Energy system assembly for seating unit

An underseat assembly for a seating unit, comprising:

• a metal bottom support including a tapered socket adapted to engage a top section of a support column and including attachment bosses;
• a plastic yoke having a center section engaging the bottom support, the yoke having opposing outwardly-extending first arms;
• opposing plastic side support sections each having inwardly-facing mounting sections that mateably receive and cover the tapered socket of the bottom support and that mateably receive and engage the center section of the yoke;
• and
• a top retainer secured to the bottom support and clamping the mounting sections and the center section against the bottom support in a sandwich-like arrangement.

A chair comprising:

• a base including a column;
• a seat;
• a back pivoted to the seat;
• an underseat assembly for supporting the seat and the back on the base, the underseat assembly including a bottom support with a metal tapered socket shaped to stably engage a top of the column, and including a yoke rigidly attached to the bottom support, the yoke including polymeric arms extending upwardly and outwardly that support the seat, and further including second arms spaced from the polymeric arms;
• the bottom support, the yoke and the second arms being clampingly secured together in a sandwich arrangement;
• and
• a link operably attached to the second arms and the back for supporting the back;
• the seat, the back, and the link forming a four-bar linkage with the underseat assembly.

A chair comprising:

• a base including a column;
• a seat;
• a back pivoted to the seat;
• an underseat assembly for supporting the seat and the back on the base, the underseat assembly including a bottom support with a tapered socket shaped to vertically downwardly engage a top of the column, and including a yoke constructed to vertically downwardly engage the bottom support and be attached thereto;
• a link operably attached to the side support sections and the back for supporting the back;
• and
• the seat, the back, and the underseat assembly being constructed for assembly from a top down direction without requiring that the chair be inverted during assembly.

A method of constructing a seating unit comprising steps of:

• providing a bottom support including a tapered socket adapted to receive and to securely engage a top section of a support column in a vertical direction, the bottom support including a body with a plurality of attachment bosses and reinforcement ribs around the tapered socket;
• placing a yoke on the bottom support, the yoke having a center section shaped to mateably receive and stably engage a top of the body, the yoke having opposing outwardly-extending first arms that define first attachment locations;
• placing opposing side support sections on the center section of the yoke, the opposing side support sections each having inwardly-facing mounting sections with intermitting first features for engaging each other and each having second features defining pockets and apertures for engaging the bottom support without interference from the bosses and ribs of the bottom support and without interference from the center section, the arms defining second attachment locations spaced from the first attachment locations;
• and
• placing a top retainer on the mounting sections and securing the top retainer to the bottom support to clampingly engage and retain the mounting sections against the center section and against the bottom support in a sandwich-like arrangement.