EP0218464A2

EP0218464A2 - Chair and method of producing a chair

Info

Publication number: EP0218464A2
Application number: EP86307545A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Charles R. Pollock; William A. Jaremko
Original assignee: Olivetti Synthesis SpA
Current assignee: Olivetti Synthesis SpA
Priority date: 1985-10-01
Filing date: 1986-10-01
Publication date: 1987-04-15
Anticipated expiration: 2006-10-01
Also published as: EP0218464A3; EP0218464B1; ATE63440T1; DE3679270D1; AU6351986A; JPS62167511A; ES2022121B3; AU603997B2

Abstract

The frame for a chair is composed of a thin tubular back member 18 whose ends slot into the first ends 20a, 22b of thicker tubular arm members 20, 22, whose second ends 20c, 22d in turn slot into ends 24c, 26d of still thicker tubular seat support members 24, 26. After assembly, the second ends 24e, 26e of the seat support members 24, 26 are attached to a pedestal and a seat and back are attached to the frame. The tubular members of the frame are fitted together, laid out flat, a plastics cladding is then moulded on to the flat frame which is subsequently bent into its final configuration. The cladding holds the tubular members together, In a modified embodiment the tubular members are individually clad and are held together by fastening devices such as bayonet devices. The differing tube diameters provide ergonomic yielding of the frame.

Description

There exists today a need for a comfortable, multiple purpose chair which is inexpensive, rugged and decorative. Attempts have been made to provide such a chair but invariably the pursuit of comfort and/or decorative effect has resulted in a chair which is costly to manufacture. The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing an ergonomical chair which can be utilized in a variety of environments and one that is designed for relatively inexpensive and easy manufacture of parts and assembly.
A chair embodying the invention has a frame which is black self-skinning urethane moulded on to a tubular steel frame. The steel frame is made of separate parts with a difference in the diameters of the tubular parts designed to enable each section of the frame to respond to the flexibility demands made upon it. The configuration of the frame provides slots for the insertion and removal of the seat and back shells.
The seat and the back of the chair are flexible moulded plastics shellsⁿwhich attach to the frame with a snap-in or slide-in configurationlfor easy assembly, maintenance and replacement. A pin is used for additional security to prevent any accidental or unintended removal of the shell.
The upright of the chair will accommodate a wide variety of standard or custom designed raise and lower swivel devices. A five legged star base can accommodate casters and glides, and can be manufactured by various techniques including steel stamping and plastics casting.
The invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a front perspective view of a fully assembled chair embodying the invention;
Fig.2 is a front elevation of the chair shown in Fig.l;
Fig.3 is a side view of the chair shown in Fig.l with the ergonomical movements of the chair illustrated by broken lines;
Fig.4 is an exploded perspective view of the chair of Fig.1 illustrating the parts thereof;
Fig.5 is an exploded perspective view of the steel frame of the chair with the elastomeric clothing absent;
Fig.6 is a plan view of the steel frame in assembled condition in position for moulding of the elastomeric clothing thereon;
Fig.7 is a sectional view of a section of frame with clothing:
Fig.8 is a plan view of the frame with clothing prior to rotation of the various members for attachment to the pedestal;
Fig.9 is a perspective view of the frame as shown in Fig.8 but with members rotated into position for attachment to the pedestal;
Fig.10 is a view similar to Fig.l but of an alternative embodiment of the invention;
Fig.ll is a view similar to that of Fig.2 but of the chair shown in Fig.10;
Fig.12 is a view somewhat similar to that of Fig.3 but of the chair shown in Fig.10;
Fig.13 is a rear view of the chair shown in Fig.10; and
Fig.14 is a perspective exploded view of a segment of the chair of Fig.10 illustrating the manner of joint assembly of that embodiment.

