EP0908124A1

EP0908124A1 - Ergonomic infant sitting aid

Info

Publication number: EP0908124A1
Application number: EP97117578A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paolo Fagiolini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-10-10
Filing date: 1997-10-10
Publication date: 1999-04-14

Abstract

Ergonomic infant sitting aid to be used during the first months of life, in which the infant can sit and play, with the peculiarity that it consists of a monoblock comprising a base, two lateral armrests and an opposing element placed in the middle of the front side, the armrests being of such a form and size and equipped with the means necessary to make the structure ergonomical, and supplied with holding means for the safety of the infant. This sitting aid is directly placed on the supporting surface, on the floor or on an elevated plane, so that there is no important difference in height between the surface and the infant's legs.

Description

This invention regards an ergonomic sitting aid for infants during the first months of life.
Sitting very small infants is a well-known problem, as they are unable to keep their balance for a long time by themselves; a specially designed seat is generally used, essentially consisting of a rigid body supplied with a safety belt at the most. These systems have, however, the drawback of keeping the infant in a greatly backward sloping position to prevent from suddenly moving forward, which might cause the infant to fall or, in the worst of cases, the seat might tip over, as it is placed at a higher level (usually about 10 cm) compared to the supporting surface. In addition, the distance from the supporting surface hinders the infant in moving and playing, and keeps him/her in an isolated position in which he/she remains for the most part passive or active until he/she is capable of keeping a toy in his/her hands; if the toy falls on the floor, the infant cannot reach it from this position.
Another known problem is that the above-mentioned seat is directly placed on a supporting surface above the floor, e.g. a table, so that the infant feels part of the group of relatives seated at it. In this case, it is also necessary to use either the above-mentioned seats, which involve a higher risk because of the height, or a special highchair supplied with a tray on which the infant can eat, which, however, makes him/her isolated from the other members of his/her family.
This invention principally aims at supplying an ergonomic sitting aid for infants during the first months of life, which can easily be placed on the floor or on an elevated surface, and in both positions allows the infant to easily and directly reach with his/her hands those objects placed near on the supporting surface, without requiring the help of another person to pass them to the infant.
The second aim of the invention is to supply an ergonomic sitting aid which does not require the use of a safety belt, so that the infant can move in absolute freedom and safety.
Another purpose of the invention is to prevent the infant from assuming an incorrect posture as his/her legs are stretched on the surface supporting the structure.
The last but not less important target is to supply an ergonomic sitting aid which can easily be manufactured at a low cost on an industrial level without the use of complicated technologies or highly skilled labour, using simple materials which can easily be supplied.
These targets and others have been reached with the ergonomic infant sitting aid to be used during the first months of life, the size of which is suitable for accomodating a very young infant, on which he or she can sit and play, and which is characterised by the fact that it consists of a monoblock comprising a base, two lateral armrests, a back placed between the said armrests, and an opposing element placed in the middle of the front side; the length of the above-said armrests is preferably 3/4 of the side length of the monoblock comprising a base, two lateral armrests, a back which is higher by 1/3 compared to the armrests, and the above-mentioned opposing element whose height is approximately 2/3 of the armrests' height; the said elements, i.e. the base, the armrests, the back and the central opposing element, are made of a compressible but supporting material, possibly with different densities to obtain a pre-established degree of softness of the sitting aid.
An ergonomic infant sitting aid, according to one embodiment of this invention but not limited to it, comprises: a base (2), two supporting elements (3, 4) placed on the base, a back (6) placed on one side between the two supporting elements, and an opposing element placed on the base in the middle of the side opposite the back.
Base 2 consists of a layer of flexible, compressible, shock-absorbing material, whose dimensions are especially designed to accomodate a very small infant (1) who can sit in it with his/her arms resting on the two supporting elements which form two armrests (13, 14); the infant leans the against element 6 forming a back (16) which is higher than the two elements (3 and 4) by a portion (7). The infant sitting on the structure has element 5 between his/her legs, which forms the opposing block (15) pushing against the infant's groin, thus preventing him or her from slipping forward; the infant's legs (9, 10) will, however, be free to move though they are necessarily wide apart in a horizontal position to guarantee an ergonomic sitting.
Base 2 has preferably four sides and chamfered corners (12-12a, 22-22a), with the armrests (13, 14), of an identical shape, mounted on the base for a length (11) corresponding to approximately 3/4 of one side; the armrests, with an almost parallelepiped shape, have a rectangular lower base (17), whereas the upper base is rounded at the corners (18, 19) to exclude sharp edges which might hinder the correct position of the infant's arms; the armrests are placed symmetrically compared to the base and are welded to it.
Back 16, whose height exceeds the armrests by approximately 1/3, has an almost trapezoidal cross section, so that the larger lower base (17) allows a solid rest, preventing a backward flexure over the range of the manufacturing material itself; the rounded upper base (20) has a smaller cross section, so that the infant's back slopes naturally. The opposing element (15) is essentially shaped like a pyramid trunk with chamfered internal corners (23, 24). Its height (25) is approximately 2/3 the height of the armrests (13, 14). The base (2), the elements (3 and 4) forming the armrests, the element (6) forming the back, and the opposing block (5) are made with an internal foam structure (32, 33, 34, 36 and 35 respectively) of compressible supporting material, possibly with different densities to obtain a pre-established degree of softness of the sitting aid. A finishing folder (42, 43, 44, 46, 45) covers the supporting structure and is finally coated with a fabric (50) being directly in contact with the infant; this fabric is water-proof, easy to clean, and in one version it can be taken off.
A hollow space is cut in the left armrest (13), consisting of a stiff tube (37) with a diameter of about 20-25 mm and almost as long as the armrest; this tube may contain the stick (38) of a small parasol (39) or a stick to support a small tray or table on which objects can be put.
Two lugs (113, 114), which can be adjusted thanks to a so-called "velcro" band, are mounted on the backside (116) of the back (16), higher than the mounting of the armrests, and hold an elastic belt (51) passing the back (16) laterally above the armrests and girding the infant's waist; this belt can be used optionally as an additional safety device for the infant's stability. In a second embodiment, the entire base structure, i.e. the armrests, the back, the central opposing element, has the same configuration and appearance but is a monoblock obtained with the technique of moulding one block without welding and/or gluing the single parts together.
Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from a preferred but not exclusive embodiment shown on the enclosed drawings as an example:
Figure 1 shows a top view of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a front view of the invention.
Figure 3 shows the A-A section of Fig. 2.
Figure 4 shows an axonometric view of the invention during use.
Figure 5 shows an axonometric view of the invention supplied with a first and a second accessory.
Figure 1 shows a top view of one embodiment of the invention, i.e. the base (2) with chamfered corners (12, 12a, 22, 22a), the two supporting elements (3, 4) mounted on position 11 on the base, the back (6), front element 5 slightly rounded at the inside (23, 24), the lugs (113, 114) on the backside, showing the finishing folder (42, 44) and the internal structure (32, 34).
Figure 2 shows a front view of one embodiment of the invention, indicating distance 7 of the back above the armrests, the inner foam structure (33, 36), the outer finishing folder (43, 45, 46) and the fabric (50) in contact with the infant.
Figure 3 is an example of one embodiment of the invention, showing the lower base (17) of the rectangular armrests, the upper base with chamfered corners (18, 19), the rounded upper base (20) of the back, the height (25) of the opposing element, the stuffing (32, 35), and the finishing folder.
Figure 4 shows an axonometric view of one embodiment, with a small infant (1) sitting in it, resting his/her arms on both armrests (13, 14), and with his/her back leaning against the chairback (16) (the backpart (116) of which is sketched) and with the opposing block (15) between his/her legs (9, 10). The lower base (17) of both armrests is rectangular, one of them presenting a hole (37), in which accessories can be fitted.
Figure 5 shows an embodiment, in which the sitting aid is supplied with a safety belt (51) and with a stick (38) for a small umbrella (39) fit in the structure.
This description clearly shows the advantages of the ergonomlc sitting aid, according to the invention, compared to existing seats; it suffices to say that the infant enjoys great freedom of movement while sitting in a stable and safe position; the presence of the central block described appears particularly important as it forms an actual supporting element for the objects the infant holds in his/her hands besides being a sort of game totem.
The embodiments of the invention may undergo numerous modifications and variations, also concerning the materials and manufacturing techniques used, but still remaining within the range of the same invention's idea which is the object of the application for a patent right.

