TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates in general to height-adjustable chairs.

BACKGROUND

Smaller living spaces and needs related to a more fluid life at home have become a greater part of modem society. As a result of an increased demand for spacesaving furniture, several attempts to provide such furniture have been made over the years. For instance, when it comes to seating furniture - such as chairs - alternatives have been presented in which the chair is adjustable between configurations that are more or less suitable for different applications.

However, these designs are often inferior in terms of comfort and the user often needs to perform extensive work such as turning and folding different parts of the chair to arrive from one seating mode to the other. Moreover, when a transition between different modes of the chair has taken place, such as between an upright seated position and a more relaxed lounging position, the examples in the prior art often prove to be bulky and sometimes even miss the point of being space-efficient. From the above, it is understood that there is room for improvements.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to solve or at least mitigate the problems related to prior art. This object is achieved by means of the technique set forth in the appended independent claims; preferred embodiments being defined in the related dependent claims.

In an aspect, a height-adjustable chair is provided. The height-adjustable chair includes a frame, a seating unit, at least one front connector connecting a front portion of the seating unit with a front portion of the frame, and at least one rear connector connecting a rear portion of the seating unit with a rear portion of the frame. The rear connector comprises a sliding slot. In general, the invention may be described as being a height-adjustable chair which is configurable between a dining mode and a lounge mode. The height-adjustable chair is advantageous in that it represents a comfortable, sustainable alternative to modern-day seating furniture. It is cost-effective for both manufacturers and customers, easy to use, and simple to both manufacture and transport. Moreover, it takes up substantially the same space whether it is in a dining mode or a lounge mode.

In an embodiment, the front connector of the height-adjustable chair has a pivoting arm. The front connector is a rather simple structure which contributes to the transition of the height-adjustable chair between the two seating modes, also referred to as the dining and lounge positions herein.

In an embodiment, the height-adjustable chair has two front connectors connecting each side of the seating unit to a respective front side of the frame, and/or two rear connectors connecting each side of the seating unit to a respective rear side of the frame. The seating unit is thereby connected to the frame in a robust manner. Together, the front connectors and rear connectors cooperate in the transition between a dining position and a lounge position of the height-adjustable chair.

In an embodiment, the pivoting arm has a first end pivotable relative to the frame, and a second end pivotable relative to the seating unit. The pivoting arm is preferably pivotable between a substantially upright position and a lowered position which correspond to the dining position and the lounge position of the height-adjustable chair, respectively.

In an embodiment, the pivoting arm is arc shaped. This is advantageous in that the curved shape will prevent a user from being clamped by the pivoting arm, as it always covers the gap that would otherwise be present between the pivoting arm and the seating unit. Also, by means of the arc-shape, stability is created in the structure of the pivoting arm, and in the height-adjustable chair as a whole.

In an embodiment, the sliding slot is provided in the seating unit.

The sliding slot is preferably tilted relative to a vertical axis, thereby causing also a horizontal movement of the seating unit when moving from one position to the other position. Furthermore, the tilt of the sliding slot adds comfort and provides an ergonomic backrest. In an embodiment, the rear connector further comprises a rod arranged to slide in the sliding slot.

In an embodiment, the rear connector further comprises a sliding member arranged to slide in said sliding slot. In such case, the sliding member may be a rod.

In an embodiment, the sliding slot has an upper end defining a lowered position of the seating unit relative to the frame, and a bottom end defining an elevated position of the seating unit relative to the frame.

In an embodiment, the upper end of the sliding slot is arranged rearwise of the bottom end of the sliding slot. This indicates further that the sliding slot is tilted with respect to the seating unit.

Furthermore, the seating unit may include a seat and a backrest. The backrest is preferably rigidly connected to the seat. This is advantageous in that the seating unit is easy to manufacture and store when dismantled prior to final assembly. Moreover, when the seat and the backrest are fixed together to form the seating unit, the height- adjustable chair is more easy to handle, since the need to fold different parts is eliminated.

