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Forward-biased postural chairForward-biased postural chair description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080084101, Forward-biased postural chair. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND [0001]A conventional chair typically contains a seat, a backrest, a base, and armrests. An occupant of the conventional chair sits on top of the seat, which is commonly supported by the base. The occupant typically rests his or her back against the backrest. [0002]The backrest is typically utilized to provide back support to the occupant of a chair. The backrest allows the occupant of the chair to rest his or her back against the backrest, thereby alleviating excess strain. [0003]With some conventional chairs, a user is able to modify the horizontal position of the backrest by adjusting a knob or another similar controller. [0004]With other conventional chairs, the chair has a reclining (i.e., tilting) backrest that is configured to tilt back when an occupant leans against the backrest and to tilt forward to an upright position when an occupant leans forward. SUMMARY [0005]The above conventional chairs suffer from several deficiencies. [0006]For example, the conventional chair with an adjustment knob allows the user to set the depth of the chair (so long as the depth is at least equal to the depth of the seat of the chair), however, it is not automatically configurable. Thus, when the occupant slides forward in the chair (e.g., out of habit, to reach forward for something, or to use the computer), the backrest will no longer be positioned against the occupant's back, and the occupant will lack back support until he or she moves back in the chair. Therefore, it does not allow for sufficient spinal contact/support in respect to the occupant in a continuous manner. If the occupant remains in the forward position without back support for too long, he or she is placing cumulative postural stress on the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine which can manifest over time into spinal pathologies/overuse injuries. [0007]Such lack of proper spinal support also fatigues the muscles that support the spine, therefore leading to the above referenced injuries. Examples of possible injuries caused by this lack of spinal support include cervical strains, headaches, muscle aches, and upper trapezial strains. Furthermore, individuals with degenerative spinal conditions can exacerbate their symptoms, such as joint pain and spinal radiculopathies. [0008]As another example, both of the aforementioned conventional chairs also suffer from the drawback that the backrest is only positionable as far forward as the rear edge of the seat, so that if the user wishes to sit very far forward in the conventional chair, he or she will be unable to have spinal contact/support unless he or she purchases a chair with a smaller seat. Reclining conventional chairs suffer this drawback because the backrest is positioned adjacent the rear of the seat and only tilts up into an upright position. [0009]Reclining conventional chairs also suffer the drawback that as a user slides forward or backward in the conventional chair, the backrest will become tilted at an angle with respect to the user's back/spine and will therefore fail to provide sufficient spinal contact/support. [0010]In contrast to the above-described conventional approaches, embodiments of the present invention provide an improved chair having an automatically adjusting sliding back portion. The user manually sets an initial depth of the chair and as the user slides forward in the chair (whether intentionally or not) a biasing mechanism automatically slides the back portion forward to remain flush against the occupant's back. The back portion may be configurable to slide forward of the rear edge of the seat in order to provide a greater range of positions to allow the occupant to slide very far forward in the chair and still maintain sufficient spinal contact/support. [0011]Further embodiments of the invention include a back portion that is configurable to tilt so that the occupant may adjust the tilt of the back portion to match the desired tilt of the occupant's back. As the seat slides forward, this tilt is maintained. [0012]A further embodiment includes placing armrests on the chair such that the armrests slide together with respect to the excursion of anterior/posterior motion of the back portion. The armrests may also be configured to fold out and away from the seat when the user does not desire to rest his or her arms. The armrests are also capable of adjusting up or down with respect to the occupant's height/elbow level. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013]The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. [0014]FIG. 1A is a side view of a chair with a backrest in a forward position. [0015]FIG. 1B is a profile (e.g., offset) view of the chair of FIG. 1A with the backrest in a forward position. [0016]FIG. 2 is a side view of the chair of FIG. 1A with the backrest in the rearmost position. [0017]FIG. 3A is a detailed diagram of a positioner as in FIG. 1A with a locking pin engaged. [0018]FIG. 3B is a detailed diagram illustrating a pull handle component of the controller of FIG. 3A with the locking pin engaged. [0019]FIG. 4A is a detailed diagram of the positioner of FIG. 3A with the locking pin disengaged. [0020]FIG. 4B is a detailed diagram illustrating the pull handle component of the controller of FIG. 3A with the locking pin disengaged. [0021]FIGS. 5A and 5B show the chair of FIG. 1A with the backrest tilted and the armrest swung out. Additional backrest tilting features are also shown. The seat portion is also tilted in this depiction. Continue reading about Forward-biased postural chair... Full patent description for Forward-biased postural chair Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Forward-biased postural chair patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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