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Portable seat cushion with integrated arm restsPortable seat cushion with integrated arm rests description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080036255, Portable seat cushion with integrated arm rests. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIORITY CLAIM [0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/838,537 filed on Aug. 10, 2006 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002]1. Field of the Invention [0003]The present invention relates generally to sitting aids and more particularly to portable sitting assistance devices. [0004]2. Related Art [0005]As people get older the joints of their extremities often begin cause pain due to degeneration, arthritis, brittle bones, broken bones, osteoporosis, and the like. For example, hip and knee joints often degenerate with age and cause pain during motion of the joint. Sometimes these joints require surgery to correct the degeneration, but even after the surgery bending or exercising of the joint can be painful during the recovery process. [0006]This painful motion is especially problematic when a person is trying to sit down or stand up from a sitting position because the weight of the person is shifted from over the standing centerline of the spine and side frames. This shift in weight can cause a bending moment magnification of the actual weight of the person resulting increased stress and strain on the knee and hip joints. It will be appreciated that increasing the stress and strain on a degenerative or post operative joint can cause significant pain and result in damage to the joint bones and tissues. [0007]Some chairs have been developed to assist a person sit or rise from a sitting position. These chairs generally have an electric motor that can raise and lower the chair. Thus, a user can raise the chair, move into a partial sitting position with the raised chair supporting the upper body, and then lower the chair to a normal sitting position. Similarly, when sitting, the user can raise the chair to a partial sitting position, with the chair providing support to the upper body until the user can stand independently from the chair. Unfortunately, such chairs are very large and heavy and cannot be easily transported with the patient. [0008]Other devices have been developed that provide a cushion supported by a spring. The spring and cushion apparatus can be transported, and can be placed on any chair. When the user wants to sit, the spring can lift the cushion from the chair's normal sitting surface to a higher elevation to provide support to the user's lowering upper torso. Similarly, when rising to a standing position from a sitting position, the spring can assist the user by providing an upward force on the cushion. Unfortunately, the spring and related hardware can add significant weight to the device making it difficult to move. Additionally, when placed on a chair without arm rests, the user generally has nothing to hold onto and can become unbalanced or feel unstable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009]The inventors of the present invention have recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a portable, light weight device and method for assisting a person to sit or rise from a chair that provides support to the user when in a partial sitting position. In addition, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a method and device for providing an elevated, deflectable or compressible sitting surface with hand holds or arm rests for lateral stabilization. [0010]The invention provides a portable seat cushion device, or portable sitting assistance device including a cushion configured to be sat upon. The cushion can have at least one foam material that can deflect under an applied load and store energy during deflection. A U-shaped cradle can extend adjacent a bottom and along two opposite sides of the cushion in a parallel spaced apart relation with respect to one another. Each of a pair of arm rests can be coupled to a side frame of the U-shaped cradle. [0011]In another aspect more detailed aspect of the present invention, the U-shaped cradle can include a pair of U-shaped frames in a parallel spaced apart relation with respect to one another and the arm rests can couple a side frame of one of the U-shaped frames to a corresponding side frame of the other of the U-shaped frame. [0012]The present invention also provides for a method for sitting and rising from a chair including placing a base of a frame or cradle of a portable sitting assistance device on a sitting surface with a cushion disposed above the base. A pair arm rests on opposite sides of the portable sitting assistance device can be grasped. The arm rests can be coupled to sides of the frame or cradle. The method for sitting also includes lowering into a sitting position on the cushion while using or grasping the pair of arm rests for support. The method for rising can include rising from a sitting position by pushing downward on the pair of arm rests. [0013]Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable sitting assistance device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, show with a cut-away view of a cushion; [0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the portable sitting assistance device of FIG. 1; [0016]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portable sitting assistance device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with cut-away views of a cushion and a frame; [0017]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the portable sitting assistance device of FIG. 1; [0018]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the portable sitting assistance device of FIG. 1; [0019]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the portable sitting assistance device of FIG. 1; [0020]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the portable sitting assistance device of FIG. 1, shown on a chair; Continue reading about Portable seat cushion with integrated arm rests... Full patent description for Portable seat cushion with integrated arm rests Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Portable seat cushion with integrated arm rests patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090295206 - Covers for arms of patio furniture - The objective of the invention is to eliminate the discomfort and potentially dangerous burning caused by the arms of outdoor furniture after prolonged exposure to the sun. ... ###  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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