In an embodiment, the seating unit, when moved from an elevated position to a lowermost position, is tilted backwards.

An effect of the tilting of the sliding slot and the rod sliding therein is that, during transition between the dining position and the lounge position, the seating unit is arranged with the same angle between the seat and the backrest, meaning that the user will always feel comfortable in both seating modes.

In an embodiment, the bottom end of the sliding slot is J-shaped. The J-shape is advantageous in that the height-adjustable chair can be secured in the different positions, thereby preventing unintended transition from the dining position to the lounge position.

In an embodiment, the frame comprises front legs and rear legs, and a cross-bar extending horizontally between the front legs. The cross-bar adds stability to the frame structure.

In an embodiment, the cross-bar forms a support for the front portion of the seating unit when the seating unit is arranged in a lowermost position. This prevents the front portion of the seating unit from continuing in a downward motion when the height-adjustable chair is in the lounge position. In other words, the front cross-bar makes sure that safety is not compromised.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example, embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a height-adjustable chair in an elevated position,

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the height-adjustable chair shown in Fig. 1, but in a lowermost position,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the height-adjustable chair shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a side view of the height-adjustable chair shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of a front connector of the height-adjustable chair of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 6 is an isometric view of the front connector shown in Fig. 5, here showing a side configured to face a frame portion of the height-adjustable chair,

Fig. 7 is a side view of a rear connector of the height-adjustable chair of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of a front connector in an upper position defining an elevated position of the seating unit relative to the frame,

Fig. 9 is an isometric view of a front connector in a bottom position defining a lowermost position of the seating unit relative to the frame,

Fig. 10 is an isometric view of the rear connector in a bottom end position defining an elevated position of the seating unit relative to the frame, and

Fig. 11 is an isometric view of the rear connector in an upper end position defining a lowermost position of the seating unit relative to the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With reference to Figs. 1-4, a height-adjustable chair 1 is shown. The height- adjustable chair 1 is movable between a dining position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and a lounge position as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. A transition of the chair between these two positions is effected by cooperation between a front connector 30 and a rear connector

40, which will be described in more detail below.

The height-adjustable chair 1 includes a frame 10 and a seating unit 20. Furthermore, the height-adjustable chair 1 includes the front connector 30 and the rear connector 40. There may be at least one front connector 30 and at least one rear connector 40. In the embodiments disclosed herein, there are two front connectors 31, 32 and two rear connectors 41, 42. The front connectors 31, 32 connect a front portion 21 of the seating unit 20 with a front portion 11 of the frame 10, and the rear connectors

41, 42 connect a rear portion 22 of the seating unit 20 with a rear portion 12 of the frame 10. The frame 10 is stationary, meaning that it has no movable parts. Preferably, the seating unit 20 is also stationary in itself, although movable with respect to the frame. In other words, the transition between the dining position and the lounge position is enabled by means of the front connectors 30 and rear connectors 40.

In the drawings, the frame 10 is built up by two parallel spaced apart frame elements corresponding to the left and right sides of the height-adjustable chair 1, respectively. Each frame element may be interpreted as having a respective front leg 13, 14 and rear leg 15, 16, with an armrest in between, linking the front and back legs to each other. A front cross-bar 17 is connected to and extends horizontally between a right front leg 13 of the frame 10 and a left front leg 14 of the frame 10. Correspondingly, a rear cross-bar 18 is connected to and extends horizontally between a right rear leg 15 of the frame 10 and a left rear leg 16 of the frame 10. The cross-bars 17, 18 hold the frame elements together.

