Apparatus for supporting a user in a forward-leaning position with faceplate pivotability

Abstract

An apparatus for supporting a user includes a faceplate, an arm, a bridge, and a base. The bridge is rotatably attached to the faceplate to allow the faceplate to be pivotably adjusted. The bridge includes a hub with first and second hub bodies. Locking pins on the hub bodies slidingly engage pivot adjustment holes in first and second pivot adjustment rings. First and second buttons can be depressed to slide the hub bodies inwardly to separate the locking pins from the pivot adjustment holes to allow the hub to rotate, thereby allowing the faceplate to pivot. When the buttons are released, the hub bodies slide outwardly to insert the locking pins into the same or different pivot adjustment holes to prevent the hub from rotating.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for supporting a user, comprising:
 a faceplate having a frame that defines an opening to receive a user's face;   an arm having opposing first and second ends, the arm including first and second faceplate support bodies disposed at the second end of the arm, each faceplate support body comprising a respective pivot adjustment ring disposed on an inner side of a respective faceplate support body, the respective pivot adjustment ring having a plurality of pivot adjustment holes that extend parallel to a pivot axis, each faceplate support body further defining a respective button hole that extends along the pivot axis, the respective pivot adjustment ring aligned with the pivot axis;   a base attached to the first end of the arm; and   a bridge attached to the second end of the arm, the bridge comprising:
 a hub disposed between the inner sides of the first and second faceplate support bodies, the hub comprising:
 first and second hub bodies, each hub body including a plurality of locking pin holes that extend through a respective hub body parallel to the pivot axis; 
 a plurality of locking pins, each locking pin disposed in a respective locking pin hole in each hub body, each locking pin configured to slidingly engage one of the pivot adjustment holes in the respective pivot adjustment ring; and 
 a shaft that extends along the pivot axis through a respective hole in each hub body to allow the first and second hub bodies to rotate about and slide along the pivot axis; 
 
 first and second buttons, each button extending through the respective button hole and mechanically coupled to the respective hub body; and 
 a bridge housing attached to the hub and the faceplate, 
 wherein:
 the first and second buttons have a released state in which a respective locking pin is inserted into a respective pivot adjustment hole to prevent the hub from rotating, thereby locking a pivot orientation of the faceplate, and 
 the first and second buttons have a depressed state in which the first and second buttons are pressed inwardly to cause the first and second hub bodies to slide inwardly along the shaft to separate the respective locking pin from the respective pivot adjustment hole, thereby allowing the hub to rotate to adjust the pivot orientation of the faceplate with respect to the pivot axis. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the hub further comprises a spring mechanically coupled to the first and second hub bodies,   when the first and second buttons are in the depressed state, the first and second hub bodies slide inwardly along the shaft to compress the spring, and   when the first and second buttons are in the released state, the first and second hub bodies slide outwardly along the shaft to expand the spring.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the spring causes the first and second buttons to automatically transition from the depressed state to the released state when an inward force on the first and second buttons is released. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a plurality of respective locking pins are disposed in respective locking pin holes in each hub body, and   a plurality of springs are disposed between the first and second hub bodies, each spring configured to bias a corresponding locking pin towards the respective pivot adjustment hole when the first and second buttons are in the released state.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the pivot adjustment holes of the respective pivot adjustment ring are distributed about a perimeter of the respective faceplate support body. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein a pair of the respective locking pins is disposed in a pair of respective locking pin holes in each hub body, the pair of the respective locking pins aligned along an axis that passes through a center of the respective hub body, the axis orthogonal to the pivot axis. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the pivot adjustment holes of the respective pivot adjustment ring are evenly distributed about a circumference of the respective faceplate support body, and   the pair of locking pins are configured such that when a first locking pin is aligned with a corresponding pivot adjustment hole a second locking pin is aligned with a wall of the respective faceplate support body between neighboring pivot adjustment holes.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the pair of the respective locking pins is a first pair of the respective locking pins,   the axis is a first axis,   the pair of respective locking pin holes is a first pair of respective locking pin holes,   a second pair of the respective locking pins is disposed in a second pair of the respective locking pin holes in each hub body, the second pair of the respective locking pins aligned along a second axis that passes through the center of the respective hub body, the second axis orthogonal to the pivot axis, and   the first and second axes are angularly offset.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the apparatus has a first state in which the first pair of the respective locking pins is aligned with first and second corresponding pivot adjustment holes and the second pair of the respective locking pins is aligned with a wall of the respective faceplate support body between corresponding second neighboring pivot adjustment holes, and   the apparatus has a second state in which the second pair of the respective locking pins is aligned with third and fourth corresponding pivot adjustment holes and the first pair of the respective locking pins is aligned with the wall of the respective faceplate support body between corresponding first neighboring pivot adjustment holes, the first and second hub bodies having different rotational positions in the first and second states.   
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for supporting a user, comprising:
 a faceplate having a frame that defines an opening to receive a user's face;   an arm having opposing first and second ends, the arm including first and second faceplate support bodies disposed at the second end of the arm, each faceplate support body comprising a respective pivot adjustment ring disposed on an inner side of a respective faceplate support body, the respective pivot adjustment ring having a plurality of pivot adjustment holes that extend parallel to a pivot axis, each faceplate support further defining a respective button hole that extends along the pivot axis, the respective pivot adjustment ring aligned along the pivot axis;   a base attached to the first end of the arm, the base including a base body and a base slide, the base body including a slot through which the base slide is slidable; and   a bridge attached to the second end of the arm, the bridge comprising:
 a hub disposed between the inner sides of the first and second faceplate supports, the hub comprising:
 first and second hub bodies, each hub body including a plurality of locking pin holes that extend through a respective hub body parallel to the pivot axis; 
 a plurality of locking pins, each locking pin disposed in a respective locking pin hole in each hub body, each locking pin configured to slidingly engage one of the pivot adjustment holes in the respective pivot adjustment ring; 
 a shaft that extends along the pivot axis through a respective hole in each hub body to allow the first and second hub bodies to rotate about and slide along the pivot axis; 
 
