U.S. patent application number 11/535349 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for rocking chair and anti-skid base.
Invention is credited to Russell D. Bellin.
Application Number | 20080073958 11/535349 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39224162 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080073958 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bellin; Russell D. |
March 27, 2008 |
Rocking Chair and Anti-Skid Base
Abstract
Longitudinal and rotational movement of a rocking chair during
the rocking motion is substantially prevented with a rocking chair
having a pair of transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally
extending rockers that converge at a first angle. A base is
provided having a pair of transversely-spaced, generally
longitudinally extending channels that converge at a second angle
at least approximately the same as the first angle. The channels
are positioned to underlie the rockers as the rocking chair is
rocked. The transverse width of each channel is sufficiently wider
than the transverse width of the respective rocker to accommodate
the rocker within the channel during rocking motion of the chair,
and is sufficiently narrower than the transverse width of the
respective rocker to prevent substantial longitudinal movement of
the rockers within the channels.
Inventors: |
Bellin; Russell D.; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SELDON & SCILLIERI
10940 WILSHIRE BLVD., 18TH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90024-3952
US
|
Family ID: |
39224162 |
Appl. No.: |
11/535349 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/261.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 3/027 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/261.2 |
International
Class: |
A47C 3/027 20060101
A47C003/027 |
Claims
1. In combination: a rocking chair having a pair of
transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending rockers
that converge at a first angle: a base having a pair of
transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending channels
that converge at a second angle at least approximately the same as
the first angle, and positioned to underlie the rockers as the
rocking chair is rocked, the transverse width of each channel being
sufficiently wider than the transverse width of the respective
rocker to accommodate the rocker within the channel during rocking
motion of the chair, the transverse width of each channel being
sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial longitudinal movement of
the rockers within the channels.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the interior of the channels
each have a thin layer of padding to substantially prevent the
scratching of the rockers.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the base has a
floor-contacting bottom surface, and further including a layer of
non-skid material on at least a portion of the bottom surface.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the first angle is
approximately 10.degree..
5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the second angle is
approximately 10.degree..
6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the transverse width of each
channel is sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial rotational
movement of the rockers within the channels.
7. A non-skid base for use with a rocking chair having a pair of
transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending rockers
that converge at a first angle, said base comprising: a pair of
transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending channels
that converge at a second angle at least approximately the same as
the first angle, said channels underlying the rockers as the
rocking chair is rocked, the transverse width of each channel being
sufficiently wider than the transverse width of the respective
rocker to accommodate the rocker within the channel during rocking
motion of the chair, the transverse width of each channel being
sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial longitudinal movement of
the rockers within the channels.
8. The base of claim 7 wherein the interior of the channels each
have a thin layer of padding to substantially prevent the
scratching of the rockers.
9. The base of claim 7 wherein the base has a floor-contacting
bottom surface, and further including a layer of non-skid material
on at least a portion of the bottom surface.
10. The base of claim 7 wherein the first angle is approximately
10.degree..
11. The base of claim 7 wherein the second angle is approximately
10.degree..
12. The base of claim 7 wherein the transverse width of each
channel is sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial rotational
movement of the rockers within the channels.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to rocking chairs and, more
particularly, to rocking chairs having rockers which contact
channels or tracks in a base.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Rocking chairs are typically susceptible to longitudinal and
rotational movement during use. (As used herein, the term
"longitudinal" will be used to mean the direction in which the
chair is facing and, hence, the direction in which rocking takes
place.) The movement is most noticeable, and annoying, when the
user's feet are placed on a foot stool or other elevated object for
comfort, and the chair is found to move toward and/or away from the
object and/or to rotate away from that object after a few
oscillations. This is particularly true on rugs and carpeting but
also happens on non-carpeted surfaces, particularly such as
hardwood floors. The result is that the user cannot comfortably
rock for very long without repeatedly adjusting the chair's
position or electing to forego the comfort of elevated feet.
