Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Bottom and back movable as a unit
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-14
2001-11-20
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Bottom and back movable as a unit
C248S133000, C297S259200, C297S270200, C297S281000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318803
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to furniture for imparting oscillatory motion to a subject, and more particularly to furniture having an actuator mechanism for control of the oscillatory motion by the subject.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various designs of furniture for supporting one or more persons, typically in either a seated or reclining position, and, additionally, for providing some motion relative to the ground or floor of an assembly that supports the person, are known in the art. Such furniture, as broadly described, includes such common items as rocking chairs and gliders. Additional devices that are fixed in position and both support a person and that provide for motion of the person fall into the category of juvenile products or physical exercise equipment. In some cases, motion of the supporting assembly is relative to a base component of the furniture item, where the base component is supported by the floor or ground. In the present description and in any appended claims, the term “floor” will be used to encompass any surface upon which an item of furniture may rest, and may include, without limitation, the ground.
One means known for providing for motion of a support assembly relative to a base of an item of furniture utilizes linkage assemblies which produce an arc-like path and was previously discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,016 (the “'016 patent”), which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Furniture items, such as those surveyed in the foregoing paragraphs, that provide for motion of one or more supported persons, typically require either:
(1) that a force be exerted on the supporting assembly with respect to a surface external to the furniture; or
(2) that an occupant displace his center of gravity substantially to cause or sustain oscillatory motion.
Thus, for example, an ordinary rocking chair is driven by action of the feet of the occupant against the floor, or, in some cases, against an ottoman. In order to maintain a continuous motion such as an oscillatory rocking, the occupant's feet must either be kept on the floor or periodically placed there to drive the motion. In a common suspended swing or its variants, the occupant must exert enough force to substantially shift his center of gravity with respect to the equilibrium point of the motion. In either case, braking the motion of the support similarly requires exertion of a force with respect to a stationary surface or substantial motion of the center of gravity of the occupant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for imparting substantially oscillatory motion to a subject. The apparatus has a support assembly for supporting the subject and an oscillatory mechanism that defines a path of motion of the support assembly, where the path has a region bilaterally symmetrical with respect to a reference point. Additionally, the apparatus has an actuator permitting the subject while supported by the support assembly to apply a non-gravitational acceleration to the support assembly.
In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention, the actuator may permit the subject while supported by the support assembly to initiate or control motion in such a manner that the center of gravity of the subject may remain fixed relative to the support assembly. Alternatively, the path of motion may have a midpoint, and any vertical component of the path of motion may be substantially symmetric about the midpoint, with the oscillatory mechanism being devoid of a pivot above the subject. The path of motion may have a pair of endpoints and a position set in from the endpoints where the support assembly comes to rest in the absence of non-gravitational external forces.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, the oscillatory mechanism may be devoid of a pivot above the reach of the subject in normal repose on the support assembly, and the support assembly may have an armrest, and the oscillatory mechanism may have at least one pivot, where all pivots are disposed substantially below the superior surface of the armrest.
In accordance with further alternate embodiments of the present invention, the actuator assembly may include a member movable by the subject, the member may be coupled to the oscillatory mechanism, mechanically or otherwise. The member may impart motion to the support assembly, and may, alternatively or additionally, brake the motion of the support assembly. The member may be a handle for actuation by a hand of the subject or a foot pedal for actuation by at least one of a leg and a foot of the subject.
The support assembly, the subject, and a portion of the oscillatory mechanism together comprise a carriage assembly. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the support assembly may further include a coupling between at least two articulating segments so as to maintain an equilibrium position of the center of gravity of the carriage assembly substantially at a centerpoint of the path of motion of the center of gravity regardless of the orientation of an articulating segment relative to any other articulating segment of the support assembly.
In accordance with other alternate embodiments of the present invention, the oscillatory mechanism may be a glider mechanism, and the support assembly may be a chair, a couch, or a bed, and may include a plurality mutually articulating segments for permitting the subject to sit and to recline thereupon. The oscillatory mechanism may also be a rocker mechanism, and may have a link assembly that has a first link connected at a first point to a translation mechanism attached to the support assembly, the translation mechanism arranged to allow the first point of the first link to translate along a substantially straight axis, and a second link pivotally connected at a first point to the support assembly and pivotally connected at a second point to the first link, such that a second point of the first link travels on or near an arc of substantially constant finite radius when the first link pivots with respect to the second link.
In accordance with yet further alternate embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus may also have a brake mechanism for arresting the motion of the support assembly and a centering brake assembly for enabling the subject to arrest the motion of the support assembly from a range of positions along the path of motion of the support assembly. The actuator may include a motor and a power control for the motor, the power control being accessible to the subject. The oscillatory mechanism may be substantially contained within a volume beneath the armrest. The oscillatory mechanism has an arrangement for modifying a period of oscillation of the support assembly.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recliner. The recliner has a support assembly capable of oscillatory motion, a foot rest extension mechanism such that reclining a back rest portion of the support assembly rearward about the pivot urges the foot rest portion from a first position substantially below the seat portion to a second position in substantial extension of the seat portion, and an oscillatory mechanism that defines a path of motion of the support assembly.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for inducing oscillatory motion of a subject. The method has the steps of:
a. providing an apparatus that has a support, an oscillatory mechanism that defines a path of motion with a region bilaterally symmetrical with respect to a reference point, and an actuator permitting the subject, while supported by the support, to control the oscillatory mechanism; and
b. disposing the subject upon the support of the apparatus.
The method, moreover, may provide relaxation to the subject and the period of the oscillation may be timed in advantageous relation to the resting heart rate of the subject.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1212675 (1917-01
Bromberg & Sunstein LLP
Cuomo Peter M.
Motion Technology, LLC
Vu Stephen
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