Dining chair

Abstract

To provide a dining chair that can provide a comfort to sit on over a long time by easily adapting it to seated persons' bodily characteristics, even when their bodily characteristics are different from each other.SOLUTION: A dining chair 1 comprises a seating face part 4 that is formed by making a plurality of coil springs 70 internally arranged in a planar shape, and a leg part 21 that supports the seating face part 4 at almost the height of a human knee. The dining chair can provide a comfort to sit on over a long time by easily adapting it to seated persons' bodily characteristics, even when their bodily characteristics are different from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a dining chair.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, dining chairs have been increasingly used mainly in Japanese houses. For example, the dining chair body of the dining chair in Patent Document 1 includes a seat portion, a backrest provided on the rear portion of the seat portion, and four legs provided downward from the four corners of the seat portion, and horizontal crossbars are respectively provided between the legs (see FIG. 2 etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Due to the small size of Japanese houses, dining chairs are required to be able to be relaxed like a sofa not only during meals.

[0005] However, dining chairs are most often used mainly for dining tables. For example, unlike sofas and beds, they are assumed to be used for a relatively short time (e.g., equivalent to meal time).

[0006] For this reason, the seat surface of a dining chair is generally designed with a different concept from that of a sofa or a bed. Even in the case of such a dining chair, it is desirable to be able to provide a comfortable sitting feeling that makes users want to use it for a relatively long time.

[0007] In recent years, there has also been a change in the living environment where people spend long hours at the dining table as a living-dining area. Therefore, not only as a dining chair, but also as a sofa, it is required to be able to relax, and the demand for this has been increasing. However, sofas are large, take up space, and are heavy. For this reason, they are difficult to move easily during cleaning. Also, it is not easy to move for sitting and standing up.

[0008] By the way, since a dining chair is often used in a set with a table, in order to fit the length under the knees, the thickness of the thighs, etc. according to the differences in the physical characteristics of the person sitting, there are limitations such as the length of the four legs and the thickness of the seat surface. That is, there are limitations in the posture when relaxing.

[0009] Therefore, on one hand, an object of the present invention is to obtain a dining chair that can easily adapt to the physical characteristics of the person sitting and provide a comfortable sitting feeling for a long time even if there are differences in the physical characteristics of the person sitting.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] On one hand, the dining chair according to the present invention mainly includes a seat surface portion formed by arranging a plurality of individually packaged coil springs in a planar shape inside, and legs that support the seat surface portion around the height of a person's knees.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] On one hand, according to the present invention, even if there are differences in the physical characteristics of the person sitting, it is possible to easily adapt to those characteristics and provide a comfortable sitting feeling for a long time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The dining chair of the present embodiment is characterized by including a seat surface portion formed by arranging a plurality of individually packaged coil springs in a planar manner inside, and legs that support this seat surface portion around the height of a human knee.

[0014] Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, for the sake of easy viewing, there are cases where only some of the parts having the same attribute are not provided with reference numerals.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of the dining chair 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of the armchair type dining chair 1A. Hereinafter, mainly the dining chair 1 will be described, but the same may apply to the dining chair 1A. Also, hereinafter, the user refers to a person sitting on the dining chair 1.

[0016] The dining chair 1 is preferably mainly used for a dining table. The dining chair 1 has structural features that achieve the purpose of being easy to move (lightweight) for cleaning and sitting and standing. Specifically, there are restrictions such as the length of the legs below the knees and the thickness of the seat surface. In recent years, as a living and dining area, the demand for spending long hours at the dining table has been increasing. The dining chair 1 described below has such structural features and also has characteristics that can meet such demand.

[0017] First, the skeleton part of the dining chair 1 will be described. The frame part 2 forms the skeleton of the entire dining chair 1 and is formed mainly of, for example, wood. The frame part 2 includes a seat surface support part 22 and a backrest forming part 24. The frame part 2 may be realized by assembling a plurality of parts. In the case of the armchair type dining chair 1A, the frame part 2 further includes an armrest part 3.

[0018] And the dining chair 1 includes legs 21, a seat part 4, and a backrest part 6 as main functional parts.

[0019] First, the seat surface support part 22 supports the seat part 4. Details will be described later. The four legs 21 made of rod-shaped wood extend downward from the four corners of the lower surface of the seat part 4. The four legs 21 of rod-shaped wood support the four corners of the seat surface support part 22. The two rear legs 21 are preferably connected to the lower part of the backrest forming part 24 via a handle part 25. Note that the two rear legs 21 may be integrally formed with the backrest forming part 24.

