U.S. patent number 3,591,233 [Application Number 04/789,832] was granted by the patent office on 1971-07-06 for article of furniture.
Invention is credited to Christian H. Turcksin.
United States Patent |
3,591,233 |
Turcksin |
July 6, 1971 |
ARTICLE OF FURNITURE
Abstract
An article of furniture, such as a chair, comprising: a base
frame formed from at least two spaced-apart side sections
interconnected by at least one cross-strut; at least one back and
seat unit universally displaceable between said side sections by
the suspension of said back and seat unit between said side
sections by means of at least one elastic sheet secured at at least
one end to at least one side section and being in supporting
engagement with said back and seat unit and optionally provided
with an elastic retaining strip securable at one end to said back
seat unit and at its other end to a cross-strut in the front region
of said base frame so as to limit the rising movement of the front
of said back and seat unit when loaded.
Inventors: |
Turcksin; Christian H.
(Detmold, Lippe, DT) |
Family
ID: |
3579672 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/789,832 |
Filed: |
January 8, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Jun 17, 1968 [OE] |
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A5794/68 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/440.11;
297/276; 297/282; 297/448.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
7/14 (20130101); A47C 1/03261 (20130101); A47C
3/0255 (20130101); A47C 7/44 (20130101); A47C
1/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
1/02 (20060101); A47C 7/14 (20060101); A47c
003/025 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/445,452,441,281,273,276,282 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Machado; Reinaldo P.
Claims
I claim:
1. An article of furniture, such as a chair, comprising: a base
frame formed from at least two spaced apart side sections
interconnected by at least one cross-strut; at least one back and
seat unit comprising a rigid angle frame carrying resilient seat
and back cushioning means in planes arranged at an obtuse angle
relative to each other; and means for resiliently suspending said
back and seat unit from said base frame to allow universal
displacement of said back and seat unit relative to said base frame
consisting of at least one elastic sheet having one end attached to
said rigid angle frame adjacent the seat portion of said angle
frame and an opposite end attached to one of said side sections,
thereby to allow universal displacement of said back and seat unit
relative to said base frame.
2. An article according to claim 1 wherein said means for
resiliently suspending said back and seat unit comprises elastic
sheet means having edges attached to said back and seat unit and
opposite edges attached to portions of said side sections of said
base frame which form arm rests, whereby said back and seat unit is
resiliently suspended from said arm rest portions of said article
of furniture.
3. An article of furniture according to claim 1 wherein at least
one elastic sheet extending almost over the entire depth of the
seat and at least one auxiliary elastic strip associated with the
sheet in the rear area of the seat are provided for the universally
displaceable suspension of said back and seat unit between said two
side members, said auxiliary strip being longer than said elastic
sheet for delayed spring action when said seat and back unit is
loaded.
4. An article of furniture according to claim 1 wherein each side
section is of a substantially U-shaped form with one lower shank
thereof forming a supporting surface, the other upper shank forming
an arm and the crosspiece forming a leg and wherein each side
section comprises two telescopic interconnectable U-shaped members,
one U-shaped member being provided in the region of said arm (upper
shank) with a recess such as a longitudinal slot through which one
end of said elastic sheet passes and is secured, by means of
terminal reinforcements of said elastic sheet, between the inner
and outer telescopic U-shaped members of said side members.
5. An article according to claim 1 having an elastic retaining
strip extending across the front of said seat portion of said angle
frame, said elastic retaining strip having one end connected to
said back and seat unit and an opposite end connected to said base
frame, thereby to resiliently oppose upward movement of the front
edge of said seat portion of said back and seat unit.
6. An article of furniture according to claim 5 wherein said back
and seat unit comprises a framework having at least one elastic
sheet, tube or the like cover drawn thereover and said elastic
sheet is securable at one end by means of screws or the like
between a portion of said side section forming an arm and an arm
ledge and at its other end by vulcanizing to said elastic sheet,
tube or the like drawn over said seat frame; and wherein said
retaining strip is connected at one end to the back and seat cover
by vulcanizing or mechanical means and at its other end, formed as
a tubular portion, is optionally retained on said cross-strut.
7. An article of furniture according to claim 6 wherein said
elastic sheet is secured at at least one end to at least one side
section above the plane of the seat portion.
8. An article of furniture according to claim 6 wherein said
elastic sheet consists of a web which is elastic in one direction
and has elastic threads extending in the direction of the center
longitudinal plane of the chair (axis of symmetry).
