nestable chairs

Abstract

To provide a chair which is excellent in workability of nesting and unnesting, and is convenient to use as a chair.SOLUTION: A chair includes front legs 1, rear legs 2, a seat 3, and a backrest 4, and a horizontal interval between the front legs 1 is narrower than a horizontal interval between the rear legs 2. Thus, chairs can be nested back and forth. The seat 3 has tapered parts 15 whose lower surfaces are inclined planes 14 and thick parts 16 continuing to the same via step parts 17. A front end of the inclined plane 14 of the rear seat 3 is on a rear boss part 11 of the front seat 3, so that the back seat 3 is flipped up. Thus, the chairs can be nested without requiring the seat 3 to be flipped up each time. When the chairs are unnested, the seats 3 automatically shift to a use state to keep horizontal postures. Therefore, it is convenient to use.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to chairs that can be nested front to back. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, chairs for meetings or lecture halls that need to be stored in a warehouse or corner of a room when not in use are often designed to be nested (interlocked) one behind the other so that they can be stored in as small a space as possible.

[0003] As for the nesting mode, first, as a basic configuration, when the legs are four-legged, for example, the left-right distance between the front legs is narrower than the left-right distance between the rear legs, allowing the legs of chairs lined up one behind the other to fit together, and in order to prevent interference between the seats of the front and rear chairs, the seats are configured to be flip-up and swivel so that their front ends are higher. Note that nestable chairs usually have casters on the bottom ends of the legs.

[0004] In conventional nestable chairs, the seat is generally designed to be able to be raised to a position slightly tilted backward from the vertical position, and the raised seat is maintained by leaning against the backrest. With this general chair, the person must raise and rotate the seat when nesting, which is a hassle.

[0005] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses that in a chair type in which the backrest and seat are integrated, the legs are formed in a U-shape that opens forward when viewed from the side, while the upper part consisting of the seat and backrest is biased by a spring means in a forward-leaning position with the front end of the seat as a fulcrum, thereby forming a horizontally V-shaped space between the seat and legs when viewed from the side, with the vertical spacing widening towards the rear when not in use, and the front end of the seat of a subsequent chair is fitted into this space when nesting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6136648 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The chair in Patent Document 1 does not require the user to lift up the seat each time the chair is nested, which reduces the burden on the user when nesting, but it is cumbersome because the user has to push down the seat each time they sit down after leaving the chair, and also, if the user lifts their hips slightly, the seat follows, resulting in an uncomfortable feeling when using the chair.

[0008] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, there is a concern that, during nesting, the upper surface of the seat of the chair positioned in front is rubbed against the underside of the seat of the chair positioned behind, which may easily damage the covering material.

[0009] The present invention aims to improve this current situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention has various configurations, typical examples of which are specified in each claim. For example, claim 1 states: "It has legs that can be nested forward and backward, a seat connected to the legs so that it can be flipped up and rotated from a forward-leaning position, and a backrest attached to the upper end of the legs, When the legs of a succeeding chair are fitted into the legs of the preceding chair from behind, the seat of the succeeding chair automatically flips up and rotates, and they are nested together. In the chair, 「 The seat itself or the seat and legs cooperate with the preceding chair during the nesting to move the seat from the forward tilted position. automatically A guide means for lifting and rotating the device is provided. A space is provided below the backrest to allow the seat of the succeeding chair to enter when the chair is nested, The seat is automatically falls forward When the nesting is released, the roller returns to the forward tilting direction and rotates. The structure is as follows.

[0011] The invention of claim 2 is an example of the development of claim 1, as follows: "At least the front portion of the underside of the seat is formed as an inclined surface that increases in height toward the front as part of the guide means, The rear end of the seat is configured, as part of the guide means, so that the front end of the underside of the seat of the succeeding chair rides on it during the nesting. The structure is as follows.

[0012] The invention of claim 3 is an example of the development of claim 2, as follows: "The seat is connected to the legs so as to rotate about its rear end as a fulcrum." The structure is as follows.

[0013] The invention of claim 4 can be developed as follows: "The underside of the seat is formed with a step that fits onto the rear end of the seat of the chair positioned forward when the chair is fully nested." The structure is as follows.

[0014] The invention of claim 5 is an example of the development of claim 1, as follows: "At least the front portion of the underside of the seat is formed as an inclined surface that increases in height toward the front as part of the guide means, As part of the guide means, the legs are provided with guide bodies on which the front end of the underside of the seat of the succeeding chair rides during the nesting, the guide bodies protruding rearward beyond the rear end of the seat. The structure is as follows.

