Field of the invention

The present invention relates to stackable chairs made from bent steel or other metal tube. More specifically, the present invention relates to metal-framed chairs provided with a seat and back support of tensioned canvas or fabric material, where the chairs of the invention are especially suitable to nest upon one another in stacks when not in use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Furniture for use in conference locations, assembly halls, convention centres, hotels, banquet halls, schools, churches, and other audience settings are often designed to be durable and designed to take up as little storage space as possible when not in use. Therefore, chairs for audience and conference locations are designed to be stackable or nest with other chairs in order to easily store the chairs and transport them to and from different locations and change setups. For reasons of transportation, storage and distributions, stackable chairs are preferably light weight and easy to stack and unstack.

When it comes to stackable chairs, there are two main types of chairs. Firstly, there is the type where the frame is made of metal rod. For such, chairs the framework is usually formed by bending a steel rod or other metal, and either attaching a traditional seat and back support made from wood with cushioning material such as sponge and covered with textile material or by stretching fabric or mesh type material on the sides of the frame. The most usual material for such chairs is steel, glass fibre or reinforced plastic. A chair with a steel rod frame has generally a circular transection of the frame and they are stacked by placing one in front of another and are heavy due to the solid steel frame. Stackable chairs, where the frame is all made from rod, are usually made sturdy and stabilized by attaching a solid seat and back support to the frame and these chairs usually need to be further supported by leg stabilizing members, which are welded between two parts of the frame. Also, stackable chairs made from metal rod, with stretched fabric for seat and back support, need to be stabilized with leg stabilizing members, such as a stabilizing bar in the upper part between the front legs, and they are not comfortable. Secondly, there are chairs made from a thick and square aluminium frame, but these chairs come with traditional seat and back support made from wood with cushioning material such as sponge and covered with textile material

The problem with designing stackable chairs for long-term public use, such as for concert halls and conference venues is that they are required to be comfortable for up to eight hours of sitting, be stackable, take up as little storage space as possible, be light weight and easy to stack and they need to be durable and strong for long term use and constant stacking and un-stacking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to stackable chairs and provides a durable and strong lightweight chair with stretchable seat and back support. The chair of the invention is made from tubular material such as steel tube material, where one or more tube components are bent to form the frame of the chair. The seat and the back-support section are made from fabric which is both shrinkable and stretchable and is mounted on the frame after a load bearing frame is formed. The fabric is placed over the portion of the frame forming the back- support section and around the seat perimeter portion of the frame and closed with fastening means such as zipper locks or other locking and fastening means before heat is applied to the fabric so that it shrinks and thereby fits the chair and forms the seat and back-support section of the chair. The frame structure of the chair is supplemented by a reinforcement rod or pin in the part of the tube extending vertically from a portion of the back-support section and into a portion of the leg section on each side of the chair.

In some embodiments the removable pocket units forming the seat unit and the back- support unit of the chair can be implemented with a strong zipper both for arranging one or more fabric portions around the chair during assembly and for replacing the fabric if needed. The removable seat pocket unit is mounted on the frame to cover the uppermost part of the front leg-forming members and extend along the whole seat perimeter-forming portion of the frame. Diagonal brackets are a part if the frame to pull the fabric of the seating part and the back support backwards away from the front part of the chair to provide a comfortable back support.

In some embodiments the load bearing frame of the stackable chair of the invention is formed from a single tubing, where reinforcement rods are placed in the tubing prior to bending the tube in forming the chair. The reinforcement rods are positioned to extend from relatively horizontal back-support members town into relatively horizontal rear leg members. In such embodiments, additional tubing may be welded to the load bearing frame to extend the seat backwards and to pull the fabric in the lower part of the back-support backwards.

The chair of the present invention is designed for use such as in conference halls etc but is lighter than traditional chairs for the same use. Although the chair of the invention is formed by bending a metal tube to form the load bearing frame, it is strong and durable due to the reinforcement rod placed in the frame and extending from the back support section to the rear legs, as well as the use of a stretchable and shrinkable fabric material which is fitted around the frame to form the seat and the back section. One or more of the following embodiments alone or in combination contribute to solving the problems of providing a strong light chair which is durable, which is easily stackable and takes less space and does not need a stabilizing bar in the upper part between the front legs nor rigid seat and back- support attached to it: a) the use of the stretchable and shrinkable fabric, b) the reinforcement rods bring stability and strength to the chair and make it possible to make, and c) stretching the fabric over the frame for both the seat and the back-support section after forming the load bearing frame. Furthermore, these embodiments provide the user with a more comfortable time sitting in the chair and the surface of the body which is in contact with the fabric does not get overly warm during sitting.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide an improved and/or alternative and/or additional seating chair formed from one or more tubing to provide a load bearing frame and shrinkable and stretchable fabric material to mount on the chair to provide the seat and back support of the chair. Moreover, it is a preferred object of the present invention to provide a chair, preferably designed to be light weight and stackable to use conference locations, hotels, banquet halls, churches, and other audience settings. It is another object of the present invention to provide method for forming the chair of the invention by forming the load bearing frame from one or more tubing and using shrinkable and stretchable fabric material to form the seat and back support of the chair. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide.

