Mobile joint with several stable positions, suitable for use in furniture

• US 7,497,516 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Varier Furniture AS
• Original Assignee: Varier Furniture AS
• Inventors: Wullum, Ole Petter
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US10/500,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 297/313, 297/314, 297/300.1, 297/302.1, 297/325, 297/326, 297/302.3, 297/302.4, 297/300.4, 297/300.5
• US Class Current: 297/302.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/026 with central column, e.g. rocking office chairs; Tilting chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/445 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/448 with resilient blocks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile joint (1) for a seating construction, especially a chair, for mounting between a seat device and a base, comprising at least two joint elements (10, 30) which are reciprocally restricted pivoted between two extreme positions to allow tilting movement of the seating construction effected by the users weight displacement, comprising two outer joint elements (10, 30) which are pivoted related with a middle joint element (20), wherein the rotational axis (40, 50) between the two joint elements (10, 30) and the middle joint element (20) is displaced in relation to each other in the horizontal direction, whereby the joint (1) may assume a stable tilting position between the two extreme positions.

Claims

1. A mobile joint (1) for a seating construction for mounting between a seat device (100) of a seating construction and a support (200) for said seat device (100), comprising at least two joint elements (10, 30) wherein each joint element is pivotable to a limited degree in relation to each joint element that it is connected to, permitting the mobile joint (1) to pivot between two extreme positions in order to allow a tilting movement of the seat device (100), effected by the user'"'"'s weight displacement, wherein the mobile joint contains a first joint element (10) mountable at a first end to the support (200) and at a second end only mounted pivotally to a first end of a middle joint element (20) at a first rotational axis (40), and further containing a second joint element (30) mountable at a first end to the seat device (100) and at the second end only mounted pivotally to a second end of the middle joint element (20) in a second rotational axis (50), wherein the said rotational axes (40, 50) are horizontally displaced in relation to each other, and whereby the joint (1) assumes a stable tilting position between the two extreme positions when the user'"'"'s center of gravity is above a point between the first and second rotational axes;

wherein at least two of the joint elements (10, 20, 30) are spring-loaded in relation to each other by a torsion spring.

2. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein the middle joint element (20) consists of a number of joint sub-elements, wherein the mobile joint (1) is configured to assume a number of additional stable tilting positions between the two extreme positions.

3. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein the horizontal distance between the rotational axes (40, 50) is about 5-15 cm.

4. The mobile joint (1) of claim 3, wherein the horizontal distance between the rotational axes (40, 50) is about 6-10 cm.

5. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein the tilted positions of each joint element are restricted by pairs of reciprocally cooperating fitting surfaces (12, 21;

14, 23;

33, 22;

35, 26), where each pair of reciprocally cooperating fitting surfaces is configured to abut when a joint element is pivoted to a desired point, thereby hindering further movement of the joint element.

6. The mobile joint (1) of claim 5, wherein one or both members of at least one pair of cooperating fitting surfaces (12, 21;

14, 23;

33, 22;

35, 26) is equipped with a stopper (13, 24, 34, 36), wherein the stopper is configured to dampen the impact between the pair of cooperating fitting surfaces when the corresponding joint element is pivoted to the desired point.

7. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein the spring load is adjustable.

8. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein the first and second joint elements (10, 30) have different spring-loads in relation to the middle joint element.

9. The mobile joint (1) of claim 1, wherein at least two joint elements (10, 20, 30) are lockable in relation to each other.

10. A chair comprising a mobile joint (1) according to one of claims 1-6 and 7-8, the joint being mounted between a seat device (100) and a support (200) for said seat device (100).