CHAIR

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

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.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a chair.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

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.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a chair according to an embodiment as viewed from above, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view as viewed from below;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a cushion, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a holding portion, and FIG. 2C is a perspective view of a support body;

FIG. 3A is a front view of the cushion, FIG. 3B is a plan view of the cushion, FIG. 3C is a bottom view of the cushion, and FIG. 3D is a side view of the cushion;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the holding portion as viewed from below;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 1A, which is a cross-sectional view of a central portion, in the front-rear direction, of a seat body;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a seat body of a chair of a modification; and

FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views illustrating the chair of the modification from the same viewpoint as FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE INVENTION

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

1-1. Overall Configuration

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a chair 1 includes a seat body 11, a backrest 13, and a support body 15.

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 1. In the following description, the term “height” means a height from a floor surface on which the chair 1 is placed. The chair 1 is bilaterally symmetrical.

1-2. Support Body 15

The support body 15 supports the seat body 11. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the support body 15 includes a pair of left and right pipe bodies 31, a front connecting portion 32, and a rear connecting portion 33. Each of the pair of left and right pipe bodies 31 is formed by bending and welding a cylindrical metal pipe. The front connecting portion 32 and the rear connecting portion 33 are metal pipes that connect the pair of pipe bodies 31. Although the metal pipes constituting the support body 15 are hollow, solid columnar members that are not hollow may be used. That is, the support body 15 may be formed of members each having a columnar appearance.

The pipe body 31 includes a front column 41, a rear column 42, a lower column 43, and an upper column 44. The front column 41 is located at the front portion of the pipe body 31 and has a length in the up-down direction. The rear column 42 is located at the rear portion of the pipe body 31 and has a length in the up-down direction. The front column 41 and the rear column 42 are examples of a leg portion having a length in the up-down direction.

The lower column 43 is located at the lower portion of the pipe body 31, and connects the lower end of the front column 41 and the lower end of the rear column 42. The lower column 43 is disposed along a floor surface on which the chair 1 is placed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the left lower column 43 is provided with two leg ends 45L with a space between them in the front-rear direction, while the right lower column 43 is provided with two leg ends 45R with a space between them in the front-rear direction. The leg end 45L and the leg end 45R are configured to be able to be combined. As a result, when the two chairs 1 are placed side by side, the two chairs 1 can be connected in a state in which the two chairs 1 are placed side by side, by combining the leg ends 45L of one chair 1 and the leg ends 45R of the other chair.

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the upper column 44 is located on the upper side of the pipe body 31. The upper column 44 connects the upper end of the front column 41 and the rear connecting portion 33 connected to the rear column 42. The front column 41 and the upper column 44 are linked via a bent portion 46 obtained by bending a metal pipe. The rear end portion of the upper column 44 and the rear connecting portion 33 are connected by welding. The upper columns 44 are 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 portion 32 connects the front columns 41 of the respective left and right pipe bodies 31 to each other. The rear connecting portion 33 connects the rear columns 42 of the respective left and right pipe bodies 31 to each other.

A pair of mounting plates 47, extending in the horizontal direction, are provided on the front side and the left and right central side of the upper columns 44. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, a through hole 49 is formed in each of the pair of the left and right mounting plates 47. By passing a screw through the through hole 49 from below and screwing the screw into the seat body 11, the seat body 11 is fixed to the support body 15.

1-3. Seat Body 11

The seat body 11 is rectangular as a whole and forms a seating surface on which a user sits. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the seat body 11 includes a cushion 61 and a holding portion 63 that holds the cushion 61.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the appearance of the cushion 61 is a substantially rectangular plate. The front end portion of the cushion 61 extends straight to the left and right, and the rear end portion of the cushion 61 is curved, convex rearward. The front end portion of the cushion 61 has a shape curved downward. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the cushion 61 is curved as a whole such that the central portion is recessed downward in the left-right direction. The cushion 61 is 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 cushion 61 includes a main body portion 71 and a covering portion 73. As the main body portion 71, a flexible member, such as urethane foam, can be used. A specific material for the main body portion 71 is not particularly limited. The shape of the main body portion 71 is almost the same as the appearance shape of the cushion 61. The covering portion 73 is a member that covers the main body portion 71 and protects the main body portion 71. In the present embodiment, the covering portion 73 covers the entire main body portion 71. Note that a part of the main body portion 71, such as the lower surface of the cushion 61, may have a place that is not covered by the covering portion 73.