[0003] Although the sources of such longitudinal and rotational
movement are not fully understood, the movement appears to arise
from several sources. One source of movement appears to be the
minimal surface contact made between the chair's rockers and the
floor at any instant of time, resulting in minimum anti-skid
friction. A second source of movement appears to be the user's body
mechanics in that it appears that there is a rotational component
to the rocking-inducing force, either owing to one side of the
user's body being stronger than the other or to some non-symmetry
in the person's body. Thirdly, it appears that the nap of the
carpet applies a force against the rockers of the chair that tends
to produce a displacing movement of the chair during the rocking
movement, typically laterally.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention herein is directed to preventing substantial
movement of the rocking chair during the rocking motion. In
accordance with the invention, a rocking chair is utilized having a
pair of transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending
rockers that converge at a first angle. A base is provided having a
pair of transversely-spaced generally longitudinally extending
channels that converge at a second angle at least approximately the
same as the first angle. The channels are positioned to underlie
the rockers as the rocking chair is rocked. The transverse width of
each channel is sufficiently wider than the transverse width of the
respective rocker to accommodate the rocker within the channel
during rocking motion of the chair, and is sufficiently narrower
than the transverse width of the respective rocker to prevent
substantial longitudinal movement of the rockers within the
channels.
[0005] Another aspect of this invention is a non-skid base for use
with a rocking chair having a pair of transversely-spaced,
generally longitudinally, extending rockers that converge at a
first angle. The base comprises a pair of transversely-spaced,
generally longitudinally extending channels that converge at a
second angle at least approximately the same as the first angle,
said channels underlying the rockers as the rocking chair is
rocked. The transverse width of each channel is sufficiently wider
than the transverse width of the respective rocker to accommodate
the rocker within the channel during rocking motion of the chair,
but sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial longitudinal
movement of the rockers within the channels.
[0006] These and other details concerning the invention will be
described in greater detail below in the Description of the
Preferred Embodiment, of which the Drawing is a part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0007] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be
described in detail by way of example only with reference to the
following drawings:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a rocking chair and
base constructed n accordance with the invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a base constructed in
accordance with the invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the rocking chair and
base of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the base of FIG. 1; and
[0012] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view in schematic of the
pair of the rockers 10, 12 within the respective channels 14, 16 of
FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rocking chair and non-skid
base constricted in accordance with the invention. FIG. 3 is a side
perspective view of the rocking chair and base of FIG. 1. As
illustrated in these Figures, the rocking chair has a pair of
transversely-spaced, generally longitudinally extending rockers 10,
12 that each extend from a front end 10a, 12a to a rear end 10b,
12b, with an arced bottom surface 10e, 12e that supports the chair
for rocking movement in the conventional manner.
[0014] As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the rockers 10, 12 converge
at a first angle .theta..sub.1 towards the rear of the chair. Each
rocker of the preferred embodiment forms an angle of approximately
5.degree. with the longitudinal axis 18 passing centrally between
the rockers, wherein the term "longitudinal" is used to denote the
direction in which the rocking chair faces, and the axis extends
centrally between the rockers. Accordingly, the rockers mutually
converge at an angle .theta..sub.1 of approximately 10.degree.. It
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other
angles of convergence can be used without departing from the scope
of the invention. Moreover, the rockers need not converge at the
same angle with the longitudinal axis, although they typically do.
The rockers can also converse towards the front of the chair
instead of the rear. All of these variations are within the scope
of the invention.
[0015] As illustrated best in FIG. 3, the specific rockers employed
in this embodiment have the following dimensions:
[0016] Length (measured along its curved bottom surface 12e): 353/4
inches
[0017] Width (W.sub.R): 2 inches
[0018] Front end separation (S.sub.F) measured between facing
sidewalls: 20 inches
[0019] Back end separation (S.sub.B) measured between facing
sidewalls: 14 inches
[0020] The base 13 is best illustrated in the top perspective view
of FIG. 2. The base comprises a pair of transversely-spaced, gene
rally longitudinally extending channels 14, 16 that respectively
converge rearwardly at a second angle .theta..sub.2 (see FIG. 5)
that is preferably approximately the same as the first angle
.theta..sub.1 so that the each channel is under, and aligned with,
a respective rocker as the chair is rocked.
