DEVICE PROVIDING HOLD AND COMFORT

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 as the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/FR 2023/051034, filed Jul. 5, 2023, entitled “DEVICE PROVIDING HOLD AND COMFORT,” which claims priority to French Application No. 2210704 filed with the Intellectual Property Office of France on Oct. 17, 2022, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Generally, the present invention is in the orthopedic field and relates to a device providing hold and comfort allowing any person having problems of discomfort or pain when in a seated or standing position to maintain posture and comfort.

The invention more particularly relates not only to such a holding device suitable for being placed on any kind of pre-existing support, either for standing support (floor of any kind) or for sitting (chair, stool, armchair, vehicle seat, mattress, etc.) whatever its rheological characteristics (hard, soft, deformable or not, etc.) or geometrical characteristics (flat, tilted, etc.) without degrading the effectiveness thereof,

but also the addition of such a device either attached to supports, in particular existing seats (chair, stool, armchair, vehicle seat, mattress, etc.), or integrated into the design and manufacture of a new support.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Adopting a good posture is the key to comfort. The term “posture” refers to the arrangement adopted by the various body segments against gravity: a posture can be balanced or unbalanced. A good posture is a well-balanced position under conditions that minimize joint and muscle tension. Whether sitting, standing or lying down, gravity affects the active and passive structures of the body in one way or another. Good posture distributes the forces constantly at work and relieves pressure on muscles and joints.

On the contrary, poor posture will progressively degrade muscle and joint metabolism. Indeed, posture is built up and modified throughout life in the face of external and internal constraints. The body must constantly adapt to maintain a certain balance in space (stature, steadiness, stability, symmetry).

In response to internal and external stimuli, transmitted by sensory sensors mainly the millions of proprioceptive sensors located in muscle fibers, tendons and joints, as well as the eyes and inner ear-the brain in turn commands us to correct or assume a particular posture. If the information received is not processed correctly, the posture selected will be inadequate and the body will put in place a number of compensatory strategies that can give the illusion that everything is working properly. In reality, these lead to an overuse of certain muscles or joints in a non-functional manner which can lead to:

• • muscle tension, with numbness and limited mobility, or with the appearance of spasms;
  • local back pain, shifted centrally or laterally, which may extend between the costal arch and the gluteal fold, or even radiate down one leg;
  • neck pain;
  • etc.

More particularly, when seated, the goal is to ensure that the neck is symmetrically aligned with the trunk, which is itself level with and in the middle of the pelvis-ear, shoulder, hip alignment-this implies that the person must remain in an upright position when seated. This means staying still. This ideal position is difficult to maintain. It therefore lacks a base which would naturally help people to adopt an upright posture while freeing up their movements.

Academic literature points to two components of each body segment when analyzing the postural inertial chain: a supposedly rigid bone-or a set of interlocking bones constituting a set considered to be rigid such as the pelvis or trunk-and soft masses (skin, muscles, fat, tendons) that anchor to or surround it. During movement, these soft tissues are in motion—called micromovement—with respect to the bones.

While bone kinematics—known as macromovement—is generally the most accessible and relevant clinical information during postural analysis, the artifact of soft mass micromovements, through contraction or elongation, is a decisive element in postural control and postural comfort.

To perfect postural comfort, it is therefore necessary to be able to accompany and support all postural movements in a coordinated way—the macromovements of the bony part of the body segment but also the postural control micromovements of the soft parts in order not to put them under tension.

Thus, natural mobility must be allowed to maintain posture and feel comfortable and this can be understood at four levels, i.e. for the seated position:

• • Positional macromovements: the pelvis is the body segment that forms the base of support in the seated position, on which the trunk, head and upper limbs permanently rest. When a person sits down or corrects their position on a seat, their pelvis and torso are subjected to coordinated movements inscribed in a cone (a so-called overall “inverted pendulum” movement); more specifically, the pelvis is subjected to retroversion or anteversion, and the torso to a rotation or a flexion of the torso. These movements—which we call positional macromovements—condition the position of the center of gravity of the upper body and its projection onto the seat. The aim is to achieve a gravitational equilibrium.
  • Natural comfort movements: the person must be able to carry out natural movements at all times without hindrance or discomfort such as turning or tilting their head, raising their arm to grip a glass or the telephone, scratching themselves, moving their leg forward, etc. All of these movements of varying degrees of intensity—which we call natural comfort movements—contribute to modifying the conditions of said gravitational equilibrium.
  • Control micromovements: in response to constant variations in gravitational equilibrium, the brain commands a series of low-intensity movements—which we call control micromovements—to thus control the maintenance of gravitational equilibrium. There is thus a permanent and often unconscious strain on the joints and muscles which can have an impact on comfort, fatigue or nerve strain that can be painful.
  • Stress micromovements: when the pelvis is subjected to a macromovement inscribed in the inverted cone, it generates pressure and shear on the soft parts—for example the buttocks in the seated position—driven by the kinematics of movement, but trapped on the seat support. Releasing soft tissue joint and muscle tension is also essential for releasing the permanent strain of the proprioceptive system on the brain and the associated fatigue and stress, as well as naturally stimulating pain inhibition.

