Sitting furniture, in particular swivel chair

• US 4,732,424 A
• Filed: 05/01/1987
• Issued: 03/22/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Angela Uredat-Neuhoff
• Original Assignee: Angela Uredat-Neuhoff
• Inventors: Uredat-Neuhoff, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US07/052,136
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 297/285, 297/291, 297/292, 297/300-302, 297/317, 297/320, 297/322, 297/332, 297/333, 297/341, 297/342
• US Class Current: 297/317
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03288 with resilient blocks

Abstract

A swivel-chair (10) has a frame (15) on which a seat (24) is movably mounted. A back (22) is connected with the seat (24), and this back (22) may be turned around a connecting point (19) at the frame (15). At this connecting point (19) a rotary spring (40) is provided, which tends to turn the back (22) into its working position, and the seat (24) is supported and guided at a seat-guide (31) at its forward area, that is where the thighs of the user are resting. This seat-guide (31) is preferably made such, that it will keep the inclination of the seat (24) on movement thereof, thus the so-called seat-slope, at an ergonomically advantageous value. A movement into the rest position goes against the rotary spring (40) and if required also the seat-guide (31) Optionally a blocking-device (45) for the seat (24) may also be provided in order to be able to block the seat (24) in any desired position in accordance with the wishes of the user.

Claims

1. Sitting furniture, in particular a swivel chair (10;

70) with a frame (15;

     71), a seat having a front section and a rear section, (24;

     79) and a back (22;

     77) pivotably connected by a hinge (23) with the rear section of the seat, the back being pivotably mounted at two mounting positions, above the hinge (23), at a section of the frame extending rearwardly of the front section of the seat (19;

     76), the seat being supported on the frame (15;

71) by means of a seat-guide, provided at the front section of the seat, and being movable in forward and rearward directions corresponding to a rest position and a second working position respectively, and spring means (40;

     96) for forcing the seat and back into the working position, the spring means (40;

     96) in the area of at least one mounting position (19;

     76) on said frame (15;

     71), said at least one mounting position being positioned between the back (22;

     77) and a section of the frame extending rearwardly of the front section of the seat (15;

     71) above said hinge (23), an arcuate rotary spring at least partially surrounding said mounting position (19;

     76), the rear section of the seat (24;

     79) being rearwardly and upwardly inclined at an essentially fixed angle with respect to the front section of the seat, a guide means for the front section of the seat (24;

     79) for the automatic adjustment of the slope of the seat, which corresponds to the slope of the back, the guide means including a longitudinal hole (31;

83) for slidably receiving a cross bar (25) essentially transverse to a plane defined by the longitudinal hole (31;

     83), the longitudinal hole (31;

     83) being inclined upwardly and forwardly with respect to a plane tangential to a top surface of the front section of the seat (24;

     79), whereby rearward rotation of the portion of the back above said at least one mounting position (19;

     76) about said hinge (23) increases the angle between said seat (24;

     79) and said back (22;

     77) and causes said hinge (23) and said front and rear sections of said seat (24;

     79) to move forward and upward, and forwardly and upwardly inclines said seat (24;

79) so that a forwardmost portion of said front section of said seat (24;

     79) is raised higher than a rearwardmost portion of the front section of said seat (24;

79).

2. Sitting furniture according to claim 1, wherein said rotary spring rotates about the same axis, at the mounting position (19;

76), on which the back is pivotably mounted to said frame, and said spring means includes an open area (39;

     94) in which an elastically compressible body (40;

96) is located with one end adjoining a catch (42;

95) disposed in said open area, and said spring means further includes means (38;

     93) for accommodating an opposite end of said compressible body, so that on movement of the back (22;

77) into its rest position, said compressible body is forced in direction against said catch (42;

     95).

3. Sitting furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that a blocking-device (45) for blocking of the seat (24) against movement in a longitudinal direction is positioned within a cross-support (13) attached to and beneath the seat (24).

4. Sitting furniture according to claim 3, characterized in that the blocking-device is made for stageless blocking.

5. Sitting furniture, according to claim 4, characterized in that the blocking-device (45) has a blocking bar (62) connected with the seat (24), that this blocking bar (62) is provided with at least one clamping-element (52, 53) positioned within a cross-support (13) of the sitting furniture (10), said clamping-element having a free space (61) through which the blocking bar (62) extends, said free space (61), in the blocking position, being in clamping connection with the blocking bar (62).

6. Sitting furniture, according to claim 3, characterized in that the blocking-device (45) has a blocking bar (62) connected with the seat (24), and a clamping-element (52;

53) positioned within a cross-support beneath said seat 24 (13) of the sitting furniture (10), said clamping-element (52;

     53) having a free space (61) through which the blocking bar (62) extends, a portion of said clamping element (52;

53) immediately surrounding said free space (61), in the blocking position, being in clamping connection with the blocking bar (62).

7. Sitting furniture according to claim 6, characterized in that the blocking bar (62) has a cross-section deviating from circular cylinder form, in particular a polygonal cross-section.

8. Sitting furniture according to claim 6 characterized in that the blocking bar (62) is provided with two of said clamping-elements, said clamping elements (52;

53) being opposingly positioned with respect to each other for blocking in both directions of movement.

9. Sitting furniture according to claim 8 characterized in that the clamping-elements (52, 53) extend essentially transversely with respect to the blocking bar (62) in the blocking position.

10. Sitting furniture according to claim 9 characterized in that the connection (63) of the blocking bar (62) to the seat is made adjustable in height (64'"'"').

11. Sitting furniture according to claim 10 characterized in that a spring (60) is provided for exerting a force on at least one clamping-element (52, 53) in the clamping direction.

12. Sitting furniture according to claim 11, characterized in that the spring (60) is made as an elastomeric part between the two clamping-elements (52, 53).

13. Sitting furniture according to claim 1, wherein said essentially fixed angle is about 45°

.

14. Sitting furniture according to claim 1, wherein said back section includes an upper portion extending upwardly from said mounting positions (19;

76) and a lower portion extending downwardly from said mounting positions (19;

     76) to said hinge (23), said lower portion being forwardly inclined at an essentially fixed angle with respect to said upper portion.

15. Sitting furniture according to claim 14, wherein said rotary spring rotates about the same axis, at the mounting position (19;

76), about which the back is pivotably mounted to said frame, and said spring means includes an open area (39;

     94) in which an elastically compressible body (40;

96) is located with one end adjoining a catch 942;

95) disposed in said open area, and said spring means further includes means (38;

     93) for accommodating an opposite end of said compressible body, so that on movement of the back (22;

77) into its rest position, said compressible body is forced in direction against said catch (42;

95).