Apparatus for raising seat of chair

• US 4,854,640 A
• Filed: 03/14/1988
• Issued: 08/08/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Megascan Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Raisha Kotobuki
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rendos, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US07/167,523
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 297/331, 297/332, 297/333, 297/335, 297/336, 248/592
• US Class Current: 297/333
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/121 having tipping-up seats

Abstract

An aparatus for raising a seat of a chair includes a pair of arms fixedly secured to both sides of the seat, stationary shaft extending between both legs of the chair, a position determining sleeve turnably mounted on the stationary shaft, a first coil spring fitted onto a larger diameter sleeve portion of the position determining sleeve and a second coil spring fitted onto a smaller diameter sleeve portion of the position determining sleeve. One end of the first coil spring having a higher intensity of resilient force than that of the second coil spring is engaged to the stationary shaft and other end of the same is engaged to the intermediate portion of the position determining sleeve so that the seat is normally urged to turn to the raised neutral position under the effect of resilient force of the first coil spring. One end of the second coil spring is engaged to the other end of the first coil spring and other end of the same is engaged to a part of the arm so that the seat is normally urged to turn to the neutral position in the opposite direction to the first coil spring. The position determining sleeve is formed with an opposed pair of tongues for determining a range of turning movement of the seat while a reference bolt is extended in an area as defined between both the tongues.

Claims

1. An apparatus for raising a seat of a chair comprising:

a pair of spaced arms each having an L-shaped cross-section form including a vertical portion, said arms being adapted to receive a pivotally mounted seat therebetween,

a stationary shaft extending between said arms,

a position determining sleeve turnably mounted on said stationary shaft, said position determining sleeve being composed of a first sleeve portion disposed remote from the vertical portion of one of the arms, a second sleeve portion disposed by the vertical portion of the arm and an intermediate portion located between said first sleeve portion and said second sleeve portion,

first spring means fitted onto the first sleeve portion of the position determining sleeve to normally urge the seat in such a direction that the seat is raised up to a neutral nonuse position, one end of said first spring means being engaged to the stationary shaft and the other end of the same being engaged to the position determining sleeve, and

second spring means fitted on the second sleeve portion of the position determining sleeve to normally urge the seat toward the neutral position in the opposite direction to the first spring means, said second spring means having a lower intensity of resilient force than that of the first spring means, one end of the second spring means being engaged to a part of the first spring means and other end of the same being engaged to a part of the arms.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein both ends of the stationary shaft are formed to have a square cross-sectional shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first spring means comprises a first coil spring which is produced by coiling a steel wire and of which turns are arranged one after another in a closely contacted state, one end of said first coil spring being bent to form a ring through which a reference bolt is inserted so as to allow said one end of the first coil spring to be fixed to the stationary shaft in cooperation with a nut, said reference bolt extending through the shaft, said other end of the first coil spring extending linearly in parallel with the stationary shaft so that it is inserted through one of a plurality of spring holes which are provided in the intermediate portion of the position determining sleeve in order that it is engaged to the latter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first spring means comprises a coil spring, said other end of said first spring means forms a linear end and the second spring means comprises a second coil spring which is produced by coiling a steel wire and of which turns are arranged one after another in a closely contacted state, one end of said second coil spring being bent in the form of a hook so as to allow said one end of the second coil spring to be engaged to the linear end of the first coil spring and other end of the same being bent in the form of a hook so as to allow said other end of the second coil spring to be engaged to an armpin which extends from the vertical portion of the arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein intermediate portion of the position determining sleeve includes a first raised part and a second raised part, said first raised part being adapted to abut against the armpin so as to restrict turning movement of the arm and said second raised part being formed with a plurality of spring holes through which the linear end of the first coil spring is selectively inserted to adjust an intensity of resilient force of the first coil spring.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first sleeve portion of the position determining sleeve is formed with an opposed pair of tongues extending in parallel with the stationary shaft so that a range of turning movement of the arm is determined by a remote angle between said tongues while a reference bolt extends in a space as defined between the tongues.