Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6425637
-
Patent Number
6,425,637
-
Date Filed
Monday, April 19, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, July 30, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Price, Heneveld, Cooper & Litton
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 297 45246
- 297 45247
- 297 1801
- 297 18014
- 297 45231
- 297 45232
- 297 45233
- 297 18011
- 297 18013
- 297 45248
- 297 45255
- 297 45256
- 297 45242
- 297 45243
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A chair includes a base, a back, and a seat with at least one of the back and seat including a cushion made from a non-woven fibrous material. A method includes steps of cutting a blank from a sheet of non-woven fibrous material, forming the blank into a preformed cushion shaped to support one of a user's back or buttock and thighs, and attaching the preformed cushion to a support panel to provide a stiffened cushion assembly and covering the cushion assembly to provide an aesthetically covered chair component.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cushion constructions for furniture having improved cushioning properties.
Chairs having upholstery covered cushions on their seat and backs are known. The cushions provide a cushioning effect that conforms at least somewhat to a seated user's body to provide increased comfort. A common cushion in chairs is a polyurethane open-celled foam cushion that is preformed to an initial shape. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,153, to Armitage et al., issued Jan. 12, 1998, entitled
Cushion Manufacturing Process
, discloses one such cushion manufacturing process utilizing a polyurethane foam. A problem is that the polyurethane will degrade over time, leading to breakdown of the polyurethane foam that generates dust and a degradation of cushioning properties. The dust and breakdown potentially adds to environment dust in the building where the chair is located. Also, the breakdown and loss of material results in changes to the cushioning support provided by the cushion. Polyurethane foam cushions also suffer from other disadvantages. Polyurethane foam is not recyclable, leading to increased landfill costs when scrap is generated. Further, the polyurethane foam typically has a pinched-off edge or weld line of higher density material running around its perimeter. The higher density material can cause quality problems, both in terms of poor appearance due to its roughness, stiffness, and protruding nature, and also in terms of an unattractive bumpy feel when a person sits on or feels the fabric covering the higher density material. Still another problem is caused when a seated user sweats against a polyurethane foam cushion, because the polyurethane foam cushions are sometimes not able to wick away the sweat (or at least not fast enough), depending on the foam and the volume of sweat.
Accordingly, an improved cushion construction for furniture is desired that solve the aforementioned problems and have the aforementioned advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a chair includes a base, a back, and a seat. At least one of the back and seat include a support panel, a cushion thereon made from a non-woven fibrous mat, and upholstery covering at least a side of the cushion. In a narrower form, the non-woven fibrous mat comprises polyethylene terephathalate (PET) that is recyclable, with at least some fibers being from reground pop bottles and similar containers.
In another aspect of the present invention, a chair component manufactured for use in a chair includes a flexible support panel having a support surface shaped to support one of a seated user's back or a seated user's buttocks and thighs. A relatively thin cushion made from a non-woven fibrous mat of polymeric strands covers the support surface of the support panel, and upholstery covers the cushion. In a narrower form, the upholstery is wrapped around edges of the support panel and secured to a reverse side of the support panel.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method includes steps of cutting a blank from a sheet of non-woven fibrous material, forming the blank into a preformed cushion shaped to support one of a user's back or buttock and thighs. In a narrower form, the method includes a step of attaching the preformed cushion to a support panel to provide a stiffened cushion assembly.
These and other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill upon reading the following description and claims together with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2
are front and rear perspective views of a chair embodying the present inventions;
FIG. 3
is an exploded front perspective view of the back construction shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through a center of the back construction showing in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5 and 6
are enlarged views of the circled areas V and VI in
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective view of the stiffened cushion subassembly shown in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of the cover assembly shown in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 9
is a rear view of the cushion assembly shown in
FIG. 3
, including the stiffened cushion subassembly and the cover assembly;
FIG. 10
is a front perspective view, partially broken away, showing the back construction of
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 11
is a rear view of a modified cushion assembly similar to that shown in
FIG. 9
, but with edge stiffener legs extending downwardly along side edges of the cushion pad;
FIG. 12
is a side view of the modified cushion assembly shown in
FIG. 11
;
FIG. 13
is a flow diagram showing a method of assembly; and
FIG. 14
is a force versus deflection curve comparing the novel cushion of non-woven PET fibers to a conventional polyurethane foam cushion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A chair
20
(
FIGS. 1 and 2
) embodying the present invention includes a base
21
, a back upright or arch-shaped back frame
22
, a seat
23
, and a back construction
24
. The base
21
includes a control housing
25
, with fixed side support structures
26
extending laterally and upwardly from the control housing
25
. The back upright
22
is movable between an upright position and a reclined position. The back construction
24
(
FIG. 3
) includes a back support shell
27
(also referred to as a “back support”) attached to the back upright
22
(FIG.