The object(s) underlying the present invention is (are) particularly solved by the features defined in the independent claims. The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Further additional and/or alternative aspects and embodiments are discussed below. Thus, at least one of the preferred objects of the present invention is solved by a seating chair comprising i) a load bearing frame, where the load bearing frame is formed from tubular material, and where the load bearing frame further comprises a seat section, a back- support section, and leg section, ii) a first removable pocket unit forming the seat unit of the chair, and iii) a second removable pocket unit forming the back-support unit of the chair.

The load bearing frame comprises a reinforcement rod or pin in the part of the load bearing frame extending vertically from a portion of the back-support section and into a portion of the leg section on each side.

Another object of the present invention is solved by a seating chair having a load bearing frame unit, where the frame unit has a seat section, a back support section and a pair of leg sections, a seat support unit and a back-support unit. The seat unit comprises a removable and flexible pockets unit encapsulating a part of the seat support section and adapted to support a person seated there against. Furthermore, the back support comprises a removable and flexible pockets unit encapsulating a part of the back-support section and is adapted to support/or provide rest for a person's back there against. The at least one removable pocket units may comprise one or more zipper locking units. The frame is formed in tubular material, such as, but not limited to steal tubing and the connecting part of the frame extending from a portion of the back support section and through to a portion of the leg section is supported by a reinforcing rod inserted into the tubular material before bending it to form the chair.

Another object of the invention is solved by a method for forming a seating chair according to the present invention, where the method comprises the steps of: a) forming a load bearing frame in tubular material, said load bearing frame comprising a pair of front leg-forming members, a first and second rear leg-forming members, a pair of seat perimeter-forming members, three back perimeter-forming members, first and second leg stabilizing members, a lower back perimeter-forming member and a rear seat perimeter-forming member, b) arranging the removable pocket units forming the seat section on the frame to cover the uppermost part of the front leg-forming member and extend along the whole seat perimeter-forming portion of the frame and arranging the removable pocket units forming the back-support section of the frame to cover the back-support section from the top to a diagonal lower back perimeter-forming member. The method is further characterized in c) the fabric forming the removable pocket units forming the seat section and the back- support section is both shrinkable and stretchable, such that after the removable pocket units have been placed over the portion of the frame forming the back-support section and around the seat perimeter portion of the frame and closed with fastening means, heat is applied to the fabric so that it shrinks and thereby fits the chair and forms the seat and back-support section of the chair, and in d) the frame structure of the chair is supplemented by a reinforcement rod in the part of the tube extending vertically from a part of the back-support section and into a part of the leg section on each side of the chair.

One preferred object of the invention is solved by a method for forming a stackable seating chair, said method comprising the steps of: a) forming a load bearing frame from tubular material, said load bearing frame comprising i) a seat section, ii) a back-support section, and a leg section, b) arranging a first removable pocket unit around the seat section to cover the uppermost part of the front leg-forming member and extend along the whole seat perimeter-forming portion of the load bearing frame to form a seat unit of the chair, and c) arranging a second removable pocket unit around the back-support section to cover the back-support section from the top to a diagonal lower back perimeter-forming member to form the back-support unit of the chair, d) wherein the first and second removable pocket units are both made from shrinkable and stretchable material. The method is further characterized in: e) arranging a reinforcement rod in the part of the tubular material prior to bending the tubular material to form the load bearing frame, where the reinforcement rod is positioned to extend vertically from a part of the back-support section and into a part of the leg section on each side in the load bearing frame, and f) applying heat to the first and second removable pocket units, to shrink and secure the first and second removable pocket units to fit around the seat unit and the back-support unit respectively. Description of the invention

The following definitions and embodiments relate to the method, the apparatus of the invention.

In an embodiment of the present invention the load bearing frame is further defined by the seat section comprising a pair of seat perimeter-forming members, the back-support section comprising three back perimeter-forming members and the leg section comprising a pair of front leg-forming members, a first and second rear leg-forming members and a pair of first and second leg stabilizing members.

In an embodiment of the present invention the seat section, the back-support section and the leg section are formed from a single tube.

In an embodiment of the present invention the seat section further comprises a rear seat perimeter-forming member. In such an embodiment the rear seat peri meter- forming member is formed from a separate tube and welded or otherwise attached to the load bearing frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention the rear seat perimeter-forming member is backwards and extending at least partially under the first removable seat pocket unit of the back-support section.

