Worldwide, common carrier travel either through plane, train, bus, and similar conveyances is utilized by millions of individuals daily who typically sit in row seating that is minimal in size wherein two side by side seats typically share an armrest that is usually narrow in size. Thus the typical armrest can usually barely accommodate a single user's arm, and certainly not two adjacent passengers' arms comfortably. For shorter duration trips, i.e. commutes up to an hour, this armrest sharing issue is usually a minor inconvenience for most individuals on the common carrier. However, for longer trips, for instance greater than one hour, this armrest sharing issue can easily go from a minor inconvenience to a major inconvenience due to increased sitting fatigue, restlessness, inadvertent shifting movement of the user's arms thus accidently bumping into their neighbor passenger's arms or torso, causing an uncomfortable situation, as neighboring passengers simply want to pass the hours of time in their seat as easily and comfortably as possible. Of course this inadvertent bumping of the adjacent passenger, would most likely wake them up if they were dozing further causing an annoying situation.
In addition, to the previously described undesirable passenger bumping situation, having a way to comfortably secure and store a user's arms for themselves would increase the user's ability to comfortably doze off themselves helping to pass the hours in the cramped and tight seat quarters that they are in, thus reducing arm and shoulder fatigue for the duration of the trip. There has been recognition of this issue, mainly how to make a row seat somewhat comfortable for a significant amount of time on having to be seated for up to eighteen hours or more on an oversees airline flight. Solutions to making a confined row seat comfortable include inflatable back lumbar supports, padded neck collars, and a front inflatable pillow for a passenger to place their face upon. While these solutions have their merits, there is a major consideration of the higher volume and weight that these solutions have, as these are to be carried by the traveler passenger, where space and weight considerations are at a premium.
With the ever increasing limitations upon carry-on bags for weight and size by the common carriers, any additional bulk and weight that these seat comfort solutions provide must be minimal. Further, a consideration of the convenience of setting up the seat comfort device needs to be considered, i.e. if it needs manual inflating/deflating to stow and take with you-this is an inconvenience to consider, plus is the seating comfort solution bulky and or heavy-if so, this could be a major drawback, because travelling “light” these days is more important than ever, especially with the previously mentioned carrier restrictions on carry-on items. In addition, for the seat comfort device, if a number of straps/buckles are required, this further adds to the inconvenience, as the seat comfort device must be deployed and taken down for each leg of the traveler's trip, making for multiple setups and takedowns, adding extra time and hassle. Also, another consideration is safety, as when the traveler is using the seat comfort device, in case of an emergency, i.e. wherein the traveler would have to quickly exit their seat, the seat comfort device cannot impede the traveler's exit from the seat in any manner, as the traveler must be able to leave their seat and the seat comfort device without having to take apart of disengage anything related to the seat comfort device. Thus it is imperative that that passenger seating comfort device be of absolutely minimal size and weight to be a minimal inconvenience to the user to take with them on their travels.
The following prior art examines some of the existing solutions to passenger seat fatigue solutions. Starting with U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,069 to Booth disclosed is a travel blanket having a round elastically bordered head hole through which a traveler can extend around the traveler's head, resulting in a travel blanket that doesn't slip off downward off of the traveler's shoulders and chest. In Booth, a shortened rear portion of the blanket drapes down over a portion of the traveler's back and shoulders via just covering the shoulder blades, basically for warmth of the top of the shoulders only without a need for covering the traveler's back, as the seat back provides warmth, see FIG. 1.
Further, in Booth a much longer front portion covers the traveler's chest, torso, arms, and legs/feet resulting in somewhat of a backless blanket type poncho. Also in Booth, a pocket is positioned along the interior of the front portion for supporting the traveler's arms when the traveler's arms are positioned therein, an option for multiple pockets at different positions is also offered, such that the traveler's arms may both be placed into one pocket or the traveler's arms may be placed into their own separate pockets. Wherein in Booth, the downward weight force of the traveler's arms is retained primarily by the rounded elastic neck opening resting as against the traveler's neck and somewhat by the shortened rear portion, however, if the traveler leans forward in the airplane seat a small amount, the round neck opening will bear the arm weight pull down force as against the traveler's neck solely, making for an uncomfortable situation with the fabric edge pulling against the traveler's neck.
Next, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,243 to Peterson, disclosed is a shoulder rest double arm sling comprising a T-shaped sheet of flexible material, the laterally extending arms of the T-shaped sheet being adapted to embrace or encompass the waist of the wearer similar to a backpack, with fastening means on the outer end portions of the arms for securing the arms together. Further in Peterson, the stem portion of the T-shaped sheet is slotted plus centrally and vertically terminating in an elongated oval-shaped opening below the plane of the arms, in which an opening is adapted to accommodate the neck of the wearer, the material of the stem portion at opposite sides of the slotted opening comprising a pair of furcations, which are substantially parallel and are spaced from each other. Also in Peterson, the upper portions of the furcations being adapted to rest on the shoulders of the wearer, and the lower portions of each of the furcations terminating in a sling, with the sling being adjustable whereby the elevation and position of each sling relative to the oval-shaped opening may be changed.
