Chairs and seats – Back movement resiliently opposed in operating position – Spring centers back on pivot
Patent
1997-10-23
1999-05-18
Cuomo, Peter M.
Chairs and seats
Back movement resiliently opposed in operating position
Spring centers back on pivot
297296, 297297, 297312, 297313, 403223, 403291, 403292, 267153, A47C3/025
Patent
active
059043970
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a seating unit comprising two adjacent and mutually pivotal support elements pivotal around an axis between an initial position and a maximal flexed position and a spring element secured between the support elements and provided with a leaf spring-like means biassing the support elements into the initial position, the spring element comprising a base member arranged in the adjacent area of the support elements and engagement means provided on each side of the base member and engaging each their own support element at least one engagement means extending from the base member and into a cavity in one of the support elements such that the support elements may pivot relative to each other.
BACKGROUND ART
Seating units having a pivotal, flexible, upper backrest element and/or a front, pivotal, flexible seat element are known to enhance the seating comfort when the user adopts different sitting postures.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,702 discloses a seating unit having a front seat element connected to the rest of the seat by means of two interspaced leaf springs maintaining the front seat element in an initial position. When the front seat element is loaded, it may flex downwardly to a maximum flexed position determined by means of a separate stop.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,904 discloses a seating unit comprising a lower backrest frame part formed of two upstanding frame members and an upper backrest frame part formed of two upstanding frame members arranged in continuation in the lower frame members. A flexible spring element is secured between the two pairs of the frame members to provide a flexing of the upper backrest frame part and thus of the backrest relative to the lower backrest frame part. Each flexible spring element comprises a plastic strut provided with a centrally arranged wire and maintaining the strut under compression and limiting the elongation thereof, when the backrest is loaded during use of the seating unit.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,552 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,163 both disclose a seating unit of the above type except that the flexible spring elements between the two backrest parts each comprises a leaf spring whose opposite ends are fixed to each their own U-shaped holder members at the inner end thereof, one open end thereof facing toward the other. At the open ends the holder members are provided with restrictive flanges extending laterally outwardly and adapted to interengage to define the maximum flexed position between the two backrest frame parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a seating unit of the above type comprising a simply shaped spring element to define the initial position and the maximum flexed position of the two support elements.
The seating unit according to the invention is characterised in projecting from the base member and being pivotally received in the associated cavity for defining the maximum flexed position by abutting one inner face (21,21') of the cavity, and positionthe spring means (18, 18'; 68) of said at least one engagement means is provided with a free end co-acting with said one inner face (21,21') abutting the stop means in the maximum flexed position.
In that the projecting engagement means of the spring element and thus its stop means and spring means all are received in a cavity and thus in effect concealed, many options as to the shape and dimensioning of these are rendered without effecting the appearance of the seating unit.
According to the invention, in order to define the initial position the stop means may be adapted to abut an inner face of the cavity opposite the inner face of the cavity it abuts in the maximum flexed position and the spring means may be prestressed in the initial position. It is thus ensured that the support elements only pivot in the desired direction relative to each other and that due to the spring loading of the spring means said elements always revert to their initial position when they are not loaded, even if the spr
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patent: 3057660 (1962-10-01), Schneider
patent: 3712666 (1973-01-01), Stoll
patent: 4498702 (1985-02-01), Raftery
patent: 4549764 (1985-10-01), Haedo
patent: 4603904 (1986-08-01), Tolleson
patent: 4869552 (1989-09-01), Tolleson
patent: 5039163 (1991-08-01), Tolleson
patent: 5108149 (1992-04-01), Ambasz
Cuomo Peter M.
Hag A/S
White Rodney B.
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