Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6688689
-
Patent Number
6,688,689
-
Date Filed
Thursday, June 24, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, February 10, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 297 314
- 297 325
- 297 313
- 297 3021
- 248 618
- 248 632
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A seat suspension system includes a first seat (e.g., a base) member and a second seat (e.g., a seat) member preferably overlying the first seat member. At least one spring (e.g., elastic or rubber) mount is interposed between the first and second seat member. The at least one elastic mount provides a projected elastic center spaced from (preferably located above) the second seat member such that the second seat member is pivotable about the projected elastic center. Embodiments describing seat suspension systems having a single focalized mount or a plurality of spaced apart, focalized mounts are included.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to seating apparatus, and, more particularly, to a multiple degree of freedom seat suspension system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional seating devices providing multiple degrees of freedom often include a seat support allowing for fore and aft pivoting. Typically, the seat frame is joined to an underlying base support such that the seat frame may mechanically pivot about an axis extending across the width of the seat. The pivot axis is below the seat surface. Pivoting a seat of this design may give the user an unnatural or unbalanced sensation.
While seats have been developed having various mechanical means for providing multiple degrees of freedom, such seats generally suffer from high cost and complexity and/or fail to fully provide the desired degree of comfort and ergonomics. In particular, most chairs typically are not provided with side to side pivoting freedom of motion. Moreover, mechanical pivoting arrangements often suffer from wear, noise, and/or frictional problems, particularly after they have been in service for some time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a multiple degree of freedom seat suspension system and a seat assembly including the same. The seat suspension system provides a seat that has improved comfort and ergonomics. Moreover, seats employing the suspension system may be constructed with relatively low cost and complexity.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a seat suspension system including a base member and a seat member overlying the base member. At least one elastic mount is interposed between the base member and the seat member. The at least one elastic mount provides a projected elastic center located above the seat member such that the seat member is pivotable about the projected elastic center. Preferably, the seat suspension system includes a plurality of spaced apart, focalized elastic mounts. However, it should be recognized that a single mount with a projected elastic center may be employed as well. Preferably, the projected elastic center substantially coincides with a user's hip pivot.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a seat assembly includes a seat suspension system as just described. The seat assembly further includes a base support connected to and underlying the base member of the suspension system.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a seat suspension system includes a base member and an overlying seat member. A plurality of spaced apart and focalized elastic mounts are interposed between the base and seat members. The elastic mounts provide a projected elastic center located above the seat member such that the seat member is pivotable about the projected elastic center. The seat suspension system allows the seat member to move with multiple degrees of freedom with respect to the base member.
According to a another aspect of the present invention, a seat assembly includes a seat member and a base support connected to, and underlying, the seat member. At least one elastic mount is interposed between the seat member and the base support such that the seat member is pivotable about a pivot point located above the seat member.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a seat suspension system includes a first seat member including a contact surface on a user contact side adapted for being in operable contact with a user; a second seat member spaced from the first seat member; and an elastic mount interconnecting the first and second seat members. The elastic mount provides a projected elastic center spaced from the contact surface on the user contact side such that the seat member is pivotable about the projected elastic center.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the seat suspension system includes a first seat member; a second seat member spaced from the first seat member; and at least one elastic mounting interconnecting the first and second seat members. The least one elastic mount includes a mounting plane defined by a geometrical plane intersecting the center of the at least one mounting. The at least one mounting includes a projected elastic center spaced from the mounting plane such that the first seat member is pivotable about the projected elastic center.
Further objects, features, and details of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic, side view of a chair incorporating a seat suspension system according to the present invention, and a user seated in the chair;
FIG. 2
is a top plan view of a seat assembly forming a part of the chair of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view of the seat assembly of
FIG. 1
taken along the line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the seat assembly of
FIG. 2
taken along the line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view of a seat assembly according to a further embodiment of the present invention taken along a line corresponding to the line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view of the seat assembly of
FIG. 5
taken along a line corresponding to the line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of a partial seat suspension system according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of a seat suspension system including a single focalized mount in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The terms “elastic center”, “projected elastic center”, “focal angle” (or “orientation angle”), and “focalized” will be understood by those of skill in the relevant art in view of the description herein. The meaning of the term “elastic center” may be appreciated by reference to a hypothetical suspension system including a plurality of elastic mounts and a body mounted (i.e., elastically suspended) on the elastic mounts. The mounts collectively define a mount plane. The elastic center of the suspension system is a point at which, if the center of mass of the body is located at the point, the application of a force through the point would result in a pure translational movement along the line of the force action, and the application of a moment about the point would result in pure rotation of the body about that point.
