Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Vibrator
Patent
1995-12-29
1998-05-12
Brown, Michael A.
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Vibrator
128781, 340573, A61H 1100
Patent
active
057498385
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to posture training devices, and more particularly to portable, lightweight electro-mechanical devices for generating tactile signals when a user of the device assumes a poor posture.
BACKGROUND
Good posture, generally understood to include the maintenance of the back in a more or less straight conformation, enhances the physical appearance of a person, and reduces the likelihood of injury to the back. Unfortunately, many people develop poor posture early in life, and a person's poor posture may be perpetuated and exacerbated by a sedentary lifestyle. Not only does poor posture detract from a person's physical appearance, poor posture during, e.g., sitting, standing, lifting, etc., can lead to chronic and acute injuries and thus, poor health.
Accordingly, the development of a good posture is highly desirable, for both aesthetic and health reasons. Once a person develops poor posture, however, it is difficult for the person to achieve longterm posture correction, even when the person is motivated to do so. One reason is that a person who has developed poor posture must consciously and continuously attempt to maintain a good posture, at least for an initial correction period that can last weeks and perhaps months. It will readily be appreciated that such a relentless effort can be most difficult to sustain over an extended period.
Fortunately, it has been found that it is possible to help a person sustain a long-term posture correction effort by providing a device that immediately signals to the person that the person's posture is in a less than optimum conformation. One example of such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,157, which discloses an abdomen-circumscribing belt with vibrator, and the vibrator is activated when the person's girth reaches a predetermined girth. In this way, the '157 device, like other devices focussed on abdominal belt systems, can indicate, albeit somewhat indirectly, the poor posture which results from a convexly-curved backbone. Unfortunately, devices such as the '157 device are inherently limited in reliably indicating poor posture because they can only indirectly indicate when the backbone is not being maintained in a more or less straight conformation.
A device which directly measures the curvature of the backbone is disclosed in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application WO 91/06082, which includes an elongated flexible strap that is positioned along the backbone of a person and held against the person by a belt. Two vibro-tactile emitters are operatively engaged with the strip to generate tactile signals when the strip assumes a predetermined curvature.
While effective for its intended purpose, the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned PCT application is bulky, requiring a rather large buckle for securing the strip to the back. The bulkiness of the device is underscored by the incorporation of two tactile emitters. Presumably, two emitters are required because only a single emitter evidently would not provide sufficient tactile stimulus to the person, given the bulkiness of the device.
Unfortunately, the use of multiple emitters has the inherent drawbacks of increasing the cost, weight, complexity, and battery capacity requirements of the device. Additionally, the bulkiness of the device disclosed in the above-mentioned PCT application renders it impractical for extended daily use.
Moreover, as recognized by the present invention, it is desirable to indicate poor posture caused not only by curvature of the backbone, but also to indicate poor posture caused by bending of the back transverse to the backbone, as about the waist or as can happen when a person carries his shoulders slouched forward. In either case, the bent back assumes a relatively convex conformation that is associated with poor posture. Because of its nature, however, the above-mention PCT invention is limited to indicating only bending of the back along the backbone, and not transverse to it.
Accordingly, it is an object of the
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Brown Michael A.
Rogitz John L.
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