9. An article of furniture according to claim 8 wherein said
elastic web is of a fabric whose warp and/or weft threads
preferably have at least in part, cores of vulcanized rubber
threads round which textile threads are spirally wound.
10. An article of furniture according to claim l wherein each side
section is of a substantially U-shaped form with the U-shanks being
formed as legs and the crosspiece thereof as an arm and wherein
each side section comprises two telescopic interconnectable
U-shaped members, one U-shaped member being provided in the region
of said arm (crosspiece) with a recess such as a longitudinal slot
through which one end of said elastic sheet passes and is secured,
by means of terminal reinforcements of said elastic sheet, between
the inner and outer telescopic U-shaped members of said side
members.
11. An article of furniture according to claim 10 wherein said
reinforcements, formed at the end of said elastic sheet comprises a
tubular portion capable of optionally receiving retaining a rod
therethrough, the cross section of which retaining rod being
greater than the width of said slot to prevent undesired withdrawal
of said end from said recess.
Description
The present invention concerns an item of furniture for sitting
and/or reclining, such as an arm chair or couch, having a seating
surface and a back between the sides of a base frame.
In the case of conventional chairs, the seat and back are movable
only in a certain direction relatively to the suspension since the
back and the seat are connected to one end of the base frame and
the connecting area is suspended freely displaceable between the
back and the seat.
Such known chairs have efficient spring suspension but do not
permit a frequently desirable change of position of the seat and
back relative to the frame.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an item of
furniture which, in addition to simple construction, easy
manufacture and efficient spring suspension, has an arrangement of
the seat and back relatively to the frame adaptable to the desired
position of the person using said furniture.
According to the present invention, seating and/or reclining
furniture such as arm chairs, couches or the like having a seat and
back arranged between the frame is characterized by the feature
that the seat and back are suspended to be movable in all
directions between the frame by means of at least one elastic
band.
In a preferred embodiment, the elastic or resilient band or sheet
may be arranged in the region of the seat and secured in the region
of its end to the frame above the seat. One or more bands may be
provided on both the sides of the seat with one end being secured
on the frame of the seat and the other end on the frame of the
chair, preferably on the arms.
The elastic sheets may be detachably secured to the side portions
and the seat. Furthermore, an additional longer elastic strip may
be associated with the side sheets at the rear of the seat, which
longer strip operates as a subsequently acting spring element for
receiving loads with constantly good spring properties; for
limiting the change in the position of the seat and back an elastic
supporting band may be provided at the front of the chair, which
band may be detachably secured to the seat and a transverse strut
of the frame.
It is preferable to form the framework of two side portions rigidly
or detachably connected together by means of cross-struts and
having a U-shaped or rectangular base form of, for example, metal,
wood or plastics material.
The frames forming the seat and back may be connected at a certain
and preferably obtuse angle relatively to each other, by welding or
the like to form a rigid unit in the abutting area and provided
with elastic bands or flexible tubes or the like resilient members
to form the under springing of the seat and back.
The chair of the present invention is simple to construct, easy and
economical to produce and has very efficient spring characteristics
of its seat and back. The seat and back form a unit which is
preferably arranged to be displaceable in every direction between
the base frame. This seat and back is held on the base frame in a
simple and reliable manner by means of one or more elastic sheets
which permit movement of the seat and back according to the
position of the body of the person using the chair. Because of the
resilient and floating arrangement of the seat and back, these two
loading surfaces, which are rigidly connected together, adapt
themselves to the position of the body so that this seating and/or
reclining chair may be used as a multipurpose item of furniture.
The loading capacity of the seat and the back is desirably very
great and designed according to actual requirements, whilst at the
same time, gentle suspension is ensured.
The construction of the base frame is very simple and assembly
thereof is easy and attachment of the seat and back extremely
simple.
The chair has an extremely efficient spring capacity and great
loading capacity in addition to long life without signs of fatigue
of the elastic sheets, tubes, bands or strips and represents a
convenient chair, providing a favorable seating, reclining and
leaning surface for the person using it.
The invention will be described further, by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an arm chair having a seat and back
unit suspended in a base frame;
FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the chair of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view partly in section of the chair of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a front view partly in section, of the securing region of
the seat and back with the base frame according to the encircled
region A in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of the seat
with attachment to the base frame according to the encircled region
B of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a base
frame;
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of part of the frame of FIG.
