SUPPORT COMPONENT FOR A SEAT STOOL

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a support component for a stool. For some time now, great emphasis has been placed on dynamic, active sitting, which is advantageous from an ergonomic point of view, when it comes to seating furniture. Through a suitable design of the seating furniture, the user is given the opportunity to assume different sitting postures. This is referred to, among other things, as "active sitting".

[0002] For office chairs, it is common practice to modify the existing chair mechanism in the chair's base. This often involves the use of spring elements or elastic rubber components. In other cases, complex joint arrangements with numerous pivot points are required to achieve the desired result.

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide an ergonomically advantageous seating device, a stool, from the perspective of "dynamic sitting." This object is achieved by a support component according to claim 1 and by a seating device according to claim 8. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0004] The support component according to the invention comprises a base support that can be placed on a base part, in particular on a chair column, and a seat support arranged on the base support, wherein the seat support is formed integrally with the base support, thereby forming a base support-seat support unit, and wherein the base support is connected to the seat support via a number of connecting elements, wherein the number of connecting elements allows a pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support relative to the base support by deforming when the seat support is loaded, and wherein the number of connecting elements are subjected to a restoring moment when the seat support is loaded.

[0005] The stool according to the invention has a foot section and a support component according to the invention placed on the foot section, in particular on a chair column.

[0006] A key idea of ​​the invention is that the seat support, which carries the seat, is connected to the fixed base support of the seat device by a suitably designed intermediate structure, in this case the connecting elements, in such a way that the intermediate structure undergoes reversible deformation under load. This ensures that when the user's center of gravity shifts, the seat follows this movement without requiring any structurally complex means. The main components of the support structure—namely, the base support, the seat support, and the intermediate structure—are manufactured as a single piece, which simplifies both production and assembly. This structurally very simple solution requires no additional movable and / or interacting mechanical components. The support structure thus fulfills a dual function.It serves not only as the base and main part of the seating device, supporting the seat, but also enables the desired movement of the seat in the sense of "dynamic sitting," in particular a free pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support and thus of the seat mounted on the support, which can also be implemented as a tilting, rolling, or tipping movement. The support component is designed such that the pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support occurs in all directions. The deformation of the intermediate structure caused by a load on the seat support is reversible. The elasticity of the intermediate structure creates a restoring moment by which the deformed intermediate structure returns itself to its undeformed original shape as soon as the forces or moments acting on it cease.

[0007] In one embodiment of the invention, the support component is designed such that the connecting elements are subjected to bending and / or torsion when the seat support is loaded, whereby for each individual connecting element a self-adjusting, preferably arbitrarily variable, ratio of the bending components to the torsional components of the movement results, which ratio depends on the one hand on the location of the force input into the seat support, which depends on the position of the user, and on the other hand on the number, arrangement and / or design of the connecting elements, in particular on the choice of the locations of the connection of the connecting elements to the base support and the seat support.

[0008] When a user loads the seat support, each individual connecting element experiences a specific stress, resulting in bending of the connecting element (typically along its length) and / or torsion of the connecting element (typically around its longitudinal axis). If the user moves on the seat, the force applied, particularly its location within the seat support, changes, and each connecting element reacts accordingly, altering the ratio of bending to torsional forces in the movement.Each connecting element can undergo a movement, either when the seat support is subjected to the user's weight or when the point of force application changes due to user movement, with a bending component and a torsional component ranging from 0% to 100%. For example, the same connecting element can, during an initial loaded state of the seat support or during an initial user movement, undergo a movement with a bending component of 70% and a torsional component of 30%, and during a subsequent second loaded state of the seat support or during a second user movement, undergo a movement with a bending component of 20% and a torsional component of 80%.

[0009] A particular advantage is that, due to the design of the support component, changes in the ratio of bending to torsional forces in the movement of the connecting elements are not perceived by the user of the seat. The user does not feel that the bending and torsional forces or moments act only proportionally on the individual connecting elements, nor do they perceive changes in these forces or in the ratio of their components. Instead, the user experiences uninterrupted movement of the seat. In particular, the user's perception of the seat's movement is not interrupted even when the seat support passes through a "neutral position" in which it exhibits no lateral tilt.

[0010] The number and arrangement of the connecting elements, in addition to their specific design, influence the seat's movement behavior depending on the point of force application when the seat is loaded by a user. In one embodiment of the invention, the seat support is connected to the base support via a plurality, preferably at least four, connecting elements. Other preferred numbers of connecting elements are five and six. The connecting elements are preferably arranged separately, i.e., spaced apart from one another. The connecting elements are preferably arranged symmetrically between the base support and the seat support.