Peterson essentially transfers the arm weight downward force loading from the shoulders only-as is with a typical arm sling, to the wearer's waist-being somewhat like a hiker's or camper's backpack that transfers the bulk of the backpack weight from the wearer's shoulders to their waist or hips, which results on greater comfort, as the wearer's waist or hips can accommodate the weight or force with less long term fatigue than a wearer's shoulders for the same amount of force of weight over extended periods of time.
Continuing, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,197,429 to Neseem, disclosed is a double arm sling, including two pouches, each of the two pouches configured for individually receiving one of a patient's arms, and at least one pair of half-straps. In Neseem, the pair of half-straps is configured to fasten the double arm sling around the torso of the patient. The double arm sling in Neseem may further include at least one pair of tongues coupled to the two pouches and coupled to at least one pair of half-straps, a backing portion coupled to the two pouches, and at least one back pad configured to receive the at least one pair of half straps. Neseem, like Peterson attempts to take the arm weight load or force from the wearer's shoulders, however, Neseem putting the load at mid-torso with multiple padded straps fastened about the wearer's midsection torso.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,904 to Wilson, et al. disclosed is an arm-sling vest that includes sleeveless front and back vest panels defining an opening permitting the panels to fit over a person's head so as to rest upon the shoulders. In Wilson et al., lateral edges of the panels include hook and loop fasteners for releasably and adjustably connecting the panels together about a person's torso. Further, in Wilson et al., a pair of support straps are attached to an outer surface of the front vest panel and include free ends extending therefrom. A corresponding pair of retainer patches in Wilson et al., are attached to the front vest panel and positioned above the support straps and aligned therewith, respectively.
The support straps and retainer patches in Wilson et al., include complementary fasteners such that the straps may cradle a person's forearm and be secured to a respective retainer patch. The support straps in Wilson et al., are independently operable such that a person's forearm may be cradled in a plurality of orientations. Wilson et al., somewhat like Peterson and Neseem, transfers a portion of the arm load weight and force away from just the shoulders to more of the entire torso through a snug fitting vest, via attempting to create a larger load bearing surface area as against the torso, thus relieving the shoulders from bearing the entire arm weight force loading, although in transferring the arm weight force to the torso, care must be given to not wrapping the vest about the torso so firmly as to cause discomfort from the torso being overly compressed to interfere with torso movement of human breathing.
Continuing, in the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,488 to Schrader disclosed is a sling device for securing to a waistband of a user. The sling device in Schrader extends over the left and right shoulders of the user for supporting an arm of the user. In Schrader, the device includes a first and second strap extending over the left and right shoulder of the user respectively. Each of the straps in Schrader has a first and a second end. Front and further front fasteners in Schrader are connected to the first end of the first and second straps respectively for fastening the first ends of the straps to the user's waistband. Rear and further fasteners are also connected in Schrader to the second ends of the first and second straps respectively for fastening the second ends to the waistband.
Further, in Schrader a first and second portion each having a first and second extremity are secured at the first extremities to the first and second straps respectively between the front and further front fasteners and the left and right shoulders respectively of the user. Also, in Schrader adjustable and further adjustable securing elements are secured to the second extremities of the first and second portions respectively for adjustably securing the second extremities to the first and second portions respectively between the first and second extremities thereof such that the first and second portions define an adjustable loop and a further adjustable loop respectively for adjustably supporting the arm of the user. Schrader being also somewhat like, Wilson et al., Peterson, and Neseem, removes a portion of the arm weight force from the user's shoulders via attachment to the waistband of the user, however, Schrader's narrow straps would still load the user's shoulders from the arm weight force to some extent, appearing to be close in design to pants suspenders in sizing and configuration.
What is needed is a portable, mobile, and easily removably engagable arm support apparatus that doesn't require straps, clasps, fasteners, hooks or any other type of hardware for supporting the user's arm weight or force, while the user's arm(s) are disposed within a sling, thus greatly simplifying putting on and taking off of the arm support apparatus, also resulting in a much smaller, lighter, and easy to carry apparatus. Further as previously identified in the cited prior art, reducing the arm weight force loading on the user's shoulders would be greatly desired in addition to having no loading as against the user's neck, however, in considering where that arm weight load is transferred to so as to not cause discomfort in another part of the user's body via adding loading where there was no loading before.