Technical field

The present invention relates to treatment couches for the treatment of persons, e.g. treatment couches for physiotherapy, massage and the like.

Background art

Known treatment couches comprise a support surface or lying surface for supporting a person. This support surface or lying surface comprises a portion for supporting the person's head, provided with a face opening. This face opening is arranged for supporting the contour of the person's face when said person is lying face down on the supporting surface.

In known treatment couches, the support surface is furnished at the top with a soft material, covered with a lining. This lining comprises a number of separate parts which are attached to each other, e.g. sewn together. As a result, there is, among other things, a seam in the region of the face opening, there where the contour of the face is supported. This seam may be perceived as uncomfortable by the person being treated: the seam is a hardening compared to the surrounding parts of the support surface or lying surface that can leave an imprint in the person's face and may also cause pain.

In known treatment couches, the pillow in which the face Opening is arranged is a fixed part of the support surface. It has been found that as a result, this part is hard to clean and therefore is not always cleaned, or is insufficiently cleaned, between two treatments.

Disclosure of the invention

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a treatment couch with a more comfortable face opening.

This aim is achieved by means of the treatment couch showing all the characteristics of the first claim. In a first aspect of the invention, the treatment couch comprises a support surface or lying surface for supporting a person, said support surface or lying surface comprising a portion for supporting the person's head, which is in turn provided with a face opening for supporting the contour of the person's face when said person is lying face down on the supporting surface. According to the invention, said portion in which the face opening is arranged is made of elastic foam having at least at the top side, i.e. the side contacting the face, a closed cell structure.

By making the portion in which the face opening is arranged out of elastic foam with, at least at the top, a closed cell structure, the need for providing a lining in the region of the face opening can be eliminated. The presence of a seam or hardening along the perimeter of the face opening can thus be avoided. As a result, the comfort for the person being treated can be improved. Moreover, the closed cell structure offers advantages concerning hygiene, washability, disinfectability and the like, and is preferably applied over the entire outside of the face pillow part.

In embodiments according to the invention, the elastic foam is a polyurethane (PUR) foam. PUR has the advantage that it carries no adverse health effects, does not cause skin irritation and the like.

In embodiments according to the invention, the elastic foam has a shore A hardness of 30 or less, i.e., the foam is a relatively soft material, preferably 25 or less. This can further improve the comfort of use for the person being treated.

In embodiments according to the invention, the elastic foam has a higher density at the top side, and preferably over its entire outside than inside. This means that the closed cell structure at the top side, and preferably over the entire outside, essentially forms a skin, which can for instance be 1.0 to 2.0 mm thick.

In embodiments according to the invention, the face pillow part is provided with a bevel at the circumference of the face opening, i.e. in the region where the contact with the face takes place. This bevel presents an improved match to the shape of the face when compared to a convex circumferential edge of the face opening as found in state of the art treatment couches, and may therefore further improve the comfort of use. The bevel preferably extends at an angle of 30° to 50°, preferably 40° to 45°, to the top surface of the face pillow part, and preferably has a width of 1.0 to 2.0 cm.

In a second aspect of the invention, which may be combined with the first aspect, the face pillow part is a separate portion which is removably inserted or held in a corresponding opening of the head pillow part.

Providing the face opening in a separate, removable face pillow part ensures that it can easily be taken out of the head pillow part to be cleaned, disinfected and the like. This can improve the ease of use of the treatment couch according to the invention.

In embodiments according to the invention, the face opening is provided non-centrally in the face pillow part, and the face pillow part is insertable into the corresponding opening of the head pillow part in two positions, so that the position of the face opening on the treatment couch is adaptable to the height of the person to be treated. This may contribute to the comfort of the person being treated.

In embodiments according to the invention, a set of interchangeable face pillow parts is provided, each corresponding to the opening in the head pillow part. The face openings of the face pillow parts of the set all differ in shape or dimensions. Each of these face pillow parts may additionally be provided with the non-central face opening and be insertable into the opening in two positions. Thus, the user may use the face pillow part of the set and place it in such a way that the treatment couch is adapted to the shape of the user's face and to the height of the user as closely as possible. Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be further elucidated in detail by means of the following description and the appended figures.

Figures 1-5 show different views of a treatment couch according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a face pillow according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 7 and 8 show two possible positions in which the face pillow of figure 6 is mountable on the treatment couch of figures 1-5. Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a face pillow according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Modes for carrying out the invention

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto, and is only determined by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of certain elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like are used in the description and in the claims for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can be employed in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for illustrative purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms thus used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can be employed in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

Furthermore, the different embodiments, although denoted as "preferred embodiments", should be interpreted by way of example according to which the invention may be carried out, rather than as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

The term "comprising", as used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means or steps listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, elements, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps or components, or groups thereof. ThusThe scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B, and the claim should further be interpreted to also include equivalents of these components.

