Abstract:
Two identical support cushions are flexibly joined to provide ergonomic support to a person having to perform physical activities in a supine position, often in confined spaces, such as a plumber lying on his back under a sink inside a cabinet with the lower part of the body being positioned on the room floor and the upper part of the body being positioned on the raised floor of the cabinet. The lightweight and rugged support cushions can be easily configured into a valise-like rectangular shape for easy carrying utilizing integrated handles. In addition, a plurality of lamps is enclosed within the support cushion, the lamps comprising light diffusing lenses and the lamps being spatially aligned to provide illumination with minimum shadow creation of the space in front of the supported person, such as a plumber working under a sink in a cabinet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   People employed in various crafts, especially plumbers, often have to work much of the time in a supine position with the worker&#39;s body distributed over uneven surfaces in a confined space. Most typical of such a work environment is a plumber working under a sink in a kitchen or in a bathroom cabinet. The cabinet floor is typically elevated over the room floor by the height of the space under the cabinet, known to those skilled in the art of kitchen cabinets as kickspace. A plumber working in a cabinet has the upper part of the body, that is shoulders and above, positioned under a sink inside a cabinet and the feet positioned on the room floor. 
   Body measurements of plumbers and cabinet dimensions vary significantly. The relationship of the plumber&#39;s body measurements to the cabinet dimensions will determine where will the plumber&#39;s buttocks be positioned. The closer the plumber&#39;s buttocks are to the edge of the cabinet floor, the higher the level of discomfort the plumber will experience. If the plumber&#39;s body measurements and the cabinet size are such that the position of the plumber&#39;s buttocks is on the room floor just in front of the cabinet, or if the plumber must maintain the buttocks in the air above the floor by exerting a strain on the plumber&#39;s muscular system, then the plumber is risking a potentially serious spinal injury. 
   Other source of strain on the plumber&#39;s spine is from the necessity of having to keep the plumber&#39;s head at a position that is elevated above the cabinet floor. 
   A person working in a confined space, such as under a sink in a cabinet has to use both hands for the task at hand. Support of the worker&#39;s body in a supine position with the body extended over the uneven or irregular surfaces often requires the worker to use one of the hands for additional body support. The use of one hand for support complicates the work task and increases chances of worker&#39;s injury. Additionally, work in confined spaces, such as a plumber working in a cabinet, requires the workspace to be well illuminated, preferably without shadows. Having to carry lamps, and finding means to attach one or more lamps in a position providing proper illumination, further complicates the worker&#39;s task. 
   The “Foldable Crawler”, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,569 by Larson, provides a crawler to facilitate working in a supine position under a kitchen sink. The “Foldable Crawler” supports the plumber on a hard surface in a substantially horizontal position only. The “Plumber&#39;s Support Pillow” arrangement supports the plumber in an ergonomically more correct canted position and on a softer resilient surface and provides means to illuminate the workspace in a manner that minimizes the shadow creation by the illuminating means. 
   Other support cushions taught by prior art, such as the “Portable Multiple Section Adjustable Posture Contour Care Bed” taught by Bills in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,249, and the “Adjustable Personal Support Apparatus” taught by Edelson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,625, and the “Cross-legged Seating Apparatus” taught by Edelson in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,350, and the “Multiple Position Support cushion” taught by Raftery in U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,967, and the “Support cushion and Method for Accommodating Multiple Body Positions” by Roberson in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,217, provide personal body support on single plane horizontal surfaces and do not teach the means to support a plumber working in a supine position over raised surface, such as in a cabinet under a sink. 
   The “Multiple Position Tool Caddy Seat” taught by Young in U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,011, describes a tool caddy that can also be used to support a worker laying on his stomach. 
   The need thus clearly exists for a device that provides lightweight ergonomic support, and workspace illumination, for persons working in a supine position over a raised surface in a confined space. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The object of this invention is a system of flexibly joinable support cushions for ergonomic support of a person working in a supine position, on uneven surfaces in confined spaces. The preferred embodiment of the invention is optimized for plumbers typically working in a supine position spread over two vertically displaced surfaces, with the upper part of the plumber&#39;s body, usually shoulders and above, positioned under a sink inside a cabinet, the floor of which is typically raised approximately four inches above the room floor, and the feet positioned on the room floor. 
   The flexibly joinable support cushions provide an ergonomic support for the plumber&#39;s body, the head, and the shoulders, and the buttocks, enabling all body supports to be positioned on a single canted essentially flat plane, thus eliminating the potential of an injury that can be caused by strain on the spine typical of work in a supine position over uneven vertically displaced surfaces and eliminating most of the discomfort typical with this type of activity. 
   The optional use of the multiple lamps built into the support cushion further contributes to the safety and efficiency of plumber&#39;s work by illuminating the workspace above the plumber. Lamps housed in the support cushion provide diffused light beams for illumination of the workspace. Diffused light from multiple light beams minimizes the creation of shadows which are created by an object or by the plumber&#39;s hand intersecting a single light beam, such as from a portable lamp or from a flashlight. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a single support cushion. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a support cushion core and the definition of the dimensions defining the support cushion shape. 
