CHAIR FOR A USER'S SITTING

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION

The present invention regards a chair for a user's sitting.

The present chair is intended to be employed in order to allow a user to sit in offices, studies and the like (in particular during working hours), for example, as well as in private homes, e.g. in the respective studies, kitchens or living rooms.

The present chair is a chair of coverable type, i.e. provided with a support frame on which a covering is intended to be fixed, e.g. a fabric, a mesh etc., such to allow supporting the user in seated position in a more uniform and distributed manner.

The chair, object of the present invention, is therefore inserted in the field of furnishing both work and home environments, and more generally in the field of production of furniture, in particular in the production of office chairs.

State of the Art

The chairs, in particular office chairs, of known type comprise a support frame, which usually comprises a base, a seat and a back, which can be fixed or adjustable according to the type of chair, in order to allow a user to adjust his/her tilt during use.

Such chairs have a covering element, also known as covering in the technical jargon, which is placed to enclose the seat and the back, in order to enclose the support frame and/or a possible support cushion fixed thereto, if present.

Such covering elements allow rendering the chair more comfortable and more aesthetically pleasing, conferring to the latter a more refined and particular appearance, since it allows personalizing the chair.

In addition, such covering elements allow making the user's sitting more comfortably, by supporting the user in a more uniform and homogeneous manner.

Such chairs of known type provide that the covering be wound around the element to be covered (back and/or seat), covering the visible face of the latter, before then fixing a perimeter edge of the covering on the opposite face (rear or below) of the element to be covered, for example by means of stitching, staples, etc.

Finally, such chairs usually provide for mounting a covering element, which is connected to the element to be covered, at the aforesaid face opposite that covered, in order to hide the perimeter edge of the covering element and the aforesaid fixing elements.

However, the chairs of known type described above have proven in practice that they are not free of drawbacks.

A first drawback lies in the fact that such chairs do not allow easily changing or substituting the covering of the chair.

Indeed, such chairs of known type provide for the non-removable fixing of the covering to the support frame; for the substitution thereof it is necessary to remove the applied fixing elements, before then re-applying them after substituting the covering.

A further drawback lies in the fact that such chairs have proven to be inconvenient and hard to produce and assemble, being necessary to provide for various steps for the correct and safe fixing of the covering to the support frame of the chair.

A further drawback lies in the fact that the systems for fixing the covering employed in the chairs of known type have proven that they are not very safe and are susceptible of yielding after a specific time period, determining the need to disassemble the chair in order to proceed with newly fixing the covering of the chair to the frame.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

In this situation, the problem underlying the present invention is therefore that of overcoming the drawbacks set forth above by providing a chair for a user's sitting that allows easily changing or substituting the covering of the chair.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair for a user's sitting which allows ensuring a high seal of the covering of the chair, even over time.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair for a user's sitting which is convenient and easy to produce and assembly, even for non-specialized operators or users.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair for a user's sitting which is aesthetically pleasing and appreciable.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair for a user's sitting which is simple and inexpensive to make.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The technical characteristics of the invention, according to the aforesaid objects, and the advantages thereof, will be more evident from the following detailed description, made with reference to the enclosed drawings, which represent a merely exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a perspective view of a chair for a user's sitting, object of the present invention, respectively from the front and from behind;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a detail of the chair of FIG. 1, relative to a back in a disassembled configuration;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial front view of a detail of the back of FIG. 3, relative to a first half-shell;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the detail of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a first sectional view of the back of FIG. 3, with the back mounted;

FIG. 7 illustrates a second sectional view of the back of FIG. 3, with the back mounted, carried out according to a separate section line;

FIG. 8 illustrates a third sectional view of the back of FIG. 3, with the back mounted, carried out according to a separate section line;

FIG. 9 illustrates a detail of the detail of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the enclosed drawings, reference number 1 overall indicates the chair for a user's sitting, object of the present invention.

Advantageously, the present chair 1 is adapted to being placed as a furnishing element in both public and private environments, at work or in the home.

More in detail, the chair 1, object of the present invention, is intended to be used for a user's sitting, for example for the sitting of a worker in an office, or for a user's sitting in a private and/or home setting.

In accordance with the invention, the chair for a user's sitting 1 comprises a support structure 2, intended to be abutted against the ground and provided with a seat 21, in order to support a user in seated position.

In particular the support structure 2 comprises a base 20, which is intended to be abutted against the ground, and which advantageously comprises multiple abutment legs 200 which are preferably provided with wheels in order to allow the movement of the chair 1 on the floor during its use.

