Chair and Frame Assembly Thereof

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/770,381, filed Jul. 11, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims the priority benefit of China application (No. 202411934295.X), filed on Dec. 26, 2024. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to a chair and a frame assembly thereof, and in particular to a chair and a frame assembly configured to support the human body.

People who sit for a long period in the office during work need a properly sized chair that can provide adequate ergonomic support. Chairs with a mesh set, based on consideration of heat dissipation, on the frame assembly as a support member have become increasingly common. However, with different ways and shapes of stretching the mesh, there are various manufacturing methods and difficulties as well as durability.

In the production process of existing chairs that use mesh as a back support member, because the back of the chair has a complex curved surface, in order to make the mesh taut, most of the mesh is tensioned manually, but such a method not only has poor productivity, but also has the possibility of unstable yields with the difference in the number of workers. In addition, because of the tightness of the net, so in the process of netting or after the back of the chair components may be separated from each other because of the elasticity of the net.

The present invention provides a chair that is durable and easy to manufacture.

The present invention further provides a frame assembly, applied to the chair, durable and easy to manufacture.

To achieve the foregoing advantages, an embodiment of the present invention provides a chair, including a frame assembly. The frame assembly has a first side and a second side opposite each other. The frame assembly includes a first frame, a second frame, a sheet, and a covering member. The first frame has a first opening facing the first side. The second frame is connected to the first frame, the second frame includes two opposite fixing portions and a second opening located between the fixing portions, and the second opening faces the second side and overlaps the first opening in position. The sheet is located between the first frame and the second frame, where the sheet includes two opposite first regions, two opposite second regions, and a third region located between the second regions, each of the first regions is fixed at one of the fixing portions and adjacent to one of the second regions, the second regions are bent under combined pressure of the first frame and the second frame, and the third region is exposed to the first opening and the second opening. The covering member covers the first frame and the second frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first frame includes two opposite protruding ribs, the protruding ribs are located on two opposite sides of the first opening, the second frame includes two opposite grooves, and each of the protruding ribs is suitable to combine with one of the grooves and press the second region.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the second region covers the protruding rib.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the protruding rib is provided with a protruding portion, the groove is provided with a recess corresponding to the protruding portion in position, and the sheet is clamped between the protruding portion and the recess.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one protruding portion has a plurality of needles arranged in a row, and the recess is an elongated groove that can accommodate the needles at the same time.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sheet is a net, and a diameter of the needles is equal to a size of the mesh opening of the net.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first frame and the second frame are provided with a plurality of grooves on a surface of a side away from the sheet.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first frame is provided with a first perforation, and the second frame is provided with a second perforation. The first perforation corresponds to the second perforation in position. The covering member extends from the first side to the second side via the first perforation and the second perforation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first frame and the second frame are provided with a plurality of grooves on a surface of a side away from the sheet.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing portions have a third perforation, the first frame has a fourth perforation, a position of the third perforation corresponds to a position of the fourth perforation, and the sheet has a through-hole in the first region corresponding to the position of the third perforation and the fourth perforation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the second regions are located between the first regions, the fixing portions protrude from an outer peripheral edge of the second frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing portions have a plurality of positioning posts, and the positioning posts pass through the first region.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the covering member includes an elastic portion and a protective layer. The elastic portion covers the first frame and the second frame. The protective layer covers the elastic portion.

The present invention further provides a chair with a first side and a second side opposite each other, and a frame assembly includes a first frame, a second frame, a sheet, and a covering member. The first frame has a first opening facing the first side. The second frame is connected to the first frame, the second frame includes a second opening located in the middle, and the second opening faces the second side and overlaps the first opening in position. The sheet is located between the first frame and the second frame, where the sheet includes two opposite first regions, two opposite second regions, and a third region located between the second regions. Each of the first regions is adjacent to one of the second regions. The second regions are bent under combined pressure of the first frame and the second frame. The third region is exposed to the first opening and the second opening. The covering member covers the first frame and the second frame.