The invention generally relates to height-adjustable treatment couches for the treatment of persons, e.g. treatment couches for physiotherapy, massage and the like.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a treatment couch according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows a side view of said treatment couch, figure 3 shows a front view (a view of the foot end), figure 4 shows a detail and figure 5 shows a bottom view.

The treatment couch 1 comprises a support surface or lying surface 2 for supporting a person, which in the embodiment shown comprises four adjustable surface parts 21-24 and adjustable arm rests 25-26. The four adjustable support surfaces are anatomically divided, with hinges in the region of the knee, hip and shoulder joints. By means of electric motors (shown in figure 5), these surface parts can be moved with respect to each other, for instance to take the person from a recumbent position to a seated position. Such an adjustable support surface is well-known to the person skilled in the art and therefore does not need to be described in further detail here. In alternative embodiments according to the invention, the treatment couch may also be provided with a support surface comprising two or three mutually moveable surface parts, or one horizontal surface, or any other support surface known to the person skilled in the art.

The treatment couch further comprises a base 4 and two supports 3, which are pivotally connected to the base 4 and the support surface 2 and by means of which the height of the support surface in relation to the base can be adjusted. Each of the supports 3 is pivotally connected to the base 4 at its bottom by means of a lower axis 31 , which extends along the transverse direction of the treatment couch and in the embodiment shown here is received between two support elements 43 mounted at the top 41 of the base 4. Each of these supports 3 is pivotally connected to the support surface 2 at the top by means of an upper axis 32, which also extends along the transverse direction of the treatment couch and in the embodiment shown here is mounted to elements 27 provided thereto underneath the support surface 2. The lower axes 31 and the upper axes 32 are parallel to each other. Provided in the base 4 is a drive, in the embodiment shown here a linear actuator, which, through a frame 52, acts on the drive arms 33 of the supports 3 to adjust their position and thereby to adjust the height of the support surface 2. The drive arms 33 are connected to the supports 3 in the region of an engagement zone 34, located at a predetermined distance between the lower axis 31 and the upper axis 32, preferably between ¼ and ¾ of the height of the supports, more preferably between ¼ and ½ of the height of the supports. The inventors have found that an engagement of the drive arms at this height can provide a good leverage for, e.g., supporting or lifting the support surface and the person supported thereon.

The supports 3 comprise castings, in the embodiment shown two metal castings 35, 36 each, which extend over the entire height of the support and of which the drive arms 33 form an integral part. This means that the supports 3 are made of metal by means of a casting process in a suitable mould, and that the drive arms 33 are formed together with the supports during this casting process. The supports, more in particular the castings 35, 36, each comprise a lower portion 37 at the lower axis, an upper portion 39 at the upper axis, and two upright portions 38 interconnecting the lower and upper portions at the sides of the treatment couch (see fig. 3). Said lower, upper and upright portions 37-39 together for a continuous, curved or "organic" shape that is wide in the region of the lower axis 31 , narrows towards the region of the engagement zone 34 of the drive arms 33, where the supports are the narrowest, and then widens again towards the top, up to the region of the upper axis 32. This means that, viewed from the side, the upright portions 38 are substantially concave in the height direction, and that, viewed from the front, the curved or "organic" shape is shaped like a "figure 8".

In the embodiment shown here, the central part of the "figure 8" is open, i.e., the upright portions 38 are not interconnected at the centre. In alternative embodiments, a connection could be provided at the centre, and only one drive arm may be provided for each support. In the embodiment shown here, we opted for two drive arms 33 for each support, i.e. one for each casting 35, 36, so as to transmit the force imparted by the drive 5 both to the left and the right side of the treatment couch, i.e. to distribute it substantially equally over both sides. However, it is also possible to opt for one drive arm in the centre of each support, or for two drive arms converging in the centre of the support, or any other implementation deemed suitable by the person skilled in the art.

In the embodiment shown here, the cross-section (thickness or diameter) of the lower, upper and upright portions 37-39 of the supports remains substantially constant, with the exception of the engagement zones 34 of the drive arms, where more material is provided to absorb and redirect the forces transmitted from the drive arms 33 to the supports 3 and vice versa. The drive arms 33, too, have a cross-section that is substantially the same as that of the supports.

