GB2459144A - Chair headrest attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

A head rest 10 for attachment to a chair 61 not specifically adapted to receive a head comprises a body 11 having connection means 14, 15 by which the head rest is removably attachable to the chair, a head support portion 50 provided on the body 11 and against which a patient's head bears in use and a tool holder 36 provided on the body. The connection means 14 may be adjustable to facilitate connection to any chair 61 and the head support portion and the tool holder is adjustable to accommodate different patients, tools and procedures.

Description

CHAIR ATTACHMENT

The present invention reLates to a chair attachment and particularly to such an attachment having a headrest and a tool holder.

The human head is a complex body part that sometimes requires medical or cosmetic attention. For instance, tissue damage resulting from injuries or surgery may necessitate sutures that require careful insertion and subsequent removal; inanimate objects accidentally lodged in the head, puncturing tissue or entering through orifices such as the ears, nose, mouth or eye sockets require careful removal; and various features such as the ears may require more specific treatments such as syringing and so forth. The /0 above mentioned procedures can be carried out by primary health care practitioners such as appropriately skilled nurses and doctors, provided they have suitable equipment such as a bed or chair that adequately supports a patient's head in various positions.

However, many primary health care facilities do not have suitable is chairs and patients are expected to support their head in the required position and also assist the practitioner by holding tools. For instance, it is not uncommon for patients having their ears syringed to have to maintain their head in the required position while also holding a Noott's tank adjacent their ears. Moreover, hearing problems due to ear wax accumulation is prevalent amongst the elderLy and it is therefore this age group that represents the largest proportion of patients requiring such treatment. Sadly, it is also this age group that suffers from other ailments such as arthritis that prevent them from maintaining their heads in suitable positions with, for example, an adjacent Noott's tank for a sustained time. In most primary health care facilities practitioners work single handed so if the patient is unable to assist with the procedure or support their head adequately no other staff are free, so the patient must be referred to a hospital where the procedure can be more easily performed. Not only is this a considerable inconvenience for the patient but also an inefficient use of valuable hospital resources.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to overcome the problems outlined above by providing a device for supporting a patient's head during a medical/cosmetic procedure that can be removably attached to any chair. ft is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that also includes means for supporting tools adjacent the head so as to remove the burden from the patient.

According to the invention, there is provided a headrest for attachment to a chair not specifically adapted to receive a headrest, the head rest comprising: -a body having connection means by which the head rest is attachable to the chair; -a head rest portion provided on the body and against which a patient's head bears in use; and -a tool holder provided on the body.

Preferably, the connection means are sufficiently versatile to facilitate connection to any chair. In one embodiment the connection means are adjustable to accommodate any size backrest, yet in an alternative embodiment the connection means can be removed from the body and swapped with connection means of a different size better to suit a particular backrest. Releasable locking means may be provided to secure the connection means to the body. This may be quickly and easily released to enable removal or repositioning of the connection means. These may for instance include a bolt having a Large head that can be easily gripped without tools and a shank that threadingly engages a threaded hole provided in or on the body.

in a preferred arrangement the connection means comprise one or more hook arranged to Locate over an upper edge of the backrest of the chair and adapted so that the position of the or each hook can be adjusted.

Alternatively, the connection means may include mechanical jaws such as spring Loaded jaws or a screw clamp which fit over the backrest to grasp it.

The headrest can be secured in place by a strap wrapped around the body and the backrest for extra rigidity.

Is The required position of the headrest portion relative to the chair depends on the procedure being carried out and also on the size and shape of the patient seated in the chair. For instance, a patient having his or her mouth cavity treated would ideally be reclined to improve the practitioner's view into the mouth cavity. Alternatively, a patient having their ears syringed should tilt the head to one side so as to present the affected ear to the practitioner. Also a tall patient is likely to require the headrest portion to be * positioned significantly higher than the position required by a short patient.

Preferably the tool holder is adapted for movement relative to the body so that it may be located in the required relative position. For instance, the tool holder may include vessel such as a tray, basin, Noott's tank or the like for collecting water injected into the patient's ear, along with any dislodged wax. For this purpose it is therefore necessary to position the tool holder adjacent the ear, which again is likely to vary depending on the particular ear being syringed and the size and shape of the patient.