The present invention further provides a frame assembly suitable for a chair with a first side and a second side opposite each other. The frame assembly includes a first frame, a second frame, a sheet, and a covering member. The first frame has a first opening facing the first side. The second frame is connected to the first frame, the second frame includes two opposite fixing portions and a second opening located between the fixing portions, and the second opening faces the second side and overlaps the first opening in position. The sheet is located between the first frame and the second frame, where the sheet includes two opposite first regions, two opposite second regions, and a third region located between the second regions. The first region is fixed to one fixing portion. Each of the first regions is adjacent to one of the second regions. The second regions are bent under the combined pressure of the first frame and the second frame. The third region is exposed to the first opening and the second opening. The covering member covers the first frame and the second frame.

Based on the foregoing description, the present invention provides the chair and the frame assembly thereof. During assembly, the outermost first region of the sheet may be first fixed to the fixing portion on the second frame, and then the first frame and the second frame are combined with each other to press and bend the second region surrounded by the first region, such that the third region in the middle of the sheet is subjected to the tensile force from the second region to stretch, thus forming part of the frame assembly for providing support for the human body. The above structure enables automated production of parts by fixing the sheet to the fixing portion and then combining the first frame and the second frame to stretch the sheet at the same time, so that the shape of the stretched sheet is adapted to a complex curved shape. In addition, because the covering member is used to cover the first frame and the second frame that clamp the sheet on two sides, the covering member can not only serve as a buffer member for providing support for the human body but also cover the first frame and the second frame at the same time to avoid separation of the first frame from the second frame due to the force generated by the sheet, which increases the strength of the structure and maintains the tensile strength of the sheet.

Other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.

Terms used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, for example, orientation or position relation such as “above” and “below” are described according to the orientation or position relation shown in the drawings. The above terms are used for facilitating description of the present invention rather than limiting the present invention, i.e., indicating or implying that the mentioned elements have to have specific orientations and to be configured in the specific orientations. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” involved in the description or claims are merely used for naming the elements or distinguishing different embodiments or ranges rather than limiting the upper limit or lower limit of the quantity of the elements.

is a schematic diagram of a chair according to an embodiment of the present invention.is a schematic exploded view of a frame assembly in the embodiment in.is a schematic cross-sectional view, taken along line A-A in. To clearly illustrate the related structure in detail, the shape of the frame assemblyis symmetrical on the left and right sides. The shape of frame assemblyinis simplified and does not correspond to the shape of the frame assemblyin, andonly shows part of the cross-sectional view on one side illustrated.

As shown in, a chairin the present invention in an embodiment includes a frame assembly. As shown in, the frame assemblyhas a first side Sand a second side Sopposite each other. The frame assemblyincludes a first frame, a second frame, a sheet, and a covering member(see). The first framehas a first openingfacing the first side S. The second frameis connected to the first frame. The second frameincludes two opposite fixing portionsand a second openinglocated between the fixing portions. The second openingfaces the second side Sand overlaps the first openingin position. The sheetis located between the first frameand the second frame. The sheetincludes two opposite first regions, two opposite second regions, and a third regionlocated between the second regions. Each of the first regionsis fixed at one of the fixing portionsand adjacent to one of the second regions. The second regionsare bent under the combined pressure of the first frameand the second frame. The third regionis exposed to the first openingand the second opening. The covering membercovers the first frameand the second frame.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the chairhas, for example, a base, a seat cushion, a back cushion, and a headrest. The baseis, for example, located at the bottom of the chairand suitable for supporting other components of the chair. The seat cushionis, for example, connected to the top of the baseand suitable for supporting the hips of the human body. The back cushionis, for example, connected to the base, adjacent to one side of the seat cushion, and suitable for supporting the back of the human body. The headrestis, for example, connected to the top end of the back cushionand is suitable for supporting the head of the human body. The structure of the chairis not limited, and therefore the chairmay include only a baseand a seat cushionin another embodiment not shown in the figure.

