CA1083028A - Office chair - Google Patents
Office chairInfo
- Publication number
- CA1083028A CA1083028A CA238,893A CA238893A CA1083028A CA 1083028 A CA1083028 A CA 1083028A CA 238893 A CA238893 A CA 238893A CA 1083028 A CA1083028 A CA 1083028A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- frame
- combination
- seat
- lip
- mounting surfaces
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Abstract
ABSTRACT
An office chair having an endless, rigid frame of metal supporting a seat and backrest in which the metal frame has a generally U-shaped configuration with curved surfaces facing a viewer and with engaged, complementary portions of the frame, seat and backrest not only accurately locating the components relative to each other for assembly, but also concealing the unfinished edged of upholstery mate-rial and maintaining it tightly and at the same time cover-ing portions of the frame to conceal its massiveness.
An office chair having an endless, rigid frame of metal supporting a seat and backrest in which the metal frame has a generally U-shaped configuration with curved surfaces facing a viewer and with engaged, complementary portions of the frame, seat and backrest not only accurately locating the components relative to each other for assembly, but also concealing the unfinished edged of upholstery mate-rial and maintaining it tightly and at the same time cover-ing portions of the frame to conceal its massiveness.
Description
3~
This invention relates to chairs and particularly to swivel type office chairs.
Office chairs frequently include a metal frame which usually is made of metal having a tubular cross section.
Unless tubular material with a large cross-sectional dimen-sion is used, the frame will be flexible, particularly be-tween portions supporting the seat and portions supporting the backrest. It is important that the frame be rigid and that it maintain its rigidity to firmly establish the angle between the backre~t and seat portion since an angular change G3 of as little as ~ degree~ can affect seating comfor~. To ob-tain this rigidity with tubular material the frame becomes extremely massive in appearance which often is undesirable.
It is an object of the invention to provide a chair incorporating a metal frame which is rigid.
It is another object of the invention to provide a chair with such a rigid frame in which the body support members are so arranged relative to the frame that they con-ceal the frame's massiveness.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a chair in which body suppcrt portions in the form of a seat and backrest member are readily and accurately position,e,d,, relative to the frame.
The chair embodying the invention incorporates a metal fxame forming the perimeter of the seat and backrest portions and is of endless construction. The frame has a U-shaped cross section in which the outer surfaces are unifor-mally curved and the curved portions are exposed to a viewer of the chair and face in the general direction of an occupant of the chair~ The frame and body suppor~ portions are formed ~-æ-~
--1~ ., .
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with complementary support and mounting surfaces which permit accurate positioning of the body support portions relative to the frame and at the same time form a ca~ity for concealing upholstering covering the body support portions. The body -- support portions are formed with an outer lip adjacent to the frame such that the lip extends generally tangentially of the curved surface to conceal a portion of the frame from a viewer or occupant.
In accordance with one broad aspect, the invention relates to a chair comprising a rigid frame of endless, one piece construction having generally parallel side members and parallel end members maintaining said side members in spaced apart relationship to each other, a body support means having a ;
body engaging surface and having opposite generally parallel wall portions forming mounting surfaces facing away from said body engaging surface in directions diverging from each other, said parallel side members of said frame each presenting support surfaces complementary to said mounting surfaces when said body support means is disposed between the side members of ;~
said frame, and means connecting said body support means to said frame with said mounting surfaces in abutting ! engagement with said support sur~aces, said frame having a generally U-shaped `~
cross section forming a curved outer surface, said outer surface of said side members facing in the same direction as said body engaging surfaca.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair embodying the ~
invention; ;
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the chair shown in Figure 1 with the bottom cut away; -, .
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally on line 3-3 in Figure l; -Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally on ~ . ~. .: . .
~,. . ' .
~. ~ .. .... . .
~lOB3~28 lin~ 4-4 in Figure l;
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the sectional portion shown in Figure 3;
Figure 6 is a sectional view at an enlarged scale taken on line 6-6 in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale taken on line 7-7 in Figure 2;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the office chair;
and Figure 9 is a perspective view of an office chair such as that shown in Figure 8 but fitted with arm rests. - : :
Referring to Figure 1 a chair embodying the`invention - ;
i3 indicated generally at 10 which includes a seating portion 12 .
