Chair with pivotable chair back

• US 6,974,188 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dorel Home Furnishings, Inc. (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cosco Management Incorporated (Dorel Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zink, Paul T., Turner, Dennis M., Andrews, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garrett, Erika
• Application Number:
  US10/640,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20050035636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 297/270.2, 297/408, 297/354.1, 297/354.11, 297/23, 297/354.13, 297/291, 297/292, 297/293, 297/289, 297/285, 297/463.1, 297/463.2, 297/322, 297/411.38, 297/411.39, 297/410
• US Class Current: 297/270.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/04 Folding chairs with inflexible seats
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/445 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/48 of freely-rotatable type

Abstract

A chair comprises a frame, a chair back, and a chair back return device. The chair back is mounted to the frame for pivotable movement away from a home position. The chair back return device is arranged to return the chair back to the home position.

Claims

1. A chair comprising

a frame including a left chair-back support and a right chair-back support arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the left chair-back support,

a pivotable back unit including a chair back arranged to lie between the left and right chair-back supports, a left axle coupled to a left side of the chair back, and a right axle coupled to a right side of the chair back, the left axle being coupled to the left chair-back support and the right axle being coupled to the right chair-back support to support the chair back for pivotable movement relative to the frame about a horizontal pivot axis from a home position in a counterclockwise direction to assume a rearward-leaning pivot position and in a clockwise direction to assume a forward-leaning pivot position, and

a chair-back return device including a left return spring mounted on the left chair-back support and formed to include first and second spring arms arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define a tab-receiving space therebetween, the chair-back return device further including a tab mounted in fixed relation to the chair back and arranged to extend into the tab-receiving space formed between the first and second spring arms and arranged to move the first spring arm relative to the frame to load the left return spring in response to movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under an external first pivoting force applied to the chair back from the home position toward the rearward-leaning position to provide first spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the first pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back and to move the second spring arm relative to the frame to load the left return spring in response to movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under an external second pivoting force applied to the chair back from the home position toward the forward-leaning position to provide second spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the second pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back.

2. The chair of claim 1, further comprising a right return spring mounted on the right chair-back support and formed to include third and fourth spring arms arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define a tab-receiving space therebetween, the chair-back return device further including an auxiliary tab mounted in fixed relation to the chair back and arranged to extend into the tab-receiving space formed between the third and fourth spring arms and arranged to move the third spring arm relative to the frame to load the right return spring in response to movement o the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under the external first pivoting force from the home position toward the rearward-leaning position to provide third spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the external first pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back and to move the fourth spring arm relative to the frame to load the right return spring in response to movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under the external second pivoting force from the home position toward the forward-leaning position to provide fourth spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the external second pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back.

3. The chair of claim 1, wherein the left chair-back support includes a shroud formed to include an interior region and a spring mount located in the interior region of the shroud and the left return spring is coupled to the spring mount and arranged to lie in the interior region of the shroud.

4. The chair of claim 3, wherein the left chair-back support further includes a left frame member arranged to extend upwardly relative to a seat included in the chair and a leg receiver coupled to the left frame member and to the shroud to support the shroud above the left fame member and to present the left return spring located in the interior region of the shroud toward the chair back to locate the tab of the chair-back return device in the tab-receiving space defined between the first and second spring arms.

5. The chair of claim 3, wherein the spring mount includes a base mount formed to include an axle channel receiving the left axle therein and the left return spring includes a base arranged to interconnect the first and second spring arms and coupled to the base mount.

6. The chair of claim 5, wherein the spring mount further includes an arm stop coupled to the base mount and arranged to lie between the first and second spring arms in a location between the base mount and the tab to engage both of the first and second spring arms upon movement of the chair back to assume the home position.

7. The chair of claim 3, wherein the left chair-back support further includes forward and rearward pivot limiters located in the interior region of the shroud and arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another to locate a portion of the first spring arm between the rear pivot limiter and the tab and a portion of the second spring arm between the tab and the forward pivot limiter, the rearward pivot limiter is arranged to engage the first spring arm during movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis from the home position toward the rearward-leaning position to establish the rearward-leaning position, and the forward pivot limiter is arranged to engage the second spring arm during movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis from the home position toward the forward-leaning position to establish the forward-leaning position.

8. The chair of claim 1, wherein the left chair-back support includes a spring mount including a base mount and the spring includes a base arranged to interconnect the first and second spring arms and coupled to the base mount.

9. The chair of claim 8, wherein the base mount has a round exterior surface and the base is C-shaped and arranged to engage the round exterior surface of the base mount.

10. The chair of claim 8, wherein the spring is a monolithic element made of a strip of spring material.

11. The chair of claim 8, wherein the spring mount further includes an arm stop coupled to the base mount and arranged to lie between the first and second spring arms in a location between the base mount and the tab to engage both of the first and second spring arms upon movement of the chair back to assume the home position.

12. The chair of claim 1, wherein the left chair-back support further includes forward and rearward pivot limiters arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another to locate a portion of the first spring arm between the rear pivot limiter and the tab and a portion of the second spring arm between the tab and the forward pivot limiter, the rearward pivot limiter is arranged to engage the first spring arm during movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis from the home position toward the rearward-leaning position to establish the rearward-leaning position, and the forward pivot limiter is arranged to engage the second spring arm during movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis from the home position toward the forward-leaning position to establish the forward-leaning position.

13. The chair of claim 1, wherein the backrest further includes a left motion transmitter coupled to a left side of the chair back and arranged to support the tab in the tab-receiving space defined between the first and second spring arms.

14. The chair of claim 13, wherein the left motion transmitter includes a disk-shaped tab mount coupled to the tab and formed to include an axle-receiving opening and the left axle extends through the axle-receiving opening.

15. The chair of claim 14, wherein the chair back includes a rear shell member formed to include a recess and a front shell member coupled to the rear shell member, the left motion transmitter further includes an aesthetic portion mounted to an axially inner side of the disk-shaped tab mount and arranged to extend into the recess formed in the rear shell member.