For the standing position, there are balance boards whose operating principle is based on the use of proprioception, which is the ability of the body to perceive its position and its movements in space. Balance boards are designed to engage the stabilizer muscles of the body by creating a constant imbalance that must be compensated for by muscular adjustments. These balance boards are a versatile tool for improving stability, coordination, strength, posture and relaxation. They also improve proprioception.

The existing devices usually consist of a board intended to support the person in a standing position:

• • this board is generally placed on a half-sphere (movement in all directions) or a roller or circular hoop (which limits movement to tilting in the sagittal or lateral plane),
  • the person's feet rest flat on the board.

However, by design, postural balance is controlled by macromovements—the sometimes abrupt movement of body segments—rather than by micromovements—the tension of muscle fibers and tendons. These balance boards do not make it possible to work on balance and therefore proprioception with the precision required by the sensitivity of the proprioceptors.

In the seated position, footrests are moreover available which, by design, immobilize the feet to some extent, whereas mobility is recommended in the seated position to avoid the onset of disorders. Some footrests are flat and others are angled. The trend is to allow height and tilt adjustment.

However, none of today's footrests can, on the one hand, support the mobility of the body segments (lower limbs) or the micromovements of the feet nor, on the other hand, can they support the soft tissues that make up the sole of the foot.

For the application of the invention to seating devices, existing complementary devices—intended to improve sitting on a usual support constituting furniture-chair, armchair, stool, bench, etc.—are generally used, on the one hand, to help people improve their posture when in a seated position, and relieve the pain and physiological damage occurring in this seated position, and on the other hand, in extreme cases, to allow the seated position for people suffering from chronic pain induced or worsened when in the seated position, making it painful or even unbearable to sit, and to prevent damage such as bedsores, for people at risk.

Thus the objective of numerous known seating devices is to provide additional comfort, by aiming to support macromovements to maintain gravitational equilibrium and facilitate the adoption of good posture—ear, hip, pelvis alignment—such as, for example, the devices described in the patent applications filed by the American company Backjoy Orthopedics (EP2381817 published on Jul. 10, 2013, WO 2016/053321 published on Apr. 7, 2016, US 2021/0022512 published on Jul. 28, 2021, etc.) and relating to orthopedic devices for improving posture in the seated position, all comprising a base element comprising a front part for the upper legs, a rigid bowl part (to receive the lower pelvic area of a user), a peripheral crown part surrounding this bowl with an upwardly inclined lateral part, these peripheral and lateral parts comprising regions of variable flexibility: the innovation of such devices lies in a concave shape of the seat which, on the one hand, partially envelops the pelvis thus cradling it in anteversion, promoting the adoption of the correct posture, and on the other hand, allows forward-backward tilting, as well as, in one of these patent applications, lateral tilting, and, in another application, with a lumbar backrest that forces the spine into the correct position relative to the pelvis.

Patent application US2007057562 filed by Mr. Gregory and Mr. Gaddis and published on Mar. 15, 2007 is also known, which discloses other seating devices based on a different principle: the seat, which is certainly also adapted to the morphology of the back, buttocks and thighs with a raised rear part, a recessed central part and a doubly curved front part able to follow the shape of the thighs, is not free to rotate, but is fixed, bearing on a damper device itself bearing on a seat support. The correct posture is then imposed by the angles given to the different elements with respect to the horizontal: thus the part supporting the thighs has a tilt according to a preferential angle of 7.5° downwards and comes into abutment-contact on the seat support, while the hollow part supporting the buttocks has a preferential tilt of 4.5° upwards, while the damper device can be modified or controlled to adjust the two angles and make it possible to optimize a seat in anteversion with lordosis.

The objective of these seating devices is to support the gravitational equilibrium by distributing pressure evenly over the base of the seat in the event of macromovements, making it easier to adopt a good posture by virtue of the shape of this seat base. But they do not support natural low-intensity movements and even less control micromovements, which means that joint and muscle tensions remain, along with the resulting discomfort and fatigue.

These devices favor anteversion of the pelvis, whereas anatomically, posture results from the equation: posture =pelvic incidence +lordosis. Given the distribution of pelvic incidence in the population, the natural profile of postural balance is anteverted for 40% of the population, while 40% are retroverted and 20% neutral. A postural seat must be able to adapt to these different anatomical typologies.

There are also seat devices that can be customized for each user by adjusting the position and spacing of a plurality of elements that together form a seat, as in Korean patent application WO 2013/103188, or U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,39 of 1899, which teach the example of a bicycle saddle, and whose aim is to reduce pressure on the parts of the body in close contact with the seat, by virtue of a combination of ball joints, articulated arms adjustable in rotation and length, and springs, but once this adjustment has been made, the seat thus customized is locked in position with respect to the support that carries it, such as the frame of a bicycle.