Claims

Ergonomic infant sitting aid to be used during the first months of life, in which the infant can sit and play, the size of which is suitable for accomodating a small infant, which is directly placed on a supporting surface, and which is characterised by the fact that it consists of a monoblock comprising a base, two lateral armrests, a back placed between the said armrests, and an opposing element placed in the middle of the front side, the length of the above-said armrests being preferably 3/4 of the side length of the monoblock, the said back exceeding the height of the armrests by 1/3, and the said opposing element being approximately 2/3 of the armrests' height; the said elements, i.e. the base, the armrests, the back and the central opposing element, being made of a compressible but supporting material, possibly of different densities to obtain a pre-established degree of softness of the sitting aid;
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the base where the infant sits is directly placed on the surface supporting the structure, so that the infant's legs and the supporting surface are almost at the same level.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that it is supplied with a central opposing element on the front side, which prevents the infant from slipping forward even when he/she is not secured with a safety belt; the said element being preferably manufactured in the shape of a pyramid trunk with chamfered internal corners.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the armrests have a rectangular lower base and an upper base with chamfered corners, the height of which enables a small infant to rest his/her arms, and at the same time, the armrests support the infant's movements laterally.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the back has a trapezoidal cross section with the lower base larger than the rounded upper base, so that this shape, combined with the mechanical characteristics of the manufacturing material, allow a range of flexure proportional to the movements of a small seated infant, the said shape being the result of a pre-established sloping which makes the leaning position ergonomical.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1 and any of the claims above, characterised by the fact that it consists of a foam monoblock preferably made of flexible polyurethane.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1 and 6, characterised by the fact that the foam monoblock, with or without finishing folder, is coated with a fabric treated so that it is suitable for a small infant.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 7, characterised by the fact that the fabric coating can be taken off.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that at least one armrest has a hollow space in the shape of a stiff tube on the upper side, with a diameter of 20-25 mm and with the same length as the armrest's height, the said hollow space being capable of holding the stick of a small parasol or a stick to support a small tray or table on which objects can be put.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the back has two lugs on its backpart, at least one of which is adjustable; these lugs being suitable for blocking and adjusting an elastic belt fixed to them by means of two terminal heads consisting of a so-called "velcro" band, the elastic belt girding the infant's waist and assuring stability.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to any of the claims above, characterised by the fact that it is manufactured by molding a monoblock which forms the definite body with all functional elements.
Ergonomic infant sitting aid according to the claims above, characterised by all the features claimed as described and shown on the tables enclosed.