Patent US3858937 - DENTAL CHAIR AND ADJUSTABLE HEAD

united

Norris

[in 3,858,937 [45] Jan. 7, 1975

[54] DENTAL CHAIR AND ADJUSTABLE HEAD SUPPORT MECHANISM THEREFOR

[75] Inventor: Floyd E. Norris, Ronton, Wash.

]73] Assignee: Arnold's Auto Upholstery, Inc., Seattle, Wash.

[22] Filed: May 18, 1973

[21] Appl. No.: 361,591

[52] U.S. CI 297/408, 297/284, 297/421,

297/460

[51] Int. CI A47c 1/10, A47c 3/00, A47c 7/38

[58] Field of Search 5/284, 391; 297/399, 405,

297/407-410,421,422,460

[56] References Cited

UNITED STATES PATENTS

3,603,642 7/1971 Laessker 297/408

3,627,379 12/1971 Faust 297/391

3,719,388 3/1973 Fortnan 297/410

3,729,227 4/1973 Ohta 297/391

Primary Examiner—Casmir A. Nunberg
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Seed, Berry, Vernon &
Baynham

[57] ABSTRACT

A dental chair is disclosed which has an adjustable headrest incorporating a flush .mounted adjustment mechanism allowing (1) adjustment about a central pivot, (2) vertical adjustment or (3) forward and rear adjustment. The dental chair also incorporates deflectable "wing" portions adjacent each of the arm supports which do not need adjustment and which allow the dentist more ready access to the patient.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

3,858,937

1 2

DENTAL CHAIR AND ADJUSTABLE HEAD FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectiona! view along section

SUPPORT MECHANISM THEREFOR line 3—3 of FIG. 2 illustrating the adjustment mecha

nism;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view along sec

1. Field of the Invention 5 tion line 4—4 of FIG. 2; and

This invention relates to a dental chair and an im- FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the flexible proved adjustment mechanism for the headrest of the wing portion of the chair, chair.

2. Prior Art Relating to the Disclosure Many of the chairs used by dentists and other profes- 10 FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the dental

sionals have adjustable headrest assemblies which are chair of this invention having a lower floor support 10, expensive to fabricate, cumbersome, inadequately ad- a padded lower body support 11 secured to the floor justable and annoying to operate. It is also conventional support 10 and a padded, integral back support 12 for dental chairs to incorporate arm slings extending hinged at 21a to the lower body support forward of the from the top of the back support of the chair to the arm 15 rear terminating edge of the lower body support 11. supports, which keep the patient's arms and hands The frames of the lower body support 11 and back supclose to the body, out of the way of the technician or Port 12 are fabricated from steel plating one-eighth professional. The slings are always slipping loose and inch to five-sixteenths inch thickness over which is needing adjustment. placed padding as an outer decorative upholstery cov

20 ering, such as leather, naugahyde or vinyl. The back SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION support has arm supports 14 attached at each side.

This invention relates to a dental chair incorporating Each of the arm supports includes a rigid steel frame, an adjustable headrest which is vertically adjustable, padding and covering similar to that of the lower body adjustable about a central pivot point and adjustable „c suPPort and back suPPort Dlrectly beh,nd each of *e both forward and rearward. The adjustable headrest 25 arm supports is an arcuate member 15 secured to the comprises a support connecting to the back support of frame of the back suPP°rt' TM >I1"strated by FIG. 1. A the chair at one end and to the adjustment mechanism stlff' sem.-ngid matenal, such as a thick plastic sheet at the opposite end. A padded headrest includes means ,s stretch<?d over \heu arcuate members and between

connecting it with the adjustment mechanism. The ad- ,n the arm suPPorts and the t0P °fthe frameu of th!\bafk justment mechanism includes: (1) an elongated linking 30 ... Pnor to Bering of the entire chair with the „, , • ■ , • f, • outer decorative covering, as illustrated by FIG. 5. The

member having upper and lower, variable size jaw , •, . „ ... ,6' , ,, . 1 t. .

