U.S. patent application number 12/911487 was filed with the patent office on 2012-04-26 for reclining chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to HUMANSCALE CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Emilian Dan Cartis, Mark McKenna.
Application Number | 20120098313 12/911487 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45972394 |
Filed Date | 2012-04-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120098313 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cartis; Emilian Dan ; et
al. |
April 26, 2012 |
Reclining Chair
Abstract
In the specification and drawings a reclinable chair is
described and shown having a recline mechanism pivotally attaching
a backrest to a support assembly. The recline mechanism comprises a
coupler operatively connected to an elastomeric spring assembly.
The elastomeric spring assembly has four elastomeric inserts
positioned between a polygon-shaped core and a polygon-shaped
exterior housing. The exterior housing is fixed to the backrest,
while the core is fixed to the coupler. The exterior housing has an
outwardly protruding tooth positioned between the coupler's
inwardly protruding preload stop and the coupler's inwardly
protruding recline stop such that the primary tooth engages the
preload stop when the chair is in a rested state and engages the
recline stop when the chair is in a fully reclined state.
Inventors: |
Cartis; Emilian Dan;
(Brooklyn, NY) ; McKenna; Mark; (New York,
NY) |
Assignee: |
HUMANSCALE CORPORATION
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
45972394 |
Appl. No.: |
12/911487 |
Filed: |
October 25, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/354.12 ;
297/354.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/448 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/354.12 ;
297/354.1 |
International
Class: |
A47C 1/025 20060101
A47C001/025 |
Claims
1. A reclinable chair, comprising: a. a support assembly; b. a
backrest; c. a recline mechanism pivotally attaching the backrest
to the support assembly, the recline mechanism comprising: i. An
elastomeric spring assembly comprising at least four elastomeric
inserts positioned between a polygon-shaped core and a
polygon-shaped exterior housing, the exterior housing comprising an
outwardly protruding primary tooth; and ii. A coupler comprising an
inwardly protruding preload stop spaced apart from an inwardly
protruding recline stop, wherein the coupler is coupled to the
elastomeric spring assembly such that the exterior housing's
primary tooth is positioned between the preload stop and the
recline stop.
2. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the support assembly
comprises a seat attached to a base.
3. The chair of claim 2, wherein the coupler is attached to the
seat.
4. The chair of claim 2, wherein the coupler is attached to the
base.
5. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the coupler comprises
an arm fixed to a cup, the cup defining a proximate side and a
distal side, wherein the arm is attached to the base and the
proximate side of the cup is attached to the seat.
6. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the preload stop is
spaced apart from the recline stop a sufficient distance to allow
for the exterior housing to rotate about the core .+-.12
degrees.
7. The reclinable chair of claim 6, wherein the exterior housing is
approximately twenty-five millimeters in length.
8. The reclinable chair of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve for
mounting the elastomeric spring assembly to the backrest.
9. The reclinable chair of claim 8, wherein the sleeve comprises an
inner periphery and an outer periphery, wherein the outer periphery
is attached to the backrest, and wherein the inner periphery
comprises a primary notch for mating with the exterior housing's
primary tooth.
10. The reclinable chair of claim 8, wherein the exterior housing
comprises a plurality of outwardly protruding primary teeth spaced
apart from a plurality of outwardly protruding secondary teeth.
11. The reclinable chair of claim 10, wherein the sleeve comprises
an inner periphery and an outer periphery, wherein the sleeve's
outer periphery is attached to the backrest, and wherein the
sleeve's inner periphery comprises a plurality of primary notches
for mating with the exterior housing's plurality of outwardly
protruding primary teeth, and wherein the sleeve's inner periphery
comprises a plurality of secondary notches for mating with the
exterior housing's plurality of outwardly protruding secondary
teeth.
12. The reclinable chair of claim 8, wherein the backrest comprises
a circular casing.
13. The reclinable chair of claim 12, wherein the sleeve comprises
an inner periphery and an outer periphery, wherein the outer
periphery is mounted within the backrest's circular casing, and
wherein the inner periphery comprises a primary notch for mating
with the exterior housing's primary tooth.
14. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the backrest further
comprises a sleeve having an inner periphery, the inner periphery
comprising a primary notch for mating with the exterior housing's
primary tooth.
15. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the exterior housing
comprises a plurality of outwardly protruding primary teeth spaced
apart from a plurality of outwardly protruding secondary teeth.