[0015] The invention of claim 6 is any one of claims 1 to 5, "At two portions of the seat or legs that come into contact with each other in the fully nested state, a position maintaining means is provided that maintains the nested state by magnetic attachment or fitting." The structure is as follows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The chairs of the present invention are similar to the chairs of the previous Subsequent A chair Move forward When inserted from behind , of the succeeding chair The seat automatically jumps up, Multiple chairs Nesting is permitted. Therefore, there is no need for a person to lift up the seat when nesting, and once the seat is in a collapsed position, it will not fall forward due to its own weight. Less This means that there is no hassle of the seat rising when you lift your hips, making it very comfortable to use.

[0018] Furthermore, a feature of each invention of the present application is that the seat of the following chair flips up and enters the space under the backrest of the preceding chair, and this innovative configuration enables the seats to automatically flip up and nest together.

[0019] The configuration of claim 2 has the advantage of simplifying the structure, since the seat can be automatically flipped up and rotated by simply modifying the shape of the seat alone. In this case, if the rotation fulcrum of the seat is positioned at the rear end, as in claim 3, the underside of the rear seat does not come into contact with the upper surface of the front seat, which is preferable as it prevents the seat cover from being damaged by nesting. Furthermore, the configuration of claim 4 allows the seat to be held in a fully nested position with a simple structure.

[0020] Furthermore, claims 5 By adopting the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the rear seat from hitting the front seat during nesting, thereby reliably preventing the phenomenon of the seat covering being damaged during nesting. 5 Forming a part of the guide means on the leg in this way has the advantage of improving design freedom. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a first embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from the front, (B) is a side view, and (C) is a perspective view seen from below. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the nesting state. [Figure 3] These are side views showing the nesting state, where (A) is an overall view and (B) is a partially separated view. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a second embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from behind, and (B) is a side view. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are views showing a third embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from behind, and (B) is a side view. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a fourth embodiment, in which (A) is a plan view and (B) is a perspective view. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a fifth embodiment, in which (A) is a side view and (B) is a partially cutaway side view. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a reference example, in which (A) is a schematic side view, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in (A). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] 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 are based on the direction of a person normally sitting in a chair. The front viewing direction is the direction facing the seated person.

[0024] (1) First embodiment (Figs. 1 to 3) First, the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 will be described. The chair has left and right front legs 1 and left and right rear legs 2. and It has a seat 3 and a backrest 4, and casters 5 are attached to the lower ends of each of the legs 1 and 2.

[0025] The front legs 1 are tilted backward in side view, with their lower ends in a vertical position. On the other hand, the rear legs 2 are tilted forward in side view, with their lower ends in a vertical position. Joint 6 is connected to the upper ends of the rear legs 2, and the upper ends of the front legs 1 are connected to joint 6. In addition, the backrest 4 has left and right support columns 7, which are connected to joint 6. Therefore, the support columns 7, joint 6, and front and rear legs 1, 2 form a square-shaped (or human-shaped) form in side view.

[0026] There is a space 8 between the bottom end of the backrest 4 and the rear end of the seat 3. It is also possible to provide an armrest at the joint 6. The legs 1 and 2 are made of metal pipes such as steel pipes. The backrest 4 is a molded resin product, but it is also possible to place a cushion on the front.

[0027] The seat 3 is constructed by covering a resin seat plate (seat inner shell) 9 with a cushioning material (not shown) and then covering it from above with a skin material 10. The rear edge of the seat plate 9 is integrated with the rear boss portion 11, which is a hollow, left-right long-length portion. Left and right long sides The seat 3 is connected to the upper end of the front leg 1 by a support shaft 12. Since the rear boss portion 11 is exposed upward, the cover material 10 is located in front of the rear boss portion 11. The seat 3 is located slightly forward of the support shaft 12. Section The front legs 1 are supported by left and right longitudinal stays 13. The stays 13 are fixed to the left and right front legs 1 by welding.

[0028] The front two-thirds or so of the underside of the seat 3 forms an inclined surface 14 that increases in height toward the front (the inclined surface 14 curves so that it bulges slightly downward in side view). Therefore, the portion of the seat 3 where the inclined surface 14 is formed becomes thinner toward the front, forming a tapered portion 15 in side view. On the other hand, the rear one-third or so of the seat 3 forms a thick portion 16, and the aforementioned rear boss portion 11 is formed at the rear end of the thick portion 16.

