(19)
(11) EP 2 375 939 B1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Mention of the grant of the patent:
15.04.2015 Bulletin 2015/16

(21) Application number: 09775367.7

(22) Date of filing: 28.12.2009
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
A47C 7/38(2006.01)
A47C 31/12(2006.01)
A47C 3/02(2006.01)
(86) International application number:
PCT/NL2009/050807
(87) International publication number:
WO 2010/080025 (15.07.2010 Gazette 2010/28)

(54)

SUPPORTING DEVICE

TRAGVORRICHTUNG

DISPOSITIF DE SUPPORT


(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK SM TR

(30) Priority: 09.01.2009 NL 1036398

(43) Date of publication of application:
19.10.2011 Bulletin 2011/42

(73) Proprietor: Hans Luijkx Riooltechniek
4708 AN Roosendaal (NL)

(72) Inventor:
  • LUIJKX, Johannes Cornelis Christoffel
    NL-4708 AN Roosendaal (NL)

(74) Representative: Grootscholten, Johannes A.M. et al
Arnold & Siedsma Bezuidenhoutseweg 57
2594 AC The Hague
2594 AC The Hague (NL)


(56) References cited: : 
WO-A-2007/139365
DE-C1- 19 747 080
US-A- 3 253 858
DE-B- 1 264 703
US-A- 866 753
US-A- 5 332 287
   
       
    Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).


    Description


    [0001] The present invention relates to a supporting device. Such a supporting device serves for instance to enable the head of a user to be placed thereon, wherein such a supporting device can serve as head support. A supporting device according to the present invention can also serve as a seat-defining device or a carrier for allowing a body part (such as a leg or arm) of a patient to rest thereon, for instance as support in an operating room.

    [0002] Supporting devices for the head or the seat of a user are per se known. These known devices are usually formed by a cushion-like element.

    [0003] Such known supporting devices have a number of drawbacks, however, relating particularly to the application options thereof, for instance in saunas, in a garden or on the beach and so on.

    [0004] It is thus usual for use to be made in a sauna of a stack of planks, for instance for resting the head. Benches are also arranged in saunas, usually of wood or highly durable plastic, although wood is usually recommended because of its breathing properties. Metal is also an option, although it is used less frequently. On the beach users will usually roll up a towel and/or an item of clothing so as to enable placing thereof under their head by way of forming a supporting device. It is however also the case on the beach or in the garden that cushion-like elements are exposed, as in saunas, to a very high humidity and fungal growth can occur here in the material of a cushion-like element. On the other hand, a stack of planks of wood, plastic or metal as embodiment of a known supporting device is hard and uncomfortable, mainly as a result of the point load which is caused thereby, or at least felt by a user, particularly when he/she wishes to rest the head thereon.

    [0005] Reference is made here as the closest prior art to the disclosure of US-5.332.287, but also to DE-1.264.703, DE-197.47.080 and WO-2007/139365, relative to which the features of the appended independent claim 1 are novel.

    [0006] The present invention has been developed with a view to obviating or at least reducing the above stated and other problems and drawbacks of known embodiments of human body part supporting devices, for which purpose a human body part supporting devices is provided according to the present invention as claimed in claim 1.

    [0007] Preferred embodiments are set out in the appended dependent claims.

    [0008] Below, a number of preferred embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the same or similar parts, components and aspects are designated with the same reference numerals, and in which:

    Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a human body part supporting device according to the invention; and

    Fig. 2 shows another further embodiment of a human body part supporting device according to the invention.



    [0009] Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a human body part supporting device with (in frontal view) circular, plate-like support bodies 9 which are each arranged on a tilting and rotation mechanism 30. Each support body 9 is placed in the direction of arrow G on an upright 31 with a ball head 32 on the free outer end thereof. Provided in the underside of support bodies 9 is a receiving cavity 33 for receiving the ball head therein. Each support body 9 can thus rotate and pivot so as to adjust its position to a load of a weight pressing thereon for an optimum pressure distribution and increased comfort.

    [0010] Figure 2 shows an embodiment with support bodies 9 having different peripheral forms.