The “projected elastic center” and “focalization” of spring members in a suspension system may be appreciated by expansion of the foregoing discussion. Each mount has a respective line of action that defines with the mount plane an angle of orientation or focal angle of the mount. In the simplest arrangement, the lines of action or compression axes are each oriented at 90 degrees to the mount plane so that the lines are parallel and do not intersect, in which case the mounts are not focalized. In this simplest case, the elastic center of the suspension system will be in the mount plane.
In a focalized suspension system, the lines of action of the respective mounts are disposed at focal angles of less than 90 degrees such that the lines of action intersect at a point above the mount plane, i.e., the mounts are focalized. In such case, the suspension system will have a projected elastic center between the mount plane and the point of intersection. That is, the “elastic center” (as described above) of the suspension system is relocated from the mount plane to a plane above or below the mount plane. The location of the projected elastic center will depend on the arrangement of the mounts in the mount plane, the properties of the mounts and the focal angles of the mounts.
It will be appreciated that it is not necessary for a suspension system to have a plurality of individual, discrete mounts in order for the suspension system to have an elastic center or a projected elastic center. Any suspension system will have an elastic center. A single elastic mount may have a shape, location and properties that give the single spring multiple, focalized lines of action which provide a projected elastic center (see FIG.
8
). Moreover, although chair embodiments are illustrated herein, it should be recognized that the seat suspension in accordance with the invention may be utilized in a number of vehicle applications, such as for example, in car, truck, tractor, or construction and agricultural vehicle seats.
With reference to
FIGS. 1-4
, a chair
10
, including a seat suspension system
100
according to the present invention, is shown therein. In
FIG. 1
, a typical user
5
is shown seated in the chair
10
. The suspension system
100
includes a seat member
31
upon which the user
5
sits, a base member
102
including a plurality of radially and slightly upwardly extending fingers, and a plurality of elastic mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
interposed therebetween. The chair
10
includes a base support
12
which may be of substantially conventional construction, such as a pedestal, and which may include height adjustment means (not shown), such means being well known in the art. Suitable height adjustment means include a gas spring or bearings as are commonly used in office chairs. The base member
102
is secured to the upper end of the base support
12
by suitable means such as press fit, fasteners and/or welding. The base support
12
and the seat suspension system
100
together form a seat assembly
101
.
The seat member
31
includes a seat frame
30
and a seat cushion
32
mounted on the user interfacing side of the seat frame
30
. A seatback frame
20
is secured to the seat frame
30
. However, it will be appreciated that the seatback frame
20
may also be secured to the base support
12
or the base member
102
. Moreover, although not shown, there may be adjustment present between the seat back frame
20
and seat frame
30
as well as a back spring; such constructions being well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. A seatback cushion
22
is mounted on the seatback frame
20
. With reference to
FIG. 2
, is which shows a top plan view of the seat assembly
101
, the seat member
31
has a front edge
31
F, a back edge
31
B, a left edge
31
L, and a right edge
31
R. Suitable materials and constructions for the seat frame
30
, the seatback frame
20
and the cushions
22
,
32
(e.g., foam and cloth) will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. The seat frame
30
and seatback frame
20
are preferably molded, stamped, cast and/or assembled from a substantially rigid material such as steel or plastic.
With reference to
FIG. 2
, the suspension system
100
includes four spaced apart elastic mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
preferably positioned equidistant from a center point CP and from the adjacent mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
. Each of the mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
is preferably of substantially identical construction. Thus, while the mount
130
is not shown in
FIG. 3
, it will be appreciated that the mount
130
is constructed, arranged and oriented in the same manner as the other mounts which are shown in FIG.