[0029] Therefore, a step 17 is formed on the underside of the seat 3, forming a boundary between the tapered portion 15 and the thick portion 16. The step 17 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the side. In the embodiment, the step 17 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the side, but other shapes when viewed from the side can also be adopted, such as forming it in an angular shape or forming it as an inclined surface.

[0030] In Figure 1(B), a horizontal line 18 is drawn that passes through the tip of the inclined surface 14. As can be seen from Figure 1(B), the upper surface of the seat 3 is tilted slightly backward so that it is lower toward the rear, and the rear boss portion 11 is slightly lower than the front end of the inclined surface 14.

[0031] As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the left and right front legs 1 are positioned parallel to each other, while the left and right rear legs 2 are inclined downward so that the distance between them increases, and the front legs 1 are positioned laterally inward of the rear legs 2. The casters 5 of the front legs 1 are also positioned laterally inward of the casters 5 of the rear legs 2. Therefore, the chairs can be fitted together front to back. Specifically, one chair can be fitted into another chair by moving it from behind. In other words, the leg devices can be nested.

[0032] Furthermore, because the rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3 is slightly lower than the front end of the inclined surface 14, when one chair is pushed onto another chair from behind, as shown in Figure 3, the front end of the seat 3 of the rear chair is guided upward by the rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3 of the front chair, causing the seat 3 of the rear chair to bounce up.Then, the step portion 17 of the seat 3 of the rear chair fits into (overlaps with) the rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3 of the front chair, thereby determining the nesting pitch of the front and rear chairs.

[0033] In this embodiment, the inclined surface 14 and rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3 constitute the guide means described in the claims. The rear seat 3 is guided by the rear boss portion 11 of the front seat 3, so the underside (inclined surface 14) of the rear seat 3 does not rub against the upholstery material 10 of the front seat 3, preventing damage to the upholstery material 10.

[0034] In nesting, the seat 3 of the first chair is not lifted up, and the seats 3 of the second and subsequent chairs are lifted up by the guide action of the seat 3 immediately before. Therefore, the seat 3 of the third chair is Located in front The flip-up rotation is guided by the rear boss part 11 of the flipped-up seat 3, but since the underside of the seat 3 is an inclined surface 14, the flip-up of the rear seat 3 is performed smoothly even if the front seat 3 is flipped up.

[0035] When nesting, the seat 3 located at the rear enters the space 8 below the backrest 4 located at the front, but if the vertical width of the backrest 4 is reduced and the vertical interval of the space 8 is widened, the angle at which the seat 3 springs up can be increased and the nesting pitch can be reduced.

[0036] Although it is a basic function, Second and subsequent units When the chair moves forward for nesting, seat 3 automatically pops up. When the chair is moved backward from the nested state, seat 3 automatically pops up due to its own weight. before In a collapsed position return Therefore, when nesting or unnesting, there is no need for a person to reach for the seat 3 each time, and therefore the nesting and unnesting operations can be carried out quickly.

[0037] In addition, in the chair of this embodiment, the seat 3 can be raised to a position tilted backward from the vertical position. Therefore, when storing the chair for a long period of time, it is possible to nest by manually raising the seat 3. The ability to select between two different nesting modes is an advantage of this embodiment (and other embodiments).

[0038] (2) Second to fifth embodiments Next, another embodiment will be described, as shown in Figure 4 and subsequent figures. In the second embodiment shown in Figure 4, the underside of the seat 3 is formed with an inclined surface 14, a thick portion 16, and a step portion 17, just like in the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, a guide bar 19 that is U-shaped in plan view is connected to the left and right rear legs 2 as part of the means for guiding the lifting up of the seat 3.

[0039] The horizontal portion of the guide bar 19 is lower than the front end of the inclined surface 14 of the seat 3 in the reclined position, so that the seat 3 of the chair moved from behind can be guided to bounce up. As in the first embodiment, the step portion 17 comes into contact with the guide bar 19 to restrict nesting. Note that although the guide bar 19 forms part of the guide means recited in the claims, it can also be used to hang items such as bags.

[0040] In this embodiment and the first embodiment, the inclined surface 14 of the seat 3 may be in sliding contact with the guide bar 19 or the rear boss portion 11 over the entire left-right length, or, for example, a plurality of ribs may be formed on the underside of the inclined surface 14, and only these ribs may be in sliding contact with the guide bar 19 or the rear boss portion 11. It is also possible to form a guide portion on the rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3 that faces diagonally downward and rearward.

[0041] In this embodiment, the guide bar 19 is located behind the rear boss portion 11 of the seat 3, so as can be seen from a comparison between Figures 4(B) and 3(A), the nesting pitch is larger than in the first embodiment. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the guide bar 19 is fixed independently of the seat 3, which has the advantage of stabilizing the lift-up function of the seat 3.

