Patent ID: 7318286

Claim:
A method for designing a body support member of a body-supporting furniture component which said support member has an enlarged support surface which supports a corresponding surface area of the body of the furniture occupant, the method comprising the steps of: providing a test unit adapted to support a test occupant in a use position, said test unit including an array of testers positioned one next to the other along transverse first and second axes to overlie a test surface area of the body of the test occupant, said testers having a contact portion positioned for contact with said test surface area on the body of the test occupant wherein said contact portions of said testers of said array are positioned over said test surface area; positioning a said test occupant in said use position on said test unit with said test surface area of said test occupant's body positioned over said array of testers for contact therewith; adjusting the contact portions of said testers to a desired position contacting said test surface area; determining a contact pressure between each said contact portion and said test surface area to develop a pressure map of said contact pressures over said array of said testers; and designing the support member for the furniture component in accord with said pressure map to provide optimized, comfortable support between said support member and the surface area of said occupant of said furniture component which corresponds to said test surface area of said test occupant.