[0011] In one embodiment of the invention, the connecting elements are arranged rotationally symmetrically, particularly with respect to the vertical longitudinal axis of the base support, which, at least in the preferred application of a stool, typically corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the seat's base. Especially when the seat support (and the seat mounted on it) also exhibit corresponding rotational symmetry, the user experiences an equal counterforce at all times during a pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support. This is advantageous for a comfortable seating experience.

[0012] If the connecting elements are arranged rotationally symmetrically, there is no preferred direction for the pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support. This is particularly desirable when applying the invention to stools. Conversely, a desired preferred direction for the pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support can be established by a targeted non-rotationally symmetrical arrangement of the connecting elements. This may be particularly desirable for specially shaped seats, such as saddle seats.

[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, the number of connecting elements is minimized. The base support is connected to the seat support via a single connecting element. Depending on the position of the connecting element relative to the point of force application, a preferred direction of movement of the seat support results, corresponding to the magnitude of the resistance to deformation of the connecting elements.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the number of connecting elements is maximized such that the connecting elements are no longer separate from one another, but are interconnected. This results in a closed, preferably tulip- or trumpet-shaped, flat connecting wall between the base support and the seat support. A change in the center of gravity of the user sitting on the seat then leads to a kind of flexing motion of the connecting wall. Nevertheless, the intended pivoting or wobbling motion of the seat support is still achievable in this case.

[0015] According to the invention, the base support-seat support unit is made of a plastic material and manufactured in a single operation by injection molding. Advantageously, during the production of the base support area, a steel sleeve is simultaneously overmolded, which forms the subsequent conical receptacle for receiving a gas spring of a height-adjustable base; the base support then also includes a gas spring height release mechanism, which, however, is designed as a separate component and does not belong to the one-piece base support-seat support unit.

[0016] A material suitable for manufacturing the base support-seat support unit possesses, on the one hand, the necessary stiffness to ensure the required stability and strength of the support component. On the other hand, the material is elastic enough to provide the desired flexibility of the intermediate structure during the pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support.

[0017] According to the invention, the base support-seat support unit has both (load-bearing) areas of greater stiffness (in particular rigid areas) and (flexible) areas of lower stiffness, i.e., areas with low resistance to elastic deformation by a bending or torsional moment, or in other words, areas of comparatively high deformability (flexibility, torsion). The areas of greater stiffness are, in particular, the base support, the seat support, and the connection areas of the connecting elements. These areas are preferably rigid or substantially rigid. The areas of lower stiffness are, in particular, the central sections of the connecting elements located between the connection areas, which, to realize the invention, must be flexible and torsionable.The terms "larger" and "smaller" always refer to a comparison with the stiffness values ​​of the other areas.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the different deformation properties of these areas are solely attributable to the respective part geometry, in particular the cross-sectional shapes and material thicknesses used. According to the invention, when manufacturing the one-piece base support-seat support unit by plastic injection molding, preferably only a single material is used. The use of multiple materials or a change in the material or material composition during injection molding is then unnecessary.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the connecting elements are designed as rod-shaped struts or posts. In another embodiment, the connecting elements each have a substantially straight central section with lower stiffness and, adjoining both ends of the central section, connection areas with greater stiffness for connecting the connecting element to the base support and the seat support. Preferably, the connecting elements are substantially fixed in length. Due to the use of preferably slender struts as connecting elements for realizing the flexible intermediate structure, an open design results, particularly when, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the intermediate structure is the only component between the base support and the seat support, i.e., the struts bridge a gap between the base support and the seat support in which no other component is located.The seating device can therefore be exceptionally lightweight. Furthermore, the delicate, open structure of the intermediate frame, especially when using the preferred number of connecting elements, is also visually appealing. Advantageously, the externally accessible struts also serve as handles for operating the seating device.

[0020] According to the invention, the seat support and / or the base support are essentially rotationally symmetrical, i.e., at least with respect to their basic shape, particularly with respect to their outer shapes or lateral surfaces on which the connecting elements engage with their connection areas. In particular, the seat support is ring-shaped and the base support is cup-shaped. The ring shape of the seat support, which proves particularly advantageous in a stool-like design, possesses the necessary rigidity to prevent deflection or twisting of the seat support when loaded by the user. The necessary rigidity of the ring can be achieved by a suitable profile geometry, preferably by a ring cross-section stiffened by a stiffening rib. Instead of a ring-shaped seat support, a seat support in the form of a disc can also be used.

