Nestable and stackable chair

• US 7,794,016 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ditto Sales Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ditto Sales Incorporated
• Inventors: Orlandini, Paolo, Lucci, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Edell; Joseph F
• Application Number:
  US12/831,166
• Time in Patent Office: 70 Days
• Field of Search: 297/320, 297/342, 297/239, 297/14, 297/331, 297/313, 297/336, 297/448.1, 297/450.1
• US Class Current: 297/331
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/121 having tipping-up seats
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/045 with tipping-up seats

Abstract

A chair is provided comprising a seat assembly including a seat back and a seat bottom and a support frame including a left leg assembly and right leg assembly connected by a transverse support member. The seat back is pivotably connected to each of the leg assemblies such that an upper portion of the seat back pivots in relation to the leg assemblies between a first seat back position and a second seat back position. The seat bottom is rotatable in relation to the seat back between an upright position and a horizontal position. The seat bottom is slidingly engaged with the leg assemblies such that pivoting of the seat backward from the first seat back position to the second seat back position causes the seat bottom to slide forward from a first seat bottom position to a second seat bottom position.

Claims

1. A chair, comprising:

a support frame having ground engaging legs;

a seat back including a back panel, a left upright support member, and a right upright support member, an upper portion of each upright support member being connected to lateral ends of said back panel and a central portion of each upright support member being pivotally connected to said support frame such that said left and right upright support members pivot in relation to said support frame between a first seat back position and a second seat back position; and

a seat assembly including a seat bottom, a left laterally extending attachment member connected to said seat bottom, and a right laterally extending attachment member connected to said seat bottom, said left attachment member extending through a first slot in said support frame and a first opening in said left upright support member, said right attachment member extending through a second slot in said support frame and a second opening in said right upright support member, such that (i) said seat bottom pivots about a pivot axis formed by the left and right attachment member between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, (ii) said left and right attachment members slide within a respective one of said slots in response to said left and right upright support members pivoting to said first seat back position to position said seat assembly in a first seat bottom position, and (iii) said left and right attachment members slide within a respective one of said slots in response to said left and right upright support member pivoting to said second seat back position to position said seat bottom in a second seat bottom position.

2. The chair of claim 1, wherein said first slot includes a first slide guide and said second slot includes a second slide guide, said left and right attachment members being slidingly engaged with a respective one of said first and second slide guides, said first and second slide guides being configured to guide said seat assembly between said first seat bottom position and said second seat bottom position.

3. The chair of claim 2, wherein said first and second attachment members extend from said seat bottom perpendicularly to a sliding direction of said first and second attachment members.

4. The chair of claim 1, wherein (i) said first and second openings are elongated openings each having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, (ii) said left attachment member is positioned near said upper end portion of said first opening and said right attachment member is positioned near said upper end portion of said second opening in response to said seat bottom being in said first seat bottom position, and (iii) said left attachment member is positioned near said lower end portion of said first opening and said right attachment member is positioned near said lower end portion of said second opening in response to said seat bottom being in said second seat bottom position.

5. The chair of claim 1, wherein said support frame is configured to allow said chair to be stacked with other chairs having a similar support frame configuration when said seat bottom is in said generally horizontal position.

6. The chair of claim 5, wherein said support frame is further configured to allow said chair to be nested with other chairs having a similar support frame configuration when said seat bottom is in said generally vertical position.

7. The chair of claim 1, wherein said support frame is configured to allow said chair to be nested with other chairs having a similar support frame configuration when said seat bottom is in said generally vertical position.

8. The chair of claim 1, wherein (i) a lower portion of said left upright support member is completely positioned within a first channel formed in said support frame, (ii) said lower portion of said left upright support member extends downward from a pivot point of said left upright support member, (iii) a lower portion of said right upright support member is completely positioned within a second channel formed in said support frame, and (iv) said lower portion of said left upright support member extends downward from a pivot point of said right upright support member.

9. The chair of claim 1, the seat assembly further comprising:

a first cover fin connected to said seat bottom and positioned to cover a portion of said first slot unoccupied by said left attachment member when said seat bottom is in said generally horizontal position and when said seat bottom is in said generally vertical position; and

a second cover fin connected to said seat bottom and positioned to cover a portion of said second slot unoccupied by said right attachment member when said seat bottom is in said generally horizontal position and when said seat bottom is in said generally vertical position.