Most preferably the tool holder includes a support for holding the vessel and which enables the vessel to be easily and quickly removed. For instance the support may include a ring in to which the vessel is located and onto which a laterally extending rim of the vessel may rest.

In a preferred arrangement guide means are provided on the body and To the headrest portion and tool holder are arranged to co-operate with said guide means for relative and/or coordinated movement. For instance, the guide means may comprise a channel formed in the body and the headrest portion and the toot holder include base portions arranged to locate in the channel. The or each base portion may be dimensioned to form a close running fit with the channel so as to facilitate sliding movement therealong.

Of course, the arrangement of the guide means may vary and instead, for example, include an upstanding rail on which the headrest and tool holder are mounted.

Advantageously, the head rest portion and or the toot holder are connected to the body by extensible arm assemblies to enable the position of the headrest portion and the tool holder to be adjusted relative to each other and to the patient sitting in the chair. Such arm assemblies may include an extensible scissor arm, a spring loaded jointed arm such as those commonly used on desk lamps and/or most preferably an arm having a telescopic vertical portion and a telescopic horizontal portion. 5.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of the invention wilt now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a right front perspective view of a head rest; Figure 2 is a left front perspective view of the head rest; Figure 3 is a side view of the head rest attached to a chair on which a person shown in broken tines is seated; and Figure 4 is a front view of the arrangement shown in Figure 3.

Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a head rest, generally indicated 10, which can be attached to a conventional chair and used to support a patient's head and a tool during a medical/cosmetic procedure carried out on that patient.

The headrest 10 includes an elongate body 11 having a front face 12 provided with a slot 13 which widens to define a channel (not shown) formed is within the body 11. The front face 12 is furnished with a pair of hooks 14, each formed from a single piece of material having a curved upper end 15 to define an inverted U shaped portion and a planar lower end 16 having a hole (not shown) formed therethrough. Each hook 14 is fastened to the body 11 by a bolt 17 extending through its hole and into the slot 13 where it engages a nut (not shown) located in the channel, the size and shape of the nut being selected to prevent rotation thereof within the channel.

The elongate body 11 has an upper portion 20 having an upper face 21 in which there is formed a channel 22 and a front face 23 in which there is formed a pair of slots 24,25 that communicate with the channel 22. A pair of carriages (not shown) are disposed in the channel 22 and arranged for sliding movement therealong. Each carriage comprises a rectangular base portion (not shown) having a lower face that bears against the tower face of the channel and two opposed front and rear faces that form a close running fit with opposed front and rear faces of the channel 22. Formed in the front face of each base portion is a threaded hole for receiving a bolt 30 that extends through its respective slot 24,25 in the upper portion 20. Each bolt 30 can be tightened so that its head engages the front face 23 of the upper portion 20 and prevents movement of the carriage along the channel. Extending upwardly from the base portion of each carriage is a cylindrical collar 31 defining a cylindrical interior in which a lower end of an arm assembly 32,35 is seated. Relative movement between the collar 31 and the arm assembly is prevented by a locking screw 33 that extends through a threaded hole formed in the collar 31 and has a free end that bears against the arm assembly 32,35.

The locking screw has a large cylindrical head 34 that can be easily gripped and turned by a person's fingers so as to require no special tooling.

The first and second arm assembLies 32,35 are substantially identical.

except that the first arm assembly 32 carries a toot holder 36 and the second arm assembly 35 carries a headrest 50. Each arm assembly comprises a telescopic post 37 made from a tower cylindrical tube 38 having a lower end seated in the coLlar 31 and an upper cylindrical tube 39 disposed partially within the lower cylindrical tube 38 and having an upper end seated in an elbow section 40. There is also provided a telescopic arm 41 comprising an outer tubular section 42 having one end connected to the elbow section 40 and an inner tubular section 43 disposed partially within the outer tubular section 42 and adapted to slide therein.