[0021] In a rotationally symmetrical design of base support and seat support, the (preferably four) connecting elements are evenly distributed over the circumference of the base support and seat support, respectively.

[0022] According to the invention, the connecting elements extend radially from the base support (and, since the base support pot has a smaller diameter than the seat support ring, obliquely upwards) to the seat support, preferably in such a way that the distance between the connection areas of the connecting elements on the base support is less than the distance between the connection areas of the connecting elements on the seat support.

[0023] The invention is particularly advantageous for use in a stool. While a typical office chair, due to the presence of a backrest, always has a preferred sitting position, and the chair's mechanical components are therefore always geared towards movement in this direction, a conventional stool, by its very design, has no preferred sitting position. Instead, the user is free to choose their sitting position.

[0024] In one embodiment of the invention, the seat, and preferably also the seat support, is designed such that it does not prescribe a preferred seating position (in the sense of a preferred position). In other words, there is no "front" or "back". The user is free to choose how they sit on the seat.

[0025] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a representation of a stool, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the support component, Fig. 3 a first side view of the support component, Fig. 4 the first side view (section), Fig. 5 a second side view of the support component, Fig. 6 the second side view (section).

[0026] All figures do not show the invention to scale, only schematically and with its essential components. Identical reference numerals correspond to elements with the same or comparable function.

[0027] The stool according to the invention is, as shown in Fig. 1 The illustrated stool 1 is designed as a seat and has a base 2 equipped with casters and a chair column 3, which is height-adjustable by means of a gas spring (not shown). A support component 4 according to the invention is placed on the chair column 3. The actual seat 10, which typically provides an upholstered seat surface, is attached to the support component.

[0028] The in the Fig. 2 bis 6 The separately shown support component 4 has a base support 5 with a centrally located conical receptacle 6 for the chair column 3, and a seat support 7 arranged on the base support 5. The seat support 7 is formed integrally with the base support 5, forming a base support-seat support unit. The base support-seat support unit is manufactured from a single plastic material by injection molding. The base support 5 includes a gas spring height release 8 as a separate assembly.

[0029] The base support 5 is essentially rotationally symmetrical and has a pot-shaped, downwardly tapered base body 11 in which the cone receptacle 6 with a downwardly facing opening 9 towards the foot section 2 is integrated. The height release 8 is located above the cone receptacle 6. A handle 12 for actuating the height release 8 projects radially from the base body 11. The base body 11 is covered at the top by a lid 13.

[0030] The seat support 7 is essentially rotationally symmetrical and consists essentially of a ring-shaped

[0031] The base body 15 is designed in the form of a circular ring, on the upper surface 16 of which a circumferential stiffening rib 17 is attached. Four evenly spaced mounting openings 18 are integrated into the stiffening rib 17 for screwing the seat support 7 to the seat 10.

[0032] The base support 5 is connected to the seat support 7 via four connecting elements 21. These connecting elements 21 are therefore also part of the one-piece base support-seat support unit. The connecting elements 21 are designed as rod-shaped struts of essentially constant length. The slender struts 21 engage with their connection areas 22 on the underside 23 of the seat support body 15 on the one hand, and on the lateral surface 19 of the base support body 11 below the cover 13 on the other, and extend radially upwards from the base support 5, obliquely, to the seat support 7. The connection areas 22 of the struts 21 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the base support 5 and the seat support 7, respectively, and are thus evenly spaced from one another.

[0033] Since the base support body 11 has a smaller diameter in the area of ​​the connection areas 22 of the struts 21 acting on it than the seat support body 15 in the area of ​​the connection areas 22 of the struts 21 acting on it, the distance between the connection areas 22 on the base support 5 is less than the distance between the connection areas 22 on the seat support 7.

[0034] The struts 21 allow the seat support 7 to swivel or wobble in all directions (see arrows 14 for example only). Fig. 1 ) relative to the base support 5, by deforming when the seat support 7 is loaded, whereby they are subjected to a restoring moment when the seat support 7 is loaded in such a way that they move back to their original position when the forces or moments acting on them are removed.