16. The reclinable chair of claim 15, wherein the backrest further
comprises a sleeve having an inner periphery, the inner periphery
comprising a plurality of primary notches for mating with the
exterior housing's plurality of outwardly protruding primary teeth,
and wherein the sleeve's inner periphery comprises a plurality of
secondary notches for mating with the exterior housing's plurality
of outwardly protruding secondary teeth.
17. The reclinable chair of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric spring
assembly's core further comprises a central bore having one or more
slots extending therefrom.
18. The reclinable chair of claim 17, wherein the coupler further
comprises a central ring having one or more projections mated to
the core's one or more slots to fix the core to the coupler.
19. A reclinable chair, comprising: a. a support assembly; b. a
backrest; c. a recline mechanism, comprising: i. A coupler attached
to the support assembly, the coupler defining a cup, the cup
comprising an inwardly protruding preload stop spaced apart from an
inwardly protruding recline stop; and ii. An elastomeric spring
assembly positioned at least partially within the coupler's cup,
the elastomeric spring assembly comprising at least four
elastomeric inserts positioned between a polygon-shaped core and a
polygon-shaped exterior housing, wherein the core is fixed to the
coupler and the exterior housing is fixed to the backrest, and
wherein the exterior housing comprising an outwardly protruding
primary tooth positioned between the preload stop and the recline
stop such that the primary tooth engages the preload stop when the
chair is in a rested state and engages the recline stop when the
chair is in a fully reclined state.
20. A reclinable chair, comprising: a. a support assembly; b. a
backrest; c. a recline mechanism, comprising: i. An elastomeric
spring assembly comprising at least four elastomeric inserts
positioned between a polygon-shaped core and a polygon-shaped
exterior housing, the core comprising a central bore having one or
more slots extending therefrom, the exterior housing attached to
the backrest and comprising an outwardly protruding primary tooth;
and ii. A coupler defining a proximate side and a distal side, the
proximate side attached to the support assembly, the distal side
comprising a central ring having one or more projections mated to
the core's one or more slots, the distal side further comprising an
inwardly protruding preload stop spaced apart from an inwardly
protruding recline stop, wherein the exterior housing's primary
tooth is positioned between the preload stop and recline stop.
Description
I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] In order to increase the comfort of a person seated in a
chair, manufacturers have long made chairs with a backrest that is
capable of reclining several degrees with respect to a vertical
position. Today, seats with a reclining backrest are used in homes,
offices, and vehicles. A common feature of reclinable chairs is a
spring mechanism to bias the chair components toward an upright
position. These mechanisms typically include a spring capable of
returning the chair to the upright position when the rearwards
thrust applied by the user ceases. The spring force stored during
recline serves to assist the user when returning to an upright
position.
[0002] Traditionally, the spring mechanisms used in reclinable
chairs have featured steel springs. However, steel springs have low
natural damping, making the springs prone to suffer from unwanted
oscillation and vibration. Steel springs are also succeptible to
corrosion and damage due to shock loads. Elastomeric springs, on
the other hand, have high natural damping, increased shock load
capabilities, and are largely resistant to corrosion. Accordingly,
it would be advantageous to have a recline mechanism featuring an
elastomeric spring, thereby providing an ergonomic, self-dampened
reclinable chair.
II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A reclinable chair having the features of the present
invention comprises a recline mechanism pivotally attaching a
backrest to a support assembly. The recline mechanism can comprise
a coupler operatively connected to an elastomeric spring assembly.
The recline mechanism's elastomeric spring assembly can comprise at
least four elastomeric (rubber) inserts positioned between a
polygon-shaped core and a polygon-shaped exterior housing. The
exterior housing is fixed to the backrest, while the core is fixed
to the coupler. In this arrangement, the exterior housing will
rotate about the core when the backrest is reclined. In order to
provide a means for applying a preload to the spring assembly, the
exterior housing can have at least one outwardly protruding tooth
that engages an inwardly-protruding preload stop of the
coupler.
[0004] In an embodiment of the invention, the recline mechanism can
also feature a means for preventing the spring elastomeric assembly
from extending beyond its maximum torsional range during recline.
The coupler can comprise an inwardly-protruding recline stop spaced
apart from the inwardly protruding preload stop. In this
arrangement, the elastomeric spring assembly's outwardly protruding
tooth will be positioned between the preload stop and the recline
stop such that the tooth engages the preload stop when the chair is
in a rested state and engages the recline stop when the chair is in
a fully reclined state.
