Chair

This is a US Non-Provisional Patent Application that relies on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-085592, filed on May 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a chair.

A chair, in which a cushion is disposed on a seat body constituting a seating surface so that a person who is to sit on the chair can comfortably use the chair, has been proposed. For example, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3178103 discloses a chair in which a cushion is disposed on a seat plate, the cushion being able to be attached to the seat plate by fitting a protrusion provided on the cushion into a through hole of the seat plate.

Since the cushion is deformed more greatly as its thickness is larger, sitting comfort is

good. However, if the thickness of the cushion is large, the thickness of the entire seat body becomes large, which positions the upper surface of the seat body high.

An object of the present disclosure is to propose a technique for preventing the upper

surface of a seat body from being positioned high while sufficiently achieving improvement in sitting comfort by a cushion.

An aspect of the present disclosure is a chair including a seat body and support bodies that support the seat body. The support bodies include leg portions each having a length in an up-down direction, and a pair of long members connected to the leg portions, extending in a front-rear direction, and disposed with a space between them in a left-right direction. The seat body includes a cushion and a holding portion that is disposed across the pair of long members to hold the cushion. The holding portion includes: a vertical wall portion extending, at least in a central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body, from a portion covering the upper surface of each of the pair of long members to a lower position lower than a height at which the space between the pair of long members is the smallest; and a horizontal wall portion that is connected to a portion at the lower position of the vertical wall portion and extends toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat body to constitute a support surface that supports the cushion from below.

In the chair configured as described above, the support surface that supports the cushion is located at a position sufficiently lower than the upper end of the long member, so that it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the seat body from being positioned too high. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the seat body from being positioned high while sufficiently achieving improvement in sitting comfort by the cushion.

In the chair described above, the long member may be a columnar or tubular member extending in the front-rear direction. In addition, the lower position may be a position lower than the height of the central axis of the long member. In the chair configured as described above, the depth of the space, where the cushion is to be disposed, can be sufficiently increased.

In the chair described above, the cushion may include a main body portion having flexibility and a covering portion that covers the main body portion. The holding portion may form a recessed housing portion located between the pair of long members by the vertical wall portion and the horizontal wall portion. The cushion may be entirely housed in the housing portion when viewed from above.

In the chair configured as described above, the cushion is housed in the housing portion and protected by the holding portion, in which at least the left and right sides of the cushion are disposed at positions not reaching the outer edge of the seat body. Therefore, the left and right end portions of the cushion are less likely to come into contact with an external object, thereby reducing occurrence of damage.

In the chair described above, the cushion may be disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion. In the chair configured as described above, the legs of a user of the chair easily hit the cushion in the front portion of the seat body, thereby further enhancing the sitting comfort of the chair.

In the chair described above, an opening surrounded by the support surface may be formed in the horizontal wall portion. At least a part of the cushion may fit into the opening. In the chair configured as described above, at least a part of the cushion can be deformed downward with less influence of the support surface, so that the cushion can be deformed more greatly.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

As illustrated in, a chairincludes a seat body, a backrest, and a support body.

In the present embodiment, the configuration of each part may be described using directions such as front-back, left-right, and up-down, but these directions are merely used for convenience of description, and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited at all. The above-described directions are ones based on a seated person when the seated person normally sits on the chair. In the following description, the term “height” means a height from a floor surface on which the chairis placed. The chairis bilaterally symmetrical.

The support bodysupports the seat body. As illustrated in, the support bodyincludes a pair of left and right pipe bodies, a front connecting portion, and a rear connecting portion. Each of the pair of left and right pipe bodiesis formed by bending and welding a cylindrical metal pipe. The front connecting portionand the rear connecting portionare metal pipes that connect the pair of pipe bodies. Although the metal pipes constituting the support bodyare hollow, solid columnar members that are not hollow may be used. That is, the support bodymay be formed of members each having a columnar appearance.

The pipe bodyincludes a front column, a rear column, a lower column, and an upper column. The front columnis located at the front portion of the pipe bodyand has a length in the up-down direction. The rear columnis located at the rear portion of the pipe bodyand has a length in the up-down direction. The front columnand the rear columnare examples of a leg portion having a length in the up-down direction.

The lower columnis located at the lower portion of the pipe body, and connects the lower end of the front columnand the lower end of the rear column. The lower columnis disposed along a floor surface on which the chairis placed.

As illustrated in, the left lower columnis provided with two leg endsL with a space between them in the front-rear direction, while the right lower columnis provided with two leg endsR with a space between them in the front-rear direction. The leg endL and the leg endR are configured to be able to be combined. As a result, when the two chairsare placed side by side, the two chairscan be connected in a state in which the two chairsare placed side by side, by combining the leg endsL of one chairand the leg endsR of the other chair.

