Chair, especially a reclining chair

• US 4,502,729 A
• Filed: 07/26/1982
• Issued: 03/05/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Giroflex Entwicklungs A 5322 Koblenz Switzerland A Corporation of
• Original Assignee: Giroflex-Entwicklungs-AG
• Inventors: Locher, Hermann
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyddane, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/401,617
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 297/316, 297/320, 297/321, 297/343, 297/300, 297/301, 297/304
• US Class Current: 297/300.3
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03211 by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03283 with fluid springs

Abstract

A reclining chair is disclosed containing a conventional seat portion pivotable about a fixed pivot shaft or axle and a backrest containing a backrest plate displaceable upon guide rails. These guide rails are pivoted to a greater extent than the seat during the rearward reclining of the seat, due to the action of a guide element connected with a piston rod of a pneumatic spring arrangement. Due to the movement of the guide element there is rotated a transmission lever pair about a stationary pivot shaft, the transmission lever pair being connected with the guide element. A curved entrainment member, hingedly connected with this transmission lever pair, is connected with the backrest plate. Since a pivot shaft between the transmission lever pair and the curved entrainment member moves through an appreciably larger distance than the connection location between the seat and the guide element or the guide rails, the backrest plate is downwardly drawn along the guide rails. By virtue of this adjustment mechanism there is ensured that the backrest plate follows that course of movement which is performed by the back of the user during reclining of the chair.

Claims

1. A reclining chair comprising:

a seat having a rear edge;

a backrest cooperating with the rear edge of the seat;

rigid seat support means including means defining a stationary pivot axis about which the seat can be pivoted rearwardly into a reclining position;

said backrest moving downwardly along with the rear edge of the seat during the reclining of said seat;

means defining a movable pivot axis for the backrest and which movable pivot axis is mounted at the seat;

said backrest being simultaneously pivotable about the movable pivot axis mounted at the seat;

a reclining mechanism provided for said backrest and inclining a guide element and a spring arrangement, with said guide element cooperating with said spring arrangement and with said means defining said movable pivot axis;

said reclining mechanism ensuring that the backrest moves through a larger pivot angle than the pivot angle of the seat during pivoting of the backrest;

said backrest containing a backrest plate member capable of pivotal motion;

a guide arrangement provided for said backrest plate member;

an adjustment mechanism actuatable during the pivotal motion of the backrest plate member for drawing the backrest plate member along said guide arrangement downardly towards the seat;

means defining a common pivot axis for said adjustment mechanism of the backrest plate member and the reclining mechanism of the backrest;

said rigid seat support means further including means defining a fixed pivot axis situated in fixed spaced relationship to said stationary pivot axis and about which there is pivotable said common pivot axis;

said adjustmet mechanism comprising a transmission lever pair;

said transmission lever pair interconnecting said common pivot axis and said fixed pivot axis and being rotatable about said fixed pivot axis;

said transmission lever pair extending past said fixed pivot axis; and

said transmission lever pair during the movement of the common pivot axis initiating a movement of the backrest plate member which is greater in comparison thereto. PG,22

2. The reclining chair as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said transmission lever pair comprises two essentially L-shaped levers having leg members of unequal length;

said adjustment mechanism further comprising a curved entrainment member cooperating with said transmission lever pair;

said curved entrainment member having first and second ends;

means defining an adjustment pivot axis for hingedly connecting said first end of the curved entrainment member with the transmission lever pair; and

means defining a backrest pivot axis for hingedly connecting said second end of the curved entrainment member with the backrest plate member.

3. The reclining chair as defined in claim 2, further including:

said common pivot axis for the reclining mechanism and the adjustment mechanism is located at a shorter leg member of each L-shaped lever of the transmission lever pair;

said transmission lever pair being rotatable about a stationary shaft constituting said means defining said fixed pivot axis; and

said stationary shaft piercingly extending through a connection location of both of the leg members and being mounted at said rigid seat support means.

4. The reclining chair as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said guide arrangement for the backrest plate member comprises two rail members; and

each of said rail members being rigidly connected at one end thereof with said guide element of the reclining mechanism of the backrest.

5. A reclining chair, comprising:

rigid seat support means;

first pivot means provided at said rigid seat support means for defining a stationary first pivot axis;

second pivot means provided at said rigid seat support means for defining a stationary second pivot axis in spaced relationship to said stationary first pivot axis;

a seat member for supporting the buttocks of an occupant;

said seat member having a rear edge and a region remote from said rear edge;

said remote region of said seat member being supported at said first pivot means to pivot about said stationary first pivot axis for effecting a substantially downward motion of said rear edge of said seat member;

third pivot means provided at said rear edge of said seat member for defining a movable third pivot axis having an arcuate motion about said stationary first pivot axis;

a backrest structure for supporting the back of an occupant;

a reclining mechanism for imparting a rearward reclining motion to said backrest structure in relation to said substantially downward motion of said rear edge of said seat member such that the angular extent of said reclining motion of said backrest is greater than the angular extent subtended about said stationary first pivot axis by said substantially downward motion of said seat member;

said reclining mechanism including a guide element and a spring arrangement and said guide element cooperating with said spring arrangement and pivotably supported at said third pivot means to pivot about said movable third pivot axis for participating in said substantially downward motion of said rear edge of said seat member;

said guide element having a predominantly vertical guide portion;

said backrest structure including guide means for translatably guiding said backrest structure along said predominantly vertical guide portion of said guide element of said reclining mechanism;

a control mechanism for defining in cooperation with said rear edge of said seat member a reclining motion of said reclining mechanism and for simultaneously defining a downward motion of said backrest structure toward said seat member along said predominantly vertical portion of said guide element of said reclining mechanism in dependent relation to said reclining motion;

fourth pivot means provided at said control mechanism for defining a movable fourth pivot axis having an arcuate motion about said stationary second pivot axis; and

said control mechanism including a transmission lever pair pivotably mounted at said second pivot means to pivot about said stationary second pivot axis for defining said arcuate motion of said movable fourth pivot axis and for operatively connecting said control mechanism with said backrest structure for effecting said downward motion of said backrest structure by an amount greater than said arcuate motion of said movable fourth pivot axis.

6. The reclining chair as defined in claim 5, further including:

an entrainment member having a first end and a second end;

said transmission lever pair comprising two lever members each having a short leg and a long leg;

fifth pivot means provided at said long legs of said lever members for defining a movable fifth pivot axis having an arcuate motion about said stationary second pivot axis;

sixth pivot means provided at said backrest structure for defining a translatable sixth pivot axis having a predominantly vertical motion along said guide portion; and

said first end of said entrainment member pivotably engaging said fifth pivot means and said second end of said entrainment member pivotably engaging said sixth pivot means for operatively connecting said transmission lever pair with said backrest structure.

7. The reclining clair as defined in claim 6, wherein:

said fourth pivot means is provided at said short legs of said lever members of said transmission lever pair; and

said second pivot means comprising a stationary shaft extending through said lever members.

8. The reclining chair as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said guide portion of said guide elements of said reclining mechanism comprises two guide rails; and

said two guide rails being rigidly connected with said guide element.