Patents by Inventor Marcus C. Koepke

Marcus C. Koepke has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7014269
    Abstract: A back for a chair includes fabric panel with a flexible carrier attached to the panel around its periphery. The carrier is configured to be secured along a bottom edge to a bottom portion of a chair back frame member. The carrier is also secured to two vertical frame supports at its two upper corners. Preferably, the upper carrier and frame connections are ball and socket joints. A lumbar support is provided that is easily height adjustable, by providing tension to the back frame and requires no screws or adjustment knobs in its adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Tim Coffield, Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael, Craig H. Schultz, Erik A. Steffensen
  • Patent number: 6994400
    Abstract: A chair has a seat that can be longitudinally repositioned by the user while the user is seated on the chair, so as to accommodate users of different heights and physical dimensions. The chair includes a base, a seat slidable mounted on a seat plate, and activating arm that operates on lock means that engage the seat plate to secure the seat in a preferred longitudinal position relative to the seat plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jesse J. Hahn, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: 6974189
    Abstract: A vertically adjustable armrest assembly having a support, a plate fitted to an interior of said support, the plate having a series of vertically aligned openings, a slide having an armrest at a top end portion, and a lateral slot for guiding a block into and out of selective aligned openings in the plate. A rod having a saw tooth portion complementing a slanted opening in the block allows manipulation of the rod to selectively move the block into and out of the plate openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jay R. Machael, Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego
  • Patent number: 6969116
    Abstract: A chair with backward and forward passive tilt capabilities including a seat assembly, a back assembly, a frame assembly, a wheeled base, a pedestal and a tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism includes first, second and third links, first, second, third and fourth pivot pins, brackets and a resilient deformable block. The first link connects the back assembly with the frame assembly by way of the first pivot pin and the seat assembly by way of the second pivot pin. The second link connects to the frame assembly with the third pivot pin and to the third link with the fourth pivot pin. When a chair occupant shifts his/her weight rearwardly to tilt the back assembly, the seat assembly lifts and the block is deformed and stressed. When the chair occupant leans forwardly, the seat assembly lowers and the back assembly tilts forwardly. Again, the block deforms. Once the occupant sits upright or leaves the chair, the deformed block induces a return force to place the chair in a neutral upright position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jay R. Machael, Marcus C. Koepke
  • Patent number: 6824215
    Abstract: An adjustable chair scat with a locking mechanism that is torque limiting and resistant to loosening. The chair includes a seat pan, a seat plate, a rotatable fastener and two rings. The seat pan and seat plate have openings for receiving the fastener. The fastener includes a cup handle and a threaded insert. The threaded insert is engaged with the seat pan through an opening in the seat pan while the seat plate is sandwiched between the seat pan and the fastener. When being rotated, the cup handle slips relative to the threaded insert after a predetermined resistance is reached so as to cease the application of torque to the threaded insert. One of the rings is keyed to rotate with the fastener and the other ring is keyed to remain non-rotatable. The first ring includes an array of cantilevered teeth where each tooth has a first surface disposed at a smaller angle from a horizontal reference plane and a second surface which is disposed at a greater angle from the horizontal reference plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael, Brian R. Trego
  • Patent number: 6729691
    Abstract: A chair back is disclosed and includes a mesh material connected to a two-piece carrier, the carrier being deformable and stretchable. The carrier has a bottom edge including a groove and is engageable by tabs attached to a transverse member of a chair frame assembly. The upper ends of the carrier each includes an opening for receiving a spherical end portion of the upper end of the chair frame assembly. Engagement of the carrier with the chair frame assembly is accomplished by stretching the carrier and mesh between the transverse member and the spherical end portions. The chair back includes a lumbar support which is mounted to slide along the side edges of the carrier and along vertical supports of the chair frame assembly, the lumbar support causing the chair to tension forwardly. The chair back is pivotal under the influence of a chair user and is pivotally connected to the chair seat so as to cause the chair seat to also pivot in response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Hon Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Tim Coffield, Jay R. Michael, Matthew J. Phillips, Douglas A. Schroeder, Craig H. Schultz, Erik A. Steffensen
  • Patent number: 6687933