[0020] The handle part 25 is provided on both sides in the left-right direction of the seat surface support part 22 and extends in the front-rear direction above the seat surface support part 22. The handle part 25 abuts on the left and right side surfaces of the seat part 4 and prevents the seat part 4 from deforming or moving to the left and right. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately prevent the seat part 4 from deforming in the lateral direction.

[0021] Further, the gripping portion 25 is preferably provided in a manner having a vertical gap 30 between it and the seat surface support portion 22 as shown in FIG. 1. Thereby, the user can sit down or stand up while inserting the fingertips into the gap 30 and gripping the gripping portion 25, improving convenience.

[0022] The seat surface support portion 22 supports the seat surface portion 4. The seat surface support portion 22 supports the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the seat surface portion 4. The seat surface support portion 22 has a vertical opening 221 (see the dotted line in FIG. 6) at the central portion in a top view.

[0023] In this embodiment, the seat surface support portion 22 includes an outer peripheral frame portion 222 and a flat plate portion 223.

[0024] The outer peripheral frame portion 222 is arranged in a rectangular frame shape in a top view. The outer peripheral frame portion 222 has a support portion 2220 extending inward. The outer peripheral frame portion 222 is coupled to the leg portion 21 and the backrest forming portion 24.

[0025] The flat plate portion 223 formed by arranging four plate materials on the rectangular frame portion 2 is supported by the support portion 2220 of the outer peripheral frame portion 222 and forms the above-described opening 221. The flat plate portion 223 is formed of, for example, plywood. The flat plate portion 223 may be fixed to the lower portion of the seat surface portion 4. That is, the flat plate portion 223 may form the lower surface of the seat surface portion 4.

[0026] The backrest forming portion 24 extends upward from the rear portion of the seat surface support portion 22. The backrest forming portion 24 supports the backrest portion 6. The backrest forming portion 24 may include two members (not shown) extending upward from both the left and right sides of the seat surface portion 4 and a plurality of horizontal members connected between the two members.

[0027] The seat surface portion 4 is supported on the seat surface support portion 22 of the frame portion 2. Details of the seat surface portion 4 will be described later.

[0028] The backrest portion 6 is supported on the backrest forming portion 24 of the frame portion 2. The backrest portion 6 may be detachable from the backrest forming portion 24. In a state where the backrest portion 6 is removed, the backrest forming portion 24 realizes a direct backrest. The backrest portion 6 may have a cushion material (for example, sponge, coil spring, etc., not shown) stored inside the cover portion 6a.

[0029] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10, the dining chair 1 will be described in more detail.

[0030] FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the inside of the seat surface portion 4, and is an explanatory view in which a surface portion of the seat surface portion 4 is removed so that a part of the inside of the seat surface portion 4 can be seen. FIG. 4 is a view of the seat support portion 22 viewed from below. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the sliding movement of the seat surface portion 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the dining chair 1 viewed from below, FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 6, FIGS. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of the dining chair 1, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view passing through the slide mechanism portion 9. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of part B in FIG. 9.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the seat surface portion 4 of the dining chair 1 includes a coil spring layer 7 in which a plurality of coil springs 70 are arranged. In FIG. 3, the coil springs 70 are schematically shown in a state of being housed in pockets (cylindrical bags). The shape of each coil spring 70 may be, for example, a lantern shape as a typical example, but may also be a shape such as a drum spring shape, a conical coil spring, a zigzag coil spring, a bell-shaped coil spring, or a square drawn coil spring.

[0032] The plurality of coil springs 70 may be arranged, for example, in a parallel arrangement form (an arrangement without deviation for each row). Alternatively, the plurality of coil springs 70 may be arranged in an alternating arrangement form (a staggered arrangement form). The alternating arrangement form is an arrangement mode in which the coil springs 70 are displaced by a certain distance (for example, a distance corresponding to the radius of the coil spring 70) for each row. That is, the pitch in the lateral direction (width direction) of the seat surface portion 4 is the same as the pitch in the longitudinal direction (depth direction) of the seat surface portion 4.

[0033] Since the coil spring layer 7 has a plurality of coil springs 70 arranged in the plane of the seating surface portion 4, local deformation is possible, and good sitting comfort can be provided. Also, depending on the user's physique, sitting posture, etc., the way the plurality of coil springs 70 are deformed can be locally different, so good sitting comfort can be realized for a variety of users.