A first chair embodying the invention is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 in fully assembled condition. The main portions of the chair as seen in these figures are frame 10, back 12, seat 14 and pedestal 16.
The chair is shown in exploded view in Fig.4 which illustrates generally the manner in which these parts go together.
The frame 10 is the primary portion of the chair and is shown particularly in Figs. 5 to 9 in various stages of fabrication and assembly. A back support member 18, right arm support member 20, left arm support member 22, left seat support member 24 and right seat support member 26 are steel members which, when assembled, provide the mechanical or structural support for the frame 10 with the elastomeric coating which is indicated by the numeral 28 providing clothing or covering thereof.
The back support member 18 comprises a single steel rod which can be hollow tubing or solid with each of the ends formed into the shape of a "U". Back support legs 18a and 18b are respective legs of the ends so formed.
The arm support members 20 and 22 are each a single hollow steel rod or steel tubing with a respective end of each formed into the shape of a "U" with respective legs 20a and 22b constructed and arranged to respectively receive back support legs 18a and 18b in the tubing in the assembled condition of the chair.
The other ends of the arm support members 20 and 22 are formed generally into the shape of a "Z" with legs 20c and 22d respectively thereto lying generally in the same plane, which plane is generally perpendicular to the axes of the legs 20a and 22b. The term "generally" is used herein to indicate that these conditions are not critical and need not be precise to the chair design, assembly and/or usage.
The seat support members 24 and 26 are also formed of hollow steel rods or tubing with a respective end of each formed into the shape of a "U" with respective legs 24c and 26c constructed and arranged to respectively receive seat support legs 20c and 22d in the tubing in the assembled condition of the chair.
The remaining portion of each seat support member slopes arcuately downwardly and is terminated in an end 24e, 26e designed to be attached to a suitable base or pedestal 16.
The steel members are formed and bent as shown primarily in Fig.5. The diameter of the seat support members is greater than the diameter of the arm support members which is greater than the diameter of the back support members so that the various sections can be received in one another. The diameter of the seat support member is largest since it supports the greatest load in use.
Different diameters of different sections allow the frame to be assembled, after forming and bending of individual frame members, by inserting one section into the next and also provides for "zoning" of flexibility throughout the frame.
The frame is assembled generally in one plane as shown in Fig.6, without fasteners by sliding one section into the next, and placed in a two part mould where urethane foam, or other suitable elastomeric material is moulded onto the steel to provide a coating or clothing 28 as is illustrated in Fig.7.
The frame is then twisted into its three dimensional configuration and mounted in the upright 30 of the base 16.
The twisting and rotational movement of the frame is achievable since the steel members can rotate with respect to each other. The urethane in addition to being a cover holds the steel members together. The urethane has a uniform outside diameter with differing inside diameters since it is moulded around the steel members of differing outside diameter.
As stated above, after fabrication the frame 10 is mounted on the base by attaching seat support member ends 24e and 26e to the base upright 30. The base can be any suitable base and may be conventional. As shown herein for example the base 16 has five legs 32, an upright 30 and swivel vertical 34 to which the ends 24e and 26e are suitably connected. In this exemplary design the member 34 is supported within the upright 30 for rotational motion about a vertical axis. A tilt mechanism and/or means for raising or lowering the seat with respect to the floor can be incorporated.
A cover 36 is provided for ornamental purposes and to protect the mechanism from dust and other foreign objects.
The seat 14 and back 12 are flexible, moulded plastics shells which are attached to the frame with a snap-in or slide-in configuration for easy assembly, maintenance and replacement. Upholstering can be added if desired. Pins, not shown, can be used for additional security to prevent any accidental or unintended shell removal.
The flexibility and shape of the seat and back shells, integrated with the flexibility and configuration of the frame provide a unique ergonomical comfort which eliminates the need for a tilt mechanism, although such can be included if desired.
In Fig.3 the solid lines indicate the static or unoccupied condition of the chair while the broken lines indicate the loaded or occupied condition. As shown therein, the application of load to the chair, as when one sits in it, causes rotational movement of back and seat in the direction of the arrows "A" and a decrease in angle B. without the use of a tilt mechanism, to a degree determined by the magnitude of the load. Hence the degree of such rotational movement will be less for a person of lesser weight and greater for a person of greater weight, whereby the relationship of chair sections alters to provide a position unique to each user and his or her distributioon of weight. Additionally as one moves within the chair the chair sections will move to provide a comfortable and properly supportive chair to relative positions.
An alternative embodiment of the chair is shown in Figs. 10 to 14 wherein similar parts are identified by the numerals used in describing the embodiment of Fig. 1 with added primes.
The essential difference in the second embodiment is in the introduction of the concept that the frame of the chair can be realized also with separate parts (every part made of a bended steel tube covered with a coat of polyurethane). Separate parts are coupled by fasteners as will be explained below.
The main portions of the chair as seen in Figs. 10 to 14 are the frame 10', back 12', seat 14' and pedestal 16'.
The frame 10' is the primary portion of the chair as explained in connection with the first embodiment. The back support member 18', right arm support member 20', left arm support member 22', left seat support member 26' and right seat support member 24' when assembled provide the mechanical or structural support for frame 10' with the elastomeric coating which is indicated by the numeral 28' providing clothing or covering thereof as seen best in Fig.14.
Each of these parts comprises a single steel rod, which can be hollow tubing or solid, bent to shape and covered with a suitable coating such as polyurethane before assembly.
The parts are coupled by means of any suitable fastening device 40, such as that shown in Fig.14 by way of example, for fastening two typical parts 42 and 44.
Fastener 40 is provided with a spiral, bayonet slot 46 to receive a pin 48 of member 42 which is inserted therein in the direction of the arrow "A" and rotated in the direction of arrow "B" to fasten the parts 42 and 44 together. Fig.14 is illustrative of the assembly of each of the pairs in the second embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. 10 to 14.
The remainder of the assembly and operation and use of the chair of Figs. 10 to 14 are the same as in Figs. 1 to 9.

Claims

1. A chair including a pedestal supporting frame, which supports back and seat members, the frame comprising a plurality of tubular members, characterised in that these members have varying inside and outside diameters, with ends of members received within the hollow of respective adjacent members, and by an elastomeric coating on the tubular members, the hollow members and coating providing the frame.

2. A chair comprising a tubular back support member, first and second tubular arm support members, each of the arm support members receiving a respective end of the back support member, first and second tubular seat support members, the first and second seat support members receiving the remaining ends of the first and second arm support member respectively, a pedestal support receiving the remaining ends of the first and second seat support members and an elastomeric coating moulded on the tubular members to provide an integrated frame.

3. A chair in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the various tubular members have differing rigidity, whereby an ergonomical effect is achieved.

4. A chair in accordance with claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the elastomeric coating is a urethane material.

5. A chair in accordance with any of claims 1 to 4, characterised by fastening means provided at respective ends of the tubular members for maintaining respective adjacent members in fastened relationship.

6. A method of producing a chair consisting of:

forming a plurality of individual tubular members into desired contoured shapes to provide a frame-for the chair, inserting some of the ends of the tubular members into the ends of adjacent members to provide a continuous structure with two free ends, placing the tubular members in a generally flat posture within a mould, moudling an elastomeric coating about the tubular members, removing the coated frame from the mould and rotating individual sections into the desired frame configuration, and attaching the free ends into a pedestal support member.

7. The method of producing a chair consisting of:

forming a plurality of individual tubular members into desired contoured shapes to provide a frame for the chair, providing the ends of the tubular members with fastening means, moulding an elastomeric coating about each of the tubular members, inserting some of the ends of the tubular members into the ends of adjacent members and fastening the same by the fastening means to provide a continuous structure with two free ends and attaching the free ends into a pedestal support member.