Chair

• US 6,523,896 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter Roder
• Original Assignee: Peter Roder
• Inventors: Uhlenbrock, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRIS, STEPHANIE N
• Application Number:
  US09/610,469
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300.9, 297/301.1, 297/301.4, 297/300.1, 297/300.2, 297/300.3, 297/300.4, 297/301.3, 297/303.3
• US Class Current: 297/300.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/032 the parts being movably-coupled seat and back-rest A47C1/035 takes precedence
• 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 1/03272 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03274 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03277 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03279 of torsion type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03294 slidingly movable in the base frame, e.g. by rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs

Abstract

A chair is provided comprising a seating platform having a front edge and a back edge, a seat carrier that carries the seating platform and is connected to one of a central chair column and a plurality of chair legs, a rest carrier that proceeds toward the back under the seating platform and upward behind the seating platform, and a backrest carried on the rest carrier. The seating platform, close to its front edge, is hinged to the seat carrier pivotable around a transversely proceeding, first swivelling axis and, offset therefrom toward the back edge, is hinged to the rest carrier pivotable around a parallel, second swivelling axis. The rest carrier is hinged to the seat carrier pivotable around a third swivelling axis that is located between the first and second swivelling axis and parallel thereto. A spring is provided under the seating platform and supported thereat which exerts a pre-stress force acting upwardly on the seating platform and toward the front on the back rest. The rest carrier comprises an extension that extends forward of the third swivelling axis and forms a lever arm. The spring has its end remote from the seating platform supported on the rest carrier extension and the seating platform comprises a vertical motion latitude relative to at least one of the seat carrier and the rest carrier.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a seating platform having a front edge and a back edge,

a seat carrier that carries the seating platform and is connected to one of a central chair column and a plurality of chair legs,

a rest carrier that proceeds toward the back under the seating platform and upward behind the seating platform,

a backrest carried on the rest carrier,

the seating platform, close to its front edge, is hinged to the seat carrier pivotable around a transversely proceeding, first swivelling axis and, offset therefrom toward the back edge, is hinged to the rest carrier pivotable around a parallel, second swivelling axis,

the rest carrier is hinged to the seat carrier pivotable around a third swivelling axis that is located between the first and second swivelling axis and parallel thereto,

a spring provided under the seating platform and supported thereat which exerts a pre-stress force acting upwardly on the seating platform and toward the front on the back rest,

the rest carrier comprises an extension that forms a lever arm that extends forward of the third swivelling axis;

the spring has its end remote from the seating platform supported on the rest carrier extension; and

the seating platform comprises a vertical motion latitude relative to at least one of the seat carrier and the rest carrier.

2. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the second swivelling axis is located under and close to a longitudinal center of the seating platform.

3. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the seating platform comprises at least one respective front and back bearing support at its underside through which the first, front and the second, back swivelling axis proceeds.

4. A chair according to claim 3, wherein the bearing supports each comprise a respective oblong hole through which a first, front and second, back bearing pin, rigidly connected to the seat carrier, respectively proceeds, whereby a front oblong hole extends on a radius around the back bearing pin and a back oblong hole extends on a radius around the front bearing pin.

5. A chair according to claim 4, wherein, for forming a motion detent for the rest carrier, the second, back bearing pin also extends through an essentially vertically directed oblong hole in the rest carrier.

6. A chair according to claim 4, wherein the seat carrier, proceeding in longitudinal direction of the seating platform, is arranged thereunder in a transverse center thereof and is connected to the chair column at its back end;

and that a respective rest carrier having a respective, appertaining spring is provided to the left and right of the seat carrier symmetrically thereto;

in that two respective, front and back bearing supports are present; and

in that a respective through, front and back bearing pin is attached to the seat carrier.

7. A chair according to claim 4, wherein the seat carrier is implemented bipartite and, proceeding in longitudinal direction of the seating platform, is arranged laterally thereunder to the left and right and also has its front and back ends connected to a respective chair leg;

a respective rest carrier with a respective, appertaining compression spring arrangement is provided at the left and right inside of the two seat carrier parts and parallel thereto;

two respective front and back bearing supports are present; and

a respective, through, front and back bearing pin is attached to the two seat carrier parts.

8. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the spring is a coil spring.

9. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the spring is one of a gas compression spring and an elastomer spring.

10. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the spring is a torsion spring.

11. A chair according to claim 10, wherein each torsion spring comprises a spring member that comprises one or more turns surrounding the third swivelling axis as well as two spring legs extending tangentially outward therefrom, whereby a first spring leg is supported close to its free end at an underside of the seating platform and a second spring leg is supported at the rest carrier, and whereby the spring legs are biased such that they exert an upwardly directed force onto the seating platform and exert a force on the rest carrier that pre-stresses the backrest toward the front.

12. A chair according to claim 11, wherein both spring legs proceed toward the front away from the spring member approximately parallel to one another, whereby the second spring leg is supported at the upper side of the extension of the rest carrier and exerts a downwardly directed force onto the extension.

13. A chair according to claim 11, wherein at least the first spring leg lies in one of a glide and roller guidance connected to the seating platform.

14. A chair according to claim 11, wherein torsion springs are provided symmetrically relative to the longitudinal center axis of the chair, these being formed of one piece with one another on the basis of a single, correspondingly doubly coiled and bent spring steel rod.

15. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the spring is formed by at least one torsion bar spring.

16. A chair according to claim 15, wherein each torsion bar spring forming the spring is formed with at least one spring section that is loaded for torsion and proceeds in a transverse chair direction and is formed with at least two spring levers proceeding in longitudinal chair direction, whereby a first spring lever is supported close to its free end at the underside of the seating platform and a second spring lever is supported at the rest carrier, and whereby the spring levers are biased such that they exert an upwardly directed force on the seating platform and exert a force on the rest carrier that pre-stresses the backrest toward the front.

17. A chair according to claim 16, wherein the spring section of the torsion bar spring simultaneously forms the first swivelling axis.

18. A chair according to claim 16, wherein the spring levers of the spring section, as seen in a bottom view of the chair, proceed approximately parallel to one another and, as seen in a side view of the chair, proceed toward the back upon inclusion of an acute angle, whereby the second spring lever is supported at the upper side of the extension of the rest carrier and exerts a downwardly directed force on the extension.

19. A chair according to claim 16, wherein the torsion bar spring is formed of one piece by a spring steel bar bent U-shaped.

20. A chair according to claim 16, wherein two torsion bar springs are provided symmetrically relative to a longitudinal center axis of the chair, these being preferably formed of one piece with one another on the basis of a single spring steel bar that is bent camshaft-like.

21. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the seating platform comprises bearing supports at the underside through which the first, front and the second, back swivelling axis proceed, wherein respectively two left and two right bearing supports are present, these being respectively implemented in a combined form of no more than one piece forming a left support component part and one piece forming a right support component part.

22. A chair according to claim 21, wherein the left support component part and the right support component part are implemented in a single combined piece.

23. A chair according to claim 1, wherein the seat carrier and at least that part of the rest carrier proceeding under the seating platform are punched and pressed parts of sheet steel.

24. A chair according to claim 1, wherein an articulation of the seating platform to the rest carrier is omitted and the seating platform and the rest carrier are pivotable unsynchronized and independently of one another.