Patents Assigned to Herman Miller, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10874220
    Abstract: A body support structure includes a backrest and a seat connected to the backrest. A suspension material is connected to the backrest or the seat. The suspension material has a first zone with a first stiffness and a second zone with a second stiffness greater than the first stiffness. Also included are methods of creating different zones in the suspension material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: John F. Aldrich, Brock Walker, Jeff Bruner, Adwait Bhagwat, Ethan McGraw, Don Chadwick
  • Patent number: 10856662
    Abstract: A body support structure includes a frame and a membrane attached to the frame. The membrane includes elastomeric filaments. The membrane includes different regions with different stiffness. The membrane may form a part of a seat or a backrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Johann Burkhard Schmitz, Claudia Plikat, Carola Eva Marianne Zwick, Roland Rolf Otto Zwick, Andrew Keith Hector, John Fredric Aldrich
  • Patent number: 10842266
    Abstract: A furniture system includes an elongated chase having a body extending from a first end to a second end. The body has an upper surface and a lower surface. A first leg is coupled to the lower surface of the body and a second leg is coupled to the lower surface of the body and spaced apart from the first leg. Power cables are positioned within a cavity of the body, the power cables configured to connect to a building's power supply. A modular power unit is coupled to the lower surface of the body. The modular power unit includes a power outlet electrically coupled to the power cables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: John Matthai, Joshua DeWys, Joel Ruiter, Michael Katje, Peter Keyzer, Michael A. Johnson, Taiyoh Afrik
  • Patent number: 10820706
    Abstract: A body support structure includes a frame and a membrane attached to the frame. The membrane includes elastomeric filaments. The membrane includes different regions with different stiffness. The membrane may form a part of a seat or a backrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Johann Burkhard Schmitz, Claudia Plikat, Carola Eva Marianne Zwick, Roland Rolf Otto Zwick, Andrew Keith Hector, John Fredric Aldrich
  • Patent number: 10758035
    Abstract: A method of communicatively pairing a first furnishing item with a second furnishing item, the method including impacting the first furnishing item against the second furnishing item. The method also includes generating a first output with a first sensor of the first furnishing item in response to an impact between the first furnishing item and the second furnishing item and generating a second output with a second sensor of the second furnishing item in response to the impact between the first furnishing item and the second furnishing item. The method further includes receiving, by a controller, the first output, receiving, by the controller, the second output, and pairing a first communication circuit of the first furnishing item with a second communication circuit of the second furnishing item in response to receiving the second output within a predetermined time of receiving the first output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Jeff Gibson, Christopher Hoyt, Nicolas Milani, Kurt Dykema, Dave Moelker, Jared Thomas
  • Patent number: 10750873
    Abstract: A furniture system includes an office productivity structure (OPS). The furniture system also includes a sensor coupled to the OPS, the sensor operable to detect a parameter of the OPS and generate an output signal indicative of the parameter; and a processor coupled to the sensor. The processor is operable to receive the output signal generated by the sensor, determine, based on the output signal, an operation condition of the OPS, when the operation condition is determined to be within a satisfactory range, determine an estimated time before servicing is needed, and when the operation condition is determined to be outside a satisfactory range, send a service alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Hoyt, Daniel Rucker, Joseph Doran, Brian Alexander, Adam Daley-Fell
  • Patent number: 10743677
    Abstract: A seating structure includes a frame, a carrier, and a suspension material. The frame includes first and second side frame members spaced apart in a first direction and defining an opening therebetween. The first and second side frame members have an inner portion facing the opening and an outer portion facing away from the opening, the outer portion including a plurality of first attachment features facing away from the first and second side frame members in the first direction. The carrier includes first and second side carrier members. The first and second side carrier members include a plurality of second attachment features facing the first and second side frame members in the first direction, the plurality of second attachment features engaging the plurality of first attachment features to attach the carrier to the frame. The suspension material is attached to the carrier and extends over the opening in the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Johann Burkhard Schmitz, Carola Eva Marianne Zwick, Roland Rolf Otto Zwick, James Slagh, Brent Tracy, Michael D. Stanton, Sr.
  • Patent number: 10718111
    Abstract: A subarchitectural office system including a subarchitectural wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge opposite the first side edge. The subarchitectural office system also includes a first arch adjacent the first side edge of the subarchitectural wall and a second arch adjacent the second side edge of the subarchitectural wall. The first and second arches both include a first vertical post adjacent the respective side edge of the subarchitectural wall, an overhead beam with a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the overhead beam is coupled to the first vertical post and the overhead beam extends outwardly from the first vertical post. The first and second arches also include a second vertical post positioned away from the subarchitectural wall and coupled to the second end of the overhead beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Ayse Birsel, Bibi Seck, Andrew Kurrasch
  • Patent number: 10626602
    Abstract: A workstation includes a frame having a lower rail and a plurality of upright posts coupled to and extending upwardly from the lower rail. Each upright post has a track. The workstation also includes a plurality of panels supported by the frame. Each panel has a first side edge received in the track of one of the plurality of upright posts, a second side edge received in the track of another of the plurality of upright posts, and a lower edge adjacent the lower rail. The lower edge has a first length. Each panel also has an upper edge opposite the lower edge. The upper edge has a second length that is longer than the first length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventor: Richard Holbrook
  • Patent number: 10624457
    Abstract: The invention relates to a chair (1) which comprises a support (6), a seat element (5), a back element (4), a leg element (3), a spring mechanism and a weight-controlled working adjusting element for the spring mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Johann Burkhard Schmitz, Carola Zwick, Roland Zwick
  • Patent number: D880919
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Markus Jehs, Jurgen Laub
  • Patent number: D882317
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Don Chadwick, Jeffrey Koffman
  • Patent number: D886500
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Naoto Fukasawa, Keiji Takeuchi
  • Patent number: D887158
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Johann Burkhard Schmitz, Carola Zwick, Roland Zwick
  • Patent number: D889152
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Samuel Hecht, Kimberlee Colin, Luca Corvatta, Romain Voulet
  • Patent number: D897292
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: John Matthai, Joel Ruiter
  • Patent number: D897962
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Naoto Fukasawa, Keiji Takeuchi
  • Patent number: D901921
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Martin Bergmann, Gernot Bohmann, Harald Gründl
  • Patent number: D903382
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: John Matthai, Joel Ruiter
  • Patent number: D903392
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: HERMAN MILLER, INC.
    Inventors: Brock Walker, Mark Goetz