4
), and further includes a cushion assembly
28
(
FIG. 3
) attached to the back support shell
27
with quick-attach hooking top connection
29
and a “zip-lock” type bottom connection
30
. The cushion assembly
28
includes a cover assembly
31
(
FIG. 8
) having an upholstery front panel
32
and a rear panel
33
forming a sock that can be inverted and “pulled” upwardly onto a cushion
35
and cushion stiffener
34
as the cover assembly
31
is inverted. The rear panel
33
includes a first sheet/fabric section
36
having a one-directional stretch in a vertical direction, and further includes a lower second fabric section
37
having a high-stretch property. The second section
37
hangs downwardly from the front panel
32
and has a strip of stiff material
38
sewn along its lower edge to form the stiffened edge flange
39
noted below, which stiffened edge flange
39
forms part of the bottom connection
30
. The stretchable second section
37
, in combination with the other structure of top and bottom connections
29
and
30
, allow for quick assembly, yet provide for a tensioned cover assembly
31
on the back construction
24
that tends to remain flat and unwrinkled, even with considerable flexure of the back construction
24
in the lumbar region of the back construction
24
.
The present description of chair
20
is believed to be sufficient for an understanding of the present combination. Nonetheless, it is noted that a more detailed description of the chair
20
can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,258, issued Feb. 16, 1999, entitled
Chair with Novel Seat Construction
, and also in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/957,473, filed Oct. 24, 1997, entitled
Chair Including Novel Back Construction
, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. It is to be understood that a scope of the present invention includes using the present attachment and construction methods in combination with different office chairs, but also in many other chairs and seating where upholstery covering is desired, such as in couches, lounge seating, mass transit seating, automotive or bus seating, and stadium seating, or also in other upholstery-covered furniture, such as padded desking furniture and the like, and also in non-furniture situations where upholstery or sheeting must be attached to a flexible or bendable component in a wrinkle-free manner.
The back support shell
27
(
FIG. 4
) comprises a sheet of polypropylene material or similar engineering-type stiff structural material, and includes relatively stiff thoracic and pelvic sections
41
and
42
connected by a flexible lumbar section
43
. The back support shell
27
is relatively stiff in a plane defined by the sheet, but is flexible in the lumbar section
43
in a direction perpendicular to the sheet. The thoracic and pelvic sections
41
and
42
are attached to the back frame
22
at top and bottom pivot locations
44
and
45
, and the lumbar section
43
protrudes forwardly from the thoracic and pelvic sections
41
and
42
. A belt bracket
46
extends parallel a lower edge of the pelvic section
42
, and includes forwardly extending side flanges
47
each having a hole defining the bottom pivot location
45
. The belt bracket
46
is encapsulated in an enlarged section
48
that extends along the lower edge of the pelvic section
42
, and forms a horizontal recess
49
defined between a longer rear lip
50
and a shorter front lip
51
. Slots
52
extend horizontally across a center area of the lumbar section
44
to form horizontal bands
54
, but terminate short of the edges of the lumbar section
44
to define vertical side edge bands
55
(FIG.
3
). The horizontal and vertical bands
54
and
55
are semi-flexible and designed to be sufficient in size and strength to provide the support desired. Due to the locations of top and bottom pivot locations
44
and
45
and also due to the shape and characteristics of the sections
41
-
43
and belt bracket
46
, the back support shell
27
flexes significantly in the lumbar area, but rotates along a predetermined path a substantial amount around the bottom pivot location
45
and to a lesser extent around the top pivot location
44
. This results is significant wrinkling of the upholstery material, unless the back construction
24
is constructed to compensate and make up for this high flexure, and the high compressing and stretching of the surfaces (i.e., the upholstery) in the lumbar section
44
.