[0034] The coil spring layer 7 is preferably covered at the top and on all sides by a urethane layer 8. That is, the urethane layer 8 surrounds the entire coil spring layer 7 except for the lower surface thereof. In other words, the urethane layer 8 forms a space for accommodating the coil spring layer 7. As a result, the coil spring layer 7 is likely to be stably maintained in a normal position. Also, by providing the urethane layer 8, the sitting comfort is improved due to the low resilience of the urethane layer 8 itself. In this case, the seating surface portion 4 may include a cover portion 4a that covers the urethane layer 8 and the lower surface of the coil spring layer 7. The cover portion 4a may be formed of the same fabric or the like as the cover portion 6a of the backrest portion 6.

[0035] The plurality of coil springs 70 are preferably compressed in a no-load state (no-load state) in which no external load is applied to the seating surface portion 4. That is, the plurality of coil springs 70 are preferably compressed in a state where the user is not seated. As a result, even relatively tall coil springs 70 can be arranged within the seating surface portion 4.

[0036] Note that the coil springs 70 may be shared with coil springs used in other furniture such as beds and sofas. In this case, cost reduction can be achieved by sharing the coil springs 70. Generally, there are many relatively tall coil springs used in other furniture such as beds and sofas. Therefore, in a configuration where the coil springs 70 are arranged in a compressed state as in this embodiment, sharing can be promoted.

[0037] Each of the plurality of coil springs 70 is preferably compressed by 40% or more in the unloaded state. For example, if the height in the unloaded state is 16 cm, it may be arranged in the seat surface portion 4 in a state compressed to about 9 cm. In this case, a coil spring 70 with a relatively large height can be arranged in the seat surface portion 4 in a manner that does not impair the spring characteristics of the plurality of coil springs 70.

[0038] In this embodiment, as an example, the coil spring 70 has 5 turns, the coil height is 140 mm in the free length, and 80 mm when in the pocket. Each coil spring 70 is, for example, in the shape of a lantern. Also, the coil springs 70 are arranged in parallel in a row configuration of 6 rows in the lateral direction and 5 rows in the depth direction (in this case, a total of 30 coil springs 70 are provided). Thereby, the coil springs 70 can be arranged in a uniform manner on the seat surface portion 4 which is substantially rectangular in top view.

[0039] Here, the effect of the coil spring 70 of this embodiment will be described in comparison with a coil spring (not shown) according to a comparative example.

[0040] The coil spring according to the comparative example has 5 turns, the coil height is 140 mm in the free length, and 120 mm when in the pocket. Assuming that the spring constant k (N / mm) is the same as that of the coil spring 70. In this case, when a user sits down and a load F2 is applied to the coil spring, the coil spring according to the comparative example displaces by F2 / k [mm] to receive the load F2, but since it is initially compressed by 20 mm, the stroke amount is F2 / k - 20 [mm].

[0041] On the other hand, in the case of the coil spring 70 of this embodiment, since it is initially compressed by 20 mm, the stroke amount is F2 / k - 60 [mm].

[0042] Thus, in this embodiment, compared with the comparative example, the stroke when receiving the load F2 can be reduced. This means that the sinking when the user sits down can be suppressed. Such suppression of sinking is useful from the viewpoint of making it difficult to disrupt an appropriate sitting posture, and is suitable for the use of a dining chair, unlike a sofa or a bed. In this way, according to this embodiment, by arranging the coil spring 70 on the seat surface portion 4 in a relatively large pre-compressed state, it becomes easy to adapt the amount of sinking that occurs during sitting, together with the height of the seat surface portion 4, to the use of a dining chair.

[0043] The coil spring layer 7 is preferably disposed on a waving belt (or waving tape) 60 (an example of an elastic support member) formed of an elastic belt or tape. Specifically, the waving belt 60 is provided so as to cover the vertical opening 221 in the frame portion 2. The waving belt 60 is fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion of the opening 221 in the flat plate portion 223 of the seat surface support portion 22 over the entire circumference of the opening 221. Thereby, since the entire portion covering the opening 221 in the seat surface portion 4 can move downward according to the load when the user sits down, an appropriate sinking of the center of the seat surface portion 4 (the portion covering the opening 221) during sitting can be realized, and the sitting comfort is improved. Here, the waving belt 60 is provided in the seat surface support portion 22.

