable lifting and lowering device.

Description

CHAIR WITH POSTURE CORRECTION AND TRACTION AND

MASSAGE FUNCTION

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a chair and, more particularly, to a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions designed to help a user to seat on the chair in a right posture at all times.

[2]

Background Art

[3] One who sits on a chair and works for a long period of time tends to have a pain in the waist and the neck, mainly because he or she fails to maintain a right posture by, e.g., bending the back or dropping the head with the neck leaning forward from the shoulders. If a chair occupant is in a wrong posture, a regressive change occurs in the spine, whereby the chair occupant may suffer from a herniation of intervertebral disk, typically referred to as a "disk disease" or a sprain accompanied by muscular stiffness and ligament extension. In case of a cervical disk disease, a pain is generated in the neck, shoulders, arms and hands or the feeling thereof becomes dull. Turning to a lumbar disk disease, a pain is generated in the waist, gluteal region (pelvic region), legs and feet or the feeling thereof becomes dull.

[4] In order for a user to sit on a chair in a right posture, it is important to select a chair well-fitting to the body type of the user. One method of taking a chair in a right posture is to place the hips deep in the rear portion of a seat and bend the shoulders backward so that the back can be supported by the back of the chair. Furthermore, the user's back needs to be straightened into a normal forwardly-curved posture without dropping the head forward. The term "normal forwardly-curved posture" refers to a posture in which the waist is slightly bent forward like a big-bellied shape.

[5] Different kinds of chairs for helping a user to sit in a comfortable posture are disclosed in many patent documents including U.S. Patent No. 7,040,703, KR10-0499339B and KR10-0526444B. The chairs taught in these patent documents have a height adjusting device for adjusting the height of a seat and an angle adjusting device for adjusting the angle of the back. Disclosed in KR10-0499339B and KR10-0526444B is an arrangement that stably supports the back of a user with a pair of left and right backs of a chair.

[6] However, all the prior art chairs including the chairs disclosed in the above-cited patent documents involve a problem in that, unless the user intentionally places the hips deep in the rear portion of a seat so that the back of the user can be supported by the back of the chair, the user's back is bent and the neck is leaned forward from the shoulders, thereby making it difficult to maintain a right posture. Most of the prior art chairs have a seat made of a flat panel. Therefore, if the user sits on a chair for a long period of time, the hips and the groin are soaked with a sweat, thus making the user uncomfortable and sometimes causing a skin disease. This also elevates the temperature of the scrotum in case of a man, making it difficult to keep the scrotum healthy.

[7]

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] In view of the above-noted and other problems inherent in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions that allows the hips of a user to naturally move backward on a seat by the weight of the user's body, thereby ensuring that the user's back can be stably supported by a back of the chair and the user can sit on the chair in a right posture at all times.

[9] Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions by which the waist of a user can be partially wrapped with a pair of backrests and can be lifted up by a traction force exerted by means of the backrests.

[10] A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions that allows an air to smoothly pass between hip-supporting seat rollers and keeps the seated bodily parts from perspiring, consequently making a user feel pleasant, preventing a skin disease and reducing the temperature of the scrotum to improve the health of a man.

[11] A still further object of the present invention is to provide a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions that can give a massage effect to the hips and the thighs of a user by the rolling movement of seat rollers.

[12]

Technical Solution

[13] In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chair, including: a pair of side plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship with each other; a plurality of seat rollers rotatably mounted between the side plates, the seat rollers arranged in such a manner that the seat rollers have a height gradually reducing from a front side toward a rear side of the side plates to allow hips of a user to naturally move backward on the seat rollers; and a back panel mounted to the rear side of the side plates.

[14] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chair, including: a seat for supporting hips of a user; a back panel mounted to a rear side of the seat; a pair of backrests attached to a front surface of the back panel to support a back of the user around a waist; a pair of rotating rods attached to rear surfaces of the backrests, each of the rotating rods having a spiral groove formed on an outer surface of each of the rotating rods, the spiral groove extending along a length of each of the rotating rods; a pair of holders attached to the front surface of the back panel in a spaced-apart relationship with each other and adapted to rotatably hold the rotating rods; and a pair of guide members protruding forward from the front surface of the back panel, each of the guide members engaging with the spiral groove of each of the rotating rods to guide rotating movement and upward movement of each of the rotating rods. [15]

Advantageous Effects

[16] The present chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions allows the hips of a user to naturally move backward on a seat by the weight of the user's body. This provides an effect that the user's back can be stably supported by a back of the chair and the user can sit on the chair in a right posture at all times. Furthermore, the back of a user is partially wrapped with a pair of backrests and lifted up by a traction force exerted by means of the backrests. This provides a traction treatment effect. Moreover, an air is allowed to smoothly pass between seat rollers, and the seated bodily parts are kept from perspiring. This makes a user feel pleasant, prevents a skin disease and reduces the temperature of the scrotum to thereby improve the health of a man. In addition, the rolling movement of the seat rollers can give a massage effect to the hips and the thighs of a user.

