Seat assembly

• US 9,414,686 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Corcorran, Sean M, Machin, Keith Robert, Holstege, Cody Jay, Carey, William, Cheng, Larry, Oberwelz, Elger, Overthun, Thomas, Scherrer, Lukas Martin, Student, Joerg Christoph, Battey, David J, Deevers, Nickolaus William Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): GABLER, PHILIP F
• Application Number:
  US14/873,536
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/02 Tables combined with seats folding or stowable tables with separable parts combined with seats A47B3/063; foldable table and seat units A47B3/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/30 with vertically-acting fluid cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/004 for chairs or stools with central column, e.g. office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/62 Accessories for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/626 directly under the seat
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/68 Arm-rest tables ; or back-rest tables
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/70 of foldable type
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/22 with approximately constant height, e.g. with constant length of column or of legs F16M11/42 takes precedence

Abstract

A seating assembly comprising a seat structure including a seat member having an undersurface and a seat edge, a mounting bracket mounted to the undersurface of the seat member, a base including a central hub and a plurality of leg members, the mounting bracket mounted to the base and spaced above the central hub, a first vertical axis passing through the central hub, a base tube mounted to and extending upward along the first vertical axis from the central hub, a mounting collar mounted to the base tube for rotation about the first vertical axis, the mounting collar positioned proximate the mounting bracket and located at least in part located between the mounting bracket and the central hub, a support arm having first and second ends, the first end mounted to the mounting collar for rotation therewith about the vertical axis, the support arm extending radially outward from the mounting collar along the undersurface of the seat member and upward to the second end and a tablet member mounted to the second end.

Claims

1. A seating assembly comprising:

a seat structure including a seat member having an undersurface and a seat edge;

a mounting bracket mounted to the undersurface of the seat member;

a base including a central hub and a plurality of leg members extending downward from the central hub to lower leg ends, the mounting bracket mounted to the base spaced above the central hub, a first vertical axis passing through the central hub;

a base tube mounted to and extending upward along the first vertical axis from the central hub;

a mounting collar mounted to the base tube for rotation about the first vertical axis, the mounting collar positioned proximate and below the mounting bracket and located at least in part between the mounting bracket and the central hub;

a support arm having first and second ends, the first end mounted to the mounting collar for rotation therewith about the vertical axis, the support arm extending radially outward from the mounting collar along the undersurface of the seat member and upward to the second end;

a tablet member having a top surface, the tablet member mounted to the second end of the support arm with the top surface substantially horizontal; and

at least one storage pan mounted to at least first and second of the plurality of leg members, an upward facing surface of the storage pan providing a support surface for storing items.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the storage pan is further mounted to at least a third of the plurality of leg members.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the storage pan forms an upwardly concave top surface between the plurality of leg members.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further including casters that support the leg members.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the collar forms part of a mounting assembly, the mounting assembly forming stop surfaces that restrict rotation of the collar and the support arm with respect to the seat structure to within a range between first and second positions, the range including at least 110 degrees of rotation.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the second end of the support arm is to one side of the seat member when the support arm is in the first position and to a different side of the seat member when the support arm is in the second position.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the range is substantially 110 degrees and wherein the second end of the support arm is located to a lateral side of the seat member when the support arm is in the first position and to a front side of the seat member when the support arm is in the second position.

8. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the base further includes casters that support the leg members.

9. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the tablet member has an elongated shape and a long edge that extends along a long dimension of the tablet member, the assembly further including a pivot subassembly that couples the second end of the support arm to an undersurface of the tablet for rotation about a second substantially vertical axis, the pivot subassembly including stop surfaces that restrict rotation of the tablet member with respect to the support arm through a range of rotation between first and second end positions wherein, when viewed from a top view, the long edge forms an acute angle with the support arm in every position within the range between the first and second end positions.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the mounting assembly also mounts the seat member to the base for rotation about the vertical axis.

11. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the mounting assembly also mounts the mounting bracket and the seat member to the base for rotation about the first vertical axis.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the seat member is rotatable through 360 degrees about the first vertical axis.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the leg members also extends radially outward from the central hub to the lower end of the leg, the upward facing surface of the storage pan accessible through an opening between the first and second leg members.