[0021] As illustrated in FIG. 2. each channel is preferably formed
between a respective pair of transversely-spaced, generally
longitudinally extending side walls 18 that are preferably lined
with a soft non-scratching material 20 such as felt or other
suitable substance. The bottom interior surface 22 of each channel
supports the floor-facing bottom surface of a respective
rocker.
[0022] The width of each channel is slightly larger than the width
of the accommodated rocker. In the preferred embodiment described
and illustrated herein, the dimensions of the base (as illustrated
in FIG. 4) are:
[0023] Length of channel (L.sub.C): 221/2 inches
[0024] Width of channel (W.sub.C): 23/8 inches
[0025] Width of base at front (W.sub.F): 231/2 inches (measured
between interiors of outer sidewalls)
[0026] Width of base at rear (W.sub.R): 191/4 inches (measured
between interiors of outer sidewalls)
[0027] The transverse width W.sub.C of each channel is sufficiently
wider than the transverse width W.sub.R of the respectively
accommodated rocker to accommodate the rocker within the channel
during rocking motion of the chair without binding the rocker
during desirable rocking movement in the longitudinal direction,
but is sufficiently narrow to prevent substantial longitudinal
movement of the rockers within the channels, as illustrated in FIG.
5.
[0028] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the pair of rockers 10, 12
within the respective channels 14, 16. Each rocker is substantially
aligned with the respective channel at a slight angle to the
longitudinal axis 18. If the chair moves longitudinally forward,
the rockers move longitudinally forward within the channels,
causing the inward-facing sides of the rockers at 22, 24 to contact
the inner sidewalls of the channels at 23, 25 respectively. This
prevents further forward longitudinal movement of the chair. The
chair can, however, continue to rock since each rocker and its
respective channel remain aligned.
[0029] Similarly, backward longitudinal movement of the chair is
limited. If the chair moves backward, the rockers move backward
within the channels, causing the outward-facing sides of the
rockers at 26, 28 to contact the inside surface of the channels'
outer sidewalls at 27, 29 respectively and prevent further
movement.
[0030] As evident from FIG. 5, the amount of longitudinal movement
permitted depends, as a matter of geometry, on the difference
between the channel width and rocker width, and/or on the angles
.theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2 between the rockers and channels and
the longitudinal axis. Those skilled in the art will recognize that
the width difference must be sufficient to permit rocking without
causing undesirable interference between the rocker and channel
sidewalls, while the angle from longitudinal must take the chair's
dimensions and proper rocking movement into account.
[0031] By the same token, rotational movement of the chair within
the channels is very limited, since the width difference between
each rocker and its respective channel is too small to permit
significant rotational movement within the channel before the
rocker contacts the sidewall of the channel.
[0032] To help prevent longitudinal or rotational movement of the
base on the floor, the bottom surface of the base is preferably
coated with a non-skid material. One suitable material has been
found to be an adhesive-backed high-strength neoprene rubber having
the same width as (or a bit less than) the floor-contacting
surfaces of the base, a 1/6 inch thickness, and a durometer of 30A.
This material is preferred because in addition to presenting a
skid-resistant surface to tile floor, it tends not to damage tile
floor's surface.
[0033] Because the full weight of the user, chair and base is
distributed over the entire bottom surface of the base, the contact
surface area with the floor is much greater than the contact
surface area between the rockers alone and the floor. Consequently,
there is virtually no tendency of the base to move longitudinally
or rotationally on the floor, particularly when non-skid material
is added as described above.
[0034] Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention and
its advantages have been described in detail, it should be
understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can
be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is accordingly intended that the invention herein be
defined by the claims appended hereto, and that the claims be
interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art, giving
all due regard to the doctrine of equivalents.
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