In addition, a bottom plate, having higher rigidity than the main body portion 71, may be provided for fixing the cushion 61 to the holding portion 63 with a screw or the like. The bottom plate may be provided inside the covering portion 73 or may be disposed outside the covering portion 73. 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 portion 71 and having flexibility.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 4, the holding portion 63 includes an upper plate portion 81 that is a portion covering the upper surfaces of the pair of upper columns 44 and the rear connecting portion 33. In addition, the holding portion 63 includes an outer wall portion 83, a vertical wall portion 85, a horizontal wall portion 87, and a pair of left and right tubular portions 89. The outer wall portion 83 extends downward from the outer edge portion of the upper plate portion 81. The vertical wall portion 85 extends downward from the inner edge portion of the upper plate portion 81. The horizontal wall portion 87 is connected to the vertical wall portion 85 and extends toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat body.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body 11. As in the cross-sectional view illustrated in FIG. 5, the vertical wall portion 85 extends, at least in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body 11, from the upper plate portion 81 to a lower position that is a position lower than a height at which the space between the pair of upper columns 44 is the smallest. The “height at which the space between the pair of upper columns 44 is the smallest” mentioned herein is the height of the central axes of the pair of upper columns 44 (the height indicated by a line A passing through the central axes of the pair of upper columns 44 in FIG. 5) in the present embodiment. That is, the “lower position” is a position lower than the height of the central axes of the upper columns 44. “a vertical wall portion” refers to wall portions that are essentially arranged vertically, including those with slight angular deviations or curvature.

The horizontal wall portion 87 is connected to a portion at the above-described lower position in the vertical wall portion 85. The horizontal wall portion 87 constitutes a support surface that supports the cushion 61 from below. In the present embodiment, substantially the entire region of the horizontal wall portion 87 serves 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 63, a groove having a depth upward is formed by the upper plate portion 81, the outer wall portion 83, and the vertical wall portion 85. The pair of upper columns 44 and the rear connecting portion 33 are fitted into the groove from below. When the chair 1 is viewed from the left and right side surfaces, the outer wall portion 83 covers most of the upper columns 44.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 5, the holding portion 63 forms a recessed housing portion 91 located between the pair of upper columns 44 by the vertical wall portion 85 and the horizontal wall portion 87. In the housing portion 91, the horizontal wall portion 87 is provided as the bottom surface, and the vertical wall portion 85 is provided on the left, right, and rear, but the vertical wall portion 85 is not provided on the front.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the cushion 61 is entirely housed in the housing portion 91 when viewed from above. The cushion 61 is disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion 63.

The holding portion 63 is fixed to the support body 15 with the pair of rear columns 42 respectively inserted into the pair of tubular portions 89, with the holding portion 63 placed on the rear connecting portion 33 and the upper columns 44, and with the holding portion 63 screwed to the mounting plates 47. A specific method for fixing the cushion 61 to the holding portion 63 is not particularly limited. The cushion 61 may be fixed to the holding portion 63, for example, by screwing, hook-and-loop fasteners, or adhesion.

1-4. Other Features

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the backrest 13 is a plate-shaped member extending vertically. The backrest 13 has 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 columns 42 are inserted into the insertion holes, whereby the backrest 13 is fixed to the support body 15.

The chair 1 is configured such that the chairs 1 having the same shape can be stacked in the up-down direction. At this time, the leg end 45L and the leg end 45R of the chair 1 disposed on the upper side hit the upper surfaces of the lower columns 43 of the chair 1 disposed on the lower side.

1-5. Effects

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

(1a) In the chair 1, the seat body 11 includes a cushion 61 and a holding portion 63 that holds the cushion 61. The holding portion 63 includes: a vertical wall portion 85 extending, at least in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body 11, from a portion covering the upper surface of each of the pair of upper columns 44 to a lower position lower than a height at which the space between the pair of upper columns 44 is the smallest; and a horizontal wall portion 87 that is connected to the lower position of the vertical wall portions 85 and extends toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat body 11 to constitute a support surface that supports the cushion 61 from below.

