Base manipulation device for office chair

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6419320
  • Patent Number
    6,419,320
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, February 28, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 16, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
  • Examiners
    • Cuomo; Peter M.
    • Edell; Joseph
    Agents
    • Kamrath; Alan
    • Rider, Bennett, Egan & Arundel, LLP
Abstract
A base manipulation device for an office chair includes a bottom plate having locking slots and pivoted with a chair base which has a rotation plate provided with a pivot plate and a drive plate. An operation bar is pivoted on the pivot plate and has a distal end pressed on the pneumatic bar. A positioning plate is secured on a rod which is moved with the drive plate. When the operation bar is driven to pivot vertically, the pneumatic bar is driven to adjust a height of a seat. When the operation bar is driven to move horizontally, the rotation plate is rotated to move the drive plate which moves the rod which moves the positioning plate to insert into or detach from one locking slot of the bottom plate, thereby achieving a purpose of adjusting an angle of inclination of the seat.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a base manipulation device for an office chair.




2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED PRIOR ART




The closest prior art of which the applicant is aware is disclosed in the Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 297246. In the said patent, the operation rod for operating the pneumatic bar


4


and the push rod


69


for operating the angle of inclination of the seat back are arranged in a separate manner, so that the operation thereof cannot be integrated, thereby causing inconvenience and difficulty in operation. In addition, the inclined angle of the seat back can be adjusted, but the inclined angle of the seat cushion cannot be adjusted, so that the design cannot suit the ergonomic and comfortable requirements.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a base manipulation device for an office chair, comprising: a seat cushion having a back face secured with a bottom plate which has a front end pivoted with a front end of a chair base which has a mediate portion mounted with a pneumatic bar, a seat back support rack having a distal end secured with a swing base which has a distal end pivoted with the mediate portion of the chair base, the bottom plate having a rear end having two sides each having a slide received in an elongated slot defined in each of two sides of the swing base, the bottom plate having a back face having a rear side secured with a locking portion defining a plurality of locking slots, wherein:




the mediate portion of the chair base has a top face provided with a rotatable rotation plate, the rotation plate is provided with an upright pivot plate and an upright drive plate, an operation bar is pivoted on the pivot plate and has a distal end that can be pressed on a control point of the pneumatic bar, a rod extends through the drive plate, a first elastic member is mounted on the rod and is urged between a first end of the rod and a first side of the drive plate, a second elastic member is mounted on the rod and is urged between a second end of the rod and a second side of the drive plate, a positioning plate is secured on the first end of the rod and is slidable in a space formed by a piece on the chair base;




when the operation bar is driven to pivot up and down, the pneumatic bar is driven to adjust a height of a seat;




when the operation bar is driven to move rightward and leftward, the rotation plate is rotated to move the drive plate which moves the rod which moves the positioning plate to insert into or detach from either one of the locking slots of the locking portion of the bottom plate, thereby achieving a purpose of adjusting an angle of inclination of the seat.




Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of a base manipulation device for an office chair in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a locally exploded perspective view of the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a side plan cross-sectional view of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a top plan cross-sectional view of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a side plan cross-sectional view of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is an operational view of

FIG. 4

in use; and





FIG. 7

is an operational view of

FIG. 5

in use.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring to

FIGS. 1-3

, a base manipulation device for an office chair in accordance with the present invention comprises a seat cushion having a back face secured with a bottom plate


4


, a seat back support rack


32


having a distal end secured with a swing base


3


, and a chair base


2


secured on a top of a pneumatic bar


1


.




The bottom plate


4


has a front end pivoted with the front end of the chair base


2


which has a mediate portion mounted with the pneumatic bar


1


. An inverted U-shaped side base


41


is secured on the back face of the bottom plate


4


, and has two side faces each having a front end defining a pivot hole and a rear end provided with a slide


43


which is received in an elongated slot


31


defined in each of two sides of the swing base


3


. The bottom plate


4


has a back face having a rear side secured with a locking portion


42


defining a plurality of locking slots


421


.




The swing base


3


has a distal end pivoted with the mediate portion of the chair base


2


, and has a front end with two side faces each defining a pivot hole


30


, and a mediate portion defining an elongated slot


31


.




A ring


21


is secured on the back face of a fixed plate


22


which is integrally soldered on the base


2


, whereby the top end of the pneumatic bar


1


may be inserted and fixed in the ring


21


, and may slightly protrude outward from the fixed plate


22


. The base


2


has two sides each having a front end defining a front pivot hole


201


and a rear end defining a rear pivot hole


202


. A pivot axle extends through the pivot hole of the side base


41


of the bottom plate


4


and the front pivot hole


201


of the base


2


, so that the bottom plate


4


is pivoted with the base


2


about the front pivot hole


201


.




A pivot axle extends through the rear pivot hole


202


of the base


2


and the pivot hole


30


of the swing base


3


, so that the swing base


3


is pivoted with the base about the rear pivot hole


202


. The slide


43


of the side base


41


of the bottom plate


4


is received in the elongated slot


31


defined in each of two sides of the swing base


3


.




A rotatable rotation plate


23


is mounted on the fixed plate


22


of the base


2


. The rotation plate


23


defines two elongated arc-shaped slots


231


,


232


, and screws extend through the elongated arc-shaped slots


231


,


232


and are then screwed on the fixed plate


22


, whereby the rotation plate


23


may be rotated along the elongated arc-shaped slots


231


,


232


.




