초록 ▼

An ergonomic pedestal seat that interacts with the sitter's musculoskeletal system in a way that optimizes their use of gravitational forces is provided. This seat orients a sitter toward an alignment that encourages a balance between gravity's descending force and its ascending counterforce, the gr

An ergonomic pedestal seat that interacts with the sitter's musculoskeletal system in a way that optimizes their use of gravitational forces is provided. This seat orients a sitter toward an alignment that encourages a balance between gravity's descending force and its ascending counterforce, the ground reaction force. The seat comprises a four-tier seat base, a non-vertical central supporting column and a contoured seat pan. The base has a surface that allows the sitter to sustain a stable alignment and to rock forward or sideward or both, as well as a Lazy Susan mechanism that permits turning. This seat supports the sitter through a range of seated activities, including quiet activities such as meditation and complex tasks requiring reaching, bending and turning. When on this seat sitting becomes a source of pleasure rather than an activity of drudgery.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A seat comprising: a base,a single non-vertical central supporting column rockingly supported on the base to rock from a central stability position in an anterior direction and in two opposed sideways directions but impeded from rocking from the central stability position in a posterior direction

1. A seat comprising: a base,a single non-vertical central supporting column rockingly supported on the base to rock from a central stability position in an anterior direction and in two opposed sideways directions but impeded from rocking from the central stability position in a posterior direction, sloping upwardly in the anterior direction at an angle of between 2° and 5° when in the stability position, and a contoured seat pan supported on the base through the non-vertical central supporting column andwherein the seat pan is positioned over a middle of the central supporting column, has a bottom seat pan surface, and is fixed to and supported on a top end of the non-vertical central supporting column,wherein a support axis passes through the top end and a bottom end of the non-vertical central supporting column and through the bottom seat pan surface. 2. The seat of claim 1 wherein the base comprises a four tier base comprising a bottom tier contacting the floor or ground, a Lazy Susan mechanism supported on the bottom tier, a middle tier supported on and rotating with the Lazy Susan mechanism, and a top tier supported above and by the middle tier and rocking on the middle tier and vertically attached to the middle tier. 3. The seat of claim 2 wherein the bottom tier comprises a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface, and wherein the flat bottom surface of the bottom tier contacts the floor or ground, and wherein the top surface of the bottom tier is attached to a bottom surface of the Lazy Susan mechanism and further comprising a member passing through central portions of the top surface of the middle tier and of a bottom surface of the top tier to vertically attach together the middle and top tiers. 4. The seat of claim 3, wherein the member comprises a threaded member which additionally passes through a central portion of the top tier to hold the bottom, middle, and top tiers together as a unit. 5. The seat of claim 2 wherein the Lazy Susan mechanism is attached to a top surface of the bottom tier. 6. The seat of claim 2 wherein the middle tier has an essentially flat top surface and an essentially flat bottom surface and the bottom surface of the middle tier is attached to a top surface of the Lazy Susan mechanism and the top surface of the middle tier is attached to a bottom surface of the top tier such that the center of the Lazy Susan mechanism and the center of the bottom tier and the center of the middle tier are congruent. 7. The seat of claim 2 wherein the top tier has a contoured bottom surface and a top surface and the contoured bottom surface of the top tier is rockingly attached to, rockingly contacting, and supported on a top surface of the middle tier, and wherein the contoured bottom surface of the top tier is symmetrically contoured with respect to the sagittal plane, from right to left, to allow rocking of the top tier on the middle tier from right to left across the sagittal plane and is asymmetrically contoured with respect to the frontal plane, from front to back, to allow reciprocal rocking of the top tier on the middle tier in a forward direction from the central stability position but to impede rocking of the top tier on the middle tier in a rearward direction from the central stability position, and the top surface of the top tier is essentially flat except for an indented central region wherein this region is cut at angle, sloping downward from the back to the front of the top tier to accommodate a support base for the non-vertical central supporting column. 8. The seat of claim 2, wherein the Lazy Susan mechanism comprises a mechanism selected from the group of (1) ball bearings in a circular race and (2) a disc inside a disc. 9. The seat of claim 2, wherein a member passing through central portions of the top and middle tiers vertically and rockingly attaches the top tier to the middle tier. 10. The seat of claim 1, wherein the non-vertical central supporting column comprises three components: a) a gas cylinder mount comprising an internally tapered tube welded to a flat circular base, wherein the base includes holes for screws or other attachment means, and wherein the mount fits into an indented central region on a top surface of the a top tier of the base;b) a gas cylinder; andc) a gas cylinder release and seat pan mounting unit. 11. The seat of claim 1 wherein the contoured seat pan has a top seat pan surface which slopes slightly downward from the posterior to the anterior aspects at a second angle and further wherein the top seat pan surface comprises five additional contours: a) posterior sacrum/coccyx supporting surface;b) right and left “sit bone” concave contours;c) central pelvic floor indentations;d) right and left lateral upper thigh supports; ande) elevated midline contour; and whereinthe seat pan is shaped in a triangular configuration, with an increase in width at the front of the seat to accommodate the shape of the combined pelvis and thighs, and wherein the back edge of the seat pan is higher than the front edge, thus creating the approximately two degree tilt within the seat pan itself. 12. The seat of claim 11, wherein the posterior sacrum/coccyx supporting surface molds the shape of the buttocks and provides a surface for the sacrum to rest against. 13. The seat of claim 11, wherein the side edges of the seat pan are slightly tilted toward the center of the seat pan, thus encouraging the thighs to fall forward from the hip joint rather than in an open or abducted pathway and wherein the right and left “sit bone” concave contours receive the “sit bones” of a sitter, and further wherein in front of this indentation is a slight rise to support the length of the thigh just anterior to the “sit bone”. 14. A seat, comprising: a seat pan contoured to receive a sitter facing in a forward direction;a base configured to rest on a floor, wherein the upper portion of the base is rockable on a lower portion of the base from a stability position in the forward direction and in opposed sideway directions transverse to the forward direction but is impeded from rocking from the stability position in a rearward direction opposite the forward direction; anda support member fixed to a bottom of the seat pan and to an upper portion of the base, and supporting the seat pan on the base, wherein a support axis passes through a top and a bottom of the support member and through the bottom of the seat pan and extends upwardly and forwardly from the bottom of the support member at an angle of between 2° and 8° when the upper portion of the base is in the stability position. 15. The seat of claim 14, wherein the lower portion of the base is rotatable on a lowermost portion of the base. 16. The seat of claim 14, wherein the upper portion of the base is inhibited from rotating about a vertical axis with respect to the lower portion. 17. A seat, comprising: a seat pan contoured to receive a sitter facing in a forward direction;a base including a first tier configured to be supported on a floor,a second tier rotatably supported on the first tier,a third tier rockably fixed to the second tier and rockable on the second tier from a central stability position in the forward direction and in opposed lateral directions but inhibited from rocking from the central stability position in a posterior direction opposite the forward direction; anda support member having top and bottom ends fixed to a bottom of the seat pan and a top of the third tier respectively. 18. The seat of claim 17, wherein a support axis passes extends upwardly and forwardly from the bottom end extends through the top end and the bottom of the seat pan. 19. The seat of claim 17, wherein the rocking of the third tier on the second tier is enabled by an interface of rocking contact between a bottom surface of the third tier and a top surface of the second tier that is symmetric with respect to a sagittal plane and asymmetric with respect to a frontal plane. 20. The seat of claim 17, wherein the support member, when the third tier is in the stability position, slopes in the forward direction at an angle of between 2° and 5°.