In the embodiment shown here, the supports 3 are substantially symmetrical with respect to a perpendicular plane, which is perpendicular to the base 4 and extends in the length direction of the couch, i.e., a vertical plane bisection the couch 1 in the length direction. This substantially symmetrical embodiment is advantageous in terms of stability, balance, distribution of the forces being transmitted and the like, and can therefore improve the life span of the supports 3.

In the embodiment shown here, each support 3 comprises two castings 35, 36 that each form one half of the support 3 with respect to the plane of symmetry. The metal of which the castings are made is preferably an aluminum alloy or any other alloy that mainly comprises a light-weight metal. Each half, or each casting 35, 36, comprises a lower portion 37 with a sleeve for receiving the lower axis 31 , an upper portion 39 with a sleeve for receiving the upper axis 32, and an upright portion 38 connecting the lower and upper portions with each other. Each half, or each casting 35, 36, further comprises one drive arm 33. The portions 37-38-39 form half of the continuous, curved shape of the support 3. The drive arm 33, as well as the sleeves for the lower and upper axes, which protrude laterally at the bottom and at the top relative to the curved shape, are integrally formed parts of the castings. The castings 35, 36 are provided at their lower and upper portions 37, 39 with mutually complementary parts (not shown) by means of which the castings 35, 36, fit together, more specifically at their lower and upper portions 37, 39. The castings 35, 36 are each mounted together by means of bolts that pass through boreholes extending through the sleeves in the lower and upper portions 37, 39 of the supports. These bolts extend over the entire width of the supports and can therefore sere as the lower and upper axes.

As shown in figure 4, a slot 29 is provided in one of the castings 36 for receiving a cable for supplying power and/or communication signals between parts in the base 4 and parts in the support surface 2.

In the embodiment shown here, the drive arms 33 each extend along a circle from the respective engagement zone 34 around the respective lower axis 31. This means that the drive arms 33 are substantially shaped like a circle section, with the lower axis 31 as its centre. The inventors have found that such a shape for the drive arms is exceedingly suitable for converting the motion of the drive 5 to a pivoting motion of the supports 3. The drive arms preferably extend over at least 90° of the circle having the lower axis as its centre, preferably 90° to 120° of said circle. This ensures that the end of the drive arms 33 remains below the level of the lower axes 31 , even with the pivotable supports 3 in a fully vertical position. Thus, the length is such that the drive 5 can be fully received inside the base 4, below the level of the lower axes 31. This is advantageous for a compact construction of the base. In alternative embodiments, however, the drive arms may also have any shape deemed suitable by the person skilled in the art, such as for instance an oval section, a substantially straight shape and the like.

In the embodiment shown here, the base 4 comprises a housing which is closed at the top 41 and laterally 42, with in the top 41 only openings 45 that are just big enough to allow the drive arms 33 to pass therethrough. That way, the drive 5 can be housed in an almost fully closed housing 41-42, shielded from the user and the person being treated, which may offer advantages regarding safety, penetration of dust and dirt and the like. A carefully selected length of the drive arms 33 allows the drive 5, which in the embodiment shown here (see figure 5) is constituted by a linear actuator 51 and a drive frame 52, to be fully housed inside the relatively compact housing 41-42. The drive 5 can be operated by the user by means of a foot switch (70) suspended from the base 4, which extends over the entire dimension of the base and can therefore be operated by the user from all sides of the treatment couch. Operation of the foot switch is interpreted by a control device 60 wich is housted inside the housing, and which in turn controls the drive 5.

In the embodiment shown here, the top 41 of the housing is made of plywood, which is bent down at the front and back sides of the treatment couch to form floor supports 44 by means of which the treatment couch can rest on the floor. This means that the floor supports 44 and the top of the housing belong to one and the same part, which can entail a simplification of the structure of the base.

As mentioned above, the support surface 2 of the treatment couch of figures 1-5 comprises a part 24 that is provided for supporting the person's head. According to the invention, the part 80, 90 of this head pillow part 24 in which the face opening 81 , 91 is arranged is made of an elastic foam having, at least at the top, i.e. at the side contacting the face, a closed cell structure. Preferably, the face pillow part 80, 90 has the closed cell structure all over its outside. Inside, the cell structure may be open or closed.

By manufacturing the face pillow part 80, 90, in which the face opening is arranged, out of elastic foam with, at least at the top, a closed cell structure, the need for providing a lining in the region of the face opening 81 , 91 is eliminated. The presence of a seam or hardening along the perimeter of the face opening 81 , 91 can thus be avoided. As a result, the comfort for the person being treated can be improved. Moreover, the closed cell structure offers advantages concerning hygiene, washability, disinfectability and the like.

