Chair and backrest thereof

Abstract

To secure body stability by holding shape retention while securing high cushioning and fitting properties by having a soft-elastomer backboard.SOLUTION: A backboard 2 is provided with high flexibility by having a large number of through holes 21 and is deformable by following up movement of a user. An upper reinforcement member 13 is fastened in an upper end part in a rear face of the backboard 2, and so is a lower reinforcement member 16 in a lower end part in the rear face of the backboard 2. The upper reinforcement member 13 is connected to an upper support 11 of a back frame 3, while the lower reinforcement member 16 is fixed on a lower support 12 of the back frame 3. The upper support 11 is capable of performing horizontal rotation against resilience. The backboard 2 is deformable by following up the movement of the user while retaining the entire shape. Therefore, the chair can secure high fitting and cushioning properties while securing stability of the user's body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a chair and its backrest. [Background technology]

[0002] Chairs come in a variety of forms, and swivel chairs, which are commonly used in offices, have a base unit with casters, a seat, and a backrest as their main components, with optional accessories such as armrests, a headrest, and a hanger.

[0003] Furthermore, swivel chairs often have a reclining function that allows the backrest to tilt back, allowing the occupant to relax and continue using the chair for long periods of time.

[0004] Important factors in maintaining comfort in a chair are the fit, cushioning, and softness of the backrest, so the front of the backrest is made of cushioning material or mesh material is used to support the body. Mesh material has the advantage of being highly breathable, preventing stuffiness.

[0005] When a seated person leans against a backrest, the center line of their upper body is not necessarily aligned with the center line of the backrest. They may lean their upper body to the right or left, or they may twist their body while leaning against the backrest and look backwards. In these cases, the pressure (body pressure) caused by the seated person leaning against the backrest acts strongly on the left or right side of the backrest.

[0006] In addition, chair backs are generally rigid enough that they are hardly deformed by the pressure of the seated person, but if the backrest has a rigid structure, parts of the seated person's body will come into strong contact with the backrest, reducing comfort.

[0007] Therefore, chairs have been proposed that allow the backrest to bend (torsional deformation) due to the pressure of the seated person, and one example of such a chair is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 relates to a prior application of the present applicant, and has a structure in which the upper end of the back support pillar is provided with a left and right longitudinal Upper Support is mounted so that it can rotate horizontally against the spring, Upper Support The left and right ends of the backrest are connected to the left and right ends of the seat, so if the user's weight acts unevenly on either the left or right side, Upper Support The horizontal rotation causes the backrest to twist and deform. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-58759 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In Patent Document 1, the backrest bends (torses) when pressed by the seated person, so when the occupant shifts their upper body to the right or left and leans against the backrest, the backrest follows and deforms accordingly. This allows for the occupant's body movements and also makes the backrest softer against the body. As a result, it can be said that comfort can be improved.

[0010] Here, in order to improve the cushioning and fit of the backrest, it is beneficial to construct the back panel from a soft material such as elastomer. However, because soft materials such as elastomers are weak, simply replacing the backrest in Patent Document 1 with an elastomer may not ensure the shape retention of the backrest.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the current situation, and aims to develop Patent Document 1 in an appropriate manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention has many configurations, and typical examples are specified in each claim. Of these, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: "A back panel made of soft material that flexes and deforms under the pressure of the seated person, a back frame to which the back panel is attached; Equipped with The back plate is The upper and lower edges are in the left-right direction and the left and right sides are in the up-down direction, and the upper and lower edges are A holding edge portion attached to the spine frame The left and right side edges are A freely deformable section that can be stretched and deformed by the pressure of a seated person The back of the chair is An upper reinforcing member extending in the left and right directions overlaps the upper edge portion of the back plate from the rear side, and a lower reinforcing member extending in the left and right directions overlaps the lower edge portion of the back plate from the rear side, and the upper reinforcing member is in the form of a plate and is integrally formed with the upper edge portion of the back plate. " The structure is as follows.

[0013]

[0014] Claim 2 The invention is 1 In The back frame has a back support pillar located in the middle of the left and right sides and an arm portion extending to the left and right from the upper end of the pillar, The arm portion is attached to the back support in a state in which it can be horizontally rotated against elasticity, and the left and right ends of the upper reinforcing member are connected to the left and right ends of the arm portion. " and The structure is as follows.