       FIG. 3  schematically depicts the ergonomic support of a person in a supine position over two vertically separated surfaces, as provided by the two identical flexibly joined support cushions, wherein a canted, essentially flat support platform is created by these cushions. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view depicting the use of Velcro tape fastener to join two support cushions. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of valise-like arrangement of the two identical support cushions for carrying. 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-section through the support cushions of  FIG. 5 , depicting the two identical support cushions in the valise-like arrangement. 
       FIG. 7  schematically depicts the use of a single support cushion to support a person&#39;s upper body on a level floor. 
       FIG. 8  schematically depicts the use of two identical disconnected support cushions to provide support of a person&#39;s upper body on a level floor with increased upper body elevation. 
       FIG. 9  schematically depicts the use of three identical support cushions to support a person in a sitting position. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a support cushion with four lamps, a battery compartment and a switch. 
       FIG. 11  is the electrical schematic of a circuit of four-lamps with a single switch and a single battery. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to identical substantially wedge-like six-sided polyhedron shaped support cushions that are capable of being non-permanently flexibly joined and arranged in several configurations for the purpose of providing ergonomic support to a person having to perform manual activities, mostly while the person&#39;s body is in a supine position. The support cushions may be used to support a person on a single surface or the support cushions may be configured to support a person&#39;s body over a plurality of staircase-like vertically and horizontally separated planes. The support cushions may further comprise a plurality of light sources embedded in the support cushions to provide a substantially diffused illumination of the space in front of the person while supported by the support cushions in supine position in small substantially enclosed spaces. 
   A plumber working in a cabinet has the upper part of the body, that is shoulders and above, positioned under a sink inside a cabinet and the feet positioned on the room floor. The cabinet floor is typically elevated over the room floor by the height of the space under the cabinet, known to those skilled in the art of kitchen, cabinets as kickspace. The height differences and the elevated edge of the cabinet floor create pressure on the plumber&#39;s spine and cause potentially injurious strain of many muscle groups while the plumber is in a supine position working in the cabinet. 
   The preferred embodiment, as schematically illustrated on  FIG. 4 , comprises a first support cushion  100 A and an identical second support cushion  100 B arranged to support a plumber  410  without pain and discomfort while in a substantially supine positions with the plumber&#39;s lower body being positioned on a room floor and the plumber&#39;s upper body being positioned on a raised floor inside a cabinet. The first support cushion  100 A is positioned with it&#39;s base surface  110 A on the room floor  420 , cross-section of which is shown for reference with phantom line outlines. The second support cushion  100 B is positioned with it&#39;s base surface  110 B on the cabinet floor  430 , cross-section of which is shown for reference with phantom line outlines. The first and the second support cushions  100 A,  100 B are flexibly and non-permanently joined with a Velcro fastener consisting of a first part  312 A which is attached to the top surface of the first support cushion  160 A and of a complementary part  311 B which is limply attached to the edge of the support cushion created by the front surface  120 B and the top surface  160 B of the second support cushion  100 B. The top surface  160 A of the first support cushion  100 A and the top surface  160 B of the second support cushion  100 B thus joined and positioned form a substantially straight platform, wherein the platform forms an oblique angle with the floors  420  and  430 . The platform formed by the two support cushions is elevated over the edge of the cabinet floor  430  which is typically raised above the room floor  420  by a cabinet base  431 . The plumber  410  is comfortably supported in an ergonomically correct position above the two floors by the canted platform as depicted in  FIG. 4 , wherein the plumber&#39;s buttocks  411  are supported by the top surface  160 A of the first support cushion, and the plumber&#39;s shoulders  412  and the plumber&#39;s head  413  are supported by the top surface of the second support cushion  160 B. 
   The construction of the support cushions  100  is shown in  FIG. 1 . The resilient core  10  is covered with cover material  301 . The characteristics of the cover material include durability, and mildew resistance, and capability of being waterproof, such as provided by the a cover material such as  330  Denier Cordura, which is commercially available. 
   Further referring to  FIG. 1 , a strip of webbing  312  approximately 2 inches in width is attached to the support cushion near each of the two edges formed by the back surface with the side surfaces. The length of the strip is approximately 10 percent larger than the length of the back surface, thus creating a pliable handle for carrying. 