6;
FIG. 8 is a front view of a modified construction of a seat or
chair having two seats and backs arranged side by side;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a chair;
FIG. 10 is a section through the chair taken on the line I-I of
FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a section through the same chair taken on the line II-II
of FIG. 9; and
FIG. 12 is a rear view of a part of the same chair corresponding to
the encircled region C of FIG. 9 having a cross-strut detachably
secured to a side portion in the exploded condition.
A chair for seating or reclining such as an armchair or couch
according to the invention, has a base frame 10 in which seat 11
and back 12 are arranged so as to be freely suspended. The base
frame 10 has two, preferably parallel, side members 14 which are
connected together by means of cross-struts 13 and are formed
preferably of inverted U-shaped metal stirrups. The sides of the
U-shaped side members 14 represent the legs of the chair and the
top crosspieces of the side portions 14 form the arms (see FIG. 1).
The members 14 are preferably produced from tubing having a
rectangular, round, oval or polygonal cross section.
The seat 11 and back 12 have frames 15 and 16 of, for example, a
rectangular base form and are rigidly connected together at a
certain and preferably obtuse angle relatively to each other by
means of welding. One or several elastic bands or flexible tubes 17
may be drawn round these two frames 15 and 16 to form with the
frames 15 and 16, the underspringing of the seat and back. This
underspringing of the seat and back forms a unit suspended between
the base frame 10 which is displaceable in every direction by means
of at least one elastic sheet 18. It is preferable to provide the
elastic sheet 18 in the region of the underspringing of the seat
(seat frame 15), and the sheet 18 may extend under the entire width
of the seat and be secured at its ends extending beyond the width
of the seat, above the underspringing, to the base frame 10,
preferably to the arms. The elastic sheet 18 preferably extends
over substantially the entire depth of the seat and thus supports
the entire surface of the underspringing of said seat.
The elastic sheet 18 may be formed of two parts which are provided
in the two side regions of the seat 11 and be connected at one end
to the base frame 10, preferably the arm, and at the other end to
the seat frame 15.
A plurality of elastic sheets 18 arranged adjacent one another at
spaced intervals to provide the floating suspension for the seat 11
and back 12, extend as strips in the side areas of the seat from
the base frame 10 to the seat frame 15 or, alternatively, from one
side of the frame under the seat frame 15 as far as the other side
of the base frame.
The sheet 18 is elastic in one direction and is provided with
elastic threads extending in the direction of the axis of symmetry
of the chair so that the sheet is elastic in the direction of the
standing surface of the seating and/or reclining chair.
The elastic band or tube 17, serving as seat and back band, and the
elastic sheet 18 consist in each case of an elastic web of fabric,
the weft and/or warp threads of which have preferably and at least
partially, cores of vulcanized rubber threads round which textile
threads are spirally wound.
The sheet 18 is secured at one end by means of screws between the
arm and a strip 19 provided thereon and can be secured at the other
end to the band 17 of the seat frame 15 by, for example,
vulcanizing.
It is preferable to manufacture the frames 15 and 16, the side
members 14 and the cross-struts 13 of rectangular tubing. In the
front area of the seat frame at least one elastic retaining strip
20 may be provided which limits the upward movement of the seat
frame 15 when a person seated thereon leans back, and can be
attached at one end to the seat frame 15 and at the other end to
the front cross-strut 13 of the base frame 10. The retaining strip
20, or a plurality of retaining strips arranged by vulcanizing side
by side at spaced intervals, is secured at one end to the band 17
of the seat 11 and at the other end is disposed round the
cross-struts 13 and formed by vulcanizing into an attachment loop
21 (see FIG. 5).
A different type of base frame 22 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 which
is formed of two spaced apart side portions 24 connected together
by cross-struts 23. The side members 24 preferably have a U-form,
one side of each portion forming the leg (standing surface) and the
other side, the arm.
Each side member 24 may be made of wood for example and have two
telescoping stirrups 25, 26 which may be connected together by
screws, glue or the like securing means: 25 representing the outer
stirrup into which stirrup 26 may be inserted. The elastic web 18
supporting seat 11 and back 12, or the seat and back
underspringing, is secured at its ends to the side members 24, the
web 18 being enlarged or thickened in the region of its ends,
extends through the inner stirrup 26 and is supported by its
reinforcement 27 on the inner stirrup 26.