[0035] The essentially straight central sections 24 of the struts 21 exhibit lower stiffness than the connection areas 22, which adjoin both ends of the central section 24 and connect the struts 21 to the base support 5 and the seat support 7. This lower stiffness of the central sections 24 results in the desired deformability of the struts 21. The connection areas 22, on the other hand, exhibit greater stiffness, so that the struts 21 are not deformable there, even when the seat support 7 is loaded. The connection of the struts 21 to the base support 5 and seat support 7 is implemented as a rigid connection, resistant to bending and torsion. In other words, the struts 21 are rigidly clamped at both ends between the base support 5 and the seat support 7.

[0036] The struts 21 are subjected to bending and / or torsion when the seat support 7 is loaded, with each strut 21 exhibiting a specific ratio of bending to torsion components that changes with changes in the load on the seat support 7. Since the four struts 21 are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the vertical longitudinal axis 25 of the base support 5, there is no preferred direction of pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support 7.

[0037] For example, if a force is at work, symbolized by arrow 26 in Fig. 2 If a force is applied from above to a point 27 on the ring 15 of the seat support 5, which is located directly above a connection area 22 of a strut 21a, then this strut 21a, as well as the opposite strut 21c, is subject exclusively to a bending moment, while the two other struts 21b, 21d, arranged perpendicular to the struts 21a, 21c subjected to bending, experience exclusively a torsional moment. If the point of application 27' of the force on the ring 15 is shifted in the direction of one of the neighboring struts 21b, symbolized by arrow 26' in Fig. 2For example, if the user tilts their upper body and thereby shifts their center of gravity, the ratio of bending and torsion distribution changes for all four struts 21. Both bending and torsional moments then act on all struts 21. In addition to the pivoting or wobbling movement of the seat support and the height adjustment of the support component, rotation of the support component on the chair column can also be provided. Reference symbol list

[0038] 1 Seating device, stool 2 Footrest 3 Chair column 4 Support component 5 Base support 6 Cone mount 7 Seat support 8 Height release 9 Opening of the cone mount 10 Seat 11 Base support body 12 Handle 13 Cover 14 Direction of swivel or wobble movement (example) 15 Seat support body 16 Ring top 17 Stiffening rib 18 Mounting opening 19 Outer surfaces 20 (free) 21 Connecting element, strut 22 Connection area 23 Ring bottom 24 Center section 25 Base support longitudinal axis 26 Direction of force 27 Point of application

Claims

1. Support component (4) for a seat stool (1), comprising a base support (5) that can be placed on a foot part (2), in particular on a chair column (3), and a seat support (5) arranged on the base support (7), wherein the seat support (5) and / or the base support (7) are essentially rotationally symmetrical, in particular ring- or pot-shaped, wherein the seat support (7) is formed in one piece with the base support (5), thereby forming a base support-seat support unit (5, 7), wherein the base support-seat support unit (5, 7) is manufactured from a plastic material in a single operation by injection moulding and has both regions (5, 7, 22) of greater rigidity and regions (24) of lesser rigidity, and wherein the base support (5) is connected to the seat support (7) via a number of connecting elements (21), wherein the number of connecting elements (21) extend radially from the base support (5) to the seat support (7), wherein the connecting elements (21) allow the seat support (7) to pivot or wobble in all directions relative to the base support (5) by deforming when the seat support (7) is loaded, wherein the number of connecting elements (21) are subjected to a restoring torque when the seat support (7) is loaded in this way.

2. Support component (4) according to claim 1, wherein the number of connecting elements (21) are subjected to bending and / or torsion under such a load, wherein for each individual connecting element (21) there results a self-adjusting ratio of the bending components to the torsion components of the movement, which ratio depends on the location of the force application in the seat support (7).

3. Support component (4) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base support (5) is connected to the seat support (7) via a plurality, preferably at least four, connecting elements (21).

4. Support component (4) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the different deformation properties of these regions are attributable exclusively to the respective part geometry.

5. Support component (4) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number of connecting elements (21) are designed as rod-shaped struts.

6. Support component (4) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the number of connecting elements (21) each have a substantially straight central section (24) with lower stiffness and, adjoining both ends of the central section (24), connection regions (22) with greater rigidity for connecting the connecting elements (21) to the base support (5) and the seat support (7).

7. Support component (4) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the distance between the connection regions (22) of the connecting elements (21) on the base support (5) is smaller than the distance between the connection regions (22) of the connecting elements (21) on the seat support (7).

8. Seat stool (1) comprising a foot part (2) and a support component (4) according to one of claims 1 to 7 placed on the foot part (2), in particular on a chair column (3).

9. Seat stool (1) according to claim 8, with a seat (10) mounted on the support component (4), wherein the seat (10) is designed in such a way that it does not specify a preferred sitting position.