Work chair, especially for disabled people, has separately adjustable leg rest for supporting knee and lower leg

SWEDEN (12) PATENT (13) C2 (11) 519 276 (19) SE (51)

International class ⁷

A61G 5/12, A47C 7/50

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PATENT AND REGISTRATION (45) (41) (22) (24) (62) (86) (86)

Patent filed Application widely available The patent application was submitted on expiration date

Tribal application number

2003-02-11

2003-02-11

2002-02-06

2002-02-06 (21) Patent Application Number 0200335-8

Application received as:

(83)

International filing day

Filing date for European patent application Deposit of microorganism (30) Priority information Swedish patent application completed international patent application with number □ converted European patent application with number (73) (72) (74) (54) (56) (57)

Assignee

INVENTOR

AGENT

NAME

Active Orthopedics in Uppsala AB, Bergsbrunnagatan 1

753 23 Uppsala SE

Åke Friestedt, Uppsala SE

Dr. Ludwig Brann Patentbyrå AB

Activity chair with adjustable legrest for persons with disabilities

CALLED PUBLICATIONS: - - SUMMARY:

Activity chair for sedentary work, especially for persons with mobility impairments and / or involuntary reflex movements, including a height-adjustable seat (2) for front-seat seating and a height-adjustable backrest (3) which is adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the seat of desired seat depth, and having legrests (5) which are individually adjustable relative to the seat. The chair is characterized in that the leg supports (5) are arranged to support the front of the knee / lower leg and in addition are formed to provide a support surface (6) for the inside of the knee, as well as individually adjustable in accordance with the user's thigh length (E), hip angle (M) and the femur intermediate (abduction / adduction) angle (F) in the intersecting position.

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The numbers in brackets indicate international identification code, INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code.

<td rowspan="2">'PRV code</td><td colspan="3">Patents use the following document codes for their patents</td><td rowspan="2">'N</td>

<td>cleartext</td><td>code</td><td>cleartext</td>

<td>A</td><td>widely available patent application</td><td>L</td><td>widely available</td><td></td>

<td>B</td><td>pamphlet *</td><td>TI</td><td>translation of the requirements of European patent application</td><td></td>

<td>B5</td><td>corrected layout letter *</td><td>T2</td><td colspan="2">correction of translation of the requirements of European patent application</td>

<td>C</td><td>patent *</td><td>T3</td><td>translation of European patent</td><td></td>

<td>Cl</td><td>patent *</td><td>T4</td><td>translation of European patent in amended form</td><td></td>

<td>C2</td><td>patent</td><td>T5</td><td>corrected translation of European patent</td><td></td>

<td>C3</td><td>corrected patent</td><td>T8</td><td>corrected translation of European patent</td><td></td>

<td>C5</td><td>corrected patent *</td><td>T9</td><td>corrected translation of European patent</td><td></td>

<td>C8</td><td>corrected front page to patent</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>E</td><td>patent in amended version</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>E8</td><td>corrected front page to patent in amended version</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>E9</td><td>corrected patent in amended version</td><td colspan="2">* Published under older legislation</td><td></td>

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<td></td><td>(EPO)</td><td>CZ</td><td>The Czech Republic</td><td>KY Cayman Island</td><td>SEE</td><td>Sweden</td>

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ί 519 276 i

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to an activity chair for persons, especially children, with mobility or disabilities who express themselves in uncontrolled movements or inability to control posture. More particularly, the invention relates to a chair for sedentary activities or work, the chair comprising means for supporting the torso and legs and for simultaneously limiting such involuntary movements which may be bothersome or difficult to perform an activity.

Children with functional disorders in the form of spastic body movements have difficulty maintaining a posture during sedentary activities at tables, sinks, sinks, etc. These children often have large muscle forces and move the body or parts of the body in an involuntary movement pattern, which can both be perceived as embarrassing for the child and, above all, interferes with the exercise of a sedentary activity.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention therefore aims to provide an aid in the form of an activity chair which provides support for the child's body and limbs, which support are designed to limit and counteract such uncontrolled movements: which is experienced as a problem in the practice of sedentary activities.

The above object is met in a chair exhibiting the characteristics of the appended claim 1, claim 1, wherein advantageous embodiments are apparent from the subordinate: claim.