The rotation plate


23


is provided with an upright pivot plate


233


and an upright drive plate


234


. An operation bar


25


is pivoted on the pivot plate


233


by a screw and has a distal end that can be pressed on the control point of the pneumatic bar


1


. A rod


26


extends through an elongated slot


235


defined in the drive plate


234


. A first elastic member


271


is mounted on the rod


26


and is urged between a first end of the rod


26


and a first side of the drive plate


234


, and a second elastic member


272


is mounted on the rod


26


and is urged between a second end of the rod


26


and a second side of the drive plate


234


. Each of the two elastic members


271


,


272


is urged on the drive plate


234


.




A stepwise piece


28


is secured on the fixed plate


22


of the chair base


2


, and a space is formed between the piece


28


and the fixed plate


22


. A positioning plate


24


is secured on the first end of the rod


26


to move therewith and is slidable in the space. The piece


28


defines an elongated slot


281


, whereby the distal end of the rod


26


passes through the elongated slot


281


, and is combined with the positioning plate


24


.




A seat body


29


is secured on the fixed plate


22


of the base


2


. The seat body


29


has a rim portion, and defines an arc-shaped slot


291


located adjacent to the rim portion so that the rim portion has an elastic effect. The rim portion of the seat body


29


has two ends each provided with a concave insertion portion


292


,


293


, and the rotation plate


23


has one side having a periphery provided with a lug


236


inserted into the insertion portion


292


,


293


of the rim portion of the seat body


29


. The seat body


29


has one side provided with an upright catch wall


294


for limiting the inclination of the bottom plate


4


.




When the operation bar


25


is driven to pivot up and down about the pivot plate


233


, the distal end of the operation bar


25


is pressed on the control point of the pneumatic bar


1


so that the pneumatic bar


1


can be lengthened or shortened so as to adjust the height of the seat.




If the user wishes to have an inclined state, he may lean on the seat back so that the seat cushion and the seat back produce a linking inclination as shown in

FIGS. 5 and 7

. When the operation bar


25


is driven to move rightward and leftward as shown in

FIGS. 4 and 6

, the rotation plate


23


is rotated to move the drive plate


234


which forces the elastic member


271


to push the rod


26


which moves the positioning plate


24


to move outward to insert into or detach from either one of the locking slots


421


of the locking portion


42


of the bottom plate


4


, thereby achieving a purpose of adjusting the angle of inclination of the seat.




If the user wishes to return the seat back to its original position or to adjust the other inclined angle of the seat, the operation bar


25


is driven to move to its original position, whereby the rotation plate


23


is rotated reversely so that the rod


26


produces a pre-force for returning under push of the elastic member


272


. Then, under pressure of the user on the seat back, the positioning plate


24


may detach from the locking slot


421


of the locking portion


42


of the bottom plate


4


, thereby adjusting the inclined angle of the seat or returning the seat back to its original position.




When the lug


236


of the rotation plate


23


is inserted into the insertion portion


292


,


293


of the rim portion of the seat body


29


, the rotation plate


23


may be positioned properly, thereby preventing the rotation plate


23


from rotating freely.




Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A base manipulation device for an office chair, comprising:a seat cushion having a back face secured with a bottom plate (4) which has a front end pivoted with a front end of a chair base (2) which has a mediate portion mounted with a pneumatic bar (1), a seat back support rack (32) having a distal end secured with a swing base (3) which has a distal end pivoted with said mediate portion of said chair base (2), said bottom plate (4) having a rear end having two sides each having a slide (43) received in an elongated slot (31) defined in each of two sides of said swing base (3), said bottom plate (4) having a back face having a rear side secured with a locking portion (42) defining a plurality of locking slots (421), wherein: said mediate portion of said chair base (2) has a top face provided with a rotatable rotation plate (23), said rotation plate (23) is provided with an upright pivot plate (233) and an upright drive plate (234), an operation bar (25) is pivoted on said pivot plate (233) and has a distal end that can be pressed on a control point of said pneumatic bar (1), a rod (26) extends through said drive plate (234), a first elastic member (271) is mounted on said rod (26) and is urged between a first end of said rod (26) and a first side of said drive plate (234), a second elastic member (272) is mounted on said rod (26) and is urged between a second end of said rod (26) and a second side of said drive plate (234), a positioning plate (24) is secured on said first end of said rod (26) and is slidable in a space formed by a piece (28) on said chair base (2); when said operation bar (25) is driven to pivot up and down, said pneumatic bar (1) is driven to adjust a height of a seat; when said operation bar (25) is driven to move rightward and leftward, said rotation plate (23) is rotated to move said drive plate (234) which moves said rod (26) which moves said positioning plate (24) to insert into or detach from either one of said locking slots (421) of said locking portion (42) of said bottom plate (4), thereby achieving a purpose of adjusting an angle of inclination of said seat.
  • 2. The base manipulation device for an office chair in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a seat body (29) secured on said base (2), wherein, said seat body (29) has a rim portion, and defines an arc-shaped slot (291) located adjacent to said rim portion so that said rim portion has an elastic effect, said rim portion of said seat body (29) has two ends each provided with an concave insertion portion, and said rotation plate (23) has one side having a periphery provided with a lug (236) inserted into said insertion portion of said rim portion of said seat body (29).
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Number Name Date Kind
3756654 Bauer Sep 1973 A
3837704 Bauer Sep 1974 A
3880465 Scheben Apr 1975 A
4383714 Ishida May 1983 A
4561693 Brownlie et al. Dec 1985 A
6000756 Hybarger et al. Dec 1999 A
6003943 Schneider Dec 1999 A
6213552 Miotto Apr 2001 B1