Mesh chair component

• US 8,240,771 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humanscale Corporation
• Original Assignee: Humanscale Corporation
• Inventors: Diffrient, Niels
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARRETT, ERIKA P
• Application Number:
  US11/129,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 297/452.64, 297/463.2, 297/452.56, 297/452.34, 297/452.33, 297/452.35, 297/452.36, 297/284.3, 297/452.62, 297/440.11, 297/284.1, 297/452.6, 297/451.9, 297/45, 297/16.1
• US Class Current: 297/452.56
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/282 with mesh-like supports, e.g. elastomeric membranes

Abstract

A mesh chair component having contours that support a user appropriately can be made by combining a plurality of mesh panels to form the component. For instance, in a preferred embodiment of the present inventions, three preformed mesh panels are combined to form the back rest of a chair that provides its user with lumbar support without the necessity of additional structural support. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, mesh panels are used in combination with a beneficially contoured frame to provide a chair seat with a waterfall front.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a back rest including;

at least three sub-panels interconnected by at least two curvilinear seams to form a single panel having a three-dimensional contour, wherein said at least three sub-panels are each cut or otherwise formed into individual shapes such that, when they are attached together along curvilinear seams to form the single panel, those individual shapes and the curvilinear seams combine to cause the resultant single panel to have a three-dimensional panel contour, and wherein said single panel has said three-dimensional panel contour at least in the absence of an external force; and

a component frame about at least a portion of the periphery of said back rest;

said single panel being secured around at least a portion of its periphery to said component frame.

2. The chair of claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a non-rectangular shape.

3. The chair of claim 1, wherein said contour provides support for a user'"'"'s lumbar region.

4. The chair of claim 1, wherein said component frame has a curved shape from side to side and from top to bottom.

5. The chair of claim 1, wherein said component frame has a side view curvature that curves forward, in a direction toward a seat of the chair, at a bottom portion of the frame and backward, in a direction away from the seat of the chair, near a top portion of the frame.

6. The chair of claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a stretch ability of less than about 6%.

7. The chair of claim 1, further comprising a head rest, the head rest and the back rest comprising separate components of the chair.

8. The chair of claim 7, wherein said head rest comprises one or more membranous panels.

9. The chair of claim 7, wherein said head rest comprises a plurality of panels.

10. The chair of claim 1, further comprising arms.

11. The chair of claim 10, wherein said arms are attached to said back rest.

12. The chair of claim 10, wherein said arms adjust independently of one another.

13. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a seat.

14. The chair of claim 13, wherein the seat comprises one or more mesh panels.

15. The chair of claim 14, wherein the seat further comprises a U-shaped component frame comprising a front terminus portion which radiuses downward to create a side view curvature in the front region of said seat that resembles that of a waterfall and wherein the one or more mesh panels is secured on three sides by said component frame.

16. The chair of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels comprises mesh.

17. The chair of claim 1 wherein cushioning for a user is provided primarily by said single panel.

18. The chair of claim 1 wherein support for said single panel is provided primarily by said component frame.

19. The chair of claim 1 wherein support for said single panel is provided solely by said component frame.

20. The chair of claim 1 wherein support for a user is provided primarily by tension between said single panel and said component frame.

21. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a void through said component frame.

22. The chair of claim 21 wherein said single panel extends across said void.

23. The chair of claim 21 wherein said component frame is a hoop.

24. The chair of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a stretch ability of less than about 10%.

25. The chair of claim 1 wherein the single panel is tensioned by the component frame.

26. The chair of claim 1 wherein said component frame has a three-dimensional shape and the three-dimensional contour of said single panel differs from the three-dimensional shape of said component frame.

27. The chair of claim 1 wherein said single panel provides lumbar support for a user without the necessity of a pad applying pressure to the single panel to achieve the three-dimensional contour.

28. The chair of claim 1 wherein said component frame is about the entire periphery of said back rest;

and said single panel is secured around its entire periphery to said component frame.

29. The chair of claim 1 wherein said component frame forms a closed loop.

30. The chair of claim 1 wherein said single panel provides lumbar support for a user without the necessity of an additional support member to achieve a three-dimensional contour.

31. A contoured chair component comprising:

a peripheral component frame having a three-dimensional shape and an attachment mechanism for attaching said peripheral component frame to a chair; and

at least three sub-panels interconnected by at least two seams to form a single panel having a three-dimensional contour, wherein the single panel is secured within said peripheral component frame and support for said single panel is provided primarily by said peripheral component frame, and wherein said three-dimensional contour of said single panel differs from the three-dimensional shape of said peripheral component frame.

32. The chair component of claim 31, wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a shape that is non-rectangular.

33. The chair component of claim 31, wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a shape that is not a parallelogram.

34. The chair component of claim 31, wherein said three-dimensional contour of the single panel provides a lumbar support.

35. The chair component of claim 31, wherein said peripheral component frame has a side view curvature that curves forward in a first direction at a bottom portion of the peripheral frame and backward in a second direction near a top portion of the peripheral component frame.

36. The chair component of claim 31, wherein said at least two seams comprise at least two curvilinear seams.

37. The chair of claim 31, wherein said at least three sub-panels are comprised of synthetic or natural material.

38. The chair component of claim 37, wherein said at least three sub-panels comprise a polyester weave mesh.

39. The chair component of claim 31, wherein at least one of said at least three sub-panels has a limited stretch ability.

40. The chair component of claim 39, wherein said stretch ability is less than or equal to about 5%.

41. The chair component of claim 31, wherein said sub-panels are attached to one another by a method selected from the group consisting of sewing, welding, and gluing.

42. The chair component of claim 41, wherein said sub-panels are attached by sonic welding.

43. The chair component of claim 31, wherein said peripheral component frame further comprises a groove for receiving said at least three sub-panels.