JP7464242B2 - Posture correction support - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a posture correction supporter. Hereinafter, it may be simply referred to as a "supporter."

Modern people often maintain the same posture for long periods of time due to desk work, and as a result, many people have poor posture. A typical symptom of this is hunched back.

It is said that poor posture causes the body to lose balance and puts strain on only certain muscles, leading to a variety of ailments such as stiff shoulders, back pain, and headaches.

In order to correct posture and restore balance to the body, various corrective devices are commercially available and patent applications have been filed (for example, see the prior art documents below). However, each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the reality is that there are few products that are fully satisfactory.

Patent Publication 2010-104707 Patent Publication 2014-204777 Patent Publication No. 2018-11693

The posture correction supporter of the present invention was developed with the aim of improving on current products, taking into consideration the following points.
(1) Thin and lightweight, comfortable to wear, and unnoticeable from the outside;
(2) By incorporating bones (core material) in the appropriate positions, the posture correction ability is improved.

Regarding (1) the fit, the following shortcomings were found in the current commercially available products. That is, the overall rolled edges create unevenness, which can cause the contact area to take on a shape or feel hard when worn for long periods of time, making it uncomfortable. Also, products with bones in the back have bones that are layered over the bones to keep them in place, or wide tape is sewn into place at the sides of the bones, which further increases the unevenness and leads to discomfort.

(2) Regarding bones, the following shortcomings have been found in the current commercially available products. Namely, when one bone is used, it is too far away from the shoulder blade, making it difficult to obtain a fulcrum effect on the shoulder blade. Even when two bones are used, the distance between the two bones is only about 2 cm, so the effect obtained is not much different from that when one bone is used. Also, some bones are too hard or too long, which significantly impedes body movement.

The present invention improves on these points in general.

The present invention is a posture correction supporter having a back belt 2 and two shoulder belts 3, 4 extending from the central upper end of the back belt 2, the back belt 2 having a main body 20 and hook-and-loop fasteners 21, 22 provided on both left and right ends of the main body 20, the main body 20 having a first central portion 201 and second portions 202, 203 located on both sides thereof and having greater elasticity than the first portion, the first portion 201 and the second portions 202, 203 being free-cut all around, the first portion 201 being bonded to a non-elastic fabric 204 by hot melt without being sewn thereto, thereby eliminating its elasticity, a pair of bones 5 extending vertically near the center of the first portion 201, the distance between the pair of bones 5 being about 3 cm to 5 cm, each of the bones 5 being sandwiched and fixed between the first portion 201 and the non-elastic fabric 204, and being adapted to abut a position along the inner edge of the wearer's shoulder blade.

Preferably, the bones are non-metallic, each bone is 13-17 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, and the distance between the bones is approximately 3-5 cm.

Preferably, the first portion 201 is bonded to a non-stretchable fabric 204 to eliminate its stretchability, and the bone 5 is sandwiched and fixed between the first portion 201 and the non-stretchable fabric 204.

The posture correction supporter of the present invention is thin and lightweight, comfortable to wear, and unnoticeable from the outside. In addition, the bone of the appropriate length is placed at a position along the inner edge of the wearer's shoulder blade, so that the shoulder blade can be effectively moved by pulling the shoulder joint backward using this position as a fulcrum, thereby enhancing posture correction power.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a posture correcting supporter according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a person wearing the supporter of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of a person wearing the supporter of the present embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1 to 10 show the first embodiment of the present invention, which is a posture correction supporter.

As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the supporter 1 of this embodiment has a back support belt 2 that covers the upper back and extends to the left and right, and two shoulder belts 3, 4 that run from the upper center end of the back support belt 2 to the left and right shoulders. In this embodiment, the back support belt 2 is approximately 80 cm to 90 cm long and approximately 20 cm to 30 cm high at its highest point. The shoulder belts 3, 4 are approximately 70 cm to 80 cm long.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the back support belt 2 consists of a main body 20 and hook-and-loop fasteners 21, 22 provided on both the left and right ends of the main body. The main body 20 consists of a first part 201 in the center and second parts 202, 203 located on either side of it and having greater elasticity than the first part 201. The hook-and-loop fasteners 21, 22 are non-elastic and have female and male members that are attached to each other. The hook-and-loop fasteners are shown in the drawings with a matte pattern.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first part 201 and the second parts 202 and 203 of the back support belt 2 are made of stretchy fabric such as polyester or nylon, with the entire circumference being free-cut. However, the first part 201 is joined to a non-stretchy fabric 204 (see Figures 7 and 8), which eliminates stretchability at that part. This creates a difference in stretchability between the non-stretchy first part 201 and the second parts 202 and 203, which are made only of stretchy free-cut fabric.

