AU2011214898A1

AU2011214898A1 - A stool or chair

Info

Publication number: AU2011214898A1
Application number: AU2011214898A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gregory Brent Welsh
Original assignee: Sebel Furniture Ltd
Current assignee: Sebel Furniture Ltd
Priority date: 2010-02-11
Filing date: 2011-02-11
Publication date: 2012-08-09
Also published as: WO2011097678A1

Abstract

A chair (111), particularly a gaming stool (11), is disclosed having a handle (21, 31, 41, 141) located on the backrest of the chair adjacent to the chair's centre of gravity. This enables the chair to be easily pulled from one position to another by a single hand. In addition, a chair base (12) and glide (119) are disclosed having elliptical protrusions (124. 224, 324 and 424) which enable the base or glide to be more easily moved across carpet, for example. A backrest construction formed from two inter-engaging shells (42, 43) is also disclosed.

Description

WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 A STOOL OR CHAIR Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chairs and stools and, in particular, to the ease with which a chair or stool may be moved from place to place, or have its position adjusted by the sitter prior to the sitter sitting on the chair or stool. The present invention has particular application to those chairs or stools where the backrest is connected to the seat by means of an L-shaped member, however, the present invention is not restricted specifically to this construction. Background Art A particular type of chair is a so-called gaming stool which is used by patrons of casinos, licenced gambling venues, and the like to play gaming machines which are known as poker machines in Australia and slot machines in the USA. Such stools traditionally have a disc base, a stem which extends upwardly from the base, a seat which is located at the top of the base, a foot rest which is located on the stem intermediate the base and the seat, and a backrest which extends above the seat and is connected thereto by an L-shaped member which normally takes the form of a strip of metal. Such gaming stools are difficult to move from in front of one machine to in front of another machine, for example. The stool is normally manhandled by grasping the backrest with both hands and either dragging the base over the carpeted floor to the desired position, or tilting the chair and rolling the base by means of its rim into the desired position. Both of these manoeuvres are relatively difficult and now represent occupational health and safety problems for the owners of such premises. Another type of chair which has an L-shaped member which interconnects the seat and backrest is the traditional office chair, many of which are provided with castors. However, those chairs which are not provided with castors are provided with glides and can also be difficult to move. Genesis of the Invention The genesis of the present invention is a desire to increase the ease with which such chairs may be moved. 1 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 Summary of the Invention In accordance with a. first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a gaming stool having a base, a stem extending upwardly from said base, a seat located at the top of said stem, and a backrest extending upwardly from said seat, wherein a handle is located on the rear of the said backrest. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a backrest construction for a chair having a seat and a backrest supported above said seat by a substantially L-shaped metal strip having a vertically extending portion, wherein said interconnection between said strip and backrest incorporates a handle. In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a base for a chair or stool having a floor engaging member, and a stem extending upwardly therefrom with a seat located atop said stem., wherein the underside of said member includes a plurality of substantially elliptical protrusions extending therefrom. Preferably the floor engaging member is- a disc, or a 5 pronged base. Brief Description of the Drawings Some embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. I is a front perspective view of a prior art gaming stool, Fig. 2 is a perspective view from behind and below of the gaming stool of the preferred embodiment, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the prior art method of moving a gaming stool, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the preferred method of moving the gaming stool of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the base of the gaming stool of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken though one form of the handle of the gaming stool of Fig. 2, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the cast handle utilized in Fig. 7, 2 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing an alternative construction for providing a backrest with a handle, Fig. 10 is an exploded vertical cross-sectional view through the arrangement of Fig. 9, Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the completed assembly of Figs. 9 and 10, Fig. 12 is a perspective view of an office chair having glides rather than castors, Fig. 13 is an inverted plan view of a 5 pronged base for an office chair, and Fig. 14 is an inverted plan view of one of the glides of Fig. 13. Detailed Description As seen in Fig. 1, a prior art gaming stool I has a base 2, a stem 3 which protrudes upwardly from the base, a seat 4 mounted atop the stem 3, a foot rest 5 located intermediate the base 2 and seat 4, and a backrest 6 which is connected to the seat 4 by means of an L-shaped support 7. Turning now to Fig. 2, the gaming stool 11 of the preferred embodiment is of fundamentally the same construction having a base 12, stem 13, seat 14, foot rest 15, backrest 16, and L-shaped support 17. Importantly, the gaming stool II is provided with a handle 21 located adjacent the base of the backrest 16 and formed by a recess 22 which is sufficiently wide to permit the entry of four adjacent fingers of the adult hand. In addition, the underside of the base 12 is provided with a number of shaped protrusions 24 to be described in more detail hereafter in relation to Figs. 5 and 6. Turning now to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen in Fig. 3 that the prior art method of moving the gaming