Chair

• US 5,964,503 A
• Filed: 08/22/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inoue Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Inoue Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Inoue, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, STEPHEN A
• Application Number:
  US08/916,403
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300.4, 297/300.5, 297/300.1, 297/300.2, 297/303.3, 297/303.4, 297/300.3
• US Class Current: 297/300.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03261 characterised by elastic means
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03266 with adjustable elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03272 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03274 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03283 with fluid springs

Abstract

A chair having concurrently operative function between a seat and a backrest is disclosed which has a simple structure and is capable of exhibiting smooth motion and which has enhanced degree of freedom in its design because of the simple structure. The chair comprises a shallow box-like base member 2 mounted on an upper portion of a support pillar 1 and forward protruding below a front half of a seat; link members 3, 4 back-and-forth swingably provided on right and left front ends of the base member 2, the link members 3, 4 extending upward; and a swing member 6 having its front ends pivotally attached to the base member 2 at an intermediate position of the base member 2 in front of the support pillar 1 by means of a horizontal shaft 7 in the presence of a torsion coil spring 8, the swing member 6 having a portion 6k, 6j extending substantially right upward at its rear end, to the substantially upright portion 6k, 6j being attached a backrest, the swing member being provided with seat supporting portions 6f, 6g behind the intermediate pivotal point so as to support a seat frame 11 by the link members 3, 4 and the seat supporting portions 6f, 6g. In the chair, the seat supporting portions 6f, 6g provided on the swing member 6 are so formed as to upward extend from the upper surface of the swing member 6; the seat frame 11 has a contour in plan which substantially corresponds to outline of the seat and which is substantially rectangular or substantially circular when viewed in plan; the seat frame 11 is provided in its bottom surface with tongue-shaped support parts 11a-11d downward extending therefrom, and lower portions of the support parts are connected to upper end portions of the link members 3, 4 by means of a horizontal shaft 12 and lower portions of the rest of the support parts are connected to upper portions of the seat supporting portions by means of horizontal shafts 13a, 13b to thereby support the seat frame 11 at a distance from the upper surfaces of the base member 2 and the swing member 6.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a shallow base member mounted on an upper portion of a support pillar extending below a front half of a seat;

a pair of moveable link members provided respectively on right and left front ends of the base member, said link members extending vertically relative to the support pillar;

a swing member having a pair of front ends pivotally attached to the base member at an intermediate position of the base member in front of the support pillar by a horizontal shaft means having a torsion coil spring, said swing member having a pair of upright portions at a rear end, said upright portions being attached to a backrest, said swing member having seat supporting portions behind an intermediate pivotal point in order to support a seat frame with said link members and said seat supporting portions;

wherein the seat supporting portion provided on the swing member are formed to extend vertically from an upper surface of said swing member;

the seat frame having a bottom surface with tongue-shaped support parts extending downwardly therefrom, and lower portions of the support parts are connected to upper end portions of the link members by said horizontal shaft means and lower portions of the rest of the support parts are connected to upper portions of the seat supporting portions by said horizontal shaft means to thereby support the seat frame at a minimum spaced distance above the upper surfaces of the base member and the swing member;

wherein said seat frame is a ring-shaped frame having a seat member manufactured from the group consisting of a netting material and a thin plate; and

wherein said seat supporting portions include two opposing vertical wall portions extending vertically from the upper surface of said swing member in a coplanar relationship to said pillar.