The thoracic section
41
(
FIG. 6
) includes a ridge
57
along its upper edge and a series of hooks
58
spaced below the ridge
57
that project forwardly and then upwardly. A pair of apertures
59
is spaced below the hooks
58
. The apertures
59
are positioned to receive screws
60
(
FIG. 4
) that extend rearwardly through the apertures
59
into threaded engagement with bosses
61
near a top of the arch-shaped back frame
22
. The apertures
59
are recessed to create a rearwardly deformed pocket to receive a head of the screws
60
as desired. A pair of alignment stops
62
′ is located in the recesses on a front of the back support shell
27
adjacent apertures
59
to assist in assembly, as described below.
A pair of saw-tooth ridges
63
(
FIG. 3
) extends along a front face of the vertical bands
55
at a location near to but spaced inwardly from outer edges of the bands
55
. A lumbar adjustment device
65
is positioned between the cushion assembly
28
and the back support shell
27
. The lumbar adjustment device
65
includes a carrier
66
, a lumbar support member
67
with vertical leaf-spring-like fingers
68
supported on the carrier
66
, and a pair of side handles
69
. The side handles
69
telescopingly engage mating structures
70
on ends of the carrier
66
, and further include a channel for slidably engaging the saw-tooth ridges
63
. A detent on the handles
69
engages the saw-tooth ridges
63
to hold the lumbar adjustment device in a selected vertical position.
The cushion assembly
28
includes a back cushion
35
(
FIG. 3
) formed of non-woven PET fibers, as described below. The back cushion
35
provides an excellent initial support and feel to a seated user when he/she initially leans against the cushion assembly
28
, even without use of a topper sheet commonly used in the seating industry. The cushion stiffener
34
comprises a stiff polypropylene panel. The cushion
35
includes a rear surface shaped to mateably receive the cushion stiffener
34
. An upper edge
74
(
FIG. 7
) on a rear surface of the cushion
35
is wrapped over the upper edge
74
and onto a rear surface of the cushion stiffener
34
. The cushion stiffener
34
is adhered to the cushion
35
if needed to maintain the stability of the assembly desired. The cushion stiffener
34
includes a series of spaced-apart apertures
75
that correspond to the hooks
58
(FIG.
3
). A horizontal down flange
76
(
FIG. 7
) extends along a lower edge of the cushion stiffener
34
, which flange
76
is deformed inwardly toward the cushion
35
at least a thickness of the material of rear panel
33
, so that the rear panel
33
does not protrude outwardly when attached to the flange
76
, as described below. The cushion
35
has a recess
76
′ that mateably engages the flange
76
.
As noted above, the cover assembly
31
(
FIG. 8
) includes a front panel
32
and a rear panel
33
. The front panel
32
includes sections of upholstery material sewn together to form the front and sides of a covering for the cushion
35
. The rear panel
33
includes the first fabric section
36
, which comprises a material that stretches horizontally only about five percent (5%), but that stretches vertically about forty percent (40%). The one-directional stretch material is available in commerce, such as from Milliken Company, Spartanburg, S.C. This first fabric section
36
is sized to extend from the mid-level horizontal flange
76
on the cushion stiffener
34
downwardly to a bottom of the cushion
35
. The second section
37
is a high-stretch material having a stretchability of about one hundred percent (100%). This second section
37
is about two-inches high and extends across a bottom of the rear panel
33
of the cover assembly
31
. A strip of stiffener material
78
, such as polypropylene, is about ¼-inch wide in a vertical direction and is placed along a lower edge of the second section
37
. The lower edge is folded over the strip
78
and sewn to the lower edge. This forms a stiffened edge flange
79
horizontally across the second section
37
that is optimally suited to be pressed or “zipped” into and frictionally retained in the horizontal recess
49
with a zip-lock like motion (see FIG.
5
). Notably, the stiffened edge flange
79
is rectangular in shape and is rolled forwardly
180
degrees before it is inserted into the recess
49
(FIG.
5
). This results in a surprisingly positive and secure bottom connection arrangement and one that can be quickly made by an assembler. The top rear edge of the front panel
32
(
FIG. 6
) is folded and sewn to form a tunnel
79
′, and a drawstring
80
is located in the tunnel. The front and rear panels
32
and
33
are sewn together to form an upwardly open sock. The panels
32
and
33
are initially sewn in an inverted position, and the cushion
35
is inserted into the sock as the sock in inverted. This also hides the seam lines where the panel
32
and first and second fabric sections
36
and
37
are sewn together.
