U.S. patent application number 12/804499 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-26 for back connecting bar for the no-tools connection of a chair back to a chair seat.
Invention is credited to Marcelo Mezzera.
Application Number | 20120019038 12/804499 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45493005 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120019038 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mezzera; Marcelo |
January 26, 2012 |
Back connecting bar for the no-tools connection of a chair back to
a chair seat
Abstract
A back connecting bar by which to enable the quick and easy
attachment of a back to the seat of a home or office chair without
the use of tools or special skill. By virtue of the foregoing, the
back and seat of the chair may be sold disassembled in a compact
shipping package and assembled following purchase. The back
connecting bar has first and opposite ends that are aligned with
one another in the shape of an "L." The first end of the connecting
bar is fixedly connected within and extends outwardly from the
chair back. The opposite end of the connecting bar is detachably
connected to the bottom of the chair seat by threaded fasteners
which extend through holes formed in the opposite end for removable
receipt by the seat.
Inventors: |
Mezzera; Marcelo; (Rancho
Santa Margarita, CA) |
Family ID: |
45493005 |
Appl. No.: |
12/804499 |
Filed: |
July 23, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/440.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/02 20130101; A47C
7/42 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/440.15 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/02 20060101
A47C007/02 |
Claims
1. A combination comprising: a chair back; a chair seat; and a back
connecting bar by which said chair back is attached to said chair
seat so as to stand upwardly therefrom, said back connecting bar
extending from said chair back and adapted to be detachably
connected to said chair seat without the use of tools.
2. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said back connecting
bar has first and opposite ends, said first end being fixedly
connected inside said chair back, and said opposite end adapted to
be detachably connected to said chair seat without the use of
tools.
3. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein the first and
opposite ends of said back connecting bar are aligned with one
another in the shape of an "L."
4. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said chair back has
an external surface, the first end of said back connecting bar
extending outwardly from said chair back through said external
surface via a slot formed therein.
5. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein the opposite end of
said back connecting bar is detachably connected to said chair back
at the bottom thereof.
6. The combination recited in claim 2, further comprising at last
one fastener extending through the opposite end of said back
connecting bar for removable receipt by said chair seat by which
said opposite end is detachably connected to said chair seat.
7. The combination recited in claim 6, wherein the opposite end of
said back connecting bar has at least one hole formed therein, said
one fastener extending through said opposite end at said one hole
thereof.
8. The combination recited in claim 7, wherein said one fastener
has a screw threaded first end to extend through the one hole
formed in the opposite end of said back connecting bar for said
removable receipt by said chair seat.
9. The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said one fastener
has a knob located at the opposite end thereof, a rotational force
applied to said knob in a first direction causing the screw
threaded first end of said fastener to move into said removable
receipt by said chair seat.
10. The combination recited in claim 9, wherein a rotational force
applied in an opposite direction to the knob of said one fastener
causing the screw threaded first end of said fastener to move out
of said removable receipt by said chair seat, whereby the opposite
end of said back connecting bar is disconnected from said chair
seat and said chair back is detached from said chair seat.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a seat and back for a home or
office chair that are detachably connected together by way of a
back connecting bar without requiring the use of tools or special
skill. The chair seat and back can be advantageously shipped
disassembled in a compact, space-efficient package so as to reduce
shipping costs.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Articles of furniture have long been shipped in a
fully-assembled condition from a manufacturer to a retailer and
then carried off by an end user to a home or office. Consequently,
such an article of furniture is characteristically bulky,
cumbersome and difficult to transport in a space-efficient manner.
That is to say, a fully-assembled article of furniture consumes
relatively large shipping space during transport by boat, truck,
etc. to a retailer. Similarly, the purchaser/end user may need to
have available a specially-sized vehicle should he wish to carry a
large article of furniture to his home or office. The inefficient
shipment of large articles of furniture between the manufacturer
and end user often results in inconvenience as well as
significantly higher transportation costs which are commonly passed
through to the purchaser.
[0005] To overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, it is known to
ship articles of furniture disassembled. In this case, the end user
is typically required to have available and be able to use at least
some hand tools provided by the manufacturer in order to complete
the furniture assembly. Sometimes, the user may not have the skill
required to manipulate the tools and install the hardware which may
consequently hinder the user's ability to easily assemble and
immediately enjoy his furniture. In other cases, the user may lack
time and become frustrated which can result in his failure to
complete the assembly altogether. Thus, the article of furniture
may remain disassembled and eventually have to be returned to its
point of purchase.
[0006] Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a particular
article of furniture (e.g., a home or office chair) including a
back and seat that are adapted to be shipped and transported
disassembled within a compact shipping container so as to minimize
shipping costs and then be relatively quickly and easily assembled
without requiring special skill or the use of tools.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In general terms, a back connecting bar is disclosed by
which a back for a home or office chair can be quickly and easily
connected to a seat without the use of tools or special skill. The
chair back and chair seat can be shipped and transported
disassembled in a compact, space-efficient package to reduce
shipping costs.
