Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a chair of the type suitable for use in an office environment and, more particularly, to a reclining office chair having several structural and operating features which offer a number of ergonomic advantages over the prior art including a highly functional and aesthetically pleasing chair back.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over many years attempts have been made to design chairs for use in office environments which are comfortable to use and thereby avoid user fatigue over prolonged use. In one simple form a chair may be provided with a swivel base for ease of turning and include a control mechanism which permits the chair to rock. A disadvantage of these relatively simple chairs is that conjoint rocking motion of the chair seat and back naturally lifts the user's feet off the floor, which can create stability problems and place upward force on the front of the user's thighs which can reduce fluid circulation in the user's legs.
To improve on the foregoing chair construction, chair controls are known which provide for synchronous movement of the chair seat and back. Where office chairs are concerned, a “synchronous control” means the arrangement of a combined or dependent back adjustment and seat adjustment, that is to say the adjustment of the back inclination fundamentally also results in an adjustment of the sitting surface. An example of a synchronous chair control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,345, issued to Olson and assigned to the common assignee herein. With the aforementioned Olson control, the chair back is designed to tilt at one predetermined rate of recline while the seat tilts synchronously at a much lesser rate. The result is that the user's feet are not lifted from the floor when the back is reclined. Also, fluid circulation in the user's legs is not interrupted by substantial upward movement of the forward end of the seat. Another advantage of this control is that undesirable “shirt pull” is minimized by the strategic location of the tilt axis. Other examples of synchronous chair controls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,274 and 5,860,701 to name a few.
Another feature embodied in recently designed office chairs that offers considerable ergonomic advantages is a tilt limiter feature for the chair back. With such a mechanism built into the chair control, the user may selectively set the degree of back recline at a predetermined angle thereby adding to comfort as the chair is used. An example of such a tilt limiter mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,477 issued to Kurtz and assigned to the common assignee herein. This particular mechanism offers the advantage of providing for infinitely variable angles of tilt within a predetermined overall range. The mechanism is also highly cost-effective to construct.
Yet another feature of current ergonomically designed chairs is the provision of height and pivot adjustable arm pads. Such a feature is particularly advantageous in providing the user with additional support to the arms, forearms, wrists and shoulders in order to minimize repetitive stress injuries when the user is keyboarding, for example, while seated in the chair. An example of such an adjustable arm pad is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,221 issued to Neil. One advantage of the '221 structure is that it uses gas cylinders for arm pad height adjustment and thus is easily adjusted with the push of a single button.
Yet another feature of current ergonomically designed office chairs includes an adjustable lumbar support mechanism for providing preselected chair back tension in the region of the user's lower back. An adjustable lumbar support allows the chair user to select a comfortable level of pressure on the lower back depending upon the specific office task being performed. Such a mechanism is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,652.
Still another feature of certain ergonomically designed office chairs, particularly of recent vintage, is the incorporation of fabric mesh into the construction of the chair seat, and/or back. While mesh materials are well-known in the construction of lawn furniture seating, it has only been relatively recently that such materials have been used successfully in office seating. These materials offer the advantage of enhanced air circulation for and consequent heat transfer from the chair user's body, which can improve the comfort of the chair. An example of the use of such fabric mesh in an office chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,521 issued to Stumpf et al.
Yet another feature of certain ergonomically designed chairs is the provision of a seat cushion having the capability of effecting heat transfer from the chair user's buttocks area while at the same time offering comfort to the user while seated, together with adequate support. Known seat cushions having such capability may involve a passive or active air flow circulation feature of the type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,706.
The below described chair is a totally redesigned ergonomic chair that incorporates improved functional aspects in all areas of a modular chair construction and in its use, including tilt limit control, seat adjustment, arm adjustment, lumbar support, cushion airflow, mesh attachment and modular base frame assembly.
The various subfeatures of these modular components are the subject of the following individual applications filed of even date herewith, all commonly assigned, the disclosures of which are incorporated in full by reference:
Multi-position Tilt Limiting Mechanism, Pat. No. 6,616,231;
Locking Device for Chair Seat Horizontal Adjustment Mechanism, Pat. No. 6,688,692;
Height and Pivot Adjustable Chair Arm, Pat. No. 6,702,386;
Lumbar Support for a Chair, Pat. No. 6,572,190;
Body Support Member, Pat. No. 6,598,251;
Ergonomic Chair, Pat. No. 6,609,755;
Chair of Modular Construction, Pat. No. 6,568,760.
A complete understanding of the present invention and other objects, advantages and features thereof will be gained from a consideration of the present specification which provides a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using the invention, set forth in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same in compliance with Title 35 U.S.C. §112 (first paragraph). Furthermore the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing provided herein represents examples of the invention in compliance with Title 35 U.S.C. §112 (first paragraph), but the invention itself is defined in the claims section attached hereto.