Of course, it is also possible to provide for a base 20 of base type, without abutment legs, or even provide for a base 20 in which the legs lack wheels so as to allow greater stability of the chair 1 in position during its use.

Preferably, the base 20 of the chair 1 is made of strong material and in particular of metal material, such as for example steel or aluminum, or alternatively made of a plastic material. The chair 1 also comprises a back 3, which is mounted on the support structure 2, and is extended along a main extension direction Y, substantially vertical.

Advantageously, the back 3 can alternatively be a back 3 of fixed type or of reclinable type, i.e. hinged to the support structure 2 around a hinging axis such that it can be reclined between a rest position and a reclined position.

The back 3 of the chair 1 is provided with a first half-shell 31, preferably made of a plastic material, which is provided with a peripheral edge 310, and has a first face 311, which defines at least one abutment surface for the back of the user, and an opposite second face 312.

In particular, the first half-shell 31 is extended with a closed profile, which is advantageously laterally delimited by the aforesaid peripheral edge 310, and preferably has a substantially oval or ellipsoid shape, as is for example visible in FIG. 3.

In particular, the back 3 advantageously has a central through opening 30, and advantageously comprises an upper edge, a lower edge, and two lateral edges, which enclose between them the aforesaid central opening 30.

Advantageously, the back 3 also comprises multiple support bands 33, preferably flexible, which are extended between the two opposite lateral edges, in order to define a support for a portion of the back of the user that is situated at the aforesaid central opening 30.

The back 3 also comprises a second half-shell 32, it too preferably made of plastic material, which is mechanically mounted on the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, and defines, with the first half-shell 31 a housing volume V.

Advantageously, the second half-shell 32 has a form substantially corresponding to the first half-shell 31, in particular being provided with a central opening 30′ thereof, substantially aligned with and coinciding with the central opening 30 of the first half-shell 31, and respective upper, lower and lateral edges, which are intended to be connected to the respective edges of the first half-shell 31 when the latter are connected to each other. Preferably, the back 3 is mounted on the support structure 2 by means of the second half-shell 32, which is for such purposes advantageously provided with a lower connection portion 321, substantially C-shaped, which is connected to the support structure 2, preferably hinged to the latter.

The chair 1 also comprises a covering element 4, which comprises an upholstery 40, for example a fabric or mesh, which is mounted on the first half-shell 31, and placed to enclose at least the first face 311 of the latter. In particular, the upholstery 40 covers the first face 311 of the first half-shell 31, covering the central opening 30 and enclosing the upper edge, the lower edge and the two lateral edges of the latter, thus projecting towards the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31.

The upholstery 40 is provided with a perimeter edge 400, which is placed in abutment against the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31.

More clearly, the upholstery 40 encloses the first half-shell 31 in a manner such that the perimeter edge 400 is then interposed between the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31 and the second half-shell 32, so as to be constrained between these two when they are connected together, as is better described hereinbelow.

The covering element 4 also comprises a retention band 42, preferably made of polymer material (e.g. polypropylene, rubber etc.) which is fixed along the perimeter edge 400 of the upholstery 40.

Advantageously, the retention band 42 is stitched at the perimeter edge 400 of the upholstery 40. In particular, the perimeter edge 400 of the upholstery 40 is preferably wound around the aforesaid retention band 42, substantially defining a C profile, on which it is subsequently fixed, preferably stitched.

Advantageously, the retention band 42 has a thickness comprised between 2 and 4 mm, while preferably the upholstery 40 has a thickness comprised between 0.5 and 1.5 mm.

Therefore, the covering element 4 has a thickness, at the perimeter edge 400 of the upholstery 40, which is preferably comprised between 2.5 mm and 5.5 mm, and still more preferably close to 4 mm.

Of course, the type of fabric, mesh etc. of the upholstery 40 is non-limiting for the protective scope of the present invention, being able to indiscriminately employ different types of fabrics, synthetic or otherwise, for covering the back 3 of the chair 1.

In accordance with the idea underlying the present invention, the first half-shell 31 has, on its second face 312, a plurality of first retention elements 5, and a plurality of second retention elements 6, which are interposed between the first retention elements 5 and the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

In particular, the first retention elements 5 are placed more internally, towards the central opening 30, while the second retention elements 6 are placed more internally, towards the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, the first and the second retention elements 5, 6 are extended projectingly from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, moving away from the first face 311, along a direction X which is preferably substantially orthogonal to the main extension direction Y of the back 3.