; and a base 14 for supporting the seating portion in elevated position relative to the floor. The base 14 includes a vertically ~ `:
.,:
':
t ' ~:
.
'-` :
j~J - 2A -~L~83a32i~3 extending pedestal 16 which has five radially ex-tending legs 1~, the outer ends of which are fitted with conventional casters 20.
The pedestal 16 rotatably receives a shaft 22 permitting the seating portion 12 to swivel relative to the base 14. The upper end of the shaft 22 is provided with a conventional spring type tilt mechanism 24 which is fastened to the seating portion 12 to permit limited tilting of the seat portion 12 relative to the base 14.
The seat portion 12 includes a frame 30 and body support portions in the form of a seat 32 and a backrest 34. The frame 30 is cast or molded of metal such as aluminum. The frame 30 has generally parallel side members 36 joined together by a forward cross member 38 and a rear or top cross member 40. The side members 36 each have a seat supporting portion or part 42 and a backrest supporting portion or part 44 disposed at a fixed angle relative to each other. The cross members 38 and 40 are offset downwardly and rearwardly, respectively, from the associated seat and backrest supporting portions. The frame 30 is of continuous~ endless con-struction surrounding the front and sides of the seat 32 and top and sides of the backrest 34.
The entire metal frame 30 is channel shaped or U-shaped in cross section with the cross section varying throughout various portions of the frame. As best seen in Figures 3 and 5 the seat supporting portions 42 of the frame 30 are U-shaped to form a curved outer surface 46 which faces upwardly in the same direction as a body supporting surface 48 of the seat 32 with the open portion of the U facing downwardly. The backrest supporting portions 44 seen in Figure 4 are shaped similarly to the seat supporting portions 42 with ~3~8 curved surfaces 50 facing forwardly in the direction of the body supporting surface 52 of the backrest 34 and the open pox~ion of the U facing rearwardly of ~he chair.
The cross section of the forward cross member 38 is best seen in Figure 6 in which the generally U-shaped cross section has its outer curved surface 54 facing forwardly of the chair and the open portion of the U facing rearwardly.
The top cross member 40 in Figure 7 has its curved surface 56 facing upwardly. The open portion of the U-shaped cross section faces downwardly and is provided with a flat surface 58 which forms a convenient hand hold at the upper rear of the chair for moving it when it is not occupied.
, Referring now to Figure 3 the seat includes a hous-ing 60 made of a relative rigid material such as plastic.
The housing 60 has a backside or generally horizontal wall 61 merging with curved side walls 62. The side walls 62 ter-minate in edges or lips 64. The cavity formed in the housing 60 is filled with a resilie~t cushioning material such as beaded foam indicated at 66. The foam cushion 66 is covered with upholstery material 68 which extends over the lips 64~
~ s seen in ~igure 4, the backrest 34 is constructed in a manner similar to the seat 32 in that it has a backside or vertical wall 71 and a housiny 70 with curved side walls 72 terminating in lips or edges 74. The housing 70 is also filled with the foam cushioning material 76 and covered with upholstery material 78 extending over the lips 74.
The configuration o the frame 30 and the configu-ration of the seat 32 and backrest 34 cooperate to support and accurately locate the ~rame seat and backrest. As best seen in Figures 3 and 5. The seat supporting portion 42 of ~L~ 3g~2~
the frame is provided with a portion having a support surface 80 extending at an angle to the U-shaped cross section. The support surfaces 80 at opposite sides of the frame 30 face in directions converging downwardly and are complementary to and abut mounting surface 8Z formed on the walls 62 of the seat - housing 60. Similarly the cross member 38 as seen in Figure 6 has a portion e~tending from the curved surface 54 to form a support surface 84 which in this instance faces upwardly and is complementary to a mounting surface 86 formed at the forward edge wall 88 of the housing 60 in spaced relation to the lip 64.