3
.
With reference to
FIG. 3
, each of the mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
includes a respective elastomer (elastic) spring
112
,
122
,
142
which engages a respective upper boss
114
,
124
,
144
, and a respective lower boss
116
,
126
,
146
. The lower bosses
116
,
126
,
146
may be integrally formed (e.g., by molding, stamping or casting) with the base member
102
or separately formed and secured to (e.g., by fasteners or welding) the base member
102
. Likewise, the upper bosses
114
,
124
,
144
may be integrally formed (e.g., by molding, stamping or casting) with the seat frame
30
or separately formed and secured to (e.g., by fasteners or welding) the underside of the seat frame
30
.
Preferably, each mount
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
is preferably constructed as shown in
FIG. 4
which shows the mount
110
in cross-section. The elastomer spring
112
is an elastomer sandwich mount including a substantially cylindrical elastomer member
111
and planar end plates
115
,
117
bonded to either end thereof. The elastomer member
111
is preferably formed of a preferably substantially incompressible resilient rubber-like material such as natural rubber, synthetic elastomers (e.g., silicone, nitrile, neoprene, polybutadiene, TPE, urethane, or the like) or a blends thereof. The end plates
115
,
117
may be formed of steel, aluminum, plastic or other suitable rigid material. The end plates
115
,
117
are secured to the base member
102
and the seat frame
30
, respectively, by integral threaded members
115
A,
117
A. The threaded member
117
A is received in a nut
117
B fixedly embedded in a bore
114
A, and the threaded member
115
A is received through a slot
116
A and secured in place by a nut
115
B. The slot
116
A is elongated to facilitate assembly of the suspension system
100
. The mount
110
has a primary compression axis
110
L and a shear direction
110
S generally perpendicular thereto. The mount
110
also has an individual elastic center
110
EC.
With reference again to
FIG. 3
, each of the mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
has a respective elastic center
110
EC,
120
EC,
140
EC. The four elastic centers define a mount plane MP. A focal angle FA is defined between each compression axis
110
L,
120
L,
140
L and the mount plane MP. The focal angles are all generally the same. The mounts are arranged spatially and geometrically in the mount plane MP and angularly with respect to the mount plane MP such that the compression axes
110
L,
120
L,
140
L (and also the compression axis of the mount
130
) intersect at a focal intersection point FI, so that the mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
are focalized. The mounts are arranged such that they present a projected elastic center PEC between the focal intersection FI and the mount plane MP. Each mount
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
has a projected compression axis forming a projection angle PA with the mount plane MP (for clarity, only the projected compression axis
120
P (of the mount
120
) and its associated projection angle PA are shown, each of the remaining projected compression axes and projection angles being arranged symmetrically with respect thereto.
The projected elastic center PEC is preferably located above the seat member
31
and the mount plane MP is located below the seat member
31
. The projected elastic center PEC is the pivot point of movement of the seat member
31
mounted on the mounts
110
,
120
,
130
,
140
. Preferably, the projected elastic center PEC approximately coincides with the user's natural hip pivot point HP (see
FIG. 1
) when the user is seated on the contact surface
33
of the seat member
31
(accounting for compression of the cushion
32
). The projected elastic center PEC may be selected to coincide with the location of a prescribed average user's hip pivot, thus approximating the hip pivot point location for a wide range of users of different shapes and sizes. The projected elastic center is preferably located between about 2 and 6 inches (about 50-152 mm) above the seat
31
when the seat cushion
32
is compressed by a user's weight.
The suspension system
100
allows for movement of the seat member
31
with respect to the base support
12
in a number of directions, preferably with varying degrees of resistance as desired. The suspension system
100
allows the seat member
31
to be rotated forward in a direction RF about the projected elastic center PEC (see FIGS.
1
and
3
). Similarly, the suspension system
100
allows the seat member
31
to rotate backward in a direction RB about the projected elastic center PEC (see FIGS.
1
and
3
). The suspension system
100
allows the seat member
31
to move translationally upward in the direction TU and translationally downward in the direction TD (see FIG.