The first portion 201 and the non-stretchable fabric 204 are joined together by hot melt gluing, not by sewing. Because the entire surface is glued together with hot melt, fraying of the edges is unlikely to occur even if the non-stretchable fabric 204 is not free cut. Also, by not sewing, the garment does not feel stiff when worn.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of bones 5 (sometimes called "stays") of approximately equal length that extend vertically are attached near the center of the first part 201. As shown in Fig. 7, the bones 5 are fixed by being sandwiched between the first part 201 and the non-stretch fabric 204. The preferred attachment position of the two bones 5 is to abut a position along the inner edge of the wearer's shoulder blade. By providing the bones at this position, the shoulder joint can be pulled backward with this position as a fulcrum, and the shoulder blade can be moved effectively. Each bone is, for example, approximately 13 cm to 17 cm long and approximately 1.5 cm to 2.5 mm wide. The distance between the two bones is approximately 3 cm to 5 cm.

The material of each bone 5 may be either metal (aluminum, steel, etc.) or non-metallic (PET, PP, etc.). Metallic bones are usually bent by hand to fit the curves of the body, but non-metallic bones can be bent depending on their degree of stretch when worn, and it is preferable to use non-metallic bones in this invention.

The hook-and-loop fasteners 21 and 22 are formed by bonding together a non-stretchable fabric on the back side and a pile fabric on the front side. The boundaries between the second portions 202 and 203 and the hook-and-loop fasteners 21 and 22 are sewn flush.

Shoulder belts 3 and 4 with high elasticity are provided on the upper surface of the back support belt 2. When worn, the shoulder belts 3 and 4 must be strong enough to press each of the hard bones 5 against the torso when pulled.

Each of the shoulder belts 3, 4 is made of a single piece of tape, one end of which is sewn and fixed to the top of the first section 201 on the extension of each bone, and a hook-and-loop fastener section 31, 41 is provided at the free end. After the shoulder belts 3, 4 cross over each other on the back side of the wearer, the hook-and-loop fastener section 31, 41 at the free end can be attached to the hook-and-loop fastener 21, 22 of the back support belt. A small band 6 (see Figures 2 and 10) is provided at the crossing point of the shoulder belts 3, 4. This small band 6 allows the belt to pass through it, but prevents the belt from moving around inadvertently.

The method of wearing this posture correction supporter 1 is the same as that of conventional devices of this type. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the hook-and-loop fasteners 21, 22 of the back support belt 2 are pulled around the back toward the chest and attached to each other. Next, the shoulder belts 3, 4 are pulled to pass over the left and right shoulders, crossing them on the back side, and the hook-and-loop fasteners 31, 41 at the ends of the shoulder belts are attached to the hook-and-loop fasteners 21, 22 of the back support belt. The degree of tightness of the bone 5 can be adjusted by adjusting the attachment positions of the shoulder belt hook-and-loop fasteners 31, 41.

1 Posture correction supporter 2 Back support belt 20 Main body 201 First portion 202, 203 Second portion 204 Non-stretchable fabric 21, 22 Hook-and-loop fastener portion 3, 4 Shoulder belt 31, 41 Hook-and-loop fastener portion 5 Bones 6 Small band

Claims (2)

A posture correction supporter having a back support belt (2) and two shoulder belts (3, 4) extending from the central upper end of the back support belt (2),
The back support belt (2) has a main body (20) and hook-and-loop fasteners (21, 22) provided on both the left and right ends of the main body (20),
The main body portion (20) has a first portion (201) in the center and second portions (202, 203) located on both sides of the first portion and having greater elasticity than the first portion,
The first portion (201) and the second portion (202, 203) are cut freely all around,
The first portion (201) is bonded to the non-elastic fabric (204) by hot melt adhesive without sewing, thereby eliminating the stretchability.
A pair of bones (5) extending vertically in the vicinity of the center of the first portion (201),
The distance between the pair of bones (5) is about 3 cm to 5 cm;
The bones (5) are fixed by being sandwiched between the first part (201) and the non-elastic fabric (204), and are adapted to contact positions along the inner edges of the wearer's shoulder blades. 2. The posture correction supporter according to claim 1, wherein the bones are made of non-metallic material and each bone is 13 cm to 17 cm long and 1.5 cm to 2.5 mm wide.

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