As seen in Figure 5, the outer surface of the seat housing 60 between the mounting surface 82 and the lip 64 is curved as indicated at 90 and is spaced from the curved sur-face 46 to form a cavity 92 in which unfinished edges 93 of ; the upholstery material 68 may be located to conceal the lat-ter when the chair is completely assembled. Similarly, as seen in Figure 6~ thé underside of the seat housing 60 between the lip 64 and the mounting surface 86 has a curved portion 94 spaced slightly from curvéd surface 54 to ~orm a cavity 96 to accommodate the unfinished edge 93 of the uphol-stery material and conceal it from view.
When the seat 32 is being assembled to the frame 30, the complementary supporting and mounting surface 80 and 82 on the seat supporting portions 42 center the seat 32 relative to the frame 30 and the lip 64 on the curved portion at the forward edge wall 88 of the seat 32 engages the curved sur-face 54 of the forward cross member 38 to prevent rearward movement and accurately locate the seat assemb1y 32 relative to the frame 30. After the seat 32 and the frame 30 have been .
~83~2~3 located relative to each other they may be fastened together by means of fasteners such as screws and fittings 97 seen in Figure 5.
The upholstery material 6~ covering the seat 32 has its edges 93 fastened to housing 60 of the seat in any conventional manner as by staples or adhesive. Before the seat is assembled to the frame 30, the upholstery at the sides of the seat will extend in spaced relationship to the curved surface 90 between the lip 64 and , the edge 93 at which the upholstery is fastened to the housing 60.
In the same manner, the upholstery material at the forward edge of the seat will extend from the lip 64 to the edge 93 at which the upholstery is fastened. Upon assembly of the seat 32 and frame 30, the curved surfaces 46 at the sides of the seat and the curved surface"54 at the front of the seat will tend to deflect the material closer to the curved surfaced 90 and 94, respectively to insure that the upholstery material is maintained tightly'on the housing 60, particularly adjacent to the lip 64.
As seen from a comparison of Figures 3 and 4 the backrest 34 has d configuration adjacent to its opposite sides which is the same as that found at the sides of seat 32. The sides of the backrest 34 are fitted relative to the supporting portions 44 in the same manner as the sides of the seat 32 relative to their support portions 42. The upper edge of the backrest 34, however, is formed with a recess or cavity 98 which receives the top cross member 40. A lip or edge 100 is formed adjacent one side of the recess and a generally parallel wall 102 is formed in spaced relation to the lip 100. The lip laO and the wall 102 serve to properly locate the backrest 34 relative to the frame 30 and the cavity or recess 98 receives the unfinished upholstery edge 104 and permits .
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fastening the material to the housing 70. As in the case of the seat 32, the upholstery material on backrest 34 will extend from lip 100 to the edge 104 of the material so that the curved edge 56 of the frame will deflect the material into the cavity 98 to maintain the upholstery tightly.
To assemble the backrest 34 to the frame 30~ the support surEace 80 and mounting surface 82 which are identical ; to the surfaces at the side of the seat 32 are ~laced in engagement with each other to center the backrest 34. Engage-ment of lip 100 seen in Figure 7 with the surface 56 will limit downward movement of the backrest 34 relative to the frame to properly locate the parts for the insertion of screws g7 such as seen in Figure 5 into aligned, predrilled holes in the frame 30 and backrest housing 70.
As will be seen fro~ an examination of Figures 5, 6 and 7, the lips 64 an~ 74 ~long the sides of the se~t and back-rest, the lip 64 at the front of the seat and the lip 100 at the top rear of the backrest all point generally tangen-tially ~o the respective curved surEaces 46, 54 and 56 of the frame 30 and in the assembled condition of the chair serve to conc~al a ~ortion of the metallic Erame 30.
