Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080296945 | SEATING UNIT WITH ADJUSTABLE LUMBAR DEVICE - A chair includes a lower back frame, a back construction, including a back support attached to the lower back frame, a cushion assembly attached to the back support, and a vertically adjustable lumbar frame positioned between the back support and the cushion assembly. The lumbar frame includes a transition shell and a vertically sliding lumbar device having a plurality of horizontal flexible wires. A lower edge of the transition shell is positioned on top of an uppermost horizontal flexible wire of the lumbar device. The lumbar device is operably slidably mounted between the outer shell and cushion assembly and the transition shell upper edge slides between the outer shell and the upholstery cushion assembly. Also disclosed is a chair including a Y-shaped lower back frame having two uprights and a cross-piece attached to the back support. The uprights and cross-piece of the lower back frame include an overlap flange and the back support includes a channel-shaped flange having detents. The overlap flange and channel-shaped flange mate to form an overlap joint, including a box beam for added structural support. | 12-04-2008 |
20080296958 | CHAIR BACK ATTACHMENT AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLY - A chair includes a lower back frame, a back construction, including a back support attached to the lower back frame, a cushion assembly attached to the back support and a clip wedgingly engaged between the back support and the cushion assembly. The cushion assembly further includes an inner shell which includes two or more apertures and a hook extending downwardly and outwardly from each aperture. The clip further includes at least one angled ramp and at least one stop. The angled ramp is configured to allow the hook of the inner shell to slide through the angled ramp and the stop is configured to suspend sliding of the hook. Methods of assembling a back construction are also provided. | 12-04-2008 |
20090001793 | BACK SUPPORT FOR SEATING UNIT - A back support includes a base, a seat, and a back frame pivoted to the base. The seating unit has a flexible back (i.e., back shell) supported on the back frame and having stiff upper and lower sections connected by a forwardly protruding flexible lumbar section for providing lumbar support to a seated user. A spring mechanism is connected to the back frame and to a center lower edge of the flexible back. The spring mechanism biases the flexible back to bias the lumbar toward a forwardly protruding shape to provide optimal lumbar support when in the upright position and also during recline of the seated user. | 01-01-2009 |
20090015054 | SEATING UNIT WITH FORMED CUSHION, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD - A cushion subassembly includes a support, a cushion of non-woven polymeric (PET) or PETE fibers with a formed edge that wraps over an edge of the support, and an upholstery sock pulled onto and covering the support and the cushion. The formed edge has sufficient mechanical structure to retain the cushion on the support as the upholstery sock is pulled onto the support. A back support shell supports the cushion assembly, and has first fasteners that engage in a first direction and second fasteners that prevent disengagement. The cushion assembly is stressed during assembly, especially at corners, but is thermally stress-relieved after assembly to relax the polymeric fibers and the upholstery sock to a state of minimized balanced tension. The back support shell includes a shallow depression on its face. The cushion fills the depression sufficient to eliminate loose fabric but provides a same force deflection curve across its shape. | 01-15-2009 |
20090058160 | SEATING WITH SHAPE-CHANGING BACK SUPPORT FRAME - A back includes an integrated articulating back frame and a back support. The back frame has a lower segment pivoted to a chair control, an upper segment for thoracic support, and links forming a four-bar linkage with the upper and lower segments, with a joint being formed at the lumbar region. The back support is stretchable in limited directions to accommodate shape change in the articulating back frame but to provide adequate support to a seated user. Upon receiving a rearward pressure on the lumbar joint, the back frame itself changes shape. The pivot locations in the four bar linkage create a mechanism that simultaneously controls rotational and translational movement of the upper segment during flexure of the lumbar. The back frame is close to the back support to provide significant design flexibility, but permit substantial lumbar flexure. Various back supports are contemplated that accommodate articulation of the back frame. | 03-05-2009 |
20100072799 | Conforming back for a seating unit - According to the present invention a back for a seating unit is provided. The back comprises a plurality of flexible finger elements. Each of the plurality of flexible finger elements has a distal end. The back further comprises a retainer connecting at least two of the flexible finger elements proximate their distal ends. When a load is applied to a flexible finger element, the retainer distributes at least a portion of the load to at least one adjacent flexible finger element. | 03-25-2010 |
20100127551 | SEAT SUSPENSION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE - A seating construction includes a perimeter frame defining an open area, and a one-piece molded seating component supported on the frame. The seating component includes a plurality of integrally-formed flexible slats defining a support surface over the open area. Resilient wires are coupled to the slats to resiliently support the slats when flexed. The component can be handled as a unit for assembly, and is retained by connecting rods that extend along the side section of the frame, with the slats each rotatably engaging mating bearing structure on the frame. A flex-limiting member in a center of the frame limits the resilient supports to a maximum deflected condition. Tabs on the molded component interconnect the slats and permit one-piece molding, but are either flexible or breakable to permit independent flexing of the slats. Methods related to the above are also disclosed. | 05-27-2010 |