   The shape of the support cushion results from the shape of the six-sided polyhedron core  10  shown on  FIG. 2 . The core  10  of the preferred embodiment has: a length of approximately eighteen inches, and a width of approximately thirteen-and-a-half inches, and a front height of approximately one-and-a-half inches, and a back height of approximately six inches. The afore shown dimensions have been found to be suitable for plumber&#39;s work under sinks. The core of the preferred embodiment is made of lightweight resilient material, such as open-cell polyurethane foam. Other materials capable of being resiliently compressible may be substituted. The importance of resiliency and compressibility is required for the comfortable support of the plumber as shown on  FIG. 4 , wherein the buttocks  411  and the shoulders  412  and the head  413  create a conforming concave compressions in the supporting support cushions further reducing the strain on the plumber&#39;s spine while supporting the plumber in the supine position. The density of the core material will vary with the user&#39;s size and the core dimensions will vary with the environment for which the support cushions will be made. 
   Further referring to  FIG. 1 , the means for flexibly joining the support cushions to each other is provided by a commercially available sew-on tape hook and loop type fabric fastener. The first part of the fastener  312  is a Velcro tape attached to the top surface of the support cushion parallel with and near the edge created by the top surface with the back surface. The complementary component of the fastener is formed by attaching the complementary Velcro fastener  311  to a strip of cover material wherein the assembly of the cover material strip is attached to the edge of the support cushion created by the top surface of the support cushion with the front surface of the support cushion. 
   The details of joining the two identical support cushions  100 A and  100 B to form a two-support cushion arrangement are depicted on  FIG. 3 , wherein the non-permanent flexible joining is achieved by pressing together the complementary parts of the Velcro fasteners  311 B and  312 A. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , an arrangement into a valise-like assembly formed by two support cushions is depicted. The two support cushions  100 A and  100 B are arranged facing each other with their respective top surfaces with the front surface of one of the support cushions located next to the back surface of the other support cushion. The Velcro fastener of each support cushion is attached to the complementary fastener of the other support cushion to form a substantially solid six-sided prism, wherein each surface of the prism is a rectangle and opposite sides are congruent. The joined first and second part of the Velcro fasteners  311  and  312  are shown on  FIG. 6 , the cross-section  6 - 6  of the valise-like assembly shown on  FIG. 5 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , there are all remaining parts of the support cushion shown, the core  10 , the cover  601 , and the handles  320 A and  320 B. 
   An alternate embodiment utilizing a single support cushion is shown on  FIG. 7 , wherein the upper body and head of the person  410  is supported on a single substantially level floor surface  420  by a single support cushion  100 . 
   Another alternate embodiment of a two-support cushion arrangement is shown on  FIG. 8 , wherein the upper body and head of the person  410  is supported by the first support cushion  100 A, the base  110 A of which is positioned on the top surface  160 B of the second support cushion  100 B and wherein the second support cushion  100 B is positioned on a single substantially level floor surface  420 . The first support cushion  100 A is not attached to the second support cushion  100 B and can be slideably located on the top surface  160 B of the support cushion  100 B as needed to vary the elevation of the support surface. 
   Another alternate embodiment utilizing three identical support cushions is shown on  FIG. 9 , wherein the valise-like arrangement of support cushions  100 A and  100 B is used to support a sitting person and the third support cushion  100 C is used to provide a backrest. 
   Yet another embodiment comprising three or more identical support cushions in a train-like arrangement to form a longer platform which may extend over additional staircase-like surfaces can be formed by attaching the support cushions next to each other as was shown for the two identical support cushions in the preferred embodiment. 
   Referring to  FIG. 10  an embodiment of the support cushion with illuminating means is described. Embedded in the top surface of the support cushion  100  are four lamps  710 , located approximately in the vicinity of the corners of the top surface of the support cushion  100 . The lamps  710  produce preferably a light beam with an angle of distribution between 10 and 60 degrees, and the lamps are so positioned in the support cushion that an imaginary axis perpendicular to the lamp through the center of the lamp will be tilted toward the approximate center of the support cushion at an angle of preferably between 5 and 20 degrees with an imaginary line perpendicular to the top surface of the support cushion  100  thus dispersing the illumination in the space over the person&#39;s head therefore minimizing the creation of shadows by the plumber&#39;s hands and other obstructions typically found in a sink cabinet. The lamps are preferably of a low-temperature LED type, wherein each lamp is selected from a range of lamps capable of producing a light output in the range of 1 to 5 Lumens at an luminous intensity of 10 to 50 Candelas while powered by preferably a direct current battery at a voltage of 9 V or less and a power consumption of not more than 0.5 Watts. The battery is stored in an accessible compartment  750  embedded in the support cushion and accessed on the side surface. The on-off control of the lamps is provided by a switch  730  embedded in the support cushion and accessed on the side surface. The electrical schematic of the arrangement of the four lamps  710 , and the switch  730 , and battery  750  is shown on  FIG. 11 . Two-lamp and six-lamp embodiments may be preferred in some situations. The number of lamps and characteristics of the lamps will vary with the environment in which the invention will be used. 
   Changes, variations and modifications to the basic design described in the preferred embodiments may be made without departing from the novel concepts in this invention. Additionally, these changes, variations and modifications may be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings in this invention. All such changes, variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of this invention.