As seen in Figures 8 and 9 a chair 10 may be con-structed with or without armrests 110. If armrests are desired, they may also be constructed oE metal with a gener-ally U-shaped cross section so that the opén side of the U
faces downwardly and rearwardlyO
It will be noted that a chair has been provided in which the frame 30 has a generally U-shaped cross section which is extreme:Ly rigid and at the same time is relatively light. The curved surfaces 46, 54 and 56 seen in Figures 5, ~33~
6 and 7 respectively, are generally circular and are all formed on the same radius to give a pleasant appearance to the frame. The seat assembly 32 and backrest assembly 34 are firmly supported by the coaction of the support and mounting surfaces formed on the frame 30 and the housings 60 and 70 and at the same time the seat 32 and backrest 34 are very accurately located relative to the rigid frame making it pos-sible to reduce the assembly procedure to the simple inser-tion of screws 97 into predrilled openings in the frame 30 and the housing 60 and 70 since the predrilled holes will be brought into accurate alignment with each other and will not require custom fitting. As a consequence, it is possible to ship large quantities of such chairs in disassembled form since the accurate alignment of parts permits easy assembly without requiring elaborate tools or skills. The configu-ration of the chair frame 30 is such that in the disassembled condition of the chairs, the frames 30 will snugly nest to-gether and reduce cargo and storage space. In addition the body supporting seat 32 and backrest 34 have a configuration acting with the curved surfaces of the frame to form cavities which conceal the unfinished edges of the upholstery material and also act to maintain the upholstery material tightly.
The edges of the seat and backrest engaging the frame serve to conceal a substantial portion of the frame cross section so that the small, exposed portions of the frame tend to make Lt look less ~assive.
This invention relates to chairs and particularly to swivel type office chairs.
Office chairs frequently include a metal frame which usually is made of metal having a tubular cross section.
Unless tubular material with a large cross-sectional dimen-sion is used, the frame will be flexible, particularly be-tween portions supporting the seat and portions supporting the backrest. It is important that the frame be rigid and that it maintain its rigidity to firmly establish the angle between the backre~t and seat portion since an angular change G3 of as little as ~ degree~ can affect seating comfor~. To ob-tain this rigidity with tubular material the frame becomes extremely massive in appearance which often is undesirable.
It is an object of the invention to provide a chair incorporating a metal frame which is rigid.
It is another object of the invention to provide a chair with such a rigid frame in which the body support members are so arranged relative to the frame that they con-ceal the frame's massiveness.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a chair in which body suppcrt portions in the form of a seat and backrest member are readily and accurately position,e,d,, relative to the frame.
The chair embodying the invention incorporates a metal fxame forming the perimeter of the seat and backrest portions and is of endless construction. The frame has a U-shaped cross section in which the outer surfaces are unifor-mally curved and the curved portions are exposed to a viewer of the chair and face in the general direction of an occupant of the chair~ The frame and body suppor~ portions are formed ~-æ-~
--1~ ., .
~083a~
with complementary support and mounting surfaces which permit accurate positioning of the body support portions relative to the frame and at the same time form a ca~ity for concealing upholstering covering the body support portions. The body -- support portions are formed with an outer lip adjacent to the frame such that the lip extends generally tangentially of the curved surface to conceal a portion of the frame from a viewer or occupant.
In accordance with one broad aspect, the invention relates to a chair comprising a rigid frame of endless, one piece construction having generally parallel side members and parallel end members maintaining said side members in spaced apart relationship to each other, a body support means having a ;
body engaging surface and having opposite generally parallel wall portions forming mounting surfaces facing away from said body engaging surface in directions diverging from each other, said parallel side members of said frame each presenting support surfaces complementary to said mounting surfaces when said body support means is disposed between the side members of ;~
said frame, and means connecting said body support means to said frame with said mounting surfaces in abutting ! engagement with said support sur~aces, said frame having a generally U-shaped `~
cross section forming a curved outer surface, said outer surface of said side members facing in the same direction as said body engaging surfaca.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair embodying the ~
invention; ;
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the chair shown in Figure 1 with the bottom cut away; -, .
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally on line 3-3 in Figure l; -Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally on ~ . ~. .: . .
~,. . ' .
~. ~ .. .... . .
~lOB3~28 lin~ 4-4 in Figure l;
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the sectional portion shown in Figure 3;
Figure 6 is a sectional view at an enlarged scale taken on line 6-6 in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale taken on line 7-7 in Figure 2;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the office chair;
and Figure 9 is a perspective view of an office chair such as that shown in Figure 8 but fitted with arm rests. - : :
Referring to Figure 1 a chair embodying the`invention - ;
i3 indicated generally at 10 which includes a seating portion 12 .
; and a base 14 for supporting the seating portion in elevated position relative to the floor. The base 14 includes a vertically ~ `:
.,:
':
t ' ~:
.