Moreover, pain covering the region from the sacrum to the pubis, hereinafter referred to by the general term of perineal pain, is widespread and is most often induced or greatly accentuated when in a seated position.

Perineal pain “without a cause” is particularly difficult to treat and frequently requires a multidisciplinary approach. Among which, pudendal, ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric and genitofemoral neuralgia, pain with an osteo-ligamentary component, such as coccygodynia, myofascial syndrome, pain of muscular and venous origin such as the consequences of advanced hemorrhoids etc., are increasingly characterized.

These pathologies can be severely disabling: thus, in the case of chronic cases of coccygodynia and pudendal neuralgia which extend over several years, the seated position can last no more than a few dozen minutes with the help of suitable supports and the use of analgesics whose effectiveness diminishes over time. They call for a complete reorganization of the lives of the people concerned (for example systematization of the standing position for eating or for working, etc.)

There are, of course, devices to help the person at least to withstand such pain, and those most recommended by the medical profession to relieve coccygodynia and hemorrhoidal crises are also the simplest as they are in fact foam cushions, often with a viscoelastic memory foam component forming a “buoy”, but this solution has the disadvantage of not making it easy to maintain good posture and leads to lower back pain.

To help the person improve both their posture when in a seated position and to alleviate their perineal pain, another solution is also a cushion—most often made of viscoelastic foam—on the one hand with a beveled shape inclined from back to front to force anteversion of the pelvis—once again anteversion—with an angle between the thighs and the trunk generally between 90 and 100°, and on the other hand a recess in the recto-anal area—so as not to contact the area to be protected. A more elaborate version combines this type of seat cushion with a lumbar support cushion.

The above two types of cushion have been on the market for a long time and are no longer particularly inventive, and the specialists and people who use them readily admit that these solutions are limited by their focus on relieving a single pathology—coccygodynia—and that their effectiveness is further degraded by the fact that, with use, such seat cushions become soft and/or too inclined.

Finally, mention should also be made of bedsores which are generally wounds that occur in frail people as a result of tissue compression in areas where the underlying bones are close to the surface. This compression causes a process called ischemia, in which blood flow in capillary vessels is reduced or stopped. Tissue hypoxia then occurs within one to two hours and the pressure sore develops, initially in the form of redness (persistent erythema, stage 1) which progresses to the appearance of more or less deep wounds, which may become purulent and lead to tissue necrosis.

As a result, the existing devices are intended to relieve/reduce the pressure exerted on the body in the targeted areas and, to date, there are a number of devices available to prevent pressure sores on the sacrum (which covers the area of the gluteal fold, the coccyx and the sacrum itself).

All are cushion or mattress-type supports and, according to opinions issued in France by the National Committee for the Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies, a distinction is made between so-called “low tech” static supports and so-called “high tech” dynamic supports.

Complementary “low-tech” seating devices to prevent pressure sores consist of cushions of different shapes to protect bony prominences when in the seated position (sacrum and coccyx, ischium) and to reduce pressure when sitting (stabilizing forward sliding).

Complementary “high-tech” seating devices aim to help with treatment once a pressure sore has developed or for people at high risk of developing pressure sores. These are “dynamic”, motorized supports, based on the motorization of an alternating inflation/deflation cycle of the modules making up the support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem posed is then to provide solutions to the shortcomings, gaps or weaknesses of the abovementioned solutions, which ignore shear and compression stresses on the soft tissues, for people who may have or suffer pain when standing or sitting or who are at risk of pressure sores in the latter position, by proposing a complementary hold device, to be placed on a support or to be integrated into an existing or new support, and aiming, on the one hand, to provide comfort by allowing these people —on the basis of their natural postural balance profile—to maintain posture and comfort when in a standing or seated position and, on the other hand, to relieve their back and lumbar pain and their perineal pain in the broad sense (comprising the areas from the pubis to the sacrum), and also to prevent pressure sores in this region of the pelvis when in the seated position.

Thus, a solution to the problem posed is a device providing hold and comfort allowing any person who may have problems of discomfort or pain when in a seated or standing position to remain comfortably on any support on which they wish to place the lower part of their body corresponding to their seated position (in this case their pelvis) or standing position (in this case the soles of their feet), and comprising:

• • a first part, which is referred to as the base of the device, which is at least partially rigid and bears on said support,
  • at least one second part arranged above the first part and having a shape suitable for receiving the soft parts of the body segments of the lower part of said person corresponding to their seated position (in this case their pelvis) or standing position (in this case the soles of their feet), and consisting of at least two pads, each supporting a soft part of a body segment of said lower part of the person, and
  • at least one third part consisting of at least as many shockabsorber-balljoints as there are pads and being arranged between the second part, which bears on these shockabsorber-balljoints, and the rigid first part on which the third part itself bears.