In such a chair 1, the support surface that supports the cushion 61 is located at a position sufficiently lower than the upper end of the upper column 44, so that it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the cushion 61 from being positioned too high. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the seat body 11 from being positioned high while sufficiently achieving improvement in sitting comfort by the cushion 61. As a result, it is possible, for example, to prevent the seating surface of the chair 1 from being positioned too high and prevent, when the chairs 1 are stacked, the seat bodies 11 of the upper and lower chairs 1 from coming into contact with each other.

(1b) In the chair 1, the upper column 44 is 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 44. Therefore, in the chair 1, the depth of the space where the cushion 61 is to be disposed can be sufficiently increased. In addition, the cushion 61 deeply fits into the holding portion 63, so that position shift of the cushion 61 can be suppressed.

(1c) In the chair 1, the cushion 61 includes a main body portion 71 having flexibility and a covering portion 73 that covers the main body portion 71. The holding portion 63 forms a recessed housing portion 91 located between the pair of upper columns 44 by the vertical wall portion 85 and the horizontal wall portion 87. The cushion 61 is entirely housed in the housing portion 91 when viewed from above.

Therefore, at least the left and right end portions of the cushion 61 are disposed at positions not reaching the outer edge of the seat body 11. Therefore, the left and right end portions of the cushion 61 are protected by the holding portion 63 and less likely to come into contact with an object other than the chair 1, thereby reducing occurrence of damage to the cushion 61.

(1d) In the chair 1, the cushion 61 is disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion 63. Therefore, the legs of a user of the chair 1 easily hit the cushion 61 in the front end portion of the seat body 11, thereby further enhancing the sitting comfort of the chair 1. In the chair 1 of the present embodiment, the upper plate portion 81 and the vertical wall portion 85 are not provided in front of the holding portion 63 and the housing portion 91 is formed up to the front end portion of the holding portion 63, so that even in a state in which the cushion 61 is housed in the housing portion 91, the cushion 61 can cover the front end portion of the holding portion 63.

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.

2. Other Embodiments

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 chair 1 is 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 column 44 has 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 cushion 61 is disposed to be housed in the housing portion 91 when 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 portion 91 does not include the vertical wall portion 85 on the front side and the cushion 61 is disposed to cover the upper side of the front end portion of the holding portion 63. However, as in a chair 101 illustrated in FIG. 6, a holding portion 163 may have a configuration in which the front, rear, left, and right of a cushion 161 are surrounded by an upper plate portion 181 (and the vertical wall portion) and the cushion 161 is not disposed in the front end portion of the holding portion 163. With such a configuration, a person or an object is less likely to come into contact with the front end portion of the cushion 161, so that it is possible to suppress damage to the front end of the cushion 161.

(2c) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been taken as an example, in which the horizontal wall portion 87 serves as the support surface to support the cushion 61. Here, a seat body may be configured as illustrated in FIG. 7A. In the seat body, an opening 289 is formed in a horizontal wall portion 287. A cushion 261 includes a main body portion 271, a covering portion 273, and a bottom plate 275. The bottom plate 275 is covered with the covering portion 273 together with the main body portion 271. The bottom plate 275 is supported by the horizontal wall portion 287 except for a portion where the opening 289 is formed. The bottom plate 275 has higher rigidity than the main body portion 271, and has flexibility. Therefore, the shape of the cushion 261 is 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 cushion 261 can be deformed downward with the impact of the support surface reduced by the opening 289, so that the cushion 261 can be deformed more greatly. In addition, a part of a cushion 261a may be configured to fit into the opening 289, as the cushion 261a illustrated in FIG. 7B. In addition, a bottom plate 275a may have a shape in which a part thereof protrudes downward to fit into the opening 289. With such a configuration, the cushion 261a is less likely to shift with respect to the horizontal wall portion 287.

(2d) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been taken as an example, in which in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body 11, the horizontal wall portion 87 is connected to a portion at the lower position of the vertical wall portion 85 and expands toward the center, in the left-right direction, of the seat body 11 to constitute a support surface that supports the cushion 61 from below. Here, the above-described configuration does not need to be provided at a position other than the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body. By having the above-described configuration at least in the central portion, in the front-rear direction, of the seat body, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the seat body from being positioned too high.

(2e) A plurality of functions of one component in the above embodiment may be implemented by a plurality of components, or one function of one component may be implemented by a plurality of components. In addition, a plurality of functions of a plurality of components may be implemented by one component, or one function to be implemented by a plurality of components may be implemented by one component. A part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. At least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with another configuration of the above embodiment.