'-` :
j~J - 2A -~L~83a32i~3 extending pedestal 16 which has five radially ex-tending legs 1~, the outer ends of which are fitted with conventional casters 20.
The pedestal 16 rotatably receives a shaft 22 permitting the seating portion 12 to swivel relative to the base 14. The upper end of the shaft 22 is provided with a conventional spring type tilt mechanism 24 which is fastened to the seating portion 12 to permit limited tilting of the seat portion 12 relative to the base 14.
The seat portion 12 includes a frame 30 and body support portions in the form of a seat 32 and a backrest 34. The frame 30 is cast or molded of metal such as aluminum. The frame 30 has generally parallel side members 36 joined together by a forward cross member 38 and a rear or top cross member 40. The side members 36 each have a seat supporting portion or part 42 and a backrest supporting portion or part 44 disposed at a fixed angle relative to each other. The cross members 38 and 40 are offset downwardly and rearwardly, respectively, from the associated seat and backrest supporting portions. The frame 30 is of continuous~ endless con-struction surrounding the front and sides of the seat 32 and top and sides of the backrest 34.
The entire metal frame 30 is channel shaped or U-shaped in cross section with the cross section varying throughout various portions of the frame. As best seen in Figures 3 and 5 the seat supporting portions 42 of the frame 30 are U-shaped to form a curved outer surface 46 which faces upwardly in the same direction as a body supporting surface 48 of the seat 32 with the open portion of the U facing downwardly. The backrest supporting portions 44 seen in Figure 4 are shaped similarly to the seat supporting portions 42 with ~3~8 curved surfaces 50 facing forwardly in the direction of the body supporting surface 52 of the backrest 34 and the open pox~ion of the U facing rearwardly of ~he chair.
The cross section of the forward cross member 38 is best seen in Figure 6 in which the generally U-shaped cross section has its outer curved surface 54 facing forwardly of the chair and the open portion of the U facing rearwardly.
The top cross member 40 in Figure 7 has its curved surface 56 facing upwardly. The open portion of the U-shaped cross section faces downwardly and is provided with a flat surface 58 which forms a convenient hand hold at the upper rear of the chair for moving it when it is not occupied.
, Referring now to Figure 3 the seat includes a hous-ing 60 made of a relative rigid material such as plastic.
The housing 60 has a backside or generally horizontal wall 61 merging with curved side walls 62. The side walls 62 ter-minate in edges or lips 64. The cavity formed in the housing 60 is filled with a resilie~t cushioning material such as beaded foam indicated at 66. The foam cushion 66 is covered with upholstery material 68 which extends over the lips 64~
~ s seen in ~igure 4, the backrest 34 is constructed in a manner similar to the seat 32 in that it has a backside or vertical wall 71 and a housiny 70 with curved side walls 72 terminating in lips or edges 74. The housing 70 is also filled with the foam cushioning material 76 and covered with upholstery material 78 extending over the lips 74.
The configuration o the frame 30 and the configu-ration of the seat 32 and backrest 34 cooperate to support and accurately locate the ~rame seat and backrest. As best seen in Figures 3 and 5. The seat supporting portion 42 of ~L~ 3g~2~
the frame is provided with a portion having a support surface 80 extending at an angle to the U-shaped cross section. The support surfaces 80 at opposite sides of the frame 30 face in directions converging downwardly and are complementary to and abut mounting surface 8Z formed on the walls 62 of the seat - housing 60. Similarly the cross member 38 as seen in Figure 6 has a portion e~tending from the curved surface 54 to form a support surface 84 which in this instance faces upwardly and is complementary to a mounting surface 86 formed at the forward edge wall 88 of the housing 60 in spaced relation to the lip 64.
As seen in Figure 5, the outer surface of the seat housing 60 between the mounting surface 82 and the lip 64 is curved as indicated at 90 and is spaced from the curved sur-face 46 to form a cavity 92 in which unfinished edges 93 of ; the upholstery material 68 may be located to conceal the lat-ter when the chair is completely assembled. Similarly, as seen in Figure 6~ thé underside of the seat housing 60 between the lip 64 and the mounting surface 86 has a curved portion 94 spaced slightly from curvéd surface 54 to ~orm a cavity 96 to accommodate the unfinished edge 93 of the uphol-stery material and conceal it from view.
