GB2211084A - Seating - Google Patents

Abstract

A seat has a frame (10) having a spaced apart pair of frame elements (11, 12) suitable for standing on a floor or other surface. Seating means (16) lie between the frame elements (11, 12) and are supported on the frame (10) by a bar (13) and lugs (25, 26) in either a first position where the seating means (16) provides a substantially reclined support surface facing in a first general direction with respect to the frame (10) or a second position in which the seating means (16) provides a substantially upright seat back and substantially horizontal seat base facing in a second general direction away from said first direction with respect to the frame (10). The seating means may comprise a first seating portion (31, 30) and a second seating portion (18) pivotally connected together, one side of the first seating portion (31, 30) providing the reclined support surface with the second seating portion (18) lying beneath the first seating portion in the first position (Fig. 7) and the other side of the first seating portion (31, 30) providing the seat back and the second seating portion (18) providing the seat base in the second position (Fig. 8). <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SEATING The invention relates to seating. In this specification, the term "seat" will be used to refer to all forms of seating, for example chairs, settees, benches and the like.

According to the invention, there is provided a seat comprising a frame having a spaced apart pair of frame elements suitable for standing on a floor or other surface, seating means lying between said frame elements, and engagement means on said frame and said seating means for locating said seating means in either a first position where said seating means provides a substantially reclined support surface for the or each user facing in a first general direction with respect to the frame, or a second position in which said seating means provides a substantially upright seat back and substantially horizontal seat base facing in a second general direction, away from said first direction, with respect to the frame.

The seating means may comprise a first seating portion and a second seating portion pivotally connected together, one side of the first seating portion providing said reclined support surface in said first position and the other side of said first seating portion provided said seat back in said second position, the second seating portion providing said seat base in said second position.

The second seating portion preferably provides lumbar support beneath the substantially reclined support surface in the first position.

The engagement means on the frame and the seating means preferably comprises lug means on the seating means and recess means on the frame, and may further comprise sliding movement constraining means acting between the second seating position and bar means extending between the frame elements. The bar means preferably provides support for the first seating portion in the first position.

The recess means on each frame element preferably comprise a downwardly opening recess and an upwardly opening recess, the lug means on the seating means preferably comprising two lugs on each side of the seating means, one for engaging in each recess. The lug on each side of the seating means for engaging the associated downwardly opening recess preferably has a shape adapted to locate anti-rotationally in said associated downwardly opening recess in said second position. The downwardly opening recesses may be V-shaped, and the corresponding lugs triangular.

Each lug adapted to engage the associated downwardly opening recess may have finger means adapted to engage outside the associated frame element in both seating positions to provide additional lateral location for the frame elements.

The first seating portion, is preferably adapted to contact the surface supporting the seat when the seating means is in the second position, in use.

The first seating portion preferably has an upper portion and a lower portion, planes of the upper portion and the lower portion including an obtuse angle, preferably between 1600 and 1800. The angular arrangement of the upper and lower portions is preferably such that, in the second seating position, the first seating portion contacts the surface supporting the seat rearwardly of the engagement means with respect to the facing direction of the seat in the second seating position.

The frame elements are preferably tubular.

By way of example, one embodiment of a seat according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a frame for a seat; Figure 2 is a front view of the frame of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of seating portions of the seat; Figure 4 is an enlarged view of lugs shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the seat in a first, reclining position; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the seat in a second, upright position; Figure 7 is a side view of the seat in the first, reclining position; and Figure 8 is a side view of the seat in the second, upright position.

A frame 10 for a seat has two similar frame elements 11, 12 lying in parallel planes and held together by an elongate bar 13. The frame elements 11 and 12 are conveniently of tubular metal, such as steel, although other materials could be used. The bar 13 is conveniently of solid metal, such as steel, but could be made of other suitable materials.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the frame elements 11 and 12 are of upturned W-shape, essentially to provide an upwardly opening recess 14 in each frame element and a downwardly opening recess 15 in each frame element.

Recesses are formed beneath the bar 13, but these are of no particular functional significance.

Figure 3 is a plan view of seating means 16 in the form of a first seating portion 17 and a second seating portion 18. Structurally, the first seating portion 17 has a U-shaped frame, for example of tubular metal, with material, cushioning or other suitable body support medium extending between and secured to the U-shaped frame. Pivotally attached to the first portion 17 by pins 19, 20 is the second seating portion 18, which has a pair of arms 21, 22 between which extends seat material 23 which may be rigid or flexible. The body support medium of the first seating portion 17 extends entirely across the space between the arms of the U-shaped frame.

Pairs of upper lugs 25 and lower lugs 26 extend outwardly from the frame of the first seating portion 17.

The lugs 25 and 26 are shown in more detail in Figure 4.