10. The chair of claim 9, further comprising:

a first detent (i) connected to said first cover fin and (ii) configured to extend into said first slot in response to said seat bottom being in said generally vertical position; and

a second detent (i) connected to said second cover fin and (ii) configured to extend into said second slot in response to said seat bottom being in said generally vertical position.

11. The chair of claim 10, wherein said seat bottom is prevented from sliding relative to said support frame in response to said first detent engaging said first slot and said second detent engaging said second slot.

12. The chair of claim 1, wherein said seat assembly is connected to said seat back at a pivot point of the seat assembly defined by said left and right attachment members.

13. A chair, comprising:

a support frame including (i) a first pair of ground engaging legs connected to a left seat back support member and (ii) a second pair of ground engaging legs connected to a right seat back support member;

a seat back including a back panel, a left upright support member, and a right upright support member, (i) an upper portion of each upright support member being connected to lateral ends of said back panel, (ii) a central portion of each upright support member being pivotally connected to a respective one of the left and right seat back support members such that said left and right upright support members pivot in relation to said support frame between a first seat back position and a second seat back position, and (iii) a lower portion of each of said upright support members being completely positioned within a pivot guide channel inside a respective one of said left and right seat back support members; and

a seat bottom including a left and a right attachment member, each of the attachment members (i) extending through a slot in a respective one of the left and right seat back support members and (ii) extending through an opening in said lower portion of a respective one of said left and right upright support members,

wherein said left and right upright support members are configured to slide said seat bottom to a first seat bottom position in response to pivoting to said first seat back position

wherein said left and right upright support members are configured to slide said seat bottom to a second seat bottom position in response to pivoting to said second seat back position, and said seat bottom pivots about a pivot axis formed by the left and right attachment member between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position.

14. The chair of claim 13, wherein said slots in said left and right seat back support members each provide access to a respective pivot guide channel.

15. The chair of claim 13, wherein:

said left seat back support member (i) surrounds a left side, a right side, and a front side of said lower portion of said left upright support member and (ii) exposes a rear side of said lower portion of said left upright support member, and

said right seat back support member (i) surrounds a left side, a right side, and a front side of said lower portion of said right upright support member and (ii) exposes a rear side of said lower portion of said right upright support member.

16. The chair of claim 15, wherein said lower portion of each of said upright support members extends from a pivot point of each of said upright support members toward said opening in each of said upright support members.

17. A chair, comprising:

a seat assembly including a seat back and a seat bottom, said seat back including a first and second upright support member coupled to a back panel, said seat bottom being rotatably connected to a lower portion of said upright support members to enable said seat bottom to rotate in relation to said seat back between an upright position and a horizontal position; and

a support frame including a left and a right leg assembly, each of said leg assemblies including a seat back support member, a front leg member, and a rear leg member, said seat back support member including a pivot guide channel and a slide opening, said lower portions of said upright support members being inserted into a respective one of said pivot guide channels, said upright support members being configured to pivot in relation to said seat back support members between a first seat back position and a second seat back position, said seat bottom being configured to slide to a first seat bottom position in response to said upright support members pivoting to said first seat back position, and said seat bottom being further configured to slide to a second seat bottom position in response to said upright support members pivoting to said second seat back position, each of said slide openings formed on an inboard side of said seat back support member, and each of said slide openings configured to provide access to a portion of said pivot guide channel such that said lower portion of said first upright support member and said seat bottom are rotatably connected through said slide opening in said seat back support member of said left leg assembly and said lower portion of said second upright support member and said seat bottom are rotatably connected through said slide opening in said seat back support member of said right leg assembly.

18. The chair of claim 17, further comprising:

a first and second cover fin connected to said seat bottom, said cover fins configured to cover at least a portion of said slide openings when said seat bottom is in said upright position, each of said cover fins including a first detent for engaging a respective one of said slide openings when said seat bottom is in said upright position, said first detents being configured to retain releasably said seat bottom in said upright position.

19. The chair of claim 18, said first and second cover fins formed of a resilient material, to permit said first and second cover fins to deform as a result of said first detents engaging and disengaging said first and second slide openings.