When the seat 32 is being assembled to the frame 30, the complementary supporting and mounting surface 80 and 82 on the seat supporting portions 42 center the seat 32 relative to the frame 30 and the lip 64 on the curved portion at the forward edge wall 88 of the seat 32 engages the curved sur-face 54 of the forward cross member 38 to prevent rearward movement and accurately locate the seat assemb1y 32 relative to the frame 30. After the seat 32 and the frame 30 have been .
~83~2~3 located relative to each other they may be fastened together by means of fasteners such as screws and fittings 97 seen in Figure 5.
The upholstery material 6~ covering the seat 32 has its edges 93 fastened to housing 60 of the seat in any conventional manner as by staples or adhesive. Before the seat is assembled to the frame 30, the upholstery at the sides of the seat will extend in spaced relationship to the curved surface 90 between the lip 64 and , the edge 93 at which the upholstery is fastened to the housing 60.
In the same manner, the upholstery material at the forward edge of the seat will extend from the lip 64 to the edge 93 at which the upholstery is fastened. Upon assembly of the seat 32 and frame 30, the curved surfaces 46 at the sides of the seat and the curved surface"54 at the front of the seat will tend to deflect the material closer to the curved surfaced 90 and 94, respectively to insure that the upholstery material is maintained tightly'on the housing 60, particularly adjacent to the lip 64.
As seen from a comparison of Figures 3 and 4 the backrest 34 has d configuration adjacent to its opposite sides which is the same as that found at the sides of seat 32. The sides of the backrest 34 are fitted relative to the supporting portions 44 in the same manner as the sides of the seat 32 relative to their support portions 42. The upper edge of the backrest 34, however, is formed with a recess or cavity 98 which receives the top cross member 40. A lip or edge 100 is formed adjacent one side of the recess and a generally parallel wall 102 is formed in spaced relation to the lip 100. The lip laO and the wall 102 serve to properly locate the backrest 34 relative to the frame 30 and the cavity or recess 98 receives the unfinished upholstery edge 104 and permits .
~3~
fastening the material to the housing 70. As in the case of the seat 32, the upholstery material on backrest 34 will extend from lip 100 to the edge 104 of the material so that the curved edge 56 of the frame will deflect the material into the cavity 98 to maintain the upholstery tightly.
To assemble the backrest 34 to the frame 30~ the support surEace 80 and mounting surface 82 which are identical ; to the surfaces at the side of the seat 32 are ~laced in engagement with each other to center the backrest 34. Engage-ment of lip 100 seen in Figure 7 with the surface 56 will limit downward movement of the backrest 34 relative to the frame to properly locate the parts for the insertion of screws g7 such as seen in Figure 5 into aligned, predrilled holes in the frame 30 and backrest housing 70.
As will be seen fro~ an examination of Figures 5, 6 and 7, the lips 64 an~ 74 ~long the sides of the se~t and back-rest, the lip 64 at the front of the seat and the lip 100 at the top rear of the backrest all point generally tangen-tially ~o the respective curved surEaces 46, 54 and 56 of the frame 30 and in the assembled condition of the chair serve to conc~al a ~ortion of the metallic Erame 30.
As seen in Figures 8 and 9 a chair 10 may be con-structed with or without armrests 110. If armrests are desired, they may also be constructed oE metal with a gener-ally U-shaped cross section so that the opén side of the U
faces downwardly and rearwardlyO
It will be noted that a chair has been provided in which the frame 30 has a generally U-shaped cross section which is extreme:Ly rigid and at the same time is relatively light. The curved surfaces 46, 54 and 56 seen in Figures 5, ~33~
6 and 7 respectively, are generally circular and are all formed on the same radius to give a pleasant appearance to the frame. The seat assembly 32 and backrest assembly 34 are firmly supported by the coaction of the support and mounting surfaces formed on the frame 30 and the housings 60 and 70 and at the same time the seat 32 and backrest 34 are very accurately located relative to the rigid frame making it pos-sible to reduce the assembly procedure to the simple inser-tion of screws 97 into predrilled openings in the frame 30 and the housing 60 and 70 since the predrilled holes will be brought into accurate alignment with each other and will not require custom fitting. As a consequence, it is possible to ship large quantities of such chairs in disassembled form since the accurate alignment of parts permits easy assembly without requiring elaborate tools or skills. The configu-ration of the chair frame 30 is such that in the disassembled condition of the chairs, the frames 30 will snugly nest to-gether and reduce cargo and storage space. In addition the body supporting seat 32 and backrest 34 have a configuration acting with the curved surfaces of the frame to form cavities which conceal the unfinished edges of the upholstery material and also act to maintain the upholstery material tightly.
