US2969645A

US2969645A - Hydraulically operated chair

Info

Publication number: US2969645A
Application number: US825288A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter J Kiefer
Original assignee: BELVEDERE PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: BELVEDERE PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1959-07-06
Filing date: 1959-07-06
Publication date: 1961-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-31

Description

Jan. 31, 1961 .w. J. KIEFER HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED CHAIR Filed July e, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ggg Jan. 31, 1961 w. J. KIEFER HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1959 Jan. 3l, 1961 w. J. KIEFER 2,969,645

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July e, 1959 l l l Walter J. Kiefer, Belvidere, lll., assigner to Belvedere Products, Inc., Belvidere, Ill., a corporation of Illinols Filed July 6, 1959, Ser. No. 825,288

10 Claims. (Cl. 60-52) This invention relates to hydraulically operated chairs and particularly to improvements in the chair base and mechanism for raising and lowering the chair seat.

An important object of this invention is to provide an hydraulically operated chair which is of simple construction and which can be readily assembled, disassembled and adjusted.

Another object of this invention is to provide an hydraulically operated chair wherein the pump and ram are formed as a separate unit and in which the chair is constructed so as to enable ready removal of the ram and pump unit from the base without necessitating disassembly of any other parts such as the chair seat and the pump and valve operating levers.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide an hydraulically operated chair having an improved construction for mounting the several operating parts including the bearing for the vertically slidable chair support sleeve; the brake for locking the chair in adjusted position; the hydraulic ram and pump; and the operating levers for the pump to facilitate assembly and adjustment of the same.

These, together with various ancillary objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a Vertical sectional view through the chair support base and illustrating the construction and assembly of the pump and ram unit on the base;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the chair support base with parts broken away and shown in section to illustrate details of construction of the brake and valve control levers;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the construction of the brake apparatus for locking the chair against rotary and vertical sliding movements;

Fig. 4 is a rear View of the chair support base with parts broken away along the plane 4 4 of Figure Y1 to illustrate details of construction;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views through the pump and illustrating the valve and passage arrangement for interconnecting the pump and ram; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane 7 7 of Fig. 2.

The chair includes a hollow support base 10` having an outwardly extending preferably rectangular leg portion 11 and an upwardly extending casing 12 which provides a decorative cover for the operating mechanism. |The base defines a relatively large central opening 13 acljacent its lower end and terminates at its upper end at an inwardly directed flange 14 which defines a relatively smaller opening 15. The main support body, hereinafter referred to as a cage 18, is adapted to be inserted into the lower end of the hollow support base. The cage includes a cage base 19 which is attached as by fasteners Z1 to the underside of inwardly extending lugs 22 formed on the support base 10. The cage is advantageously of rates Patent C Patented Jara. 31, 1961 an open construction to provide a light weight unit and to facilitate access to parts inside the cage and, as shown, includes four corner posts 24 which extend upwardly from the base into the outer casing, in spaced relation thereto, and which terminate at their upper ends in an annular bearing member 25 having a sleeve bearing insert 26. As will be noted, the bearing member 25 extends through the opening 15 at the upper end of the outer casing and a peripheral iiange 28 is provided on the bearing member to underlie the opening 15. An elongated chair support sleeve 29 is slidably supported in the bearing and has a mounting plate 31 attached to its upper end. A bracket 32 is attached to the plate and extends across the upper end of the sleeve, as best shown in Fig. 1. A chair seat and back rest (not shown), of conventional construction, are attached to the mounting plate 31 to be raised and lowered with the sleeve 29.

The cage base 19 has an opening 35 formed therein and a combined pump and ram unit 36 is mounted on the cage to extend upwardly through that opening into the sleeve 29. In particular, the unit 36 includes a ram base 37 which is secured, as by fasteners 38 to the underside of the cage base 19. The ram unit extends upwardly through the opening 35 in the cage base and includes an outer cylinder 39 attached to the upper side of the base 37 and an inner cylinder 41 also attached to the base within the outer cylinder to define an outer reservoir chamber 42 and an inner motive chamber 43. A head 44 is attached to the upper ends of the inner and

outer cylinders

39 and 41 and slidably supports a piston rod 45. A piston 46 is attached to the lower end of the rod within the cylinder 41. As shown in Fig. l, the bracket 32 rests on the upper end of the piston rod 45 so that the sleeve and the chair seat carried thereby are elevated with the piston rod. The pump includes a pump sleeve 48 threadedly attached to the base 37 and extending upwardly therefrom. A pump piston 49 and rod 51 are slidably supported in the sleeve 48 and a spring 52 is interposed between the base 37 and a head 53 on the pump rod, to yieldably urge the pump piston 49 to its retracted position. The pump cylinder communicates at its lower end through a downwardly extending passage 54 with a stepped valve chamber 55.

