Seat, in particular an office chair

• US 10,638,841 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Sander, Armin, Potrykus, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US16/142,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20190021500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 29735411
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/02 Reclining or easy chairs supports for parts of body A47C7/36, A47C7/50, A47C7/54
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/023 the parts being horizontally-adjustable seats ; Expandable seats or the like, e.g. seats with horizontally adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/004 for chairs or stools with central column, e.g. office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/006 with castors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/02 Seat parts adaptation of seats to mounting in tubular chairs A47C5/06; such parts not restricted to chairs A47C23/00; removable upholstered units or cushions A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/40 for the back
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/445 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/46 with special, e.g. adjustable , lumbar region support profile; "Ackerblom" profile chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/54 Supports for the arms

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat (1), in particular an office chair, comprising a seat support (3) for a seating surface (6) and comprising a backrest support (4) of a backrest (5), which is held on the seat support (3) so as to be able to move in a tillable manner to the side, wherein the backrest support (4) comprises two support aims (4a, 4b) which are configured to be flexible and/or articulated laterally and spaced apart from one another. Preferably, the seating surface (6) and/or the backrest (5) comprises a curved seat shell and/or backrest shell (6a, 5a) provided with a cover (6b, 5b) with a number of flexible curved ribs (15, 16) on the edge of the shell, wherein the cover is stretched by the seat shell and/or backrest shell (6a, 5a) such that when the cover (6b, 5b) is loaded, the bending of the curved ribs (15, 16) is altered.

Claims

1. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support forming a seating surface;

a backrest support attached to said seat support, said backrest support including a backrest shell made from flexible material, said backrest shell defining at least a right peripheral side, a left peripheral side, and a top peripheral side of said backrest shell, said backrest shell having a plurality of ribs, said ribs separated from one another by a plurality of slots, at least some of said ribs and at least some of said slots extending to said left and right peripheral sides of said backrest shell and forming free ends of said ribs, at least some of said ribs curving forward toward the seating surface, the backrest support including a cover that is substantially non-stretchable and fixedly attached to said free ends of said ribs, the cover spaced apart from a surface of the backrest shell along a widthwise cross section of the backrest shell and cover, wherein a force applied on the cover toward the backrest shell causes at least a portion of the right peripheral side and the left peripheral side of the backrest shell to flex, wherein said free ends of said ribs are capable of flexing independently of one another and at least some of said ribs become more curved toward the seating surface when said force is applied on the cover, wherein said cover is held in tension such that when the cover is loaded the bending of the ribs is altered; and

a backrest support arm that extends vertically from the seat support to support the backrest support.

2. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said backrest support arm includes a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite said first lateral side, said ribs including a first set of said ribs extending from said first lateral side and a second set of said curved ribs extending from said second lateral side.

3. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said first set of curved ribs is diametrically opposed from one of said second set of curved ribs.

4. The seat as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cover includes a first lateral cover edge and a second lateral cover edge, and wherein said first lateral cover edge is held at one of said peripheral sides of said backrest shell by said first set of curved ribs and wherein said second lateral cover edge is held at another of said peripheral sides of said backrest shell by said second set of curved ribs.

5. The seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein said at least one backrest support arm includes a pair of backrest support arms, each extending vertically from said seat support to said backrest, wherein one of said backrest support arms includes said first lateral side and the other of said backrest support arms includes said second lateral side opposite said first lateral side.

6. The seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein said backrest support arms include upper ends that are connected to each other by a horizontally extending connecting element, and wherein said plurality of ribs includes a third set of ribs extending vertically upwardly from said connecting element.

7. The seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein said backrest support arms and ribs are formed integrally with the backrest shell.

8. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support forming a seat surface;

a backrest support coupled with said seat support so as to be able to move relative to said seat support, said backrest support including at least one support arm having a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite said first lateral side;

a backrest cover that is substantially non-stretchable; and

a flexible shell defining at least a right peripheral side, a left peripheral side, and a top peripheral side and extending at least partially between each of said lateral sides of said support arm and the cover, said flexible shell having a concave forward surface, said flexible shell having a plurality of ribs separated by a plurality of slots, said ribs extending to said right and left peripheral sides of said flexible shell and forming free ends of said ribs,

wherein said backrest cover is fixedly attached to said free ends of said ribs of said flexible shell to support said backrest cover relative to said flexible shell, a portion of said backrest cover spaced in front of said flexible shell and wherein the cover is held in tension such that a bending of at least a portion of said flexible shell is altered and at least one of said peripheral sides of said flexible shell becomes more concavely curved toward said seat surface when said cover is loaded in a direction toward said flexible shell.

9. The office chair of claim 8, wherein said flexible shell and said support arm are formed integrally.

10. The office chair of claim 9, wherein said flexible shell includes a plurality of said support ribs extending to said top peripheral side.

11. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support for a seating surface;

a backrest support coupled with the seat support so as to be able to move relative to the seat support, the backrest support comprising;

a backrest cover having a periphery including first and second lateral edges; and

a curved shell made of a flexible material, the shell defining first and second lateral peripheral edges and a third peripheral edge interconnecting the first and second peripheral edges, the shell including a plurality of ribs extending in opposing directions to said first and second lateral peripheral edges, each of said ribs spaced apart from adjacent ribs such that each rib is capable of flexing independently of the other ribs, each of the ribs extending outwardly to a free end at one of the first and second peripheral edges of the shell;

wherein the backrest cover is fixedly attached to the ends of the ribs, at least a central portion of the backrest cover spaced from the shell on a lateral cross section of the backrest cover and the shell,

wherein the first lateral edge of the cover is attached to the first set of ribs of the shell and the second lateral edge of the cover is attached to the second set of ribs of the shell, and wherein the cover is held in tension such that at least one of the ribs becomes more curved toward the seating surface when the cover is loaded in a direction toward the flexible curved shell.

12. The office chair of claim 11, wherein the backrest cover is formed from a flexible material, the first and second lateral edges of the backrest cover receiving the free ends of the ribs.

13. The office chair of claim 12, wherein the periphery of the backrest cover encompasses the outer edge of the shell.

14. The office chair of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of each of the ribs is curved in a direction towards the seating surface.

15. The office chair of claim 14, wherein the backrest support is coupled to the seat support by an upwardly extending support arm.

16. The office chair of claim 15, wherein each of the ribs includes a base, and wherein each of the ribs curves continuously from the base to the free end.

17. The office chair of claim 16, wherein the backrest cover is formed from a non-stretchable maternal.

18. The office chair of claim 17, wherein a loading on the cover is capable of causing the ribs to bend asymmetrically, such that the first set of ribs bends to a different degree than the second set of ribs, depending on the position of the loading on the cover.