Chairs and seats – Straddle seat – Sectional or split relatively movable supporting surface
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-12
2001-02-06
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Straddle seat
Sectional or split relatively movable supporting surface
C297S215130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183043
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a seat and, in one aspect of the invention, to a seat which comprises an improvement to the seat disclosed in my earlier patent application PCT/AU94/00284. The contents of earlier International Patent Application No. PCT/AU94/00284 are incorporated into this specification by this reference.
My earlier international application referred to above discloses a seat which has particular application to bicycles and, in particular, to a seat for high performance bicycle riding such as bicycle racing. The seat disclosed in my earlier application basically comprises an abutment portion intended for receiving a portion of a person's seating anatomy which covers one or both of the person's ischial bones or at lest a part thereof, the abutment portion being dimensioned so that the majority of the seating compression to the person's seating anatomy occurs between the ischial bones and said abutment portion and so that substantially all the muscle and/or soft tissue surrounding said portion of the person's seating anatomy is not compressed or squeezed when the person is on the seat; and support means for supporting the abutment portion so that the abutment portion is transverse with respect to the horizontal so that without other support, it is not possible to permanently sit on the abutment portion with the backbone of the rider arranged generally vertically. Thus, my earlier seat can place the rider in a position where maximum efficient pedal power can be delivered when supporting primarily the rider's anatomy adjacent the strong ischial bone points so that unnecessary soft tissue is not squeezed and therefore fatigue and pressure soreness is reduced or eliminated.
The object of the first aspect of this invention is to provide a seat which can be used by high performance riders as discussed in my earlier international application but which also can be used by riders who desire more relative comfort or stability and have less emphasis on high performance riding. The seat can also be used in other environments such as rowing or the like.
This aspect of the invention may be said to reside in a seat including:
a seat surface portion for receiving at least a portion of a person's buttocks;
an abutment portion within the seat surface portion and forming part of the seat surface portion; and
adjustment means for adjusting the abutment portion out of the seat surface portion so that in a first position of the seat, a user can seat on the seat surface and by adjustment of the adjusting means, the seat can be placed into a second position where the user seats against the abutment portion.
Thus, the seat can be placed in the first position where a user seats on the seat surface for comfort where performance criteria is not of importance and if the user wishes to place the seat in a position where the user will be seated in a high performance orientation, the adjustment means can be adjusted to thereby move the abutment portion out of the seat portion so that the user seats against the abutment portion rather than the entire seat surface.
Preferably the abutment portion is substantially co-planar with the remainder of the seat surface and the abutment portion and the remainder of the seat portion form the entire seat surface for receiving at least a portion of a person's buttocks and, in the second position upon actuation of the adjustment means, the abutment portion is moved out of the plane of the remainder of the seat surface into the second position so that a user can seat only against the abutment portion rather than the entire seat surface.
Preferably the abutment portion is for receiving a portion of a person's seating anatomy which coves one or both of the person's ischial bones or at least a part thereof, the abutment portion being dimensioned so that the majority of the seating compression to the person's seating anatomy occurs between the ischial bones and said abutment portion and so substantially all the muscle and/or soft tissue surrounding said portion of the seating anatomy is not compressed or squeezed when the person is on the abutment portion.
Preferably the adjustment means can adjust the abutment portion from a position where the seat surface can take 100% of a rider's weight and the rider can be seated permanently on the seat surface and a position where the abutment portion is inclined and the abutment portion takes substantially none of the rider's weight but provides an abutment for a portion of the person's anatomy. Preferably the adjustment means provides for intermediate adjustment between the first and second positions so that the user can be located on the abutment portion with varying amounts of the user's weight supported by the abutment portions.
In one embodiment the abutment portion is pivotally coupled to the seat for movement from a position generally planar with the remainder of the seat surface to the second position, and wherein the adjusting means comprises a first member, a second member, the first and second members being moveable with respect to one another, a spring for biasing the first member and the abutment portion relative to the second member towards the second position.
Preferably locking means is included for locking the first and second members together to secure the abutment portion in the first or second positions or in a position between the first and second position.
In this embodiment the locking member comprises a pin locatable in any one of a plurality of aligned holes in the first and second members and a cable coupled to the pin for selectively removing the pin from one of the aligned holes to enable the spring to bias the abutment portion towards the second position and to relocate the pin in another of the aligned holes to secure the abutment portion in a required position.
In another embodiment of the invention, the abutment portion comprises a plurality of seat portions pivotally moveable out of the seat surface portion and biasing means for biasing the seat portions out of the seat surface portion, and wherein the adjustment means comprises a compression lock for locking the seat portions in a desired position at the first position, the second position or a position between the first and second positions.
In this embodiment of the invention, the seat surface portion also includes third and fourth seat portions which are also pivotally mounted for movement out of the seat surface portion and wherein second biasing means is provided for biasing the third and fourth seat portions.
Preferably a second compression lock is provided for locking the third and fourth seat portions in the first position, the second position or a position between the first and second positions. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, the abutment portion made up of the first and second seat portions can move out of the seat surface portion alone or the abutment portion made up of the first and second seat portions can move together with the third and fourth seat portions or the third and fourth seat portions could move alone or any one of the first to fourth seat portions can move independently of the other seat portions.
A further aspect of the invention may be said to reside in a seat, including:
a seat member; and
an arcuate shaped guide member coupled to the seat member for guiding movement of the seat member along an arcuate path.
Preferably the movement is between a lower rearward position and an upper forward position; and
locking means for releasably locking the seat member in a desired position at the lower rearward position, the upper forward position or a position therebetween.
Preferably the guide member comprises an arcuate sleeve and an arcuate rod moveable in the sleeve, the rod being coupled to the seat member.
Preferably the mechanism includes a spring for biasing the rod relative to the sleeve to thereby bias the seat along the arcuate path.
Preferably the locking means comprises a hole in the sleeve and a plurality of holes in the rod, and a pi
Jr. Milton Nelson
Larson & Taylor PLC
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