Back for seating unit and method of assembly

• US 6,508,509 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Development Corporation (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: Peterson, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/746,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20020024243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 297/218.1, 297/218.4, 297/228.1, 297/228.13, 297/226, 297/440.2, 297/440.4, 297/452.14, 297/452.15, 297/440.11
• 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 seating unit illustrated as a mobile office chair includes a base, a back upright operably supported on the base for reclining movement and a back construction. The back construction includes a cushion assembly attached to a 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 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. The cushion assembly includes a cover assembly with an upholstered front panel, and a rear panel formed by a first sheet section having a one-directional stretch in a vertical direction, and a second section having a high-stretch property.

Claims

1. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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 seating unit 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 seating unit 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 seating unit 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 seating unit 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 seating unit 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 seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the cushion assembly is constructed to be assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion.

8. The seating unit defined in claim 1, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

9. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

10. The seating unit defined in claim 9, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

11. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

12. The seating unit defined in claim 11, 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.

13. The seating unit defined in claim 12, 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.

14. The seating unit defined in claim 11, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

15. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

16. The seating unit defined in claim 15, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

17. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

18. The seating unit defined in claim 17, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

19. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

20. The seating unit defined in claim 19, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

21. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be supported on a 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.

22. The seating unit defined in claim 21, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.

23. A seating unit comprising:

a back upright adapted to be operably supported on a base for movement between an upright position and an angled 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.

24. The seating unit defined in claim 23, including a base comprising a pedestal and castors on the pedestal, the base operably supporting the back upright.