The front cross-bar 17 is preferably located just below the front portion 21 of the seating unit 20. The front cross-bar 17 may in such embodiment be regarded as a mechanical stop for the seating unit 20 when it is in its lowermost position, whereby the front cross-bar 17 in such case may assist in preventing the front portion 21 of the seating unit 20 from continuing in a downward motion when the height-adjustable chair is in the lounge position. In other words, the front cross-bar 17 makes sure that safety is not compromised. The front cross-bar 17 also engages with a stopper 39 of the front connectors 31, 32, see Fig. 6. It is appreciated that other frame designs may be possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Preferably, the front portion 21 of the seating unit 20 and the rear portion 22 of the seating unit 20 are integrated as one unit. However, the front portion 21 of the seating unit 20 and the rear portion 22 of the seating unit 20 may as well be provided as two separate parts which may be fixed together as one unit. In the embodiments described herein, the seating unit 20 has a seat 27 and a backrest 28 connected to the seat 27. This is advantageous in that the seating unit 20 is easy to manufacture and store when dismantled prior to final assembly. Moreover, when the seat 27 and the backrest 28 are fixed together to form the seating unit 20, the height-adjustable chair 1 is more easy to handle, since the need to fold different parts is eliminated. To increase comfort for the user, the seating unit 20 may also have a cladding.

As briefly mentioned above, the height-adjustable chair 1 includes two front connectors in the form of a right front connector 31 and a left front connector 32, and two rear connectors in the form of a right rear connector 41 and a left rear connector 42. Both the right front connector 31 and the right rear connector 41 are arranged on the right side of the height-adjustable chair 1. Correspondingly, the left front connector 32 and the left rear connector 42 are arranged on the left side of the height-adjustable chair 1. The right front connector 31 connects a right front side 23 of the seating unit 20 to the right front leg 13 of the frame 10 and the left front connector 32 connects a left front side 24 of the seating unit 20 to the left front leg 14 of the frame 10. Correspondingly, the right rear connector 41 connects a right rear side 25 of the seating unit 20 to the right rear leg 15 of the frame 10 and the left rear connector 42 connects a left rear side 26 of the seating unit 20 to the left rear side 16 of the frame, respectively.

Fig. 5 shows a side of the right front connector 31 which is configured to face the right front side 23 of the seating unit 20. The right front connector 31 may also be referred to as a right pivoting arm 33. Alternatively, the right front connector 31 is referred to as comprising the right pivoting arm 33. The right pivoting arm 33 has a first end 35 pivotably connected relative to the right front leg 13 of the frame 10 and a second end 36 pivotably connected relative to the right front side 23 of the seating unit 20. In Fig. 5, a mounting area 50 is shown near the first end 35 of the left pivoting arm 33, through which a protruding part 52 (see Fig. 6 for an opposite side view of a corresponding, mirrored front connector 32) connects the first end 35 of the right pivoting arm 33 to the right front leg 13 of the frame 10. Similarly, another mounting area, such as an opening 54 is shown near the second end 36 of the right pivoting arm 33, which provides space for a base support 29 of the seat 27 to connect the second end 36 of the right pivoting arm 33 to the right front side 23 of the seating unit 20 (see Figs. 8 and 9). A stopper 39 is also provided close to the opening 54 at the second end 36 of the right pivoting arm 33. The stopper 39 is configured to engage with the front crossbar 17 when the seating unit 20 is lowered, as explained above. It is appreciated that the pivoting arm does not need a stopper 39 to function properly.

Fig. 6 shows a side of the left front connector 32 which is configured to face the left front leg 14 of the frame 10. The left front connector 32 may also be referred to as a left pivoting arm 34. Alternatively, the left front connector 32 is referred to as comprising the left pivoting arm 34. The left pivoting arm 34 has a first end 37 pivotably connected relative to the left front leg 14 of the frame 10 and a second end 38 pivotably connected relative to the left front side 24 of the seating unit 20. Similarly as in Fig. 5, an opening (not shown) is provided in Fig. 6 near the first end 37 of the left pivoting arm 34. The protruding part 52 connects the first end 37 of the pivoting arm 34 to the left front leg 14 of the frame 10. Similarly, another opening 56 is shown near the second end 38 of the left pivoting arm 34, which provides space for the base support 29 of the seat 27 to connect the second end 38 of the left pivoting arm 34 to the left front side 24 of the seating unit 20 (see Figs. 8 and 9). The stopper 39 shown in Fig. 5 is also provided close to the opening 56 at the second end 38 of the left pivoting arm 34, although not shown as a protruding part, since Fig. 6 shows an opposite side of the connector of Fig. 5.

