Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Tiltable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-12-11
Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Tiltable
C297S326000, C248S397000, C248S371000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328380
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adjustment device for chairs, especially chairs adapted to be used by handicapped persons, comprising a seat, which by means of the adjustment device can be set in different angular positions. The main surface plane of the seat can be inclined from a horizontal position both forwards and backwards for the purpose of achieving an adjusted position matching the intended use of the chair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior art chairs of similar type intended for use by persons suffering from different handicaps, especially spasticity, exhibit seats, which can be brought into different angular positions with the aid of various piston-cylinder arrangements. In this type of adjustment devices the piston movement in the cylinder is controlled by means of a manually operated valve and the device functions against a spring means continuously striving to tilt the seat into a position inclined forwards or backwards in response to the structural arrangement of the device. The most usual arrangement is that the structure with the aid of the spring member holds the seat in a forwards inclined position, which is altered when the control cylinder device is opened-by means of a lever and a person sits down on the seat. The angular position is then changed to an outer end position, somewhat inclined backwards. By actuation of the control lever for the cylinder device the seat can be brought into a desired position yielding a comfortable seating, the seat being then by the spring automatically tilted forwards into the position corresponding to release of the control lever for the piston-cylinder device. However, this technical solution has proved inconvenient to persons suffering from certain types of handicap, particularly spasticity. If the control lever is not handled correctly the result may be that the person can actually fall out from the chair.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an adjustment device eliminating those drawbacks by offering a chair device permitting the seat to be in a stepless and simple manner brought into a desired position without any risk of actuation of its control device resulting in the seat tilting forwards to its extreme angular position where it is inclined forwards. This has been achieved by means of an adjustment device constituted by a threaded rod or adjustment spindle rotatable by means of a wheel and the threads of which have a pitch, which in combination with the rotation speed of the control wheel determines the position adjustment speed of the seat.
Thanks to the present invention there has been provided an adjustment device, which in an excellent way satisfies its purpose and by means of which the handicapped person can himself very easily adjust the chair seat to the desired position. An additional function of the device according to the invention is that, during and after the adjustment proper, the seat is always automatically maintained locked in exactly the latest selected position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2731074 (1956-01-01), Steinle
patent: 3640566 (1972-02-01), Hodge
patent: 4153294 (1979-05-01), Meiller et al.
patent: 4445661 (1984-05-01), Langmesser, Jr. et al.
patent: 4460144 (1984-07-01), Kazaoka et al.
patent: 486863 (1978-04-01), None
patent: 581818 (1946-10-01), None
Barfield Anthony D.
Mercado Medic AG
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
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