[0044] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the seat surface portion 4 is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the frame portion 2. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows a state (S1) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the front side with respect to the frame portion 2 and a state (S2) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the rear side with respect to the frame portion 2. For example, the user can move the seat surface portion 4 forward with respect to the frame portion 2 (see arrow R1) from the state (S2) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the rear side with respect to the frame portion 2, thereby realizing the state (S1) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the front side with respect to the frame portion 2. Also, the user can move the seat surface portion 4 backward with respect to the frame portion 2 (see arrow R2) from the state (S1) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the front side with respect to the frame portion 2, thereby realizing the state (S2) in which the seat surface portion 4 is located on the rear side with respect to the frame portion 2. In this way, the front-rear position of the seat surface portion 4 can be realized according to the body types and preferences that may vary for each user, and a good sitting comfort can be realized for various users.

[0045] In particular, in this embodiment, although the backrest forming portion 24 formed by the frame portion 2 has a non-movable structure, the seat surface portion 4 is slidable in the front-rear direction as described above. Thereby, while realizing a stable backrest portion as a dining chair, the front-rear position of the seat surface portion 4 can be realized according to the body types and preferences that may vary for each user.

[0046] In this embodiment, as an example, the seat surface portion 4 is supported by the seat surface support portion 22 of the frame portion 2 via the slide mechanism portion 9. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the slide mechanism portion 9 includes an adjustment screw 90 in the form of a toggle bolt (a pin body, specifically the adjustment screw 90 in this embodiment). The adjustment screw 90 is attached to the lower portion of the seat surface portion 4 (for example, the flat plate portion 223). The adjustment screws 90 are provided on both the left and right sides of the seat surface portion 4. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the adjustment screw 90 can move in the front-rear direction (see arrows R1 and R2) with its shaft passing through a long hole 2221 formed in a support portion 2220 of an outer peripheral frame portion 222 in the seat surface support portion 22. FIG. 7 shows, in cross-sectional view, the shaft portion of the adjustment screw 90 in a state (S1) where the seat surface portion 4 is positioned on the front side with respect to the frame portion 2, and the shaft portion of the adjustment screw 90 in a state (S2) where the seat surface portion 4 is positioned on the rear side with respect to the frame portion 2.

[0047] According to such a slide mechanism portion 9, the user can loosen the adjustment screw 90 to form a state where the seat surface portion 4 can be easily moved with respect to the frame portion 2. After adjustment, the user can tighten the adjustment screw 90 to fix the seat surface portion 4 with respect to the frame portion 2 at a desired adjustment position. Note that the user can adjust the seat surface portion 4 to an arbitrary position with respect to the frame portion 2 within the range where the adjustment screw 90 can move within the long hole 2221.

[0048] As described above, the case where there are four legs has been exemplified, but the number of legs may be three, or may be configured to have five or more legs. Further, the legs may be composed of a single support column and a base portion having a plurality of casters.

[0049] As described above, each embodiment has been described in detail, but it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. Also, it is possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the above-described embodiments.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 1, 1A Dining chair 2 Frame portion 3 Armrest portion 4 Seat surface portion 4a Cover portion 6 Backrest part 6a Cover part 7 Coil spring layer 8 Urethane layer 9 Slide mechanism part 21 Leg part 22 Seat surface support part 24 Forming part 25 Handle part 30 Gap 60 Waving belt (waving tape) 70 Coil spring 90 Adjusting screw 221 Opening 222 Outer peripheral frame part 223 Flat plate part 2220 Support part 2221 Long hole

Claims

1. A seat surface portion formed by planar arranging a plurality of individually packaged coil springs therein, and legs that support the seat surface portion around the height of a human knee, and has a seat surface support portion, and a handle portion, and includes the seat surface support portion having a rectangular frame-shaped outer peripheral frame portion, and a rectangular frame-shaped flat plate portion disposed on the outer peripheral frame portion so as to project inward of the outer peripheral frame portion, the flat plate portion supporting the seat surface portion from below, the legs being connected to the outer peripheral frame portion at an upper portion, the handle portion being installed between upper ends of the legs in the front-rear direction and provided in a manner having a vertical gap with the outer peripheral frame portion, further, the seat surface portion is disposed between the left and right handle portions, further includes an elastic support member formed of an elastic belt provided on the flat plate portion so as to cover a vertical opening portion in the flat plate portion, the seat surface portion being disposed on the elastic support member, a dining chair, wherein a pin fixed to either one of the outer peripheral frame portion and the flat plate portion is slidably moved in a long hole formed in the other one, and the seat surface portion is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the handle portion.

2. Each of the plurality of coil springs is compressed by 40% or more in a no-load state where no external load is applied to the seat surface portion. The dining chair according to Claim 1.

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