US3902754A

US3902754A - Upholstered chair with adjustable seat and back supports

Info

Publication number: US3902754A
Application number: US444750A
Authority: US
Inventors: Egon F Braeuning
Original assignee: Herman Miller Inc
Current assignee: MillerKnoll Inc
Priority date: 1973-08-20
Filing date: 1974-02-22
Publication date: 1975-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1992-09-02
Also published as: FR2241277B3; DE2434104B2; FR2241277A1; DE2434104A1; CH568738A5; DE2434104C3

Abstract

An upholstered chair with a tubular frame includes a tubular leg-supporting segment mounted to a base and a tubular seat frame pivotally coupled to the leg-supporting segment rearwardly of its coupling to the base. The seat frame extends rearwardly and upwardly and a length adjustable member is pivotally coupled at one end to the base and at an opposite end to the upper portion of the seat frame for tiltably adjusting the seat and back of the chair. The tubular frame is spanned by an elastic material and filled with an elastic material. An upholstery covering and filling material surrounds the frame structure so formed.

Description

United States Patent [191 Braeuning 1 Sept. 2, 1975 UPI-IOLSTERED CHAIR WITH ADJUSTABLE SEAT AND BACK SUPPORTS [75] Inventor: Egon F. Braeuning, Haltingen,

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 9, 1973 Switzerland ll945/73 [52] U.SL Cl. 297/328; 297/355; 297/377 [51] Int. CL". A47C 1/02 [58] Field of Search 297/285288, 297/311, 313, 320, 323, 325, 327, 328, 361, 377, 455, 456

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,7l3,890 7/l955 Mack 297/377 X 3,150,898 9/l964 Knudson 297/36l X 3,7l2,666 l/l973 Stoll 297/3l3 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,903,731 8/1970 Germany n 297/455 Primary Examiner-James C. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmPrice, I-Ieneveld, Huizenga & Cooper 5 7 ABSTRACT An upholstered chair with a tubular frame includes a tubular leg-supporting segment mounted to a base and a tubular seat frame pivotally coupled to the legsupporting segment rearwardly of its coupling to the base. The seat frame extends rearwardly and upwardly and a length adjustable member is pivotally coupled at one end to the base and at an opposite end to the upper portion of the seat frame for tiltably adjusting the seat and back of the chair. The tubular frame is spanned by an elastic material and filled with an elastic material. An upholstery covering and filling material surrounds the frame structure so formed.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED 2 I975 sumlufz PATENTED SEP 2 I975 sumanrz UPHOLSTERED CHAIR WITH ADJUSTABLE SEAT AND BACK SUPPORTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a chair with adjustable seat and back supports and with a frame made of steel tubing.

It is known to construct a framework of this kind which retains the upholstery over its entire surface. This necessitates employment of lateral supports which must be so dimensioned as to correspond to the thickness of the upholstery and the permissible depression of certain upholstery parts. This has resulted in relatively massive seat and backrest units which do not conform to modern furniture styles. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a chair of the type mentioned above in which the upholstery is suspended practically self-contained between the segments of the framework, the latter being mutually adjustable for the purpose of varying the angle of the backrest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The chair of the invention is characterized by the fact that the seat portion has a supporting framework composed of two segments which are tiltable with respect to each other and joined by hinge means in the two side segments of the supporting framework. The upholstery of the seat portion is retained on one of the side segments of the supporting framework, over whose entire length there is elastic tension. The frame segment corresponding to the upper leg support is securely attached to the seat frame while the segment corresponding to the seat and back support is connected to the seat frame by pivotal and length variable means.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the chair showing two extreme positions of the seat and back supports;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat frame for the chair of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the supporting frame of the seat portion of the chair of FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in cross section showing the connection between the upper leg support and the scat frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 a seat frame or base 1 is made of steel tubing, in which a seat portion 2 is mounted or suspended. This seat portion consists essentially of an upper leg unit 3 which extends from the left end of the structure to the region of the tilting point 4, a seating unit 5 which begins to the right of tilting point 4 and extends to the lower end of the back unit 6, and a headrest 7 on the upper end of the back unit 6. The segment of seat 2 containing the seating, backand headrest units is held at a certain height by a supporting device 8 adjustable as to its length, and is pivoted as a whole about point 4. The supporting device 8 is preferably a member positioned between the rearward segment of the seat frame 1 and the transition zone backand headrest units 6, 7 with a control lengthwise adjustable, not in stages whose actuating means is relatively easy to operate within the arms length of the user. Device 8 can. for

example, be a pneumatic cylinder coupled to a pressurized source of air and valve means (not shown) to adjust the position of the chair back.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat frame 1 shown in FIG. 1. As mentioned above, this frame is made of steel tubing and is composed of one or more parts. The two practically circular vertical loop members 11 are also tubular. Members 11 are located generally inside the base framework and include elbows 12 for supporting the seat 2 in the region of the upper segment 3. The rear segment 13 of the piping joining the two sides has a pivot coupling 14 pivotally coupling the lower end of supporting member 8 to frame 1. Details of the connection between the seat frame 1 and the supporting frame of the seat are shown in FIG. 4. i

The supporting framework for the seat portion, designated generally by 15, consists of twoside pieces l6, 17 (FIG. 3), which preferably are made of steel tubing, each having a

hinged segment

18, 19 which make possible the tilting of the back portion with respect to the upper leg unit 3.

