Stacking chair with removable back

Abstract

A stacking chair system comprising a frame with four legs, two being front legs and two being rear legs. The seat is secured to the frame, the seat being upholstered and including a foam cushion supported by flexible support. Two receivers in the frame are at a rear of the frame and between the rear legs of the frame. A backrest comprising a foam cushion is upholstered and has an inner frame supporting the foam cushion, the inner frame including two protrusions extending out of the upholstery wherein the each one of the two protrusions is configured to insert into one of the two receivers. A fastener is provided for each receiver and is configured to secure the protrusion to the corresponding receiver. The backrest is removable upon removal of the fasteners.

Claims

1. A stacking chair comprising: a frame with four legs, two being front legs and two being rear legs; a seat secured to the frame in a fixed position, the seat being upholstered and including a foam cushion supported by flexible support; two receivers in the frame at a rear of the frame; a backrest comprising a foam cushion which is upholstered and an inner frame supporting the foam cushion, the inner frame including two protrusions extending out of the upholstery wherein the each one of the two protrusions is configured to insert into one of the two receivers; a fastener for each receiver configured to secure the protrusion to the corresponding receiver, wherein the backrest is removable upon removal of the fasteners.

2. The stacking chair of claim 1 wherein the frame further comprises a support bar extending on either side of the seat and connected to a front curved section and a rear curved section, the front curved section connected to one of the front legs and the rear curved section connected to one of the rear legs, each of the four legs extending outwards and downwards with respect to the seat and the four legs in a fixed arrangement with respect to the seat.

3. The stacking chair of claim 2 wherein the two front legs are arranged at a more vertical angle than the rear legs.

4. The stacking chair of claim 2 wherein the seat includes rigid supports arranged around a peripheral edge thereof to define a rigid frame and wherein the flexible support is secured to the rigid frame and the rigid frame is removably secured to a side section of the frame.

5. The stacking chair of claim 4 wherein the foam cushion of the seat is arranged on top of the rigid frame.

6. The stacking chair of claim 1 wherein the frame further comprises a rear cross bar and the each of two receivers are arranged as a tube extending from the cross bar, the two receivers spaced apart at a distance which is at least 50% or more a width of the seat, but less than a spacing between the rear legs.

7. The stacking chair of claim 1 wherein the seat includes a seat frame and the flexible support is secured to the seat frame, the seat frame includes a curved portion such that the seat includes a lower curved section which matches a curve of the frame adjacent the front legs.

8. The stacking chair of claim 7 wherein the seat frame is secured to the frame such that the seat frame rests on top of the frame with upholstery between the seat and the seat frame and fasteners passing through the frame and securing to the seat frame.

9. The stacking chair of claim 1 wherein the receiver defines an opening with four flat sides.

10. The stacking chair of claim 9 wherein the protrusion includes a circular cross section.

11. The stacking chair of claim 10 wherein the protrusion includes a boss defining a flat section and having a threaded feature adjacent thereto for receiving the fasteners.

12. The stacking chair of claim 1 wherein the frame comprises a rear cross bar and the receivers are secured to the rear cross bar at an attachment point which is lower than a lower surface of a flat section of the frame which is perpendicular to the rear cross bar.

13. A stacking chair comprising: a frame with four legs, two being front legs and two being rear legs; a seat secured to the frame in a fixed position, the seat including a seat frame which defines a perimeter with an interior opening and the seat frame includes at least a flat portion and a curved portion, the curved portion having a curve which matches a curve of the frame at or adjacent the front legs and the flat portion configured to rest on top of flat portions of the frame, the seat frame contained in upholstery and the seat including a foam cushion positioned above the seat frame wherein the foam cushion is supported by a flexible support, the flexible support connected to the seat frame and extending across the interior opening.

14. The stacking chair of claim 13 further comprising seat fasteners which pass through holes in the flat portions of the frame and through the upholstery to secure to threaded members of the seat frame.

15. The stacking chair of claim 13 wherein at least part of the upholstery is positioned between the seat frame and the flat portions of the frame with the upholstery in contact with the flat portions of the frame.

16. The stacking chair of claim 13 further comprising: two receivers in the frame at a rear of the frame and between the rear legs of the frame; a backrest comprising a foam cushion which is upholstered and an inner frame supporting the foam cushion, the inner frame including two protrusions extending out of the upholstery wherein the each one of the two protrusions is configured to insert into one of the two receivers; a fastener for each receiver configured to secure the protrusion to the corresponding receiver, wherein the backrest is removable upon removal of the fasteners.

17. The stacking chair of claim 13 wherein the frame defines an opening which is a through opening and at least part of the seat is arranged to move into said opening when a user sits on the seat.

18. The stacking chair of claim 17 wherein the opening is defined by at least four straight sections of the frame.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair according to the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair of FIG. 1 with certain components removed.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a component of the chair of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom frame section of the chair of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a side view of the backrest of the chair of FIG. 1.

(6) FIG. 6 is a rear view of the backrest of FIG. 5.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the backrest of FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 8 is a detail view of part of FIG. 6.

(9) FIG. 9 is a top view of the chair of FIG. 1 with the backrest removed.

(10) FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of multiple chairs according to FIG. 1 arranged in rows.