 first and second buttons, each button extending through the respective button hole and mechanically coupled to the respective hub body; and 
 a bridge housing attached to the hub and the faceplate, 
 wherein:
 the first and second buttons have a released state in which the respective locking pin is inserted into a respective pivot adjustment hole to prevent the hub from rotating, thereby locking a pivot orientation of the faceplate, and 
 the first and second buttons have a depressed state in which the first and second buttons are pressed inwardly to cause the first and second hub bodies to slide inwardly along the shaft to separate the respective locking pin from the respective pivot adjustment hole, thereby allowing the hub to rotate to adjust the pivot orientation of the faceplate. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the base is pivotably attached to the first end of the arm such that the arm can pivot towards or away from the user. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the base body is pivotably attached to the second end of the arm, the base body having a base body slot that extends from a distal end towards a proximal end of the base body along a first axis, and   the base further comprises:
 a lock bar disposed on the base body, the lock bar having a length that is parallel to the first axis and a width that is parallel to a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis, the lock bar defining a plurality of holes that are spaced along the length of the lock bar, each hole extending through the lock bar parallel to the second axis, the holes defined between opposing inner and outer sides of the lock bar; and 
 a button body disposed on the base body and a top side of the lock bar, the button body including a button body slot that slidingly engages a lock bar pin that extends from the top side of the lock bar along a third axis that is orthogonal to the first and second axes, the button body slidable between a distal position and a proximal position, and 
   the base has (a) a locked state in which the button body is in the proximal position and a base slide lock pin on the base slide is inserted into one of the holes in the lock bar to prevent the base slide from sliding in the base body slot and (b) an unlocked state in which the button body is in the distal position and the base slide lock pin and the one of the holes in the lock bar are separated to allow the base slide to slide in the base body slot.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the button body slot is oriented in a direction between the first and second axes such that when the button body is in the proximal position, the lock bar is disposed closer to the base slide than when the button body is in the distal position, and when the button body is in the distal position, the lock bar is disposed further from the base slide than when the button body is in the proximal position. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein:
 a distal end of the button body slot is closer to a center axis of the base than a proximal end of the button body slot,   when the button body is in the proximal position, the lock bar pin is in the distal end of the button body slot, and   when the button body is in the distal position, the lock bar pin is in the proximal end of the button body slot.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a buttress having opposing first and second ends, the first end of the buttress pivotably attached to the arm, the second end of the buttress pivotably attached to the base; and   a buttress pin guide disposed on the base body, the buttress pin guide having a buttress pin guide slot that extends parallel to the first axis, the buttress pin guide slot slidingly receiving a buttress lock pin attached at the second end of the buttress, the buttress lock pin extending parallel to the second axis,   wherein:
 the lock bar defines first and second rows of the holes, the first and second rows parallel to the first axis, 
 in the locked state, the base slide lock pin is inserted into one of the holes in the first row and the buttress lock pin is inserted into one of holes in the second row, and 
 in the unlocked state:
 the base slide lock pin is removed from the one of the holes in the first row and the buttress lock pin is removed from the one of holes in the second row, and 
 the buttress lock pin is slidable along the buttress pin guide slot to move the second end of the buttress along the first axis to thereby adjust an angle of the arm, the angle defined between an arm axis and the first axis, the arm axis extending along a length of the arm, the length measured between the first and second ends of the arm. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein when the base is in the unlocked state, the arm is pivotable between an arm stowed state in which the arm is pivoted against the base and an arm deployed state in which the arm is pivoted away from the base. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein when the first and second buttons are in the depressed state, the faceplate is pivotable between a faceplate stowed state in which the faceplate is pivoted against the arm and a faceplate deployed state in which the faceplate is pivoted away from the arm. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the apparatus is in an apparatus stowed state when the arm is in the arm stowed state and the faceplate is in the faceplate stowed state,   a height of the apparatus is smaller when the apparatus is in the apparatus stowed state than when the apparatus is in the apparatus deployed state, the height measured with respect to the third axis.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is in the apparatus stowed state when the base slide is pushed into the slot in the base body to reduce a length of the base, the length measured with respect to the first axis.