[17]

Brief Description of the Drawings

[18] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a chair in accordance with the present invention.

[19] Fig. 2 is a section view of the present chair illustrating a state that a user sits on the chair.

[20] Fig. 3 is a top plan view illustrating a state that the back of a user is not yet supported by backrests in the chair of the present invention.

[21] Fig. 4 is a top plan view illustrating a state that the back of a user is supported by backrests in the chair of the present invention.

[22] Fig. 5 is a partial section view illustrating a state that the back of a user is not yet supported by backrests in the chair of the present invention.

[23] Fig. 6 is a partial section view illustrating a state that the back of a user is supported by backrests in the chair of the present invention.

[24] Fig. 7 is a partial section view showing another example of a rotatable lifting and lowering device employed in the chair of the present invention. [25]

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[26] A preferred embodiment of a chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions in accordance with the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[27] Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a chair of the present invention includes a seat 10 for supporting the hips of a user. The seat 10 consists of a pair of mutually spaced- apart side plates 20 and 22 and a plurality of seat rollers 30 rotatably mounted between the side plates 20 and 22. Each of the side plates 20 and 22 has a plurality of shaft- receiving holes 24 formed in such a pattern that the shaft-receiving holes 24 of one of the side plates 20 and 22 are aligned with the corresponding shaft-receiving holes 24 of the other side plate. Provided below the side plates 20 and 22 is a connecting plate 26 that interconnects the side plates 20 and 22. The side plates 20 and 22 are arranged in a parallel relationship with each other. If desired, the side plates 20 and 22 and the connecting plate 26 may be formed into a single integral frame.

[28] Each of the seat rollers 30 consists of a shaft 32 rotatably inserted at its opposite ends into the shaft-receiving holes 24 of the side plates 20 and 22 and a cylindrical body 34 attached to the outer surface of the shaft 32. The cylindrical body 34 may be made of a flexible material, e.g., urethane, silicon rubber or soft plastic. A bearing 36 for rotatably supporting the shaft 32 is retained between each of the shaft-receiving holes 24 and the shaft 32 of each of the seat rollers 30.

[29] In order to allow the hips of a user to naturally move backward by the rolling movement of the seat rollers 30, the seat rollers 30 are arranged in such a way that the height thereof is gradually reduced from the front side of the side plates 20 and 22 toward the back side thereof. As an alternative, the shaft 32 of each of the seat rollers 30 may be fixedly secured to each of the shaft-receiving holes 24 of the side plates 20 and 22 and the cylindrical body 34 may be rotatably attached to the shaft 32.

[30] A plurality of auxiliary rollers 40 are additionally mounted between the side plates

20 and 22 so that they can be positioned in front of the topmost seat roller 30- 1 among the seat rollers 30. The auxiliary rollers 40 has a shaft 42 and a cylindrical body 44 whose configuration is the same as that of the shaft 32 and the cylindrical body 34 of the seat rollers 30. The auxiliary rollers 40 are arranged in such a way that the height thereof is gradually reduced from the topmost seat roller 30-1 toward the front side thereof. The cylindrical bodies 34 and 44 of the seat rollers 30 and the auxiliary rollers 40 shown in Fig. 1 are formed into a shape having partially curved surfaces so that they can comfortably support the thighs and the calves of a user. This shape is presented for an illustrative purpose only and, therefore, the cylindrical bodies 34 and 44 may be formed to have a uniform diameter along the full length thereof. If necessary, the cylindrical bodies 34 and 44 of the seat rollers 30 and the auxiliary rollers 40 may be replaced by a plurality of spherical bodies.

[31] As illustrated in Fig. 2, the seat rollers 30 and the auxiliary rollers 40 are arranged to have a gently curved general profile conforming to the contour of the thighs. The gently curved general profile helps to reduce local compression forces exerted on the thighs and the crooks of the knees, thereby making the user feel comfortable. Although a single topmost seat roller 30-1 is shown in Fig. 2, two or more topmost seat rollers may be employed if the need arises. Furthermore, although two auxiliary rollers 40 are mounted in front of the topmost seat roller 30-1, the number of the auxiliary rollers 40 may be greater or lesser depending on the circumstances.