In this embodiment, the frame assemblyis, for example, applied to the back cushion. However, in a different embodiment, the frame assemblymay be applied to any one of the seat cushion, the back cushion, and the headrestof the chairor another component not illustrated such as the footrest. In an embodiment where armrests are designed differently from those in this embodiment, the frame assemblymay be also applied to the armrests

Specifically, as shown in, the first frameincludes, for example, a first protruding riband a first groove. The direction at which the first protruding ribfaces is parallel to the direction at which the first openingfaces, and the first protruding ribextends along, for example, the orientation direction of the first frameto form an annular shape. The first grooveis, for example, on the back surface of the first protruding riband surrounds the entire first opening, and the first groovehas a wall surfaceand a wall surfaceparallel to each other. The wall surfaceis close to the first openingand the wall surfaceis away from the second opening. The bottom of the first grooveforms a topof the first protruding rib, making the cross-section of the first frameU-shaped, but the cross-sectional shape of the first frameis not limited thereto. The material of the first frameis made of, for example, plastics, but this is not limited thereto.

As shown in, in a narrow portion, the first framefurther includes, for example, two first flanges, multiple protruding portions, and multiple first perforations, but this construction is not limited thereto and can be arranged based on requirements. The two first flangesare respectively located on left and right sides of the opening of the first groove. One of the first flangesis connected to the wall surfaceand adjoins the first opening, the other of the first flangesis connected to the wall surfaceand surrounds the outer peripheral edge of the first frame, but the specific design of the first flangeis not limited thereto. The first flangeis suitable for preventing the first framefrom deforming at the first grooveor the first openingduring the combination of the first flangeand the second frame.

The protruding portionis located at the topof the first protruding riband may be cylindrical with a length that, for example, corresponds to the wall thickness of the topof the second frame, but its shape is not limited thereto. The direction of extension of the protruding portionis, for example, parallel to the orientation direction of the first opening.

The first perforationis located at the topof the first protruding riband on a side of the protruding portion, and its shape is, for example, a rectangular hole, but is not limited thereto. The opening direction of the hole of the first perforationis, for example, parallel to the orientation direction of the first opening.

As shown in, the second frameis similar in shape to the first frameand the second openingis, for example, the same size as the first opening. As shown in, similar to the first framein shape, the second framein this embodiment includes, for example, a second protruding riband a second groove. The direction at which the second protruding ribfaces is parallel to the direction at which the second openingfaces, and the second protruding ribextends along, for example, the orientation direction of the second frameto form an annular shape. The second grooveis located, for example, on the back surface of the second protruding riband surrounds the entire second opening. The second groovehas a wall surfaceand a wall surfaceparallel to each other. The wall surfaceis close to the second opening, and the wall surfaceis away from the second opening. The bottom of the second grooveforms the topof the second protruding rib, making the cross-section of the second frameU-shaped, but the cross-sectional shape of the second frameis not limited thereto. The material of the second frameis made of, for example, plastics, but this is not limited thereto.

As shown in, the second frameincludes two second flanges, multiple recesses, multiple second perforations, and two strengthened ribs. The two second flangesare respectively located on the left and right sides of the opening of the second groove. One of the second flangesis connected to the wall surfaceand adjoins the second opening, the other of the second flangesis connected to the wall surface, and surrounds the outer peripheral edge of the second frameand during combination, clamps the sheetwith the first flange, but the specific position and design of the second flangeare not limited thereto. In an embodiment not shown in the figure, the shape and design of the second flangecan be adjusted to change the position of the surface of the third regionof the sheet, making it tangent with the surface of the first frame. The second flangeis also suitable for preventing deformation at the second grooveor the second openingduring the combination of the second frameand the first frame.

The recessis located at the top of the second protruding riband corresponds to the protruding portionof the first framein position. The shape of the recessis, for example, a circular penetration hole to correspond to the shape of the protruding portion, but is not limited thereto. The depth of the recessmay be, for example, the length of the protruding portion, and the direction of extension of the recessis, for example, parallel to an orientation direction of the second opening.

The second perforationis located at the topof the second protruding riband on a side of the recess, and its shape is, for example, a rectangular hole, but is not limited thereto. Thus, the shape of the second perforationmay be different from that of the first perforation. The position of the second perforationmay be, for example, a position corresponding to the first perforation, but is not limited thereto. The opening direction of the second perforationis, for example, parallel to the orientation direction of the second opening.