The edges of the seat and backrest engaging the frame serve to conceal a substantial portion of the frame cross section so that the small, exposed portions of the frame tend to make Lt look less ~assive.
Claims (10)
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS
FOLLOWS:
1. A chair comprising a frame of inverted trough shaped frame members including a flanged trough lip planarly extending from a trough edge, wherein said frame is of end-less, one piece construction having generally parallel side members and parallel end members maintaining said side mem-bers in spaced apart relationship to each other, a body support means having a body engaging surface and having opposite generally parallel wall portions forming mounting surfaces facing away from said body engaging surface in directions diverging from each other, said parallel side members of said frame each presenting support surfaces complementary to said mounting surfaces when said body support means is disposed between the side members of said frame, and force means connecting said body support means to said frame with said mounting surfaces in abutting engagement with said support surfaces, said frame members having cross-section generally of the shape of a "U" having a linear projection from the end of a leg of said "U", the outside base of said "U" forming a convexly curved outer surface which is adjacent to a planar, outside surface of the flanged trough lip, said outer surfaces of said side members facing genreally in the same directions as said body engaging sur-face, and securing means for firmly securing and concealing the unfinished edges of a fabric means for covering said body engaging surface.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said securing means comprise said support surfaces, said mounting surfaces, and said force means, wherein said force means are for reversibly bringing the support and mounting surfaces into forceable contact with each other, wherein the area of contact between the support and mounting surfaces is substantial, whereby said unfinished edges and a substan-tial margin of fabric bordering said unfinished edges of said fabric means may be concealed and secured between said support and mounting surfaces.
3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said support surfaces comprise generally the outside surface of said flanged trough lip and part of the adjacent convexly curved outer surface.
4. The combination of claim 3 in which said body support means include a seat portion and a backrest portion.
5. The combination of claim 4 in which said seat portion is engageable with one of said end members and said backrest portion is engageable with the other of said end members.
6. The combination of claim 5 in which said wall portions at opposite sides of said body support means have a lip spaced from said mounting surfaces, said lip extending generally tangentially to said curved surface for diminishing the portion of the curved surface exposed to view and for increasing said concealed margin of fabric.
7. The combination of claim 6 in which said body support means forms a rigid housing member having a generally horizontal wall merging with said wall portions, and resilient cushion means disposed in said housing, said housing being disposed between said side members.
8. The combination of claim 7 in which said mounting surfaces of the body support means, are formed on said rigid housing member and are spaced from the edge of said lip of said wall portions a distance to form a cavity between said housing and said frame, for concealing the unfinished edges and substantial margin of fabric.
9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said outer surfaces of said one of said end members faces forwardly and said outer surfaces of said other of said end members faces upwardly.
10. The combination of claim 9 and further comprising a base assembly fastened to said generally hor-izontal wall of said housing to supportingly position said body support means and said frame in elevated relationship to a floor, wherein said body support means will bear the load of a sitting person and the forces exerted by the frame.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA238,893A CA1083028A (en) | 1975-11-03 | 1975-11-03 | Office chair |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA238,893A CA1083028A (en) | 1975-11-03 | 1975-11-03 | Office chair |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1083028A true CA1083028A (en) | 1980-08-05 |
Family
ID=4104439
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA238,893A Expired CA1083028A (en) | 1975-11-03 | 1975-11-03 | Office chair |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1083028A (en) |
-
1975
- 1975-11-03 CA CA238,893A patent/CA1083028A/en not_active Expired
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