In other words, the first ends 35, 37 and second ends 36, 38 of the pivoting arms 33, 34 are pivotably connected to the frame 10 and the seating unit 20, respectively. Put differently, the front portion 21 of the seating unit 20 is pivotably connected to the right front side 13 and left front side 13 of the frame 10 at respective pivot points by means of the front connectors 31, 32. Also, the front connectors 31, 32 may be seen as pivot hinges rotatable between a substantially upright position and a lowered position which correspond to the dining position and the lounge position of the height-adjustable chair 1, respectively. Preferably, the pivoting arms 33, 34 of the front connectors 31, 32 are bent or arc-shaped to prevent a user from squeezing a finger. This way, downward pointing forces that act upon the front connectors 31, 32 when they are in the upright position are counteracted by this shape. Thus, by means of the arc-shape, stability is created in the structure.

Turning now to Fig. 7, a left rear connector 42 is shown. The left rear connector 42 has a left sliding slot 44 extending between an upper end 47 and a bottom end 48 of the sliding slot 44. Optionally, the left sliding slot 44 may be referred to as a longitudinally extending recess. As seen for instance in Figs. 10 and 11, the left sliding slot 44 pertaining to the left rear connector 42 is provided at the left rear side 26 of the seating unit 20.

Notably, the rear connector 40 also includes a corresponding right rear connector 41, see Figs. 1-4. The right rear connector 41 has a right sliding slot 43 extending between an upper end 45 and a bottom end 46 of the sliding slot 43. For symmetrical reasons, the shape of the right sliding slot 43 is a mirrored version of the right sliding slot 44 shown in Fig. 7. The right sliding slot 43 is provided at the right rear side 25 of the seating unit 20 as can be seen in Figs. 1-4.

Openings 60, 62 are found near the upper ends 45, 47 and bottom ends 46, 48 of the rear connectors 41, 42. Fixing means, such as screws or bolts, may be inserted through these opening 60, 62 to fix the respective rear connectors 41, 42 to the respective rear sides 25, 26 of the seating unit 20.

A sliding member 49 is arranged to slide in the sliding slots 43, 44 of the left and right rear connectors 41, 42 between the upper ends 45, 47 and the bottom ends 46, 48, respectively. The sliding member 49 is preferably a male portion, such as a rod 49.

The sliding member 49, in the form of the rod 49 in Figs 10 and 11, extends between the rear connectors 41, 42, preferably through the backrest 28 of the height- adjustable chair 1. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the sliding member 49 is fixedly connected to the rear portion 12 of the frame 10. Hence, the rod 49 is fixedly connected to the rear portion 12 of the frame 10. The rod 49 may be seen a protruding peg which is connected to the frame 10 and configured to be run in the sliding slots 43, 44 of the rear connectors 41, 42. Optionally, the rod 49 does not extend from one side of the frame to the other. The rod 49 may as well be a peg provided on the respective rear legs 15, 16 of the frame 10 and configured to slide in the respective sliding slots 43, 44 of the rear connectors 41, 42. In other words, the sliding member 49 may be provided on the respective rear legs 15, 16 of the frame 10 and configured to slide in the respective sliding slots 43, 44 of the rear connectors 41, 42.

The rear connectors 41, 42, and more particularly the sliding slots 43, 44 are tilted an angle a relative to a vertical axis A defined as an axis extending perpendicularly with respect to the seat 27. The angle a, may be in the range of 0-45°, preferably in the range of 10-20°. When the height-adjustable chair 1 transitions between the lounge position and the dining position, the angle a remains the same. Hence, there is no need to adjust the inclination of the backrest 28 with respect to the seat 27 when switching positions. Furthermore, the backrest keeps its ergonomic shape in both positions thanks to the tilting angle a.

