DE29711937U1 - Foot for a piece of furniture, in particular for an office swivel chair - Google Patents

Description

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Description :

Foot for a piece of furniture _, especially for an office swivel chair

The present invention relates to a foot for a piece of furniture, in particular for an office swivel chair according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such feet are familiar from practical use. They are mostly used for office swivel chairs, but they are also suitable for worktops or tables. The seat or work surface is then placed on the pins with a spring and damping system, usually adjustable in height.

The well-known feet have arms in which a U-shaped profile with a downward-facing opening is used for aesthetic reasons. This has the disadvantage that the tensile stresses that occur when the load is applied occur in the lower area, i.e. near the free ends of the legs of the U-profile. This results in an unfavourable load distribution, as only a small amount of material is available to absorb the tensile stresses, which means that fairly heavy structures or structures with high-quality material are necessary.

It is the object of the present invention to further develop a generic foot in such a way that either a lower weight can be achieved, or that

lower quality materials can be used, while maintaining the original load-bearing capacity.

The problem is solved with a generic foot with the characteristic features of claim 1.

Because the arms have a roughly U-shaped profile with the open side pointing upwards, the advantageous effect is achieved that the lower crossbar of the U-shaped profile now absorbs the tensile stresses.

It is advantageous that, in a manner known per se, the support has a rolling body which is mounted on the free end of the arm so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis G. This allows the foot to be easily moved on the floor.

It is advisable that a side wall extends diagonally upwards from both edges of the crosspiece of the U-shaped profile, the free edge of which is at the same height as the free edges of the legs of the U-shaped profile. This provides additional reinforcement for the base and gives it a pleasing appearance.

For further stabilization, it is advantageous to arrange several spaced transverse bulkheads between the legs in the U-shaped profile.

For practical purposes, the foot has an outward-facing bulge on the sides and at the free end on the upper edge.

In order to prevent the open side of the U-shaped profile from becoming visible and also to prevent intrusion and

In order to avoid the accumulation of contaminants in the profile, it is expediently provided that the open side of the U-shaped profile of each arm can be at least partially covered with a cap by means of a clamping or locking connection.

In a preferred embodiment, the cap can be clamped onto the bead of an arm with a downward-pointing curve on its edges, the cap tapering at its end facing the hub and ending in a circular segment whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the opening. This advantageously achieves complete coverage of the feet, the individual caps lying against one another with their tapered ends with a small seam and covering the foot almost completely.

To further stiffen the foot, zigzag-shaped struts run between the side wall and the legs of the U-profile.

In order to improve the aesthetic effect and also to achieve a favorable load distribution, the crossbar runs in a gentle curve towards the hub and the support, and the arm tapers towards the support.

To ensure secure attachment to the support without slipping, the cap has at least one downward-facing nose which is supported on the side of a transverse bulkhead facing the hub.

At the free end of the arm, a vertical hole is conveniently provided into which a pivot pin of a holder of the rolling body can be inserted.

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For the purpose of economical production, the base with the arms and the hub is preferably made in one piece, whereby the base is advantageously made as a plastic injection-molded part or metal die-cast part and the cap is made as a plastic part.

In order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing effect, caps in different colors can be conveniently selected and snapped onto at least five arms, whereby different-looking feet can be produced while retaining the profile construction.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. It shows

Figure 1 is a view of a foot from above without caps, Figure 2 is a view of the foot from below,

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of an arm from Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a section along the line D - D in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a section along the line B - B in Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of an arm from Figure 2,

Figure 7 is a side view of an arm with cap fitted and mounted roller body and pin,

Figure 8 is a section along the line A - A in Figure 7,

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Figure 9 is an enlarged detail at E in Figure 7, Figure 10 is a view in the direction of F in Figure 7, Figure 11 is a side view of a cap and

Figure 12 is a section along the line C - C in Figure 11.

Figure 1 shows a base from above that has five arms 4 extending in a star shape from a hub. For safety reasons, at least five arms 4 must be present to prevent accidental tipping, e.g. of an office swivel chair.

Figure 2 shows the same foot with the five arms 4 seen from below.

Figure 3 shows a single arm, with the profiling clearly visible. The two legs 43 can be seen, which run parallel. The two legs 43 are connected to one another with transverse bulkheads 44, whereby four transverse bulkheads are provided in the present embodiment. On the outside, the foot 4 is delimited by side walls 42 (see Figure 5), on the upper edge of which a bead 45 runs around, whereby the bead 45 also runs around the left end of the foot 4. Between the side wall 42 and the legs 43, several zigzag-shaped struts 46 are provided, which serve to provide additional stiffening. There are also struts 46 (not shown) in the right-hand area of Figure 3, which run through the area of the hub.

