Chair

• US 6,203,107 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sitjoy AB
• Original Assignee: Jonber Incorporated
• Inventors: Jonsson, Bertil
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/414,919
• Time in Patent Office: 528 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.1, 297/312, 297/313, 297/322, 297/330, 297/337, 297/338, 297/339, 297/344.15, 297/344.16
• US Class Current: 297/337
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/023 the parts being horizontally-adjustable seats ; Expandable seats or the like, e.g. seats with horizontally adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/024 with double seats
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/14 of adjustable shape; elastically mounted ; adaptable to a user contour or ergonomic seating positions movably-coupled seat and backrests with elastic adjustment means A47C1/03261; elastically-mounted back-rests or backrest-seat units in the base frame A47C7/44
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/462 adjustable by mechanical means

Abstract

A chair that includes a frame and a seat disposed there above, and an upwardly protruding back support that is located in an area behind the seat. A front part of the back support has a lumbar support device that is disposed a certain level above the seat to support the lumbar spine and/or pelvis rim of the user. The seat is movable relative to the frame between the forward starting position, on the one hand, in which the seat is remote from the back support and is the normal position when the seat is not used by a sitting person and a rear end position, on the other hand, has a lumbar support in which the seat has moved closer to the back support. More particularly, it is closer for the purpose of bringing the pelvis of the person sitting on the seat to partially shift in against or below the lumbar support device.

Claims

1. A chair for seating a person who has a pelvis, comprising:

a frame;

a seat disposed above the frame;

an upwardly protruding back support disposed in an area adjacent to the seat;

a lumbar support positioned a level above the seat to support the pelvis of the person;

the seat and the frame being movable relative to one another between a first position and a second position; and

the frame comprising shifting means for holding the seat in the first position, in which the seat is remote from the back support and which is a position of the seat when nobody sits on the seat, and for activating a relative movement of the seat towards the second position in which the seat and the back support are closer together and for bringing the pelvis of the person sitting on the seat to partially shift and be disposed below the lumbar support and for automatically returning the seat towards the first position when the person sitting on the chair leaves the chair.

2. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the shifting means includes a motor.

3. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the member comprises a sliding track that is attached to the frame, the sliding track slopes in a backward/downward direction so that the seat automatically moves towards the second position when the seat is subjected to the load, the member also comprises a spring to spring bias the seat to move to the first position when the load on the seat is removed.

4. The chair according to claim 1 wherein a first link extends between the seat and the frame and a second link extends between the seat and the frame, a spring is pivotally attached to the seat and the frame so that the spring is biasing the seat away from the back support when the load is removed from the seat.

5. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the chair further comprises a delay mechanism for delaying movement of the seat from the first position to the second position a first time period after the seat is subjected to a load and for providing a controlled velocity of movement of the seat between the first and second position.

6. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the seat comprises a cushion and a support panel that is supported by the frame, the support panel comprises a front section and a rear section, the front section is attached to and supported by the frame and the rear section protrudes outwardly as a free end from the front section without being in direct contact with the back support, the cushion has a rear seating area that is recessed relative to a front seating area of the cushion, the cushion has a transition area disposed between the rear seating area and the front seating area so that the front seating area is disposed above the rear seating area, the rear section is lowerable from an upper starting position relative to the back support.

7. The chair according to claim 6 wherein the rear part is movable in a downward direction towards the frame.

8. The chair according to claim 6 wherein the transition area is disposed in an area that is above a zone that separates the front part from the rear part.

9. The chair according to claim 6 wherein an upper side of the cushion is covered with a cover that provides a high resistance against sliding in a forward direction and a low resistance against sliding in an opposite rearward direction.

10. The chair according to claim 1 wherein the chair has a lumbar support device positioned a first level above the seat.

11. A chair comprising:

a frame;

a seat disposed above the frame;

shifting means having one end connected to the frame and an opposite end connected to the seat;

an upwardly protruding back support adjacent to the seat;

the seat and the frame being movable relative to one another between a first position and a second position, the seat being remote from the back support in the first position and adjacent to the back support in the second position; and

a member in operative engagement with the seat for holding the seat in the first position, for moving the seat to the second position when the seat is subjected to a load, and for returning the seat to the first position when the load is removed from the seat, the member including a motor, wherein the chair further comprises a first sensor and a second sensor in operative engagement with the chair, the first sensor being adapted to sense when the seat is subjected to a load and to activate the motor to move the seat and the back support towards one another, the second sensor is adapted to terminate the motor when the second sensor senses that the back support is subjected to a back load.

12. A method of operating a chair, comprising:

(a) providing a chair having a back support and seat supported by a spring member in operative engagement with the seat and a frame, the seat being connected to the frame by a connector assembly and the seat having a first side section movable relative to a second side section, the first and second side sections being supported by the frame;

(b) maintaining the seat in a first position being remote from the back support;

(c) subjecting the seat to a first load;

(d) rotating the spring member about an attachment attached to the frame; and

(e) while rotating the spring member in step (d) moving the seat towards the frame and shifting the seat from the first position to a second position adjacent to the back support and shifting the first side section away from the back support and moving the first side section relative to the second side section.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the method further comprises moving the first side section away from the back support while moving the second side section towards the back support.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the method further comprises removing the first load from the seat and shifting the seat from the second position to the first position.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the method further comprises shifting the first side section towards the back support relative to the second side section.

16. The method according to claim 12 wherein the method further comprises generating a force with an electronically controlled motor to shift a portion of the seat towards the back support.

17. The method according to claim 12 wherein the method further comprises using a gravitational force to shift a portion of the seat towards the back support.

18. A method of operating a chair, comprising:

(a) providing a chair having a back support and seat supported by a frame;

(b) maintaining the seat in a first position being remote from the back support;

(c) subjecting the seat to a first load;

(d) a first sensor disposed in the seat sensing the first load;

(e) the first sensor sending a start signal to a motor in operative engagement with the seat to move the seat towards the back support;

(f) subjecting the back support to a second load;

(g) a second sensor disposed in the back support sensing the second load; and

(h) the second sensor sending a stop signal to the motor to stop moving the seat towards the back support.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the method further comprises adjusting a lumbar support disposed in the back support.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the method further comprises providing the seat with a first side section that is movable relative to a second side section and shifting the first side section away from the back support and moving the first side section relative to the second side section.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the method further comprises shifting the first side section towards the back support.

22. The method according to claim 18 wherein the motor in step (e) is an electronically controlled motor that generates a force to shift a portion of the seat towards the back support.

23. The method according to claim 18 wherein step (e) further comprises using a gravitational force to shift a portion of the seat towards the back support.