Patents Examined by Rodney B. White
  • Patent number: 11357331
    Abstract: Many persons that find it difficult to stand from a chair use powered lift chairs that lift the chair seat in an upward direction. These seats are generally one piece seats and offer only one departure angle that is not suitable for all persons. The adjustable angel chair seat allows the person to choose the best departure angle from the seat for the safest departure from the chair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Inventor: Eustace Roger Lake
  • Patent number: 11357330
    Abstract: A support for a piece of seating furniture provides an additional degree of freedom of movement. The support has a connecting unit fitted on a main body that connects to a supporting element of an underframe. The connecting unit has a mounting device for the supporting element, in particular a mount for the upper end of the supporting element. The connecting unit is fitted on the main body such that it is possible to alter the inclination of the main body relative to the supporting element. For that purpose the main body has a preferably convex contact base, which in the fitted state is contacted by a contact head of the connecting unit, with the abutment forming a non-planar contact rather than a contact over a surface area, in particular a punctiform contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: BOCK 1 GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Hermann Bock
  • Patent number: 11350750
    Abstract: A tilt mechanism for a chair comprises a base, a first support configured to support a chair seat and mounted to the base, a second support configured to support a chair back and pivotably coupled to the base about the first pivot axis, a link element pivotably coupled to the second support about a second pivot axis, and a shaft attached to the first support. A first guide slot is provided at the base and a second guide slot is provided at the link element. The shaft is supported in the first guide slot and the second guide slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: L&P PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY
    Inventors: Alessandro Slongo, Massimo Costaglia, Nigel Charles Fitzsimmonds
  • Patent number: 11350754
    Abstract: An article of furniture including a base, a plurality of panels forming an outer surface of the article of furniture, and a plurality of struts for securing the panels in place. The base has an outer periphery which is securable to at least some of the panels. The base is configured for placement on a floor surface. Further, each strut has an elongated member configured for securement to at least two adjacent panels which are oriented in different planes from one another. The adjacent panels are secured to the respective struts with removable fasteners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Inventor: Remco Bergsma
  • Patent number: 11350749
    Abstract: A modular furniture seat assembly comprises a seating portion having a front end, a rear end, a pair of opposing side edges, and a seating connector component on each of the opposing side edges. A back portion is provided and has a lower end, an upper end, and a pair of opposing side edges. The lower end of the back portion connects to the rear end of the seating portion. A pair of lateral support arm assemblies is provided, each having an inner surface and an outer surface, with each of the pair of lateral support arm assemblies having a first arm connector component which is releasably connectable to the seating connector component. The lateral support arm assemblies comprise an armrest portion and a leg portion, with the leg portion supporting the modular furniture seating item when it is an assembled condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: NOBLE HOUSE HOME FURNISHINGS, LLC
    Inventor: Venkataramu Bangalore
  • Patent number: 11344123
    Abstract: A simplified, compact, recliner mechanism which can be adapted to essentially any type of seating unit is disclosed. The seat-drop and the over-center linkages, as well as the seat-drop movement, may be eliminated utilizing a simplified recliner linkage and a linear actuator to control movement of the recliner mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: LEGGETT & PLATT, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Andrew Crum, Cheston Brett Crawford, Gregory Mark Lawson
  • Patent number: 11344129
    Abstract: A portable seat assembly for facilitating a user to be seated in any location includes a pole that is insertable into ground having the pole being vertically oriented. A stop is positionable around the pole to inhibit over insertion of the pole into the ground. A seat is removably attachable to the pole to facilitate a user to sit thereon. Additionally, the seat has a storage chamber integrated therein for storing objects. A lid is removably attachable to the seat and a cushion is coupled to the lid for the user to sit upon. A strap is removably attachable to the seat for wearing over the user's shoulders to carry the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventor: Lawrence Walker
  • Patent number: 11337526
    Abstract: A seating assembly includes a seat and an upright coupled with the seat. A pliable backrest is coupled with the upright and includes a support face and a coupling face. The pliable backrest includes a pliable material extending between the support and coupling faces. The support face is a first exterior face of the pliable back rest and the coupling face is a second exterior face of the pliable back rest. The coupling face is spaced away from the upright with a deformation gap. Another seating assembly includes a joint assembly along the upright member. The joint assembly includes a pivot configured to promote rotation of a first upright portion of the upright relative to a second upright portion. The joint assembly includes opposed stop interfaces configured to control rotation of the first upright portion relative to the second upright portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Cramer LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Gilchrist, Kyle Michael Waggoner, Jean-Francois Gomree, Nicholas M. Christianson
  • Patent number: 11330908
    Abstract: A modular attachment system may be provided with the ability to rapidly interchange different peripherals and accessories at different points where modular receivers have been installed. One or more modular receivers may include one or more quick-connect receptacles adapted to receive corresponding one or more quick connectors of one or more peripheral adapters to quickly connect and disconnect the modular peripheral adapters to facilitate rapid reconfiguration of chairs, desks, tables, or other furniture for different applications. A variety of peripherals and accessories can be attached to one or more modular peripheral adapters to create peripheral assemblies that can be rapidly interchanged by rapid connection to or disconnection from any installed modular housings to reconfigure furniture for different applications. The modular receivers may be attached to a desk, table, or other furnishings or manufactured as a part of office, computer, or gaming chairs, desks, tables, or other furnishings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Tecicity LLC
    Inventor: Marek Strosin
  • Patent number: 11330917
    Abstract: A nursing chair includes a seat and one or more adjustable armrests for supporting an infant. The adjustable armrests are repositionably movable in various directions to suitably position the infant and facilitate comfort of a mother and the infant during breastfeeding. The nursing chair may also include a privacy screen for selectively obscuring the mother and/or infant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Inventor: Marissa Nichols
  • Patent number: 11324323
    Abstract: A body support structure includes a structural lattice structure having a first stiffness, and a compressive lattice structure supported by the structural lattice structure and having a second stiffness less than the first stiffness. A skin lattice structure is supported by the compressive lattice structure, wherein the skin lattice structure is resistant to shear deformation in response to a normal force and is expandable in a direction transverse to the normal force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: STEELCASE INC.
