The invention relates to a chair, more particularly to a seat-forming assembly of a chair.
Many types of chairs exist nowadays. Among them, a lounge chair is suitable for outdoor use, and usually includes a foldable frame and a seat-and-backrest assembly serving as a seat and a backrest of the lounge chair. There are many types of conventional seat-and-backrest assemblies, all of which are fixedly mounted on the respective foldable frames.
However, if only one of the seat and the backrest is damaged, it cannot be individually replaced and the entire chair has to be discarded, resulting in waste. In addition, since the seat-and-backrest assembly and the frame of a conventional lounge chair are predetermined instead of being customized based on different user needs.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a seat-forming assembly and a chair having the same that can eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat-forming assembly adapted to be mounted on a frame of a chair. The seat-forming assembly includes first and second plate members, a linking member and a hook unit. The first and second plate members are adapted to serve respectively as a seat and a backrest of the chair. Each of the first and second plate members has a connecting portion and a hook-mounting portion that is opposite to the connecting portion. The linking member links the connecting portions of the first and second plate members together. The hook unit includes a plurality a plurality of first hooks connected to the hook-mounting portion of the first plate member, and a plurality of second hooks connected to the hook-mount ing portion of the second plate member. The first and second hooks are adapted for detachably engaging the frame of the chair.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chair including a frame and the abovementioned seat-forming assembly.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the coupling member 15 is a looped circular rod. The coupling member 15 has a curved first coupling portion 151 at the front end thereof, and a curved second coupling portion 152 at the rear end thereof opposite to the first coupling portion 151. The shape of the coupling member 15 is not limited hereto, as long as the first and second coupling portions 151, 152 are provided. The first and second coupling portions 151, 152 are not necessarily integrally formed into one piece.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the hook unit 23 includes a plurality of first hooks 230 integrally formed with the hook-mounting portion 214 of the first plate member 21, and a plurality of second hooks 230′ integrally formed with the hook-mounting portion 214 of the second plate member 21′. The first and second hooks are capable of detachably engaging the coupling member 15 of the frame 1. Each of the first and second hooks 230, 230′ of the hook unit 23 has a hook body 232 that defines a groove 231 and an opening 233 communicating the groove 231. The groove 231 of each of the first hooks 230 receives removably the first coupling portion 151 of the coupling member 15 of the frame 1. The groove 231 of each of the second hooks 230′ receives removably the second coupling portion 152 of the coupling member 15. The opening 233 of each of the first and second hooks 230, 230′ has a width smaller than a diameter of the corresponding first and second coupling portion 151, 152. In this embodiment, the first hooks 230 are integrally formed with the first plate member 21 as one piece, and the second hooks 230′ are integrally formed with the second plate member 21′ as one piece. In other embodiments of this invention, the first and second hooks 230, 230′ may be independently formed and then connected to the hook-mounting portions 214 of the corresponding first and second plate members 21, 21′ by fasteners.
Referring to
The seat-forming assembly 2 can be easily detached from the frame 1 by disengaging the first and second hooks 230, 230′ from the corresponding first and second coupling portions 151, 152.
Referring to
In sum, due to the provision of the hook unit 23, from the user's perspective, the seat-forming assembly 2 can be easily mounted to and dismounted from the frame 1, so that replacement of the seat-forming assembly 2 and the frame 1 can be easily performed. In addition, replacement of the first and second plate members 21, 21′ of the seat-forming assembly 2 can also be easily realized since the two are separately formed and then linked removably together. From the manufacturer's perspective, a variety of frames 1 and a variety of seat-forming assemblies 2 can be provided, so the user can purchase different frames 1 and different seat-forming assemblies 2, and then freely combine them into different chairs. This configuration increases the flexibility of satisfying the users' different needs, and allows consumers to easily replace the parts of the chair.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.