The elastic foam from which the face pillow part 80, 90 is made is preferably a polyurethane (PUR) foam. PUR has the advantage that this material carries no adverse health effects, does not cause skin irritation and the like. A suitable PUR is for instance the PUR commercially available under the name "Elastofoam® I". The manufacture of a body such as the face pillow part 80, 90 in such a material by means of an injection moulding technique, in such a way that a closed cell structure is present at the outside of the body, is known to the person skilled in the art and therefore does not need to be described here in detail.

The face pillow part 80, 90 is preferably made in such a way that the elastic foam has a shore A hardness of 30 or less, i.e., the foam is a relatively soft material. This can further improve the comfort of use for the person being treated.

The face pillow part 80, 90 is preferably made in such a way that the elastic foam has a higher density at the top side, and preferably over its entire outside than inside, e.g. 700 kg/m ³ versus 300 kg/m ³ . This means that the closed cell structure at the top side, and preferably over the entire outside, essentially forms a skin, which can for instance be 1.0 to 2.0 mm thick.

In the embodiments shown in figures 6 and 9, the face pillow part 80, 90 is provided with a bevel 82, 92 at the circumference of the face opening 81 , 91 , i.e. in the region where the contact with the face takes place. This bevel presents an improved match to the shape of the face when compared to a convex circumferential edge of the face opening as found in state of the art treatment couches, and may therefore further improve the comfort of use. The bevel 82, 92 preferably extends at an angle of 30° to 50°, preferably 40° to 45°, to the top surface 83, 93 of the face pillow part 80, 90, and preferably has a width of 1.0 to 2.0 cm.

In the embodiments shown here, the face pillow part 80, 90 has a flange 84, 94 at the top, extending laterally along the entire circumference. With this flange 84, 94, the face pillow part 80, 90 rests on the portion of the head pillow part 24 surrounding the opening for the face pillow part. This flange 84, 94 also covers the edge of this opening from the patient and thus can shield the patient's face from any seam present around said opening in the head pillow part.

In the embodiments shown here, the face pillow part 80, 90 is a separate portion which is removably inserted or held in a corresponding opening of the head pillow part 24. In an alternative embodiment, the entire head pillow part could be made of the foam of the face pillow part, i.e., the head pillow part would then include the face pillow part as an integrally formed portion. However, providing the face opening 81 , 91 in a separate, removable face pillow part 80, 90 ensures that it can easily be taken out of the head pillow part 24 to be cleaned, disinfected and the like. This can improve the ease of use of the treatment couch.

In the embodiment shown in figures 6-9, the face opening 81 ,

91 is provided non-centrally in the face pillow part 80, 90, and the face pillow part is insertable into the corresponding opening of the head pillow part in two positions, so that the position of the face opening 81 , 91 on the support surface 2 of the treatment couch is adaptable to the height of the person to be treated. This may contribute to the comfort of the person being treated. More in particular, the face pillow part is symmetrical at its outside, both in the length direction and in the transverse direction, and the face pillow part is symmetrical at its inner side, i.e. where the face opening 81 , 91 is arranged, in the transverse direction (with respect to a plane bisecting it in the length direction), but asymmetrical in the length direction (with respect to a plane bisecting it in the transverse direction). In other words, the face opening 81 , 91 is closer to the one short side of the face pillow part 80, 90 than it is to the other short side.

The face opening 81 , 91 has dimensions such that an average person can look through it and breathe freely, i.e., both eyes, the nose and mouth of an average person fit within the face opening. The shape of the face opening is preferably as shown in figure 6, namely, elongated with somewhat curved longer sides, or as shown in figure 9, namely, a shape like a "figure 8" when viewed from the top), wherein the two parts 95 and 96, which each form substantially half a circle of the bevel 92, have a slightly different diameter and thus are each tailored to persons of different heights (by virtue of their positions on the pillow part 90) and, simultaneously, to differend face widths (by virtue of their diameters; taller persons generally have a larger face). Other shapes, however, are also possible, such as for example oval, or any other shape deemed suitable by the person skilled in the art.

Optionally, a set of interchangeable face pillow parts can be provided for the treatment couch 1 , all of which correspond to the opening in the head pillow part 24. The face openings of the face pillow parts of the set can each be different in shape and dimensions. Each of these face pillow parts can moreover be provided with the non-central face opening and be insertable into the opening of the head pillow part in two positions. Thus, the user may use the face pillow part of the set and place it in such a way that the treatment couch is adapted to the shape of the user's face and to the height of the user as closely as possible. The combination of the face pillow part 80 shown in figure 6 and the face pillow part 90 shown in figure 9 is an example of such a set of interchangeable face pillow parts.