[0042] The posture of the guide bar 19 may be reversed from that of the embodiment (formed into a U-shape that opens rearward in plan view) so that the horizontally long portion of the guide bar 19 is close to the rear boss portion 11. With this configuration, the seat 3 can be stably lifted, and the nesting pitch can be reduced to a state close to that of the first embodiment.

[0043] In the third embodiment shown in Figure 5, the guide bar 19 protrudes directly to the side from the rear leg 2. Therefore, the structure is simpler than that of the second embodiment. The operation is the same as that of the second and first embodiments. In the embodiment, the left and right guide bars 19 are separate, but they may be connected in a continuous series.

[0044] 6 and 7, the joint 6 is formed with a guide portion 20 that is lowered toward the rear as an example of the guide means recited in the claims. As can be clearly seen from Fig. 6(A), the guide portion 20 protrudes inward on the left and right sides beyond the side edges 3a at the front end of the seat 3. Therefore, when nesting, the side edges 3a at the front end of the rear seat 3 ride over the guide portion 20 of the front seat 3, causing the rear seat 3 to flip up and rotate.

[0045] In this embodiment, the guide portion 20 acts as a spacer, so to speak, during nesting, completely preventing the rear seat 3 from rubbing against the cover material 10 of the front seat 3. In the figure, the underside of the seat 3 is gently curved in side view so that the front end is thinner, but in this embodiment, the length of the guide portion 20 can be set independently of the seat 3, so the seat 3 may be uniform in thickness along its entire length.

[0046] The fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4. The differences from the second embodiment are, first, On the underside of seat 3 Without providing a step portion 17 , seat 3 The stay 13 has an inclined surface 14 formed on its lower surface. In addition, the stay 13 has a generally downwardly opening U-shape when viewed from the front.

[0047] Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, As a reference structure, Brackets 21 are provided on the front legs 1 behind the pivot point O of the seat 3, and rear pins 22 are provided on the brackets 21, while front pins 23 are provided on the side of the seat 3 at a position located in front of the pivot point O, and tension springs 24 are attached to the front and rear pins 22, 23. When the seat 3 is in the reclined position, the line connecting the front and rear pins 22, 23 is located below the pivot point O, and when the seat 3 is flipped up, the line connecting the front and rear pins 22, 23 is located above the pivot point O.

[0048] Therefore, In the reference structure,When the seat 3 is tilted horizontally, the tension of the spring 24 acts to keep the seat 3 in the tilted position, and when the seat 3 is rotated upward, it exceeds the fulcrum, and the spring 24 acts to keep the seat 3 in the tilted position. Therefore, the spring 24 also allows the seat 3 to be selectively and stably held in either the use position or the nesting position.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, As a reference structure, The stay 13 and guide bar 19 are each made of a magnetic material such as steel pipe, while a magnet 25 is disposed on the base 3, which is magnetically attached to the stay 13 when in the reclined position and to the guide bar 19 when in the lifted position. In this embodiment, the base 3 is maintained in both the reclined and lifted positions by a single magnet 25. Therefore, the base 3 is maintained in a stable position whether in use or nested.

[0050] this Reference structure In the fifth embodiment, when nesting, the seat 3 is raised by the guide bar 19, forcibly releasing the magnetic attachment between the first magnet 25 and the stay 13. On the other hand, when the chair is moved back from the nested state, the seat 3 remains in the raised state. Therefore, when using the chair, the seat must be reclined by a person. In the fifth embodiment, Reference structure The spring and magnet are incorporated as components, but usually only one of them is used.

[0051] (3). Reference example As shown in Figure 9 Reference example In the , upward-facing bracket parts 27 are provided on the left and right at the rear of the seat 3, and the left and right bracket parts 27 are connected to the rear legs 2 via support shafts 28 and bearing parts 29. Although not shown, a torsion coil spring is wound around the support shafts 28 to urge the seat 3 in a direction that causes it to bounce upward.

[0052] On the other hand, the front legs 1 have an upper frame 1a that is longitudinal from front to back, and the front portion of the seat 3 is supported by stays 13 that are received on the upper frame 1a. In addition, forward-facing hook-shaped engagement claws 30 are rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the rear portion of the seat 3, and the upper frame 1a is provided with engagement pins (engagement portions) 31 on which the engagement claws 30 hook. The engagement claws 30 engage with the engagement pins when rotated from the rear, and a spring (not shown) prevents their lower ends from rotating forward. However, the engagement claws 30 are stopped in a hanging position by a stopper (not shown).

