WO1998016139A1

WO1998016139A1 - Chair

Info

Publication number: WO1998016139A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/005643
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Röder; Simon Desanta
Original assignee: Roeder Peter; Simon Desanta
Priority date: 1996-10-14
Filing date: 1997-10-14
Publication date: 1998-04-23
Also published as: DE29617851U1

Abstract

A chair with a subframe (10), a seat (12) and a backrest (14) with a spring steel bar (20) which is U-shaped overall, whose two arms (24, 26) run from front to back underneath the side portions of the seat (12) and are attached to the seat, and whose connecting portion (22) between the arms (24, 26) has a U-shaped recess (28) contrived in the opposite direction, which is bent downwards at an acute angle in relation to the plane of arms (24, 26) and is fixed to the frame (10), and a connecting strut (38) which runs upwards and backwards at an angle from the frame (10) and is pivotably attached to the frame in a horizontal axis (40) that runs crosswise to the seat (12), and is connected to the rear underside of the seat in a sliding bearing (44).

Description

CHAIR

The invention relates to a chair with a subframe, a seat and a backrest according to the preamble of claim 1

Nowadays, office and work chairs in particular generally have a mechanism whereby the chair can be moved into a variety of posit'ons between one in which the use^r is in an upright, or even forwardly inclined, working position, and one in which he is in a relaxed, leant back position The mechanisms initially used on these chairs were of a relatively costly construction and included a large number of parts, especially springs, levers, adjusting elements and similar, but now, given the increasingly widespread use of these types of chairs and the general pressure to reduce costs, there is considerable demand for chairs which are of a simple constructi jn and yet still offer a full range of functions

Hence it is the task of tnis invention to provide a chair of the generic type which is of a simple, virtually wear-free construction with only a few parts, but which, nevertheless, provides a solution that meets all the prerequisites in respect of ergonomics and occupational health

In a chair of the generic type, this task is solved by the features of claim 1

The chair according to the invention comprises a spring steel bar which i* U-shaped overall, whose two arms run from front to back underneath the side portions of the seat and are attached to the seat, and whose connecting portion between the arms has a U-shaped recess contrived in the opposite direction, which is bent downwards at an acute angle in relation to the plane of the arms and is fixed to the frame A connecting strut, which runs upwards and backwards at an angle from the frame, is pivotably attached to the frame in a horizontal axis that runs crosswise to the seat, and is connected to the rear underside of the seat by means of a sliding bearing

Underneath the rear edge portion of the seat there is preferably a support plate that runs crosswise and is made from rigid material, which is supported by the sliding bearing and to which a first arm of a connecting bracket is fixed, the second arm, which projects up behind the seat, being connected to the backrest

Whilst the seat is elastically supported with the help of the spring steel bar, the backwardly directed connecting strut serves to stabilize and guide the sides of the seat in case of a one-sided load The backrest is connected with the rear end portion of the seat via the crosswise support plate, and tilts backwards when the seat is moved backwards

The connecting bracket can preferably be displaced in the forwards-backwards direction and fixed in place in relation to the support plate underneath the seat The vertical arm of the connecting bracket, which is connected with the backrest, can then accommodate the backrest such that it can be vertically adjusted and fixed in a variety of positions so that the height of the seat can be adjusted in line with the physique of the user

It is expedient to configure the frame as a roller frame with a vertically projecting column In this case the recess in the spπng steel bar is connected with the top end poruon of the column

In this context, the use of the term 'spring steel bar' is not intended to imply a restriction to spring steel as such Steel and steel alloys can also be used, as can other materials with comparable properties, right through to suitable plastics

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which

Fig 1 is a diagammatic partial side view of a chair according to the invention, in which some elements not essential to the explanation have been omitted or merely indicated by a dotted line,

Fig. 2 is a perspective top plan view of the arrangement underneath the seat,

Fig 3 is a top plan view of a spring steel bar,

Fig 4 is a side view of Fig 3,

Fig 5 is a more detailed partial representation of the parts underneath the rear end portion of the seat,

Fig 6 is a perspective view of a connecting bracket Fig 1 shows a diagrammatic partially simplified side view of a chair according to the invention with a frame 10, a seat 12 (indicated by a dotted line only), and a backrest 14 In this example, the frame consists of a vertically projecting column 16, which proceeds from a five-armed roller base 18

