U.S. patent application number 10/454872 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-27 for adjusting apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Bambach Saddle Seat (Europe) Limited. Invention is credited to Langham, Christopher James.
Application Number | 20030218370 10/454872 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9886108 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030218370 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Langham, Christopher James |
November 27, 2003 |
Adjusting apparatus
Abstract
A chair has a seat mounted on a pedestal with a swivel and tilt
function. The pedestal has an inner part and an outer part that are
telescopically engaged. The outer part rotates with respect to the
inner part. A bracket secures the underside of the seat to the
upper end of the outer part. There are a series of holes in the
upper end of the outer part. A selectively operable locking member
mounts on the bracket. The locking member includes a detent for
engaging in one of the holes. A releasing member releases the
detent from one of the holes and enables insertion in another hole
after rotation of the outer part relative to the inner part. A
spring can bias the detent to the engaged position. The seat can
neither be swivelled nor tilted when the locking member is in
engaged position.
Inventors: |
Langham, Christopher James;
(Bishop Stortford, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OLSON & HIERL, LTD.
36th Floor
20 North Wacker Drive
Chicago
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
The Bambach Saddle Seat (Europe)
Limited
|
Family ID: |
9886108 |
Appl. No.: |
10/454872 |
Filed: |
June 4, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10454872 |
Jun 4, 2003 |
|
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09790089 |
Feb 21, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/344.22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 3/18 20130101; A47C
7/029 20180801; A47C 9/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/344.22 |
International
Class: |
A47C 003/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 21, 2000 |
GB |
0004063.4 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A chair having a seat with a swivel and tilt function, the seat
being mounted on a pedestal and a device whereby tilting and
swivelling of the seat is obviated, the device comprising: (i) a
member defining the pedestal, the member having: (ii) an inner
part, and (iii) an outer part; (iv) the inner and outer parts being
telescopically arranged; (v) the outer part also being relatively
rotatable with respect to the inner part; (vi) a bracket secured to
an underside of the seat and to the upper end of the outer part;
(vii) a series of circumferentially arranged through holes at an
upper end of the outer part; (viii) a selectively operable locking
device mounted on the bracket; (ix) said locking device having a
detent which has an engaged position in a facing one of said
through holes; (x) said locking device being manually shiftable
between a position withdrawn from the outer part and a position
engaged in a through hole of the outer part; and (xi) a manually
grippable member for releasing the detent from one hole and
insertion in another after telescopic movement and relative
rotation of the outer part relative to the inner part, whereby to
secure the seat in a desired position and to obviate tilting and
swivelling of the seat relative to the pedestal.
2. A chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the detent comprises a
reciprocable finger device.
3. A chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the said detent comprises
a finger device biased towards the engaged position by biasing
means.
4. A chair as defined in claim 3, wherein the biasing means for
biasing the fingers device to the engaged position is a coil
spring.
5. A chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a
manually operable device remote from the locking means and
connected thereto by a flexible elongate member.
6. A chair as defined in claim 5, wherein the flexible elongate
member comprises a cable.
7. A chair as defined in claim 6, wherein the cable is slidable in
a housing.
8. A chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the seat is mounted on
the inner part of the member.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/790,089
filed Feb. 21, 2001 in the name of Christopher James Langham for
Adjusting Apparatus, which application claimed priority under 35
USC 119 based on United Kingdom Application No. 0004063.4 filed
Feb. 21, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to adjusting apparatus, and
particularly to such apparatus for adjusting the position of one
member relative to another.
[0003] Swivel pedestal chairs are known, the seat being mounted on
a pedestal which usually comprises two tubes one of which mounts
the seat so that the seat can be rotated relative to the other,
which is usually fixedly mounted to a base of the chair. Thus the
seat can be adjusted in its angular position with respect to the
(fixed) tube and base.
[0004] Usually, the seat is adjusted to the required angular
position by the user before he or she sits down on the chair.