The lugs 25 are cylindrical in external shape, and the lugs 26 are triangular in profile, for a reason which will become evident when the function of the seat is described.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the arms 21, 22 of the second seating portion 18 carry loop elements 27 extending around the bar 13 to permit sliding relative thereto over a limited distance.

The arrangement is such that the seat can adopt two configurations; a first configuration as shown in Figures 5 and 7, and a second configuration shown in Figures 6 and 8.

In Figures 5 and 7, a reclining support surface is provided for a user, with the user facing generally to the right with the seat as drawn. The entire upper surface of the first seating portion 17 provides a reclining surface for a user, the frame of the first seating portion being supported by the bar 13 and the upper lugs 25, although a locating effect is achieved by the lower lugs 26 if the centre of mass of a user is to be supported substantially higher than the bar 13.

In the first configuration, the second seating portion 18 lies beneath the first seating portion 17, and thus has the advantage of providing enhanced lumbar support.

In order to change from the first to the second configuration, the first seating portion 17 is lifted and turned to a substantially vertical orientation, in which the triangular lower lugs 26 lock into engagement with the recesses 15 in the frame elements 11, 12. The second seating portion is thus brought up to lie substantially horizontally, and is supported on the bar 13 and by the pins 19, 20.

It will be noted that the bottom of the first seating portion lies on the surface supporting the seat, and furthermore that a lower portion 30 of the first seating portion 17 lies at an obtuse angle, preferably between 1600 and 1800, to an upper portion 31. Apart from an improvement in comfort in the first configuration, this feature also provides over-centre location of the first seating portion in the second configuration. As is shown clearly in Figure 8, if a rearward force is exerted on the upper portion 31 (that is, to the right in Figure 8) the frame elements 11, 12 would have to be raised off the ground before the portion 31 could move backwards.

An additional feature to add stability not shown in the drawings is the provision of locating fingers on the lower lugs 26 to extend around the outside of the frame elements 11, 12. The finger or fingers on each lug 26 could be of a variety of shapes, their function being to prevent splaying of the frame elements 11, 12 in both seating positions.

Armrests 40 are provided.

The advantage of this embodiment of a seat according to the invention is that a stable, dual-function arrangement is provided, with change between a recliner and an upright seat readily achievable. Additionally, lumbar support is enhanced in the reclining configuration by positioning the second seating portion beneath the lumbar region of the first seating portion.

Claims (17)

1. A seat comprising a frame having a spaced apart pair of frame elements suitable for standing on a floor or other surface, seating means lying between said frame elements, and engagement means on said frame and said seating means for locating said seating means in either a first position where said seating means provides a substantially reclined support surface for the or each user facing in a first general direction with respect to the frame, or a second position in which said seating means provides a substantially upright seat back and substantially horizontal seat base facing in a second general direction away from said first direction, with respect to the frame.

2. A seat as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the seating means comprise a first seating portion and a second seating portion pivotally connected together, one side of the first seating portion providing said reclined support surface in said first position and the other side of said first seating portion providing said seat back in said second position, the second seating portion providing said seat base in said second position.

3. A seat as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the first seating portion is adapted to contact the surface supporting the seat when the seating means is in the second position, in use.

4. A seat as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the first seating portion has an upper portion and a lower portion, planes of the upper portion and the lower portion including an obtuse angle.

5. A seat as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the obtuse angle is between 1600 and 1800.

6. A seat as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein the angular arrangement of the upper and lower portions is such that, in the second seating position, the first seating portion contacts the surface supporting the seat rearwardly of the engagement means with respect to the facing direction of the seat in the second seating position.

7. A seat as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the engagement means on the frame and the seating means comprise lug means on the seating means and recess means on the frame.

8. A seat as claimed in Claim 7 as dependent on any one of Claims 2 to 6 comprising sliding movement constraining means acting between the second seating portion and bar means extending between the frame elements.

9. A seat as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the bar means provides support for the first seating portion in the first position.

10. A seat as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9 wherein the recess means on each frame element comprise a downwardly opening recess and an upwardly opening recess.

11. A seat as claimed in Claim 10 wherein the downwardly opening recesses are V-shaped.

12. A seat as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 11 wherein the lug means on the seating means comprise two lugs on each side of the seating means, one for engaging in each recess.

13. A seat as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the lug on each side of the seating means for engaging the associated downwardly opening recess has a shape adapted to locate anti-rotationally in said associated downwardly opening recess in said second position.

14. A seat as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said lugs are triangular.

15. A seat as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 14 wherein each lug adapted to engage the associated downwardly opening recess has finger means adapted to engage outside the associated frame element in both seating positions to provide additional lateral location for the frame elements.

16. A seat as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the frame elements are tubular.

17. A seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.