Cushion construction for seating unit

• US 7,216,936 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Development Corporation (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: Peterson, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US11/109,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20050206212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 297/440.2, 297/284.4
• US Class Current: 297/440.2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/481 Method
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49867 of skin on frame member

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a seating unit, such as a chair, includes manufacturing a cushion made from a non-woven fibrous material, and attaching the cushion to the seating unit for comfortable support. The cushion is made by cutting a blank from non-woven fibrous sheet material, steam-forming the blank into a pre-formed cushion shaped to support a user, and attaching a stiffener panel to the pre-formed cushion to provide a stiffened cushion assembly. The cushion assembly is aesthetically covered and assembled to seating unit. Advantageously, trimmings from the fibrous material can be recycled.

Claims

1. A seating unit comprising:

a base;

a seat support supported by the base;

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

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright;

a cushion supported by a surface on at least one of the back support and the seat support, the cushion having opposing side edges; and

an edge stabilizer extending along the opposing side edges and attached to the side edges to control a position of the side edges relative to the one support, with the opposing side edges being unattached and movable in at least one direction on the one support, wherein the one support is the back support, wherein the cushion and the edge stabilizer form a cover assembly, and wherein the back support includes first bands located along its edges, and the edge stabilizer includes second vertical bands that extend along the opposing side edges of the cushion, the second vertical bands engaging the first vertical bands but being unattached thereto along a majority of the first vertical bands.

2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the edge stabilizer includes a bottom connector attached to the back support.

3. A seating unit comprising:

a base;

a seat support supported by the base;

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

a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright;

a cushion supported by a surface on at least one of the back support and the seat support, the cushion having opposing side edges; and

an edge stabilizer extending along the opposing side edges and attached to the side edges to control a position of the side edges relative to the one support, with the opposing side edges being unattached and movable in at least one direction on the one support, wherein the edge stabilizer includes a top section, opposing vertical side bands and a horizontal bottom band extending around a perimeter of a bottom portion of the cushion and attached to at least the bottom portion of the cushion.

4. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the one support is the back support.

5. The seating unit defined in claim 4, wherein the cushion and the edge stabilizer form a cover assembly.

6. A back construction comprising:

back support including a lumbar region adapted to support a seated user;

a cover supported by the back support, the cover having opposing side edges extending vertically along a front surface of the back support but not attached to the back support along a majority of the lumbar region; and

an edge stabilizer attached to the side edges and abuttingly supported on the back support to control a position of the side edges relative to the back support in the lumbar region but allowing the opposing side edges to move in at least one direction on the back support, whereby forces on the cover result in controlled movement rather than uncontrolled shifting of the cover assembly, wherein the back support includes first vertical bands of material in the lumbar region and also a flexible region in the lumbar section therebetween, and wherein the edge stabilizer includes second vertical bands of material that abuttingly slidably engage the first vertical bands.

7. The back construction defined in claim 6, wherein the cover includes a panel of upholstery material.

8. The back construction defined in claim 6, wherein the cover includes a cushion.

9. A back construction comprising:

a back support including a lumbar region adapted to support a seated user;

a cover supported by the back support, the cover having opposing side edges extending vertically along a front surface of the back support but not attached to the back support along a majority of the lumbar region; and

an edge stabilizer attached to the side edges and abuttingly supported on the back support to control a position of the side edges relative to the back support in the lumbar region but allowing the opposing side edges to move in at least one direction on the back support, whereby forces on the cover result in controlled movement rather than uncontrolled shifting of the cover assembly, wherein the edge stabilizer includes vertically-extending bands of material extending along and attached to the side edges of the cover.

10. The back construction defined in claim 9, wherein the edge stabilizer is a structural component having a stiffness greater than the cover.

11. The back construction defined in claim 9, wherein the edge stabilizer includes a horizontal band of material extending between the vertically-extending bands, the vertically-extending bands and horizontal band extending along a perimeter of a bottom portion of the cover.

12. The back construction defined in claim 11, including a bottom connector attached to the horizontal band and connected to the back support.

13. A back construction comprising:

a back support configured to support a seated user and including vertically-extending edge sections and a flexible region between the edge sections where the seated user is more flexibly supported than at the edge sections; and

a cover assembly supported by a front surface of the back support, the cover assembly including opposing side edges unattached to but supported by the edge sections of the back support, the cover assembly also including an edge stabilizer extending along and attached to the opposing side edges along at least a majority of the edge sections, the edge stabilizer being sufficiently structural to control a position of the side edges relative to the edge sections, wherein the cover assembly includes vertically-extending bands adapted to shift vertically along with the side edges of the cover assembly to reduce a tendency to undesirably distort the side edges of the cover assembly upon receiving a distorting force acting on the face of the back support.

14. A back construction comprising:

a back support configured to support a seated user and including vertically-extending edge sections and a flexible region between the edge sections where the seated user is more flexibly supported than at the edge sections; and

a cover assembly supported by a front surface of the back support, the cover assembly including opposing side edges unattached to but supported by the edge sections of the back support, the cover assembly also including an edge stabilizer extending along and attached to the opposing side edges along at least a majority of the edge sections, the edge stabilizer being sufficiently structural to control a position of the side edges relative to the edge sections, wherein the edge stabilizer includes a horizontal band of material defining a bottom edge extending between the opposing side edges, the horizontal band being attached to the cover assembly.

15. The back construction defined in claim 14, wherein the back support comprises a back shell.

16. The back construction defined in claim 14, wherein the edge stabilizer comprises a molded polymeric material.

17. The back construction defined in claim 14, including a first connector at the bottom edge and a mating connector on the back support releasably engaging the first connector.

18. The back construction defined in claim 14, wherein the cover assembly includes an upholstery front panel covering a cushion.

19. A back construction comprising:

a back support configured to support a seated user and including vertically-extending edge sections and a flexible region between the edge sections where the seated user is more flexibly supported than at the edge sections; and

an upholstered cushion assembly supported by a front surface of the back support, the cushion assembly including opposing side edges unattached to but supported by the edge sections of the back support, the cushion assembly including a cushion, an edge stabilizer including a U-shaped strip that extends around the bottom and the side edges of the cushion, and the edge stabilizer attached to the cushion at least along bottom and side edges of the cushion, the edge stabilizer being sufficiently structural to control and stabilize a position of the side edges of the cushion relative to the edge sections of the back support.

20. The back construction defined in claim 19, wherein the front surface of the back support does not protrude forwardly along the edge sections to restrict lateral movement of the cushion assembly.