GB1559737A

GB1559737A - Arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair

Info

Publication number: GB1559737A
Application number: GB6116/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: NYSTROEM KG
Current assignee: NYSTROEM KG
Priority date: 1976-02-19
Filing date: 1977-02-14
Publication date: 1980-01-23
Also published as: NO147867C; CA1062597A; FI59056B; JPS52123027A; NO770548L; SE409971B; DE2706880A1; NO147867B; SE7602002L; FI59056C; IT1085320B; FR2341453A1; FI770511A

Description

(54) "AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPORTING A VEHICLE CHAIR" (71) I, KARL AOSTA NYSTROM, a Swedish subject of 13 Skeppargatan, 902 52 Umea, Sweden, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to an arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair, said arrangement being of the kind comprising a support structure and a supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair, said supporting member being resiliently carried by said support structure and comprising two supporting arms, which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and are movable in vertical planes located externally of the support structure on opposite sides thereof.

The supporting arms may suitably be angularly bent, in which case each arm will include a forwardly extending leg for carrying the seat of the chair and an upwardly extending leg for carrying the backrest of the chair. The purpose of disposing the supporting arms in vertical planes located externally of the support structure is to keep the total height of the supporting arrangement at a minimum in order to facilitate its use in vehicles where the available free space in a vertical direction is restricted.

An object of the invention is to provide a supporting arrangement of the kind initially specified which permits an adjustment of the vertical position of the supporting member carrying the seat and backrest of the chair without simultaneously causing an increased total height of the arrangement.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair, comprising a support structure and a supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair, said supporting member comprising two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are adjust ably mounted on another supporting member which is resiliently carried by the support structure, so as resiliently to mount the first-mentioned supporting member on the support structure, and which comprises two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are resiliently movable relative to the support structure in vertical planes located between the support structure and the supporting arms of the first-mentioned supporting member, the supporting arms of the first-mentioned supporting member being adjustably displaceable on the supporting arms of said other supporting member for adjustment of the arms of the first-mentioned supporting member in a substantially vertical direction in vertical planes located externally of the support structure on opposite sides thereof, and the arrangement including means for releasably locking the first-mentioned supporting member in its adjusted position to said other supporting member.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the displaceable connection between the two supporting members is obtained by providing the supporting arms of the first-mentioned supporting member with guide sockets mounted thereon, the supporting arms of the other supporting member including upwardly extending legs which are displaceably received in said guide sockets.

Below the invention will be described in further detail, reference being had to the accompanying diagrammatical drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially ghosted perspective view of a supporting arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention, selected by way of example; Figures 2, 3 and 4 show side elevations of the arrangement according to Figure 1, illustrating different height adjustments of a common supporting member for the seat and backrest of a vehicle chair and different load conditions; Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a portion of said common supporting member for the seat and backrest of a chair and another supporting member which, in its turn, is resiliently carried by a support structure, not shown in Figure 5, the first-mentioned supporting member being mounted for displacement in a substantially vertical direction on said other supporting member; Figures 6 and 7 are partial views illustrating a locking arrangement appearing also in Figure 5 and serving to lock the first-mentioned supporting member in its adjusted position with respect to the other supporting member, said locking arrangement being shown in its neutral position in Figure 6 and in its locking position in Figure 7; Figure 8 is a perspective view of said other supporting member and the support structure by which said supporting member is resiliently carried.

The arrangement shown in the drawings includes a support structure 10 which may be mounted in a stationary or adjustable position in a vehicle. The support structure 10 basically consists of two angularly bent metal tubes, each including a forwardly extending horizontal leg 11 and a rear leg 12 extending in an inclined upward direction. The two legs 12 are connected to each other at their upper and lower ends by means of suitable connecting pieces 13 and 14.

An upper and a lower pair of levers 17 and 18, respectively, are pivotally mounted on the support structure 10 by means of split bearings 15 and 16, respectively. Within each pair, said levers are formed by forwardly bent end portions of transversely extending rods 19 and 20, respectively, journalled in bearings 15 and 16. Levers 17 and 18 carry two angularly bent supporting arms 21 located on opposite sides of the support structure 10 and each having a forwardly extending substantially horizontal leg 22 and a rear upwardly extending leg 23. The two supporting arms 21 are connected to levers 17 and 18, respectively, by means of pivot pins 24 and 25, respectively, which are received in bearing bushings 26 and 27, respectively, provided in the levers at the free ends thereof.

The supporting arms 21 are rigidly connected to each other in any suitable manner to form a substantially vertically movable unit which is influenced by an upwardly directed spring force from a compression spring 28 (Figure 8), mounted between a spring seat 29, fixed to support structure 10, and a spring seat 30 which is secured to rod 19 at the portion of said rod located between the two levers 17.

