SEATING WITH ADJUSTABLE CUSHIONS

• US 20140319890A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tropitone Furniture Company Incorporated (Brown Jordan, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tropitone Furniture Company Incorporated (Brown Jordan, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rivera, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,468,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/284.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/088 incorporating elastic bodies, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/54 Inflatable chairs connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/021 Detachable or loose seat cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/029 of non-adjustable shape adapted to a user contour or ergonomic seating positions
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/18 having foamed material included in cushioning part foamed material mattresses A47C27/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/38 for the head adjustable coupled to reclining or easy chairs A47C1/036
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/467 adjustable by fluid means

Abstract

A seating, including a sling seating, can have adjustable and/or non-adjustable cushions. An occupant of the seating can adjust the thickness and support provided by an adjustable cushion. The adjustable cushion can include an open cell foam in an airtight envelope. The occupant can open a control valve connected to the envelope to let air out of the airtight envelope while the occupant applies external pressure to the open cell foam, which decreases the thickness of the adjustable cushion as the open cell foam compresses. The occupant can close the valve to restrict airflow into and out of the envelope at a desired thickness of the adjustable cushion. The occupant can subsequently open the valve to let air into the envelope while the occupant does not apply external pressure to the open cell foam, which increases the thickness of the adjustable cushion as the open cell foam expands.

Claims

1. Seating with at least one adjustable cushion, the seating comprising:

a backrest comprising a backrest frame and a backrest sling fabric, the backrest frame having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the backrest sling fabric having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the backrest sling fabric supported at the left and right sides of the backrest sling fabric by the left and right sides of the backrest frame, respectively, suspending the backrest sling fabric between the left and right sides of the backrest frame;

a seat connected to the backrest, the seat comprising a seat frame and a seat sling fabric, the seat frame having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the seat sling fabric having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the seat sling fabric supported at the left and right sides of the seat sling fabric by the left and right sides of the seat frame, respectively, suspending the seat sling fabric between the left and right sides of the seat frame;

at least one adjustable cushion on at least one of the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric, the adjustable cushion comprising an airtight envelope, compressible foam inside the envelope, support foam outside the envelope, and a substantially rigid backing member, the airtight envelope comprising at least one port providing fluid communication to an interior of the envelope, wherein the backing member rests against the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric, the support foam rests against the backing member, and the airtight envelope rests against the support foam, and wherein the backing member biases the support foam away from the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric, and the support foam biases the compressible foam away from the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric; and

a valve in fluid communication with the port of the envelope, the valve configured to selectively allow ambient air to pass into and out of the airtight envelope, via the port, through the valve,

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion is decreased by opening the valve to allow air to flow out of the airtight envelope and the compressible foam as the compressible foam compresses within the airtight envelope when external pressure is applied to the airtight envelope, and

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion is increased by opening the valve to allow ambient air to flow into the airtight envelope and the compressible foam when the compressible foam is in a compressed state and expands within the airtight envelope while ambient air flows into the airtight envelope.

2. The seating of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustable cushion is on the backrest sling fabric.

3. The seating of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustable cushion is positioned in at least one of a lumbar region of the backrest or a head region of the backrest.

4. The seating of claim 3, wherein a first adjustable cushion is positioned in the lumbar region and a second adjustable cushion is positioned in the head region.

5. The seating of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustable cushion is on the seat sling fabric.

6. The seating of claim 1, wherein the backing member comprises a flat panel having about same dimensions as the adjustable cushion to generally maintain a flat shape of the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric as the firmness of the adjustable cushion is changed.

7. The seating of claim 1, further comprising at least one non-adjustable cushion on at least one of the backrest sling fabric or the seat sling fabric, wherein substantially an entire seating area defined by the backrest and the seat is generally defined by at least one of the adjustable cushion or the non-adjustable cushion.

8. The seating of claim 1, wherein the backing member is not connected to or resting on the backrest frame or the seat frame of the seating.

9. The seating of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustable cushion includes a first adjustable cushion and a second adjustable cushion, the first adjustable cushion positioned in a top region of the backrest, and the second adjustable cushion positioned in a bottom region of the backrest.

10. The seating of claim 9, wherein the seating further comprises at least one non-adjustable cushion positioned in a middle region of the backrest, wherein the middle region is between the top and bottom regions of the backrest.

11. The seating of claim 10, wherein the first adjustable cushion, the second adjustable cushion, and the non-adjustable cushion substantially cover an entire back area defined by the backrest of the seating.