519 276 &lt;i

THE INVENTION IN BRIEF

According to the invention, a chair is provided briefly comprising adjustable seat height, seat depth, seat angle, backrest length and backrest angle. Furthermore, adjustable leg supports for adjusting hip angle (flexion / extension), abduction / adduction and knee joint angle are included, the support functions being adjustable in accordance with the user's femur length and lower leg length. Furthermore, the support functions are individually and universally adjustable in at least three intersecting planes or directions for adaptation to movement-limiting, anatomical changes or contractions in the body joints, which require different positioning positions for the user's right and left legs.

DRAWINGS

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to embodiments and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a side view of a chair according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of a reduced scale, Figure 1;

P'ig. Figure 3 is a front view of the chair of Figure 2;

Figures 4a-b are detailed views showing a leg support included in the chair, and. . Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the chair.

¹ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the setting directions' * are illustrated. 'and pivot axes along and around which the chair's support and movement limit. Sending features are adjustable.

;;; The chair according to the invention comprises a rack 1 on which a seat 2 is supported; '. which is vertically adjustable in a direction A, for example by means of a gas spring device. A backrest 3 is height adjustable relative to the seat 2 in the direction A. The seat 2 and the backrest 3 are pivotable about an axis B and axis C respectively, and can be adjusted horizontally in a direction D for adjusting the seat depth. As far as described, the designated chair has known functions per se, which may also include a rotatable wheel base 4 and some form of lower leg and / or footrest.

A leg support 5 included in the chair according to the invention is designed to support the front, inside and outside of the lower leg. The leg support 5 is angled and extended to a knee support 6 supporting the inside of the knee, and is assigned to a respective foot support 7. In the description below, the term leg support 5 is understood to include the knee support 6 and the foot support 7.

The leg supports 5 are linearly adjustable relative to the seat 2 along a direction E for adaptation to the user's femur length. Further, the leg supports 5 are separately axially adjustable in a transverse direction F (see Figure 3) for any symmetrical or asymmetrical adjustment of the intermediate angle of the femur, which in the following description is referred to as abduction / adduction with respect to increasing and decreasing the angle. The leg supports 5 are furthermore rotatable about an axis G running in the direction F, for adjusting the intermediate angle of the lower leg and femur, or the knee joint angle, and linearly adjustable in a direction H for individual adjustment of right and left knee height position ·

Further, the footrests 7 are linearly adjustable relative to the kneerests 6 in a direction I for adjustment to the length of the lower leg, and rotatable around an axis K for adjusting the foot angle.

In addition, the leg supports 5 are rotatable about an axis L for adjusting the hip flexion / extension angle, and linearly height-adjustable in a direction M.

Further, the leg support 5 comprising the knee support 6 and the associated foot support 7 is preferably rotatably arranged around an axis N for adjusting the angle of the lower leg in accordance with the adjusted abduction angle.

519 276 HfU-UffUz-Ub

The first embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 2-4b:

A chair according to the invention comprises a stand 1, preferably resting on a wheel base 4 with braked wheels. The frame 1 is telescopically extendable, for example with the support of a goose spring. The frame 1 carries a seat 2 formed for boundary-sitting position, a backrest 3 and a legrest 5 comprising knee and foot supports 6 and 7, respectively, as above.

The backrest 3 is supported by a vertically telescopically extendable rod 8, which in turn is horizontally adjustably stored in the upper end of the stand and more specifically in a cross bar 9. Rotary knobs 10, 11 are provided to fix the backrest in the set position. The backrest 3 is fixed by a rotary lock 12 in the desired rotational position in a vertical plane for adjusting the inclination angle of the backrest around the axis C.

The seat 2 is supported on the cross member 9 by a hinge 13 by means of which the seat is pivotally adjustable about the axis B in a vertical plane. A brace 14 extends from the underside of the seat to a pivot lock 15 for fixing the seat in the desired pivot position around the shaft B.

The leg supports 5 are supported by a telescopically extendable rod 16, which at one end is pivotally mounted around the shaft L at the upper end of the stand and more particularly at the underside of the seat 2, or alternatively in a hinge connection arranged on the transverse rod 9. A bar 17 extends from the bar 16 to a pivot lock 18 for fixing the bar 16 in the adjusted pivot position around the shaft L. A telescopically stored and angled rod or rod 19 in the rod 16 is axially fixed in the rod 16 by means of a rotary lock 20. The rod 19 in turn receives a telescopically adjustable rod 21, which at its lower end carries a transverse rod 22 on which the leg supports 5 are supported. The transverse rod 22 extends horizontally on each side of the rod 21. A pivot lock 23 fixes the rod 21 with the transverse rod 22 in the set height position and relative to the angled rod 19.