The two strengthened ribsare located at the topof the second protruding riband are parallel to each other and at different side edges of the top, extending in directions away from the second flange.

As shown in, the two fixing portionsat the second frameare respectively connected to, for example, the second flanges(that is, the outer peripheral edge of the second frame) away from different opposite sides of the first opening. In this embodiment, the fixing portionis formed by, for example, multiple protruding tabs spaced apart and protruding from the second flange, but is not limited thereto (see the embodiments ofdescribed later). The protruding tabs protrude from the second framein a direction away from the second opening, and each protruding tab is provided with multiple positioning posts. The positioning postsare suitable for piecing through the first regionof the sheetduring the combination of the second frameand the sheetto determine the position of the sheetrelative to the second frame. The positioning postis not limited in direction, for example, facing the second side S, but this is not limited thereto. The specific shape of the fixing portionand the design of the fixing portionfixing the sheetare not limited thereto and can be arranged based on the required shape.

As shown in, the shape of the sheetmay correspond to, for example, the shapes of the first frameand the second frame, such that during combination, the three completely cover the first openingand the second opening. In this embodiment, the sheetis, for example, a stretchable, elastic net, but may be a film plate without holes in an embodiment not shown in the figure. The shape of the sheetcan be selected based on requirements. The first region, the second region, and the third regionof the sheetare determined based on the relative position between the sheetand the second frameand the fixing portionon the second frameduring the combination of the sheet, the first frame, and the second frame. Details are as follows.

Specifically, referring to, when the first frame, the second frame, and the sheetare combined, for example, two ends (that is, parts of the first region) of the sheetare fixed to the fixing portionof the second frame, part of the sheetcovers the second groove, and the other part of the sheetcovers the second opening.

Next, the first frameand the second frameare stacked together along, for example, along an axis of a direction of the first opening(and the second opening), and the first protruding ribof the first frameis buried in the second grooveof the second frame(see). Because two ends of the sheetare connected to two opposite fixing portionsat the outer peripheral edge of the second groove, during combination, part of the sheetoriginally covering the second grooveis squeezed by the first frameinto the first grooveand stretched (this part is the second region). In addition, because part (the second region) of the sheetcovering the second grooveand part (the third region) of the sheetcovering the second openingare provided with no other fixing members, when the second regionis stretched, the third regionlocated in the middle of the sheetis also stretched indirectly over the second opening(and the first opening). In the direction, because the first frameand the second framein this embodiment are annular components, such that the second zoneis rendered as a ring, after stretched, they are not in a particular direction under the tensile force of the sheet, but this is not limited thereto.

It should be understood from the above description that in this embodiment, the sheetmay temporarily not be affixed to the second frame(locally attached to the second framevia the first zone) before the first frameis combined with the second frameand only affixed to the second frameafter the first frameis combined with the second frame. This process may be done without manual operation or without the use of an adhesive, without this being a limitation.

As shown in, when the second regionof the sheetin this embodiment is clamped between the first frameand the second frame, part of the second regionis located on two sides of the first protruding riband covers the wall surfaceand the wall surface, and part of the second regioncovers the topof the first protruding riband is U-shaped. The part of the sheetthat covers the topand the protruding portionof the first protruding ribenters along with the protruding portioninto the recesson the first protruding ribduring the combination of the first frameand the second frame. As shown in, in this embodiment, when the protruding portionenters the recess, the protruding portiondoes not pierce through the sheet. Therefore, the sheetcan be considered as being clamped and fixed together by the protruding portionand the side wall surface of the recess. In an embodiment shown in, the protruding portioncan be changed to pierce through the sheetto fix the sheet. After clamping between the first frameand the second frame, the sheetis mainly positioned based on the clamped second region, and therefore, after combination of the first framewith the second frame, the sheetdamaged on the first regiondoes not affect part of the sheetin the third region.

