US3095239A - Chair - Google Patents

Description

June 25, 1963 S. B. HENDRICKSON CHAIR Filed Aug. 31, 1961 I I I I l INVENTOR. W

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,095,233 CHAIR Severin B. Hendrickson, Templeton, Mass, assignor to Heywood-Wakefield Company, Gardner, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 135,213 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-396) This invention relates to body-supporting furniture and more particularly to chairs and the like.

The development of synthetic fibers and more particularly the development of poly-urethane foam has provided chair manufacturers with a material for use in chair cushions which has great resiliency, great elasticity, light weight, and absence of odor. This synthetic material has been utilized with commercial success during recent years.

However, a polyurethane foam cushion, as it is commonly employed, has one undesirable characteristic. When a cushion is compressed in the center, the edges of the cushion spring upward and inward. This is because of the lateral structural bonds, running throughout the poly-urethane foam. For example, when a vertical back cushion contains poly-urethane foam, it tends to spring forward along the sides and in the head and neck area of an occupant whose weight compresses the center portion of the cushion. This reaction to the compression causes uncomfortable pressure on the occupants head, neck and sides and is generally unsatisfactory.

The present invention solves this problem by utilizing modular construction techniques. A modular head-rest portion is formed integrally with the back of the chair. This head-rest is comprised of a firm poly-urethane foam filler with upholstery covering and occupies the area of the back-rest normally corresponding to the head and neck of the occupant.

The walls of the head-rest, back section, and bottom section form a cavity into which is placed a small modular back cushion. The walls of the cavity firmly abut the cushion at each end surface. This modular back cushion is precisely dimensioned so as to minimize any bending effect. This is accomplished by keeping the vertical dimension small and extending upwardly from the bottom section to a line no higher than the midpoint of a normal roccupants shoulders.

Furthermore, bending is reduced by the modular place ment of the back cushion in the cavity so that the bottom of the cushion is contained by the seat cushion, and the top of the cushion is contained by the head-rest.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide new and improved furniture, particularly furniture utilizing modular construction techniques.

It is another object of this invention to provide furniture with high durability and aesthetic appeal.

It is still another object of this invention to provide furniture which may be fabricated by relatively inexpensive manufacturing techniques and which contains modular components which are easily and inexpensively cleanable or replaceable.

This invention will be more fully set forth in the following description referring to the accompanying drawings, and the features of novelty will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a chair assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the chair assembly shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective partly broken away of a cushion assembly shown isolated from the chair assembly shown in FIG. 1.

3,095,239 Patented June 25, 1963 Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, 10 generally indicates a chair assembly or the like, which chair assembly may, in accordance with the features of my inventicn, be manufactured utilizing modular construction techniques.

The back section '12 is preferably formed of a rec tangular box-frame 14 which is rigid in its established shape. The interior space within the box-frame 14 is occupied with a filler material 16 such as hair, foam plastic, or the like.

The side sections 18' and 20, which also act as armrests, are constructed of box-frames generally in the shape of the sides as shown in FIG. 1. The box-frames are occupied with a filler material such as hair, foam plastic, or the like. The uppermost portions 22 and 24 of side sections 18 and 20 are thickly padded with a filler material.

The front panel 26 is constructed of a rigid rectangular box-frame. The interior space with the box-frame 26 is occupied with a filler material 28 such as hair, foam plastic, or the like.

The bottom section 29 is comprised of filler 30, elastic web support member 32, bottom rigid rectangular boxframe 34, and air space 36.

Connected to the bottom box-frame 34 are four legs 38. The legs 38 are preferably in a vertical or slightly angled attitude, but can be of various configurations.

The head-rest 40 is permanently afiixed to back section 12. The head-rest 40 is preferably composed of a firm resilient polyurethane foam cushion 42 contained in an outer covering 44 of vinyl plastic or leather or other suitable material. The outer covering 44 is permanently affixed to the back section 12 at all points of contact such as 46, 48, 50 and 52.