Hinges

18, 19 are located at the pivot point 4 and are conventional pivot members permitting pivoting of

members

16 and 17 with respect to mem bers 16' and17' respectively. The .two side pieces l6, 17 are connected by

cross pieces

20, 21 and 22 and secured toa bent frame. The segmentslfiand 17' at the front of the side pieces l6, 17 are provided with

couplings

23 and 24, respectively, for example, in the form of stud bearings which cooperate with the side pieces or elbows 12 on the seat frame. The cross piece 22 in the region of the top ends of the side pieces has a pivot coupling 25 pivotally coupling the upper end of support 8 to member 22.

In FIG. 4, l1 designates a section of the tube 11, shown entirely in FIG. 2 as the frame 1 0f the seat, and 12 designates in this figure the seat supporting means. In the above case, the latter consists of an arm 31 and an angle piece 32 with a centering lug 33. The number 34 designates a part of the upholstering of

seat

2, and 16 is the similarly designated front part of a side member of the seat-supporting frame. Connected to the front part 16 is a pivot bearing 35 whose bore 36 serves to receive the centering lug 33. The seat portion 2 is, therefore, in one piece by means of the supporting section 12 and the

couplings

23, 24 and, on the other hand, is joined by the device 8 and the

couplings

12 and 14 in such a manner as to be variable with respect to the seating frame.

From FIG. 4 may be seen also the general arrangement of the upholstery on the seat of a chair of the present invention. The number 38 designates an elastic covering which as shown is applied to the side pieces 16, 17 (FIG. 3). This material is preferably of a rubber band or rubber cord fabric which had been formed into a hose or tubing and pulled over the entire length of the

side pieces

16, 17. At the places where coupling means extend outwardly, there are openings in the carrier covering without, however, weakening the covering itself. In order to prevent the covering from becoming too weak, the interspace 39 is filled with an elastic material. Over the carrier covering 38 there is a covering of foam material 40 which consists of shaped foam in which the foam material can be eliminated at any point.

The upholstery covering 41, 42 forms the outer seal of the upholstery. It can be the same material above and below or the two can be of different materials. The coverings of the upper and lower sides are joined to one another at the side of the seat by means of a closure 43 such as a zipper.

By means of the frame structure 15, as described in FIG. 3, and the arrangement of the upholstery, especially the covering 38, a chair can be made which will meet modern demands. When the seating surface is subjected to a load by the user, there is never a sharp ridge or break at the tilting point 4, as shown in FIG. 1, but there is a tilting corresponding to the contour of the body so that at all positions of the seat, backrest and headrest, there is a shortening or lengthening of the supporting structure 8 to correspond to the contour of the body.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A chair comprising:

a base including support means extending upwardly from opposite sides thereof;

a frame including a frontal portion and a rearward portion, said frontal portion defining the front part of a seat and mounted to said support means; a rearwardly and upwardly extending frame member forming said rearward portion and defining a backrest and the rearward part of a seat said rearward portion being pivotally coupled to said frontal portion;

an extensible and collapsible link pivotally coupled at one end to said base and at the'opposite end to said rearward portion near the top of said backrest to permit tilting adjustment of the chair by pivoting the rear part of said seat and said backrest as a unit about its pivotal connection to said front part of said seat; and

upholstery means covering said frame.

2. A chair having a seat and a back, said back being integral with the rear of said seat, a base for said chair, the improvement in said chair comprising: said seat having a rigid frame hingedly jointed at a point substantially removed from the front thereof dividing said seat into a forward portion and rear portion a backrest rigidly attached to said rear portion of said seat and extending upwardly therefrom; said rear portion of said seat and said backrest being pivotal as a unit about the rear of the forward portion of said seat; said forward portion of said seat being rigidly secured to said base; means adjustably supporting said rear portion of said seat and said backrest.

3. The chair described in claim 2 wherein the entire frame of said seat and said backrest are encased in a single continuous tube-like cover and foam body.

4. A chair as described in claim 2 wherein said base has a frame. said frame having a generally U-shaped rearward portion and a generally U-shaped forward portion and an upstanding loop on each side between and joining said forward and rearward portions and integral with both said forward and rearward portions; said juncture between said forward seat portion and said base being located on said loop.

Claims

1. A chair comprising: a base including support means extending upwardly from opposite sides thereof; a frame including a frontal portion and a rearward portion, said frontal portion defining the front part of a seat and mounted to said support means; a rearwardly and upwardly extending frame member forming said rearward portion and defining a backrest and the rearward part of a seat said rearward portion being pivotally coupled to said frontal portion; an extensible and collapsible link pivotally coupled at one end to said base and at the opposite end to said rearward portion near the top of said backrest to permit tilting adjustment of the chair by pivoting the rear part of said seat and said backrest as a unit about its pivotal connection to said front part of said seat; and upholstery means covering said frame.

4. A chair as described in claim 2 wherein said base has a frame, said frame having a generally U-shaped rearward portion and a generally U-shaped forward portion and an upstanding loop on each side between and joining said forward and rearward portions and integral with both said forward and rearward portions; said juncture between said forward seat portion and said base being located on said loop.