And according to the invention:

• • the rigid first part bears vertically on the support and is free to tilt with respect thereof in all directions about a vertical axis, like an inverted pendulum,
  • and, thus accompanying the macromovements of the body segments mobilized when the person adopts the seated or standing position, this rigid first part is able to achieve gravitational equilibrium following these macromovements
  • the second part, integral with the third part, consists of articulated pads which, independently of each other, support each of the soft parts making up the body segments and, thus supporting the postural control micromovements, they are able to release joint and muscle tension
  • and each of these three parts making up the device is free to move independently of the others and constantly supports the soft tissue stress and postural control micromovements and the postural balance macromovements of the person in a coordinated fashion.

Thus the solution of the invention is based on permanent support for all the movements described previously—positional macromovements, natural comfort movements, control micromovements and stress micromovements—and this support ensures that each movement is independent of the others, while all the movements are carried out in a coordinated manner in order to avoid stressing the joints and muscles beyond a threshold of discomfort or pain, whereas there is currently no device in the field of the invention which combines these different permanent actions to support these movements. The production of devices according to the invention, as set out hereinbefore and described below, combine in a permanent and coordinated way, postural balance macromovements and postural control macromovements, ensuring at the same time a permanent support and a homogeneous distribution of pressures on the soft parts, regardless of the posture adopted by the person in a seated position.

In fact, the device of the invention represents a radical innovation in the field of the postural chain, enabling dynamic postural balance, unlike the static seats of the state of the art which weaken muscle tone; by design, the device of the invention is a dynamic seat which allows active positions—and therefore freedom of movement—around balance, stimulating the natural adoption of an upright posture.

Such a device providing hold and comfort according to the invention is thus a dynamic postural balance support device for any person in a seated or standing position as it permanently and independently combines:

• • a first part which accompanies the macromovements, of the inverted pendulum type, for the pelvis in a seated position, for the lower limbs in a standing position, or for the legs when the feet are resting on a footrest,
  • a second part, integral with the first by shockabsorber-balljoints, which provides permanent and uniform support for each of the soft tissues to accompany, totally independently, the micromovements and prevent strain on muscle fibers and tendons, the seat of the proprioceptive system, the brain of the postural chain.

The first part, referred to as the base of the device, consists, in a preferential embodiment (and referring to the prior art constituted, with regard to a device providing hold and comfort while sitting, by Backjoy Orthopedics patent EP2381817), of an entirely rigid hollow part whose curved and convex lower surface is rounded in all directions, including the sagittal and lateral planes,

In the present invention, on the one hand “pad” refers to any part forming the second part of the device of the invention, made of a rigid material of varying hardness and whose upper surface which, in the case of the seated position, supports the buttocks and thighs of the person sitting thereon, has a shape adapted to the pelvis and to the thighs, i.e. preferably slightly curved, and on the other hand “shockabsorber-balljoint” refers to any device or material produced, with an upper face receiving a pad and a lower face bearing on the rigid part, a skilled person being able to make such a device or material with their technical knowledge alone, and which on the one hand allows itself to be crushed when subjected to a vertical force such as the weight of a person and whose upper face can tilt, with respect to its lower face, by rotation in all directions: by way of example (as shown in the attached figures by way of preferential embodiments), these shockabsorber-balljoints can each consist of at least one block of high-resilience foam, by an elastomer block or by at least one spring, and whose outer perimeter, including that of the upper face, lies within the surface of the pad with which they are each associated.

In another embodiment, the “shockabsorber-balljoint/pad” assembly can be made in a single piece, as is done for contacts as used in electric bed bases.

The purpose of the “shockabsorber-balljoint/pad” assembly is to support the natural comfort movements and control micromovements defined previously.

According to a preferential embodiment of the invention for a seating device providing hold and comfort, the second part of this device consists of at least four pads independent of each other, at least two of which each support one of the person's thighs and at least two of which each support soft parts (right buttock and left buttock) anchored to the pelvis and each bearing on at least one shockabsorber-balljoint.

Preferentially at least the second part of a seating device providing hold and comfort according to the invention comprises a recess whose location and shape correspond at least to the surface of the area at risk of pain—such as pelvic-perineal pain—or damage, such as bedsores, of the person in a seated position, when this area is put under pressure.