In an embodiment of the present invention the back perimeter-forming members are further defined by a pair of parallel and vertical members and a horizontal member.

In an embodiment of the present invention the vertical members of the back-support section are directed towards the seat section below half of its length and then bent away from the seat section.

In an embodiment of the present invention the back-support section is further defined by a lower back perimeter-forming member. In the same manner as the rear seat perimeter forming member the lower back perimeter-forming member can be backwards curved away from the seat section.

In an embodiment of the present invention the reinforcement rod extends from a portion of each of the vertical back perimeter-forming members into a portion of the respective first and second rear leg-forming members. In an embodiment of the present invention the tubular material is a metal tube, such as a steel tube.

In an embodiment of the present invention the load bearing frame is formed from metal tubing, such as high-tension steel tube(s). In one embodiment the metal frame tube is a high-tension steel tube of 12,7mm and the reinforcement rod is 9 mm thick.

In an embodiment of the present invention the load bearing frame is formed from two or more tubes.

In an embodiment of the present invention the first removable pocket unit for forming the seat unit and the second removable pocket unit for forming the back-support unit are made from shrinkable and stretchable fabric.

In an embodiment of the present invention the Zipper coils are used to attach and/or detach one or more fabric portions around the frame to form the first removable seat pocket unit and the second removable back pocket unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention the chair further comprises additional fastening means or securing means to provide secure the one or more fabric portions making up the removable units around the load bearing frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention the load bearing frame further comprises a pair of front leg-forming members a first and second rear leg-forming members, a pair of seat perimeter-forming members, back perimeter-forming member, first and second leg stabilizing members, a lower back perimeter-forming member and a rear seat perimeter forming member.

In an embodiment of the present invention the pair of front leg-forming members, the first and second rear leg-forming members and the first and second leg stabilizing members of the the leg section, the pair of seat perimeter-forming members of the seat section, and the back perimeter-forming members of the of the back-support section are formed by a single tubing.

In an embodiment of the present invention the lower back perimeter-forming member and the rear seat perimeter-forming member are made from separate tubing. In an embodiment of the present invention the method further comprises the step of providing fastening means or securing means for securing the second removable pocket unit and detaching it from the load bearing frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention the reinforcement rod is positioned into the tubing before it is bent to be placed extending approximately half way into each vertical back perimeter-forming member and approximately 1/3 into each rear leg-forming rods after the load bearing frame has been formed by bending.

In an embodiment of the present invention the seating chair is stackable.

In an embodiment of the present invention the method further comprises; a) forming i) the pair of front leg-forming members, the first and second rear leg-forming members and the first and second leg stabilizing members of the the leg section, ii) the pair of seat perimeter-forming members of the seat section, and iii) the three back perimeter-forming members of the of the back-support section from a single tubing, b) forming the each of the iv) lower back perimeter-forming member and v) the rear seat perimeter-forming member from separate tubing, where the seating chair is assembled by welding together the three tubing to form the load bearing frame, and subsequently arranging a first and second removable pocket unit around the load bearing frame before applying heat to the first and second removable pocket units, to shrink and secure the first and second removable pocket units to fit around the seat unit and the back-support unit respectively.

In an embodiment of the present invention connectable glides are placed on the leg support/stabilizing members for protecting the surface of the floor from scratching.

In an embodiment of the present invention the removable seat pocket unit extends from the uppermost part of the front leg-forming members and over the whole seat perimeter forming portion.

In an embodiment of the present invention the chair further comprises diagonal brackets connecting the lower back perimeter-forming member and each of the vertical back perimeter-forming members.

In an embodiment of the present invention the removable seat pocket unit for forming the seat support section and a removable back pocket unit for forming the back-support section are made from shrinkable and stretchable fabric. In an embodiment the shrinkable and stretchable fabric can be made from a polyester and polyamide blend, such as 99% polyester and 1% polyamide, or 100% polyester. Such material can be fabric provided by Krall & Roth according to their SHRINX stretching technology.

In an embodiment of the present invention the chair further comprises additional fastening means or securing means to provide secure the one or more fabric portions making up the removable units around the frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention the reinforcement rod is positioned into the tubing before it is bent to be placed extending about half way into each vertical back perimeter-forming portion and about 1/3 into each rear leg-forming members after the load bearing frame has been formed by bending.

In the present context the term "front" refers to the side of the chair away from the back support section and the term "back" refers to the side of the chair having the back support section between the leg sections.

In the present context the terms "frame" or load bearing frame refer to a structure formed by bending a tubular material and welding or otherwise connecting two or more tubular components to form the supporting structures of a chair.

