Chairs and seats – Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-19
2003-06-17
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover
C297S227000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578914
ABSTRACT:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cushion and more particularly, to cushions which are removably attachable to an arm of a chair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Armrest cushions are provided on an armrest of a chair to provide comfort and support to users of the chair. Armrest cushions are especially useful and necessary for persons who must sit on a chair for an extended period of time or use a chair that does not provide adequate support and comfort for an extended use.
Often users must sit in a chair to perform a task for an extended period of time. The armrests of chairs are typically made of various hard materials such as plastic and come in various shapes. Because most of the armrests are without any cushion or padding, an extended use of the chairs may cause fatigue and stress to the users, and sometimes cause occupational hazards. Thus it is desirable to provide cushions for the chairs' arms. The problem is more severe for computer users. With the advent of the Internet and computer age, a larger number of the population now use a computer on a daily basis. The computer users often engage in very intensive work sessions that require their continuous presence in front of the computer screens.
Conventional armrest cushions are provided for beach chairs, wheelchairs, and automobile armrests. However, conventional chairs and armrest cushions, even those designed for such purposes, do not provide adequate support and cushion to the computer users. Also, conventional cushions do not provide adequate flexibility and adjustability to the users.
Further, most conventional armrests are designed to work with some specific types of chairs such as beach chairs or wheelchairs. Since they are designed to fit with certain types of chairs, they are often not very flexible and their applicability is limited.
In view of the foregoing, it is highly desirable to provide an armrest cushion that has cushion support and flexibility without losing the necessary rigidity to provide adequate support to the users. It is also desirable to provide an armrest cushion that allows users to adjust the cushion to apply to arms of various sizes and shapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a cushion that can be used with chair armrests, seat armrests, and other types of support structure. The cushion of the present invention is releasably attachable to the armrest or a support structure to provide a cushion support for the user of the armrest or the support structure.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a cushion for removable attachment to the arm of a chair, comprising an outer covering and a multi-layer inner structure. The multi-layer inner structure includes at least two layers: a cushion layer and a support layer. In a preferred embodiment, the cushion and support layers are enclosed in the outer covering. The support layer is thinner and made of harder material than said cushion.
The cushion has a plurality of straps attached to it so that a user can tighten the straps and secure the cushion on the armrest. In a preferred embodiment, the support layer and the outer covering have holes to accommodate and pass through the straps.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the cushion of the invention comprises an outer covering, an inner layer or cushion, and a skirt attached to the outer covering. The inner cushion is enclosed in the outer covering, and the skirt comprises tightening means. In one embodiment, the skirt has tightening means such as a string so that a user can secure the armrest cushion to the armrest without losing cushion support or softness.
The alternate embodiment is flexible and accommodating of various sized and shaped structures or armrests. When the size of the armrest is smaller than the size of the cushion, the user can still use and enjoy the alternate embodiment of the cushion by placing the cushion on the small size armrest and secure the cushion on the armrest by tightening the string. Tightening the string on a smaller size armrest causes the cushion end portions to bend and wrap around the end side of the armrest, providing a well-fit and adjusted cushion support.
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Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Cuomo Peter M.
Vu Stephen
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