■ • • .. A, end result is a flexible, deflectab e wing portion 16 be

opemngs therein receiving the connecting means of the ., , , . ,' , , ,?*\ . , .

f J u J * ,*>\ • * J- A v side each arm which does not need adjustment and alsupport and the headrest; (2) a pm extending through , „. ■ „ ■ , . . -..

, , ... ', r ° . lows the operator or technician to get closer to the pa

the linking member holding the connecting means in 75 .. . .... *TM. • „■

, ,°,„. °,, - , x b , J3 tient sitting in the chair, if necessary. The wing portions

place; and (3) means secured to the pm at one end con- t-jo.j- Ji <r> i *.u 5 « *■

^ ■ . ' ■ v . . , , ■ , « can be deflected inwardly. On release of the deflection

tacting a camming surface on the linking member for ure ^ wj w.„ ... tQ thejr Qri jna)

contracting the jaw openings about the connecting 5osition due to the stiff material extending from the top means, preventing their movement. of the back su rt over the arcuate tion 15 directl

The invention is also directed to a dental chair m- 40 behind each of the arm s ts 14< xhe rear of the eluding integral, deflectable ^wing portions extending back indudes a s]ot Ig for inseftion of the ad.

between the arm support and the top of the back sup- justable headTest assembly to be discussed, port which (1) are flexile, (2) allow the dentist or The adjustabie headrest assembly is illustrated by technician to work closer to the patient, if desired, and FIGS 2 tnrough 4 and essentiaily comprises a headrest (3) do not need adjustment. 45 support frame 39 covered with a padded front portion

The objects of this invention are: (1) to provide an 40 and a padded rear portion 41 connected by an adimproved adjustment mechanism for the headrest of a justment mechanism to an elongated support plate 19. chair which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, The headrest assembly is adjusted vertically relative to easy to operate and flush mounted to prevent interfer- the back SUpp0rt by sliding in slot 18. The assembly is ence with the dentist or technician and for design pur- 50 he](J in a desired adjustment position by a friction poses; (2) to provide a dental chair incorporating an ciamp (not shown). The supporting frame 39 of the improved, flush mounted adjustment mechanism for a headrest support has a center cut-out portion, as illusheadrest; (3) to provide a dental chair incorporating trated by FIG. 2, allowing the adjustment mechanism flexible, deflectable wing portions which do not need to be essentially flush mounted within the headrest asadjustment and which allow the operator closer access S5 sembly.

to the patient sitting in the chair; and (4) to provide a The adjustment mechanism comprises essentially an dental chair having a back support hinged to the lower elongated, rectangular linking member 21 having bore body support forward of the terminating edge of the openings 22 and 23 drilled therethrough at the upper lower body support, the back support having a curved, 6Q and lower ends, respectively. Slots 24 and 25, cut in the barrel-like appearance. linkmember 21, as illustrated by FIG. 3, communicate

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

with the bore openings 22 and 23. The slots allow the internal diameter of the bore openings 22 and 23 to be FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dental chair of the reduced by compression of the linking member 21. A invention having a cut-away portion illustrating one of 6^ channel 26 is bored at transverse angles through the the flexible wings of the chair; length of the linking member 21 to receive pin 30. The

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the headrest in- channel intersects the bore openings 22 and 23 and eluding the adjustment mechanism; projects a small distance into the bore openings, as il3,858,937

lustrated by FIG. 4. The bore openings 22 and 23 are fitted with pins 27 and 28, having an outer diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the openings

22 and 23, so that they are free to rotate in the absence of compressive force on the elongated linking member 21, tending to reduce the internal diameter of the bore openings 22 and 23. Pin 27 consists essentially of two separate arcuate segments held in spaced relation by a rod 36 having a width less than the diameter of the pin 27. The rod 36 is secured to the segments by a pivot pin 37 extending through the rod, as illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4. The pivot pin allows the rod to pivot thereabout between the positions shown in phantom in FIG. 4. The rod 36 is connected by collars 38 to the headrest support frame 39. The headrest can thus be pivoted about the pivot pin 37 to a desired position and locked in place, as will be described.