And the device according to the invention can also comprise, whether for the seated or standing position, a fourth part arranged above the second part and made of flexible contact material supporting the lower part of the person's body, corresponding to their position,

The result is a new device, in particular for the seated position, which addresses the problem posed and makes it possible, according to the above features and those described below in the description of the figures:

• • to increase seating comfort and notably:
  • to optimize the load-bearing surface of the body (a load which represents around ⅔ of the body's weight) and distribute pressure and reduce or eliminate pressure peaks;
  • to maintain the torso in the correct “upright” position—ears/shoulders/hips alignment—while providing support for the movements (previously referred to as “macro”) of tilting the pelvis, gravitational equilibrium control movements, as well as stress micromovements and natural movements of the person such as turning or tilting the head, raising an arm, scratching, moving a leg forward, etc; and the present invention thus provides micro and macro support systems that can act together and independently of each other whereas prior art devices only address macro mobility.
  • to have a reference base unaffected by the nature of the seat, on which the seating device forming the object of the present invention rests;
  • by adding wedges (see below) under the base, said base can be preferentially tilted in order to adapt to the natural balance profile specific to each individual anteversion, retroversion, or neutral, the first condition for adopting the right posture, and by offering a good thigh-spine tilt (an angle often recommended of around 100° between the thighs and the vertical trunk);
  • to be assisted by a system that can support the lumbar vertebrae in order to maintain a constant sacral slope specific to each individual;
  • to optimally envelope the pelvis on the seating device to hold it firmly in position
  • to prevent the onset of pain or damage caused by prolonged sitting and the pressure exerted and above all to eliminate any contact or risk of contact with painful areas (such as pudendal neuralgia, coccygodynia, hemorrhoids, pilonidal cysts, etc.) or areas at risk of damage such as pressure sores in the lower pelvic area (coccyx, ischium, sacrum).
  • to ensure breathability of the skin and stimulate blood circulation.

Thus, the present invention satisfies the prevention of painful positions and the alleviation of the feeling of pain, as well as the prevention of pathological degradation such as bedsores and this is not an exhaustive list of the comfort and prevention situations that can be satisfied by this seating device.

Indeed, the device according to the invention, in particular for the comfort seating position, allows any person experiencing pain when in a seated position to maintain their posture and seating comfort due to the combination of several functionalities:

• • adaptation to the natural balance profile specific to each individual, by adding wedges under the base at the front or at the rear,
  • facilitation by design of a thigh-spine tilt preferentially between 90 and 100°,
  • like the prior art, gravitational balance achieved through macromovements (flexion of the torso and rocking of the pelvis on the seat to facilitate alignment of the spine on the pelvis)
  • control of gravitational balance supported to maintain good posture, which allows the person to make natural movements while maintaining comfort and to perform the necessary control micromovements without muscle tension—in other words, to allow a cone of deviation around the gravitational equilibrium without creating joint and muscle tension, which is totally innovative: the seating device according to the invention thus broadens the range of good posture configurations permitted by the seat;

Furthermore, the use of the device according to the invention in the seated position can integrate the management of localized pain occurring in the area from the sacrum to the pubis by taking into account several complementary functionalities:

• • eliminating contact—and therefore pressure, friction and shearing-in areas at risk of pain or damage;
  • optimum bearing capacity for pressure distribution without hard points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For the description of the invention and comprehension of the claims, the vertical, longitudinal and transverse orientations according to the reference frame V, L, T indicated in the figures, and whose longitudinal L and transverse T axes extend in a horizontal plane, will be adopted in a non-limiting manner and without reference to earth's gravity.

By convention, the longitudinal axis L (along which longitudinal sections are made) is oriented from the back to the front of the device, i.e. from the pelvis to the thighs of the person sitting thereon, the lateral or transverse axis T (and along which the transverse sections are made) is oriented from right to left for the person sitting on the device and the vertical axis V is oriented from below to above the device on which the person is sitting, and, in such a reference along the direction of the vertical axis V, the lower surfaces are thus those located below, and what is called upper is located above. In the following description, identical, similar or analogous elements will be designated by the same reference numbers and the embodiments described are not reductive of the scope of the invention, other embodiments being possible within the scope of the present invention.

Thus, in the example embodiments and applications described below, seating devices are described as such and a single example (in FIG. 12) of a device integrated with its support to make a stool that can be used in particular by a dentist who needs to be able to lean and move thereon while retaining their comfort, but the use of the device according to the invention can be broader and for example be integrated into vehicle seats or other types of chair, stool, armchair, etc.

Further characteristics, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of several example embodiments and which may be understood with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a person ready to sit on a first example embodiment of a seating device according to the invention, and an exploded perspective view before assembly of this device according to the invention, also depicted in a schematic bottom view on FIG. 8;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a cross-sectional view from the back along II, II′ of FIG. 4 of an embodiment of a device according to the invention for the standing position, i.e. a balance board, or for a footrest;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a side view in longitudinal section along III, Ill′ of the example embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a top view of an example embodiment of the device according to the invention for the standing position, i.e. a balance board, or for a footrest;

FIG. 5 schematically depicts a cross-sectional view along V, V′ of FIGS. 6 and 8 of an example embodiment of a device according to the invention which can be either for the seated position or, as in FIGS. 2 to 4, for the standing position;

FIG. 6 schematically depicts a view of the underside of an example embodiment of the device according to the invention, comprising two pads for the seated position;

FIG. 7 schematically depicts a bottom view of another example embodiment of the device according to the invention, comprising three pads for the seated position;

FIG. 8 schematically depicts a schematic bottom view of the first example embodiment of the device according to the invention depicted in FIG. 1, and comprising four pads for the seated position;

FIGS. 9A-9C depicts an example of a shockabsorber-balljoint consisting of three springs 17i, but there could be as few as one or two, or even more, in side views FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B and bottom or top views FIG. 9C;

FIG. 10 schematically depicts a longitudinal cross-sectional view along X, X′ of FIG. 8 of the first example embodiment of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 11a depicts a top view of the first example embodiment of the device according to the invention depicted in FIGS. 1 and 8, but equipped herein with circular arc sliders centered on the hip joint to support the natural thigh gap;

FIG. 11b depicts a longitudinal cross-sectional view along XI XI′ of FIG. 11a.

