US3204914A - Chair control - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. R. MEINHARDT CHAIR CONTROL IME Sept. 7, 1965 Filed April 20, 1964 Jbzzzes f%ez zardi Sept. 7, 19 65 J. R. MEINHARDT CHAIR CONTROL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20, 1964 Sept? 19-65 J; R. MEINHARDT 3,204,914

CHAIR CONTROL Filed April 20, 1964 3 SheetsSheet 3 United States Patent 3,204,914 CHAIR CONTROL James R. Meinhardt, Park Ridge, 111., assignor to The Selig Company, a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 360,906 Claims. (Cl. 248374) This invention relates to a chair control, or chair iron, and more particularly to an office chair control such as nlilight be used in a swivelchair or a stenographic posture c an.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved chair iron of simplified construc-' tion in which a tiltable seat or back rest is pivotally mounted upon a headpiece and urged toward a normal position by a rubber torsion member which is generally of the type disclosed in Herold Patent No. 2,087,254.

It is desirable in chair irons to provide some means for adjusting the spring tension which resists the tilting movement of the seat or back so that the chair may comfortably accommodate persons of different Weight. In prior devices, the'headpiece and spring adjusting mechanism were complex and made from relatively heavy materials; while in the present invention the headpiece and spring adjusting mechanism require only a few commercially available parts and members which are readily fabricated by stamping.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a chair iron headpiece which is made from a generally U-shaped plate. By constructing the headpiece in this manner, several functional advantages are provided. The rubber torsion member, the torsion adjusting mechanism, the movement limiting stops, and the support post may all be enclosed within the U-shaped headpiece, thereby providing a very compact and strong structure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair iron in which the arms of a U-shaped headpiece serve both to rigidly fasten the headpiece to the support post and to limit the pivotal or tilting movement of the seat or back in both directions. By providing a projection on the tilting seat fixture and extending it between the arms of the U-shaped headpiece, a very effective and simple limit stop results.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair iron in which a rubber torsion device has inner and outer metal sleeves with a rubber sleeve bonded between them, the inner sleeve is detachably connected to the tilting seat or back support, and an adjusting means including a screw threaded in the headpiece controls the prestress of the rubber sleeve by bearing upon a shoulder on the outer sleeve.

Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a chair iron which has a fixed support post and a seat fixture tiltable relative to the support post, a U-shaped headpiece having arm portions attached to the support post, a rubber torsion device seated within the bight of the headpiece, an elongated channel member extending from a chair seat or back fixture support between the headpiece arm portions adjacent the support post with upper and lower stops adapted to contact the headpiece arm portions when the seat is tilted in either direction, an L-shaped plate having two legs slidable on one of the headpiece arms and in engagement with an outer metal' sleeve of the rubber torsion device, and a screw threaded in the headpiece for adjusting the L shaped plate to vary the prestress in the torsion device.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied to both an oflice swivel chair and to a stenographic posture chair, and in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, side elevation of a stemgraphic posture chair incorporating the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the torsion spring adjusting plate;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the torsion spring;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, partially in section, of the device of FIGURE 1 with the back rest in a tilted position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along line 55 of FIGURE 1, showing the headpiece and fixture support;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along line 66 of FIGURE 5, showing the abutment surfaces on the outer sleeve of the torsion spring which receive the adjusting plate;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of an office swivel chair incorporating the present invention with the seat in normal position; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, partly in section, of the device of FIGURE 7 with the seat tilted.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 4, a post provides a vertically adjustable portion of a base, indicated generally at 10, and has a reduced upper end portion 11 and a further reduced extremity 12 forming shoulders 13 and 14 that support a U-shaped headpiece, indicated generally at 15. The headpiece has a lower arm 16 impaled by the post portion 11 and resting on the shoulder 13, a rear bight portion 17, and an upper arm 18 impaled by the post extremity 12 and resting on the shoulder 14. A fixed seat bracket 19 has a cross web 20 seated on the arm 18, impaled by the post extremity 12, and is fixed to the headpiece by a head 21 on the post. At the front of the lower headpiece arm 16 is an upright flange 22 having a threaded hole 23. i

A torsion unit or resilient unit 24 is mounted in the bight 17 of the headpiece and includes an inner rotatable metal sleeve 25, an outer normally stationary metal sleeve 26, and an intermediate rubber sleeve 27 which is bonded to both the metal sleeve. As best seen in FIGURE 3, the inner sleeve has aligned grooves 28 at both ends; and as best seen in FIGURE 6, the outer sleeve 26 has slots 29 forming forwardly facing shoulders 30. A bolt 31 extending through the inner sleeve 25 provides a pivot for the torsion unit and for a fixture support, indicated generally at 32.

Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, the fixture support 32 consists of a U-shaped pivot member 35 and a bracket 36 having leg portions 37 and 38 flanking the U-shaped member 35 and pivotally connected thereto by pivot pins 40 and 41 A threaded draw row assembly, generally indicated by the numeral 44, clamps the bracket 36 to the U-shaped member 35 in the desired angular position.-

The U-shaped pivot member 35 has stepped legs 45 and 46 which flank the headpiece 15 and have apertured internal bosses 48 and 49, respectively which receive the bolt 31'and engage the grooves 28 on the ends of the inner sleeve 25 of the torsion unit thereby providing a pivotal mounting for the fixture support 32 on' the head- A conventional back rest assembly 39 is vertically slidable on the bracket 36 to which it is secured in anadjusted position byf'a hand screw 42; A hand wheel 73 on the draw boltassembly 44 permits the back rest assembly- 12 and the bracket 36 to be locked in any desired angular Patented Sept. 7, 1965 position relative to the fixture support 35. The fixture support 32, the back rest assembly 39 and the inner sleeve rotate as a unit within the headpiece 15.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, a forwardly open channel member connects the forward parts of the legs 45 and 46 of the U-shaped member 35. A lower web 51 of the channel provides a stop having rubber pads 52 and 53, and an upper web 55 provides a stop having rubber pads 56 and 57, said stops 51 and 55 abutting, respectively, against the lower arm 16 and the upper arm 18 of the headpiece to limit pivotal movement of said fixture support in both directions.

The prestress of the torsion unit 15 is adjustable by an assembly that consists of an L shaped bifurcated adjusting late 60 slidably mounted on the lower arm 16 of the headpiece 15, and a screw 61 threaded through the hole 23 in the headpiece flange 22 and cooperating with said adjusting plate. As shown more clearly in FIGURE 2, the adjusting plate has legs 62 and 63 which flank the post 11 and have engaging surfaces 64 and 65 that abut the shoulders 30 of the torsion unit outer sleeve 26, and an upstanding web 66 at the front of the plate with an aperture 67 which receives a stepped end of the adjusting screw 61. Thus, rotation of the adjusting screw to move the plate to the left in FIGURE 1, serves to turn the outer sleeve 26 clockwise and increase the prestress in the rubber sleeve 27.

Referring to FIGURES 7 and 8 wherein the chair iron is shown with a tiltable seat fixture rather than the tailtable back rest assembly of FIGURES 1 to 6, a post provides a vertically adjustable portion of a base, indicated generally at 110, and has a reduced upper end portion 111 affording shoulders 113 and 114 that support a U- shaped headpiece 115 held on by a head 121 on the post.

Headpiece 115 is identical with headpiece 15 and is thus not described in detail; and a torsion unit 124 is identical with unit 24 and thus also not described in .detail except to statethat it includes an inner sleeve 125 having grooves 128 at its ends. A seat and back rest 176 are resiliently tiltable as a unit about the headpiece 115. A seat fixture support 177 has vertically depending legs 178 and 179 which flank the headpiece 115 and have inwardly extending bosses 180 stamped therein which engage the grooves 128 in the ends of the inner sleeve 125 thereby fixing the seat fixture support 179 to the inner sleeve. A bolt 181 impales the depending legs 178 and 179 thereby permitting the seat fixture support 177 to tilt in a counterclockwise direction While the torsion unit urges the fixture support in a clockwise direction. A channel member 183 connects the forward portions of the depending plates 178 and 179 providing limit stops 184 and 185 in the same manner as the stops 51 and .55 in the device of FIGURES 1 to 6. The adjusting plate 187 is constructed and operates in the same manner as the adjusting plate 60, as described with respect to FIGURES 1 to 6.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A chair iron comprising: a base; a headpiece on said base; a resilient unit mounted on said headpiece having one portion thereof normally stationary with respect to said headpiece and having a second portion thereof rotatable with respect to said headpiece; a fixture support connected to said second portion for tilting movement relative to the base, and biased to a predetermined position by the resilient unit; and an adjusting plate slidably mounted on said headpiece for rectilinear movement and engaging said one portion of said resilient unit whereby the resistance to tilting of the fixture support may be adjusted.