[0053] When the flipped-up seat 3 rotates downward, the engaging claw 30 hits the engaging pin 31 and rotates to escape once, and then, when it gets over the engaging pin 31, it rotates back to a hanging position by the spring force, whereby the seat 3 is held in a horizontal position for use.

[0054] A long relief portion 32 is formed on the side of the seat 3, and the upper end of the engagement claw 30 is connected by a pin at the relief portion 32. A push rod 33, which can push the engagement claw 30 rearward below the pivot point, is arranged in the relief portion 32 via a hollow guide member 34 so as to be slidable back and forth.

[0055] The rear end of the push rod 33 is close to the engaging claw 30, and the front end of the push rod 33 is generally aligned with the front end of the seat 3. The push rod 33 is biased in the forward direction, but is held so as not to move forward beyond the state where its rear end is close to the engaging claw 30. A dog 35 is provided on the rear leg 2 and is located directly behind the push rod 33.

[0056] this Reference example In this example, when the rear chair is fitted into the front chair, the push rod 33 of the rear chair hits the dog 35 of the front chair, causing the push rod 33 to move backward and the engaging claw 30 to rotate backward. Then, the seat 3 is rotated upward by the action of the spring attached to the support shaft 28. The angle of rotation is regulated by a restricting means (not shown).

[0057] When the seat 3 flips up and rotates, the front of the seat 3 moves upward away from the dog 35, as shown by the dashed line in (A), allowing the chair behind to move forward. In this way, chairs can be nested one after another. The push rod 33 of the rear chair hits the dog 35 of the chair in front, but because the dog 35 is attached to the rear leg 2 and is held in a fixed position regardless of the position of the seat 3, the nesting of the subsequent chair can be carried out without any hindrance.

[0058] When the chair is moved backward from the nested position, the seat 3 moves backward in a raised position. Therefore, the seat 3 is manually reclined. As mentioned above, when the seat 3 is reclined, the engaging claw 30 engages with the engaging pin 31, and the seat 3 is maintained in the usage position. Therefore, even if the user leaves the seat or lifts their hips, the seat 3 does not rotate upward, allowing for comfortable use.

[0060] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various ways as follows. For example, the form of the leg device is not limited to the four-legged system as shown in the drawings, and various other forms can be adopted. 。 [Industrial Applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be embodied in a nestable chair, and therefore has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 front legs 2 Hind legs 3 seats 4 Backrest 5 Caster 8 Space 9 Seat board 10 Skin material 11 Rear boss 12,28 Support shaft 14 Slope 15 Tapered section 16 Thick wall part 17 Step section 19 Guide bar constituting the guide means 20 Guide constituting the guide means Department

Claims

1. The chair has legs that can be nested forward and backward, a seat connected to the legs so that it can be flipped up and rotated from a forward-leaning position, and a backrest provided at the upper end of the legs, When the legs of a succeeding chair are fitted into the legs of a preceding chair from behind, the seat of the succeeding chair automatically flips up and rotates to nest, The seat itself or the seat and legs are provided with a guide means that cooperates with the preceding chair during the nesting process to automatically lift and rotate the seat from a forward-leaning position, A space is provided below the backrest to allow the seat of the succeeding chair to enter when the chair is nested, The seat automatically assumes a forward tilting position due to its own weight, and rotates back to the forward tilting direction when the nesting is released. Nestable chairs.

2. At least a front portion of the underside of the seat is formed as an inclined surface that increases in height toward the front as part of the guide means, The rear end of the seat is configured so that the front end of the underside of the seat of the succeeding chair rides on it as part of the guide means during the nesting.

2. The nestable chair of claim 1.

3. The seat is connected to the legs so as to rotate about a rear end of the seat as a fulcrum.

3. A nestable chair according to claim 2.

4. A step is formed on the underside of the seat to fit onto the rear end of the seat of the chair positioned forward when fully nested.

4. A nestable chair according to claim 2 or 3.

5. At least a front portion of the underside of the seat is formed as an inclined surface that increases in height toward the front as part of the guide means, As part of the guide means, a guide body is provided on the leg, on which the front end of the underside of the seat of the succeeding chair rides during the nesting, and the guide body protrudes rearward beyond the rear end of the seat.

2. The nestable chair of claim 1.

6. At two portions of the seat or the legs that come into contact with each other in the fully nested state, a posture maintaining means is provided for maintaining the nested state by magnetic attachment or fitting. A nestable chair according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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