[32] Referring to Figs. 1 through 6, a back panel 50 is attached to the rear side of the side plates 20 and 22 and a pair of left and right backrests 60 and 62 for partially wrapping and supporting the left and right portions of the user's back is attached to the front surface of the back panel 50. The backrests 60 and 62 are coupled to the back panel 50 through a rotatable lifting and lowering device 70 in such a manner that they can make rotating movement and up-and-down movement with respect to the back panel 50. The rotatable lifting and lowering device 70 includes a pair of rotating rods 72, a pair of holders 74 and a pair of guide members 76.

[33] Referring to Figs. 2, 5 and 6, the rotating rods 72 of the rotatable lifting and lowering device 70 are fastened to the rear surfaces of the backrests 60 and 62 by means of screws 78. A spiral groove 72a is formed on the outer surface of each of the rotating rods 72 along the length thereof. The spiral groove 72a may be replaced by a slant groove inclined with respect to a center axis of each of the rotating rods 72. The holders 74 are attached to the front surface of the back panel 50 in a spaced-apart relationship with each other and adapted to rotatably hold the rotating rods 72. The guide members 76 are fixed to the back panel 50 in such a manner as to protrude forward from the front surface of the back panel 50. Each of the guide members 76 engages with the spiral groove 72a of each of the rotating rods 72 and guides the rotating movement and the up-and-down movement of the rotating rods 72. It is illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6 that each of the guide members 76 is formed of a screw penetrating the back panel 50 and each of the holders 74 and then engaging with the spiral groove 72a at its tip end.

[34] Referring again to Figs. 1 and 2, the seat 10 is supported by legs 80 that are attached to the underside of the seat 10. The legs 80 are provided with a plurality of casters 82 that enable the chair to move with ease. Armrests 84 for supporting the arms of a user are respectively mounted to the side plates 20 and 22. A headrest 86 for supporting the head of a user is attached to the top end portion of the back panel 50. Provided between the seat 10 and the legs 80 is a well-known adjusting device 90 that adjusts the height and angle of the seat 10 with respect to the legs 80. If needed, the legs 80 may be replaced by various kinds of leg frames integrally formed with the side plates 20 and 22. It may be possible to eliminate the legs 80, the armrest 84 and the headrest 86 if the need arises.

[35] Hereinafter, description will be made on the operation of the present chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions configured as above.

[36] Referring to Fig. 2, if a user sits on the seat 10, the hips of the user are supported by the seat rollers 30. By the weight of the user's body, the hips slidingly move backward on the seat rollers 30 whose height is gradually reduced toward the back side of the seat 10. At this time, the backward movement of the hips occurs naturally and smoothly by the rolling movement of the seat rollers 30. The rolling movement of the seat rollers 30 gives a massage effect to the hips and groin of the user. An air is allowed to smoothly pass between the seat rollers 30, thereby preventing a skin disease and dropping the temperature of the scrotum to thereby improve the health of a man.

[37] Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, as the hips of the user naturally move backward, the back of the user comes into contact with the backrests 60 and 62. This causes the rotating rods 72 of the backrests 60 and 62 to rotate about the holders 74 as indicated by an arrow "A" in Fig. 4.

[38] Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the rotational movement of the rotating rods 72 is guided by the guide members 76 each engaging with the spiral groove 72a. This ensures that the rotating rods 72 are moved up simultaneously with the rotational movement. Responsive to the rotational movement and upward movement of the rotating rods 72, the backrests 60 and 62 are rotated and moved up together as indicated by an arrow "B" in Fig. 6. At this time, the back of the user pushes the inner end portions of the respective backrests 60 and 62. Therefore, the rotating rods 72 are rotated in the opposite directions and the backrests 60 and 62 are rotated toward each other. The backrests 60 and 62 are adapted to partially wrap and stably support the back portion of the user around the waist by its rotating movement. Furthermore, the backrests 60 and 62 serve to lift up and straighten the back portion of the user around the waist by its upward movement. This allows the user to sit on the chair in a right posture at all times. During the upward movement of the backrests 60 and 62, a traction force is exerted on the back portion of the user around the waist. The traction force widens the space between vertebrae, thereby providing a traction treatment, one of the methods for physically treating a herniation of intervertebral disk.

[39] Fig. 7 shows another example of a rotatable lifting and lowering device employed in the chair of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 7, the backrests 60 and 62 are connected to the back panel 50 through a rotatable lifting and lowering device 170 which includes a pair of rotating rods 172 and a pair of nuts 174.