20140077541 | Chair Assembly - A chair component that includes a first chair member that includes a forwardly facing front surface and a rearwardly facing rear surface that define a first thickness therebetween, and at least one raised portion extending rearwardly from the rear surface, wherein the front surface and the at least one raised portion define a second thickness therebetween that is greater than the first thickness, and wherein a majority of the first chair member comprises the first thickness; a cover member wrapped about at least a portion of the first chair member; and a drawstring operably coupled with the cover member to draw the cover member about the at least a portion of the first chair member, wherein the drawstring is secured to the first chair member by at least one fastener that is received within the raised portion. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077542 | Chair Assembly with Upholstery Covering - A chair component assembly includes a back support component adapted to support a portion of a seated user, a lumbar support assembly adapted to support the lumbar area of a seated user, wherein the lumbar support is vertically adjustable, and a cover having an aesthetic outer surface and including a first pocket that receives the back support component therein, and a second pocket that receives the lumbar support assembly such that the lumbar support is vertically adjustable with the second pocket. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077543 | Chair Assembly - A chair component includes a first chair member adapted to support a seated user, a second chair member movable between a first position, wherein the second chair member is substantially coplanar with the first chair member, and a second position, wherein the second chair member is substantially parallel with the first chair member, a cover member wrapped about at least a portion of the first chair member and at least a portion of the second chair member, and a single-piece drawstring operably coupled with the cover member to draw the cover member about the at least a portion of the first chair member and the at least a portion of the second chair member when the second chair member is in the first position. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077548 | CHAIR ASSEMBLY WITH UPHOLSTERY COVERING - A chair assembly includes a back shell member including a laterally-extending top portion, a laterally-extending bottom portion and a pair of longitudinally-extending side portions extending between the top portion and the bottom portion and cooperating therewith the defined open space therebetween, and a cover having a first surface adapted to support a seated user and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the cover is positioned over the back shell member to cover at least a portion of the open space, and wherein the cover comprises an elastomeric material having a longitudinal direction compliance to lateral direction compliance ration of at least 3:1. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077549 | Chair Assembly - A chair assembly includes a base structure, a seat support structure movably coupled to the base structure, an upwardly-extending back support structure movably coupled to the base structure, wherein the back support structure is adapted to move between an upright and reclined positions, wherein the back support structure is operably coupled to the seat support structure, a flexible shell structure defining a forwardly-facing surface forming a lumbar support, wherein the flexible shell is movably coupled to the seat support structure, and a resilient member generating a variable compressive force acting on the flexible shell structure in a manner that tends to cause a curvature of the back support structure to increase, and wherein the compressive force decreases as the back support structure moves from the upright position to the reclined position. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077551 | Chair Assembly - A chair assembly includes a base structure, a seat support structure pivotably coupled to the base structure, a back support structure pivotably coupled to the base structure and including an upwardly extending portion adapted to move between an upright position and a reclined position, a control link having a first end pivotably coupled to the seat support structure and a second end pivotably coupled to the back support structure, a back support surface having an upper portion pivotably coupled to the back support, and a back link pivotably coupled to the seat support structure, wherein the back support surface is moved forward by the back link relative to the upwardly extending portion of the back support structure as the back support structure is moved from the upright position to the reclined position. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077555 | Chair Assembly - A chair assembly includes a base structure defining upper and lower portions, a seat support structure having forward and rearward portions, wherein the forward portion of the seat support structure is pivotably coupled to the upper portion, and wherein the seat support structure includes a seat support surface configured to support a seated user thereon, a back support structure having forward and rearward portions, wherein the forward portion of the back supported is pivotably coupled to the lower portion, and wherein the back support structure includes an upwardly extending portion adapted to move between an upright position and a reclined position, and a control link having a first end pivotably coupled to the rearward portion of the seat support structure, and a second end pivotably coupled to the rearward portion of the back support structure. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077558 | Chair Assembly - A chair assembly includes a seat support structure having a seat surface pivotable about a first pivot point between first and second positions, and a back support assembly coupled to the seat support structure, movable between upright and reclined positions and pivotable about a second pivot point, wherein the first pivot point is located at a position along a first line perpendicular to a second line tangential to the seat surface and at a forward most portion of a back surface, forward between along a third line parallel with the second line, down to the second line along a fourth line perpendicular with the second line, up the fourth line such that the second pivot point is located within a given radius from the first pivot point when the back support assembly is in the upright and reclined positions. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077571 | Chair Assembly with Upholstery Covering - A method of assembling a chair component includes providing a support component adapted to support a portion of a seated user and including at least one aperture, providing a cover including a plurality of sides that cooperate to form an interior space, and including at least one coupler, positioning the support component within the interior space of the cover such that the at least one coupler is positioned within the at least one aperture, providing a securing member, and attaching the securing member to the support component such that the at least one coupler is held within the at least one aperture by the securing member. | 03-20-2014 |
20140077572 | Chair Assembly with Upholstery Covering - A chair component assembly includes a support component adapted to support a portion of a seated user and a cover having a plurality of sides that cooperate to form an interior space that receives the support component herein, wherein the cover includes a first portion comprising a thermoplastic material, and a second portion comprising a non-thermoplastic material, wherein the first portion and the second portion are attached to one another to each form an outer aesthetic surface of the cover about the support component. | 03-20-2014 |