    Inventors: Nickolaus William Charles Deevers, Carl V. Forslund, III, John Richard Hamilton, Kurt R. Heidmann, James Ludwig, Bruce Smith, Aaron Michael Porterfield
  • Patent number: 11325508
    Abstract: A child restraint includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back includes a backrest and an adjustable headrest that is mounted for up-and-down movement on the backrest by a caregiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: DOREL JUVENILE GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Jason H. Johnson, Mei-Hui Lin, Devin J. Coakley, Grant M. Mason
  • Patent number: 11324326
    Abstract: A multi-directional adjustable armrest pad and a chair armrest device with an armrest pad are disclosed and three embodiments are provided. In an embodiment, the pad body can be adjusted to move in a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and rotate relative to the chair armrest, and the pad body can be lifted by controlling a regulating assembly, and the regulating assembly is also rotatable and pivotally swingable, so as to make the armrest pad suit placement of a user's hand when the user sits on the chair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Inventor: Wen-Ping Hsieh
  • Patent number: 11325514
    Abstract: An armrest includes a bracket fixed to a frame of a seat, an armrest body member rotatably mounted on the bracket, a receiver coil mounted in the armrest body member, and a transmitter coil mounted in the bracket and transferring power to the receiver coil with a non-contact transmission system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignees: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD., SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., SUMITOMO RIKO COMPANY LIMITED, TOKAI CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Yamamoto, Satoshi Yamamoto, Hideki Oshima, Takahiko Endo, Jun Jin, Keiji Makino, Takemasa Okumura
  • Patent number: 11324322
    Abstract: A body support structure includes a shell having a central region, an outer peripheral region spaced from the central region, and at least one array extending between the central region and the outer peripheral region. The at least one array includes a plurality of spaced apart support members and at least one connector connecting adjacent support members within each array. The support members of the at least one array are progressively divided between the central portion and the outer peripheral edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: STEELCASE INC.
    Inventors: Nickolaus Williams Charles Deevers, Kurt R. Heidmann
  • Patent number: 11324339
    Abstract: A photographing seat assembly for taking passport photos of a child includes a seat in which a child can be positioned. A base engaged to a bottom of the seat can be positioned on a substantially horizontal surface so that the seat is supported upon the base. A panel engaged to a back of the seat provides a background for a photograph of the child positioned in the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Inventor: Frank Ciaramitaro
  • Patent number: 11318866
    Abstract: A backrest locking mechanism is adapted for a backrest and a base of a child safety seat. The backrest is detachably connected to the base, and the backrest locking mechanism includes a locking pin, a locking component and an operating component. The locking pin is disposed on one of the backrest and the base. The locking component is disposed on another one of the backrest and the base. A locking hole structure is formed on the locking component. The locking pin is configured to detachably engage with the locking hole structure. The operating component is movably disposed on the backrest or the base. The operating component drives the locking pin and the locking hole structure to engage with or disengage from each other when the operating component is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Wonderland Switzerland AG
    Inventor: Guang-Hui Zhao
  • Patent number: 11318868
    Abstract: A side-impact crash structure for a vehicle seat may be positioned in the side wall of a passenger seat to reduce impact forces imparted to an occupant during a side collision. The side-impact crash structure for the vehicle seat may include energy absorbers positioned between the seating surface and the outer sidewall of the vehicle. The energy absorbers may be positioned to engage the shoulder and/or lower abdomen area of the passenger. The energy absorbers may be configured to absorb impact forces over a limited ride-down distance (the distance over which the deceleration occurs) to prevent injury to occupants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Bates, Solomon Andrew Hafer, Mikael Jarsaeter, Markus Jost, David Maurice Libeaut, Andrew Frank Raczkowski
  • Patent number: 11304528
    Abstract: A chair assembly includes an arm assembly that includes an armrest supported by a vertically adjustable support assembly and an arm base, where the arm base extends at an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal centerline of the chair assembly, an upholstery arrangement including a ring member attached to a cover, where the ring member includes a plurality of reliefs having a width that reduces as the ring member is wrapped about a shell member of the chair assembly, and a control arrangement having a biasing member that moves through an arcuate path as the biasing member is adjusted between varying bias settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Steelcase Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Battey, Gordon J. Peterson, Todd T. Andres, Gary Karsten, Richard Roslund, Jr., Pradeep Mydur, Nathan McCaughan, Kurt R. Heidmann
  • Patent number: 11304533
    Abstract: The portable beach stool comprises a leg and a seat. The portable beach stool may be adapted for a user to sit upon while at a beach. An auger at the bottom of the leg may be configured to bore into sand such that the leg may stand upright in the sand. The seat may detachably couple to a plurality of support struts located on the top half of the leg such that the seat is retained in a horizontal orientation above the leg. The plurality of support struts may collapse for transportation and storage when the seat is detached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Inventor: Rickey Horton