The seat 12 rests on a spring steel bar 20, which is shown with other parts of the chair in Fig 1 and 2, and in a top plan view and a side view in Fig 3 and 4 As can be seen from Fig 3, the spring steel bar 20 is bent into a U -shape overall In the connecting area 22 between the two essentially straight arms 24,26 of the U there is a recess 28, which can also be called U-shaped, a'though it points in the opposite direction to the overall U of the spring steel bar Furthermore, Fig 4 shows that the plane defined by the two arms 24,26 of the spring steel bar forms an acute angle to the plane of the recess 28 Fig 4 shows the arrangement in which the spring steel bar is attached to the chair, as will be explained below

According to Fig 1 and 2, the spring steel bar 20 with the recess 28 is guided around the back of the column 16 and fixed in the position shown in Fig 1 , whereby it points forwards and upwards at an angle For this purpose a guide groove (not shown) can, for example, be contrived in the column, in which the spring steel bar 20 is held in place with clamping devices (not shown)

Proceeding from the column, the spring steel bar 20 runs up to the underside of the front edge portion of the seat 12, from where the two arms 24,26 run along the two side edges of the seat towards the rear portion of fhe seat In this manner the seat 12 rests elastically on column 16 The two arms 24 26 are attached to the underside of the seat 12, e g with the aid of clips 30,32,34,36

Acting as an additional guide for the seat 12, there is also a connecting strut 38, which, starting from a horizontal pivoting axis 40 at the top of the column, extends backwards and upwards at an angle to the underside of the seat 12 The rear end of the connecting strut 38 ends in a sliding element 42 which can be displaced backwards and forwards in a sliding bearing 44 underneath the seat when the seat 12 springs backwards or forward The sliding bearing 44 is contrived underneath a support plate 46 which runs crosswise underneath the rear edge portion of the seat 12, said support plate being fixed to the underside of the seat in a manner not shown Fixed to the support plate 46 there is also a connecting bracket 48 with a horizontal arm 50 attached to the support plate 46 and an essentially vertical arm 52 projecting up behind the seat 12 The backrest 14 is fixed to the vertically projecting arm 52

As can be seen from Fig 6, the two arms 50,52 of the connecting bracket 48 are provided with elongated holes 54,56 which, on the one hand, allow the connecting bracket 48 to be adjusted in the forwards-backwards direction in relation to the seat and, on the other hand, allow the backrest 14 to be adjusted in the upwards- downwards direction in relation to the connecting bracket 48 In this manner the backrest 14 can be moved into a variety of positions to take account of the user's physique and preferred seating positions The backrest can be fixed in position to the connecting bracket 48 by means of a clamping screw 58, for example, which is screwed into a nut (not shown) on the inside of the backrest 14 The horizontal arm 50 of the connecting bracket can similarly be fixed to the support plate 46 with the aid of a clamping screw 60 after displacement along the support plate 46

Claims

1 A chair with a subframe (10), a seat (12) and a backrest (14) with a spring steel bar (20) which is U-shaped overall, whose two arms (24,26) run from front to back underneath the side portions of the seat (12) and are attached to the seat, and whose connecting portion (22) between the arms (24,26) has a U-shaped recess (28) contrived in the opposite direction, which is bent downwards at an acute angle in relation to the plane of arms (24,26) and is fixed to the frame (10), and a connecting strut (38) which runs upwards and backwards at an angle from the frame (10) and is pivotably attached to the frame in a horizontal axis (40) that runs crosswise to the seat (12), and is connected to the rear underside of the seat in a sliding bearing (44)

2 The chair of claim I , characterized in that attached to the underneath of the rear edge portion of the seat (12) there is a support plate (46) that runs crosswise and is made from rigid material, which is supported by the sliding bearing (44) and to which a first arm (50) of a connecting bracket (48) is fixed, the second arm (52), which projects up behind the seat (12), being connected to the backrest (14)

3. The chair of claim 2, characterized in that the connecting bracket (48) can be displaced in the forwards-backwards direction and fixed in place in relation to the support plate (46)

4 The chair of claim 3 characterized in that the first, horizontal arm (50) of the connecting bracket (48) has an elongated hole (54), and in that the elongated hole accommodates a clamping screw (60) which is screwed into the support plate for fixing the connecting bracket (48) in place

5 The chair of one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the backrest (14) is connected to the second, vertical arm (52) of the connecting bracket (48) such that it is vertically displaceable

6 The chair of claim 5, characterized in that the second arm (52) of the connecting bracket (48) has a vertical elongated hole (56), and in that the elongated hole accommodates a clamping screw protruding from the back of the backrest (14), which engages in the thread of a threaded plate disposed inside the backrest, thereby allowing the backrest to be fixed in position 7 The chair of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the frame (10) comprises a vertically projecting column (16) and in that the recess (28) in the spring steel bar (20) is attached to the top end portion of the column (16)