Two local women create patent for elevator emergencies

ST JOSEPH, Mich. – Two St Joseph women created a patent for a product they say could help people in emergency situations.

Rhonda Hummel got the idea for her patent from a Facebook story where an elderly woman was trapped in an elevator with one other person. She couldn’t stand the full time that it took for rescuers to arrive, so the man in the elevator got on his hands and knees to let her sit on his back. Weeks later after reading the story, the situation bothered Hummel, “That’s terrible that she had to rely on another person. What if he wouldn’t have been there?”

She teamed up with Raye Nassah, and they decided to make a difference. They thought of an emergency relief chair for elevators, called Urgent!Seat

The pair quickly brainstormed what the seat would look like. They began speaking to professionals from physical therapists to neurologists and even engineers. It took a year to patent the chair, but four years were put into the innovative and meticulous details.

“Each chair has straps that hug a person for comfort or for an elderly person who can’t sit up straight. Uh it has a table that you can pull out and put your medical supplies on,” Hummel explained.

The inventors say this product isn’t only for the elderly – it can be helpful for wounded warriors, pregnant women, and even children with disabilities. The ladies hope legislation is created that requires Urgent!Seat everywhere. “We can give to our community, we can give to our world. Because it’s not only the United States that needs it but the whole world can come in on this,” said Hummel.

For more information, head over to UrgentSeat.com.