Reclining chair with enhanced adjustability

• US 7,837,265 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc. (HNI Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HNI Corporation
• Inventors: Koch, John R., Machael, Jay R., Koepke, Marcus C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham; Tania
• Application Number:
  US11/388,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20070222265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 2973005-3006, 297/300.2, 297/303.4, 297/354.11, 297/300.1, 297/303.1
• US Class Current: 297/300.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/023 the parts being horizontally-adjustable seats ; Expandable seats or the like, e.g. seats with horizontally adjustable parts
• 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 1/03272 with coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/03277 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/30 with vertically-acting fluid cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/46 with special, e.g. adjustable , lumbar region support profile; "Ackerblom" profile chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/48 of freely-rotatable type

Abstract

An adjustable reclining chair including a seat configured to support a user, a chair back, a base and a control mechanism mounted on the base. The control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat with the chair back located generally adjacent to the user'"'"'s back when the user is seated upon the seat. The control mechanism including a resistance adjustment mechanism for varying the control mechanism'"'"'s resistance to a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back in order to move the chair back rearward from an upright position. The resistance adjustment mechanism activated by the weight of the user when seated in the chair, such that easy adjustment of the resistance is facilitated with the chair in an upright position. The resistance adjustment mechanism including a resilient member placed under a load during reclining of the chair to provide resistance to the reclining force.

Claims

1. A reclining chair comprising:

a chair back comprising a back support element and a pivot member;

a seat;

a base having a central column with a central axis that is substantially vertical; and

a control mechanism mounted on the base, the control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat,

the control mechanism configured as a four-bar mechanism including a ground member and the pivot member pivotally coupled to the ground member at a pivot point forward of the central axis, the pivot member pivotally attached to the back support element at a back pivot,

such that a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back results in the chair back moving rearward and the seat lifting, pivoting the pivot member relative to the ground member about the pivot point and the back support element about the back pivot, wherein the seat functions as a coupler connected to the pivot member within the four-bar mechanism and wherein the control mechanism further comprises a follower connected to the seat and to the ground member, such that pivoting movement of the pivot member results in movement of the seat relative to the ground member, and wherein the seat comprises a seat assembly including a seat plate and a seat cushion moveably mounted to the seat plate, the seat plate coupled to the pivot member and the ground member.

2. The chair of claim 1, wherein the seat assembly further comprises a seat adjustment mechanism mounted between the seat cushion and the seat plate, such that operation of the seat adjustment mechanism results in movement of the seat cushion relative to the seat plate.

3. A reclining chair comprising:

a chair back comprising a back support element and a pivot member;

a seat;

a base having a central column with a central axis that is substantially vertical; and

a control mechanism mounted on the base, the control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat,

the control mechanism configured as a four-bar mechanism including a ground member and the pivot member pivotally coupled to the ground member at a pivot point forward of the central axis, the pivot member pivotally attached to the back support element at a back pivot,

such that a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back results in the chair back moving rearward and the seat lifting, pivoting the pivot member relative to the ground member about the pivot point and the back support element about the back pivot, wherein the control mechanism further comprises a tilt lock interacting with the ground member and the pivot member, the tilt lock moveable between an unlocked position and a locked position, wherein the tilt lock in its locked position substantially prevents reclining of the chair back from an upright position.

4. A reclining chair comprising:

a chair back comprising a back support element and a pivot member;

a seat;

a base having a central column with a central axis that is substantially vertical; and

a control mechanism mounted on the base, the control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat,

the control mechanism configured as a four-bar mechanism including a ground member and the pivot member pivotally coupled to the ground member at a pivot point forward of the central axis, the pivot member pivotally attached to the back support element at a back pivot,

such that a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back results in the chair back moving rearward and the seat lifting, pivoting the pivot member relative to the ground member about the pivot point and the back support element about the back pivot, wherein the chair back further comprises a back support adjustment mechanism, the back support adjustment mechanism configured to modify a stiffness of the back support element.

5. The chair of claim 4, wherein the chair back further comprises a frame and a resilient material mounted on the frame, and wherein the back support adjustment mechanism modifies a stiffness of the resilient material.

6. The chair of claim 4, wherein the back support adjustment mechanism modifies the stiffness in a lumbar region of the chair back.

7. A reclining chair comprising:

a chair back comprising a back support element and a pivot member;

a seat;

a base having a central column with a central axis that is substantially vertical; and

a control mechanism mounted on the base, the control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat,

the control mechanism configured as a four-bar mechanism including a ground member and the pivot member pivotally coupled to the ground member at a pivot point forward of the central axis, the pivot member pivotally attached to the back support element at a back pivot,

such that a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back results in the chair back moving rearward and the seat lifting, pivoting the pivot member relative to the ground member about the pivot point and the back support element about the back pivot, wherein the control mechanism further comprises a resistance adjustment mechanism for varying the control mechanism'"'"'s resistance to the reclining force applied by the user to the chair back, the resistance adjustment mechanism easily operated by the user when the chair is in an upright position, wherein the resistance adjustment mechanism comprises a first movable member and a second member, the second member generally fixed with respect to the first movable member in at least one direction, and wherein movement by the user of the first movable member relative to the second member changes the control mechanism'"'"'s resistance to the reclining force, and wherein the resistance adjustment mechanism further comprises a resilient member having a varying resistance to compression, the resilient member coupled to the first movable member, and wherein movement of the resilient member changes the resistance to compression of the resilient member encountered by the second member, thereby changing the control mechanism'"'"'s resistance to the reclining force.

8. A reclining chair comprising:

a chair back comprising a back support element and a pivot member;

a seat;

a base having a central column with a central axis that is substantially vertical; and

a control mechanism mounted on the base, the control mechanism coupling the chair back to the seat,

the control mechanism configured as a four-bar mechanism including a ground member and the pivot member pivotally coupled to the ground member at a pivot point forward of the central axis, the pivot member pivotally attached to the back support element at a back pivot,

such that a reclining force applied by the user to the chair back results in the chair back moving rearward and the seat lifting, pivoting the pivot member relative to the ground member about the pivot point and the back support element about the back pivot, and wherein the chair back further comprises a back support adjustment mechanism, the back support adjustment mechanism configured to modify a stiffness of the chair back.

9. The chair of claim 8, wherein the chair back further comprises a frame and a resilient material mounted on the frame, and wherein the back support adjustment mechanism modifies a stiffness of the resilient material.

10. The chair of claim 8, wherein the back support adjustment mechanism modifies the stiffness in a lumbar region of the chair back.