The upper ends 45, 47 of the sliding slots 43, 44 define a lowered position of the seating unit 20 relative to the frame 10. Correspondingly, the bottom ends 46, 48 define an elevated position of the seating unit 20 relative to the frame 10. The upper ends 45, 47 of the sliding slots 43, 44 are arranged rearwise of the bottom ends 46, 48 of the sliding slot 43, 44 with respect to the front part of the height-adjustable chair, i.e. rearwise of the front portion 11 of the frame 10. Put differently, the backrest 28 is positioned rearwise of the seat 27 of the seating unit 20. The bottom ends 46, 48 of the sliding slots 43, 44 are preferably kinked in some way. For instance, the bottom ends 46, 48 may be J-shaped, or hook-shaped. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 7. The J-shape is advantageous in that the height-adjustable chair can be secured in the different positions, thereby preventing unintended transition from the dining position to the lounge position.

As shown in Fig. 7, the sliding member 49 is arranged in the sliding slot 44 of the rear connector 42. The sliding member 49 may slide along the sliding slot 44 provided in the rear connector 42, from the upper end 47 to the bottom end 48 or vice versa. The sliding motion of the sliding member 49 in the sliding slot 44 provides the adjustment between the lounge position and the dining position of the height adjustable chair 1, which will be more explained in the following. In the following, a mode of operation will be described in relation to Figs. 8-9 illustrating the different positons of the front connector and 10-11 illustrating the different positons of the rear connector.

From the lounge position, the height-adjustable chair 1 assumes the upper, dining position by a user lifting the backrest 28 in an upwards, slightly rearward motion. No excessive force is required as the backrest 28 slides relative the frame 10. This lifting action triggers movement of the sliding member 49, shown in the form of a rod 49, to the J-shaped bottom end 46, 48 of the sliding slot 43, 44, as well as the movement of the second end 36, 38 of the pivoting arm 33, 34 to its upright position. Once the rod 49 reaches the lower end of the J-shape, the backrest 28 is lowered so that the rod 49 rests against the end of the sliding slot 43, 44. Contrarily, the height-adjustable chair 1 assumes the lower, lounge position when the user lifts the backrest 28 slightly to pass the J-shape, whereafter the backrest 28 is pushed in a downward motion. This in turn triggers movement of the rod 49 to the upper end 45, 47 of the sliding slot 43, 44, as well as the movement of the first end 35, 37 of the pivoting arm 33, 34 to its lowered position. In the dining position of the height-adjustable chair 1, the seating unit 20 is in an elevated position, whereas the seating unit 20 is in a lowermost position in the lounge position of the height-adjustable chair 1.

A major advantage of the height-adjustable chair 1 described herein is that it is easily transformable between the two functional dining and lounge positions. When the rod 49 is in the J-shaped end 46, 48 of the rear connectors 41, 42 and the front connectors 31, 32 are lifted to their upright positions, the height-adjustable chair 1 is in a comfortable dining position. Instead, when the rod 49 is moved to the upper end 45, 47 of the rear connectors 41, 42 and the front connectors 31, 32 are lowered to their lowered positions, the height-adjustable chair 1 is in a comfortable lounge position, with the same angle a between the seat 27 and the backrest 28.

In summary, by lifting the backrest 28 slightly, the front connector 30 and the rear connectors 40 cooperate to make a smooth transition from the lounge position to the dining position. Moreover, the seating unit 20, when moved from an elevated position to a lowermost position, is tilted backwards. This is thanks to the cooperation between the front and rear connectors 30, 40. The tilting is performed automatically and the user will always be seated in a comfortable position.

It should further be mentioned that the rear connectors 41, 42 may be provided with intermediate stops, like intermediate hooks or “J-shapes” arranged in between the end positions in order to allow for more than two positions of the seating unit 20 relative the frame 10.