[0015] Claim 3 The invention is claimed 1 or 2 This is an expansion of "At both left and right ends of the upper reinforcing member An upper boss portion is formed protruding rearward and downward, and both left and right ends of the arm portion of the back frame are connected to the upper boss portion. The lower reinforcing member is also integrally formed with the back plate, At both left and right ends of the lower reinforcing member , an upward protrusion is formed integrally joined to the back plate " The structure is as follows.

[0016] Claim 4 The invention is 1 or 2 This is an expansion of the invention "The back panel has a group of slits that are longitudinal and open in the front and back, formed in multiple rows and stages in the left-right and up-down directions, At the upper portion of the back plate where the upper reinforcing member overlaps, a recessed groove is formed that is continuous with the slit, and the back plate is thin at the location of the recessed groove. The structure is as follows.

[0017] Claim 5 The invention relates to a chair, "A seat seated by a seated person, Legs supporting the seat; Claim 1 or 2 Backrest R, and 」 The structure is as follows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] In the present invention, even if the back panel is made of a soft material such as elastomer, the shape of the back panel is maintained by the reinforcing member, so that the shape of the back panel can be stabilized while allowing deformation due to the body pressure of the seated person. Therefore, even if a group of holes is formed in the back panel, the flexibility in designing the shape and pattern of the holes can be improved, and the fit and cushioning of the back panel can be improved.

[0019] In addition, in the present invention, Since the back panel is allowed to stretch and deform due to the body pressure (pressure) of the seated person, the back panel can be deformed to follow the movement of the user's body. hand This further improves fit and cushioning.

[0020] Claim 2 By adopting this configuration, the backboard can be deformed to follow the twisting of the user's body while ensuring the backboard's shape retention. In other words, the upper reinforcing member prevents the backboard from deforming excessively, while the backboard can follow the movement of the body while adequately supporting the body. Therefore, the value of the chair can be improved by improving the features of Patent Document 1.

[0021] Claim 3 By adopting this configuration, the unity between the upper reinforcing member and the back plate, and the unity between the lower reinforcing member and the back plate can be improved, thereby improving the shape-retaining function of the back plate.

[0022] Claim 4By forming a large number of perforations in the back panel as shown in Fig. 1, it is possible to configure the back panel to deform appropriately. Furthermore, since a reinforcing member is placed over the upper end of the back panel, perforations cannot be formed in the overlapping portion of the reinforcing member, but the grooves make it appear as if the group of perforations extends to the upper edge of the back panel, preventing a blank area from appearing at the upper end of the back panel and improving the aesthetic appearance.

[0023] Also, claims 4 In this case, the recessed groove is thin, so the upper end of the back plate is allowed to bend and deform together with the upper reinforcing member, thereby providing excellent cushioning properties. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a chair according to an embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from the front, (B) is a side view, (C) is a plan view, and (D) is a perspective view seen from the rear. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view with the seat portion omitted. [Figure 3] (A) is a rear perspective view of the back plate, and (B) is a side view of the back plate. [Figure 4] (A) is an exploded perspective view of the back portion seen from the rear, and (B) is an exploded perspective view of the back portion seen from the front. [Figure 5] 10A is a diagram showing the lower reinforcing member in an upside-down state, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the relationship between the lower support and the back plate. [Figure 6] (A) is a separated oblique view of the upper part, (B) is a diagram showing the relationship between the upper reinforcing member and the clip body, (C) is a separated oblique view of the upper reinforcing member in an upside-down state, and (D) is a perspective view of the clip body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the terms "front, back, left, right" are used to specify directions, but these directions are specified as viewed from a normally seated person. The front viewing direction is the direction facing the seated person.

[0026] (1) Chair Overview First, an overview of the chair will be described. The attitude is This invention is applied to a swivel chair that is widely used in offices, etc. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chair has, as its main components, a seat 1, a back panel 2, a back frame 3 to which the back panel 2 is attached, and a leg assembly 4. The back panel 2 is made of a soft resin material such as elastomer. In this embodiment, the back panel 2 is synonymous with the backrest. The back frame 3 is an example of a back frame.

[0027] The leg device 4 has a group of branch legs equipped with casters (only some of the casters are shown in Figures 1(A) and 1(D)). As shown in Figure 2, a base body 6 is fixed to a leg support (gas cylinder) 5 located in the center, and a back frame 3 is connected to the base body 6 via a joint member 7 so as to be able to tilt backward. More precisely, a forward-facing portion 3a is provided integrally with the lower end of the back frame 3, and the forward-facing portion 3a is fixed to the joint member 7, which is connected to the base body 6 via left and right longitudinal support shafts 8 so as to be able to tilt backward.