Lateral passages

56 and 57 communicate with the valve chamber and with the lower end of the reservoir 42 and the lower end of the motive chamber 43 in the ram, respectively. A check valve 58 is disposed between the passage 54 and the passage 56 leading to the reservoir and arranged to open when the pump piston is retracted to admit a charge of fluid to the pump, and to close to prevent return ow. A second check valve 59 is disposed between the passage 54 and the passage 57 leading to the motive chamber and arranged to open to permit flow from the pump to the motive chamber, and to close to prevent return flow. As shown in Fig. 6, a by-pass passage 61 is formed between the motive chamber 43 and the lower end of the reservoir chamber 42 and a control valve 62 having an operator 63 is provided for controlling the flow through the by-pass passage. As shown, the operator 63 is threadedly supported in a bushing 64 on the ram base and has an operating finger 65 attached to its outer end to effect opening of the valve, when the finger is swung in one direction, and to close the valve when it is moved in the opposite direction. A laterally extending nose portion 66 is provided on the outer end of the finger 65. As shown in Fig. 2, the finger 65 is yieldably urged in a clockwise direction to its closed position by means of a spring 68 having one end attached to a pin on the finger and the other end attached to a pin 69 on the cage 18. An operating lever, to be described more fully hereinafter, is provided for selectively moving the valve operator 63 in the other direction to open the by-pass and allow the sleeve 29 and the chair carried thereby to return to its lowered position.

The pump operating lever is mounted on the cage for removal therewith and includes a yoke 71 disposed within the cage 1S and extending part way around the sleeve 29. The yoke is pivotally supported on the cage by means of bushings 72. The bushings are rotatably supported in bosses 73 formed on a web 74 which extends between the legs 24 of the cage, at each side of the latter. The bushings extend into hollow bosses 75 on the ends of the yoke and are non-slidably and non-rotatably connected thereto by pins 76 (see Fig. 4). Stub shafts 77 extend through openings 7? in the outer casing l2, and through the bushings 72 into the hollow bosses on the yoke 75, and the shafts have a slot 79 in the inner ends thereof which slidably and non-rotatably receives the pin 76. With this arrangement, the yoke 7l can be mounted by the bushings 72 on the cage, and the cage then inserted into the support base lt. The stub shafts '77 are thereafter inserted into the bushings and a generally U-shaped operating treadle S1 has the ends thereof inserted into transverse bores S2 in the outer ends of the stub shafts. The operating treadle prevents outward movement of the stub shafts 77 and is operative, when moved downwardly, to swing the yoke 7l. downwardly.

The yoke has a roller 83 intermediate its ends which overlies the head 53 on the pump piston and is arranged to engage the same as the yoke is moved downwardly to deliver fluid under pressure to the motive cylinder in the ram. When the pressure on the treadle Si is released, the spring 52 retracts the piston 49 and raises the treadle to the position shown in Fig. 2.

The treadle S1 for operating the pump to raise the chair is advantageously arranged to also operate the control valve nger 65 to effect lowering of the chair. For this purpose, a lever Sti is attached, as shown in Fig.. 2, to the pump operating yoke 71 for movement therewlth. The lever 80 has a nose portion 84 at its lower end which does not engage the nger `d5 during normal oscillation of the yoke incident to operation of the pump to raise the chair. However, when the yoke 71 is moved to its lowermost position, the lever 80 engages the control valve finger and moves the same in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, to thereby open the by-pass 6l and allow the chair to return to its lowered position.

