Chair back and method of assembly

• US 6,220,661 B1
• Filed: 04/19/1999
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Development Inc.
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Development Inc.
• Inventors: Peterson, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/294,751
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 297/218.1, 297/218.4, 297/228.1, 297/228.13, 297/226, 297/440.4, 297/440.2, 297/452.14, 297/452.15
• US Class Current: 297/218.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/023 connecting upholstery to frames, e.g. by hooks, clips, snap fasteners, clamping means or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/24 Upholstered seats A47C7/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/46 with special, e.g. adjustable , lumbar region support profile; "Ackerblom" profile chairs

Abstract

A chair includes a base, a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position, and a back construction. The back construction includes a back support shell attached to the back upright, and further includes a cushion assembly attached to the back support shell with quick-attach top and bottom connectors. Specifically, the back support shell includes top apertures, and the cushion assembly includes hooks for drop-in attachment to the top apertures. The back support shell also includes a molded bottom section defining a horizontally extending recess, and the back cover includes a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recess to retain the back cover to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction. The cushion assembly includes a cover assembly that includes an upholstered front panel, and a rear panel forming a sock that can be pulled upwardly onto a cushion. The rear panel includes a first sheet section having a one-directional stretch in a vertical direction, and further includes a second section having a high-stretch property. The second section hangs downwardly from the front panel and has a strip of stiff material sewn along its lower edge to form the stiffened edge flange noted above.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the back support including a flexible lumbar section that is constructed to flex between different vertical profiles providing different lumbar support;

the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including an aesthetic cover that covers at least a front side of the back cushion; and

the back support including hooks and the cushion assembly including apertures for engaging the hooks for assembly.

2. The chair defined in claim 1, wherein the recessed channel defines a rectangular shape and the stiffened edge flange is also rectangularly shaped and configured to fit within the recessed channel.

3. The chair defined in claim 1, wherein the stiffened edge flange is configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel during assembly with a zipper-like motion from one end of the stiffened edge flange to the other end.

4. The chair defined in claim 3, wherein staples are engaged with ends of the stiffened edge flange to retain the stiffened edge flange in the recessed channel.

5. The chair defined in claim 1, wherein the cushion assembly includes a back cushion, and further includes a cushion stiffener attached to the back cushion.

6. The chair defined in claim 1, wherein the back support is attached to the back upright by fasteners that extend in a rearward direction through the back support into the back upright.

7. The chair defined in claim 1, wherein the cushion assembly is constructed to be assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion.

8. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cushion stiffener attached to the cushion, the cushion stiffener including downwardly extending strips of material that stiffen lower side edges of the back cushion for edge support.

9. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cushion stiffener attached to the back cushion, the cushion assembly including a cover assembly comprising a pull-on sock, and wherein the pull-on sock is stapled to the cushion stiffener after assembly.

10. The chair defined in claim 9, wherein the cover assembly includes a wrapped top edge that is stapled along a top edge of the cushion stiffener, and further includes an overlapped second edge stapled to a bottom of the cushion stiffener.

11. The chair defined in claim 10, wherein the wrapped top edge of the cover assembly includes a drawstring attached to the wrapped top edge that is tensioned and stapled to the cushion stiffener.

12. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cover assembly constructed to be inverted and assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion;

wherein the cover assembly including a front panel covering a front surface of the back cushion, and further including a rear panel that covers a rear surface of the back cushion, the rear panel including fabric that characteristically stretches in a vertical direction at a rate of at least about twice an elongation of the fabric in a horizontal direction.

13. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cover assembly constructed to be inverted and assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion;

the cover assembly including a lower panel attached to a bottom edge of the rear panel, the lower panel including high-stretch material that elongates at least about 100 percent in a vertical direction, the lower panel including material forming the stiffened edge flange.

14. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section, and the cushion assembly including an elastically stretchable lower edge section stretched and attached to the bottom section of the back construction to pull a lower part of the cushion assembly downwardly, the cushion assembly further including a back cushion and a cushion stiffener, the cushion stiffener including downwardly extending strips of material that stiffen the back cushion for edge support.

15. A construction for a chair comprising:

a support shell configured to support a seated person, the support shell having a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel; and

a cushion assembly attached to the support shell, the cushion assembly including a cushion and a cover assembly covering the cushion, the cover assembly having an elastic section with a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the support shell along the edge section of the support shell, the cushion assembly further including a back cushion and a cushion stiffener, the cushion stiffener including downwardly extending strips of material that stiffen the back cushion for edge support.

16. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright supported on the base;

a back support including relatively stiff thoracic and pelvic sections pivoted to the back upright at top and bottom connections, respectively, and further including a flexible lumbar section located between the thoracic and pelvic sections, the back support including a first top connector and a first bottom connector; and

a cushion assembly covering at least part of a front surface of the back support, the cushion assembly including a second top connector engaging the first top connector on the back support and including a second bottom connector engaging the first bottom connector on the back support, one of the first top and bottom connectors including a horizontally extending recessed channel and one of the second top and bottom connectors including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support at a bottom thereof, the other of the first top and bottom connectors including at least one aperture and the other of the second top and bottom connectors including at least one hook engaging the at least one aperture.

17. A back construction for a chair comprising:

a back support shell shaped to support a seated user'"'"'s back, the back support shell having a bottom edge with a horizontally elongated recessed channel formed proximate the bottom edge and further including hooks; and

a cover assembly covering a front of the back support shell that includes an elongated stiffened bottom flange configured to fit into the recessed channel, the cover assembly including a cushion assembly incorporating a cushion stiffener with apertures engaging the hooks.

18. A cover assembly comprising:

an upholstered front panel of aesthetic material shaped to cover a front of a chair back;

a rear panel attached to the front panel along three adjacent edges of the rear panel, the front and rear panels forming a sock that can be pulled over a cushion to cover the cushion, the rear panel being made in part from stretchable material, so that the rear panel can be stretched toward a fourth edge on the rear panel and secured along the fourth edge while the rear panel is in a stretched condition;

a cushion attached to the front panel; and

a cushion stiffener attached to the cushion and having downwardly extending strips that stiffen the cushion for edge support.

19. A method comprising steps of:

providing a back shell having a horizontally extending recessed channel extending along a bottom section, and further including hooks;

providing a cover shaped to cover a front surface of the back shell, the cover having apertures, and a stiffened bottom flange shaped to fit into the recessed channel; and

attaching the cover to the back shell by engaging the stiffened bottom flange in the horizontally extending recessed channel, and further engaging the hooks in the apertures.

20. A chair comprising:

a base;

a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position; and

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the back support including hooks and the cushion assembly including a cushion stiffener with apertures for engaging the hooks for assembly.