Height-adjustable swivel chair equipped with gas-pressure spring, especially office chair or office armchair

• US 4,779,925 A
• Filed: 04/22/1987
• Issued: 10/25/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eberhard Heinzel
• Original Assignee: Eberhard Heinzel
• Inventors: Heinzel, Eberhard
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/045,878
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 297/306, 297/304, 297/303, 297/302, 297/301, 297/345, 297/349, 297/355, 297/347
• US Class Current: 297/300.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03238 by means of peg-and-notch or pawl-and-ratchet mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03261 characterised by elastic means
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03279 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/30 with vertically-acting fluid cylinder

Abstract

In the swivel chair, a seat frame and a backrest frame are joined by articulation and movable with a rocking motion synchronously against spring force, and the tilt of seat and backrest can be locked in several positions. The entire mechanical system for the tripping, adjustment, and locking of the tilt of seat frame and backrest frame, for triggering the height adjustment, and for setting the rocking spring force is accommodated in a supporting tube that is bent at an obtuse angle. This supporting tube surrounds in a rotatable and displaceable fashion a base tube at the lower end, this base tube being seated on a compound base and accommodating the gas-pressure spring, and is connected at the upper end with a horizontal transverse tube extending perpendicularly to the supporting tube, this transverse tube housing the swivel axles of the seat frame as well as of the backrest frame. The pivot axle of the backrest frame is constituted by two torsion springs which are respectively fixed with a longer, angled spring leg within a tube of the bottom part of the backrest frame and are in contact, with a shorter spring leg, against an adjustably designed abutment in the upper end of the supporting tube.

Claims

1. Height-adjustable swivel chair equipped a gas-pressure spring, especially office chair or office armchair, wherein a seat frame and a backrest frame are joined with articulation and being movable with a rocking motion synchronously against spring force, and the tilt of seat and backrest can be locked in several positions, characterized by the following features:

(a) the entire mechanism for the releasing, adjusting, and locking in place of the tilt of the seat frame (17) and the backrest frame (18), for tripping the height adjustment, and for adjusting the rocking spring force is accommodated in a supporting tube (3) bent at an obtuse angle, this supporting tube surrounding at the bottom end in a rotatable and displaceable fashion a base tube (2) mounted on a compound base (1) and accommodating the gas-pressure spring (6), and being connected at the upper end with a horizontal transverse tube (13) extending transversely to this supporting tube, this transverse tube housing the swivel axles of the seat frame (17) as well as of the backrest frame (18);

(b) the swivel axle of the backrest frame (18) is constituted by two torsion springs (39), each of which is fixed in place, with a longer, angled spring leg (40), in a tube of the bottom portion of the backrest frame (18) and is in contact, with a shorter spring leg (43), with an adjustably designed stop block (44) in the upper end of the supporting tube (3).

2. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the seat frame (17) and the bottom part of the backrest frame (18) are connected to each other on both sides of the chair by way of joint fishplates (46), and that, for tilt adjustment, a toothed rack (19) is attached to a cross strap (20) of the seat frame (17), projects by way of an opening (21) into the supporting tube (3), and cooperates within the latter with a detent (16) displaceably supported in a guide block (14).

3. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the toothed rack (19) is attached to a cross strap (49) of the bottom part of the backrest frame (18), and the seat frame (17) and the bottom part of the backrest frame (18) are connected to each other by way of rubber-metal buffers (50).

4. A swivel chair according to claim 1 characterized in that small bearing blocks (27-30) are provided in the arms of the horizontal transverse tube (13) extending toward both sides away from the supporting tube (3), for the torsion springs (39) and for shafts (26, 31), there being attached to the outer ends of these shafts respectively one operating lever accessible underneath the seat, for the detent (16) of the rocking mechanism on one side and for an angle lever (34), supported at the rear end of the guide block (14), for operating the valve plunger (36) of the gas-pressure spring (6) on the other side.

5. A swivel chair according to claim 4, characterized in that the angle lever (34) for operating the valve plunger (36), and the detent (16), are respectively articulated by way of connecting rods (24, 33) to levers (25, 32) attached to the shafts (26, 31).

6. A swivel chair according to claim 2, characterized in that a leaf spring (23) is provided at the guide block (14) for limiting the tripping movement of the detent (16).

7. A swivel chair according to claim 4, characterized in that bearing lugs (37) projecting downwardly and attached to the front end of the seat frame (17) are rotatably supported at the respectively outer small bearing blocks (27, 29) on pivots (38).

8. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the torsion springs (39) consist of steel rod material.

9. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the torsion springs (39) consist of leaf spring packs.

10. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that a synthetic resin bushing (4) for the guidance and additional support of the supporting tube (3) is provided in the lower end of the supporting tube (3) surrounding the base tube (2).

11. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that additional spring elements (47) are inserted in lateral tubes of the upper part of the backrest frame (18).

12. A swivel chair according to claim 11, characterized in that the spring elements (47) are steel rods, on the uncovered sections of which flexible synthetic resin sheaths (48) are threaded, the outer diameter of these sheaths being equal to that of the tubes of the backrest frame (18).

13. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting tube (3) and the horizontal transverse tube (13) extending transversely thereto are inserted one in the other and are welded together in such a way that the inside cross section of both tubes (3, 13) is vacant.

14. A swivel chair according to claim 13, characterized in that the transverse tube (13) has a rounded, triangular cross section, the height of which corresponds essentially to the diameter of the supporting tube (3).

15. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop block (44) is fashioned as a spindle nut (44'"'"') which is engaged by an adjusting spindle (62).

16. A swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the pivot axle of the seat frame (17) is placed on the transverse tube (13), and that, for operating the seat tilt and the height adjustment, operating keys are integrated into the transverse tube (13), of which keys the operating key (52) for the rocking mechanism is designed as an indexing key.

17. Swivel chair according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer ends of the torsion springs (39'"'"') are connected, within the transverse tube (13'"'"'), in a shape-mating fashion with the one ends of tubes (57) loosely surrounding these springs, these tubes, with their other ends, engaging by means of hooks (60) into hook-shaped extension (61) of the spindle nut (44'"'"').