Patent Publication Number: US-11033108-B2

Title: Seat base for a saddle seat

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national stage application, filed under 35 U.S.C. § 371, of International Application No. PCT/FI2017/050716, filed on Oct. 12, 2017, titled “Seat Base for a Saddle Seat,” which claims priority to Finland Patent Application No. 20165780, filed on Oct. 13, 2016, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a seat base for a saddle seat. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A major part of office work today involves static sitting in front of a monitor, for example. This almost inevitably results in ailments which could be prevented by suitable means. Often the problem is that people become overly absorbed in their work, staying almost still, which restricts the circulation of blood and other fluids, and, thereby, results in different kinds of ailments, pains and limitations. 
     It is recommended that people with sedentary jobs have exercise breaks at regular intervals. They could mostly take care of the problem in this way. But they neglect these exercise breaks and stretching, consequently getting caught in a vicious circle. In addition to neck and shoulder problems, lumbar problems are also common. The reason for this is obvious—the immobile sitting position restricts the fluid circulation and prevents the intervertebral discs of the spine joints from recovering from compression. 
     A cushion has been developed for flexing the lower parts of the back, in the hopes of solving these problems. The cushion is filled with a medium and it is believed that the person sitting thereon gets enough flexing by moving his/her weight from side to side. However, the movement provided by the cushion is insufficient, especially if it is supported on a soft chair, as it is in most cases. 
     Saddle seats have also been developed to assist in static sedentary work. A saddle called Humantool® is a saddle seat that can be fitted on a sittable support, such as a chair. However, the beneficial movement provided in the back region by the saddle seat becomes weaker on many sittable, especially soft, supports. Besides, on even supports, the saddle seat may be able to move laterally, possibly causing inconvenience to the person sitting thereon, reducing the effect of the saddle seat and, in the worst case, putting the person sitting thereon in danger. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention aims at alleviating the above-mentioned problems related to ailments resulting from continuous prolonged static sedentary work. An objective of the invention is to improve the operating characteristics of the existing saddle seat. A second objective of the invention is to increase the mobility of the round lower part of the saddle seat, especially on soft supports. A third objective of the invention is to restrict the lateral movement of the saddle seat. A fourth objective of the invention is to enhance the safety of the saddle seat. 
     The objectives of the invention are achieved according to an aspect of a seat base for a saddle seat. 
     The seat base for a saddle seat according to the invention is characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim  1 . 
     Preferred embodiments of the invention are also described in the dependent claims. 
     According to an aspect of the invention, a seat base for a saddle seat comprises
         a first face, the first face forming a planar surface to allow the seat base to be arranged on a surface to be seated, and   a second face, the second face forming a concave surface, the concave surface restricting the lateral movement of the saddle seat by guiding the round lower part of the saddle seat towards the lowest point of the concave surface.       

     According to an embodiment of the invention, the seat base is circular in shape and the lowest point of the concave surface is the center of the seat base. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the second face is coated with a softer layer in order to improve the mobility of the saddle seat. According to an embodiment of the invention, the second face is coated with a layer of woven felt. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the first face comprises a number of circular reinforcements and/or a number of radial reinforcements, the reinforcements forming the first face and/or reinforcing the structure of the seat base. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, a substantially vertical collar is provided at the upper edge of the second face, the collar ensuring that the saddle seats stays on the seat base. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the seat base for a saddle seat is made of plastic. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the first face comprises an even surface that preferably covers the entire bottom. 
     The utility of the seat base for a saddle seat according to the invention arises from a number of facts. The seat base according to an embodiment may increase the mobility of the saddle seat, especially on soft supports, such as soft chairs. The concave surface of the seat base according to an embodiment may return the saddle seat to the center of the seat base, preventing the saddle seat from sliding off the surface in use, which can be a chair, for example. The seat base according to an embodiment may increase the safety of use of the saddle seat. The seat base according to an embodiment may increase the rolling resistance of the round lower part of the saddle seat, as the round lower part is forced to climb up the concave surface, which may allow sitting comfortably. According to an embodiment of the seat base, the saddle seat can be apt to small movements, but its larger movements may be dampened, which may make it easier to control how the saddle seat moves. 
     In this application, the expression “a number of” refers to any positive integer, starting from one (1), such as one, two or three. 
     The term “a plurality of”, in turn, refers to any integers starting from two (2). 
     In this application, the expression “seat base” refers to the solution according to the present invention. 
     The expression “surface to be seated”, in turn, refers to the surface on which the present seat base can be placed, such as the seat of a chair. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures wherein 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a cross-sectional view of a saddle seat fitted on the seat base, 
         FIG. 4  shows an axonometric projection of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention, and of a saddle seat fitted on the seat base, and 
         FIG. 5  shows an axonometric projection of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a seat base  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The seat base  100  comprises a first face  102  and a second face  104 . 
     The first face  102  forms a planar surface against the surface to be seated. The surface to be seated can be the seat of a chair, for example (not shown in the Figure). The first face  102 , i.e. the bottom of the seat base is placed against the surface to be seated. The second face  104  forms a concave surface. A substantially vertical collar  105  is provided at the upper edge of the second face  104 . 
     The first face  102  comprises a number of circular reinforcements  106   a ,  106   b . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the first face  102  also comprises a number of radial reinforcements  108   a ,  108   b ,  108   c . The reinforcements form the first face  102 . Alternatively, in addition to or instead of the reinforcements, an even, sheet-like surface can be arranged on the first face  102 , preferably covering the entire bottom. Most preferably, there are two circular reinforcements and 12 radial reinforcements. The radial reinforcements can be evenly distributed over the bottom of the seat base. The number of the reinforcements may vary depending on the embodiment. The seat base  100  comprises a curved rim  109  that joins the collar  105  and the first face  102  together. The rim  109  also forms the outermost circular reinforcement of the seat base. The radial reinforcements  108   a ,  108   b ,  108   c  are attached to the rim  109 . 
     The seat base can be made from plastic or some other durable material, for example. The second face  104  of the seat base can be coated with a layer of a softer material, such as a layer of woven felt. The seat base  100  is preferably circular in shape. Alternatively, the shape of the seat base may vary, depending on the embodiment. The diameter of the circular seat base is preferably 10 to 50 cm, more preferably 20 to 40 cm and most preferably 25 to 35 cm. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a seat base  100  and a saddle seat  110  according to an embodiment. The saddle seat  110  shown is a Humantool® saddle, for example. The saddle seat  110  comprises a round, swing-enabling lower part  112 . The lower part  112  of the saddle seat is arranged on the second face  104  of the seat base  100 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an axonometric projection of a seat base  100  and a saddle seat  110 . Further,  FIG. 5  shows an axonometric projection of a seat base according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     The scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims. However, it is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the details of the different features of the invention may vary to some extent within the overall inventive idea, depending on the embodiment of the invention.