1
). The suspension system
100
allows the seat member
31
to move translationally forward in the direction TF and translationally backward in the direction TB (see
FIG. 2
) as well as translationally rightward in the direction TRS and translationally leftward in the direction TLS (see FIG.
2
). Combinations of the foregoing movements may also be made.
The suspension system
100
may also allow, preferably to a relatively lesser degree, rotational swiveling movement of the seat member
31
in the direction RS about the center point CP which is vertically aligned with the projected elastic center PEC (see FIG.
2
). However, it should be recognized that such pivoting in the RS direction will be minimal or nonexistence if a pivot joint is present between the base member
102
and seat base
12
.
By way of example and not to be considered limiting, preferable characteristics of the system
100
of
FIGS. 1-4
, for example, are as follows. Preferably, the pivotal stiffness of the suspension system
100
is in the range of about K
RB
, K
RF
=100-300 in. lb./deg. Likewise, the pivotal stiffness about the fore and aft direction is the same. The rotational pivotal stiffness K
RS
about the vertical axis is in the range between about 50-150 in. lb./deg. Preferably, the translational stiffnesses are in the range of between about K
TF
, K
TB
, K
TLS
K
TRS
=80-220 lb./in. The vertical stiffness of the suspension system
100
is in the range of between about 500-1500 lb./in. Preferably, the projected elastic center PEC is located in the range of between about 2-10 inches from the mount plane MP. The mounts
110
-
140
are preferably sandwich-type mounts having a diameter of about 1.5 inches and a height of about 1.5-2.0 inches and are manufactured from a natural rubber material having a Shore A durometer of about 40 and an L value, where L=compression stiffness/shear stiffness, in the range between about 3-12. The four mountings
110
-
140
are preferably mounted in a square pattern, are spaced about 10 inches apart, and include a focal angle FA of about 23 degrees. By appropriate design of the mounts and their relative placements, one or more of the aforedescribed movements may be prevented.
The suspension system
100
as described above provides a number of advantages. The suspension system allows multiple degrees of freedom with controlled stiffness and, if desired, snubbing without the use of mechanical pivots or the associated frictional problems and complexity. The suspension system is self adjusting so that it adapts to the user's constantly changing position. Motions of the user's upper and lower body work in a natural fashion. This feature is particularly desirable for applications where the user must remain seated for extended periods of time. The suspension system
100
also reduces the concentration of loads on the user's body. The loads felt on the back and thighs may be particularly minimized. The suspension system is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and to incorporate into various seating assemblies.
The seat suspension system
100
of the present invention may be used in any suitable static or dynamic seating system. For example, the seat suspension may be incorporated in an office chair (as shown) or the like as well as in dynamic isolator seating systems of the types used in cars, trucks and tractors and other vehicles. Methods for incorporating the seating suspension of the present invention into other such seating systems will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the description herein.
With reference to
FIGS. 5 and 6
, a seat assembly
201
according to a further embodiment of the present invention is shown therein. The seat assembly
201
may be incorporated into a chair in the same manner as the seat assembly
101
. The seat assembly
201
includes a base support
12
′ and a seat suspension system
200
mounted thereon in the manner described above.
FIG. 5
shows a cross-sectional view of the seat assembly
201
along a line corresponding to the view of FIG.
3
. The suspension system
200
includes a planar base member
202
and a seat member
31
′ including a seat frame
30
′ and a cushion
32
′. The suspension system
200
further includes four elastic mounts
210
,
220
,
240
(the fourth mount corresponds to the mount
130
and is not shown in
FIG. 5
) arranged in the same manner as in the suspension system
100
. Each mount
210
,
220
,
240
engages an upper boss
214
,
224
,
244
of the seat frame
30
′ and a lower boss
216
,
226
,
246
of the base member
202
. The elastic centers
210
EC,
220
EC,
240
EC of the respective mounts define a mount plane MP′.
With reference to
FIG. 6
, the suspension system
200
differs from the suspension system
100
in the construction of the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
(as well as the fourth, unillustrated mount) and in the provision of stop assemblies
218
,
228
,
248
. The system
200
includes a fourth stop assembly associated with the fourth mount, which is not shown in the figures.
