SEATING APPARATUS WITH RECLINING MOVEMENT

• US 20070001497A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humanscale Corporation
• Original Assignee: Humanscale Corporation
• Inventors: Diffrient, Niels
• Granted Patent: US 8,061,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/321
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03272 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03294 slidingly movable in the base frame, e.g. by rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/033 the coupling member being a flexible strip
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/48 of freely-rotatable type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49863 with prestressing of part

Abstract

The invention provides a seating apparatus having a reclining movement with a corresponding seat lift movement. The apparatus further provides a seating support surface having increased comfort comprising a shaped diaphragm with a series of calculated openings provided throughout.

Claims

1. A seating apparatus comprising:

a) a chair pedestal;

b) a base mounted on the chair pedestal, the base including two upwardly curved extensions;

c) a seat support having a top surface for receiving a seat and a bottom surface;

d) a plurality of rollers attached to one of the base and the bottom surface of the seat support;

e) a plurality of curved ramps for movably interacting with the plurality of rollers, said ramps being attached to the other of the base and the bottom surface of the seat support;

f) a back rest support pivotally attached to the upwardly curved extensions;

g) a spring component positioned between, and rigidly connected to, the seat support and the back rest support;

h) a back rest tiltably attached to the back rest support; and

i) a seat attached to the top surface of the seat support.

2. The seating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat support, the back rest support, and the spring component comprise a single, integral component.

3. A seating apparatus comprising:

a) a base;

b) a curved support bar having an upper backrest support portion and a lower seat support portion interconnected by a curved portion;

c) one or more ramps; and

d) one or more motion-facilitating components for interacting with the one or more ramps.

4. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the one or more ramps are attached to the seat support portion of the curved support bar and the one or more motion-facilitating components are attached to the base.

5. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the one or more ramps are attached to the base and the one or more motion-facilitating components are attached to the seat support portion of the curved support bar.

6. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, comprising one or more ramps attached to the base and one or more ramps attached to the seat support portion of the curved support bar, and further comprising one or more motion facilitating components attached to each of the base and the seat support portion of the curved support bar for interacting with the ramps.

7. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, comprising one ramp and one motion-facilitating component for interacting with the ramp.

8. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, comprising two or more ramps and two or more motion-facilitating components for interacting with the ramps.

9. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the base includes one or more upwardly curved extensions.

10. The seating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the backrest support portion of the curved support bar is pivotally connected to the one or more upwardly curved extensions.

11. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the one or more motion-facilitating components comprise rollers.

12. The seating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the rollers are spherical in shape.

13. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the one or more ramps comprise curved ramps.

14. The seating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the curve of the curved ramps has a radius of about 7 inches to about 9 inches.

15. The seating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the curve of the curved ramps comprises an incline varying over a range of about 80 to about 300.

16. The seating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the rollers have a non-uniform shape, and the one or more ramps are substantially linear in shape.

17. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the curved portion of the curved support bar comprises a spring.

18. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a back rest tiltably attached to the backrest support portion of the curved support bar.

19. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a seat attached to the seat support portion of the curved support bar.

20. The seating apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the seat is supported entirely by the interaction between the one or more ramps and the one or more motion-facilitating components.

21. The seating apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the seat is slidably attached to the seat support portion of the curved support bar.

22. The seating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising one or more friction-inducing components for interacting with the one or more motion-facilitating components.

23. A seating apparatus comprising a shaped diaphragm support surface, the diaphragm having a series of openings formed therein, wherein at least one of the size and concentration of the openings is varied across the diaphragm to provide varying levels of body support in discrete areas of the diaphragm.

24. The seating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the shaped diaphragm comprises an elastomeric material.

25. The seating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the size of the openings is increased in an area corresponding to a pressure point.

26. The seating apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the area corresponding to a pressure point is an area corresponding to the tailbone area of a seated user.

27. The seating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the concentration of the openings is increased in an area corresponding to a pressure point.

28. The seating apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising one or more surface projections or indentations.

29. A seating apparatus comprising a shaped diaphragm support surface formed of a plurality of boss structures interconnected by a plurality of web structures, the boss structures and web structures being spaced apart to form a series of openings therebetween, wherein the dimensions of the boss structures, the web structures, and the openings are varied across the diaphragm to provide varying levels of body support in discrete areas of the diaphragm.

30. A seating apparatus having a shaped diaphragm support surface with varying support, the seating apparatus comprising:

a) a U-shaped seat frame with a curved portion defining the rear of the seat frame, two substantially straight portions defining the sides of the seat frame, an open portion defining the front of the seat frame, and a central opening;

b) a shaped diaphragm support surface stretched across the central opening of the seat frame; and

c) a downwardly curved separator bar positioned between the two substantially straight portions near the front of the seat frame;

wherein the downward curve of the separator bar is shaped such that the body of a user seated on the shaped diaphragm support surface would not come into contact with the separator bar, and wherein the separator bar pushes apart the two substantially straight portions of the seat frame such that the shaped diaphragm is stretched tighter near the front of the seat frame than near the rear of the seat frame.

31. The seating apparatus of claim 30, wherein the front of the seat frame is shaped so as to provide a waterfall effect.

32. A method of making a seating apparatus, the method comprising:

a) providing a U-shaped seat frame comprising a curved portion defining the rear of the seat frame, two substantially straight portions defining the sides of the seat frame, an open portion defining the front of the seat frame, and a central opening;

b) providing a shaped diaphragm;

c) attaching the shaped diaphragm to the U-shaped seat frame across the central opening of the seat frame;

d) providing a curved separator bar; and

e) attaching the separator bar to the U-shaped seat frame such that the separator bar is positioned in a downwardly curved manner between the two substantially straight portions of the seat frame near the front of the seat frame;

wherein the separator bar has an overall length such that said step of attaching the separator bar to the seat frame stretches the shaped diaphragm such that the shaped diaphragm is stretched tighter near the front of the seat frame than near the rear of the seat frame.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the shaped diaphragm is stretched during said step of attaching the diaphragm to the seat frame.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the downward curve of the separator bar is shaped such that the body of a user seated on the shaped diaphragm support surface would not come into contact with the separator bar.