Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Tiltable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-25
2003-03-25
Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Tiltable
C297S320000, C297S300400, C297S301300, C297S296000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06536841
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates to nestable chairs and pedestal supported chairs, and also relates to chairs having a reclineable back and a seat that moves with a synchronous motion upon recline of the back. The present invention further relates to chairs with components made from a few polymeric moldings that are easily assembled.
Modern consumers demand comfort and style in their chairs, but also demand cost-effective solutions given the highly competitive furniture industry. Further, the chairs must be durable and rugged, yet preferably should be mechanically simple, easily assembled, lightweight, and use low-cost components. Still further, many consumers want a modernistic appearance and one that takes advantage of modern materials, part-forming processes, and assembly techniques. Often consumers need chairs that are mobile and that can be stored in dense arrangements that minimize the storage space required. A problem is that these requirements create conflicting design criteria. For example, low-cost chairs tend to be less comfortable and less stylized. Chairs that are more comfortable, such as synchrotilt chairs, have more expensive components and greater assembly costs, are not stackable nor nestable for dense storage, and are usually too heavy to be lifted and/or stacked for storage.
Accordingly, a chair having the aforementioned advantages and features, and solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a chair includes a base subassembly having a vertically adjustable post, a seat pivotally supported atop the post at a seat pivot, and a reclineable back pivoted to the seat at a back pivot. A link has upwardly-directed sections pivoted to a lower portion of the back at a top link pivot and a downwardly-directed section pivoted to an upper rear portion of the base rearward of the post at a bottom link pivot. The base subassembly, the seat, the back, and the link are pivoted together to form a four-bar linkage arrangement with at least one of the pivots including a torsion biasing device for biasing the four-bar linkage arrangement to bias the back toward an upright position.
In another aspect of the present invention, a chair includes a base subassembly, a seat pivotally supported atop the base subassembly at a seat pivot, and a reclineable back pivoted to the seat at a back pivot. At least one link is pivoted to a lower portion of the back at a top link pivot and pivoted to an upper rear portion of the base rearward of the post at a bottom link pivot, the base, the seat, the back, and the link being pivoted together to form a four-bar linkage arrangement. Armrests are pivoted to one of the back, the seat and the base subassembly, each armrest being operably supported for movement to a use position generally above an associated edge of the seat for supporting a seated user's forearm, and for movement to a storage position that is remote from the associated edge of the seat, such that the edges of the seat are open and unobstructed for a seated user to enter the seat from a selected one of the edges of the seat.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a chair includes a base, a seat, and a reclineable back operably connected together to form a seating unit providing synchronous motion of the seat upon recline of the back. Armrests are pivoted to the seating unit at armrest pivots for movement between a horizontal use position where the armrests extend forward of the back and a vertical use position where the armrests extend vertically from the armrest pivots, the armrests when in the storage positions being located substantially behind a front surface of a lumbar area of the back.
In another aspect of the present invention, a chair includes a base subassembly, a seat pivotally supported atop the base subassembly at a seat pivot, a reclineable back pivoted to the seat at a back pivot, and a link having upwardly-directed sections pivoted to a lower portion of the back at a top link pivot and a downwardly-directed section pivoted to an upper rear portion of the base rearward of the post at a bottom link pivot. The base subassembly, the seat, the back, and the link are pivoted together to form a four-bar linkage arrangement with at least one of the base subassembly, the seat, the back and the link having a tubular structural section with a hollow elongated core.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a base for a chair includes structural side members each including front and rear legs, and a structural transverse member rigidly interconnecting the structural side members. At least one of the structural members includes an elongated hollow closed section with a longitudinally-extending internal cavity that is non-uniform in cross section at different longitudinal locations, the close section being formed of molded plastic material capable of being molded by a gas-assisted injection molding process.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a chair component for supporting a seated user, such as is usable to support a seated user's back, buttocks or forearms, includes a relatively flat one-piece component shaped to support a body part of a seated user. The component includes a relatively stiff perimeter section defining a ring area and a sheet-like flexible panel filling the ring area and extending between different portions of the perimeter section. The perimeter section has a tubular construction and includes a longitudinally-extending internal cavity that extends around the perimeter section to provide a high strength to weight ratio. The flexible panel is integrally formed of the same material of the perimeter section but is relatively thin and further includes slots arranged to provide flexure to the flexible panel for improved comfort to a seated user.
These and other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill upon reading the following description and claims together with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Discloses a webpagewww.theknollshop.com/sbd/knollshop/home.nsf,showing a “Toledo” chair manufactured by Knoll Int'l. and made public prior to the filing date of the present application.
Battey Robert J.
Groendal Dale M.
Heidmann Kurt R.
Pearce Peter J.
Smith Bruce M.
Barfield Anthony D.
Price Heneveld Cooper Dewitt & Litton
Steelcase Development Corporation
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