FIG. 6
shows only the mount
210
and the associated stop means
218
. However, it will be appreciated that the remaining stop assemblies
228
,
248
are formed in the same manner.
The mount
210
is a Lastosphere®-type mount including an elastomer member
212
and end plates
217
,
215
vulcanized bonded to either end of the elastomer member
212
. The end plates
215
,
217
are secured to the base member
202
and the seat frame
30
′ by threaded shafts
215
A,
217
A. The threaded shaft
217
A engages a nut
217
B embedded in a bore
214
A, and the shaft
215
A extends through a slot
216
A in the boss
216
and is secured by a nut
215
B. The elastomer member
212
is generally spherical and shaped such that as the mount is compressed along its compression axis
210
L, its stiffness in compression increases non-linearly, and more particularly, more rapidly than in the case of, for example, the cylindrical mount
110
. This characteristic is attributable to the increased load area between the elastomer member
211
and the end plates
215
,
217
as the elastomer member
211
is compressed.
In use, the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
(
FIG. 5
) enable the suspension system
200
to automatically adjust the location of the apparent pivot point of the seat member
31
. The compression axes
210
L,
220
L,
240
L of the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
are focalized to intersect at the focal intersection FI′, thereby providing a projected elastic center VPEC above the seat plane SP′.
In the case of the suspension system
200
, the projected elastic center VPEC may be referred to as a variable projected elastic center. Because the compression stiffnesses of the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
increase more rapidly than linear, the variable projected elastic center VPEC rises vertically with respect to the mount plane MP′ as the mounts are compressed. That is, the greater the compressive displacement of the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
, the higher above the mount plane MP′ the variable projected elastic center VPEC will reside. This behavior allows the suspension system
200
to correct for the size of the user. Typically, those users having greater mass also have a slightly greater distance between their lower seating surface and their hip pivot line. Users of greater mass will compress the mounts
210
,
220
,
240
a greater distance, thereby raising the variable projected elastic center VPEC to coincide with their relatively higher hip pivot line. Accordingly, the seat member
31
′ will pivot about a higher pivot point, for example, when rotating along the directions RB′ and RF′.
With reference to
FIG. 6
, the stop assembly
218
includes a screw
218
A having a head
218
C. The upper end of the screw
218
A is threadedly secured to a portion of boss
214
. The lower end of the screw
218
A extends through a hole
202
A formed in the base member
202
. The hole
202
A is large enough to allow lateral and forward/aft movement of the screw
218
A, as needed, to allow pivoting and translational motion of the seat member
31
′ through its designed ranges of motion. A nut
218
B threadedly engages the screw
218
A so that its position along the screw
218
A may be selectively adjusted. The screw
218
A may slide up and down as the seat frame
30
′ is displaced relative to the base member
202
as the seat frame
30
′ pivots. The head
218
C is larger than the hole
202
A and serves as a stop to limit upward displacement of the seat frame
30
′ relative to the base member
202
. Similarly, the nut
218
B is larger in diameter than the hole
202
A and serves as a stop to limit downward displacement of the seat frame
30
′ toward the base member
202
. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art upon reading the description herein that other means for providing a stop or limiter may be employed. Such other means may include, for example, fixed or position adjustable elastic bumpers.
With reference to
FIG. 7
, a seat suspension system
300
according to a further embodiment of the present invention is shown in part therein. The seat suspension system
300
corresponds to the suspension system
100
except for the orientation of the mounts
310
,
320
,
330
,
340
. For clarity, the upper bosses corresponding to the bosses
114
,
124
,
144
are not shown in FIG.
7
. The compression axes
310
L and
340
L of the mounts
310
and
340
are focalized to present a first projected elastic center PEC
1
. The compression axes
320
L and
330
L of the mounts
320
and
330
are focalized to present a second projected elastic center PEC
2
. A pivot axis PL extends through both the projected elastic center PEC
1
and the projected elastic center PEC
2
. In this way, the suspension system
300
provides primarily a line pivot rather than a pivot point. Preferably, the pivot axis PL coincides with the user's fore and aft hip pivot line. Thus, pivoting is primarily allowed in a forward pivot direction RF″ and a backward pivot direction RB″. Some further limited pivoting may be allowed in other directions.