[0028] The support shaft 8 is rotatably held by the base body 6 via a torsion bar, which is an example of spring means. Therefore, the chair of this embodiment is a reclining type in which the back panel 2 tilts backward against the elastic means. The seat 1 has a structure in which cushioning material is placed on an inner shell (not shown) and covered with a cover material, and the inner shell is attached to an outer shell 9 shown in FIG. 1(B). The outer shell 9 is connected to the base body 6 and the joint member 7 so that it can rotate relative to the base body 6. Therefore, when the back panel 2 tilts backward, the seat 1 tilts backward in conjunction with the back panel 2 (synchronized).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the back frame 3 has a vertically elongated back support 10 located in the left-right middle, a horizontally elongated upper support 11 attached to the top end of the back support 10 so as to be horizontally rotatable, and left and right lower supports 12 integrally provided at the bottom end of the back support 10. The upper support 11 Example of arm partThe back support 10 and upper support 11 rotate horizontally against a spring built into the back support 10. The back support 10 and upper support 11 are made of synthetic resin, but aluminum die-cast products or processed sheet metal products can also be used.

[0030] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the upper support 11 has a portion facing left and a portion facing right from the axis of the back support 10, and both are connected as one unit, with both left and right ends being free ends. The upper support 11 has a bow-like shape in a plan view, so that it is concave toward the front (so that it bulges toward the rear), and both left and right ends of the back panel 2 are connected to its left and right ends. Therefore, there is a large space between the upper support 11 and the back panel 2. Due to the existence of this space, the upper end of the back panel 2 (Top side) It is allowed to stretch backward (deform downward) due to the pressure (body pressure) of the seated person.

[0031] The rear surface of the upper end of the back panel 2 has a left and right longitudinal Plate-shaped The upper reinforcing member 13 is integrally fixed by insert molding or two-color molding, and the left and right ends of the upper reinforcing member 13 are connected to the upper support 11 via clip bodies 14. Upper boss portions 15 that overlap the upper support 11 are provided at both left and right ends of the upper reinforcing member 13 and point backward. and downward It is protruding from the wall.

[0032] 4, the lower support 12 has upper and lower surfaces that curve upwards in rear view, and the lower surface (i.e., the lower surface of the back frame 3) formed by the lower surfaces of the left and right lower supports 12 and the lower surface of the back support 10 also curves downwards. Therefore, the back frame 3 as a whole has an anchor-like shape.

[0033] 1(D), the lower support 12 extends forward in a state of embracing the rear of the seat in a plan view, and has the armrest device 6 attached to its tip. The width of the lower support 12 narrows toward the tip in plan and rear views.

[0034] Bottom end of back panel 2 The lower part is long and bulges downwards, Lower reinforcing members 16, which run along the left and right sides, are integrally fixed to the rear surface by insert molding or two-color molding, and the left and right ends of the lower reinforcing members 16 are fixed to the leading ends of the lower support 12 with screws 17 (see Figures 3 and 5). Lower bosses 18, which fit into the lower support 12, protrude rearward from the left and right ends of the lower reinforcing members 16. The upper and lower reinforcing members 13 and 16 are made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, nylon resin, or polycarbonate.

[0035] As can be seen from Figure 4, the back surface of the back frame 3 is covered with a center cover 19 and a side cover 20. That is, the center cover 19 covers the entire back support 10 and part of the lower support 12, and the side cover 20 covers the back surface of the front half of the lower support 12. By removing the side cover 20, an armrest device can be attached to the lower support 12.

[0036] The back panel 2 is strong enough to be easily flexibly deformed by the pressure of a seated person leaning against it. To facilitate this deformation, the back panel 2 has multiple rows of perforations 21 formed in it. The lower end of the back panel 2 is fixed to the lower support 12 so that it cannot be deformed, while the upper end of the back panel 2 is attached to both left and right ends of the upper support 11, which can pivot horizontally. Therefore, when a person sitting in the chair twists their upper body, the lower support 12 pivots horizontally, causing the back panel 2 to bend or bend backward in response to the twisting of the body, thereby elastically deforming. Therefore, the upper reinforcing member 13 can be elastically deformed (bending) by the pressure of the user.