However, it is often the case that the seat swivels in the act of
mounting, or indeed dismounting from the chair. Whilst this
annoying disadvantage can usually readily be overcome by an
able-bodied user, particularly an adult, when sitting on the seat,
although some time and effort is expended in so doing, this is not
the case with users, particularly children, who have some physical
disability such as back problems. The tendency of the seat of the
chair to swivel is a disadvantage which can be serious in that use
of the chair can become dangerous as a user can fall off, so
leading to distress and perhaps additional physical injury. Where
the seat is used in an institution, say a hospital, there may be
implications in that higher insurance premiums for injury or
negligence become payable. There is thus a requirement for a seat
which is particularly applicable for use by those with special
needs.
[0005] It is accordingly an object of the invention to seek to
mitigate these disadvantages.
[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is
provided apparatus for adjusting the angular position of one member
relative to another, comprising means releasably lockably
engageable with the one member and remote actuating means therefor
whereby the first-mentioned means is operable to lock and unlock
the one member with respect to the another member.
[0007] The one member and the another member may be concentrically
mounted for relative rotation, and the one member may be externally
mounted with respect to the another member. This provides a
relatively simple construction whilst allowing adjustment of
angular position.
[0008] The means releasably lockably engageable with the one member
may comprise reciprocable finger means, suitably a reciprocable
finger device which may be biased towards a locked position of the
one member by biasing means which may itself comprise a coil
spring. This construction provides a relatively simple yet positive
adjusting mechanism.
[0009] The finger device may in use be received in seating means of
the one member. This provides positive operation, whilst being a
relatively simple construction, particularly when the seating means
may comprise a plurality of spaced apart circumferential holes
through the one member. This provides for a plurality of adjusted
positions.
[0010] The actuating means may comprise a manual operating device
remote from the locking means and connected thereto by a flexible
elongate member which may be a cable, chain or the like. This
provides a positive action. The cable, chain or the like may be
slidably housed in a housing such as a plastic sleeve.
[0011] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided a swivel chair mounted on a pedestal, the pedestal
comprising one member and another member which are relatively
rotatable to swivel a seat of the chair, there being apparatus as
hereinbefore defined for locking and unlocking the one member with
respect to the another member whereby to adjust the swivelled
position of the seat of the chair.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0012] Apparatus embodying the invention is hereinafter described,
by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of part of one embodiment of
apparatus as used on a swivel chair;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic front elevational view of the
apparatus of FIG. 1, to a smaller scale; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a second
embodiment of apparatus which is part of a swivel chair.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are shown by
like reference numerals, there is shown apparatus 1 for adjusting
the angular position of one member 2 relative to another 3,
comprising means 4 releasably lockably engageable with the one
member 2 therefor whereby the means 4 is operable to lock and
unlock the one member 2 with respect to the another member 3. There
is a remote actuating means 5 for the means 4.
[0017] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 the one member 2 is an
external tube mounted concentrically on, and rotatably and
telescopically arranged with respect to, an inner tube or rod
forming the another member 3 and which member 3 is fixed to a base
6, the two tubes forming a pedestal of a swivel chair 7, a seat 8
of which is mounted on the outer tube or one member 2. The member 3
is itself a piston and cylinder member to allow for raising and
lowering of the seat 8 to a desired adjusted height.
[0018] The releasably lockably engageable means 4 comprises a
housing mounted on a bracket (not shown) under the seat 8, there
being detent means in the form of a finger device 9 with a
bull-nosed free end 10 reciprocally slidably mounted in the housing
4 under pressure of a biassing means in the form of a coil tension
spring 11 which biasses the finger device 9 to a locking position
as shown in FIG. 1, there being seating means in the form of a
plurality of circumferentially arranged and spaced apart through
holes 12 in the external tube 2 each of a diameter to receive the
free end 10 of the finger device 9 in a close fit.