Back cushion 54 is preferably composed of a soft, resilient, poly-urethane foam cushion 56 contained in an outer covering 58 of vinyl plastic or leather or other suitable material. The outer covering 58 completely encloses the foam cushion 56 and can be disengaged therefrom by operation of a zipper fastener 69 which is located on three sides of the outer covering 58. The back cushion 54 is located modularly in the cavity formed by the underside of head-rest 40, the inner walls '19 and 21 of side sections 18 and 20, the forwardmost side 13 of back section 12, and the upper portion of filler 30. There is no connection between back cushion 54 and any other portion of chair assembly 10. The back cushion 54 remains in place due to the modular arrangement of the chair assembly 10 and the close abutting position that back cushion 54 assumes.

Seat cushion 62 is constructed identically to back cushion 54 except for the flared forward portions 64 and 66 as shown in FIG. 1. Seat cushion 62 likewise preferably has a poly-urethane foam cushion 63 contained in an outer covering of vinyl plastic 65 with a zipper fastener providing means for disengagement therebetween. The seat cushion 62 is located modularly in the cavity formed by the inner walls 19 and 21 of side sections 18 and 20', the forwandmost side 68 of back cushion 54 and the upper surface of seat cushion support filler 30.

The entire chair assembly 10, less the three modular units 40, 54 and 62, is encased in a covering of vinyl plastic or leather, or other suitable material.

It should be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement thereof herein illustrated, and that changes and modifications may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the amended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A chair comprising a base; a seat cushion, said seat cushion resting on said base; a back-rest, said backrest mounted on said base; side-walls, said side-walls mounted upon and extending between said base and backrest; ahead-rest cushion, said head-rest cushion integral ly mounted on said back-rest between said side-Walls; a back-rest cushion, said back-rest cushion including a resilient pad of poly-urethane foam and entirely contained in an upholstery covering; fiat surfaces in said'base, seat-cushion, back-rest, side-walls and head-rest cushion defining a five-sided cavity for receiving said back-rest cushion; said back-rest cushion modularly located in the cavity formed by said flat surfaces located in the area normally corresponding to the middle and lower back of an occupant, said surfaces retaining said back-rest cushion in said cavity and limiting the extent of curvature of said back-rest cushion.

V 2. A chair comprising a base; a seat cushion, said seat cushion resting on said base, a back-rest, said back rest mounted on said base; side-walls, said side-Walls afiixed to said base and back-rest; a head-rest cushion, said head-rest cushion integrally mounted on said backrest between said side-walls; a back-rest cushion, said back-rest cushion composed of a resilient pad of polyurethane foam slab and encased in an upholstery cover? ing; the lower surface of said head-rest cushion, the forward surface of said backrest, the inner facing surfaces of said side-walls, the upper surface of said base and the rearward surface of said seat cushion cooperating to define a five-sided cavity for receiving and con fining said back-rest cushion, said back-rest cushion modularly located in the cavity formed by said surfaces and retained therein by said surfaces, said back-rest cushion conforming to the back of the occupant providing lateral support thereto.

3. A chair comprising; a base member; a seat cushion mounted upon said base member; a back-rest member aflixed to the rear of said base member; side-wall arm members straddling said base and backrest members and affixed thereto in an attitude perpendicular to the plane of said base and back-rest members; a head-rest cushion afiixed to and projecting forward from the uppermost portion of said back-rest member; said head-rest cushion having a bottom surface thereof, said back-rest member having a forward surface thereof, said side-wall arm members having inner facing surfaces thereof, said base member having an upper surface thereof and said seat References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,587 Chase et a1. Apr. 26, 1949 2,728,382 Baranski Dec. 27, 1955 2,839,125 Brandon June 17, 1958 2,913,041 Mathison Nov. 17, 1959 2,976,916 Schladerrn-undt et a1 Mar. 28, 1961

Claims (1)

1. A CHAIR COMPRISING A BASE; A SEAT CUSHION, SAID SEAT CUSHION RESTING ON SAID BASE; A BACK-REST, SAID BACKREST MOUNTED ON SAID BASE; SIDE-WALLS, SAID SIDE-WALLS MOUNTED UPON AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID BASE AND BACKREST; A HEAD-REST CUSHION, SAID HEAD-REST CUSHION INTEGRALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BACK-REST BETWEEN SAID SIDE-WALLS; A BACK-REST CUSHION, SAID BACK-REST CUSHION INCLUDING A RESILIENT PAD OF POLY-URETHANE FOAM AND ENTIRELY CONTAINED IN AN UPHOLSTERY COVERING; FLAT SURFACES IN SAID BASE,

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