Chair seat tilt adjustment and locking mechanism

• US 5,464,274 A
• Filed: 01/13/1994
• Issued: 11/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Knoll Incorporated (Millerknoll Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Golynsky, Arkady, Wimmer, Donald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US08/182,816
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 297/301, 297/302, 297/304, 297/303, 297/328
• US Class Current: 297/328
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/444 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/445 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32114 including static joint
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32951 Transverse pin or stud

Abstract

A chair tilt control mechanism for a pedestal base chair having a chair control housing mounted on the pedestal chair base and pivotally supporting a chair seat support member. A laterally movable front stop member retained within the chair control housing is movable and contacts the front flange of the chair seat support member and limits the pivotal movement of the chair seat support member to predetermined angular positions with respect to the chair control housing and the floor supporting the chair. Also disclosed is a lever member adapted to lock the chair seat support member in one or more predetermined angular positions. Also disclosed is a hollow plastic pivot pin for pivotally connecting a chair control housing to a chair seat support member.

Claims

1. A chair tilt control mechanism for a pedestal base chair comprising a chair control housing mounted on a pedestal chair base and pivotally supporting a chair seat support member, the chair seat support member having a front flange portion provided with a plurality of laterally spaced tabs, a laterally movable front stop member retained within the chair control housing adjacent the front flange portion of the chair seat support member, the laterally movable front stop member having an upper set of laterally spaced bearing surfaces separated by a lower set of laterally spaced bearing surfaces, means to laterally move the front stop member whereby either the upper set or the lower set of laterally spaced bearing surfaces of the movable front stop member are laterally aligned and in contact with the laterally spaced tabs of the front flange portion, and means to lock the laterally spaced tabs of the front flange portion against either the upper set or the lower set of laterally spaced bearing surfaces of the front stop member.

2. The chair tilt control mechanism of claim 1 in which the means to laterally move the front stop member is a lever mounted to the underside of the chair seat.

3. The chair tilt control mechanism of claim 2 in which the means to laterally move the front stop member includes a connecting link member moved laterally by the lever against the front stop member, the connecting link extending through a bore of one of a pair of hollow pivot pins pivotally connecting the chair control housing to the chair seat support member.

4. The chair tilt control mechanism of claim 2 in which the lever is spring loaded.

5. The chair tilt control mechanism of claim 4 in which the spring is contained within a pivotable selector contained within an outer housing mounted to the underside of the chair seat adjacent to one side of the chair seat support member.

6. The chair tilt control mechanism of claim 1 in which the means to lock the laterally spaced tabs of the front flange portion of the chair seat support member against either the upper set or lower set of laterally spaced bearing surfaces of the front stop member comprise a pair of spaced flanges extending substantially downwardly from the underside of the chair seat support member, and an elongated lever which extends from the outside of the chair control housing through elongated slots located on a pair of vertical sidewalls of the chair control housing, the elongated lever pivotable about a pivot point centrally located between the vertical sidewalls of the chair control housing, the lever adapted to engage either of two vertically spaced lever retaining portions on the pair of spaced flanges and prevent further pivotal movement of the chair seat support member about the chair control housing.