519 276

The leg supports 5, in particular Fig. 4a, are slidably and pivotally mounted on the crossbar 22 and individually adjustable and fixable in the desired position for adjusting the angle of the knee joint and the abduction / adduction angle. The transverse rod 22 is in the exemplary embodiment a round bar on which the leg supports are supported by sleeves 24 (see Figure 3). Rotary lock 25 is provided on the sleeves for fixing the leg supports 5 on the cross bar 22 by friction locking.

From each sleeve 25 extends a bar 26 on which the knee support 6 and the foot support 7 are jointly axially displaceably stored and fixable in the set position by means of a sliding friction lock 27 which in the exemplary embodiment has dual locking functions. The friction lock 27, see Fig. 4b, comprises two friction plates 28,29 with a central and continuous threaded rod 30, with which a knob 31 engages to push the plates tightly against each other when tightening. In the loosened position of the knob 31, the friction lock 27 is slidable along the bar 26 extending through one of the friction plate 28. Through the other friction plate 29 extends a rod 32 at the lower end of which the footrest 7 is pivotally supported and fixed at a set foot angle by means of a set foot angle. rotary lock 33. The rod 32 is slidably slidable in the friction plate 29 in the loosened position of the knob 31 for adjusting the footrest 7 in alignment with the length of the lower leg. Further, the knee support 6 is pivotally mounted on the outside of the second friction plate 29. The friction plates 28 and 29 are mutually rotatable on the threaded rod 30, whereby the knee support 6 and the footrest 7 are jointly adjustable in the desired rotational position about an axis N for adjusting the angle of the lower leg in alignment with the adjusted abduction or adduction angle.

Alternatively, the friction lock 27 may be formed in such a way that the rods 26 and 32 are partially recessed into opposite surfaces of the friction plates 30 and 29, or as in the embodiment, wherein the respective plate 28, 29 is formed as two sheets for clamping around the rods when tightening the rods. the knob 31 whereby the friction lock is compressed in the direction of the shaft 30.

519 276 H-lkTUHJz-Ub

The invention has been described here in connection with an embodiment from which deviations in the construction can be made without departing from the idea of ​​the invention.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown a variant of the chair, wherein functions and elements common to the above-described exemplary embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals. The chair of Figure 5 differs from the first example in terms of design, in particular the leg support 5 is supported in a different way. The leg support 5 is here slidably mounted on a rod 50 which is hingedly supported around the shaft L in the underside of the seat

2nd By turning the bar in L, and the axial position of the legrest on the bar 50, the legrest is adjustable for adjusting hip angle and femur length.

The embodiment of Figure 5 comprises a chair base 1 with wheeled legs 4 of which at least two wheels may be braked. The two front legs 4 'and 4' in the seating direction can advantageously be extendable to balance a forward center of gravity, for example in kneeling posture. The undercarriage 1 is telescopic for high seat position of seat 2. Seat 2 is pivotally adjustable in shaft B and seat depth is adjustable in direction D. A backrest 3 is supported by an extendable bar 40, and can be pivotable at a pivot point C. From the underside of the seat, the bar 40 extends pivotally around the shaft L in a vertical plane through the center line of the chair.

Separate leg and left leg supports 5 are jointly slidably adjustable along rod 50 in a direction E for adaptation to user's femur length, jointly with rod 50 pivotable about shaft L for hip angle adjustment, and individually pivotable about a transverse shaft G. Each leg support includes a knee support 6 and a foot support 7. The knee support 6 is formed to support the front of the knee / lower leg, and is angled or extended to provide a supporting abutment to the inside of the knee / lower leg.

The leg supports 5 are individually linearly adjustable along the axis G, coinciding with the direction F, for adjusting a mutual gap which fixed the abduction / adduction angle desired in each use situation. The footrests 7 are linearly adjustable along a respective bar 60, for adjustment to the length of the lower leg. The footrests are furthermore pivotally adjustable around the shoulder K for adjustment to the length of the lower leg.

Without further detail, it should be mentioned for the sake of completeness that also the chair of Figure 5 may conveniently be provided with means such as hobs, straps, braces, arm or torso support, etc., thereby preventing involuntary reflex movements in the user's legs and / or upper body.

The invention has been described here in connection with exemplary embodiments from which deviations in the design of details can be made without departing from the idea of ​​the invention. Characteristic features of the exemplary embodiments and the invention are summarized in the following claims.

519 276