Seat, in particular an office chair

• US 9,826,836 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Sander, Armin, Potrykus, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/297,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20170035201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/02 Reclining or easy chairs supports for parts of body A47C7/36, A47C7/50, A47C7/54
• 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 1/03255 with a central column, e.g. rocking office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/004 for chairs or stools with central column, e.g. office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/006 with castors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/02 Seat parts adaptation of seats to mounting in tubular chairs A47C5/06; such parts not restricted to chairs A47C23/00; removable upholstered units or cushions A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/40 for the back
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/445 with bar or leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/46 with special, e.g. adjustable , lumbar region support profile; "Ackerblom" profile chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/54 Supports for the arms

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat (1), in particular an office chair, comprising a seat support (3) for a seating surface (6) and comprising a backrest support (4) of a backrest (5), which is held on the seat support (3) so as to be able to move in a tiltable manner to the side, wherein the backrest support (4) comprises two support arms (4a, 4b) which are configured to be flexible and/or articulated laterally and spaced apart from one another. Preferably, the seating surface (6) and/or the backrest (5) comprises a curved seat shell and/or backrest shell (6a, 5a) provided with a cover (6b, 5b) with a number of flexible curved ribs (15, 16) on the edge of the shell, wherein the cover is stretched by the seat shell and/or backrest shell (6a, 5a) such that when the cover (6b, 5b) is loaded, the bending of the curved ribs (15, 16) is altered.

Claims

1. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support for a seating surface;

a backrest support supporting a backrest and attached to the seat support, the backrest comprising a backrest shell having a plurality of curved ribs made from a sheet of flexible material, the backrest shell defining at least a right peripheral side, a left peripheral side, and a top peripheral side of the backrest, the backrest shell having a plurality of curved ribs on at least the right and left peripheral sides and, said curved ribs extending to a peripheral side of said backrest support and separated from one another by a plurality of slots incorporated on said peripheral sides, at least some of said ribs curving convexly forward toward the seating surface as viewed from a rear of the seat such that the at least some of the ribs form a concave forward surface of the backrest shell, the backrest comprising a cover fixed to the top peripheral side and free ends of the flexible ribs on the opposite peripheral sides of the backrest shell, the cover forming a secant relative to a surface of the backrest shell along a widthwise cross section of the backrest shell and cover, wherein a force applied on the cover toward the shell causes one or more ribs on at least one of the peripheral sides to move toward the seating surface, and the backrest support comprising at least one backrest support arm which extends vertically from the seat support to a central region of the backrest, the flexible curved ribs extending from the at least one backrest support arm to said peripheral side one of said peripheral sides.

2. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one backrest support arm includes a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite said first lateral side, said curved ribs including a first set of said curved ribs extending from said first lateral side and a second set of said curved ribs extending from said second lateral side.

3. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said first set of curved ribs is associated with and diametrically opposed from one of said second set of curved ribs.

4. The seat as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cover is held in tension such that when the cover is loaded the bending of the curved ribs is altered.

5. The seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein said cover includes a first lateral cover edge and a second lateral cover edge, and wherein said first lateral cover edge is held at one of said peripheral sides of said backrest shell by said first set of curved arms and wherein said second lateral cover edge is held at another of said peripheral sides of said backrest shell by said second set of curved arms.

6. The seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one backrest support arm includes a pair of backrest support arms, each extending vertically from said seat support to a central region of the backrest, wherein one of said backrest support arms includes said first lateral side and the other of said backrest support arms includes said second lateral side opposite said first lateral side.

7. The seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein said backrest support arms include upper ends that are connected to each other by a horizontally extending connecting element, and wherein said plurality of curved support ribs includes a third set of curved support ribs extending vertically upwardly from said connecting element.

8. The seat as claimed in claim 7, wherein said backrest support arms and curved support ribs are formed integrally as a one piece shell.

9. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support for a seating surface;

a backrest support coupled with the seat support so as to be able to move relative to the seat support, the backrest support comprising two support arms having upper ends connected by a connecting element, the support arms and connecting element defining a central opening;

a backrest cover; and

a sheet of flexible curved shell defining at least a right peripheral side, a left peripheral side, and a top peripheral side and extending at least partially between each of the two support arms and the cover, the flexible curved shell extending convexly as viewed from a rear such that the at least some of the flexible curved shell forms a concave forward surface of the backrest shell toward the seating surface and having a peripheral edge surrounding the shell and including the right, left, and top peripheral sides,

wherein the backrest cover is attached to the top peripheral side and to the right and left peripheral sides on opposite lateral sides of the shell, the backrest cover forming a secant relative to the shell on a lateral cross section of the backrest cover and shell to support the backrest cover relative to the shell and the backrest support and wherein a bending of at least a portion of the flexible curved shell is altered at least one of the lateral sides of the shell becomes more concavely curved toward the seating surface when the cover is loaded in a direction toward the flexible curved shell.

10. The office chair of claim 9, wherein the support arms extend vertically and define a vertical length, and wherein the connecting element defines a length between the support arms, wherein the length of the support arms is greater than the length of the connecting element to define a vertically elongated central opening.

11. The office chair of claim 10, wherein the connecting element and the support arms are formed integrally of a single, unitary piece.

12. The office chair of claim 11, wherein the support arms each define a support arm depth extending in a lateral direction and a support arm width extending toward the seating surface, wherein the support arm width is greater than the support arm depth.

13. A seat, in particular an office chair, comprising:

a seat support for a seating surface;

a backrest support coupled with the seat support so as to be able to move relative to the seat support, the backrest support comprising a pair of vertical support arms defining a central opening;

a backrest cover; and

a curved shell made of a flexible sheet and disposed between the support arms and the cover, the shell comprising a plurality of ribs extending outwardly from the vertical support arms, a first set of the ribs extending outwardly from a first one of the support arms and a second set of the ribs extending outwardly from a second one of the support arms, the first and second sets of ribs extending in opposing directions, each of said ribs spaced apart from adjacent ribs such that each rib is capable of flexing independently of the other ribs, each of the ribs extending outwardly to a respective opposite one of the first and second peripheral edges of the shell, a third peripheral edge interconnecting the first and second peripheral edges;

wherein the backrest cover is attached to each of the first, second, and third peripheral edges of the shell, the backrest cover forming a secant relative to the shell on a lateral cross section of the backrest cover and the shell to support the backrest cover relative to the shell and the backrest support, wherein a first lateral edge of the cover is supported on the first peripheral associated with the first set of ribs and a second lateral edge of the cover is supported on the second peripheral associated with the second set of ribs, and wherein at least one of the ribs becomes more curved toward the seating surface when the cover is loaded in a direction toward the flexible curved shell.

14. The office chair of claim 13, wherein the vertical support arms each have an upper edge, the upper edges connected with a horizontal connecting element, wherein the connecting element and the support arms define a central opening.

15. The office chair of claim 14, wherein the support arms are rigid and the ribs are flexible.

16. The office chair of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of each of the ribs is curved in a concave direction towards the seating surface.

17. The office chair of claim 16, wherein the support arms each define a support arm depth extending in a lateral direction and a support arm width extending toward the seating surface, wherein the support arm width is greater than the support arm depth.

18. The office chair of claim 17, wherein each of the ribs has a base at one of the support arms, and wherein each rib curves continuously from the base to the peripheral edge.

19. The office chair of claim 18, wherein the backrest cover is formed from a non-stretchable maternal.

20. The office chair of claim 19, wherein a loading on the cover is capable of causing the ribs to bend asymmetrically, such that the first set of ribs bends to a different degree than the second set of ribs, depending on the position of the loading on the cover.