Claims
- 1. A seating unit comprising:a frame member; a back bendable to different shapes for engaging and ergonomically supporting a seated user's lumbar and torso; and a belt bracket attached to the back, and having flanges that extend from the back, the flanges pivotally connecting the back to the frame member at a first connection and the back being pivoted to the frame member at a second connection spaced vertically from the first connection, the back being constrained by the first and second connections and by the flanges so that a lumbar portion of the back is adapted to engage and provide ergonomic lumbar support to the seated user.
- 2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the back is made of a flexible material.
- 3. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the back comprises a sheet.
- 4. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the back defines a curvilinear sheet shape, and wherein the flanges extend forwardly from the curvilinear sheet shape.
- 5. The seating unit defined in claim 1, including an energy mechanism generating a force that biases the lumbar portion forwardly with respect to the seated user.
- 6. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the flanges position the first connection generally at a rear of the chair's seat at a location where the first connection is adapted to be generally aligned with a pelvic bone of the seated user so that when the seated user flexes their lower back rearwardly, a pelvic portion of the back moves downwardly and rearwardly, the lumbar portion of the back moves generally flexibly rearwardly to form a more planar arrangement with the pelvic portion, and a thoracic portion of the back pivots about the second connection, the pelvic portion and the thoracic portion being flexibly interconnected by the lumbar portion and adapted to move in a manner sympathetic to movements of the seated user's back.
- 7. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the flanges extend forwardly from the back and position the first connection a distance forward from a lower front surface of the back that is adapted to be about equal to a predetermined distance calculated from an average seated adult user's hip joint to the average seated adult user's rear/lower spine bones.
- 8. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the back includes a back shell having upper and lower stiff sections connected by a flexible zone, the flexible zone being adapted to be located generally in a lumbar area of the seated user.
- 9. The seating unit defined in claim 8 wherein the flexible zone includes a plurality of horizontal slits extending generally across the back but terminating to leave uninterrupted bands of material at opposite side edges of the flexible zone.
- 10. The seating unit defined in claim 9 including a torsional lumbar support mechanism operably attached to the back shell, the torsional lumbar support mechanism biasing the flexible zone of the shell toward a forwardly-protruding convex shape for optimal lumbar support.
- 11. The seating unit defined in claim 1 including a torsional lumbar support mechanism attached to one of the first and second connections for biasing the back toward a forwardly-protruding convex shape.
- 12. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the back includes a flexible back shell, and including a vertically-adjustable lumbar support operably attached to a surface of the back shell, the vertically-adjustable lumbar support exerting a force in the lumbar portion.
- 13. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the first connection includes a protruding connector on the frame member and a mating recess in the back, the recess being configured to receive and frictionally engage the protruding connector to attach the back to the frame member.
- 14. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the frame member defines an inverted curvilinear arch.
- 15. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the frame member includes an internal metal reinforcement and an exterior polymeric covering that covers all sides of an intermediate section of the internal metal reinforcement.
- 16. The seating unit defined in claim 1 wherein the frame member includes configured ends positioned on opposing sides of a lower portion of the back, the configured ends defining first pivots for pivotal connection to the frame member and second pivots adapted for pivotal connection to sides of a seat.
- 17. The seating unit defined in claim 1, including a base, the frame member being pivoted to the base.
- 18. The seating unit defined in claim 17, including a seat operably supported on the base for movement during recline of the back.
- 19. The seating unit defined in claim 18, wherein the base, the seat and the back define a chair.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuing application of co-assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/386,668, filed Aug. 31, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,695, entitled Chair Control Having An Adjustable Energy Mechanism, which is a divisional application of co-assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/957,506, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,153, filed Oct. 24, 1997, entitled Chair with Reclineable Back and Adjustable Energy Mechanism. This file is also related to the following co-assigned patent/applications. The disclosure of each of these co-assigned patent/applications is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety:
US Referenced Citations (77)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
WO9325121 |
Dec 1993 |
WO |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Exhibit A is an ad entitled Dealing with an Uncomfortable Situation, disclosing a Therapist Model 5000 adjustable chair made by Allseating, the publication date being unknown but prior to a filing of the present application. |
Exhibit B is a product brochure entitled SoHo disclosing a SoHo product line including an adjustable chair made by Knoll International, which on p. 5, states that the seat and back move, and on p. 9 shows ribs in a shell; the publication date being unknown, but prior to a filing date of the present application. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/386668 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/491975 |
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US |