Chair seat tilting mechanism

• US 5,573,303 A
• Filed: 05/16/1995
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leggett & Platt Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Doerner Products Company Limited
• Inventors: Doerner, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US08/441,772
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300.2, 297/300.4, 297/300.5, 297/303.3, 297/303.4, 297/319, 297/317, 297/322
• US Class Current: 297/300.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03266 with adjustable elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03272 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03294 slidingly movable in the base frame, e.g. by rollers

Abstract

A chair seat tilting mechanism comprises a support for mounting to a chair spindle and a lever arm pivotally mounted at a pivot to the support, which lever arm is for mounting to a chair seat. A link arm is pivotally mounted at a pivot to the support and has a cam with a camming end positioned between the lever arm pivot mount and the link arm pivot mount. An extension of the link arm mounts to a chair back such that when a chair occupant leaning back on the chair back, the link arm pivots about the link arm pivot causing the cam to cam lever arm so that it pivots about its own pivot with the support. This results in the chair seat tilting forwardly.

Claims

1. A chair seat tilting mechanism comprising:

a support for mounting to a chair spindle;

a lever arm for mounting to a chair seat, said lever arm pivotally mounted at a pivot mount to said support such that, when said lever arm is mounted to said chair seat, pivoting said lever arm about said lever arm pivot mount tilts said chair seat forwardly;

a link arm pivotally mounted to said support at a pivot mount, said link arm having a camming end located at one side of said link arm pivot mount such that said camming end is positioned for camming said lever arm at a point between said lever arm pivot mount and said link arm pivot mount, said link arm for supporting a chair back at a side of said link arm pivot mount which is opposite from said one side such that when said chair back is tilted backwardly, said camming end is raised thereby pivoting said lever arm about said lever arm pivot mount in order to tilt said chair seat forwardly.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said camming end is pivotally joined to said lever arm.

3. The mechanism of claim 2 wherein said lever arm pivot mount comprises an elongate slot in one of said lever arm and said support and a hole in the other of said lever arm and elongate slot and a pin extending through said hole and said elongate slot, said elongate slot and pin permitting limited translational movement of said lever arm.

4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said link arm has an extension, said extension extending on said one side of said link arm pivot mount and including a biasing means acting between said extension and said support.

5. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said biasing means comprises a shaft supported by said extension and a coil spring extending from a face of said support opposite said link arm, said coil spring being compressed between said face of said support and a support on said shaft.

6. A chair having a seat tilting mechanism, comprising:

a support mounted to a chair spindle;

a lever arm mounted to a chair seat, said lever arm pivotally mounted at a pivot mount to said support such that pivoting said lever arm about said lever arm pivot mount tilts said chair seat forwardly;

a link arm pivotally mounted to said support at a pivot mount, said link arm having a camming end located at one side of said link arm pivot mount such that said camming end is positioned for camming said lever arm at a point between a said lever arm pivot mount and said link arm pivot mount, said link arm supporting a chair back at a side of said link arm pivot mount which is opposite from said one side such that when said chair back is tilted backwardly, said camming end is raised thereby pivoting said lever arm about said lever arm pivot mount in order to tilt said chair seat forwardly.

7. The mechanism of claim 6 wherein said link arm has an extension, said extension extending on said one side of said link arm pivot mount and including a biasing means acting between said extension and said support.

8. The mechanism of claim 7 wherein said biasing means comprises a shaft supported by said extension and a coil spring extending from a face of said support opposite said link arm, said coil spring being compressed between said face of said support and a support on said shaft.