Chair

• US 4,429,917 A
• Filed: 04/29/1981
• Issued: 02/07/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DO3 Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hauserman Incorporated International Furniture & Textile DIV
• Inventors: Diffrient, Niels
• Primary Examiner(s): Zugel, Francis K.
• Application Number:
  US06/258,760
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300, 297/301, 297/304, 297/305, 297/322, 297/323, 297/316, 297/418, 297/321
• US Class Current: 297/300.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03266 with adjustable elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03272 with coil springs

Abstract

A chair of the tilting type which includes a base, a seat and back, with the base pivotally supporting the seat with two opposite non-parallel links of the four bar non-parallel linkage, with one of the opposite links extending to support the back and also being formed to provide an arm rest. The four bar linkage is duplicated on each side of the chair by forming the two opposite non-parallel links or cranks from the upturned ends of the tubes which pass through the base in parallel but vertically offset fashion, the base thus forming the fixed bar of the linkage with its opposite bar or coupler being formed by the seat. A spring within the base is operative on one of the tubes to urge the chair to an upright position. The tubes are pivotally connected to the seat and one of the tubes extends and is fixedly connected to the back in a manner to emphasize the isolated and separate appearance of the seat and back. With the above construction the seat and back both tilt in their proper natural body support positions but in a respective ratio of about 1 to 3. The chair thus obviates some of the problems of prior chairs where only the back tilts or both the seat and back tilt as a unit.

Claims

1. A chair comprising a seat, a back, a four bar linkage, said linkage including a base, said seat forming a second link of said linkage, said linkage including a third link having one end portion pivotably connected with a rear portion of said base and an opposite end portion pivotably connected with a rear portion of said seat, a fourth link having a first end portion pivotably connected with a forward portion of said base and a second end portion pivotably connected with a forward portion of said seat, and means for mounting and fixing said back to said fourth link for pivoting movement together with said fourth link about said pivotable connection between said fourth link and said base.

2. The chair of claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said back includes an extension of said fourth link.

3. The chair of claim 2 further including an arm rest formed by said fourth link.

4. The chair of claim 3 wherein said arm rest is formed by a horizontal portion of said fourth link.

5. The chair of claim 4 wherein said third and fourth links are formed by upturned portions of tubes.

6. A chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubes extend horizontally parallel to each other beneath the seat and are journalled for rotation about their axes within said base.

7. A chair as set forth in claim 6 wherein the fourth link forming tube is journalled in said base at a higher elevation than the third link forming tube.

8. A chair as set forth in claim 7 wherein the upturned portions of the third link forming tube are pivotally connected to said seat therebeneath.

9. A chair as set forth in claim 7 wherein the upturned portions of the fourth link forming tube are pivotally connected to the sides of the seat.

10. A chair as set forth in claim 9 wherein the upturned portions of the fourth link forming tube extend upwardly and then rearwardly to form arm rests.

11. A chair as set forth in claim 10 wherein said back is isolated from the seat and is fixedly connected between the distal ends of the fourth link forming tubes.

12. A chair as set forth in claim 6 including a spring in said base operative to return the seat and back to an upright position.

13. A chair as set forth in claim 12 wherein said spring is a compression spring urging the third link forming tube to rotate in a direction to move the seat and back to an upright position.

14. A chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein the back and seat tilt ratio is greater than one.

15. A chair as set forth in claim 14 wherein such ratio is about 3 to 1.

16. A chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said back supporting means is part of said linkage, and the seat and back are isolated from each other and supported solely by said linkage.