The primary supporting member for the seat 31 and backrest 32 of the chair is not formed by the two supporting arms 21. Instead, said supporting member is formed by another pair of angularly bent supporting arms 33 which similarly to arms 21 consist each of a forwardly extending leg 34 and a rear upwardly extending leg 35. As can be seen for instance from Figure 5, the two supporting arms 33 are located immediately outside the supporting arms 21 in the lateral direction of the arrangement. At its lower end, the rear upwardly extending leg 35 of each supporting arm 33 is provided with a guide socket 36 located on the inner side of said arm. By means of said guide socket the supporting arm 33 is displaceably mounted on the rear upwardly extending leg 23 of the adjacent supporting arm 21. Thus the vertical position or height level of the common supporting member for the seat 31 and the backrest 32, formed by the supporting arms 33, may be adjusted by displacing the supporting arms 33 along the rear legs 23 of the supporting arms 21. In order to enable the supporting arms 33 to be locked in their adjusted positions with respect to the supporting arms 21, a locking arrangement is provided. According to Figures 5-7, said locking arrangement comprises a transverse shaft 37 mounted in bearings 38 fixed to the guide sockets 36 and provided with two eccentric cams 39 which may be shifted, between a neutral position shown in Figure 6 and a locking position shown in Figure 7, by rotation of the shaft 37. In the latter position, each cam 39 projects through an opening 40 in the wall of the appurtenant guide sleeve 36 into engagement with the adjacent surface of leg 23 of the corresponding supporting arm 21. In order to facilitate an easy manual operation of the locking arrangement an end portion of shaft 37 has been bent to form an operating handle 41.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate how the vertical position of the primary supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair formed by the two supporting arms 33 may be adjusted with respect to the intermediate supporting member formed by the two supporting arms 21.

Additionally, said figures also illustrate how the supporting member formed by arms 21 may move resiliently in response to variations in the vertical forces acting on the seat. Thus, Figure 2 shows the arrangement in completely unloaded condition and with the primary supporting member formed by the supporting arms 33 in its highest position with respect to supporting arms 21. In Figure 3 the arrangement is still unloaded. However, the supporting member formed by supporting arms 33 has been adjusted to its lowest position with respect to supporting arms 21. In Figure 4 the arrangement has been loaded and depressed to its lowest position in which legs 11 of support structure 10, legs 22 of supporting arms 21 and legs 34 of supporting arms 33 are located all on the same level. Figure 4 clearly illustrates that the adjustability of the vertical position of the primary supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair offered through the invention does not influence the total height of the arrangement.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment above described. Thus, many modifications are feasible within the scope of the invention. For instance, the support structure need not have an upstanding portion located behind the backrest of the chair for carrying the spring arrangement. Instead, the spring arrangement and the levers on which the spring force acts may be mounted on a substantially horizontal portion of the support structure.

It should also be noted that the drawings show the illustrated embodiment only diagrammatically. Thus, in practice, the arrangement may include several additional details not appearing on the drawings. For instance, the two supporting arms 21 and 33, respectively, within each pair may be inter-connected in any suitable manner. Nor do the drawings illustrate how the seat and backrest are secured to the supporting member formed by supporting arms 33,as the manner of securing the seat and backrest to said arms does not form any part of the present invention.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair, comprising a support structure and a supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair, said supporting member comprising two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are adjustably mounted on another supporting member which is resiliently carried by the support structure, so as resiliently to mount the first-mentioned supporting member on the support structure, and which comprises two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are resiliently movable relative to the support structure in vertical planes located between the support structure and the supporting arms of the first-mentioned supporting member, the supporting arms of the firstmentioned supporting member being adjustably displaceable on the supporting arms of said other supporting member for adjustment of the arms of the first-mentioned supporting member in a substantially vertical direction in vertical planes located externally of the support structure on opposite sides thereof, and the arrangement including means for releasably locking the first-mentioned supporting member in its adjusted position to said other supporting member.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the supporting arms of the firstmentioned supporting member are provided with guide sockets mounted thereon, and the supporting arms of the other supporting member include upwardly extending legs which are displaceably received in the guide sockets.

3. An arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair, substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. arms 33 are located all on the same level. Figure 4 clearly illustrates that the adjustability of the vertical position of the primary supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair offered through the invention does not influence the total height of the arrangement. The invention is not restricted to the embodiment above described. Thus, many modifications are feasible within the scope of the invention. For instance, the support structure need not have an upstanding portion located behind the backrest of the chair for carrying the spring arrangement. Instead, the spring arrangement and the levers on which the spring force acts may be mounted on a substantially horizontal portion of the support structure. It should also be noted that the drawings show the illustrated embodiment only diagrammatically. Thus, in practice, the arrangement may include several additional details not appearing on the drawings. For instance, the two supporting arms 21 and 33, respectively, within each pair may be inter-connected in any suitable manner. Nor do the drawings illustrate how the seat and backrest are secured to the supporting member formed by supporting arms 33,as the manner of securing the seat and backrest to said arms does not form any part of the present invention. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An arrangement for supporting a vehicle chair, comprising a support structure and a supporting member for the seat and backrest of the chair, said supporting member comprising two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are adjustably mounted on another supporting member which is resiliently carried by the support structure, so as resiliently to mount the first-mentioned supporting member on the support structure, and which comprises two supporting arms which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the arrangement and which are resiliently movable relative to the support structure in vertical planes located between the support structure and the supporting arms of the first-mentioned supporting member, the supporting arms of the firstmentioned supporting member being adjustably displaceable on the supporting arms of said other supporting member for adjustment of the arms of the first-mentioned supporting member in a substantially vertical direction in vertical planes located externally of the support structure on opposite sides thereof, and the arrangement including means for releasably locking the first-mentioned supporting member in its adjusted position to said other supporting member.