GB2188834A

GB2188834A - A seat

Info

Publication number: GB2188834A
Application number: GB08608712A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Alcock; Christopher Wharram
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-04-10
Filing date: 1986-04-10
Publication date: 1987-10-14
Also published as: GB8608712D0

Abstract

A seat comprising a seat member (1) tiltable between a generally horizontal sitting position and an inclined raised position, leaf spring means (13) biased to tilt the seat member (1) to the raised position and retaining means to retain the seat member (1) in the sitting position. The retaining means is releasable to allow the spring means (1) to tilt the seat member (1) to the raised position to assist the occupant to rise therefrom. The spring (13) is adjustable to adjust the basing effect thereof by means comprising a screw threaded rod (6) and a pair of spring locators (8). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Aseat The present invention relates to a seat and more particularly to a seat having a seat member which is tiltablefrom a sitting to a rising position.

For various reasons disabled people often have difficulty in rising from a seat such as a chair. It is an object of the present invention to reduce this difficulty and to this end there is provided a seat comprising a seatmembertiltable between a generally horizontal sitting position and an inclined raised position, leaf spring means biased to ti It the seat memberto the raised position and retaining means two retain the seat member in the sitting position, the retaining means being releasableto allowthespring means to tilttheseat membertothe raised position.

The seat member may be connected to an element which forcibly deflects the spring means when the seat member is in the sitting position.

The seat may comprise adjustment means to adjust the biasing effect of the spring means on the seat memberwhen in the sitting position.

The adjustment means may comprise a screw threaded member extending alongside the spring means and a pair of runners which on rotation ofthe screw threaded means move towards or awayfrom each other to provide an increasing or decreasing biasing effect.

The screwthreaded means may be manually rotatable to provide adjustment.

The retaining means may comprise a latch arrangement which is biased from a release position to a retaining position, wherein when the seat member stilted to the sitting position the retaining means is initially biased to the release position by the seat member and thereafter backto the retaining position to retain the seat member in the sitting position.

The retaining means may be manually moved to the release position to allow the seat membertotilt from the sitting position.

The retaining means may be movable to the release position when the seat member is in the sitting position only on pressure being exerted downwardly on the seat member.

The retaining means may he connected to remotely situated release means manually operable to move the retaining means from the retaining position to the release position.

The retaining means may be connected to the release means by a cable.

The present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 7 shows a side sectional view of a seat illustrating the seat member in the raised and sitting positions, and Figure2 shows a view in the direction of arrow A of thatpartofthe seat shown in Figure 1 but with the seat member omitted.

Referring to the drawings, that part of a seat with which the present invention is concerned i.e. the seat member is shown by numeral 1 in continuous lines in the raised position and by dashed lines in the sitting or lowered position.

The seat comprises a front rail 2 and two side rails 3 and the front of the seat member 1 is hinged to the front rail 2 by two spaced hinges 4. Extending across the seat parallel with, but spaced behind the front rail 2 is a further rail 5 having a channel-shaped cross section. Extending along one side of the rail 5 is a rod 6which has a left handthread along one half its length and a right hand thread along the other half and extending along the other side of the rail 5 is a plain rod 7. Mounted on the rods 6 and 7 are a pair of spring locaters 8 which are spaced fron each other along the rods. Each spring locator comprises two runners 9 and 10 each mounted on a respectively rod. The two runners 9 and 10 are connected by a bar 11.One runner8 is screwthreaded and engages the right hand thread of the rod 6 and the other runner 8 is also screwthreaded and engages the left hand thread of the rod 6. On rotation of the rod by, for example, a handle 1 2the spring locators 8 are moved towards or away from each other in dependence on the direction of rotation of rod 6. Extending along the rail 5 and above the locators 8 is a leaf spring 13.

As shown in Figure 2 the rail 5 is provided with an opening 14 and as shown in Figure 1 a trunnion 15 extendsthroughtheopening 14. The upper end of the trunnion is pivotally connected to the underside of the seat member 1 and the iower end of the trunnion 15 rests on the upper surface of the leaf spring 13 between the spring locators 8. When the seat member is in the raised position the only force acting on the leaf spring 13 is that provided bythe weight ofthe seat member 1.

If the seat member is pushed down by, for example, the weight of a person sitting on it, the trunnion 15 exerts an increased force on the leaf spring thereby causing itto deflect downwardly.

When the seat member 1 has reached the sitting positionthetrunnion 15 and the spring 13 are in the positions shown in dashed lines in Figure 1 in which that portion of the leaf spring 13 midway between the spring locations has deflected to a maximum.

Since the leaf spring 13 contacts the spring locators 8 the spring resistance to downward deflection increaseses as the spring locators 8 are moved towards each other and decreases as they are moved away by rotation ofthethreaded rod 6. The force exerted on the seat member 1 towards the raised position by the leaf spring 13 can therefore be set in accordance with the weight of the occupant ofthe seat by the occupant turning the handle 12 until the spring force providing the raising assistance is right for that occupant.

Extending from the rail 5 towards the rear ofthe seat lisa rail 16 in which is located a bar 17 biased towards the rear of the seat by a spring 18.

Extending across the seat lisa rail 19 in which is located a bar 20. The bar 20 is provided with an elongate opening 21 ,through which extends a pin 22. The pin 22 is biased by a spring 23 to urge the bar 20 towards the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2.

In order to retain the seat member 1 in the sitting position the bar 20 is caused to move to the position shown in dashed line in Figure 2, atwhich position thetip ofthe bar 17 is able to move into the recess 24 in the bar20 underthebiasing effectofthespring 18.

In order to release the seat member 1 the bar 20 is moved to release the seat member 1 the bar 20 is moved to the position shown in full lines in Figure 2 bypulling on cable 25 connectedtothe pin 22.

Claims

1. Aseatcomprising aseatmembertiltable between a generally horizontal sitting position and an inclined raised position, leaf spring means biased to tilt the seat memberto the raised position and retaining means to retain the seat member in the sitting position, the retaining means being releasableto allow the spring means to tilt the seat membertothe raised position.

2. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat member is connected to an element which forciby deflects the spring means when the seat member is inthesitting position.

3. A seat member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seat comprises adjustmentmeansto adjust the biasing effect ofthe spring means on the seat memberwhen in the sitting position.

4. A seat according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment means comprises a screw threaded member extending alongside the spring means and a pair of runners which on rotation of the screw threaded means move towards or awayfrom each other to provide an increasing or decreasing biasing effect.

5. A seat according to claim 4, wherein the screw threaded means is manually rotatable to provide adjustment ofthe runners.

6. A seat according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining means comprise a latch arrangementwhich is biased from a release position to a retaining position, wherein when the seat member is tilted to the sitting position the retaining means is initially biased to the release position by the seat member and thereafter back to the retaining position to retain the seat member in the sitting position.

7. A seat according to claim 6, wherein the retaining means is manually moved to the release position to allow the seat memberto tiltfrom the sitting position.

8. A seat according to claim 7, wherein the retaining means is connected to remotely situated release means manually operable to move the retaining means from the retaining position to the release position.

9. A seat according to claim 8, wherein the retaining means is connected to the release means bya cable.

10. A seat according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the retaining means may be movable to the release position when the seat member is in the sitting position only on pressure being exerted downwardly on the seat member.

11. A seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.