Apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair
An apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair includes: a supporting base; a seat body mounted on the supporting base; a seat back having a pair of elongated ears symmetrically parallel to each other and disposed at the bottom end of both sides thereof, the elongated ears each being pivotally connected to the rear side of the seat body; and an elastic support element slantly disposed at a lower location between the bottom end of the seat back and the rear end of the seat body. Based upon the above-mentioned configuration, a strong elastic supporting force is provided for the seat back. As a result, the inclination of the seat back can be automatically adjusted when the body of the user leans backward.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an office chair, and more particularly to an apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition to meeting the ergonomic requirement, the design of an office chair must fulfill the requirement of providing the user with a comfortable sitting feeling. It is more preferable when the angle of the seat back can be adjusted. As shown in
As shown in
It is a primary object of the invention to provide an apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair by which the seat portion remains unmoved while the seat back leans backward with the back of the user and permits an automatic adjustment of the inclination to an optimal level, thereby providing the user with a comfortable sitting feeling.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair that has a simple structure and permits a flexible and free operation. Meanwhile, the center of gravity won't be changed in adjusting the seat back. In this way, the safety in use may be increased.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair includes:
a) a supporting base;
b) a seat body mounted on the supporting base;
c) a seat back having a pair of elongated ears symmetrically parallel to each other and disposed at the bottom end of both sides thereof, the elongated ears each being pivotally connected to the rear side of the seat body; and
d) an elastic support element slantly disposed at a lower location between the bottom end of the seat back and the rear end of the seat body.
Based upon the above-mentioned configuration, a strong elastic supporting force is provided for the seat back. As a result, the inclination of the seat back can be automatically adjusted when the body of the user leans backward.
The accomplishment of this and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following descriptions and its accompanying figures of which:
First of all, referring to
The supporting base 40 has a shaft 41 in the middle thereof. The supporting base 40 in accordance with the embodiment includes casters 42 at the bottom thereof.
The seat body 50 includes a shaft socket 51 at the center of the bottom side thereof. The shaft socket 51 is mounted on the shaft 41. According to this embodiment, the seat body 50 includes a padded portion 54 and two armrests 55 at both sides thereof. These are basic components of a normal office chair so that no further descriptions thereto are given hereinafter.
The seat back 60 includes a pair of elongated ears 61 that are symmetrically parallel to each other and disposed at the left and right sides thereof. The elongated ears 61 each are pivotally connected by a first pivot element 611 to a first mounting portion 52 at the rear side of the seat body 50. Moreover, a projecting ear 62 is positioned at the center between the left and right elongated ears 61 of the seat back 60.
The elastic support element 70 includes a first pivoting portion 71 at the top end thereof. The first pivoting portion 71 is pivotally connected by a second pivot element 621 to the projecting ear 62 of the seat back 60. Meanwhile, a second pivoting portion 75 at the bottom end of the elastic support element 70 is pivotally connected by a third pivot element 751 to a second mounting portion 53 of the shaft socket 51 positioned at the bottom end of the seat body 50 (see
Referring to
The first, second, and third pivot elements 611, 621, 751 are selected from a group consisting of a bolt and a pin. The second pivoting portion 75 and the socket 76 of the elastic support element 70 are integrally formed to be an L-shaped body.
Based upon the above-mentioned configuration, the sound-deadening effect of the invention can be achieved by the following ways. The socket 76 is used to position the guide bar 72 in place. As shown in
Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair, comprising:
- a) a supporting base having a shaft in the middle thereof;
- b) a seat body having a shaft socket at the center of the bottom side thereof, the shaft socket being mounted on the shaft;
- c) a seat back having a pair of elongated ears symmetrically parallel to each other and disposed at the left and right sides thereof, the elongated ears each being pivotally connected by a first pivot element to a first mounting portion at the rear side of the seat body, a projecting ear being positioned at the center between the left and right elongated ears 61 of the seat back; and
- d) an elastic support element having a first pivoting portion at the top end thereof, the first pivoting portion being pivotally connected by a second pivot element to the projecting ear of the seat back, a second pivoting portion being disposed at the bottom end of the elastic support element and pivotally connected by a third pivot element to a second mounting portion of the shaft socket positioned at the bottom end of the seat body such that the elastic support element is slantly disposed at a lower location between the bottom end of the seat back and the rear end of the seat body, the elastic support element further having a guide bar pivotally connected at the bottom end of the first pivoting portion, the bottom portion of the guide bar axially passing through a socket above the second pivoting portion and in an inclined position, the socket being axially fixed within a hollow tube with an opening directed upwards, a spring being mounted on the guide bar and the socket.
2. The apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair as recited in claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third pivot elements are selected from a group consisting of a bolt and a pin.
3. The apparatus for adjusting the angle of a seat back of an office chair as recited in claim 1, wherein the second pivoting portion and the socket of the elastic support element are integrally formed to be an L-shaped body.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 13, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 16, 2008
Inventor: Yung-Hua Chen (Sinjhuang City)
Application Number: 11/783,904