    [0011] The human body part supporting device can be designed such that at least one of the support bodies is bowl-shaped for the purpose of accommodating particularly a curvature along the back of a head of a user. This is shown with broken lines in figure 1. All of the at least three support bodies are preferably bowl-shaped in order to thus realize the most optimal possible convenience of use.

    [0012] Support bodies of a human body part supporting device according to the present invention (or at least one thereof) can be covered with a cushion-like element, for instance a gel element or silicone-filled elements.

    [0013] The choice of a material of the human body part supporting device or parts thereof can be based on an intended application. An application under a sunbed or sun lamp or in a sauna will thus preclude the support bodies being manufactured from a strongly heat-conducting material (such as a metal), because these support bodies might then become too hot for a user to touch such support bodies or even lie on or against them. In an operating room use can be made of metal, in particular surgical steel. As a cushion element for massage applications the support bodies can be covered with a compressible body such as a gel or silicone element.

    [0014] Ball joints are commercially available and consist of a metal threaded end with a ball at the end. This ball is pressed into a plastic cavity. This plastic part has a flat side with which it can be fixed to a wooden support surface. The threaded end is screwed into the wood, whereby there is no danger of burning if it is applied for the sauna cushion. Tilting surfaces or planks of wood, plastic or metal forming or defining the support bodies can in front view additionally or alternatively also be round, triangular, square, rectangular and so on. Combinations of support bodies with different peripheral forms in a single device are likewise possible, as shown in figure 2. The peripheral forms can also be defined jointly by a number of such support bodies or plates, and the forms of the support bodies are preferably chosen and arranged such that minimal gaps generally remain therebetween and maximum support is thus provided without (great) risk of hair or fingers of a user becoming trapped or jammed in these gaps. In addition, use can further be made of a frame which can be arranged on the base plate and round the support bodies. A package can thus be formed which is easily stored, particularly when such a frame fits so closely round the support bodies that they are held in a position parallel to the base plate.

    [0015] It is noted that a device according to the invention is shown and described with a base plate, and that it is possible to integrate a device according to the invention in a chair, bed, sauna bench or other similar configuration.


    Claims

    1. Human body part supporting device, comprising at least three substantially plate-like support bodies (9), each carried by a tilting mechanism (30), wherein each tilting mechanism (30) bears the support body (9) for load by a user on a side of the support body (9) opposite the tilting mechanism (30), wherein the support body (9) is tiltable about a tilt axis defined by the tilting mechanism (30) and in a loaded state is oriented in accordance with the load, whereby each support body (9) is placed on an upright (31) with a ball head (32) on the free outer end thereof, wherein in the underside of support bodies (9) is a receiving cavity (33) for receiving the ball head (32) therein,
    characterized by
    a base plate (2) for placing the human body part supporting device flat on a ground surface, wherein the uprights (31) are arranged on said base plate (2).
     
    2. Human body part supporting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least three support bodies (9) each define a substantially flat bearing surface.
     
    3. Human body part supporting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bearing surfaces are opposite the tilting mechanism (30) and oriented towards the load by the user.
     
    4. Human body part supporting device as claimed in at least one of the foregoing claims, wherein the human body part supporting device is at least partially formed from a single moisture-resistant material from the group at least comprising wood and plastic.
     
    5. Human body part supporting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the human body part supporting device is formed substantially wholly from the material.
     
    6. Human body part supporting device as claimed in at least one of the foregoing claims, further comprising spring elements which are connected to the tilting mechanisms (30) and which exert adjusting forces on the tilting mechanisms in order to bring the support bodies (9) into rest positions in the unloaded situation.
     
    7. Human body part supporting device as claimed in at least one of the foregoing claims, wherein at least one of the support bodies (9) is bowl-shaped for the purpose of accommodating particularly a curvature along a body part, such as the back of the head, of a user.
     