FIG. 12 schematically depicts an elevation and front view of an example of a seat, i.e. herein a stool on castors, incorporating one embodiment of a seating device according to the invention.

FIG. 13 schematically depicts a cross-sectional front view of another example of a seat, i.e. herein an armchair, incorporating another embodiment of a seating device according to the invention.

FIG. 14a schematically depicts a longitudinal cross-sectional view (i.e. perpendicular to section VV′ of FIGS. 6 and 8 and in the section plane passing through the shockabsorber-balljoints 51₁, 52₂) of an example embodiment of a seating device according to the invention, and which comprises at least one wedge for adjusting the tilt of the base in the retroversion position.

FIG. 14b schematically depicts a cross-sectional view like FIG. 14a but with a wedge to adjust the tilt of the base in the anteversion position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 8 and 10 and 11a-11b depict views of several examples of devices providing hold and comfort allowing any person who may have problems of discomfort or pain when in a seated or standing position to remain comfortably on any support 6, on which they wish to place the lower part of their body corresponding to their position, and comprising

• • a first part 8, which is referred to as the base of the device, which is at least partially rigid, is suitable for bearing on said support 6,
  • at least one second part 11 arranged above the first part and having a shape suitable for receiving the soft parts of the body segments of the lower part 9 of said person corresponding to their seated or standing position, and consisting of at least two pads 10i each supporting one of the soft parts of a body segment of the lower part 9 of the person, and
  • at least one third part 4 consisting of at least as many shockabsorber-balljoints 5i as there are pads 10 i and being arranged between the second part 11, which bears on these shockabsorber-balljoints 5i, and the rigid first part 8, on which it bears:
  • All devices according to the invention are such that:
  • the rigid first part 8 bears vertically on the support 6 and tilts freely without locking, with respect to the latter in all directions about a vertical axis, in the manner of an inverted pendulum, and, thus supporting the macromovements of the body segments mobilized when the person adopts the seated or standing position, this rigid first part 8 is able to achieve gravitational equilibrium following these macromovements
  • the second part, integral with the third part, consists of articulated pads which, independently of each other, support each of the soft parts of the body segments and, thus supporting the postural control micromovements, are able to release joint and muscle tension
  • and each of these three parts making up the device is free to move independently of the others, and constantly supports the postural balance macromovements of the person and the soft tissue postural control micromovements in a coordinated fashion.

In the example embodiments depicted in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 11b, the free tilting of the first part 8, for supporting macromovements, is achieved by a device base which is a fully rigid hollow part 8 whose lower surface is curved and convex, rounded in all directions (including the sagittal and lateral planes), while the upper surface of this hollow part 8 is curved, concave and rounded at least in the longitudinal direction, or even also in all directions, in which case part 8 may have a virtually constant thickness. In another embodiment, this free tilting, for supporting macromovements, in all directions is achieved, as shown in FIG. 12, by a base of the device 8, which is herein a seating device 8, which comprises a rigid part 8′supporting the third part 4 of the device 1 and an articulation 16 (such as a silent-block which ensures this articulation function while limiting the tilting angle) attached under this rigid part 8′ and able to be itself attached at its lower part on the support 61 which is herein the foot of a stool, depicted in elevation and from the front and thus integrating a seating device according to the invention.

When it is a seating device and the second part 11 consists of at least three or four pads 10i independent of each other (as depicted on FIG. 7 where there are three thereof and on FIGS. 1, 8 and 11a-11b where there are four thereof), of which at least two each support one of the person's thighs 3 and at least one other (and even two in the four-pad configuration) their pelvis 9, and each resting on at least one shockabsorber-balljoint 5i, the tilting of the first part can be achieved, as shown in FIG. 13 for integration in an armchair (or vehicle seat) casing 62, by a seat base 8 which comprises a rigid part 8′ attached at its lower part to the support 6 (which is herein the bottom of the armchair frame 62) and an articulation system capable of tilting in all directions, located above and integral with this rigid part 8′, which articulation system comprising at least as many fingers 8 i as shockabsorber-balljoints 5i, each finger 8 i supporting a shockabsorber-balljoint 5i of the third part 4.