FIG. 13
discloses a method including forming a sock-like cover assembly
31
in a step
90
from the panels
32
and
33
and second fabric section
37
. Step
90
further includes sewing a strip
78
to a bottom of second fabric section
37
and attaching a drawstring
80
in a tunnel
79
′. A second step
91
includes attaching cushion stiffener
34
to the cushion
35
. The cover assembly
31
is positioned adjacent the cushion
35
and inverted onto an end of the cushion
35
opposite the cushion stiffener
34
in a step
92
. This results in the high-stretch second fabric section
37
being positioned at a lower edge of the cover assembly
31
remote from the cushion stiffener
34
. The cover assembly
31
is then adjusted on the cushion
35
and cushion stiffener
34
to eliminate wrinkles and to properly position the seam lines. This may include tensioning the drawstring
80
, as shown in step
93
. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the drawstring
80
is tensioned to draw a top of the cover assembly
31
downwardly onto the cushion stiffener
34
. This also tensions the front panel
32
. The tensioned drawstring
80
helps hold the cover assembly
31
in position during the steps of inserting staples
82
and
83
, and during a step of setting any adhesive in the assembly. The front panel
32
is then staple-attached along its upper edge to the cushion stiffener
34
by staples
82
(
FIG. 9
) that extend through the wrapped-over top edge of the front panel
32
into the cushion stiffener
34
. The upper edge
33
′ of the rear panel
33
is overlapped onto the down flange
76
and is stapled with staples
83
that extend through the upper edge into the down flange
76
. Where desired, heat-activated adhesive is applied to a front surface of the cushion
35
, and the adhesive is activated by steam or heat to adhere the front panel
32
to the cushion
35
. This assembly results in cushion assembly
28
.
The back support shell
27
of the back construction
24
(
FIG. 13
) is attached in a step
94
to the back frame
22
by screws at the top connection
44
and by pivot studs at the bottom connection
45
. A lumbar force adjusting device
95
(
FIG. 1
) is attached to the back frame
22
to bias the flange
47
of belt bracket
46
, such that the lumbar section
43
of the back support shell
27
naturally is biased to a forwardly concave shape.
The cushion assembly
28
is assembled onto the back support shell
27
in a step
96
(
FIG. 13
) to form the back construction
24
by abutting stops
62
′ on the cushion stiffener
34
against the stops
62
′ on the back support shell
27
, and by extending the hooks
58
on the thoracic section
41
of the back support shell
27
into the apertures
75
of the cushion stiffener
34
. Then, the back cushion
35
including the cushion stiffener
34
is moved downwardly to frictionally engage the hooks
58
. Thereafter, the stiffened edge flange
39
at the bottom of the rear panel
33
is stretched, rolled 180 degrees, and tucked upwardly into the downwardly facing horizontal recess
49
on the back support shell
27
(in a step
97
). The stiffened edge flange
39
is tucked into position from one side to another with a zip-lock type motion. After it is fully inserted, the side edges of the high-stretch second section
37
are pulled back, and a staple is extended through the stiffened edge flange
39
into each end of the rear lip
50
in a step
98
. The high-stretch second section
37
is then pulled laterally out to a wrinkle-free condition where it hides these end-located staples. Notably, the high-stretch second section
37
is a dark or black color and is located behind the seat
23
below the back construction
24
in the shadow of the back construction
24
, such that the bottom connection
30
including the enlarged section
48
of the back support shell
27
is not easily visible to a person standing in or around the chair
20
.
In the embodiment of
FIGS. 11 and 12
, a modified cushion stiffener
34
A is provided that includes an upper portion like the stiffener
34
, but further includes perimeter bands
34
B that extend down side edges and along a bottom of the cushion
35
to stiffen the edges completely around the cushion
35
. Cushion stiffener
34
A is desirable where the fabric panels
32
or
33
are so strong as to overpower the cushion edges causing wrinkling.