stool I is to grasp the backrest 6 with both hands and tilt the stool so that the stem 3 moves the base 2 so that only a portion of its rim is in contact with the floor. Then the stool can be rotated in either direction so as to roll the base 2 along the floor keeping only a portion of the rim of the base in contact with the floor. Other prior art methods of moving the stool include grabbing the backrest 6 and lifting the stool bodily upwards whilst moving the entire stool I horizontally into the desired position. Either of these methods are relatively difficult and subject the 3 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 person moving the stool I to the possibility of physical injury including muscle and back strain. This is to be contrasted with the situation illustrated in Fig. 4 where the gaming stool I1 can be grasped with one hand by means of the handle 21 and slid over the floor by the person pulling the chair towards them in the intended direction of movement. This pulling movement is greatly facilitated by the fact that the handle 21 is relatively close to the centre of gravity of the gaming stool 11. Turning now to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the protrusions 24 are arranged in three categories. The first category is relatively high, elliptical protrusions 124 which are not cross-hatched in Fig. 5 and which have their major axes radially aligned relative to the centre of the base 12. The second class of protrusions 224 are cross hatched in Fig. 5, are relatively less high than the first class of protrusions 124, and also have their major axes radially aligned. The third class of protrusions 324 have a circular recess surrounded by a circular rim and are intended to receive felt pads 25 which are adhesively connected to the recess for use in relation to wooden floors. The felt pads 25 are not used in relation to carpeted floors. In relation to carpeted floors, it will be apparent from Fig. 4 that the user turns the seat 14 and backrest 16 so that the backrest 16 faces directly away from the intended direction of movement of the gaming stool 11. In addition, the grasping of the handle 21 and the pulling of the gaming stool I I towards the user tilts the entire gaming stool 11 slightly towards the user so that the protrusions 124 are impressed into the carpeted floor and thus concentrate the weight of the gaming stool 11 at the locations of the protrusions 124. As a consequence, the user is pulling the gaming stool II and hence the base 12, in substantially the direction of the major axis of the shaped protrusion 124 closest to the user. Thus the shaped protrusions 124 closest to the user each function like a boat which slides over the carpet so that the remainder of the base 12 has only a low friction engagement with the carpet. This makes it easier to slide the base 12 over the carpeted floor. 4 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 The second class of protrusions, in the form of the elliptical protrusions 224, are intended to come into play at a later period of time once the first class of protrusions 124 have been worn down to approximately the same height as the second class of protrusions 224. In respect of wooden floors, the felt pads 25 are adhered to the circular recesses 324 of the base 12 and thus slide easily over the wooden floor. Both the protrusions 124 and 224 do not come into contact with the wooden floor. A first embodiment of the handle 21 is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 and is fabricated using a cast metal handle 31 which is preferably chrome plated. The handle 31 is provided with six apertures 32 through which fasteners (not illustrated) pass, and thence through the L-shaped support 17 and into a plywood foundation 33. If desired, the cast metal handle 31 can be provided with a layer of plastics or textile upholstery 34 which is covered with a fabric layer 35. The cast metal handle 31 includes an upwardly facing groove 36 into which the upholstery layer 34 and fabric layer 35 can be secured by means of compression as illustrated in Fig. 7. An alternative form of moulded plastic handle 41 is illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11. The backrest 16 is formed by two inter-engageable panels namely a moulded plastic rear panel 42 which includes strengthening ribs 44, and an upholstered front panel 43. In addition, an upper part 57 of the L-shaped support 17 is provided with four through holes 47 which are aligned with four threaded blind holes 46 in the front panel 43, each of which receives the shank of a threaded fastener 49. The fasteners 49 secure the upper part 57 to the front panel 43. The rear panel 42 and front panel 43 are provided with snap engageable fasteners, known per se and not illustrated, which enable the two panels to be.snap engaged together to form the backrest 16. In known fashion the front panel 42 can be upholstered and covered with a fabric layer which is then sandwiched between the 5 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 panels 42, 43 so as to maintain the upholstery and fabric in position. It will be apparent to those skilled in the furniture arts that the moulded plastic handle 41 has the load applied by the user's fingers to the front panel 43 and this load is transmitted via the upper part 57 to the L-shaped support 17 and thus to the gaming stool 11 as a whole. The fabrication technique illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11 is of particularly low cost and useful in environments other than gaming stools. In particular, the moulded plastic handle 41 finds application in office chairs having floor glides as well as to office chairs having castor rollers. Turning now to Figs. 12 and 13, the base 112 of an office chair 111 is illustrated. The chair 111 has a base 112, a stem 113, a seat 114, a backrest 116 and an L-shaped support 117. As in Figs. 10 and 11, the backrest 116 is provided with a moulded plastic handle 141. The base 112 has five prongs 1-18 each of which has a glide 119. The underside of one of the glides 119 is illustrated in Fig. 14. As for the base 12 of Fig. 5, the glide 119 is provided with elliptical dome shaped protrusions 424 which enable the glides 119 to move easily over carpet. The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the furniture arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of". 6