This last embodiment of the base of a seating device is therefore aimed in particular, as that depicted on FIG. 12, at the integration of the device according to the invention into an existing or new seating support or seat (armchair as on this FIG. 13, chair, stool as on FIG. 12, etc.): the articulation system of said seat base 8 may thus comprise a tripod or quadripod (or more) mechanism whose three or at least four constituent elements 8i, referred to hereinbefore as fingers, form at their lower end (or rest on) the rigid part 8′ forming a common base attached to the support 6 which is an element of the frame of the seat integrating the device according to the invention.

These fingers 8i are articulated in rotation with respect to the common base 8′, while their upper distal ends each support a “shockabsorber-balljoint/pad” assembly, each element or finger 8i being limited in its possible rotation under the effect of the weight transmitted by the “shockabsorber-balljoint/pad” assembly, for example by a return spring: to achieve the rotation of these elements or fingers 8i:

• • these can each be formed by an S-shaped leaf spring forming at its lower end the rigid part 8′ making a base (with the other ends of the other leaf springs; or it can be the same leaf spring, as in the example in FIG. 13, in the shape of an inverted omega which forms two diametrically opposed fingers, the apex of the omegas forming the rigid part 8′); which base 8′ being attached to the support 6,
  • or these fingers 8i can all be rigid and their lower end attached to a ball joint, forming the rigid part or base 8′ and itself attached to the support 6 (this embodiment is not depicted),
  • and in all cases, the upper ends of these fingers 8i each receive the associated shockabsorber-balljoint 5i and which bears thereon.

To enable the second part 11 and the pads 10i that make it up, to tilt forward, backward and sideways with respect to the base of the device 8 to support micromovements, without the risk of coming into abutment with the latter, which is particularly useful and even necessary when a seating device is involved, on the one hand, the height of the shockabsorber-balljoints 5i must be calculated accordingly but also the projection S8 of the surface of the first part 8 onthe surface S₁₁ defined by the periphery (as this is valid even when the second part consists of several independent pads as in the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 6 to 8) of the second part 11, and perpendicular thereto, is located inside the periphery of the surface S11 of the second part 11, as depicted in FIGS. 2, 5, 10 and 11b.

In FIG. 2 (which is a back view) and 6 (which is a view from below), the second part 11 of the device 1 consists of two independent supporting pads 10i, in the case of a seating device, one 10₁, 10₂ the left side of the pelvis 9 and the left thigh 3₂ and the other 10₃, 10₄ the right side of the pelvis 9 and the right thigh 3₂ of the person, and

• • in the case of a device for the standing position, then called a balance board, or a footrest, one pad 103 supports the right foot and the other 10₂ the left foot of the person,

each pad bearing on at least one shockabsorber-balljoint 5i.

And according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 for a seating device 1, the second part 11 of the seating device 1 consists of at least three independent pads 10i, at least two of which 10₂, 10₃ each support one of the person's thighs 3i and at least one other 10₁ and/or 10₄ their pelvis 9, and each bear on at least one shockabsorber-balljoint 5i.

And according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 for a seating device 1, the second part 11 of the seating device 1 consists of at least four independent pads 10i, at least two of which each support one of the person's thighs 3 and at least two of which each support soft parts (right buttock and left buttock) anchored to the pelvis 9, and each bearing on at least one shockabsorber-balljoint 5i.

In all embodiments for a seating device 1 and comprising independent pads 10i for the thighs and pelvis (as in FIGS. 1, 7, 8, 10 and 11a-11b), the length of the pads receiving the pelvis 9 is greater than that of the pads receiving the thighs 3.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11a-11b for a seating device 1, the two pads 10i, each supporting a thigh 3 can perform a lateral rotation and their rotating gap angle is between 0 and 40° with respect to the sagittal plane, these pads 10i thus being able to follow the natural thigh gap: for this purpose, two rails 13i are integrated into the base of the seat 8 (and on either side thereof corresponding to the pads 10₂, 10₃ supporting the thighs), each following an circular arc having:

• • for center 12₁ and 12₂, the vertical projection of the center of rotation respectively of each of the hips of the person who is to sit on the device 1, and for radius, the distance between the center 12i and the center of each of the shockabsorber-balljoints 5i which are each integral with a support 14 i attached to a slide 15i housed in the corresponding rail 13i and guided thereby.

Preferentially, as shown in FIG. 1, the comfort seating device 1 according to the invention also comprises a fourth part 7 arranged above the second part 11 and made of flexible contact material, supporting, for a seating device, the pelvis 9 and the thighs 3 of the person, and, for a balance board or a footrest, the soles of the person's feet, and this fourth part 7 can consist of as many independent elements as the second part 11, each of these elements being arranged above the pads 10 which constitute the second part 11 and having at least the same surface dimensions as the latter

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, for a balance board or a footrest, the device according to the invention may consist of a shell with a spherical base 8 or any other device-rigid hoop structure or consist of a leaf spring structure, spring bridge board, board mounted on a silent block, etc.—which bears on any planar support 6, which in this case is generally the floor, enabling the general postural movement of the inverted pendulum to be supported, inscribed in an inverted cone of greater or lesser diameter.

