Chair back and method of assembly

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cushion stiffener attached to the cushion, the cushion stiffener including downwardly extending strips of material that stiffen lower side edges of the back cushion for edge support.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cushion stiffener attached to the back cushion, the cushion assembly including a cover assembly comprising a pull-on sock, and wherein the pull-on sock is stapled to the cushion stiffener after assembly.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cover assembly constructed to be inverted and assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion;
• wherein the cover assembly including a front panel covering a front surface of the back cushion, and further including a rear panel that covers a rear surface of the back cushion, the rear panel including fabric that characteristically stretches in a vertical direction at a rate of at least about twice an elongation of the fabric in a horizontal direction.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the cushion assembly including a back cushion, and further including a cover assembly constructed to be inverted and assembled onto the back cushion to cover the back cushion;
• the cover assembly including a lower panel attached to a bottom edge of the rear panel, the lower panel including high-stretch material that elongates at least about 100 percent in a vertical direction, the lower panel including material forming the stiffened edge flange.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section, and the cushion assembly including an elastically stretchable lower edge section stretched and attached to the bottom section of the back construction to pull a lower part of the cushion assembly downwardly, the cushion assembly further including a back cushion and a cushion stiffener, the cushion stiffener including downwardly extending strips of material that stiffen the back cushion for edge support.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright supported on the base;
• a back support including relatively stiff thoracic and pelvic sections pivoted to the back upright at top and bottom connections, respectively, and further including a flexible lumbar section located between the thoracic and pelvic sections, the back support including a first top connector and a first bottom connector;
• and
• a cushion assembly covering at least part of a front surface of the back support, the cushion assembly including a second top connector engaging the first top connector on the back support and including a second bottom connector engaging the first bottom connector on the back support, one of the first top and bottom connectors including a horizontally extending recessed channel and one of the second top and bottom connectors including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support at a bottom thereof, the other of the first top and bottom connectors including at least one aperture and the other of the second top and bottom connectors including at least one hook engaging the at least one aperture.

A cover assembly comprising:

• an upholstered front panel of aesthetic material shaped to cover a front of a chair back;
• a rear panel attached to the front panel along three adjacent edges of the rear panel, the front and rear panels forming a sock that can be pulled over a cushion to cover the cushion, the rear panel being made in part from stretchable material, so that the rear panel can be stretched toward a fourth edge on the rear panel and secured along the fourth edge while the rear panel is in a stretched condition;
• a cushion attached to the front panel;
• and
• a cushion stiffener attached to the cushion and having downwardly extending strips that stiffen the cushion for edge support.

A method comprising steps of:

• providing a back shell having a horizontally extending recessed channel extending along a bottom section, and further including hooks;
• providing a cover shaped to cover a front surface of the back shell, the cover having apertures, and a stiffened bottom flange shaped to fit into the recessed channel;
• and
• attaching the cover to the back shell by engaging the stiffened bottom flange in the horizontally extending recessed channel, and further engaging the hooks in the apertures.

A chair comprising:

• a base;
• a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position;
• and
• a back construction including a back support attached to the back upright, and further including a cushion assembly attached to the back support, the back support including a bottom section defining a horizontally extending recessed channel, and the cushion assembly including a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recessed channel to retain the cushion assembly to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction, the back support including hooks and the cushion assembly including a cushion stiffener with apertures for engaging the hooks for assembly.