12. The seating of claim 1, wherein the adjustable cushion is on the seat sling fabric and positioned against a side of a leg of an occupant to directionally support and bias the leg along a length of the seat.

13. An adjustable cushion assembly for seating, the adjustable cushion assembly comprising:

an enclosure comprising an opening, the enclosure configured to inhibit ambient air from passing into and out of the enclosure except through the opening;

a first foam in the enclosure;

a second foam positioned behind the enclosure;

a backing positioned behind the second foam, the backing adjacent to fabric of the seating and suspended on a frame of the seating; and

a valve in fluid communication with the enclosure via the opening of the enclosure, the valve configured to selectively allow ambient air to pass into and out of the enclosure, via the opening, through the valve,

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion assembly is decreased by opening the valve to allow air to flow out of the enclosure when the first foam is compressed within the enclosure while external pressure is applied to the enclosure, and

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion assembly is increased by opening the valve to allow ambient air to flow into the enclosure when the first foam is in a compressed condition and as the first foam expands within the enclosure.

14. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 13, wherein the first foam is about half in size of the second foam.

15. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 13, wherein a density of the second foam varies depending at least on a size of the first foam.

16. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 15, wherein the density of the second foam increases as the size of the first foam decreases.

17. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 13, wherein arrangement of the second foam behind the first foam and the backing behind second foam forms a shape of the adjustable cushion assembly that is generally convex at the first foam and generally flat at the backing.

18. An adjustable cushion assembly for seating, the adjustable cushion assembly comprising:

an enclosure comprising an opening for air to flow into and out of the enclosure;

a first foam in the enclosure;

a second foam at least partially behind the enclosure; and

a support member at least partially behind the second foam, the support member adjacent to fabric of the seating,

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion assembly is decreased by flow of air out of the enclosure when the first foam is compressed within the enclosure, and

wherein firmness of the adjustable cushion assembly is increased by flow of air into the enclosure when the first foam is in a compressed condition and as the first foam expands within the enclosure.

19. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 18, wherein a density of the second foam varies depending at least on a size of the first foam.

20. The adjustable cushion assembly of claim 18, wherein arrangement of the second foam at least partially behind the first foam and the support member at least partially behind second foam forms a shape of the adjustable cushion assembly that is generally convex at the first foam and generally flat at the support member.

21. Seating with adjustable cushions, the seating comprising:

a backrest comprising a backrest frame and a backrest fabric, the backrest frame having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the backrest fabric having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the backrest fabric supported at the left and right sides of the backrest fabric by the left and right sides of the backrest frame, respectively, suspending the backrest fabric between the left and right sides of the backrest frame; and

a seat connected to the backrest, the seat comprising a seat frame and a seat fabric, the seat frame having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the seat fabric having a left side and a right side opposite the left side, the seat fabric supported at the left and right sides of the seat fabric by the left and right sides of the seat frame, respectively, suspending the seat fabric between the left and right sides of the seat frame;

a first adjustable cushion adjacent to the backrest fabric, the first adjustable cushion positioned at an upper head portion of the backrest distal to the seat, wherein firmness of the first adjustable cushion is adjustable;

a second adjustable cushion adjacent to the backrest fabric, the second adjustable cushion positioned at a lumbar portion of the backrest proximal to the seat, wherein firmness of the second adjustable cushion is adjustable; and

a third cushion adjacent to the backrest fabric, the third cushion positioned at a back portion of the backrest between the upper head portion and the lumbar portion of the backrest.

22. The seating of claim 21, wherein a thickness of the first cushion is less than a thickness of the second cushion.

23. The seating of claim 21, wherein a thickness of the third cushion is less than at least one of a thickness of the first cushion or a thickness of the second cushion.

24. The seating of claim 21, wherein a front face of the first cushion, a front face of the second cushion, and a front face of the third cushion are formed from a single sheet of material, the front faces of the first, second, and third cushions facing an inside of the seating used for sitting in the seating, and wherein the front faces of the first, second, and third cushions are formed from the single sheet of material via connections between the single sheet of material and the backrest fabric.

25. The seating of claim 21, further comprising a fourth cushion and a fifth cushion, the fourth and fifth cushions adjacent to the seat fabric, the fourth cushion positioned proximal to the backrest on the seat, and the fifth cushion positioned distal to the backrest on the seat.

26. The seating of claim 25, wherein a front face of the fourth cushion and a front face of the fifth cushion are formed from a single sheet of material, the front faces of the fourth and fifth cushions facing an inside of the seating used for sitting in the seating, and wherein the fourth and fifth cushions are formed form the single sheet of material via connections between the single sheet of material and the seat fabric.