[0019] An end of the finger device 9 remote from the free end 10 is
connected to a relatively rigid yet flexible elongate member 13
such as a cable, chain or the like, running in a sleeve (also not
shown) for smoothness of operation and aesthetic effect. The other
end of the cable, chain or the like 13 is attached to the actuating
means 5 in the form of a mechanism operated by a push button or
plunger 14 held in a housing 15 fixedly mounted to a bracket (not
shown) at the front (usually) of the chair 7. The plunger 14 when
actuated operates a crank or toggle device in the housing 15 to
which the cable 13 is connected so that on pushing the plunger 14,
the cable 13 is effectively shortened, so pulling the finger device
9 against the pressure of the spring 11 into the housing 4 and
freeing the free end 10 from a hole 12 in which it is located. The
angular position of the seat 8 can then be adjusted to a desired
position by swivelling the seat, the one member 2 rotating on the
another member 3. When in the desired position, releasing the
plunger 14 enables the spring 11 to extend the finger device 9 so
that its free end 10 engages in a new facing hole 12 to lock the
seat 8 in the required position.
[0020] Referring now to the embodiment of FIG. 3, there is shown a
swivel chair 7 having a seat 8, which is mounted for vertical
height adjustment as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, on
an inner or another member or tube 3 which has at an end remote
from the seat 8, a base 6 in the form of a plurality of feet 6'.
Mounted externally of the tube 3 is the one member 2 in the form of
a sleeve 13 which has at the upper end as viewed a plurality of
circumferentially arranged and spaced apart through holes 12. The
sleeve 13 has an upper inwardly directed flange which seats on the
upper end of the member on tube 3, so that the sleeve 13 can rise
and sink with a member, usually the piston, of the piston and
cylinder construction of the member 3. The seat 8 is supported on
the upper end of the tube 3, on the piston part thereof in the
embodiment by a boss or support 14 which connects the tube 3 and
the seat 8. The boss or support 14 mounts levers such as the one 15
shown for operating a raise and lowering mechanism (not shown, the
piston and cylinder arrangement of the tube 3) and for adjusting
the tilt of the seat 8 in a fore and aft direction. The seat 8 is
thus pivotably mounted on the boss or support 14 for allowing such
fore and aft tilting as desired. However, it is often necessary,
particularly for special needs patients, for the seat 8 to be
locked in a desired position, in other words so that it cannot
swivel, raise, lower or tilt particularly when being mounted or
demounted. This is achieved by apparatus comprising a bracket 16
depending from the boss or support 14 and in which is captively
mounted an actuating mechanism in the form of a push pull rod 17
which has a detent (not shown) in the form of a free end thereto
which can pass out of the bracket 16 to engage a selected hole to
lock the seat 8 in a desired pre-adjusted position. The rod 17 has
a remote actuating means in the form of a manually grippable handle
18 at one end, for operation to and fro as shown by the arrow
`X`.
[0021] In operation, with the handle rod 17 withdrawn so that no
hole 12 is engaged, the seat 8 is adjusted to a desired height,
tilt and angular position using the respective mechanisms and
handles 15. When in the desired position, the rod 17 is pushed in,
i.e. towards the member 2, 3 so that its free end engages in a
facing hole 12 so locking the seat 8 in the desired position.
[0022] When the position(s) of the seat 8 is next adjusted, the rod
17 is withdrawn to disengage from the hole 12, so allowing
adjustment of the seat 8 to a new desired position. The rod 17 is
then pushed back in to engage another hole 12 in the newly adjusted
position so that the seat 8 is locked in that new position.
[0023] It will be understood that in both embodiments, as the
housing 4 is mounted on a bracket under the seat 8 telescopic
height adjustment of the seat by raising it on the tube 2 over tube
3 is also possible whilst allowing lockable angular adjustment as
hereinbefore described. The raising may be by a gas lift device,
also not shown, which forms part of the piston and cylinder
construction of the member 3.
[0024] It will be understood that a chair using the apparatus
described with reference to the drawings can be swivelled, yet
undesired swivelling during mounting or dismounting therefrom is
obviated, so being beneficial particularly for special needs
users.
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