Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Bottom and back movable as a unit
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-06
2002-03-05
Yip, Winnie S. (Department: 3635)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Bottom and back movable as a unit
C297S344190, C297S463100, C248S188100, C248S404000, C248S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352308
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a support frame device for connecting a seat portion to an upright post, more particularly to a support frame device that is convenient to assemble and that has good structural strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional office chair generally includes a swivel base with an upright post connected to a seat portion so as to permit swiveling and easy removal thereof. The upright post is connected to the seat portion via a support frame device. For purposes of height adjustment, an upper end of the upright post is provided with a retractable pneumatic rod that extends into the support frame device. As the load borne by the chair is transferred to the upright post via the support frame device, there is a concentration of stress on the support frame device. In order to have sufficient supporting strength, the support frame device has to be formed from metal materials of preferred strength.
FIG. 1
shows a conventional support frame device
1
, which includes a base mounting plate
11
adapted to be mounted beneath a seat portion (not shown), and a spacer plate
12
disposed on a bottom portion of the base mounting plate
11
and formed with a through hole
121
. Both of the base mounting plate
11
and the spacer plate
12
are formed from a metal material. A post mounting member
122
has a periphery welded to a bottom portion of the spacer plate
12
, and is formed with an upwardly tapered hollow stem
123
that is aligned with the through hole
121
. An upright post
14
of a swivel base (not shown) is inserted via the hollow stem
123
through the through hole
121
to be retained in the hollow stem
123
and the spacer plate
12
. The post mounting member
122
is formed from a metal material of preferred strength in order to enhance the structural strength of the device
1
. One problem with the conventional support frame device
1
resides in that the process of welding the post mounting member
122
to the spacer plate
12
is troublesome. In addition, the welded parts may become brittle due to carbonization of the metal material thereof, and may consequently break upon prolonged application of shear forces generated by loads borne thereby.
FIG. 2
shows a conventional support frame device
2
including a base mounting plate
21
that has an intermediate portion punched to form a substantially U-shaped spacer plate
22
with an integrally formed downwardly extending hollow stem
23
for retaining therein an upright post
24
. Although the need to weld the hollow stem
23
to the spacer plate
22
and the associated problem are eliminated, the entire support frame device
2
has to be made of a metal material of preferred strength, which results in increased material costs.
FIG. 3
shows a conventional support frame device
3
that has a spacer plate
32
pivotally mounted to a bottom portion of a base mounting plate
31
, the spacer plate
32
having a bottom portion formed with an opening for receiving a hollow stem portion
33
of a post mounting member. The post mounting member has a square base
331
secured to the bottom portion of the spacer plate
32
through the use of rivets
332
at the four corners. In this construction, although it is only necessary to have the post mounting member to be formed from a metal material of a preferred strength or greater thickness, the riveting process is troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a support frame device for connecting a seat portion to an upright post, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
Accordingly, a support frame device for connecting a seat portion to an upright post of the present invention includes an anchoring member, an anchored member, a securing member, an annular stiffening member, and a connecting member. The anchoring member includes a base mounting plate with first right and left sides opposite to each other in a transverse direction and adapted to be mounted beneath the seat portion. Right and left anchoring plates are integrally formed with, and respectively extend from the first right and left sides of the base mounting plate in an axial direction and away from the seat portion. The anchored member includes a spacer plate with second right and left sides opposite to each other in the transverse direction, and upper and lower walls opposite to each other in the axial direction. The upper and lower walls include upper and lower peripheral edge portions, respectively, which cooperate to confine a mounting bore that defines an axis parallel to the axial direction. Right and left anchored plates are integrally formed with, and respectively extend from the second right and left sides of the spacer plate in the axial direction and away from the lower wall. The securing member is disposed to secure the right and left anchored plates respectively to the right and left anchoring plates such that the upper wall of the spacer plate cooperates with the base mounting plate to define an accommodation space in the axial direction. The stiffening member has an annular abutment end disposed to abut against the lower peripheral edge portion, and an annular seat end opposite to the annular abutment end and distal to the lower peripheral edge portion. The annular seat end cooperates with the annular abutment end to define an axial passage adapted to allow the upper end of the upright post to pass through. The connecting member includes a hollow stem having lower and upper annular ends opposite to each other in the axial direction, and an inner annular wall extending from the lower annular end to the upper annular end to confine an axial through hole adapted to permit the upper end of the upright post to move retainingly therein relative to the inner annular wall in the axial direction. A flange portion is integrally formed with, and extends from the upper annular end in radial directions. The flange portion abuts against the upper peripheral edge portion when the hollow stem is inserted into the mounting bore with the lower annular end thereof extended through the axial passage and downwardly of the annular seat end. The lower annular end is malleated to form an outwardly and radially extending flared portion that abuts against the annular seat end.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2740464 (1956-04-01), Hamilton
patent: 2921623 (1960-01-01), Humphries et al.
patent: 3547394 (1970-12-01), Wehner
patent: 3593954 (1971-07-01), Ritchle
patent: 4226398 (1980-10-01), Freber
patent: 4915449 (1990-04-01), Piretti
patent: 5630649 (1997-05-01), Heidmann et al.
patent: 6022077 (2000-02-01), Kirkland et al.
patent: 6120096 (2000-09-01), Miotto
patent: 6131997 (2000-10-01), Cao
patent: 6290296 (2001-09-01), Beggs
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Yip Winnie S.
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