14. A seating assembly comprising:

a seat structure including a seat member having an undersurface and a seat edge;

a base including a central hub and a plurality of leg members that extend downward from the central hub to lower leg ends, the seat member mounted to the base with the undersurface spaced above and facing a top surface of the central hub, a first vertical axis passing through the central hub;

a base tube mounted to and extending upward along the first vertical axis from the central hub;

a mounting collar mounted to the base tube for rotation about the first vertical axis, the mounting collar at least in part located between the undersurface of the seat member and the central hub;

a support arm having first and second ends, the first end mounted to the mounting collar for rotation therewith about the first vertical axis, the support arm extending radially outward from the mounting collar along the undersurface of the seat member and upward to the second end;

a tablet member having a top surface, the tablet member mounted to the second end of the support arm with the top surface substantially horizontal; and

a storage pan mounted to at least first and second of the plurality of leg members at a height below the seat member, the storage pan including an upwardly facing top surface forming a storage space below the seat member and at last in part between the at least first and second leg members.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the plurality of leg members includes at least three leg members and wherein casters support the lower ends of the leg members.

16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the collar forms part of a mounting assembly, the mounting assembly forming stop surfaces that restrict rotation of the collar and the support arm with respect to the seat structure to within a range between first and second positions, the range including at least 110 degrees of rotation.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the second end of the support arm is located to a lateral side of the seat member when the support arm is in the first position.

18. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the mounting assembly also mounts the seat member to the base for rotation about the first vertical axis.

19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the tablet member has an elongated shape and a long edge that extends along a long dimension of the tablet member, the assembly further including a pivot subassembly that couples the second end of the support arm to an undersurface of the tablet for rotation about a second substantially vertical axis, the pivot subassembly including stop surfaces that restrict rotation of the tablet member with respect to the support arm to a range of rotation between first and second end positions wherein, when viewed from a top view, the long edge forms an acute angle with the support arm in every position within the range between the first and second end positions.

20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein the plurality of leg members includes at least three leg members and wherein the storage pan is mounted to each of the plurality of leg members and forms a top surface that includes a substantially flat horizontal central section.

21. The assembly of claim 19 wherein the tablet member is substantially rectangular having first and second long edges and first and second short edges, the second end of the support arm mounted to a portion of the undersurface of the tablet member closer to the second first long edge than to the second long edge and closer to the first short edge than to the second short edge.

22. A seating assembly comprising:

a seat structure including a seat member having an undersurface and a seat edge;

a base including a central hub and a plurality of leg members that extend downward and radially outward from the central hub to lower leg ends, the seat member mounted to the base with the undersurface spaced above and facing a top surface of the central hub, a first vertical axis passing through the central hub;

a base tube mounted to and extending upward along the first vertical axis from the central hub;

a mounting assembly including a mounting collar mounted to the base tube for rotation about the first vertical axis, the mounting collar at least in part located between the undersurface of the seat member and the central hub, the mounting assembly further including stop surfaces to limit the range of collar rotation about the first vertical axis to within a range between first and second positions;

a support arm having first and second ends, the first end mounted to the mounting collar for rotation therewith about the first vertical axis, the support arm extending radially outward from the mounting collar along the undersurface of the seat member and upward to the second end;

an elongated tablet member having a first long edge that extends along a length dimension and first and second short edges at opposite ends of the first long edge, a tablet top surface and a tablet undersurface;

a pivot assembly coupling the second end of the support arm to the undersurface of the tablet member at a location closer to the first short edge than to the second short edge, to facilitate rotation of the tablet member about a second vertical axis, the pivot assembly including stop surfaces that limit rotation of the tablet member about the second vertical axis with respect to the support arm to within a range between first and second positions in which, when viewed from a top view, the first long edge forms an acute angle with the support arm in all positions within the range of positions between the first and second positions; and

a storage pan mounted to at least first and second of the plurality of leg members at a height below the seat member, the storage pan including an upwardly facing top surface forming a storage space below the seat member and at last in part between the at least first and second leg members.