[0005] The above summary is not intended to describe each
illustrated embodiment or every possible implementation. It should
also be understood that the specific devices illustrated in the
attached drawings, and described in the following description, are
simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in
the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical
characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are
not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state
otherwise.
III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a right-side perspective view of an embodiment of
the reclinable chair of the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a is a right-side perspective view of the
embodiment of the reclinable chair shown in FIG. 1 with the
backrest removed.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the
chair's recline mechanism.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the
chair's recline mechanism.
[0010] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the recline mechanism's
elastomeric spring assembly.
[0011] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the chair's
recline mechanism and backrest.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the chair's
recline mechanism prior to being attached to the backrest.
[0013] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the chair's
recline mechanism attached to the backrest.
[0014] FIG. 9 is an exploded view showing the recline mechanism's
coupler being attached to the elastomeric spring assembly.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a side view of an embodiment of the recline
mechanism's coupler.
[0016] FIG. 11 is a side view showing the recline mechanism's
coupler coupled to the recline mechanism's elastomeric spring
assembly.
[0017] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view showing the recline
mechanism's coupler coupled to the recline mechanism's elastomeric
spring assembly.
IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the reclinable chair 1 comprises a
recline mechanism 300 pivotally attaching a backrest 200 to a
support assembly 100. The support assembly 100 can comprise a seat
150 mounted to a base 110. The seat can comprise a seat cushion 151
attached to a seat shell 152. The recline mechanism 300 comprises a
coupler 320 coupled to an elastomeric spring assembly 330.
[0019] The backrest 200 is attached to the support assembly 100 by
mounting the coupler 320 to the elastomeric spring assembly 330 and
then securing the coupler 320 to the seat 150 and/or the base 110.
The coupler 320 can comprise an arm 321 attached to a cup 322. The
distal side of the cup 322 is mated to the spring assembly 330 as
described in further detail below. The proximal side of the cup 322
is secured to the seat 150 via one or more screws inserted through
the cup's one or more holes 329. The coupler 320 is secured to the
base 110 by sliding the coupler's arm 321 inside the end of the
base 110. One skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of
fasteners can be used to attached the coupler 320 to either the
seat 150 or the base 110, including bolts, screws, rivits, glue, or
welding. Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the
base 110 can be a pedestal base, a four-legged base, or any other
base suitable for supporting a seat surface. In such embodiments,
the coupler 320 can merely comprise the cup 322, thereby disposing
of the coupler's arm 321.
[0020] An exploded view of the elastomeric spring assembly 330 is
depicted in FIG. 5. The elastomeric spring assembly comprises four
elastomeric (rubber) inserts 333 positioned between a
polygon-shaped core 334 and a polygon-shaped exterior housing 331.
The core 334 is rotated 45 degrees relative to the exterior housing
331. The inserts 333 are arranged in the corners of the exterior
housing 331 and each bears on a face of the core 334. In this
arrangement, any rotation of the exterior housing 331 with respect
to the core 334 (or conversely, rotation of the core 334 with
respect to the exterior housing 331) produces deformation of the
elastomeric inserts 333. The deformation of the elastomeric inserts
333 allows for a torsional range of approximately .+-.30 degrees.
The spring assembly's exterior housing 331 features one or more
primary teeth 331a extending from its outer periphery. The exterior
housing 331 can also feature one or more secondary teeth 331b
extending from its outer periphery. In a preferred embodiment, the
exterior housing 331 is twenty-five millimeters (25 mm) in length
and has four primary teeth 331a and eight secondary teeth 331b.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 6-8, the elastomeric spring assembly 330
can be secured to the backrest 200 via a sleeve 210. The sleeve 210
features one or more primary notches 210a along its inner periphery
which mate with the one or more primary teeth 331a of the spring
assembly's exterior housing 331. The sleeve 210 may also have one
or more secondary notches 210b along its inner periphery for mating
with the exterior housing's secondary teeth 331b. The sleeve 210
can be mounted to the backrest by inserting the sleeve 210 into the
backrest's circular casing 201 and securing it thereto by any
conventional means known in the art. In an alternative embodiment,
the sleeve 210 can be integrally formed within the backrest 200,
thereby allowing the elastomeric spring assembly's exterior housing
331 to be mounted directly to the backrest 200.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 9-12, the coupler 320 is mounted to the
elastomeric spring assembly 330 as follows. The distal side of the
cup 322 can comprise a central ring 323 having one or more
projections 323a. The one or more projections 323a engage the one
or more slots 334a in the spring assembly's core 334 (see FIG. 6)
to fix the spring assembly's core 334 relative to the coupler 320.
