Abstract:
An adult seat providing an activity and confinement center for individuals suffering from mental impairments. The seat center is comprised of a stationary seat support having a rotatable seat assembly positioned therewith. A removable interlocking tray portion provides for user access and confinement with integrated tray locking and release and seat rotational control enablement therewithin.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to specialized seating devices for persons with impaired mental functions that require constant supervision by a caregiver. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art has been directed to devices for rehabilitation care oriented environments which deal with a variety of physical and mental disabling conditions. Such devices provide for a seat base structure in which an individual is positioned for ambulatory and support confinement, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,770,410, 5,083,806, 5,407,246, 5,582,464, 6,220,620 and 6,368,260. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,410 a walker is disclosed with a seat and a height adjustable wheel support frame. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,806 is directed to an adult walker in both seated and standing position. The walker has a mobile frame with a strap seat suspended therefrom which can be height adjusted. 
     A child exercise rocker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,246 having a rotating seat and an annular support frame on a bowl shape base. Spring support linkage allows for undulating seat movement and imparted rocking motion. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,464 claims a chair for use with spinal cord injury having articulated back and seat with a tray. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,620 discloses a wheel height adjustable rehabilitation chair having a wheel base with a support chair thereon. 
     Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,260 an exercise system for persons with physical disability can be seen wherein a chair having a table top with a mobile support step is disclosed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An activity center chair for adults who are mentally impaired due to disease or brain injury. The chair provides for a limited access seat with an interlocking tray restraint that allows for the performance of mental task related to the skill level and activity ability of the user. Access and egress is controlled by the caregiver assuring a location verification and activity determination of the patient. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the activation chair in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view thereof. 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the activity chair of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged top plan view of the restraint activity tray with portions broken away for illustration. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged partial top plan view of the activity tray and seat rotational locking assembly. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged side elevational view of the seat rotation locking assembly. 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged end view on lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6  in locked position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings, an activity chair  10  for adults can be seen including a seat portion  11 , and a seat support frame  12  and interlocking tray  13 . The support frame  12  has a plurality of tubular legs  14  extending therefrom which are interconnected by a lower ring element  15  inwardly of the respective ground engagement ends. The seat support frame  12  extends partially about the seat portion  11  enclosing the upper ends of the tubular support legs  14  and forming a flat activity surface area  16  thereabout. Roller wheel assemblies  14 A are registerably secured from the free ends of support legs  14 . 
     The seat portion  11  has a seat  17  which is rotatably supported from the support frame  12  and is of a rigid bowl shaped configuration with an apertured bottom with flexible fabric front hinge portion  18  with cut-away portions  18 A and  18 B as can best be seen in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
     A roller bearing seat support flange assembly  19  extends from a portion of the upper edge of the seat  17  and is registerable with a corresponding guide track  20  formed along the inner edge  21  of a seat receiving opening at  22  defined by the seat support frame  12 . The flexible front hinge portion  18  of the seat  17  is selectively secured in closed position by a fabric hook and loop fastener tab element  23  extending laterally thereabout registerably on corresponding engagement portions, best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings. The cut-away openings  18 A and  18 B in the front hinge portion  18  of the seat  17  defines patient leg openings when in closed position as best seen in  FIG. 3  of the drawings helping to retain and support the user/patient position therewithin (not shown). 
     The interlocking tray  13  is of a contoured arcuate configuration for integrated registering engagement with the ends of seat support frame  12  during use. The tray  13  has a flat upper activity surface  13 A with a seat track guide  24  therein that when engaged aligns with the hereinbefore described guide track  20  allowing for 360° rotation of the seat  17  with the tray  13  in place. 
     The tray  13  is selectively retained by release assemblies  25 A and  25 B, as best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the drawings including a pair of release handles  26 A and  26 B pivotally secured to respective spring urged linkage  27 A and  27 B with pivoted end retainment pins  28 A and  28 B extending respectively outwardly therefrom. 