In each of these cases, features combine to provide an overall chair that is a significant improvement over the prior art.
Thus, for example, the new ergonomic chair provides a reclining chair having a four bar linkage system that causes the rear of the seat to elevate as the back is reclined lending an unusual and comfortable balance during reclining. A tilt limit control conveniently and effectively limits the degree of chair back tilt to one of three reclined positions by manual movement of a simple lever. Horizontal positioning of the chair seat cushion is accomplished using a simple locking device that allows the chair user to simply lift up on the front of the cushion and select a preferred horizontal cushion position. Height and pivot adjustable chair arms are actuated with the push of a button by gas cylinders lending convenient adjustment to suit a specific work task. A lumbar support is easily height adjustable, by providing tension to the back frame and requires no screws or adjustment knobs in its adjustment mechanism. A modular cushion includes a comfortable heat absorbing gel layer and is vented uniquely for air circulation. The back of the chair is of fabric mesh construction and includes a novel attachment system for superior comfort. The base of the chair is of modular construction that provides for ease of assembly and lends rigidity to the chair construction.
The present invention improves over the prior art by providing a back for a chair including a fabric panel with a flexible carrier attached to the panel around its periphery. The carrier is configured to be secured along a bottom edge to a bottom portion of a chair back frame member. The carrier is also secured to two vertical frame supports at its two upper corners. Preferably, the upper carrier and frame connections are ball and socket joints.
The foregoing and other novel features and advantages of the invention will be better understood upon a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
a is an exploded perspective view thereof;
a is a bottom plan view of the chair without a central support module.
a is a diagrammatic elevation view of the chair illustrating pivot points.
a is a diagrammatic elevation view of the chair showing the pivot points when the chair is in a reclined position.
While the present is open to various modifications and alternative constructions, the preferred embodiments illustrating the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out their invention are shown in the various figures of the drawing and will be described herein in detail pursuant to Title 35 U.S.C. §112 (first paragraph). It is understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the particular embodiments, forms or examples which are disclosed herein. To the contrary the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalent structures and methods and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as express in the appended Claims section attached hereto pursuant to Title 35 U.S.C. §112 (second paragraph).
Referring now to the drawings, and initially to
As shown in
The relative portions of the seat 12 and back 14 of the chair 10, during reclining of the back 14, can be seen in the side views of
Shown now in
The kinematics of the chair 10 are illustrated in
It can now be appreciated that a chair 10 constructed according to the invention offers considerable advantages in user comfort by virtue of its synchronous linkage construction particularly where it is used for prolonged periods of time. The chair 10 is also cost effective to manufacture and assemble.
Turning now to
In accordance with the invention the back assembly 14 includes a transverse lumbar support tube 120 having gripping means 122 on each of its opposed ends, together with a pair of spaced slide members 124. A cross-section of the gripping means 122 can be seen in
Alternative lumbar support systems using the mesh 36 and carrier 38 assembly can be seen in
In
Yet another novel and highly functional feature of the chair 10 that offers ergonomic advantages over the prior art is the construction of the chair back 14. As previously noted, the back 14 is designed to be formed of a panel of fabric mesh 36 which is preferably of an open weave type known in the art. The construction of the fabric mesh 36 may have a variety of weave configurations. One configuration that has proved to be advantageous is shown in FIG. 31 comprising vertical strands 220 of multifilament yarn and horizontal monofilaments 222. The monofilaments 222 in this construction can be seen to cross over the strands 220 and also crisscross over each other thereby locking the strands 220 in place.
In order to support the mesh 36 around its edges, the aforementioned carrier 38 is used. The physical connection of the carrier 38 to the mesh 36 may be performed in a number of ways. However, a most reliable connection is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,562.
In order to support the chair back 14, in accordance with the invention and referring once again to
It can now be appreciated that a chair back construction as just described offers considerable ergonomic advantages. The use of open mesh 36 allows the chair back 14 to not only breathe, but to flex in conformity with the back of the user. The back 14 is also highly cost effective to manufacture and assemble.
The above specification describes in detail several preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other examples, embodiments, modifications and variations will under both the literal claim language and the doctrine of equivalents come within the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. Still other alternatives will also be equivalent as will many new technologies. There is no desire or intention here to limit in any way the application of the doctrine of equivalents nor to limit or restrict the scope of the invention.
This application is a continuing application of application Ser. No. 09/882,140 and claims priority therefrom, the earlier application having been filed on Jun. 15, 2001 with the title of “Chair Back Construction” and is commonly assigned with the present application. Application Ser. No. 09/882,140 is incorporated herein in full by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050121954 A1 | Jun 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09882140 | Jun 2001 | US |
Child | 10991626 | US |