Chair and components
AssigneeFormway Furniture Limited
InventorsKent Wallace Parker, Martyn Walter Goodwin Collings, Wayne Douglas O'Hara, Aaron Michael Young, Paul James Stevenson, Gavin James Bateman, Kai Xi Lin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chair support shell has an integral back portion, seat portion, and joining portion between the back portion and the seat portion. At least a major portion of the support shell comprises a compliant structure, the compliant structure having a plurality of cells interconnected by a plurality of resilient members. The compliant structure provides compliance in the seat portion, compliance in the back portion, and compliance in the joining portion. The compliant structure enables recline of the back portion relative to the seat portion.
Claims21
A chair support shell comprising an integral back portion, seat portion, and joining portion between the back portion and the seat portion, wherein at least a major portion of the chair support shell comprises a compliant structure, the compliant structure having a plurality of cells interconnected by a plurality of resilient members, wherein each of the plurality of cells has a side and each of the plurality of cells is interconnected to at least one other of the plurality of cells by at least one of the plurality of resilient members extending therebetween, wherein a plurality of voids are defined in spaces between the plurality of cells interconnected by the plurality of resilient members, and wherein the plurality of voids are each Y-shaped and are provided in a series of offset rows or columns or offset rows and columns;
- wherein the compliant structure provides compliance in the seat portion, compliance in the back portion, and compliance in the joining portion, wherein the compliant structure enables recline of the back portion relative to the seat portion, and wherein the plurality of cells and the plurality of resilient members together define an auxetic structure.
A chair support shell comprising an integral back portion, seat portion, and joining portion between the back portion and the seat portion, wherein at least a major portion of the support shell comprises a compliant structure, the compliant structure having a plurality of cells interconnected by a plurality of resilient members, wherein each of the plurality of cells has a side and each of the plurality of cells is interconnected to at least one other of the plurality of cells by at least one of the plurality of resilient members extending therebetween, and wherein a plurality of voids are defined in spaces between the plurality of cells interconnected by the plurality of resilient members, wherein each of the plurality of resilient members are substantially straight, and at least a portion of each of the plurality of voids comprises at least one substantially elongate finger;
- wherein the compliant structure provides compliance in the seat portion, compliance in the back portion, and compliance in the joining portion, wherein the compliant structure enables recline of the back portion relative to the seat portion, and wherein the plurality of cells and the plurality of resilient members together define an auxetic structure.
A chair support shell comprising an integral back portion, seat portion, and joining portion between the back portion and the seat portion, wherein at least a major portion of the support shell comprises a compliant structure, the compliant structure having a plurality of cells interconnected by a plurality of resilient members, wherein each of the plurality of cells has a side and each of the plurality of cells is interconnected to at least one other of the plurality of cells by at least one of the plurality of resilient members extending therebetween, and wherein a plurality of voids are defined in spaces between the plurality of cells interconnected by the plurality of resilient members;
- wherein the compliant structure provides compliance in the seat portion, compliance in the back portion, and compliance in the joining portion, wherein the compliant structure enables recline of the back portion relative to the seat portion, and wherein the plurality of cells and the plurality of resilient members together define an auxetic structure;
- and wherein the back portion of the support shell comprises a structural region extending in an up/down direction, the structural region comprising a solid region or relatively stiff region to provide reduced compliance in the structural region relative to adjacent region(s), the structural region being positioned away from outer side edges of the back portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.