Attached to the shell 8 are at least two independent pads 10₁ and 10₂, each articulated by a shockabsorber-balljoint, depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 in one embodiment, by springs 5₁ and 5₂, but which can also—as previously described for “seat cushions”—be made of a block of high-density foam, an elastomer, a silent block joint, etc., intended to receive the soles of the feet and closely support the movements of these two body segments, thus facilitating muscular work without inducing damaging or painful tension, and allowing longer use of the balance board.

The pads 10₂ and 10₃ must be adapted to the natural spacing of the feet, which generally corresponds to the width of the shoulders (on average 35 to 50 cm for women and 40 to 55 cm for men), and taking into account the average width of feet (8 to 10 cm for women and 9 to 11 cm for men) and their length (22 to 26 cm for women and 24 to 28 cm for men), these pads can be preferentially be 20 cm wide and 35 cm long, and the shockabsorber-balljoints 5i of these pads 10 i supporting the soles of the feet are attached at their lower part to self-locking guides 20 inserted and sliding in at least one transversely arranged rail 19 integral with the first part 8: these guides 20 are thus able to adjust, by displacement N′N along the rail 19, to the spacing of the person's feet: the rail 19, forming a width adjustment rule, can allow a distance between the inner edges of the pads 10₂ and 10₃ of the order of 10 cm in the minimum spacing position and 35 cm in the maximum spacing position The embodiments of such a rail 19, forming an adjustment rule, with sliding guides 20 are accessible to any skilled person and the spherical-base shell 8 can have a projected surface, on the support 6, which in this case is the ground, of 75 cm in the transverse direction by 25 cm in the longitudinal direction. But any other configuration is possible (shell with circular projection, cross-shaped shell, etc.)

The device of the invention also aims to adapt the seating conditions to the different “natural” postural balance profiles of each person because, as already explained previously, the upright position of the human being and bipedal walking are possible by virtue of a spino-pelvic balance which responds to a coherence between parameters specific to the pelvis and others to the spinal column, and each individual has specific spino-pelvic anatomical features which are the result of postures adopted during childhood, and set after growing and the most important anatomical parameter for assessing spino-pelvic stability is pelvic incidence which reflects the base on which the spinal column rests. The variability of pelvic incidence in the human population is 53°±10°. This then defines 3 distinct types of natural balance profile, as already indicated previously:

• • neutral natural profile characterized by a non-tilted pelvis—pelvic incidence=53°±3°—and lordosis with moderate curvature.
  • natural retroverted profile characterized by a posterior tilted pelvis-pelvic incidence <50°—and a straight lordosis; this is typically the profile adopted by dancers at a young age to obtain a haughty high bearing, which induces hypolordosis of the spine established at the end of adolescence.
  • natural retroverted profile characterized by a forward tilted pelvis—pelvic incidence>56°—and pronounced lordosis and curvature.

Postural control then takes place around the natural balance profile of each type of profile and to reproduce this natural postural balance in the seated position, it is necessary to be able to preserve the initial tilt of the pelvis linked to each of the natural profiles, in order to then be able to control postural balance around this reference position.

To achieve this, it is just necessary to be able to set the tilt of the base as a reference position around which postural control will then continue to act by freely tilting the base around this reference position.

Thus to reproduce the natural postural balance in the seated position, it is proposed to arrange wedges 21 to adjust the tilt of the seat base in order to force it either into retroversion (tilted backwards) or into anteversion (tilted forwards). And there is no wedge to keep the seat free in the neutral position (i.e. horizontal when balanced).

Thus, according to FIGS. 14a-14b (in which it is noted, in these examples of seating devices, and moreover as in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are balance boards, but in this case in the width direction, the projection of the surface of this base or first part 8 on the surface of the second part 11, or pads 10, and perpendicular thereto, has a length located outside that of this second part 11, unlike the other examples where the projection of the surface of the first part 8 on the surface of the second part 11, and perpendicular thereto, is located inside the periphery of the surface of the second part 11) the tilt of the base 8 is adjusted to suit the natural balance profile of each person by placing a wedge 21 under the base 8:

• • wedge 21 arranged at the front on the side of pads 102 (103) supporting the person's thighs, for people with a retroverted profile (FIG. 14a), when the natural profile thereof is therefore characterized by a backward tilt and straight lordosis
  • wedge 21 arranged at the rear on the side of pads 101 (104) supporting the person's buttocks, for people with an anteverted profile (FIG. 14b), when the natural profile thereof is therefore characterized by a forward tilting of the pelvis and a strongly arched lordosis;
  • and of course no wedge (as shown in FIG. 5) for people with a neutral profile, in order to leave the base 8 of the seat free to move in a neutral position (horizontal tilt) when the natural profile of these people is characterized by a straight pelvis and a lordosis with a slight arch.