(11) FIG. 11 is a rear view of the chair of FIG. 1.

(12) FIG. 12 is a detail view of FIG. 13.

(13) FIG. 13 is a rear view of the chair of FIG. 1 with the backrest removed.

(14) FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view the chair of FIG. 1.

(15) FIG. 15 is a perspective view of multiple chairs according to FIG. 1 stacked on top of each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(16) Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views. The following examples are presented to further illustrate and explain the present invention and should not be taken as limiting in any regard.

(17) The chair 1 includes a backrest 2 and a seat 4. The seat 4 sits on top of frame 6 and the seat 4 is in a fixed position relative to the frame as is the backrest in that the seat 4 and backrest 2 do not have a tilting function. Connector piece 11 can be provided to assist in holding chairs together/in place in rows (FIG. 10). As can be seen in FIG. 2, the seat 4 can be removed. The backrest 2 and seat 4 are upholstered, thus the removal of the seat assists in replacing the upholstery cover in the even the originally installed one becomes worn, damaged or dirty. The seat 4 includes a support structure shown in FIG. 3 which is positioned under the foam cushion and on top of the lower frame (FIG. 4). The cushion support frame pieces Dec. 14, 2016/18 are preferably welded together and a flexible support 20 is placed over/around these pieces. On the seat frame, piece 14 is curved to match the curve of the corresponding frame section 62. The seat frame pieces Dec. 14, 2016/18 are preferably made from a relatively thin material, for example or thinner metal, more preferably or or thinner metal such as steel. In preferred embodiments, the metal includes threaded holes to receive the screws that secure the seat 4 to the frame 6 from underneath.

(18) Due to the use of the flexible support 20 and the foam placed thereon or molded there around, the bottom of the seat 4 will displace into or through the opening 7 when the seat is weighted, for example when someone sits on the seat. This flexible support 20 may be webbing or a seat sling material as example, but other materials may be used. A more rigid material may also be used for the support 20. A piece of foam rests on top of the flexible support 20 and the upholstery cover is placed over that assembly. The support frame can be attached/removed from the lower frame (FIG. 4) with screws. In this way, the screws can be removed and the seat frame and cushion pulled off the chair. The upholstery cover shown on the seat 4 is preferably removable, for example with a zipper, hook and loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro) or the like using a flap whose seam is shown in FIG. 11 (31). This allows for replacement/cleaning/repair of the upholstery cover as needed. Often chairs of the design shown are used in places of worship and thus the ability for user replacement of the upholstery is an important value feature. Specifically, places of worship would be able to gather volunteers to do a project of replace/renew all of the upholstery on the stacking chairs. As a result, the labor can be donated by members and the cost of having near new chairs is only the cost of new upholstery covers. Thus, the ease of re-upholstery for fixed seat stacking chairs is a significant advantage. Additionally, commercial venues can also replace upholstery with relative ease and a modest labor expense.

(19) FIG. 4 shows additional details on the lower frame construction. Leg 60 is connected to curved section 62 which is connected to horizontal section 64. Another curved section is connected between horizontal section 64 and the rear leg 68. All of these sections 60/62/64/68 of the frame are fixed relative to each other, e.g. by welding or the sections can be formed by bending square tubing. Cross bars 10/8 connect each side of the frame and cross bar 10 includes back supports 22, preferably a welded connection is used. Preferably the frame pieces are hollow and particularly the back support 22 is hollow. Generally the square tubing will have chamfered or rounded corners. As shown in FIGS. 5-8, the back includes lower extensions 24 or protrusions which protrude from below the backrest's upholstered cushion. Like the seat upholstery, the back upholstery also has removable fasteners to enable removal and replacement (or cleaning) of the upholstery cover. FIG. 14 shows the flap 33 which can be opened to allow for removal of the upholstery cover. The lower extension 24 is shown as a round tube and boss 26 provides a flat surface to interface with the interior square tube of the back supports 22. The box 26 also includes a threaded hole, allowing screws to secure the backrest to the lower frame. Further, the lower section of the back 35 is narrower than the upper section 37 and there are curved and/or angled sections between the narrower 35 and wider 37 sections.

(20) As shown in FIGS. 9, 11 and 12, the back supports 22 are hollow and include a hole 28 through which a screw 30 can pass to secure the backrest 2 to the lower frame 6. These screws can also be removed to allow the backrest to likewise be removed. The preferred configuration when shipping chairs is with the backrest removed. Shipping typically has constrained height spaces in that the stack of chairs will cause interference with the backrest and the ceiling of the container/truck in which the chairs are placed. This space 140 is not well used in that the height of the backrest would allow about two or three additional chairs to be accommodated in that otherwise empty vertical space. This can be seen in the stack at FIG. 15 in that the top of the back of the lowest chair is roughly at the level of the seat of the 4.sup.th chair in the stack 142, certainly two lower frames with upholstery and no backrest can fit in this space 140. Then, the backrests can be nested together in a stack with maximum density in that the front surface of one back is in contact with a rear surface of another and so on. Thus, there is minimum empty space in the container/truck, and specifically as to the backrests. As a result, more chairs can be shipped within a given space constraint.

(21) Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.