The inner stirrup 26 has a recess, such as slot 28, through which
the web 18 is passed by its ends. The reinforcement 27 of the web
18 is supported between the outer and inner stirrups 25, 26 on the
inner stirrup 26, whereby this web 18 is suspended at both ends
from the side members 24. It is preferable to provide reinforcement
27 of the sheet 18 at its two ends by loops through which there
extend a retaining rod 29 of, for example, metal or wood. The cross
section of the retaining rod 29 and the sheet loop is greater than
the width of the longitudinal slot 28 so as to prevent the end of
the sheet 18 slipping through. The retaining sheet 18 may also be
formed as a sheet extending over the entire depth of the seat or be
formed by several strips extending over the entire width of the
seat. Furthermore, the sheet 18 may be formed of two parts provided
in the side areas of the seat underpsringing, said parts being
secured at their other ends to the band 17 of the seat frame 15 by
e.g. vulcanizing or adhesion. The cross-struts 23 are preferably
provided on the inner stirrups 26 and extend, when the side
portions 24 are pushed together, between the outer and inner
stirrups 25 and 26. The inner stirrups 26 may be provided with
several spacers 30 which determine the spacing between the two
stirrups 25 and 26 to be connected.
The seat 11 and back 12 and the seat and back underspringing are
displaceably suspended in the base frame 22, corresponding to the
base frame 10 of FIG. 1 by means of the elastic sheet 18. Pads 31
may be disposed on the seat and back underspringing.
An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8 and
comprises a base frame 31 in which, for example, two seats 32 with
backs 33 are displaceably suspended. The base frame 31 is composed
of three side members 35 connected together by cross-struts 34 and
has a U-shaped stirrup form and U-shaped members may be arranged to
stand on the legs or rest on one leg.
The basic form of the seats 32 and backs 33 and the suspension
thereof correspond to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The
suspension of the seat 32 and back 33 is also provided by means of
elastic sheets 36 which are secured to the side members 35 in the
region of the arms 37. The sheets 36 may be secured by means of
screws or adhesives between the side members 35 and the associated
arms or, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in
slots formed in the side members 35. The center side member 35
serves to secure two elastic sheets 36 so that only three side
members 35 are required for the two seats 32. In the adjacent
marginal areas of the two seats 32, two sheets 36 may be provided
which extend from the respective seats 32 to the side members 35,
or one sheet 36 may be provided which is secured at both its ends
to the seats 32 and is secured in the center area between the side
member 35 and arm 37 or extend through a slot into the center
member 35.
It is preferable to form the side members 35 of tubes of circular
cross section.
Furthermore, a plurality of seats 32 and backs 33 may be arranged
adjacent to each other, the adjacent marginal areas of two seats
being always secured to one side member 35.
A further embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 12 in which the
chair has two side frame members 38 having, for example, an angular
and preferably rounded rectangular section. The two side frame
members 38 are spaced from each other by means of front and rear
transverse struts 39, 40.
In FIGS. 9 to 12 a seat 41 with back 42, similar to that of FIGS. 1
to 5, is shown displaceably suspended between the two side members
38, the seat 41 and back 42 having rectangular frames 43 which abut
each other at certain and preferably obtuse angle and which are
rigidly connected together. One or possibly more elastic bands or
tubes 44 representing the underspringing of the seat and back are
drawn round the two frames 43.
The seat 41 with back 42 is floatably suspended so as to be
displaceable in all directions between the side members 38 by means
of lateral elastic sheets 45. Each lateral sheet 45 is detachably
connected at its upper ends to the side members 38 and at the lower
end to the seat 41, and at its lower end to the lower side of the
seat 41 in its lateral marginal areas by means of a clamping strip
46 and screws 47 or the like securing means engaging therewith and
extending into the seat frame 43. The upper ends of the side sheets
45 are formed into loops 48 which extend through slots 49 (only one
shown) in the upper horizontal part of the frames 38 and are each
secured by means of a retaining rod 50 of metal, plastics material
or wood passing through loop 48. It is preferable for the cross
section of the retaining rod 50 to be slightly larger than the
width of the slot 49 so that the retaining rod 50 disposed in the
loop 48 rests on top of the members 38, and when the sheet 45 is
under tension, it cannot be pulled through the slot 49 with its
loop 48, thus preventing undesirable detachment (see FIG. 10).