In the present context the term "fabric" refers to a cloth or woven material to extend between members of the frame to form a back-support section and a seat section of the chair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the chair of the invention outlining the main parts of the chair.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair of the invention shown in FIG. 1 identifying different structural positions of the frame.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the chair of the invention. FIG. 4 shows a front view of the chair of a specific embodiment of invention.

FIG. 5 is a view looking under the chair of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described, referring to the figures. These examples are provided to provide further understanding of the invention, without limiting its scope.

Figure 1 shows perspective view of a chair 1 where the supporting structure of the chair is formed by bending a metal tube 2 into a seat support section 3, back-support section 4 and leg section 5. The back-support section of the chair is at least partially covered by a removable pocket unit forming the back support unit of the chair and the seat support section 3 of the chair is at least partially covered by a removable pocket unit forming the seat unit of the chair. The figure further shows a removable seat pocket unit 6 for forming the seat support section 3 and a removable back pocket unit 7 for forming the back-support section 4.

Figure 2 is presented for clarification purposes the various parts of the metal tubing frame will be defined for identification of structural positions on the frame when describing the invention. The drawing is the same as in Fig. 1 and shows the metal tubing(s) being bent and formed to comprise a pair of parallel front leg-forming members 8, 9; a pair of parallel first and second rear leg-forming members 10, 11 and a pair of parallel first and second leg support/stabilizing members 17, 18 for forming the leg section of the chair. Furthermore, the metal tubing(s) are further bent to form i) the seat section by a pair of parallel seat perimeter-forming members 12, 13, and a rear seat perimeter-forming member 20, and ii) the back-support section by back perimeter-forming members 14, 15, 16 and the lower back perimeter-forming member 19.

Figure 3 shows a side view of a chair according to one embodiment of the invention. The drawing shows how the metal tube 2 is bent in the back-support section so that the part of the tubing forming the back perimeter-forming member 15 (from top to bottom) is bent towards the seat section about 2/3 of its length and then away from the seat section again. The drawing also shows the lower back perimeter-forming member 19, which is backwards curved away from the seat section and thereby pulls backwards the removable back pocket unit 7 for forming the back-support section to form a backwards curved back support. The drawing also shows how the fabric of removable seat pocket unit for forming the seat support section extends from the uppermost part of the front leg-forming member 9 and over the whole seat perimeter-forming member 13. The drawing shows the reinforcement rod 21 placed inside the metal tube 2. In such an embodiment, the metal frame tube is a high-tension steel tube of 12,7mm and the reinforcement rod is 9 mm thick. The drawing further shows two connectable glides 22 on the leg support/stabilizing member 18 for protecting the surface of the floor from scratching.

Figure 4 is a front view of a chair according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. The drawing indicates that the frame is made from a 12,7 mm high tension steel tube. A reinforcing rod of 9x400mm is indicated in the tube as well as diagonal brackets 23 connecting the lower back perimeter-forming member and each of the vertical back perimeter-forming members 14, 15. Zipper coils 24 are indicated to close the removable seat pocket unit 6 for forming the seat support section and a removable back pocket unit 7 for forming the back-support section. In such an embodiment the removable seat pocket unit 6 for forming the seat support section and a removable back pocket unit 7 for forming the back-support section are made from fabric which can easily be pulled over the seat section and the back support section during assembly and the it is treated with heat to shrink the fabric to fit the chair perfectly. Such a shrinking and stretching material can be made from a polyester and polyamide blend, such as 99% polyester and 1% polyamide.

Figure 5 shows a view under the chair looking at the down facing portion of the removable seat pocket unit 6. The drawing shows 3 zippers 24 for use during assembly and before the shrinking of the fabric. The drawing also shows additional fastening means or securing means 25 to provide additional attachment of the various fabric components making up the removable units 6, 7. The drawing shows the lower back perimeter-forming member 19, being backwards curved away from the seat section pulling the removable back pocket unit 7 backwards and forming a backwards curved back support and the fabric of removable seat pocket unit extending to the rear seat perimeter-forming member 20 which is also backwards curved in a similar manner and approximately to the same distance as the lower back perimeter-forming member 19.

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Throughout the description and claims, the terms "comprise", "including", "having", and "contain" and their variations should be understood as meaning "including but not limited to", and are not intended to exclude other components.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., "about 3" shall also cover exactly 3 or "substantially constant" shall also cover exactly constant).

The term "at least one" should be understood as meaning "one or more", and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with "at least one" have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as "the" and "the at least one .

It will be appreciated that variations to the foregoing embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention can be made while still falling within scope of the invention. Features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Use of exemplary language, such as "for instance", "such as", "for example" and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless so claimed. Any steps described in the specification may be performed in any order or simultaneously, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

All of the features and/or steps disclosed in the specification can be combined in any combination, except for combinations where at least some of the features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. In particular, preferred features of the invention are applicable to all aspects of the invention and may be used in any combination.