    Ansprüche

    1. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung, aufweisend mindestens drei im Wesentlichen plattenartige Stützkörper (9), die jeweils von einem Kippmechanismus (30) getragen werden, wobei jeder Kippmechanismus (30) den Stützkörper (9) für eine Belastung durch einen Benutzer auf einer Seite des Stützkörpers (9) entgegengesetzt zu dem Kippmechanismus (30) trägt, wobei der Stützkörper um eine Kippachse kippbar ist, die durch den Kippmechanismus (30) definiert ist und in einem Belastungszustand gemäß der Belastung ausgerichtet ist, wobei jeder Stützkörper (9) an einem Stiel (31) mit einem Kugelkopf (32) an dem freien äußeren Ende davon angeordnet ist, wobei sich in der Unterseite der Stützkörper (9) eine Aufnahmekavität (33) zum darin Aufnehmen des Kugelkopfes (32) befindet,
    gekennzeichnet durch
    eine Basisplatte (2) zum Platzieren der menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung flach auf einer Bodenfläche, wobei die Stiele (31) auf der Basisplatte (2) angeordnet sind.
     
    2. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die mindestens drei Stützkörper (9) jeweils eine im Wesentlichen flache Lagerfläche definieren.
     
    3. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß Anspruch 2, wobei die Lagerflächen dem Kippmechanismus (30) entgegengesetzt sind und in Richtung zu der Belastung durch den Benutzer ausgerichtet sind.
     
    4. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß mindestens einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung zumindest teilweise aus einem einzigen feuchtigkeitsbeständigen Material aus der mindestens Holz und Kunststoff aufweisenden Gruppe ausgebildet ist.
     
    5. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß Anspruch 4, wobei die menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung im Wesentlichen vollständig aus dem Material ausgebildet ist.
     
    6. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß mindestens einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, ferner aufweisend Federelemente, die mit den Kippmechanismen (30) verbunden sind und die Verstellkräfte auf die Kippmechanismen ausüben, um die Stützkörper (9) in der Nicht-Belastungs-Situation in Ruhepositionen zu bringen.
     
    7. Menschliches-Körperteil-Stützvorrichtung gemäß mindestens einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei mindestens einer der Stützkörper (9) schalenförmig ist, zum Zweck des Aufnehmens insbesondere einer Krümmung entlang einem Körperteil, beispielsweise des Hinterkopfes eines Benutzers.
     


    Revendications

    1. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine comprenant au moins trois corps de support (9) sensiblement en forme de plaque, chacun étant supporté par un mécanisme pouvant basculer (30), dans lequel chaque mécanisme pouvant basculer (30) maintient la charge appliquée sur le corps de support (9) par un utilisateur sur un côté du corps de support (9) opposé au mécanisme pouvant basculer (30), dans lequel le corps de support (9) peut basculer par rapport à un axe de basculement défini par le mécanisme pouvant basculer (30) et, dans un état chargé, est orienté en fonction de la charge, de telle sorte que chaque corps de support (9) est placé sur un montant (31) ayant une tête sphérique (32) sur son extrémité externe libre, dans lequel, sur la face inférieure des corps de support (9), se trouve une cavité de réception (33) destinée à recevoir la tête sphérique (32) à l'intérieur,
    caractérisé par :

    une plaque de base (2) destinée à placer le dispositif de support de partie de corps humain à plat sur une surface du sol, dans lequel les montants (31) sont agencés sur ladite plaque de base (2).


     
    2. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon la revendication 1, dans lequel les au moins trois corps de support (9) définissent chacun une surface d'appui sensiblement plate.
     
    3. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon la revendication 2, dans lequel les surfaces d'appui sont opposées au mécanisme pouvant basculer (30) et orientées vers la charge par l'utilisateur.
     
    4. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon au moins l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine est au moins partiellement formé à partir d'un simple matériau résistant à l'humidité issu du groupe comprenant au moins le bois et la matière plastique.
     
    5. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon la revendication 4, dans lequel le dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine, est formé sensiblement entièrement à partir du matériau.
     
    6. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon au moins l'une des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre des éléments formant ressort qui sont reliés aux mécanismes pouvant basculer (30) et qui exercent des efforts de réglage sur les mécanismes pouvant basculer dans le but d'amener les corps de support (9) dans des positions de repos dans la situation non chargée.
     
    7. Dispositif de support de partie corporelle humaine selon au moins l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel au moins l'un des corps de support (9) est en forme de bol dans le but de s'adapter plus particulièrement à une courbure le long d'une partie corporelle, telle que l'arrière de la tête, d'un utilisateur.
     




    Drawing








    Cited references

    REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION



    This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

    Patent documents cited in the description