Chair control mechanism

• US 5,207,479 A
• Filed: 06/06/1990
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kimball International Incorporated (HNI Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimball International Incorporated (HNI Corporation)
• Inventors: Motz, Dennis R., Wickman, Dennis J., Trinkel, Steven F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, CASSANDRA HOPE
• Application Number:
  US07/534,034
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 297/302, 297/304, 297/301, 297/300
• US Class Current: 297/303.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/026 with central column, e.g. rocking office chairs; Tilting chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/441 with adjustable elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/443 with coil springs

Abstract

The present invention is an office chair capable of dynamically tilting to provide a desired seat inclination from an upright position to a maximum tilted position. The preloading mechanism of the spring includes an adjusting screw and a tension arm which provides leverage. The leverage of the preloading mechanism facilitates turning the adjusting screw to vary the preloaded tension of the springs. Also, a spindle cover is provided to stop movement of the seat at the maximum tilted position, and to stop movement of a toggle mechanism at the upright position.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a base including a vertically extending support column;

a seat including a back portion and a bottom portion with a front edge, said seat capable of being positioned in an upright position and a plurality of tilted positions;

a tilt control assembly including a main pivot, a base plate, and a seat plate, said base plate and said seat plate being operatively connected by said main pivot, said main pivot being generally horizontally disposed in the vicinity of said front edge, said base plate attached to said column, and said seat plate attached to said seat;

first spring means operatively connected between said base plate and said seat plate for uniformly resisting tilting by said seat;

second spring means operatively connected between said base plate and said seat plate for variably resisting tilting by said seat including means for providing a relatively high initial resistance against tilting said seat in said upright position and providing a relatively low resistance against tilting said seat in said tilted positions; and

adjustment means for adjusting the resistance of said first spring means, said adjustment means including a screw, a tension arm having a pivot and a spring engagement portion, and means for threadedly connecting said screw and said tension arm, said tension arm pivot engaged with one of said plates of said tilt control assembly, said first spring means extending between the other of said plates and engaging said spring engaging portion of said tension arm, said screw threadedly engaged with said tension arm whereby rotation of said screw causes movement of said tension arm, with the distance from said tension arm pivot to said threaded connection means being greater than the distance from said tension arm pivot to said spring engagement portion thereby facilitating movement of said screw by the leverage of said tension arm.

2. The chair of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the distance from said tension arm pivot to said threaded connection means to the distance from said tension arm pivot to said spring engagement portion is at least 2.0.

3. The chair of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the distance from said tension arm pivot to said threaded connection means to the distance from said tension arm pivot to said spring engagement portion is at least 2.5.

4. The chair of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the distance from said tension arm pivot to said threaded connection means to the distance from said tension arm pivot to said spring engagement portion is about 3.0.

5. The chair of claim 1 wherein said first spring means includes at least one compression spring.

6. The chair of claim 5 wherein said first spring means includes two compression springs.

7. The chair of claim 6 wherein each spring includes an axially located guide pin.

8. The chair of claim 7 wherein each spring further includes a spring guide having an arcuate end received in an arcuate seat.

9. The chair of claim 1 wherein said first spring means is rotatably connected to said spring engagement portion to avoid binding and buckling of said spring means as said tension arm rotates.

10. The chair of claim 8 wherein each tension spring has two spring guides located at respective ends of said tension springs, one said spring guide engaging said spring engaging portion of said tension arm, the other said spring guide engaging the other of said plates of said tilt control assembly.

11. The chair of claim 1 wherein said second spring means includes a toggle mechanism with a first arm connected to said seat plate, a second arm connected to said base plate, and a means for pivotally attaching said first and said second arm, at least one of said first and said second arm having a spring for biasing said toggle mechanism to support said seat plate horizontally.

12. A chair comprising:

a base including a vertically extending support column having an upper end;

a seat including a back portion and a bottom portion having a front edge, said seat capable of being positioned in an upright position and a plurality of tilted positions including a maximum tilted position;

a tilt control assembly including a main pivot, a base plate, and a seat plate, said base plate and said seat plate being operatively connected by said main pivot, said main pivot being generally horizontally disposed in the vicinity of said front edge and below an upper planar surface of said base plate, said base plate attached to said column, and said seat plate attached to said seat and having a generally planar lower surface;

spring means for resisting tilting by said seat, said spring means operatively connected between said base plate and said seat plate;

cover means for limiting the tilting movement of said seat, said cover means located at said upper end of said column, said cover means including a spindle cover with a generally planar angled upper surface disposed under said seat plate such that said spindle cover stops movement of said seat at said maximum tilted position and said angled upper surface and said seat plate lower surface are substantially parallel in said maximum tilted position; and

toggle means operatively connecting said seat plate and said base plate for resisting tilting of said seat, said spindle cover positioned to stop movement of said toggle means at said upright position.

13. The chair of claim 12 further comprising a control lever for a fluid lifting means, said cover means including means for guiding said control lever.

14. A chair comprising:

a base including a vertically extending support column having an upper end;

a seat including a back portion and a bottom portion having a front edge, said seat capable of being positioned in an upright position and a plurality of tilted positions including a maximum tilted position;

a tilt control assembly including a main pivot, a base plate, and a seat plate, said base plate and said seat plate being operatively connected by said main pivot, said main pivot being generally horizontally disposed in the vicinity of said front edge and below an upper planar surface of said base plate, said base plate attached to said column, and said seat plate attached to said seat and being L-shaped in cross-section having a generally planar lower surface and an extension connected with said main pivot;

spring means for resisting tilting by said seat, said spring means operatively connected between said base plate and said seat plate;

cover means for limiting the tilting movement of said seat, said cover means located at said upper end of said column, said cover means including a spindle cover with a generally planar upper angled surface and a resilient stop cushion disposed over said spindle cover upper service, a top portion of said stop cushion being positioned such that said spindle cover stops movement of said seat at said maximum tilted position and said top portion dampens incident vibration and noise when said seat plate moves to said maximum tilted position and said angled upper surface and said seat plate lower surface are substantially parallel in said maximum tilted position; and

toggle means operatively connecting said seat plate and said base plate, said toggle means for resisting tilting of said seat, said spindle cover positioned to stop movement of said toggle means at said upright position.

15. The chair of claim 14 further comprising a control lever for a fluid lifting means, said cover means including a slot for guiding said control lever.

16. A chair comprising:

a base including a vertically extending support column having an upper end;

a seat including a back portion and a bottom portion having a front edge, said seat capable of being positioned in an upright position and a plurality of tilted positions including a maximum tilted position;

a tilt control assembly including a main pivot, a base plate, and a seat plate, said base plate and said seat plate being operatively connected by said main pivot, said main pivot being generally horizontally disposed in the vicinity of said front edge, said base plate attached to said column, and said seat plate attached to said seat;

toggle means for resisting tilting by said seat, said toggle means operatively connected between said base plate and said seat plate; and

cover means for limiting the tilting movement of said seat, said cover means located at said upper end of said column, said cover means including a spindle cover and a resilient stop cushion disposed over an edge of said spindle cover, a portion of said stop cushion being positioned such that said spindle cover stops movement of said toggle means at said upright position and said edge portion dampens incident vibration and noise when said seat plate moves to said upright position.

17. The chair of claim 16 further comprising a control lever for a fluid lifting means, said cover means including means for guiding said control lever.

18. The chair of claim 16 wherein said stop cushion also includes a top portion disposed over said spindle cover such that said spindle cover stops movement of said seat at said maximum tilted position and said top portion dampens incident vibration and noise when said seat plate moves to said maximum tilted position.