Chairs and seats – Bottom or back with means to alter contour – Providing support for lower back region
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2002-03-19
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Bottom or back with means to alter contour
Providing support for lower back region
C297S284700, C074S502400, C074S502600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357826
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a height adjustable spine support, in particular for a seat of a car.
THE PRIOR ART
Spine supports in seats serve for the anatomical support of the spine of a person sitting on the seat. To this end an arch is provided in the lower part of the backrest of the seat supporting the vertebrae of the spine in the area of the loins. Such supports are particularly used in seats which have to meet high standards with respect to comfort and ergonomics, since they are continuously used over a long time, as for example the seats of a car or in an office. Since the anatomy of each individual person is different, it is necessary to provide an adjustable spine support to adapt the shape of the spine support to the respective user. For a sufficient adjustment the spine support has also to be height adjustable, i.e. the vertical position of the arch in the backrest should be adjustable.
Adjustable spine supports according to the prior art (cf.
FIG. 10
) comprise typically an adjusting device
115
suspended in the lower part of a frame
110
. The adjusting device
115
comprises a sheet-like plastic piece
120
and a bowden cable
140
extending along the center of the sheet-like plastic piece
120
. By operating the bowden cable the plastic piece can be adjustably brought into an arched shape. If the frame
110
is together with the adjusting device
115
arranged below the cushioning in the backrest of the seat, the arch of the plastic piece leads to the desired shape of the backrest of. With the tongues
130
, extending sideways from the sheet-like plastic piece
120
, it is intended to extend the arch also to the outer parts on the side of the seat.
However, to bring the sheet-like plastic piece
120
into the desired arched shape, it has to be sufficiently flexible. Since the bowden cable
140
for the adjustment engages only the center part of the plastic piece
120
, the high flexibility leads to an instable arch in the outer parts of the seat which cannot be properly adjusted. Further, the mentioned tongues
130
of the sheet-like plastic piece
120
do not provide a reliable shape on the sides of the backrest. The desired anatomical adaptation is therefore only obtained in the center part of the backrest.
Further examples of known spine support are disclosed in the AT 396 734. This document discloses a multitude of different constructions consisting of a flexible framework made out of flat vertical and horizontal laths. Similar spine supports are also disclosed in the DE 42 20 995 and the DE 43 14 325. The latter document further relates to an electrical drive for operating the bowden cable, which adjusts the spine support. The electrical drive comprises an electric motor and a rather complicated mechanism to transform the rotations of the motor in a pulling action of the bowden cable.
The constant flexibility in vertical direction of the sheet-like plastic piece
120
or the vertical laths in the spine supports according to the mentioned documents provides an arch with the shape of a segment of a circle having an adjustable but constant radius of curvature over the complete segment of the circle. A detailed adaptation for supporting the vertebrae of the spine, however, requires a more complex shape where the radius of curvature changes over the arch.
Finally, the high mechanical stress a car seat is subjected to, leads after some time to the plastic piece
120
or the vertical laths in the spine supports according to the mentioned documents becoming brittle and fragile. This poses especially in case of an accident a considerable risk, since broken laths might pierce the cushioning of the seat and injure the back of the person on the seat.
It is therefore the problem of the present invention to provide a simple and long lasting spine support having an arch extending continuously over the complete width of the backrest of the seat. Preferably a spine support is provided according to the present invention allowing an optimal adaptation to the shape of the spine by different radii of curvature of the arch in vertical direction.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a simple but reliable control unit is to be provided to easily adjust the shape and the height of the spine support.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adjustable spine support, in particular for the use in a car seat with at least one bending element, a plurality of supporting elements which are essentially orthogonally arranged to the at least one bending element and connected with it, and a first operating element arranged so that its operation causes a bending of the at least one bending element.
The provision of separate bending and supporting elements allows by the selection of a suitable stiffness of the at least one bending element an optimal adaptation of the complete backrest to the vertebrae in the lower part of the spine. The supporting elements which are essentially orthogonally to the bending element arranged extend the shape the of the bending element over the complete width of the backrest and thereby assure also in the outer parts of the seat the desired shape of the backrest.
According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one bending element of the spine support comprises a coil spring. The coil spring provides on the one hand a sufficient support and on the other hand a sufficient flexibility also in the bent shape so that it can yield under excessive strain. Such an excessive strain may for example arise in a car seat, if the car drives through a pothole. In case of an accident the coil spring might be overstressed and permanently deformed. However, in contrast to the vertical laths of the prior art, it will not break, so that the risk of injuries for the person sitting on the seat is reduced.
Preferably, the spine support comprises two vertical bending elements extending in parallel and the plurality of supporting elements consists of lath-like elements connected with the two bending elements to form a flexible framework. Preferably, reinforcing elements are arranged around the bending elements to influence the bent shape of the bending elements. According to another embodiment, the two bending elements are not parallel but have a different distance in the center of the spine support than at its ends.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the bending elements and the lath-like elements are height adjustably arranged in a frame for a vertical adjustment of the spine support. The bending elements and the lath-like elements are preferably by at least one sliding block height adjustably suspended in the frame and can be upwardly and downwardly moved with a second operating element. The first and the second operating elements preferably each comprise a pair of bowden cables.
According to a preferred embodiment, the two pairs of bowden cables are operated by a control unit comprising two coaxially arranged axles. Preferably on at least one of the axles a receiver for the inner steel cables of one of the two pairs of bowden cables and a receptacle for the corresponding covers of the bowden cables are provided. In the preferred embodiment the receiver and the receptacle approach each other or move away from each other under a rotation of the axle, depending on the direction of the rotation. The relative movement of the receiver and the receptacle is preferably achieved by the use of left-handed and right-handed threads on the axle.
Further developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5197780 (1993-03-01), Coughlin
patent: 5217278 (1993-06-01), Harrison et al.
patent: 5449219 (1995-09-01), Hay et al.
patent: 6053064 (2000-04-01), Gowing et al.
patent: 6152531 (2000-11-01), Deceuninck
patent: 396 734 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 401 497 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 28 56 784 (1979-07-01), None
patent: 42 20 995 (1994-01-01), None
patent: 42 32 679 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 43 14 325 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 0 107 627 (1984-05-01), None
patent: 0 322 535 (1989
Cruz de Pinho Rui Antionio
Gabas Carlos
Brown Peter R.
Fico Cables S.A.
Renner , Otto, Boisselle & Sklar, LLP
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