US 4,305,617 A · Chair construction

Abstract

A chair back including a pair of spaced recesses for insertion engagement with corresponding projections on a chair frame, and a self-locking mechanism positioned on and connected to the back remote from the recesses for coacting locking engagement with a corresponding attachment portion on the frame, permitting self-securement of the back to the frame; a chair seat including a surface for supporting engagement with a corresponding attachment aperture-containing plate on a chair frame, and a heat deformable and peripherally outwardly heat expansible hollow longitudinal boss connected to and extending outwardly from the surface for insertion through and projection beyond the aperture and in turn for heat deformation and peripherally outward expansion in situ thereat beyond the perimetric confines of the aperture and sufficiently to bring the exterior of the boss into locking engagement with the adjacent marginal portions of the plate remote from the surface, permitting rigid securement of the seat to the frame; combinations of both the back and seat correspondingly secured to the frame, and especially with the boss disposed in heat deformed and peripherally outwardly expanded in situ condition, e.g. for providing a stacking and/or ganging chair; and a method of securing the seat to the frame, including locally heat deforming and expanding the hollow boss by inserting a heater element thereinto and applying heat and mechanical expansion pressure thereat, and permitting the boss to set in such in situ deformed and expanded condition.

Claims29

Dependent claims

Chair construction comprising a body-supportive chair part including a pair of laterally spaced apart linearly extending peripherally completely enclosed longitudinal recess portions, disposed in a reference plane and adapted for longitudinal insertion engagement with corresponding longitudinal projection portions of a chair frame, and self-acting locking means positioned on and connected to the chair part remote from the recess portions, and including laterally elongate structurally supporting curvilinear locking surface means curvilinearly extending along a portion of the width of the chair part and disposed substantially transversely of the longitudinal recess portions and in spaced relation to the reference plane and adapted for coacting locking engagement with a corresponding attachment portion of such chair frame, whereby to permit self-securement of the chair part to a receptively conforming chair frame.

Chair construction comprising

a chair frame provided with a chair part supporting portion including a plate portion containing an attachment aperture defined therethrough, and
a body-supportive chair part including a contact surface portion disposed in supporting engagement with the corresponding attachment aperture-containing plate portion of the chair frame, and a heat deformable and peripherally outwardly heat expansible hollow longitudinal boss connected to and extending outwardly from the contact surface portion and inserted through and projecting beyond the corresponding aperture of such plate portion and in turn disposed in heat deformed peripherally outwardly expanded in situ condition thereat beyond the perimetric confines of the aperture and with the exterior of the resultant expanded longitudinal hollow boss in locking engagement with the adjacent marginal portions of the plate portion remote from the contact surface portion, thereby rigidly securing the chair part to the chair part supporting portion of the chair frame.

Chair construction comprising in combination

a chair frame provided with a seat supporting portion including a plate portion containing an attachment aperture defined therethrough, and
a separate chair seat including a corresponding contact surface portion disposed in supporting engagement with the plate portion, and a heat deformable and peripherally outwardly heat expansible hollow longitudinal boss connected to and extending outwardly from the contact surface portion and inserted through and projecting beyond the aperture and disposed in heat deformed peripherally outwardly expanded in situ condition thereat beyond the perimetric confines of the aperture and with the exterior of the resultant expanded longitudinal hollow boss in locking engagement with the adjacent marginal portions of the plate portion remote from the contact surface portion, thereby rigidly securing the chair seat to the seat supporting portion of the chair frame.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Chair construction

Life of this patent

Chair construction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29