As illustrated in, the upper columnis located on the upper side of the pipe body. The upper columnconnects the upper end of the front columnand the rear connecting portionconnected to the rear column. The front columnand the upper columnare linked via a bent portionobtained by bending a metal pipe. The rear end portion of the upper columnand the rear connecting portionare connected by welding. The upper columnsare an example of a pair of long members connected to the leg portions, extending in the front-rear direction, and disposed with a space between them in the left-right direction.

The front connecting portionconnects the front columnsof the respective left and right pipe bodiesto each other. The rear connecting portionconnects the rear columnsof the respective left and right pipe bodiesto each other.

A pair of mounting plates, extending in the horizontal direction, are provided on the front side and the left and right central side of the upper columns. As illustrated in, a through holeis formed in each of the pair of the left and right mounting plates. By passing a screw through the through holefrom below and screwing the screw into the seat body, the seat bodyis fixed to the support body.

The seat bodyis rectangular as a whole and forms a seating surface on which a user sits. As illustrated in, the seat bodyincludes a cushionand a holding portionthat holds the cushion.

As illustrated in, the appearance of the cushionis a substantially rectangular plate. The front end portion of the cushionextends straight to the left and right, and the rear end portion of the cushionis curved, convex rearward. The front end portion of the cushionhas a shape curved downward. As illustrated in, the cushionis curved as a whole such that the central portion is recessed downward in the left-right direction. The cushionis formed such that the outer peripheral edge portion on the upper surface side has a larger corner curvature than the outer peripheral edge portion on the lower surface side.

The cushionincludes a main body portionand a covering portion. As the main body portion, a flexible member, such as urethane foam, can be used. A specific material for the main body portionis not particularly limited. The shape of the main body portionis almost the same as the appearance shape of the cushion. The covering portionis a member that covers the main body portionand protects the main body portion. In the present embodiment, the covering portioncovers the entire main body portion. Note that a part of the main body portion, such as the lower surface of the cushion, may have a place that is not covered by the covering portion.

In addition, a bottom plate, having higher rigidity than the main body portion, may be provided for fixing the cushionto the holding portionwith a screw or the like. The bottom plate may be provided inside the covering portionor may be disposed outside the covering portion. The bottom plate can be configured to have high flexibility, for example, by forming a through hole or a slit. Alternatively, the bottom plate may be formed of a material having higher rigidity than the main body portionand having flexibility.

As illustrated in, the holding portionincludes an upper plate portionthat is a portion covering the upper surfaces of the pair of upper columnsand the rear connecting portion. In addition, the holding portionincludes an outer wall portion, a vertical wall portion, a horizontal wall portion, and a pair of left and right tubular portions. The outer wall portionextends downward from the outer edge portion of the upper plate portion. The vertical wall portionextends downward from the inner edge portion of the upper plate portion. The horizontal wall portionis connected to the vertical wall portionand extends toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat body.

is a cross-sectional view of the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body. As in the cross-sectional view illustrated in, the vertical wall portionextends, at least in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body, from the upper plate portionto a lower position that is a position lower than a height at which the space between the pair of upper columnsis the smallest. The “height at which the space between the pair of upper columnsis the smallest” mentioned herein is the height of the central axes of the pair of upper columns(the height indicated by a line A passing through the central axes of the pair of upper columnsin) in the present embodiment. That is, the “lower position” is a position lower than the height of the central axes of the upper columns. “a vertical wall portion” refers to wall portions that are essentially arranged vertically, including those with slight angular deviations or curvature.

The horizontal wall portionis connected to a portion at the above-described lower position in the vertical wall portion. The horizontal wall portionconstitutes a support surface that supports the cushionfrom below. In the present embodiment, substantially the entire region of the horizontal wall portionserves as the support surface. “a horizontal wall portion” refers to wall portions that are essentially arranged horizontally, including those with slight angular deviations or curvature.

In the holding portion, a groove having a depth upward is formed by the upper plate portion, the outer wall portion, and the vertical wall portion. The pair of upper columnsand the rear connecting portionare fitted into the groove from below. When the chairis viewed from the left and right side surfaces, the outer wall portioncovers most of the upper columns.

As illustrated in, the holding portionforms a recessed housing portionlocated between the pair of upper columnsby the vertical wall portionand the horizontal wall portion. In the housing portion, the horizontal wall portionis provided as the bottom surface, and the vertical wall portionis provided on the left, right, and rear, but the vertical wall portionis not provided on the front.

As illustrated in, the cushionis entirely housed in the housing portionwhen viewed from above. The cushionis disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion.

The holding portionis fixed to the support bodywith the pair of rear columnsrespectively inserted into the pair of tubular portions, with the holding portionplaced on the rear connecting portionand the upper columns, and with the holding portionscrewed to the mounting plates. A specific method for fixing the cushionto the holding portionis not particularly limited. The cushionmay be fixed to the holding portion, for example, by screwing, hook-and-loop fasteners, or adhesion.

As illustrated in, the backrestis a plate-shaped member extending vertically. The backresthas a pair of left and right insertion holes each provided at the lower end and having a depth in the upward direction. The pair of rear columnsare inserted into the insertion holes, whereby the backrestis fixed to the support body.