2. A chair iron, comprising: a base; a headpiece mounted on said base and having vertically spaced arm portions; a resilient torsion unit mounted on said headpiece between said arm portions, said unit including an outer sleeve normally stationary with respect to said headpiece, an inner sleeve, and a resilient member interposed between and secured to said outer and inner sleeves; a fixture support connected to said inner sleeve for tilting movement relative to said base and biased to a predetermined position by said torsion unit; an adjusting plate slidably mounted on one of said arm portions for rec-tilinear movement and engaging said outer sleeve; and means mounted on said one arm portion and engaging said plate to slide the latter and rotate the outer sleeve, whereby the torsional resistance to movement of said fixture support may be varied by changing the prestress of the resilient member.

3. A chair iron, comprising: a base; a generally U- shaped headpiece mounted on said base and having two vertically spaced arm portions; a resilient unit mounted in said headpiece, said resilient unit having one portion thereof normally stationary with respect to said headpiece and a second portion thereof resiliently movable with respect to said headpiece; a fixture support connected to said second portion for tilting movement relative to said base; and a projection on said fixture support extending between said arm portions, said projection having means for engaging each of said arm portions at either extreme position of the tiltable fixture support whereby the tilting movement of the fixture support is limited.

4. A chair iron, comprising: a base including an upright. post; a generally U-shaped headpiece having vertically spaced arm portions, both of which are impaled by said post, one arm of said headpiece having an upright flange opposite the bight of the U; a resilient unit including an outer sleeve mounted in said headpiece and having an abutment surface thereon, an inner sleeve, and a resilient sleeve interposed between and bonded to said outer and inner sleeves; a fixture support connected to said inner sleeve for tilting movement relative to said headpiece and biased to a predetermined position by said resilient unit; an elongated projection extending from said fixture support between said headpiece arm portions, said projection having upper and lower stops thereon for engaging said headpiece arm portions to limit movement of said fixture support; an L-shaped plate having two legs, one of said plate legs being bifurcated and slidably mounted on one of said headpiece arm portions with its bifurcated legs flanking said post and engaging said abutment surface; and a screw threadedly engaging the flange on said headpiece and abutting said other plate leg, whereby the torsional resistance to movement of said fixture support may be varied by turning said screw to slide the plate and thus change the prestress of the resilient sleeve. 5. A chair iron, comprising: a base including an upright post; a generally U-shaped headpiece having two vertically spaced arm portions impaled by said post; a torsion unit mounted in the bight of said V-shaped headpiece; said torsion unit including an outer sleeve, an inner sleeve having grooves at each end, and a resilient sleeve interposed between said outer and inner sleeves; means on said headpiece for normally retaining said torsion unit in a fixed position in the bight of said U; a fixture support having arms flanking said headpiece, each of said arms having an internal boss fitted within one of said grooves, whereby said fixture support is tiltable relative to said base and biased to a predetermined position by said torsion unit.

6. The chair iron of claim 5, and further including, a projection on said fixture support extending between said arm portions, said projection having means for engaging each of said arm portions at either extreme position of the tiltable fixture support, whereby the tilting movement of the fixture support is limited.

7. The chair iron of claim 5, and further including, means on said headpiece for engaging and rotating said outer sleeve relative to said headpiece whereby the prestress of the torsion unit may be adjusted.

8. A chair iron, comprising: a base; a generally U- shaped headpiece mounted on said base and having two vertically spaced arm portions; a torsion unit mounted within the bight of said U-shaped headpiece including, an outer sleeve having a slot therein forming an abutment surface, an inner sleeve, and a resilient sleeve interposed between said outer and inner sleeves; adjusting means on said headpiece and engaging said abutment surface for changing the prestress of the torsion unit; and a fixture support connected to said inner sleeve for tilting movement relative to said base and biased to a predetermined position by the torsion unit.

5 between the fixture support and the inner sleeve comprises interengaging bosses and slots.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/37 Herold 248374 3,120,942 2/64 Sauage 248-374 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CHAIR IRON COMPRISING: A BASE; A HEADPIECE ON SAID BASE; A RESILIENT UNIT MOUNTED ON SAID HEADPIECE HAVING ONE PORTION THEREOF NORMALLY STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO SAID HEADPIECE AND HAVING A SECOND PORTION THEREOF ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID HEADPIECE; A FIXTURE SUPPORT CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND PORTION FOR TILTING MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE BASE, AND BIASED TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION BY THE RESILIENT UNIT; AND AN ADJUSTING PLATE SLIDABLY

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