[40] The rotating rods 172 of the rotatable lifting and lowering device 170 are fastened to the rear surfaces of the backrests 60 and 62 by means of screws 176. A spiral protrusion 172a is formed on the outer surface of each of the rotating rods 172 along the length thereof. The spiral protrusion 172a may be replaced by a slant protrusion inclined with respect to a center axis of each of the rotating rods 172. The nuts 174 are attached to the front surface of the back panel 50 by means of screws 178 in a spaced- apart relationship with each other. Each of the nuts 174 has a spiral groove 174a formed on its inner surface. The spiral groove 174a is threadedly engaged with the spiral protrusion 172a of each of the rotating rods 172.

[41] If the back of the user is pressed against the backrests 60 and 62, the backrests 60 and 62 are rotated about an axis of the rotating rods 172 and the spiral protrusion 172a of each of the rotating rods 172 is guided by, and moved up along, the spiral groove 174a of each of the nuts 174. Thus, the backrests 60 and 62 are rotated and moved up to thereby partially wrap and stably support the back portion of the user around the waist. Furthermore, the backrests 60 and 62 serve to lift up and straighten the back portion of the user around the waist.

[42] The embodiment set forth hereinabove has been presented for illustrative purpose only and, therefore, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims.

[43]

Industrial Applicability

[44] As described above, the present chair with posture correction, traction and massage functions allows the hips of a user to naturally move backward on a seat by the weight of the user's body. This makes sure that the user's back can be stably supported by a back of the chair and the user can sit on the chair in a right posture at all times. Furthermore, the back of a user is partially wrapped with a pair of backrests and lifted up by a traction force exerted by means of the backrests. This provides a traction treatment effect. Moreover, an air is allowed to smoothly pass between hip-supporting seat rollers, and the seated bodily parts are kept from perspiring. This makes a user feel pleasant, prevents a skin disease and reduces the temperature of the scrotum to thereby improve the health of a man. In addition, the rolling movement of seat rollers can give a massage effect to the hips and the thighs of a user.

Claims

[1] A chair, comprising: a pair of side plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship with each other; a plurality of seat rollers rotatably mounted between the side plates, the seat rollers arranged in such a manner that the seat rollers have a height gradually reducing from a front side toward a rear side of the side plates to allow hips of a user to naturally move backward on the seat rollers; and a back panel mounted to the rear side of the side plates.

[2] The chair as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of auxiliary rollers mounted between the side plates in front of a topmost one of the seat rollers, the auxiliary rollers arranged to have a height gradually reducing from the topmost one of the seat rollers toward the front side of the side plates.

[3] The chair as recited in claim 2, wherein each of the seat rollers and the auxiliary rollers includes a shaft rotatably fitted at opposite ends to the side plates and a flexible cylindrical body attached to an outer surface of the shaft.

[4] The chair as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pair of backrests attached to a front surface of the back panel to support a back of the user around a waist.

[5] The chair as recited in claim 4, wherein the back panel and the backrests are interconnected by a rotatable lifting and lowering device capable of rotating, lifting and lowering the backrests with respect to the back panel.

[6] The chair as recited in claim 5, wherein the rotatable lifting and lowering device comprises: a pair of rotating rods attached to rear surfaces of the backrests, each of the rotating rods having a spiral groove formed on an outer surface of each of the rotating rods, the spiral groove extending along a length of each of the rotating rods; a pair of holders attached to the front surface of the back panel in a spaced-apart relationship with each other and adapted to rotatably hold the rotating rods; and a pair of guide members protruding forward from the front surface of the back panel, each of the guide members engaging with the spiral groove of each of the rotating rods to guide rotating movement and upward movement of each of the rotating rods.

[7] The chair as recited in claim 5, wherein the rotatable lifting and lowering device comprises: a pair of rotating rods attached to rear surfaces of the backrests, each of the rotating rods having a spiral protrusion formed on an outer surface of each of the rotating rods, the spiral protrusion extending along a length of each of the rotating rods; and a pair of nuts attached to the front surface of the back panel in a spaced-apart relationship with each other, each of the nuts having a spiral groove formed on an inner surface of each of the nuts, the spiral protrusion of each of the rotating rods threadedly engaging with the spiral groove of each of the nuts. [8] A chair, comprising: a seat for supporting hips of a user; a back panel mounted to a rear side of the seat; a pair of backrests attached to a front surface of the back panel to support a back of the user around a waist; a pair of rotating rods attached to rear surfaces of the backrests, each of the rotating rods having a spiral groove formed on an outer surface of each of the rotating rods, the spiral groove extending along a length of each of the rotating rods; a pair of holders attached to the front surface of the back panel in a spaced-apart relationship with each other and adapted to rotatably hold the rotating rods; and a pair of guide members protruding forward from the front surface of the back panel, each of the guide members engaging with the spiral groove of each of the rotating rods to guide rotating movement and upward movement of each of the rotating rods.