Towards the rear of the seat 41 an auxiliary elastic strip 51 of
smaller width than sheet 45 is associated with each sheet 45 and is
detachably secured to the members 38 and the seat 41 in a similar
manner as sheet 45. The strip 51 is longer than the adjacent band
45 by sufficient amount so that it remains untensioned until sheet
45 received a certain load. If the sheet 45 is loaded beyond this
certain load, tensioning of the longer strip 51 ensues so that the
loading forces are received by both the sheet 45 and the strip 51
so that, because of their difference in length, different loads may
be received with a satisfactory spring property and additional
spring elements are rendered unnecessary. Sheet 45 and strip 51 can
absorb heavy loads; smaller loads being compensated by the sheet 45
with the strip 51 serving as a (delayed action) spring in the event
of increasing loads.
At least one retaining band 52 is provided in the front region of
the seat and extends almost over the entire width of the seat thus
limiting the upward movement of the seat 41 when under the load of
a person leaning back, and also limiting the swiveling movement of
the seat and back unit directed downwardly. The retaining band 52
is detachably secured at its upper end to the underside of the seat
frame 43 by means of a clamping strip 53 and screws 54 passing
through the strip 53 and the band 52 extending into the seat frame
43. The other end of the plastic band 52 is formed into a loop 55
which extends from the front of the chair through a slot 56 in the
cross-strut 39 and is detachably secured to the cross-strut 39 by
means of a retaining rod 57. The retaining rod 57 extends through
the loop in the retaining band 52 at the rear of strut 39 and
prevents the band 52 slipping out of the slot 56 when under
tension.
The arrangement of the side sheets 45 and strips 51 of different
length in both side areas, and of the retaining band 52 in the
front region of the chair provides satisfactory spring capacity and
absorption of loads of different weight with a constant spring
suspension. Furthermore, the seat 41 with back 42 can be removed
from the side members 38 as a unit in a simple and rapid manner.
Additional cushions 58 may be disposed on the seat 41 and the back
42 and loose arm cushioning 59 may be laid over the regions of the
frame housing the retaining rods 50 in the sheet loops 48.
In order to make it possible to transport the chair in a simple and
space saving manner, the side members 38 are detachably connected
to the cross struts 39 and 40 by means of mounting fittings. Two
head screws or pins 60 are set in the fronts of the cross-struts
39, 40 and arranged at a space one above the other. The insides of
the side members 38 each have a connecting plate 62 countersunk by
means of screws 61. The connecting plates 62 each have two slots 63
arranged one above the other and enlarged at one end for inserting
the head screws 60 which can be inserted in the slot 63 at right
angles to the plane of the plate and thereafter displaced
downwardly by a certain amount for connecting the side members 38
to the cross-struts 39,40. The shafts of the head screws 60 when in
engagement extend into the slots 63 with their heads or attachments
being disposed behind the slots 63 in contact with the plate 62 so
that axial displacement of the head screws 60 is prevented. The
front ends of the cross-struts 39, 40 extend along the plates 62
without a clearance and the head screws 60 resting in the slots 63
of the connecting plates 62, establish a firm but detachable
connection between the side frames 38 and the transverse struts 39
and 40. Because of this detachable connection, the base frame
sections formed on side members 38 and cross-struts 39,40 may be
rapidly, simply and compactly packed a feature which makes them
convenient for transportation.
The chair of the invention is advantageously provided with a simple
but gentle and constant spring suspension of the seat and back
which is obtained by means of an elastic sheet which is easy to
manufacture and to secure and is also resistant to stresses.
The seat and back preferably form a spring-suspended unit and can
be changed jointly, in any desired manner, in their position
relatively to the base frame of the chair. The attachment of the
elastic sheet to the seat and back, and also to the base frame, can
be carried out in any other different manner. In addition, the
shape of the base frame may be of any desired type and be formed of
any material such as for example plastics material.
Such a seat may be fitted with either a rigid or resilient seat and
back.
The floating suspension for seating according to the invention is
particularly suitable for use in omnibusses and long distance
coaches since the universally displaceable suspension of the seat
and back unit gives not only considerable technical advantages, but
also a great saving in weight of at least 50 percent and greater
safety in respect of the risk of injury.
On bad roads jolts or bumps are absorbed by the elastic sheets and
not transmitted to the passengers. The base frame can be easily and
simply fitted in an omnibus by virtue of its shape. Since a rigid
back is unnecessary, serious damage to persons is avoided in a
favorable manner in the event of accidents, because the seat and
back are suspended as a unit in a floating manner which thus yields
under loads or absorbs jolts. When the seat is fitted in a vehicle,
the cross-struts may be omitted so that freedom of movement for the
legs of the passengers is ensured. In addition, seats are also
suitable as chairs in large halls.
* * * * *