Claims

1. A gaming stool having a base, a stem extending upwardly from said base, a seat located at the top of said stem, and a backrest extending upwardly from said seat, wherein a handle is located on the rear of the said backrest.

2. The stool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said handle is located adjacent the base of said backrest.

3. The stool as claimed in claim I or 2 wherein said handle is located close to the centre of gravity of said stool.

4. The stool as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said handle comprises a downwardly opening cavity in said backrest sized to receive four adjacent fingers of an adult hand.

5. The stool as claimed in claim 4 wherein said backrest is supported above said seat by a substantially L-shaped strip of metal having a substantially vertically extending portion.

6. The stool as claimed in claim 5 wherein said cavity is formed by a concave member secured to the substantially vertically extending portion of said L shaped metal strip.

7. The stool as claimed in claim 6 wherein said concave member is secured to said substantially vertically extending portion by means of at least one threaded fastener.

8. The stool as claimed in claim 4 wherein said backrest is formed from an interengaged front shell and rear shell, said front shell having a recess shaped to receive both said substantially vertically extending portion of said metal strip and four adjacent fingers of an adult hand, and said rear shell being spaced from said metal strip such that said downwardly opening cavity includes a rear surface of said substantially vertically extending porion of said strip.

9. A backrest construction for a chair having a seat and a backrest supported above said seat by a substantially L-shaped metal strip having a vertically extending portion, wherein said interconnection between said strip and backrest incorporates a haridle. 7 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139

10. The backrest construction as claimed in claim 9 wherein said handle comprises a downwardly opening cavity sized to receive four adjacent fingers of an adult hand.

11. The backrest construction as claimed in claim 10 wherein said cavity is formed by a concave member secured to said substantially vertically extending portion.

12. The backrest construction as claimed in claim I1 wherein said concave member is secured to said substantially vertically extending portion by means of at least one threaded fastener.

13. The backrest construction as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein said backrest is formed from an interengaged front shell and rear shell, said front shell having a recess shaped to receive said substantially vertically extending portion of said metal strip and shaped to form said handle, and said handle being spaced from said metal strip.

14. A base for a chair or stool having a floor engaging disc, and a stem extending upwardly therefrom with a seat located atop said stem, wherein the underside of said disc includes a plurality of substantially elliptical protrusions extending therefrom.

15. The base as claimed in claim 14 wherein said elliptical protrusions each have a major axis and a minor axis with said major axes being substantially radially aligned with respect to the circle formed by a periphery of said disc.

16. The base as claimed in claim 14 or 15 wherein said plurality of elliptical protrusions includes a first plurality of said elliptical protrusions and a second plurality of said elliptical protrusions, said first plurality of protrusions protruding farther from said disc than said second plurality of protrusions.

17. The base as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16 and including a plurality of spaced apart pad attachment means intermingled with said protrusions, said pad attachment means protruding from the underside of said base less than said substantially elliptical protrusions, and said pad attachments with a pad attached extending from the underside of said base more than said substantially elliptical protrusions.

18. A base for a chair or stool having a plurality of outwardly extending prongs, each prong having a tip which terminates in a glide, and each glide having a 8 WO 2011/097678 PCT/AU2011/000139 plurality of substantially elliptical protrusions extending from the underside thereof.

19. A chair or stool having a base as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, 9