CHAIR WITH BALLS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

In the treatment of people suffering from conditions such as neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, i.e. symptoms of psychosis, dementia, mentally retarded, patients with sensory integration problems, or just ordinary people who need to relax, it is known to physically stimulate the proprioceptive sensory system and the tactile sensory system to inhibit the flow of impulses to the central nervous system and obtain a calming effect.

In the treatment of people suffering from these disorders, there is an increased focus on providing auxiliary equipment which can stimulate the proprioceptive sensory system and the tactile sensory system.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems.

In one embodiment the chair comprises a supportive surface, wherein the chair encloses a plurality of mutually displaceable balls which adapt to the body of the user, and where the balls exert a sporadic pressure on the body of the user through the supportive surface.

The advantage of using mutually displaceable balls is that they exert a sporadic pressure on the body of the user, stimulating the proprioceptive sensory system and the tactile sensory system of the user, whereby a calming effect is obtained. Moreover, the advantage of using balls is that they, due to the weight of the user, displace and form according to the shape of the body of the user, whereby a comfortable position can be obtained. The balls can be hollow and have a shell of polymer, glass, metal or the like, and have different kinds of filling such as fluids or solid materials. The shell

material can yield to a certain degree determined by the weight of the user, the shell material, and the compressibility of the ball filling. The balls are thermally isolating as the isolated ball filling is warmed up by heat from the body of the user. The balls can also be solid and made from polymer, glass, metal or the like.

In another embodiment the chair of the present invention comprises balls having a diameter in the range of 10mm to 100mm. The diameter of the balls can advantageously be varied in order to accommodate the different size of users, e.g. a child or an adult. The diameter of the balls can also be varied in order to exert a more or less sporadic pressure on the body of the user. To obtain the calming effect it is essential that the pressure exerted on the body of the user is sporadic, opposite to e.g. chairs or other furniture that provide a uniform supporting surface. This means that the body of the user is supported in a number of spots having a mutual distance of approximately the diameter of the balls. It is also important that the balls are mutually displaceable for the user in order to be able to obtain a good support whereas the diameter of the balls cannot be too big. The diameter of the balls can therefore e.g. be within a range from 10mm to 100mm.

In yet another embodiment the chair further comprises at least one bag filled with a plurality of balls, beads, granulate or the like, or a combination thereof, and the bag is placed inside said chair. The advantage of this embodiment is that a plurality of bags can be placed in e.g. predetermined positions, whereby it is easier to obtain a desired position. A bag filled with e.g. beads or granulate offer, due to their small size and ability to mutually displace, an essentially roughly uniform surface providing good support for e.g. a bag filled with balls.

In one embodiment of the chair of the present invention the bag is fixed and attached to the inside of said chair by a plurality of fasteners with stitches,

welding, glue or the like. Hereby the bags with the above-mentioned filling material can be arranged and fixed in predetermined positions and thus the shape of the chair can be maintained, however, still offering its user the freedom to take a desired position.

In another embodiment of the chair of the present invention the bag further comprises a number of compartments. By isolating the filling material in smaller rooms, it is prevented that the filling material unintended gathers in e.g. one side of the bag. Following the same line of reasoning, two kinds of material filled in the bags are prevented from being separated. The compartments therefore assist in providing an optimal position for the user of the chair. Furthermore, e.g. nursing staff or caregivers can very easily and with a minimum of effort give a patient a comfortable position where the sporadic pressure from the balls are still exerted on the body of its user.

In one embodiment of the present invention the chair comprises at least one stabilising element for stabilising the exterior of the chair. The purpose of the stabilising element, which could be e.g. foam rubber or polymer sheets, is to ensure that the chair remains dimensionally stable and provides a support for the filling material of the chair. The stabilising element can also be used to design a high chair as the stabilising element ensures that the chair does not tip over or that the user falls down from the chair.