[0037] The lower support 12 is raised to a position higher than the seat 1. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), left and right raised portions 1a are formed at the rear of the seat 1. This increases the ability of the seat 1 to hold the user's lower back (buttocks).

[0038] (2) Fixing structure between back panel and lower support 5(A), the lower reinforcing member 16 has a shell shape that is curved along the lower support 12 and opens forward, and has many reinforcing ribs provided inside. Therefore, the lower support 12 has a rigid structure that does not deform even when subjected to the pressure of a seated person. Therefore, the lower edge of the back panel 2 is firmly fixed to the lower support 12 via the lower reinforcing member 16.

[0039] The lower reinforcing member 16 has a truncated pyramidal lower boss 18 at both left and right ends. Protruding backwards Meanwhile, recesses 23 into which the lower boss portions 18 are fitted are provided at the tip portions of the left and right lower supports 12, and screws 17 are inserted into the recesses 23 from the outside and screwed into the lower boss portions 18 of the lower reinforcing members 16. As shown in Figure 5(A), A nut 23a into which the screw 17 is screwed is attached to the lower boss portion 18 of the lower reinforcing member 16 ( Although the nut 23a is shown on the lower support 12 in FIG. 5(A), the nut 23a is attached to the lower boss portion 18.

[0040] Although not shown, the lower reinforcement member 16 has multiple positioning protrusions on the left and right sides, while the lower support 12 has positioning holes into which the positioning protrusions fit.By fitting the positioning protrusions into the positioning holes, the lower reinforcement member 18 can be firmly fixed to the lower support 12 even when fixed with two screws 17 on the left and right.

[0041] As shown in Figs. 4(A) and 5, spatula-shaped upward protrusions 24 are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the lower reinforcing member 16, while recesses 25 are provided on both left and right ends of the back panel 2, into which the upward protrusions 24 of the lower reinforcing member 16 fit. Get The lower reinforcing member 16 is integrally molded with the back plate 2 by insert molding or two-color molding, but the presence of the upward protrusion 24 allows the lower reinforcing member 16 to be adhered to the back plate 2. (Joining) Because of the increased area, the lower reinforcing member 16 can be firmly fixed to the back plate 2.

[0042] (3) Fixing structure between back panel and upper support As shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(C), the upper boss portion 15 protrudes rearward and downward from the upper reinforcing member 13. Below Orientation protrusion tooThe upper boss portion 15 is The downward-facing part The rear surface overlaps with the front surface of the upper support 11. On the other hand, downward protrusions 26 are provided on both the left and right ends of the upper support 11 so as to overlap with the upper boss portions 15. The upper boss portions 15 have a large area with a vertical width that is more than twice that of the upper reinforcing member 13, and are therefore firmly fixed to the back panel 2.

[0043] A downward hook-shaped engaging claw 27 is formed on the rear surface of the upper boss portion 15, while bag-shaped portions 28 into which the engaging claws 27 fit are formed on both the left and right ends of the upper support 11, and engaging holes 29 into which the engaging claws 27 fit from above are formed in the bottom portions 28a of the bag-shaped portions 28, thereby holding the upper boss portion 15 and the upper support 11 together so that they cannot be separated from each other in the front, back, left, and right directions. (Consolidated) is doing.

[0044] Furthermore, a forward-opening slit 31 is formed in the partition wall 30 that constitutes the bag-shaped portion 28, and the claw portion 14a of the clip body 14 is inserted into the slit groove 31 from the inside in the left-right direction. The clip body 14 has a base portion 14b that is located inside the partition wall 30, and the claw portion 14a can be inserted into the slit groove 31 by pushing the base portion 14b outward in the left-right direction with the fingertips.

[0045] The claw portion 14a of the clip body 14 is bent in a horizontal U-shape, and once elastically deformed, it enters the cut groove 31, and when it has completely entered the cut groove 31, the U-shaped bent tip surface 14c comes out of the cut groove 31 and hits the outer surface of the partition wall 30, so that the clip body 14 cannot come out of the cut groove 31.

[0046] When the clip body 14 is attached to the cutout groove 31, the claw portion 14a of the clip body 14 overlaps the upper surface of the engaging claw 27 of the upper reinforcing member 13. Therefore, the engaging claw 27 of the upper reinforcing member 13 is held by the claw portion 14a of the clip body 14 so as not to move upward. In addition, the front end surface of the partition wall 30 of the upper support 11 overlaps the upper boss portion 15 of the upper reinforcing member 13, and the cutout groove 31 is blocked by the upper boss portion 15 of the upper reinforcing member 13, so the forward movement of the clip body 14 is prevented by the upper boss portion 15 of the upper reinforcing member 13.