While the foregoing seat suspension systems preferably use identical mounts arranged in bilaterally symmetric arrangements, the present invention may be practiced using mounts having different orientations, positioning, stiffnesses, and static and dynamic behaviors. Moreover, the mounts may be arranged in other symmetric and non-symmetric arrangements in the mount plane. A lesser or greater number of mounts may be used. Moreover, the present invention suspension may be employed on other chair components such as seatbacks, arms, pedestal base, etc. For example, the suspension system may be utilized to support and focalize, for example, a seatback wherein the projected elastic center would substantially with the location of the user's spine coincide. Alternatively, the seat back pivot point may be focalized such that the projected elastic center is about the hip line pivot (a line through the hip joints). A system such as shown in
FIG. 7
may be employed to accomplish focalization of the seatback.
As illustrated in
FIG. 8
, a single conical mount providing a projected elastic center PEC is illustrated.
FIG. 8
illustrates a chair
10
(as previously described), including a seat suspension system
400
according to the present invention. The typical user will interface with a contact surface
33
of the chair
10
on a user contact side of a first (e.g., a seat) seat member
31
. A second seat (e.g., a base) member
402
is spaced apart from the first, and a single elastic mount
410
is preferably interposed between the first
31
and second
402
seat members. The mount
410
in this embodiment includes first and second rigid members
415
,
417
which are preferably stamped and bent metal plates, and an intervening frustoconical elastic member
412
. The frustoconical elastic member
412
is preferably formed of elastic material such as natural or synthetic rubber or blends thereof, bonded to the conical surfaces of both the rigid members
415
,
417
. Members
415
,
417
are secured to first and second seat members
31
,
402
by suitable fasteners
415
A,
417
A. Alternatively, elastic member
412
may be bonded or otherwise adhered directly to conical boss surfaces formed on frame
30
of first member
31
and on the second seat member
402
. The projected elastic center PEC of the elastic mount
410
is preferably located above the first seat member
31
and somewhat spaced from the contact surface
33
on the user interface side of the first member
31
. As indicated before, it is preferable that the position of the projected elastic center PEC substantially coincides with the hip pivot of the user (see FIG.
1
). The respective lines of action
410
L,
410
L′ at any cross-sectional slice through the conical mount
410
intersect as previously described to form the focal intersection point FI. Although a conical mount is illustrated, it should be recognized that other mounting configurations with focalized elastic centers may be employed. For example, spherical thrust-type mounts, i.e., mounts including spherical portions, may be used as an alternative by incorporated partial spherical surfaces on members
415
,
417
with the spherical center focalized above the first seat member
31
.
As in the previous embodiments, a stop assembly
418
may be provided to limit any desired motion of the first seat member
31
relative to the second
402
. The stop assembly
418
may include a threaded rod received through hole
402
A and having a stop
418
C mounted thereon. The washer-like stop
418
C contacts with the inner surface
12
A of pedestal
12
″ to limit pivotal motion of the first seat member
31
and also safeties the suspension system
400
as the stop
418
C is larger than the hole
402
A.
Seats incorporating a seat system according to the present invention may be constructed such that the elastic mounts are either shrouded or entirely visible. If left visible, the elastic members may be color matched (e.g., through appropriate compounding of the elastomer) to the color of the cushions.
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.
Claims
- 1. A seat assembly, comprising:a) a seat member; b) a base support connected to and underlying said seat member; and c) a single conical mount interposed between said seat member and said base support, said single conical mount having a frustoconical elastic member, said single conical mount frustoconical elastic member having a plurality of inwardly angled lines of action through cross-sectional slices of the mount with the inwardly angled lines of action intersecting at a focal intersection point above the seat member such that said seat member is pivotable about a pivot point located above said seat member.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
89 14 349.3 |
Mar 1990 |
DE |
295 20 899 |
Aug 1996 |
DE |
0772 986 |
May 1997 |
EP |