In another embodiment of the invention the chair comprises at least one pre- shaped element shaped according to the supportive properties of the chair. The advantage of the pre-shaped element, which could be made from pre- shaped polystyrene, is that it ensures a dimensionally stable chair that provides a good support for the filling material of the chair. The pre-shaped element can also be used to design a high chair as the pre-shaped element ensures that the chair does not tip over or that the user falls down from the chair.

In another embodiment the chair further comprises a recloseable opening With a fastener, such as a zipper or a hoop and loop fastener, for gaining access to the inside of the chair. The advantage of a recloseable opening is that access to the inside of the chair makes it possible to replace the balls or the bags with balls, beads, granulate or the like with other filling material. Moreover, through the opening the chair can be emptied and thus the chair can be repaired, washed, dry-cleaned or cleaned.

In a further embodiment of the chair the bag comprises a recloseable opening with a fastener, such as a zipper or a hoop and loop, for gaining access to the inside of said bag. Through the access to the inner of the bag, the filling, such as balls, beads, granulate or the like, can be replaced with another filling or cleaned and re-filled in the bag. Moreover, through the recloseable opening the bag can be emptied and repaired, washed, dry- cleaned or cleaned.

In one embodiment of the present invention the chair further comprises at least one handle for adjusting the shape of the chair. The handle can be fastened to the chair with fasteners, stitches, welding, glue or the like. By the use of the handles the chair can be moved using the handle as lifter or by pulling the chair in the handle. Moreover, the handle can assist in adjusting the position of the person placed in the chair by the user or by e.g. nursing staff or caregivers.

In another embodiment the chair further comprises at least one relocatable supportive device, such as a cushion, fastened to the chair. The supportive device is filled with a plurality of balls, beads, granulate or the like, or a combination thereof, whereby the same advantages as mentioned above are obtained. Moreover, the supportive device can comprise a number of compartments. By isolating the filling material in smaller rooms, it is prevented that the filling material unintended gathers in e.g. one side of the

supportive device. Following the same line of reasoning, two kinds of material filled in the supportive device is prevented from being separated. The supportive device can assist in providing different positions in the chair depending on the desires of its user. The supportive device can be fastened to the chair with fasteners, stitches, welding, glue or the like in a way that gives the user an optional use of the supportive device. Hence, if the user wishes not to use the supportive device this can simply be pushed aside while still fastened to the chair. If the supportive device has been fastened to the chair with fasteners, such as a hoop and loop fastener, the user can also dismount the supportive device and use it in a desired manner. The supportive device can have many different shapes, e.g. cylindrical or half- moon.

The invention also concerns the use of a chair enclosing balls for obtaining a sporadic pressure on the body of its user. Hereby the above-mentioned advantages are obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described referring to the figures, where

figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of the chair of the present invention

figure 2 illustrates an outline of the chair of the present invention

figure 3 illustrates a sectional side view of the chair of the present invention

figure 4 illustrates a bottom view of the chair of the present invention

figure 5 illustrates a transparent perspective of the shell of the present invention

figure 6 illustrates a chair according to the present invention further comprising a supportive bag.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of the chair 100 of the present invention, where the section of the chair 100 shows the balls 101 enclosed in the bag 103.

Figure 2 illustrates an outline of the chair 100 of the present invention comprising a shell 102, a seat part 112, back and side rest 114, and handle

110. The shell 102 comprises multiple layers (not shown) providing an approximately rigid structure to the chair. Such multiple layers could be a combination of a hard-wearing outer layer, such as polyester or cotton, lining as the inner layer, and a stabilising element between the outer and inner layer, such as foam rubber of a polymer sheet. The seat part 112 and the back and side rest 114 comprise pliable layers such as polyester. The bottom

116, figure 3 of the chair 100 comprises a hard-wearing layer. All outer parts

102, 112, 114, and 116 of the chair are fastened together with stitches, welding, glue or the like. The handles 110 are fastened to the chair 100 at the boundary between the back and side rest 114 and the shell 102 with stitches, welding glue or the like.

