Height adjusting device for a chair

• US 5,749,557 A
• Filed: 05/23/1996
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huang Ching-Feng
• Original Assignee: Huang Ching-Feng
• Inventors: Chang, Shu-chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wood, Kimberly T.
• Application Number:
  US08/652,135
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 248/415, 248/425, 248/405, 248/578, 248/575, 297/344.18, 297/344.22, 297/344.19
• US Class Current: 248/405
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/18 Chairs or stools with rotatable seat adjustable in height by rotation A47C3/24
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/24 with vertical spindle

Abstract

A height adjusting device for a chair consists of an inner tube having a top end fixedly connected to a chair seat and a bottom end fixedly connecting with a bushing, a positioning tube extending upwardly from a chair base, having an upper end mounted with a sleeve for receiving the inner tube and a base plate defining a plurality of downward protrusions, a screw having a threaded upper section for threadedly engaging with the bushing and a reduced lower section defining an annular stepped edge and a bottom end extending through the base plate to fixedly attach with an engaging member defining a plurality of upward protrusions for releasably engaging with the downward protrusions of the base plate, the threaded upper section of the screw defining a top projection and a bottom projection for limiting the traveling of the bushing therealong, a spring and a bearing assembly being mounted around the reduced lower section of the screw and located between the base plate and the threaded upper section of the screw.

Claims

1. A height adjusting device comprising:

an inner tube having an upper end and a lower end;

a bushing fixedly connected with the lower end of the inner tube and defining internal threads;

a positioning tube having an upper end and a lower end, a sleeve securely mounted in said upper end of said positioning tube and having an inner diameter slightly greater than an outer diameter of said inner tube for fitting and partially receiving the inner tube and allowing axial and rotational movement of said inner tube, and a base plate securely mounted to the lower end of the positioning tube and having a central hole and a plurality of downward protrusions arranged around the central hole;

a screw defining a threaded upper section for the bushing to be screwed thereto and to be moved therealong and a reduced lower section, said threaded upper section comprising a top and bottom blocking means for limiting the traveling of the bushing therealong between a top position and a bottom position, said reduced lower section defining a bottom and extending through the central hole of the base plate;

a bearing assembly and a spring mounted around the reduced lower section of the screw and located between the base plate and the threaded upper section of the screw; and

an engaging member fixedly attached to the bottom end of the reduced lower section of the screw and defining a plurality of upward protrusions for releasably engaging with the downward protrusion defined in the base plate.

2. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the top and bottom blocking means are respectively in a form of at least one projection formed on the threaded upper section of the screw.

3. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reduced lower section further comprises a stepped edge positioned between the bearing assembly and the threaded upper section of the screw.

4. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the reduced lower section is configurated to have a pair of opposed, parallel flat surfaces and a pair of opposed arcuate surfaces and has a pin hole extending therethrough.

5. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 4 further comprising a lock pin and wherein the engaging member is fixedly attached to the bottom end of the reduced lower section of the screw by fittingly extending the bottom end through a central hole defined in the engaging member which has a configuration corresponding to that of the bottom end and then extending the lock pin through the pin hole.

6. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lower end of the inner tube defines an opening having an inner diameter slightly smaller than an outer diameter of the bushing and the fixed connection between the bushing and the lower end of the inner sleeve is achieved by a forced fitting of the lower end of the inner tube onto the bushing.

7. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the inner tube further comprises a plurality of indentations formed on a periphery thereof and when the bushing and the lower end of the inner tube are fixedly connected together, the indentations are rested on a top edge of the bushing.

8. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 7, wherein when the bushing is moved upwardly to its top position, the top edge of the bushing is blocked by the top blocking means on the threaded upper section of the screw.

9. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bushing is formed with a bottom flange.

10. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 9, wherein when the bushing is moved downwardly to its bottom position, the bottom flange of the bushing is blocked by the bottom blocking means on the threaded upper section of the screw.

11. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bushing is formed with grooves defined axially along a periphery of the bushing.

12. The height adjusting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bushing is made of plastic.