[0047] As can be seen from Figure 6(B), the upper boss portion 15 of the upper reinforcing member 13 is provided with a stopper 32 that abuts or comes into close contact with the claw portion 14a of the clip body 14 from the front. As can be seen from Figure 6, the upper support 11 has a trough-like structure that opens forward, and is provided with reinforcing ribs inside. As shown in Figure 6(C), a center boss portion 33 that is attached to the back support 10 so as to be horizontally rotatable is formed in the middle portion of the left and right of the upper support 11.

[0048] (4) Summary In this embodiment, the back plate 2 Bottom edge (bottom side) is fixed to the lower support 12 via the lower reinforcing member 16, which has a rigid structure, so the lower end of the back panel 2 does not elastically deform even when the user's body pressure acts on it. Therefore, the user's lower back (buttocks) is always firmly supported and kept in a stable state.

[0049] On the other hand, the back panel 2 is made of elastomer and is highly flexible, so it bends and deforms in response to the pressure of the user, but a strong upper reinforcing member 13 is fixed to the upper end. The left and right sides (side edges) are free from constraints and allow for deformation. Therefore, the back panel is hand Therefore, while stably supporting the user's body, it can deform to follow the user's movements, ensuring a high level of fit and cushioning.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper reinforcing member 13 also bends and deforms to some extent due to the pressure of the user, ensuring high cushioning. Also, by forming a large number of perforations 21 in the back panel 2 as in this embodiment, the flexibility of the back panel 2 can be increased, further improving fit and cushioning, but by selecting various shapes and arrangement patterns of the perforations 21, the range of designs can be expanded while ensuring fit and cushioning.

[0051] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, when the upper support rotates horizontally as in the embodiment, the upper reinforcing member can also be configured as a rigid structure. do.

[0052] under The reinforcing member does not necessarily have to be molded integrally with the back plate by insert molding or the like, and may be fixed to the back plate by fasteners such as screws. stomach. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present invention can be embodied in a chair, and therefore has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 2 Back plate 3 Back Frame (back frame) 10 Back strut 11 Upper Support (Arm part) 12 Lower support 13 Upper reinforcement member 14 Clip body 15 Upper boss part 16 Lower reinforcement member 18 Lower boss part 24 upward protrusion 27 Engagement claw 29 Engagement hole 30 Bulkhead 31 Slit Hole

Claims

1. A back panel made of a soft material that bends and deforms under the pressure of a seated person, a back frame to which the back panel is attached; Equipped with The back plate has two upper and lower side portions, which are opposed to each other, and two left and right side portions, which are opposed to each other. two side portions, left and right, One of the two upper and lower side portions and the two left and right side portions is a holding side that is attached to the spine frame. the other is a freely deformable portion that can be stretched and deformed by the pressing force of a seated person, A reinforcing member in the left and right longitudinal directions overlaps the holding side portion from the rear side. Chair back.

2. The upper and lower two side portions are the holding side portions, An upper reinforcing member overlaps the upper edge portion from the rear side, A lower reinforcing member overlaps the lower side portion from the rear side, The lower side portion and the lower reinforcing member are supported by the back frame in a state where they are not deformed over their entire length. It is fixed to the The upper side portion and the upper reinforcing member are arranged to allow rearward bending deformation of the back frame. It is attached to the frame with both ends supported.

2. The chair back of claim 1.

3. The back frame is made up of back support columns located in the middle of the left and right sides and arms extending from the top ends of the columns to the left and right. a head unit; The upper edge portion of the back plate is connected to both left and right ends of the arm portion, The arm portion is attached to the back support in a state in which it can pivot horizontally against elasticity.

3. The chair back of claim 2.

4. downward protrusions are provided at both left and right ends of the upper reinforcing member; The lower reinforcing member has upward protrusions on both left and right ends thereof. A chair back according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The back plate has a group of slits that are longitudinally long and open in the front and rear directions, arranged in multiple rows in the left-right and up-down directions. , which is formed in multiple stages, A recessed groove continuous with the slit is formed in the upper part of the back plate where the upper reinforcing member overlaps. The back plate is thinned at the location of the groove. A chair back according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. A seat to be seated by a seated person, Legs supporting the seat; A chair back according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A chair equipped with:

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