The distal side of the cup 322 also features one or more
inwardly-protruding preload stops 322a spaced apart from one or
more inwardly protruding recline stops 322b. When assembled, each
of the elastomeric spring assembly's primary teeth 331a are
positioned between a preload stop 322a and a recline stop 322b.
This positioning allows for the recline mechanism 300 to be
installed in a pretensioned state as described below, and further
protects the spring assembly from extending beyond its maximum
torsional range of .+-.30 degrees when the backrest is
reclined.
[0023] To apply a preload to the recline mechanism 300, the core
334 is rotated in the opposite direction of recline (i.e., in a
forward direction towards the seat) before the coupler 320 is mated
to the spring assembly 330. Once the coupler 320 is mated to the
spring assembly 330, the spring assembly's core 334 is prevented
from discharging the preload because the core 334 is fixed relative
to the coupler 320 due to the engagement of the coupler's one or
more projections 323a with the core's one or more slots 334a. The
spring assembly's exterior housing 331 is also prevented from
discharging the preload due to the interaction of its one or more
primary teeth 331a with the one or more preload stops 322a. As
shown in FIGS. 11-12, each primary tooth 331a will engage a preload
stop 322a when the chair is in a rested state, thereby preventing
the exterior housing 331 from rotating counter-clockwise and
discharging the torsional pretension.
[0024] The recline mechanism can be secured to the backrest 200 via
a bolt axle 340 and a bushing 341 extending through the coupler's
central bore 325 to engage the backrest insert 211. The backrest
insert 211 (See FIG. 6) can be fixedly attached to the central
opening of the sleeve 210 or directly to the backrest 200 by any
conventional fastening means known in the art. Alternatively, the
backrest insert 211 can be formed as an intergral component of
either the sleeve 210 or the backrest 200.
[0025] In operation, a user can recline the chair of the present
invention by exerting a rearward force on the backrest 200. The
spring assembly's exterior housing 331 is mated to the sleeve 210,
which in turn is fixedly attached to the backrest 200. Thus, the
torque produced by the application of a rearward force to the
backrest is transmitted to the spring assembly's exterior housing
331, causing the spring assembly's exterior housing 331 to rotate
about the spring assembly's core 334 in the direction of recline
(i.e., in a rearward direction away the seat). The rotation of the
exterior housing 331 about the core 334 produces deformation of the
elastomeric inserts 333, with the resultant counterbalancing torque
produced by the spring assembly 330 increasing in a progressive
fashion as the backrest 200 is reclined. The chair will recline
until the spring assembly's primary tooth 331a engages the
coupler's recline stop 322b. The interaction of the spring
assembly's tooth 331a with the coupler's recline stop 322b prevents
the spring assembly from extending beyond its maximum torsional
range of .+-.30 degrees, thereby increasing the service life of the
recline mechanism 300. Once the rearward force applied by the user
ceases, the elastomeric spring assembly 330 will unload and return
the chair to the upright position.
[0026] In a preferred embodiment, 18 degrees of preload is applied
to the spring assembly, resulting in each recline mechanism
providing approximately 17 ft-lbs of torque when the chair is in
the rested state. In the preferred embodiment, the recline stop
322b is spaced apart from the preload stop 322a a sufficient
distance to allow for 12 degrees of motion. Over this range, the
torque provided by each recline mechanism 300 will progressively
increase in a generally linear fashion from approximately 17 ft-lbs
of torque at rest to approximately 35 ft-lbs of torque at full
recline. Thus, the recline mechanism will apply a progressively
increasing resistance force as the user reclines in order to
counterbalance the increase in load supported by the back of the
chair.
[0027] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions
set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to
which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teaching
presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated
drawings. For instance, in FIGS. 1-12, the recline mechanism 300 is
shown pivotally attaching the backrest 200 to both the seat 150 and
the base 110. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that
the reclinable chair disclosed herein could be modified such that
the recline mechanism 300 pivotally attaches the backrest 200 to
either the base 110 or the seat 150. As for another example, the
elastomeric spring assembly is depicted in FIGS. 1-12 as comprising
four elastomeric inserts positioned between a generally square core
334 and a generally square exterior housing 331. However, one
skilled in the art will appreciate that both the core and exterior
housing could take the form of various other polygon shapes.
Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate that various
degrees of preload may be desired depending on the type of chair,
the size of the recline mechanism, and/or the desired range of
recline. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are
not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that
modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included
within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms
are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive
sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
* * * * *