Lumbar Support for Law Enforcement Officers

Abstract

Many law enforcement officers have lower back problems arising from the habitual wearing of what is generally known as a “Sam Browne” duty belt. Workmen's Compensation now presumes any lower back ailment suffered by a law enforcement officer was caused by a duty belt; and consequently, automatically covers such back problem. A duty belt seat accessory for minimizing excessive pressure on the lower back of a law enforcement officer when he wears a duty belt is disclosed. The seat accessory comprises: a lower back portion having a minimal thickness; an upper back portion having a thickness generally exceeding the thickness of the lower back portion and the equipped duty belt; and, a positioning and support means to maintain the back portion in an upright position adjacent to a seat. When the officer leans back his back is supported largely by the upper back portion of the seat accessory and there is no excessive back pressure on his lower back as a result of the equipped duty belt he is wearing.

1 . A seat back assembly forming a seat back of a bench vehicle seat having a seat bottom, the seat back assembly comprising: 
 a bottom edge portion;    a thoracic upper back portion having a substantial thickness;    a lumbar lower back portion disposed between the bottom edge portion and the thoracic upper back portion and having a thickness less than the thickness of the thoracic upper back portion, thereby creating a concavity adjacent the bottom edge portion and positioned so as to be behind the lumbar spine of a user seated on the seat bottom and against the seat back assembly, to accommodate an equipped duty belt and to relieve pressure on the lumbar back caused by equipped duty belt, wherein the concavity is about ten inches high, measured in a direction extending from the bottom edge portion toward the thoracic upper back portion, the concavity extending laterally across the lumbar lower back portion such that no portion of the concavity between the thoracic upper back portion and the bottom edge portion protrudes forwardly of the thoracic upper back portion when the user is sitting against the seat back assembly in a normal seating position; and    a support device configured to support the seat back assembly relative to the seat bottom.    
   
   
       2 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the seat back and the bottom portion are hinged together by hinges to accommodate varying slopes of the lower and upper back portions with respect to the bottom portion of the seat accessory.  
   
   
       3 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the upper and lower back portions of the seat back further comprise wings that are foldingly attached to side portions of the back portions of the seat back.  
   
   
       4 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 1  wherein the seat back further comprises magnets positioned centrally in the back portions of the seat accessory to reduce back pain.  
   
   
       5 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 1  further comprising an inflatable portion in the seat back.  
   
   
       6 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 5  further comprising a pump and a release valve so that volume and pressure of air in the inflatable portion can be controlled.  
   
   
       7 . A seat back assembly as in  claim 1 , wherein the concavity is about 4 inches deep relative to the thoracic upper back portion.  
   
   
       8 . A vehicle seat including a seat back assembly and a seat bottom, the seat back assembly comprising: 
 a bottom edge portion;    a thoracic upper back portion having a substantial thickness;    a lumbar lower back portion disposed between the bottom edge portion and the thoracic upper back portion and having a thickness less than the thickness of the thoracic upper back portion, thereby creating a concavity adjacent the bottom edge portion and positioned so as to be behind the lumbar spine of a user seated on the seat bottom and against the seat back assembly, to accommodate an equipped duty belt and to relieve pressure on the lumbar back caused by equipped duty belt, wherein the concavity is about ten inches high, measured in a direction extending from the bottom edge portion toward the thoracic upper back portion, the concavity extending laterally across the lumbar lower back portion such that no portion of the concavity between the thoracic upper back portion and the bottom edge portion protrudes forwardly of the thoracic upper back portion when the user is sitting against the seat back assembly in a normal seating position; and    a support device configured to support the seat back assembly relative to the seat bottom.    
   
   
       9 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8  wherein the seat back and the bottom portion are hinged together by hinges to accommodate varying slopes of the lower and upper back portions with respect to the bottom portion of the seat accessory.  
   
   
       10 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8  wherein the upper and lower back portions of the seat back further comprise wings that are foldingly attached to side portions of the back portions of the seat back.  
   
   
       11 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8  wherein the seat back further comprises magnets positioned centrally in the back portions of the seat accessory to reduce back pain.  
   
   
       12 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8  further comprising an inflatable portion in the seat back.  
   
   
       13 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 12  further comprising a pump and a release valve so that volume and pressure of air in the inflatable portion can be controlled.  
   
   
       14 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8 , wherein the concavity is about 4 inches deep relative to the thoracic upper back portion.  
   
   
       15 . A vehicle seat as in  claim 8 , the vehicle seat being mounted to a police car.  
   
   
       16 . A vehicle seat including a seat back assembly and a seat bottom, the seat back assembly comprising: 
 a bottom edge portion;    a thoracic upper back portion having a substantial thickness;    means for creating a concavity adjacent the bottom edge portion and positioned so as to be behind the lumbar spine of a user seated on the seat bottom and against the seat back assembly, to accommodate an equipped duty belt and to relieve pressure on the lumbar back caused by equipped duty belt, wherein the concavity is about ten inches high, measured in a direction extending from the bottom edge portion toward the thoracic upper back portion, the concavity extending laterally across the lumbar lower back portion such that no portion of the concavity between the thoracic upper back portion and the bottom edge portion protrudes forwardly of the thoracic upper back portion when the user is sitting against the seat back assembly in a normal seating position; and    a support device configured to support the seat back assembly relative to the seat bottom.