Chair

• US 7,004,543 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Herman Miller Incorporated (Millerknoll Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Herman Miller Incorporated (Millerknoll Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nyenhuis, Jack R., Caruso, Steven J., Gierz, Marc A., Caruso, Jerome C., Gezon, Bruce R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US10/925,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 297/300.2, 297/300.8, 297/303.1, 297/302.1
• US Class Current: 297/300.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03 the parts being arm-rests conversion into a bed A47C17/12
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/0303 adjustable rectilinearly in vertical direction
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03238 by means of peg-and-notch or pawl-and-ratchet mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03266 with adjustable elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03277 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03294 slidingly movable in the base frame, e.g. by rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/402 adjustable in height

Abstract

A tiltable chair including a housing, a back support pivotally attached to the housing about a first horizontal axis and a seat support pivotally attached to the housing about a second horizontal axis. A leaf spring includes a first end engaging the housing and a second end biasing the back support and seat support in an upward direction. A fulcrum member is moveably supported in the housing and engages a bottom surface of the spring intermediate the first and second ends of the spring.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a housing;

a back support pivotally connected to said housing about a first horizontal axis, said back support pivotable between an upright tilt position and a rearward tilt position;

a seat support directly pivotally connected to said back support about a third horizontal axis, and pivotally connected to said housing about a second horizontal axis, wherein said second horizontal axis is moveable toward said first horizontal axis as said back support is pivotable between said upright tilt position and said rearward tilt position;

at least one leaf spring extending longitudinally within said housing and comprising a first end engaging said housing and a second end biasing said back support and said seat support in an upward direction; and

a fulcrum member moveably supported by said housing and engaging said at least one leaf spring between said first and second ends.

2. The chair of claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a forward portion and said at least one leaf spring engages said forward portion.

3. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a pivot member pivotally connecting said back support and said seat support at said third horizontal axis, wherein said second end of said at least one leaf spring engages said pivot member to bias said back support and said seat support in an upward direction.

4. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a pivot member mounted to said seat support and defining said second horizontal axis and wherein said housing has a slot, said seat support pivot member engaging said housing at said slot such that said seat support is pivotally connected to said housing about said second horizontal axis and such that said second horizontal axis is moveable toward said first horizontal axis as said back support is pivotable between said upright tilt position and said rearward tilt position.

5. The chair of claim 1 wherein said second horizontal axis is positioned forwardly of said first horizontal axis which is positioned forwardly of said third horizontal axis, whereby said back support tilts rearwardly about said first horizontal axis at a greater rate than said seat support tilts rearwardly about said second horizontal axis.

6. The chair of claim 1 wherein said fulcrum member is adjustably connected to and longitudinally moveable within said housing, whereby said fulcrum member can be moved longitudinally within said housing so as to engage said at least one leaf spring at various points intermediate said first and second ends and thereby alter the amount of resistance applied to the seat support as a user tilts rearwardly on the seat.

7. The chair of claim 6 further comprising an adjustment member rotatably connected to said housing and threadably engaging said fulcrum member, whereby rotation of said adjustment member causes said fulcrum member to move along a longitudinal path within said housing to thereby alter the amount of resistance applied to the seat support.

8. The chair of claim 1 wherein said at least one leaf spring is made of a composite material.

9. The chair of claim 8 wherein said composite material comprises a fiber and binder matrix.

10. The chair of claim 1 wherein said at least one leaf spring comprises a top surface operably engaging a bottom surface of a cross member extending laterally across a front portion of said housing at said first end of said at least one leaf spring.

11. The chair of claim 10 wherein said top surface operably engages a pivot member pivotally connecting said seat support and said back support at said second end of said at least one leaf spring.

12. The chair of claim 1 comprising a pair of parallel and laterally spaced apart leaf springs extending longitudinally within said housing, wherein each of said leaf springs comprises a first end engaging said housing and a second end biasing said back support and said seat support in an upward direction, and wherein said fulcrum member engages each of said leaf springs between said first and second ends.

13. The chair of claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a landing and wherein said fulcrum member is moveably supported on said landing and engages a bottom surface of said at least one leaf spring, whereby a user can move said fulcrum member between said landing and said leaf spring so as to alter the amount of resistance applied to the seat support.

14. The chair of claim 1 wherein said fulcrum member is made of a plastic material.

15. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a seat adjustably mounted on said seat support, whereby said seat can be moved in a longitudinal direction relative to said seat support.

16. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a tilt limiter mounted to said housing and operably engaging said seat support so as to limit the rearward tilting of said seat support.

17. A chair comprising:

a housing;

a back support pivotally connected to said housing about a first horizontal axis, said back support pivotable between an upright tilt position and a rearward tilt position;

a seat support directly pivotally connected to said back support about a third horizontal axis, and pivotally and translatably connected to said housing about a second horizontal axis;

at least one leaf spring extending longitudinally within said housing and comprising a first end coupled to said housing and a second end biasing said back support and said seat support in an upward direction; and

a fulcrum member moveably supported by said housing and engaging said at least one leaf spring between said first and second ends.

18. The chair of claim 17 further comprising a pivot member mounted to said housing and defining said second horizontal axis and wherein said seat support has a slot, said housing pivot member engaging said seat support at said slot such that said seat support is pivotally connected to said housing about said second horizontal axis.

19. The chair of claim 17 further comprising a pivot member mounted to said seat support and defining said second horizontal axis and wherein said housing defines a track, said seat support pivot member engaging said track such that said seat support is pivotally connected to said housing about said second horizontal axis and such that said second horizontal axis is moveable toward said first horizontal axis as said back support is pivotable between said upright tilt position and said rearward tilt position.

20. The chair of claim 17 further comprising a pivot member mounted to said housing and defining said second horizontal axis and wherein said seat support has a track, said housing pivot member engaging said track such that said seat support is pivotally connected to said housing about said second horizontal axis.