As noted above, the cushion
35
is made from a recycled non-woven PET fibrous mat supplied by Sackner Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. The PET mat is molded to form a novel cushion that is substituted for the polyurethane cushion and the topper cushion often used in prior art. Non-woven polyester or PET is a polyester with a phenylene group in a chain. The stiffness of this chain is what allows the thermoplastic to perform surprisingly and unexpectedly well as a cushioning fiber, as discussed below.
When PET completely burns, it turns into carbon dioxide and water and does not emit any poisonous gases. Food products can be packaged in this material without any worry, and containers can be burned without the need for extraordinary emission control measures. This is not true for polyurethane, which will emit dangerous byproducts when burned. Use of PET material is also environmentally friendly. A major source of the PET material for cushion
35
comes from reground pop bottles. Recycling of PET pop bottles into headliner cores, insulation, and door panels has apparently been previously done. However, its use as a complete cushion for a chair seat or chair back has not been done to my, the inventor's, knowledge.
A major advantage of the PET cushion material are that it is 15 to 20 percent lighter than polyurethane foam, yet it provides a high value and high value per unit cost. Further, the PET cushion material provides improved comfort to a seated user including a very uniform force versus deflection curve (see
FIG. 14
) with a surprisingly constant slope over a major portion of its compression. The more conventional polyurethane foam has a much less constant rate of compression. Often a topper cushion (e.g., about a ¼-inch thick cushion) is placed on a main cushion (e.g., about a 1-inch thick cushion) to “smooth out” the initial compression of the main cushion. However, this adds considerable expense. The non-woven fibrous cushion
35
does not need any such topper cushion. Further, the PET cushion material provides more breathability including the ability to wick away a seated user's sweat, provides excellent fatigue resistance and long life with little or no generation of dust after extended time in service, provides a capability of easy and low cost recycling, and has no carcinogens or VOC's in its manufacture. Further, my initial research indicates that replacing molded foam with an equivalent piece of PET cushion results in a break-even or a decrease in costs.
Thermal comfort studies done by or for Steelcase, the assignee of the present invention, indicate a 50 percent higher/greater moisture permeability index in the supplied PET cushion than molded urethane foam cushions. This is believed to be due to the more open internal (fibrous) structure of the PET material. Higher index numbers equate to more desirable comfort. Also, the evaporative resistance of the PET cushion is less than half that of the molded foam cushion. The lower evaporative resistance correlates to improved comfort also in that the moisture given off by the body is absorbed and dispersed through the PET cushion much faster than through the molded urethane cushion.
Testing of the PET and molded urethane foam, using tests known to persons skilled in making chairs, indicates a lower initial load deflection characteristic of the PET cushions over the more traditional urethane foams, but a higher support factor, better ball rebound, better tensile strength and elongation, and a more linear cushioning rate. Tests suggest the feel to be more “residential” verses “industrial” (see FIG.
14
).
Advantageously, the non-woven PET cushion can be formed into a three-dimensional shape to conform properly to a particular chair geometry. Leaving the material in a flat shape and attaching it to the chair can result in a “kinking” of the PET material in some highly contoured chair designs, which may telegraph a crease or wrinkle into the face fabric of these chairs.
My proposed system works as follows. For the seat
23
of chair
20
, batting of material is optimally produced to a known raw mat density and thickness, such as about 2.3 to 2.6 lb./ft
3
, with a thickness of about 2 inches (unformed) or about 2.3 to 3.5 lb./ft
3
density (or more preferably between about 3.1 to 3.5 lb./ft
3
) with a thickness of about 1½ inches (formed). A similar density of about 2.3 to 2.6 lb./ft
3
is used for back cushion
35
, but the thickness is different. For example, in cushion
35
the thickness is about 1 inch (unformed) or about 2.3 to 5.2 lb./ft
3
density (or more preferably between about 4.6 to 5.2 lb./ft
3
) with a thickness of about ½ inch (formed). The material is cut to a predetermined size with a die cut, laser cut, or any other efficient means of trim. This preform is then loaded into a three-dimensional aluminum tool cavity of the desired shape. The cavity and lid are both predrilled to allow steam to pass through the tool halves. The material is then introduced to about a 30 second (plus or minus 5 to 10 seconds) steam heating cycle of about 250 degrees Fahrenheit that breaks the temporary thermal adhesive bond, and a 10 second (plus or minus 5 seconds) cooling cycle of ambient air that allows the material to rebond in the desired three-dimensional shape. The memory of the material is thus changed to the new shape and the part is removed from the tool. Since no edge trimming is required, edges can be produced round, and since the edges are not trimmed, edges do not have a hard edge or look non-uniform. Less handling and sensitive trimming also result in reduced costs of manufacture. Also, there is no scrap in terms of flashing or trimmings from the forming process, and any scrap, if generated, can be recycled.