Figure 4 shows a section along the line D-D, i.e. through the middle of Figure 3. Here the hub 3 is clearly visible, which encloses an opening 1, the present trap runs conically downwards and is used to accommodate

of a tenon.

The transverse bulkheads 44 of the arm 4 are clearly visible, and the course of a transverse web 41 with gently running curves to the right and left sides of the figure is also shown. The support on the left side of figure 4 has a hole 47 for receiving the holder for a rolling body described later.

Figure 5 shows a cross-section through the arm 4 along the line B-B, showing the side walls 42, the crosspiece 41, the transverse bulkheads 44, the legs 43 and the bead 45.

Figure 6 shows an enlarged arm, with the crosspiece 41 visible. The side walls 42 (not marked) adjoin the crosspiece 41, with the width of the crosspiece 41 being the same and the side walls increasing in size towards the hub. The circumferential bead 45 can be seen.

Figure 7 shows the arm 4 with the cap 5 fitted, with a hub 3 on the right, in the opening of which a pin 2 is inserted. On the left in the picture a rolling body 6 is shown, which can be pivoted about an axis G in a holder. Such rolling bodies are known as such.

Figure 8 shows a cross-section along the line A-A, similar to Figure 5, except that here the attached cap 5 can be seen.

Figure 9 shows the detail at E in Figure 7, where it can be seen that the cap 5 has at least one nose 53 on its downwardly facing wall, which is supported on the transverse bulkhead 44 in order to prevent the cap from accidentally slipping off the base 4.

Figure 10 shows this point in plan view, showing cap 5. Cap 5 is bevelled on the right-hand side in Figure 10 in such a way that the five caps in this case line up next to one another without forming a large gap between them. They have a circular segment-shaped cutout at the front so as not to cover the opening.

Figure 11 shows a side view of the cap 5, whereby the circular section just mentioned is shown here as a circular segment 52.

Figure 12 shows a section of the cap 5, which has a bow 51 on each of its two side edges, which in the assembled state encompasses the bead 45.

Claims (14)

Protection claims: 1. Foot for a piece of furniture, in particular for an office swivel chair, with a hub (3) having a central, vertical opening (1) for the insertion of a pin (2), from which at least five arms (4) extend approximately horizontally, regularly spaced in the circumferential direction, and each have a downward-pointing support at their free end, characterized in that the arms (4) have an approximately U-shaped profile with the open side pointing upwards. 2. Foot according to claim 1, characterized in that the support has a rolling body (6) which is mounted on the free end of the arm (4) so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis G. 3. Foot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a side wall (42) extends obliquely upwards from the two edges of the crosspiece (41) of the U-shaped profile, the free edge of which is at the same height as the free edges of the legs (43) of the U-shaped profile. 4. Foot according to claim 3, characterized in that in the U-shaped profile several spaced transverse bulkheads (44) are arranged between the legs (43). - 2 5. Foot according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the foot (4) has an outward-pointing bead (45) on the side and at the free end on the upper edge. 6. Foot according to claim 5, characterized in that the open side of the U-shaped profile of each arm (4) can be at least partially covered with a cap (5) by means of a clamping or locking connection. 7. Foot according to claim 6, characterized in that the cap (5) with a downwardly pointing arch (51) can be clamped onto the bead (45) of an arm (4) at its edges, the cap (5) tapering at its end pointing towards the hub (3) and ending with a circular segment (52) whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the opening (1). 8. Foot according to one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that zigzag-shaped struts (46) run between the side wall (42) and the legs (43) of the U-profile. 9. Foot according to one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the crosspiece (41) extends with a gentle curve towards the hub (3) and the support, and that the arm (4) tapers towards the support. 10. Foot according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the cap (5) has at least one downwardly pointing nose (53) which is supported on the side of a transverse bulkhead (44) facing the hub (3). 11. Foot according to one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that the free end of the arm (4) has a vertical bore (47) into which a pivot pin of a holder of the rolling body (6) can be inserted. 12. Foot according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foot is integral with the arms (4) and the hub (3). 13. Foot according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that selectable color-different caps (5) can be locked onto the at least five arms (4). 14. Foot according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the foot is made as a plastic injection molded part or metal die-cast part and the cap (5) is made of plastic.