The lower pin 28 extends beyond the plane of the member 21 on each side and includes a slot extending part way therethrough which receives the forks 42 of support plate 19, as illustrated by FIG. 2. The pin 28 is secured in place to the plate 19 by bolts 43.

Each of the pins 27 and 28 has a central channel 29 cut therein, as illustrated by FIG. 4, of a depth sufficient to allow pin 30 to be inserted through the channel 26. The purpose of the channels 29, in cooperation with pin 30, is to secure the pins 27 and 28 in place in the linking member.

The pin 30, extending through channel 26 and securing the pins 27 and 28 in place, has a threaded portion 31 on the lower end over which is fitted a nut 32. The nut bears against a shoulder cut in the lower end of the linking member 21. The upper end of the pin 30 is pivotally connected to a cam member 34 bearing against a cam surface 33 cut in the upper end of linking member 21. The cam member 34 includes an integral handle 35 movable between the positions illustrated by FIG. 3. In the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3, the pin in cooperation with the cam surface 34 exerts a compressive force on the respective ends of the linking member 21 compressing and closing the slots 24 and 25. As a result the internal diameter of openings 22 and

23 is reduced so that each frictionally engages the outer surfaces of pins 27 and 28 and prevents their rotation. When the handle 35 is moved to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 3, the compressive force on the linking member 21 is released, allowing the pins 27 and 28 to rotate freely within the bore openings 22 and 23.

The headrest portion of the adjustable headrest assembly can easily be adjusted relative to support plate 19 by moving the handle 35 to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 3 and rotating the headrest about either of the upper or lower pins 27 and 28 and pivoting the headrest about pivot pin 37 as desired. Once the desired position of the headrest is obtained, the operator presses the handle 35 down to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 to lock all the components together and prevent further rotation or movement. The headrest can be adjusted to any desired position very easily and quickly. The adjustment mechanism is flush mounted within the headrest assembly, is simple to operate and is relatively inexpensive to fabricate. The dentist or technician can adjust the patient's head to any desired angle for mouth work or denture work very easily and without complication.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An adjustment mechanism linking a head support and means for attachment to the back support of a chair comprising:

an elongated linking member having two parallel annular openings extending therethrough near each end,

slots in the linking member extending from the outer surface thereof into communication with each of the annular openings, each of the slots allowing the internal diameter of each of the annular openings to be reduced by compression of the linking member adjacent the slots;

an open-ended channel extending through the linking member essentially transverse to the axis of each of the annular openings and communicating with the slots and a segment of each of the annular openings;

annular pins received in each of the annular openings, each pin having an external diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the respective annular opening in the uncompressed state, allowing free rotation thereof, each pin having a channel extending around the outer circumference thereof;

means connecting one of the annular pins to the head support and the other annular pin to the means for attachment to the back support;

a pin extending through the open-ended channel of the linking member communicating with the respective channels in the annular pins to retain the annular pins in place in the linking member;

retaining means at one end of the pin to retain the pin in place in the open-ended channel; and

cam means connected to the opposite end of the pin for exerting tension on the pin relative to the linking member to compress the linking member, reducing the diameter of the annular openings and frictionally engaging the annular pins to lock them against rotation.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the annular pin connected to the head support comprises two unconnected arcuate segments and wherein the means connecting the annular pin to the head support is a rod having a width less than the diameter of the annular pin extending between the two segments, the rod pivotally connected to the segments midway between their ends for adjustment of the headrest about the pivotal connection.

3. In a dental chair having a floor support, padded lower body support, arm supports, head support and adjustable back support, the improvement comprising providing flexible wing portions extending from the upper terminating edge of the back support down each side to a point adjacent the rear of each of the arm supports, allowing a dentist or technician closer access to the patient sitting in the chair by deflection of the wing portions and providing an adjustment mechanism for the head support, the mechanism comprising:

an elongated linking member having two parallel annular openings extending therethrough near each end,

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Patente

DENTAL CHAIR AND ADJUSTABLE HEAD