[0008] The back connecting bar has a vertical first end and a
horizontal opposite end that are aligned with one another in the
shape of an "L." The vertical first end of the back connecting bar,
which is fixedly connected to an internal support located inside
the chair back, projects outwardly through a slot in the upholstery
or outer covering thereof. The horizontal opposite end of the back
connecting bar has a set of holes formed therein for the receipt of
a corresponding set of fasteners. Each fastener has a knob at one
end and a threaded shank at the opposite end. The seat is first
laid upon the horizontal end of the back connecting bar, and the
threaded shanks of the fasteners are then inserted upwardly through
the holes therein. A rotational force manually applied to the knobs
of the fasteners by the user causes the threaded shanks to be
received by and detachably connected within threaded holes formed
in the bottom of the chair seat. Accordingly, the chair back is
attached to the chair seat with the back connecting bar extending
therebetween. Other parts, such as a base, can be connected to the
back and seat to complete the assembly of the chair.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 shows a back connecting bar according to a preferred
embodiment of this invention for connecting a chair back to a chair
seat without the use of tools or special skill;
[0010] FIG. 2 shows the back connecting bar of FIG. 1 connected at
one end to the chair back and adapted to be detachably connected at
the opposite end to the chair seat;
[0011] FIG. 3 shows a set of fasteners to be moved upwardly through
the opposite end of the back connecting bar for removable receipt
by the chair seat by which the back and seat are attached to one
another; and
[0012] FIG. 4 shows the bottom of the chair seat with the opposite
end of the back connecting bar and a seat plate assembly connected
thereto.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] A back connecting bar 1 according to a preferred embodiment
of this invention is initially described while referring to FIG. 1
of the drawings. As will be described in greater detail
hereinafter, the back connecting bar 1 enables the quick and easy
connection of the back (designated 22 in FIG. 2) to the seat
(designated 26) of a home or office chair without the use of tools
or special skill. Thus, the connecting bar 1 is ideally suitable
for a chair that is sold disassembled in a compact shipping package
and assembled following purchase.
[0014] The back connecting bar 1 is preferably manufactured from
steel, or the like, and has an "L" shape. As will also be
explained, a vertical first end 3 of the back bar 1 is initially
connected (e.g., bolted) to the back of the chair by the
manufacturer. A horizontal opposite end 5 of the bar 1 is to be
connected to the seat of the chair during assembly by the user or
purchaser. An embossing 7 is shown running along the connecting bar
1 between the vertical and horizontal ends 3 and 5 thereof to
maximize strength and rigidity.
[0015] A set of holes 9 is formed in the vertical end 3 of the back
connecting bar 1 through which to receive a corresponding set of
fasteners (e.g., bolts) to permit the bar 1 to be fixedly connected
to the chair back such as at an internal plywood back support (not
shown). Another set of holes 10 is formed in the horizontal end 5
of the back connecting bar 1 for the receipt of respective
fasteners 12 to permit the bar to be detachably connected to the
chair seat.
[0016] According to the preferred embodiment, each fastener 12
includes a (e.g., molded) knob 14 having wings 16 extending
outwardly therefrom. The wings 16 provide an enlarged gripping area
for a hand of the user. A threaded shank 18 projects from each knob
14. The threaded shanks 18 of fasteners 12 are moved upwardly
through the holes 10 in the horizontal end 5 of the back connecting
bar 1 during assembly of the chair.
[0017] Referring in this regard to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings,
the vertical end 3 of the back connecting bar 1 is shown projecting
downwardly and outwardly from the interior of the back 22 of the
chair via a slot 24 formed in the external covering or upholstery.
As earlier explained, the vertical end 3 of bar 1 is fixedly
connected to the chair back 22 (e.g., at an internal plywood back
support lying therewithin). During the no-tools assembly of the
back 22 to the seat 26 of the chair, the chair seat 26 is first
laid over the horizontal end 5 of the connecting bar 1. The
threaded shanks 18 of the fasteners 12 are then pushed upwardly and
through the holes 10 formed in the horizontal end 5 into receipt by
corresponding axial-aligned threaded holes (also not shown) that
are formed in the bottom of the seat 26.
[0018] A rotational force applied by the user to each of the
fasteners 12 at the wings 16 of the knobs thereof (designated 14 in
FIG. 1) causes the threaded shanks 18 of fasteners 12 to rotate
into detachable mating engagement with the correspondingly threaded
holes in the bottom of the chair seat 26. Accordingly, the chair
back 22 will be interconnected to and stand upwardly from the chair
seat 26 by way of the back connecting bar 1 (best shown in FIG. 3).
It may be appreciated that the foregoing connection is accomplished
simply by means of the manual manipulation (i.e., rotation) of the
fasteners 12 through the connecting bar 1 and into removable
receipt by the seat 26, but without requiring the use of tools or
the application of special skill. In this same regard, should it
become necessary following assembly to detach the chair back 22
from the chair seat 26, the fasteners 12 are rotated in an opposite
direction out of engagement with the seat so as to be removed from
the back connecting bar 1.
[0019] Turning now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown the
bottom of the chair seat 26 after the chair back 22 and the chair
seat 26 are connected to one another by the back connecting bar 1
of this invention in the manner just described. FIG. 4 shows a seat
plate assembly 30 that is adapted to be connected to the bottom of
seat 26 by the user without the use of tools or special skill.
Details of a similar seat plate assembly 30 like that shown in FIG.
4 are available by referring to patent application Ser. No.
12/655,486 filed Jan. 4, 2010. Briefly, the seat plate assembly 30
includes a spring tension adjust knob 32 and a gas cylinder
receiver 34 to which a seat lift gas cylinder (not shown) is to be
attached to selectively control the elevation and stiffness of the
seat 26 above the ground to suit the needs of the user.
[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal end 5 of the
back connecting bar 1 that is connected to the chair seat 26
overlaps a pair of outstretched legs of the seat plate assembly 30.
To enhance the structural integrity of the connecting bar 1, one of
the fasteners 12 which is received at the bottom of the seat 26
extends through the overlapping horizontal end 5 and seat plate
assembly 30. However, it is to be understood that seat plate
assembly 30 forms no part of the present invention. Once the back
and seat 22 and 26 are attached to one another, the seat plate
assembly 30 at the bottom of the seat 22 is coupled to a base (not
shown) to advance a no-tools assembly of the chair.
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