NL2004250C2

NL2004250C2 - Chair connection system.

Info

Publication number: NL2004250C2
Application number: NL2004250A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Paul Jozef Maria Gerwen
Original assignee: Gerwen Metaaltechniek Van
Priority date: 2010-02-16
Filing date: 2010-02-16
Publication date: 2011-08-17

Description

Chair connection system

The invention relates to a chair connection system comprising a first connection element attached or attachable to a first chair, and a second connection element attached or attachable to a second chair, and an intermediate element for connect-5 ing the first connection element to the second connection element .

Such a chair connection system is known from United States patent 3,281,184. Such a chair connection system is also known from WO 2007/073360.

10 The chair connection system from both mentioned cita tions suffers from the disadvantage that the connection between adjacent chairs is rather rigid and inflexible, making the known chair connection system less suitable or even unsuitable to position the connected chairs of a row along at least a part of 15 the path of an imaginary curvilinear line, i.e. a circular or a bent line. If the known chair connection system is used in such an arrangement wherein the connected chairs of the row are arranged in a curved or bended line, it is not possible to maintain a constant distance between adjacent rows of connected 20 chairs. Accordingly also moving between the rows of chairs may become cumbersome.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the just mentioned problem of the known chair connection system.

The chair connection system of the invention is to that 25 end arranged with the features of one or more of the appended claims .

Essentially the chair connection system of the invention is at least provided with the feature that the intermediate element comprises slidably connected tubes or rods, whereby the 30 with respect to each other distal ends of said tubes or rods are arranged for connecting to the first connection element and the second connection element respectively. The slidable connection of the tubes or rods of the intermediate element provides the sought for flexibility, which makes it possible to arrange adja-35 cent rows of chairs connected in a bended or curved line with the desired room to move in between these rows of chairs.

A suitable way to secure the required flexibility of the intermediate element is that it comprises adjacent and con- 2 nected outer tube parts having slidably arranged therein the said tubes or rods of the intermediate element.

A first embodiment of the chair connection system of the invention is characterized in that the first connection ele-5 ment and/or the second connection element is embodied with a hollow tube that in use is substantially perpendicular with respect to the backrests of the connected chairs, which hollow tube is arranged to receive therein one of the distal ends of the tubes or rods of the intermediate element.

10 A second embodiment of the chair connection system of the invention is characterized in that the intermediate element comprises slidably connected tubes, and that the first connection element and/or the second connection element is embodied with a rod or tube that in use is substantially perpendicular 15 with respect to the backrests of the connected chairs, which rod or tube is arranged to project into one of the distal ends of said tubes of the intermediate element.

For both the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the chair connection system of the invention it is then pref-20 erable that the distal ends of the tubes or rods of the intermediate element are placed at a substantially right angle with respect to the remainder of said tubes or rods.

There are many suitable ways in which the first connection element and/or the second connection element can be at-25 tached to the concerning chairs. One preferred way of making this connection is by arranging that the first connection element and/or the second connection element are provided with a clip for receiving therein a chairleg.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated 30 with reference to the drawing of a single figure representing a non-limiting preferred embodiment of the chair connection system of the invention.

The figure shows the chair connection system 1 of the invention, comprising a first connection element 2 attached or 35 attachable to a first chair, and a second connection element 3 attached or attachable to a second chair. The chair connection system 1 has further an intermediate element 4 for connecting the first connection element 2 to the second connection element 3. To this end the intermediate element 4 comprises slidably 40 connected tubes or rods 5, 6, whereby the with respect to each other distal ends 7, 8 of said tubes or rods 5, 6 are arranged 3 for connecting to the first connection element 2 and the second connection element 3 respectively.

The figure shows one of the possible embodiments to make the connection between the intermediate element 4 and the 5 first connecting element 2 and second connecting element. In this embodiment the first connection element 2 and/or the second connection element 3 is/are embodied with a hollow tube 9, 10 that in use will be placed substantially perpendicular with respect to the backrests of the connected chairs. Each of the hol-10 low tubes 9, 10 is arranged to receive therein one of the distal ends 7, 8 of the tubes or rods 5, 6 of the intermediate element 4.

Another embodiment which is not shown in the figure but which can equally well be used, is arranged such that the inter-15 mediate element 4 comprises slidably connected tubes, and the first connection element 2 and/or the second connection element 3 is embodied with a rod or tube of any possible shape or form that in use will be placed substantially perpendicular with respect to the backrests of the connected chairs, and which rod or 20 tube is arranged to project into one of the distal ends of said tubes of the intermediate element 4. The manner in which this is to be implemented is entirely clear for a person skilled in the art, hence a further discussion with reference to a drawing can be dispensed with.

25 Returning to the embodiment shown in the figure it is shown that the intermediate element 4 can be provided with adjacent and connected outer tube parts 13, 14 having slidably arranged therein the said tubes or rods 5, 6 of the intermediate element 4. This is an effective and easy way to implement the 30 flexible connection between the respective parts of the chair connection element 1.

Another aspect of the chair connection system 1 of the invention is that the distal ends 7, 8 of the tubes or rods 5, 6 of the intermediate element 4 are placed at a substantially 35 right angle with respect to the remainder of said tubes or rods 5, 6.

Finally the figure shows one of the possible ways to arrange that the chair connection system 1 of the invention can be connected to adjacent chairs. In this arrangement the first 40 connection element 2 and/or the second connection element 3 are embodied with a clip 11, 12 for receiving therein a chairleg.

Claims

A chair connection system (1) comprising a first connection element (2) connected or connectable to a first chair, and a second connection element (3) connected or connectable to. a second chair, and an intermediate element 5 (4) for connecting the first connecting element (2) to the second connecting element (3), characterized in that the intermediate element (4) is slidably connected tubes or rods (5, 6 ), wherein the mutually spaced ends (7, 8) of said tubes or rods (5, 6) are adapted to connect respectively the first connecting element (2) and the second connecting element (3).

Chair connection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting element (2) and / or the second connecting element (3) is designed as a hollow tube (9, 10) which, in use, runs substantially perpendicular to the backrests of the connected seats, which hollow tube (9, 10) is arranged to receive therein one of the remote ends (7, 8) of the tubes or rods (5, 6) of the intermediate element (4).

3. Chair connection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate element (4) comprises slidably connected tubes, and in that the first connecting element (2) and / or the second connecting element (3) is designed with a tube or rod which use extends substantially perpendicularly with respect to the backrests of the connected seats, which tube or rod is adapted to protrude into one of the outer ends of said tubes of the intermediate element (4).

Chair connection system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the remote ends (7, 8) of the tubes or rods (5, 6) of the intermediate element (4) are in a substantially straight corner with. with respect to the rest of the said tubes or rods (5, 6).

Chair connection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first connection element (2) and / or the second connection element (3) is equipped with a clip (11, 12) for it. incorporating a chair leg therein.

Chair connection system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the intermediate element (4) comprises adjacent tube parts (13, 14) located next to each other and connected to said tube or 5 rods (5, 6) of the said tube intermediate element (4).