Chair with rearwardly inclinable seat and back rest carrier

• US 4,684,173 A
• Filed: 09/27/1985
• Issued: 08/04/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Giroflex Entwicklungs AG 5322 Koblenz Switzerland
• Original Assignee: Giroflex-Entwicklungs-AG
• Inventors: Locher, Hermann
• Primary Examiner(s): Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
• Application Number:
  US06/780,825
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300, 297/301, 297/316, 297/320
• US Class Current: 297/300.3
• 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 1/03283 with fluid springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/026 with central column, e.g. rocking office chairs; Tilting chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/443 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/444 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/446 with fluid springs

Abstract

A seat carrier and a back rest carrier are linked by pivot joints through a lever to a carrying or swivelling component. At the end of the seat carrier on the back rest side there is connected a chain of link members which at its other end is connected to a slide and a back rest. When the chair inclines towards the rear, the chain of link members causes the slide and the back rest to conjointly move in a downwards direction. The so-called undressing effect caused by the change-over from the normal position into the rearwardly inclined position of the back rest is eliminated in a simple and space saving manner and without exploiting the space below the seat carrier. By arranging a spring element, for instance a gas spring, in the knee region of the chair, ready access can be had to the spring element for arresting it.

Claims

1. A reclining chair, comprising:

seat support means including means defining a first substantially horizontal pivot axis and a second substantially horizontal pivot axis extending in mutually spaced relationship;

rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means pivotable about said first substantially horizontal pivot axis and having a rear end;

rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means pivotable relative to said second substantially horizontal pivot axis and having a back rest region;

means coupling said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means such that rearward inclinations of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means and of said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means occur conjointly and such that an ensuing downward motion of said rear end is less than an ensuing downward motion of said back rest region;

back rest means translatably guided on said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means; and

linkage means interconnecting said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means, said back rest region of said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means and said back rest means such that said rearward inclinations cause a downward movement of said back rest means approximately equal to said downward movement of said rear edge of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means.

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

said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means comprises a pivot joint located between said back rest and said rear end of the rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means; and

a link element of said linkage means being rotatably journalled on said pivot joint.

3. The chair as defined in claim 2, wherein:

said linkage means comprises a first link member, a second link member and a third link member;

said second link member being constructed as a rocking lever having a pivot axis and defining said link element; and

said second link member bring pivotably mounted about said pivot axis on said pivot joint of the rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

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

said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means comprises middle pivot joint means located between said back rest means and said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means;

said linkage means comprising a second link member defining a rocking lever and having a first end, a second end and a middle pivot joint for pivotably connecting said second link member to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means at said middle pivot joint means;

said linkage means comprising a first link member for pivotably connecting said first end of said second link member to said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means; and

said linkage means comprising a third link member for pivotably connecting said second end of said second link member to said back rest means.

5. A chair frame for a reclining chair including:

seat support means including means defining a first substantially horizontal pivot axis and a second substantially horizontal pivot axis extending in mutually spaced relationship;

rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means pivotable about said first substantially horizontal pivot axis and having a rear end;

rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means pivotable relative to said second substantially horizontal pivot axis and having a back rest region;

means coupling said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means such that rearward inclinations of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means and of said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means occur conjointly and such that an ensuing downward motion of said rear end is less than an ensuing downward motion of said back rest region;

back rest means translatably guided on said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means;

linkage means interconnecting said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means, said back rest region of said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means and said back rest means such that said rearward inclinations cause a downward movement of said back rest means approximately equal to said downward movement of said rear edge of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means, wherein such chair frame comprises;

spring means for counteracting said rearward inclinations and having a first end and a second end;

means for pivotably connecting said first end of said spring means to said seat support means and

lever means for pivotably connecting said second end of said spring means to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

6. The chair frame as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said lever means comprises pivot means for pivotably linking said lever means to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

7. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier is connected to said lever means by a pivot joint; and

said lever means being pivotably mounted on said seat support means by said means defining said second substantially horizontal pivot axis.

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

said lever means comprises two pivotably connected struts each having at least one end;

a first end of said spring means being conjointly supported at said at least one end of each of said two pivotably connected struts; and

at least one strut of said two pivotably connected struts being pivotably connected to said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means.

9. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said lever means comprises two pivotably connected struts each having at least one end;

a first end of said spring means being conjointly supported at said at least one end of each of said two pivotably connected struts; and

at least one strut of said two pivotably connected struts being pivotably connected to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

10. The chair frame as defined in claim 8, wherein:

one strut of said two pivotably connected struts is connected to said coupling means;

said coupling means being common to both said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means and said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means; and

one other strut of said two pivotably connected struts being pivotably mounted on said seat support means.

11. The chair frame as defined in claim 8, wherein:

one strut of said two pivotably connected struts is pivotably mounted on said coupling means of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means; and

one other of said two pivotably connected struts being pivotably mounted on said means defining said second substantially horizontal pivot axis at said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

12. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, wherein:

the chair frame has an active working position and a position defining a rearward inclination; and

torsion spring means provided between said means defining said first substantially horizontal axis and said seat support means for effecting a return of the chair frame from said rearward inclination into said active working position.

13. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, further including:

further spring means positioned under said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means;

one end of said said further spring means being fixed to said seat support means; and

one other end of each said further spring means being fixed to said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means.

14. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, further including:

further spring means positioned under said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means;

one end of each said further spring means being fixed to said seat support means; and

one other end of each said further spring means being fixed to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

15. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, further including:

further spring means positioned under said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means;

one end of said said further spring means being fixed to said seat support means; and

one other end of each said further spring means being fixed to said two pivotably connected struts.

16. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means comprises middle pivot joint means located between said back rest means and said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means;

said linkage means comprising a second link member defining a rocking lever and having a first end, a second end and a middle pivot joint for pivotably connecting said second link member to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means at said middle pivot joint means;

said linkage means comprising a first link member for pivotably connecting said first end of said second link member to said rear end of said rearwardly inclinable seat carrier means; and

said linkage means comprising a third link member for pivotably connecting said second end of said second link member to said back rest means.

17. The chair frame as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said lever means has a first end and a second end;

said lever means comprising first pivot means for pivotably connecting said first end to said seat support means;

said lever means comprising second pivot means for pivotably connecting said second end to said spring means; and

said lever means being connected with said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

18. The chair frame as defined in claim 17, wherein:

said lever means is connected integrally with said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means.

19. The chair frame as defined in claim 17, wherein:

said lever means is connected directly to said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means by means of a pivot joint.

20. The chair frame as defined in claim 17, wherein:

said lever means is connected indirectly with said rearwardly inclinable back rest carrier means by means of an intermediate strut member.