     A pair of access openings at  29  are formed in a depending front surface  30  of the tray  13  through which only the caregiver (not shown) can gain access and grasp the respective control handles  26 A and  26 B as shown in broken lines and indicator arrows retracting the pins  28 , releasing the tray  13  for removal. It will be seen that once the tray  13  is locked in place, that the activity area  16  will now extend completely around the seat  17  with the addition of the tray  13 &#39;s upper activity surface  13 A, as best seen in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6  of the drawings, the tray release assembly  25 A can be seen registerably engaged with the corresponding portions of the seat frame  12 . The tray  13  has a pair of seat rotation control fitting extensions  31  which are in turn engageable with seat rotational locking assemblies  32  that will lock the seat  17  in a tray facing position when the tray  13  is removed allowing for ease of patient egress via release of the hinge portion  18  thereof. 
     The seat locking assemblies  32  include an upstanding apertured flange  33  extending in spaced relation from the seat  17  arcuately thereabout. A resilient latch member  34  extends from the support frame&#39;s side surface S for selective aligned registration within longitudinally spaced elongated apertures A in the flange  33  as best seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7  of the drawings. 
     A tapered actuation pin rod  35  is arranged for slidable deployment between an interior surface  34 A of the latch member  34  and a registration surface  36 . The pin rod  35  has a tapered flange latch engagement end portion  35 A with an annular flange  35 B for engagement with a spring  36  and a spring retainer sleeve  37 . The pin rod  35  is interlinked to an activation rod  38  arranged for aligned engagement by the hereinbefore described seat rotation enabling pins  31  extending from the respective interengagement surfaces  40 A and  40 B of the tray  13 . The pin rod  35  and activation rod  38  are secured together by an independent manual seat lock override control cylinder  39  having a contoured control slot  41  therein. A manual engagement lever  42  extends from the cylinder  39  allowing axial rotation thereof by the caregiver. The pin rod  35  and activator rod  38  have linkage pins  43  and  44  extending from their surfaces which are registerably engaged into the hereinbefore described slot  41  on the control cylinder  39 , best seen in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. 
     It will be evident from the above description that when the activity tray  13  is fitted into the support frame  12  and secured by the locking and release assemblies  25 A and  25 B that the tapered pin rod  35  will be forced against the retaining spring  36  and correspondingly tapered latch engagement portion  35 A against the latch  34  releasing same allowing for free rotation of the seat  17  on its roller bearing assembly as hereinbefore described. 
     To manually override and impart a static rotation lock to the seat  17 , the cylinder  39 , as noted, can be rotated by the caregiver effectively disconnecting by respective lateral rod displacement the activation rod  38  from the pin rod  35  allowing same to retract under the spring resistance and maintain a latch member  34  locking engagement with the seat even with the tray fully engaged. 
     In use, the adult activity chair  10  of the invention will have an arcuate foam support cushion  44  positioned partially around the seat opening of the seat portion  11  on the support frame  12  activity surface  16 . The tray  13  is released from the support frame  12  by activation of the dual tray release handles  26 A and  26 B which retract the corresponding linked locking pins  28 A and  28 B allowing the tray  13  to be manually removed. As the tray  13  is removed, the effective “fail safe” locking of the seat will be activated locking the seat  17  from rotation with the seat  17  in a tray front facing position. The seat  17  can be accessed with the front hinge portion  18  release via the fastener tab elements  20  allowing the lowering of the flexible hinge front portion  18 . The mentally impaired adult (not shown) is then guided for positioning within the seat  17  and the hinge portion  18  is refastened to the appropriate surfaces via the fastener tabs. The activity retainment tray  13  is repositioned and secured releasing the hereinbefore described rotational seat locking assembly allowing for full rotation of the seat on the seat bearing assembly. The user will not be able to effectively reach the enclosed recessed release handles  26 A and  26 B assuring that non-supervised access removal egress from the seat  17  can be effective by the user once positioned therewithin. 
     It will thus be seen that a new and novel adult activity chair device has been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.