Occupant weight operated chair

• US 5,486,035 A
• Filed: 08/01/1994
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc. (HNI Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Earl H. Koepke, Marcus C. Koepke
• Inventors: Koepke, Marcus C., Koepke, Earl H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US08/283,553
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 297/320, 297/321, 297/301, 297/300, 297/302, 297/354.1, 297/340, 297/300.1, 297/301.1, 297/302.1
• US Class Current: 297/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs

Abstract

A chair having a reclinable back having a seat and back interconnected by a stiff resiliently flexible transition connection connecting the seat rear portion and the back lower portion, the seat forward portion and back portion being mounted upon a support whereby reclining of the back raises the seat rear portion producing an occupant weight operated reclinable chair having a substantially uniform back reclining force requirement throughout the reclining range of motion.

Claims

1. An occupant weight operated chair having a seat and a reclining back wherein the force required to recline the back is substantially uniform throughout the range of reclining movement and is controlled by the chair occupant'"'"'s weight comprising, in combination, a seat formed of a stiffly flexible material having front and rear portions, and a concave upper configuration and a convex lower configuration between said portions, a back having upper and lower portions and a rear exterior surface, a transition connection portion formed of a stiffly flexible material interposed between and interconnecting said seat rear portion and said back lower portion, said transition connection having a concave upper configuration and a convex lower configuration between said seat and back, a support having a front attachment to said seat front portion and a rear pivot located rearwardly of the point of attachment of said seat rear portion to said transition connection portion, a link pivotally mounted on said support rear pivot and affixed to said back lower portion at a fixed predetermined position defining a rear attachment, the dimension between said front attachment to said rear attachment along the configuration of said seat and transition connection being greater than the straight line dimension between said front and rear attachments whereby reclining of said back about said pivot to deform said transition connection and seat rear portion raises said seat rear portion, the chair occupant'"'"'s weight upon said seat rear portion automatically adjusting the force required to recline said back.

2. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, said seat and said transition connection being formed of a stiff synthetic plastic material.

3. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, said seat and transition connection comprising separate interconnected components.

4. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, said seat and transition connection being homogeneously molded as single component.

5. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, said front attachment comprising a pivot pivotally interconnecting said support and said seat front portion.

6. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, said rear attachment comprising a pivot pivotally attaching said link to said back lower portion.

7. In an occupant weight operated chair as in claim 1, a pedestal having an upper end, said support being mounted upon said pedestal upper end.