The tool holder 36 of the first arm assembly 32 comprises a ring for holding a beaker 45 and is connected to the arm assembly by a rod 46 extending outwardly from the ring in a radial direction. The rod 46 is cylindrical and has an outer diameter arranged to form a close running fit within the free end of the inner tubular section 43. Screws 33 extend through threaded holes formed in the elbow 40, outer section 42 and inner section 43 so as to engage and respectively to prevent relative movement of the outer section 42, inner section 43 and the rod 46.

The head support 50 comprises a generally rectangular pad having a front face 51 against which a person's head is supported and a rear face 52 provided with a pair of U-shaped brackets 53. The brackets 53 are aligned to define a channel through which the inner section 43 of the second arm assembly 35 forms a snug fit.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, in use the bolts 17 are loosened and the hooks 14 are slid along the channel better to suit the backrest 60 of the chair 61 on which the attachment 10 is to be supported. Once the required positions are achieved the bolts 17 are tightened and the head rest 10 is presented to the backrest 60. The kind of treatment being performed will of course dictate the required positions of the head support 50 and the tool hoLder 36. For instance if the patient's left ear is to be syringed the relative positions of the head support 50 and tooL hoLder 36 shown in the figures will be suitable. However, if the patient's right ear is to be syringed the first and second arm assemblies 32,35 would need to be swapped around, which can be achieved with relative ease merely by loosening the screws 33 and lifting the assemblies from their respective collars 31. Next the heights of the posts 37 are adjusted so that the beaker 45 and the headrest 50 are at the required height. The tength of the arms 41 is aLso adjusted better to suit the patient and they can also be rotated about the axis of their respective posts 37.

Some procedures require the patient's head to be tiLted and therefore the head support 50 can be rotated about the axis of the arm 41 to the desired position.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS1. A head rest for attachment to a chair not specifically adapted to receive a headrest, the head rest comprising: -a body having connection means by which the head rest is removably attachable to the chair; -a head support portion provided on the body and against which a patient's head bears in use; and -a toot holder provided on the body.
2. 2. A head rest as claimed in cLaim 1, wherein the connection means are adjustable to facilitate connection to any chair.
3. 3. A head rest as claimed in cLaim 2, wherein releasable locking means are provided to lock the connections means in a required position.
4. 4. A head rest as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection means comprise at least one hook arranged to engage a back rest of a chair.
5. 5. A head rest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the head support portion is adapted for movement relative to the connection means to suit the patient and the procedure being carried out.
6. 6. A head rest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tool holder is adapted for movement relative to the connection means.
7. 7. A head rest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body defines elongate guide means in or on which the head support portion and the tool holder are stidably mounted.
8. 8. A head rest as cLaimed in claim 7, wherein the head support portion and or tooL hoLder each have a connector arranged in co-operation with the guide means.
9. 9. A head rest as cLaimed in any preceding claim, wherein the head support portion and or the tool holder are connected to the body byadjustable arms.
10. 10. A head rest as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as ilLustrated in the accompanying drawings.Amendment to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A headrest for attachment to a chair not specifically adapted to receive a headrest, the headrest comprising: -a body having connection means by which the headrest is removably attachable to the chair; -a head support portion provided on the body and against which a patient's head bears in use; and -a ring holder provided on the body.2. A headrest as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection means are adjustable to facilitate connection to any chair.3. A headrest as claimed in claim 2, wherein releasable locking means are provided to lock the connections means in a required position.4. A headrest as claimed in any of claims I to 3, wherein the connection means comprise at least one hook arranged to engage a backrest of a chair.5. A headrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the head support portion is adapted for movement relative to the connection means to *: : : * suit the patient and the procedure being carried out. I...6. A headrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ring holder * is adapted for movement relative to the connection means.* : 7. A headrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body * 20 defines elongate guide means in or on which the head support portion and the S.....ring holder are slidably mounted.8. A headrest as claimed in claim 7, wherein the head support portion andlor ring holder each have a connector arranged in co-operation with the guide means.9. A headrest as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the head support portion andlor the ring holder are connected to the body by adjustable arms.10. A headrest as claimed in claim I and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. * *� ** * S... * . ** vs * ,*.S S...I 45*I p r I **III.. b*I-