It can be understood from the foregoing description that the first regionof the sheetcan be considered part of the sheetconnected with the fixing portionof the second frame. The second regionmay be considered part of the sheetcontacted, squeezed to deform, stretched, and clamped by the wall surfaces (wall surface, wall surface, wall surface, wall surface, top, and top) of the first frameand the second frame. The third regionmay be considered part of the sheetstretched jointly by the first frameand the second framebut not in contact with the first frameand the second frame. Therefore, the detailed shapes of the first region, the second region, and the third regionof the sheetcan be determined based on the design of the first frameand the second frameand are not limited particularly. In other words, although the second regionis presented as a ring in the above embodiment, in the embodiment of the member in which the shape of either or both of the first frameand the second frameis changed to be U-shaped, the second regionon the sheetmay be presented as a U-shaped area or two elongate areas located on both sides, and so that the two second regionson two side are positioned between the two first regionson the two outermost sides.

Based on the design concept of the shapes of the first frameand the second frame, because the sheetonly needs to be stretched during the combination of the first frameand the second frameand has sufficient tensile force in the third region, in an embodiment not shown in the figure, one of the first frameand the second framecan be simplified to be a U-shaped component instead of being a complete annular component as described above. In other words, in an embodiment, the first frameincludes, for example, two opposite protruding ribs (corresponding to the first protruding rib), the two protruding ribs are located on two opposite sides of the first opening, and the second frameincludes, for example, two opposite grooves (corresponding to the second groove). Each protruding rib is suitable to combine with one groove and press the second regionon the sheetbetween the first frameand the second frame. In addition, in another embodiment not shown in the figure, the first framecan be designed as an inner frame clamped by the inner wall surface (the wall surface) of the second openingof the second frameand thus the second framedoes not need a second groove.

As shown in, in this embodiment, the covering membercovers, for example, the entire first frameand second frame, but does not cover the component in the third regionof the sheet. This is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the covering membercovers, for example, an elastic portionand a protective layer. The elastic portionis, for example, a component covering the entire first frameand second frame(including the fixing portion), such as foam or another foamed material, but this is not limited thereto. The protective layeris, for example, a layer covering the entire elastic portion, but the protective layermay alternatively be a layer covering only part of the elastic portion. The material of the protective layeris, for example, a rubber or another wear-resistant or weather-resistant material and can be arranged based on requirements.

When the frame assemblyin this embodiment is manufactured, the sheetmay be, for example, connected to the fixing portionof the second frame, the assembly of the second frameand the sheetis combined with the first frame, and finally the three are placed in a chamber of a mold (not shown in the figure). A material of a covering member is injected into the chamber to form the covering member. The order in which the protective layerand the elastic portionare manufactured is not limited. For example, the protective layer(or its material) may be arranged on a wall surface of the chamber of the mold, a component formed by the first frame, the second frame, and the sheetis disposed in the mold, and a material (foamed material as described later) of the elastic portionis injected into the chamber for manufacturing the frame assembly.

It can be known from the above that in the process of manufacturing the frame assemblyin this embodiment, because the sheetcan be connected to the second frameand positioned via the fixing portion, when the first frame, the second frame, and the sheetare combined, no additional fixing apparatus is required to fix the relative relationship between the second frameand the sheet, and after the second frameand the sheetare combined temporarily, the first frameand the second frameare aligned and combined to fix the sheet. In addition, the covering membercovers the entire first frameand second frame, which can prevent the first framefrom being separated from the second framewhen the frame assemblyis impacted.

As shown in, in this embodiment, the first perforationcorresponds to the second perforationin position, the sheetis a net with holes, and the covering memberincludes a foamed material (used to form the elastic portion). In this embodiment, part of the foamed material can run through the first perforation, the hole (not shown in the figure) in the sheet, and the second perforationto be connected to the second side Sfrom the first side Sof the frame assembly. From one perspective, it can be considered that the covering memberrivets the first frameand the second frameat the junction of the first perforationand the second perforation.

is a schematic exploded view of a frame assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.is a schematic cross-sectional view of a frame assembly inaccording to an embodiment. In, the shapes of the first frameand the second frameare complex, and the sheetis eliminated. For the actual mounting position of the sheet, refer to. In, to facilitate the determination of the relationship between a notch, a fixing portion, and other components, during drawing, the positions of the fixing portionand the notchare offset.