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional side view of the chair of the present invention. The inside of the chair 100 comprises the bags 105, 106, 108, 124 with different filling materials (not shown). The bottom bag 108 has a shape and size that essentially fits in and fills out bottom area of the chair 100 and is filled with polymer beads or granulate (not shown). The polymer beads or granulate filled in the bottom bag 108 are mutually displaceable and constitute a roughly uniform surface, providing a supportive base for the seat part bag 106 placed hereon. The seat part bag 106 is placed on top of the bottom bag 108 and is filled with balls or the like. The balls in the seat part

bag 106 are mutually displaceable, whereby the user of the chair can obtain a desired position. The head rest bag 105 is placed so that it can provide support for the neck and head of the user of the chair and is typically filled with polymer beads or granulate, but can also be filled with balls. The supportive bags 124 are typically filled with balls, but can also be filled with polymer beads or granulate. The supportive bags 124 provide an additional side support on the user of the chair. In another embodiment the supportive bags 124 are placed on the outside of the chair, which is described in detail in figure 6. Common for all the bags 105, 106, 108, and 124 is that when a person sits down in the chair 100, the weight of the person displaces the filling material (not shown). The bottom bag 108 could also be replaced with a pre-shaped element such as pre-shaped polystyrene.

Figure 4 illustrates a bottom view of the chair 100 of the present invention. The chair 100 comprises a fastener 118, such as a zipper or hoop and loop fastener, placed in the shell 102 and bottom part 116. The fastener 118 is fastened to the shell 102 and bottom part 116 with stitches, welding, glue or the like. When the fastener 118 is in an unzipped position, access to the interior of the chair 100 is provided. Furthermore, the chair 100 comprises a plurality of fasteners 120 and 122, figure 5 such as a hoop and loop fastener. The fasteners 120 and 122, figure 5 are fastened to the inner side of the chair 100 with stitches, welding, glue or the like. The bags 106 and 108 adhere to the fasteners 120 and 122, which fix the bags 106 and 108 to the bottom part 116, shell 102, seat part 112 and back and side rest 114. Figure 4 illustrates four fasteners 120 placed at the bottom part 116 of the chair 100.

Figure 5 illustrates a transparent perspective of the chair 100 of the present invention. The seat part 112 of the chair 100 comprises a fastener 122 such as a hoop and loop fastener, fastened to the inner side of the seat part 112 with stitches, welding, glue or the like. The seat part bag 106 adheres to the

fastener 122 which fixes the seat part bag 106 to the seat part 112 of the chair 100.

Figure 6 illustrates a chair 100 according to the present invention further comprising supportive bags 124. The supportive bags 124 are fastened to the chair with fasteners, stitches, welding, glue or the like (not shown). If fastened with fasteners the supportive bags 124 can be dismounted and used in a desired manner. The supportive bags 124 can be filled with balls, beads, granulate or the like (not shown) or a combination of these. Furthermore, the supportive bags 124 can be divided into a number of smaller rooms or compartments (not shown) in order to separate the different filling materials or to ensure that the filling material remains in a delimited area. The supportive bags 124 can have many different shapes, e.g. bag- like, cylindrical or half-moon. The supportive bags 124 can be used to support the position of the user of the chair. Alternatively the supportive bags 124 can be placed upon the user. Thus, if the supportive bags 124 are filled with bails 101 , the supportive bags 124 can, regardless of their position relative to the user of the chair, exert a sporadic pressure on him/her.

While this invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments. Rather, in view of the present disclosure, which describes the current best mode for practicing the invention, many modifications and variations would present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.

REFERENCES

100 chair

101 balls

102 shell

103 bag

105 head rest bag

106 seat part bag

108 bottom bag

110 handle

112 seat part

114 back rest

116 bottom part

118 fastener

120 fastener

122 fastener

124 supportive bag