The compressibility and shape of the cushion is also more uniform, since a uniformly produced batting of material, cut to a controlled size, was loaded into the tool and no materials were discarded in the forming process. Feature lines, depressions, and the like can be molded or pressed into the cushion material. Characteristically, no flash lines or parting lines are formed, such that the marginal material around a perimeter of the part feels the same as (and has the same density and compressibility as) the main part of the cushion.
In the foregoing description, it will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
Claims
- 1. A seating unit comprising:a base; a seat support supported by the base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright; and a cushion supported by a surface on one of the back support and the seat support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable and that has a horizontal feature line formed into the cushion, and including a stiffener attached to the cushion.
- 2. A seating unit comprising:a base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable and including a stiffener attached to the cushion, the support including a lumbar section that is flexible and that forms a part of the back, the lumbar section including horizontal slits that permit air to pass from the cushion through the support to ambient air.
- 3. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the lumbar section includes leaf-spring-simulating horizontal bands separated by the slits, and further includes leaf-spring-simulating vertical bands supporting ends of the horizontal bands.
- 4. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the support panel includes a stiff thoracic section and a stiff pelvic section connected to the stiff thoracic section by the lumbar section.
- 5. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the support comprises a polymeric sheet-shaped shell.
- 6. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the cushion is made entirely from PET material.
- 7. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the cushion has a density of about 2.3 to 5.2 lb./ft3.
- 8. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the cushion includes opposing side edges and the non-woven fibrous mat comprises a continuous one-piece mat of intertwined fibers between the opposing side edges.
- 9. The seating unit defined in claim 2, wherein the cushion characteristically has a very uniform and linear force versus deflection curve over its compression cycle when a user rests against the cushion.
- 10. A seating unit comprising:a base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable, and a stiffener attached to the cushion.
- 11. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the stiffener includes connectors for attachment to the support.
- 12. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the cushion includes PET material.
- 13. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the cushion includes edges having a density of about 2.3 to 5.2 lb./ft3.
- 14. The seating unit defined in claim 13, wherein the cushion has a density of about 3.1 to 3.5 lb./ft3.
- 15. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the support includes a panel with apertures permitting air to flow from the cushion through the [support] panel into ambient air.
- 16. The seating unit defined in claim 10, wherein the support includes a panel with a lumbar section that is flexible and that forms a part of the back.
- 17. A seating unit comprising:a base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable and that has a density of about 2.3 to 5.2 lb./ft3 with edges of the cushion having a density similar to a remainder of the cushion, and wherein the edges characteristically do not include a parting line nor flash line of rigid dense material that extends around a perimeter of the cushion and further including a stiffener attached to the cushion.
- 18. A seating unit comprising:a base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable; and a feature line formed into the cushion and including a stiffener attached to the cushion.
- 19. The seating unit defined in claim 18, wherein the feature line comprises a horizontally extending recess formed across the cushion.
- 20. A seating unit comprising:a base; a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion comprising a non-woven fibrous mat of material that is air-permeable, the cushion having a perimeter and having marginal material extending around the perimeter that is characteristically free from rigid parting lines and free from other dense material that is noticeably higher in density than a remainder of the cushion, and including a stiffener attached to the cushion.
- 21. The seating unit defined in claim 20, wherein more than half of the cushion is made from reground beverage bottles.
- 22. The seating unit defined in claim in, including a seat and wherein the seat and the back both include cushions made from the non-woven fibrous mat.
- 23. A seating unit component manufactured for use in a seating unit, comprising:a flexible support panel having a support surface shaped to support a seated user; and a cushion made from a one-piece non-woven fibrous mat of polymeric PET fibers covering the support surface of the support panel, the support panel including horizontal slits in a flexible region and the cushion being air permeable for allowing airflow from the cushion through the slits in the support panel to ambient air, and including a stiffener attached to the cushion.
US Referenced Citations (17)