In the embodiment illustrated, a lever 85 is also provided for manipulating the finger 65 on the control valve. As best shown in Fig. 7, the lever 85 has a hub 86 which is rotatably supported by means of a flanged bushing 87 on one of the legs 24 of the cage. The lever 85 is preferably mounted for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the yoke 71 and the lever is detachably retained in assembled relation on the bushing by means of a pin 8S which extends through aligned apertures in the hub 86 and bushing 87. In this manner, the lever 85 may also be assembled on the cage i8, prior to mounting of the latter on the support base. The lever 85 is manipulated from externally of the casing 12 by means of a shaft 91. which is slidably supported in the bushing S7 and is rotatably supported in the leg at the relatively opposite side of the cage. The shaft extends outwardly through openings 92 in the casing I2 and has a keyway 94 therein which slidably and non-rotatably receives t'ne inwardly extending end of the pin SS. Operating treadles 96 are non-rotatably attached by pins 97 to both ends of the shaft 91 and extend generally horizontally from opposite sides of the axis of the shaft. TheI lever 85 overlies the nose portion 66 on the valve operating finger and, when the treadles 96 are tilted in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. l and 2, the lever 85 engages the nose portion and moves the control valve to its open position.

A selectively operable brake mechanism is also provided for locking the sleeve 29 against rotation and vertical sliding movement. For this purpose, an elongated vertically extending boss 101 having a vertical guide bore 106 therein, is formed on the bearing member 25, conveniently adjacent one corner of the cage I8. A transverse bore 162 (see Fig. 3) is formed in the boss to extend generally radially of the sleeve 29, and a plunger 103 is slidably disposed in the radial bore. The plunger has a cam face 104 at its outer end and a rod N5 is slidably supported in the guide bore 106, to actuate the plunger, The rod has an inclined cam face ltl' along one side thereof which engages the end face lil-4 of the plunger and moves the latter inwardly into locking engagement with the sleeve 29, as the rod is raised.

The rod M35 is conveniently operated by the same lever arrangement which is provided for operating the control valve. For this purpose, a pair of spaced ears M33 are formed on the hub S6 and a link 09, conveniently formed in two axially adjustable sections, is connected at one end by a pin Mtl to the ears 103. The other end of the link is connected by a pin Ill to an ear llZ on the locking rod 105. The arrangement is such that when the lever is moved in a clockwise direction to open the control valve 63, the link 109 releases the brake plunger 103 and permits the sleeve and the chair seat carried thereby to move downwardly. When the treadle 96 is moved in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. l and 2, the lever S5 moves out of engagement with the ball on the valve operating finger so that the valve is closed by the spring 63. Further counterclockwise movement of the treadle will move the rod 105 upwardly to effect locking of the support sleeve 29 against rotation and vertical sliding movement.

From the foregoing it is thought that the operation and construction of the device will be readily understood. As will be noted, the sleeve support bearing 25, the brake mechanism including the plunger IGS, the pump operating yoke 7l; and the brake and valve operating levers, together with the ram and pump unit are all mounted on the cage i8, so that the cage serves to maintain the several parts in proper relation and minimizes the amount of adjustment required when assembling the parts. Moreover, the yoke and operating levers are so arranged as to enable mounting of the levers on the cage, prior to insertion of the cage into the outer casing l2, and the

shafts

77 and 91 are thereafter inserted axially through openings in the outer casing into driving engagement with the yoke and valve and brake operating levers. Further, the roller 83 on the yoke, the operating lever 35 for the valve, and the bracket 32 merely overlie the head 5S on the pump, the ball 66 on the control valve and the piston rod 75, so that the pump and ram unit can be inserted and withdrawn as a unit by merely inserting and removing the fasteners 38. This greatly facilitates the ease of assembly and disassembly for repair or replacement of the pump and ram unit.

I claim:

l. In an hydraulically operated chair, `a hollow support base dening a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and dening a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a selfcontained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and dening an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve on said ram base externally of said sleeve, and lever means mounted on said cage for operating said pump and control valve.

2. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and dening a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a selfcontained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve on said ram base externally of said sleeve, a first lever mounted on said cage and engageable with said pump for operating the latter, and a second lever mounted on said cage and engageable with said control valve for operating the latter.

3. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining -a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and defining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof -and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a selfcontained pump and ram -unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylindershaving a rod thereon engagea-ble with said -bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve on said ram base externally of said sleeve, a brake member mounted on said bearing means and engageable with said sleeve to selectively lock the latter against rotation and axial movement, and lever means mounted on said cage for operating said pump, said control valve and said brake member.

4. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and defining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve on said ram base externally of said sleeve, a locking plunger mounted on said bearing means for sliding movement about an axis transverse to said sleeve into and out of locking engagement therewith, a rod slidably mounted on said cage alongside said bearing means, said rod having a cam surface thereon engageable with said plunger for moving the latter into locking engagement with the sleeve, and lever means mounted on said cage for operating said pump, said control valve and said plunger.

5. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and defining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve on said ram base externally of said sleeve, a locking plunger mounted on said bearing means for sliding movement about an axis transverse to said sleeve into and out of locking engagement therewith, a rod slidably mounted on said cage alongside said bearing means, said rod having a cam surface thereon engageable with said plunger for moving the latter into locking engagement with the sleeve, a first lever means pivotally mounted on said cage for operating said plunger when the first lever means is moved in one direction and for operating said control valve when said first lever means is moved in the other direction, and a second lever means pivotally mounted on said cage for operating said pump.

6. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and defining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to saidv support baserat the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and deining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump having a reciprocable operator and a control valve having an operating finger, an operating yoke in said cage extending partway around said sleeve for engagement with said reciprocable operator, a pair of stub shafts supported on said cage for rotation about a common axis and slidably and nonrotatably keyed to said yoke, said shafts having end portions extending through said casing, and a U-shaped treadle terminally attached to said end portions of said shafts to releasably retain the shafts in position on said cage.

7. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and delining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the undeside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump having a reciprocable operator and a control valve having an operating finger, an operating yoke in said cage extending partway around said sleeve for engagement with said reciprocable operator, tubular bushings connected to said yoke and rotatably mounted in said cage to support the yoke thereon, stub shafts extending through said casing and through said bushings, means slidably and non-rotatably connecting said shafts to said yoke to permit endwise withdrawal of the shafts, and a U-shaped treadle detachably connected to the outer ends of said shafts. t

8. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base detining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and defining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having a ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside or' said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also including a pump and a control valve, said pump having a reciprocable operator and means yieldably urging said operator to its retracted position, said control valve including an operating finger and means yieldably urging said control Valve to its closed position, first and second lever means, means pivotally mounting said lever means on said cage, said lever means respectively loosely overlying said operator and said finger when the pump and ram unit is mounted on the cage to facilitate insertion and removal of the unit, and means for selectively moving said first and second lever means to respectively operate said pump and valve.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said lever mounting means includes rst and second tubular bushings rotatably mounted on the cage and respectively connected to said first and second lever means to pivotally support the same on the cage, first and second shaft means slidably and non-rotatably extending through said first and second bushings and through said casing, and treadles attached to the outer ends of said first and second shaft means.

l0. In an hydraulically operated chair, a hollow support base defining a lower opening and having a casing extending upwardly around said lower opening and deining a top opening at its upper end, a hollow cage having a cage base detachably secured to said support base at the underside thereof and extending upwardly through said lower opening into -said casing, an annular bearing at the upper end of said cage, a vertically extending support sleeve in said cage and slidably supported in said bearing means to extend upwardly through said top opening, bracket means on the upper end of said sleeve for mounting a chair seat thereon, said cage base having an opening therein, a self-contained pump and ram unit having Va ram base and concentric cylinders extending upwardly from said base and defining an outer reservoir and an inner motive cylinder, means detachably securing said ram base to the underside of said cage base with said cylinders extending upwardly through said opening in the cage base into said sleeve to enable detachment and withdrawal of the ram unit from the lower end of the cage, said ram unit including a piston in one of said cylinders having a rod thereon engageable with said bracket means to elevate and lower the sleeve, said ram unit also-including a pump having a reciprocable operator and a control valve having an operating finger, an operating yoke in said cage extending part way around said sleeve for engagement with said reciprocable operator, a pair of stub shafts supported on said cage for rotation about a common axis and slidably and nonrotatably keyed to said yoke, said shafts having end portions extending through said casing, and a U-shafped treadle terminally yattached to said end portions of said shafts to releasably retain the shafts in position on said cage, and a lever on said yoke engageable with said control valve operating ringer when said treadle is moved to its lowermost position to operate the control valve to lower the chair.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 644,641 Sibley Mar. 6, l900 885,564 Barker Apr. 21, 1908 1,136,617 Ritter Apr. 20, 1915 2,711,632 Ellis June 28, 1955 2,854,061 Romite Sept. 30, 1958