    Abstract: A body support system is provided having improved static and dynamic mechanical response characteristics and improved thermal regulation, and which can provide energy dissipation capabilities. The body support system can be of a modular construction to provide mechanical response characteristics suited to a particular user or group of users, or to a particular environment of use. The energy dissipation characteristics are provided by a flexible fluid compartment containing a volume of viscous fluid, such that at least a portion of the fluid moves within the compartment in response to a vertical force on the compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Hon Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Amin K. Habboub, Marcus C. Koepke, Matthew J. Phillips
  • Patent number: 6669292
    Abstract: An ergonomic chair includes a four-bar linkage arrangement wherein a lower frame member is provided with a rigid front support and a rigid rear support with a seat member pivotably connected to the front support. A back rest has an upper support pivotably connected at an upper end of the rear support of the lower frame member. A link member pivotably connects at a first end to a rear support of the seat member and at second end to a lower support of the back rest. This novel arrangement permits tilting movement of the backrest rearwardly relative to the lower frame member causing elevation of a rear portion of the seat member, permitting the feet to remain on the floor and alleviating pressure on the user's thighs, while rotation occurs closely coincident with the pivot axis of the user's hips and while maintaining a generally uniform gaze line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jamie Krull, Jay R. Machael, Tim Coffield, Keith L. Davis, Amin K. Habboub, Matthew J. Phillips, Douglas A. Schroeder, Craig H. Schultz, Erik A. Steffensen, Brian R. Trego, Eric M. Zillig
  • Publication number: 20030235464
    Abstract: An adjustable chair seat with a locking mechanism that is torque limiting and resistant to loosening. The chair includes a seat pan, a seat plate, a rotatable fastener and two rings. The seat pan and seat plate have openings for receiving the fastener. The fastener includes a cup handle and a threaded insert. The threaded insert is engaged with the seat pan through an opening in the seat pan while the seat plate is sandwiched between the seat pan and the fastener. When being rotated, the cup handle slips relative to the threaded insert after a predetermined resistance is reached so as to cease the application of torque to the threaded insert. One of the rings is keyed to rotate with the fastener and the other ring is keyed to remain non-rotatable. The first ring includes an array of cantilevered teeth where each tooth has a first surface disposed at a smaller angle from a horizontal reference plane and a second surface which is disposed at a greater angle from the horizontal reference plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael, Brian R. Trego
  • Patent number: 6616231
    Abstract: A chair back upright tilts about a pivot axis with respect to a chair seat plate and has a protrusion on the bottom portion thereof. When the occupant of a chair reclines, the protrusion on the back upright and a stop plate make contact with each other. The contact stops the tilting of the back upright. A lever handle, fixedly attached to the stop plate, can be rotated thereby providing more or less tilting of the back upright before contact between the protrusion and the stop plate occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Hon Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael, Brian R. Trego
  • Patent number: 6609755
    Abstract: An ergonomic chair includes a four-bar linkage arrangement wherein a lower frame member is provided with a rigid front support and a rigid rear support with a seat member pivotably connected to the front support. A back rest has an upper support pivotably connected at an upper end of the rear support of the lower frame member. A link member pivotably connects at a first end to a rear support of the seat member and at second end to a lower support of the back rest. This novel arrangement permits tilting movement of the backrest rearwardly relative to the lower frame member causing elevation of a rear portion of the seat member, permitting the feet to remain on the floor and alleviating pressure on the user's thighs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jamie Krull, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D505579
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Hon Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D506628
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D506629
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D507133
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D507908
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Hon Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D509388
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: HNI Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego, Jay R. Machael
  • Patent number: D518318
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventor: Marcus C. Koepke
  • Patent number: D479929
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Matthew J. Phillips
  • Patent number: D500218
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: HON Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus C. Koepke, Brian R. Trego, Jay R. Machael