The chairis configured such that the chairshaving the same shape can be stacked in the up-down direction. At this time, the leg endL and the leg endR of the chairdisposed on the upper side hit the upper surfaces of the lower columnsof the chairdisposed on the lower side.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1a) In the chair, the seat bodyincludes a cushionand a holding portionthat holds the cushion. The holding portionincludes: a vertical wall portionextending, at least in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body, from a portion covering the upper surface of each of the pair of upper columnsto a lower position lower than a height at which the space between the pair of upper columnsis the smallest; and a horizontal wall portionthat is connected to the lower position of the vertical wall portionsand extends toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat bodyto constitute a support surface that supports the cushionfrom below.

In such a chair, the support surface that supports the cushionis located at a position sufficiently lower than the upper end of the upper column, so that it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the cushionfrom being positioned too high. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the seat bodyfrom being positioned high while sufficiently achieving improvement in sitting comfort by the cushion. As a result, it is possible, for example, to prevent the seating surface of the chairfrom being positioned too high and prevent, when the chairsare stacked, the seat bodiesof the upper and lower chairsfrom coming into contact with each other.

(1b) In the chair, the upper columnis a tubular member extending in the front-rear direction. The lower position described above is a position lower than the height of the central axis of the upper column. Therefore, in the chair, the depth of the space where the cushionis to be disposed can be sufficiently increased. In addition, the cushiondeeply fits into the holding portion, so that position shift of the cushioncan be suppressed.

(1c) In the chair, the cushionincludes a main body portionhaving flexibility and a covering portionthat covers the main body portion. The holding portionforms a recessed housing portionlocated between the pair of upper columnsby the vertical wall portionand the horizontal wall portion. The cushionis entirely housed in the housing portionwhen viewed from above.

Therefore, at least the left and right end portions of the cushionare disposed at positions not reaching the outer edge of the seat body. Therefore, the left and right end portions of the cushionare protected by the holding portionand less likely to come into contact with an object other than the chair, thereby reducing occurrence of damage to the cushion.

(1d) In the chair, the cushionis disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion. Therefore, the legs of a user of the chaireasily hit the cushionin the front end portion of the seat body, thereby further enhancing the sitting comfort of the chair. In the chairof the present embodiment, the upper plate portionand the vertical wall portionare not provided in front of the holding portionand the housing portionis formed up to the front end portion of the holding portion, so that even in a state in which the cushionis housed in the housing portion, the cushioncan cover the front end portion of the holding portion.

Here, in a case where the holding portion is configured such that the housing portion is not formed in the front end portion of the holding portion, for example, by disposing the upper plate portion also in front of the holding portion, the front end portion of the holding portion can be covered with the cushion by constituting the cushion so as to extend (protrude) forward from the housing portion.

Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment at all, and it goes without saying that various forms can be taken as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

(2a) A specific configuration of the chairis not particularly limited. The seat body as in the embodiment may be provided, for example, in a chair that cannot be stacked. Although the upper columnhas been taken as an example of the long member, the long member is not limited to a columnar member or a cylindrical member, and may be, for example, a rod-shaped member having a substantially rectangular cross section.

(2b) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been taken as an example, in which the cushionis disposed to be housed in the housing portionwhen viewed from above, but the cushion may be configured to protrude from the housing portion when viewed from above. Alternatively, the cushion may be configured to cover the entire upper surface of the seat body.

In the above embodiment, a configuration has been taken as an example, in which the housing portiondoes not include the vertical wall portionon the front side and the cushionis disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion. However, as in a chairillustrated in, a holding portionmay have a configuration in which the front, rear, left, and right of a cushionare surrounded by an upper plate portion(and the vertical wall portion) and the cushionis not disposed in the front end portion of the holding portion. With such a configuration, a person or an object is less likely to come into contact with the front end portion of the cushion, so that it is possible to suppress damage to the front end of the cushion.

(2c) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been taken as an example, in which the horizontal wall portionserves as the support surface to support the cushion. Here, a seat body may be configured as illustrated in. In the seat body, an openingis formed in a horizontal wall portion. A cushionincludes a main body portion, a covering portion, and a bottom plate. The bottom plateis covered with the covering portiontogether with the main body portion. The bottom plateis supported by the horizontal wall portionexcept for a portion where the openingis formed. The bottom platehas higher rigidity than the main body portion, and has flexibility. Therefore, the shape of the cushionis maintained when a large load is not applied, such as when not seated, and is deformed when a large load is applied, such as when seated. With such a configuration, at least a part of the cushioncan be deformed downward with the impact of the support surface reduced by the opening, so that the cushioncan be deformed more greatly. In addition, a part of a cushionmay be configured to fit into the opening, as the cushionillustrated in. In addition, a bottom platemay have a shape in which a part thereof protrudes downward to fit into the opening. With such a configuration, the cushionis less likely to shift with respect to the horizontal wall portion.