The second retention elements 6 delimit, with the first retention elements 5, a housing channel 7, in which the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 is inserted, in order to constrain at least temporarily the covering element 4 to the first half-shell of the back 3, in particular before the connection between the first half-shell 31 and the second half-shell 32 or during the latter.

Preferably, the retention band 42 is entirely housed in the housing channel 7 during use.

More in detail, the housing channel 7 is delimited on the lower part by the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, and laterally by the aforesaid first and second retention elements 5, 6.

In particular, the housing channel 7 is extended along a direction parallel to the direction along which the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31 is extended, and preferably is extended along the entire peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, the aforesaid direction, along which the housing channel 7 is extended, is orthogonal to the direction X along which the first and the second retention elements 5, 6 are extended.

Advantageously, the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 is housed substantially to size in the aforesaid housing channel 7, between the first retention elements 5 and the second retention elements 6.

Advantageously, the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31 defines an abutment wall 313, which preferably delimits, on the lower part, the aforesaid housing channel 7, and the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 is placed in abutment against the abutment wall 313, housed between the first retention elements 5 and the second retention elements 6.

More clearly, it is intended that the retention band 42 abuts against the abutment wall 313 directly (without anything interposed) or with the fabric of the upholstery 40 interposed which, as stated above, can be wound on and stitched to the retention band 42.

In particular, the retention band 42 advantageously has a parallelepiped form, preferably with rectangular base. More in detail, the retention band 42 is provided with an abutment face 420, which is placed in abutment against the abutment wall 313 of the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, and with an opposite face which is connected to the abutment face by two lateral walls opposite each other, which are extended preferably parallel to the direction X and define the thickness of the retention band 42.

In practice, the two lateral walls of the retention band 42 are spaced from each other along an extension direction which is orthogonal to the direction X, defining the width of the retention band 42, which is orthogonal to the thickness of the latter. More in detail, the retention band 42 is extended between the two lateral walls between an insertion end, directed towards the first retention elements 5, and a terminal end, directed towards the second retention elements 6, and in particular towards the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

The aforesaid lateral walls of the retention band 42 define the thickness of the latter, which as stated above is preferably comprised between 2 and 4 mm.

Advantageously, the retention band 42 has substantially flattened form on a plane parallel to said abutment face. More in detail, the aforesaid retention band 42 has a main extension direction, placed orthogonal to the direction X, and preferably has a width-wise extension, between its lateral walls, greater than its thickness.

Advantageously, the first retention elements 5 comprise a first wall 51, which rises projectingly from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, preferably parallel to the direction X, and a second wall 52, which is placed transverse, preferably orthogonal to the first wall 51.

In particular, the second wall 52 is extended substantially parallel to the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, the first retention elements 5 have a substantially L form, as is visible in the enclosed figures, with the aforesaid first wall 51 which is extended from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, up to an upper end thereof, and the second wall 52 which is extended starting from the aforesaid upper end of the first wall 51, towards the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31, up to a free end thereof.

Advantageously, each first retention element 5 delimits, with its first and second wall 51, 52, a housing cavity 53, within which the retention band 42 is placed. In particular, the retention band 42 is placed with its insertion end in the aforesaid housing cavity 53.

In particular, each first retention element 5 comprises an insertion opening, which is defined on one side by the abutment wall 313, and on the other side by the second wall 52, and is directed towards the interior of the aforesaid housing cavity 53.

Advantageously, each second retention element 6 is provided with an internal face 60, directed towards the first wall 51 of a corresponding first retention element 5.

In particular, each second retention element 6 comprises a stop wall 61, which is extended projectingly from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, preferably parallel to the direction X, and which defines the aforesaid internal face 60.

Advantageously, the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 is interposed, preferably in abutment, between the first wall 51 of the aforesaid first retention elements 5 and the internal face 60 of the second retention elements 6.

In addition, advantageously the retention band 4S2 of the covering element 4 is interposed, preferably in abutment, between the abutment wall 313 defined by the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31 and the second wall 52 of the aforesaid first retention elements 5.

In this manner, the retention band 42 is constrained at least temporarily within the housing channel 7 both along a direction X, and along a direction orthogonal to the direction X and the main extension direction Y.

Advantageously, the second wall 52 of each first retention element 5 is placed spaced from the abutment wall 313 of the first half-shell 31 by a distance D, preferably comprised between 3.5 and 5.5 mm, and the retention band 42 of the upholstery 40 has a thickness S, measured along the direction X, preferably orthogonal to the abutment wall of the first half-shell 31, which is greater than or equal to the aforesaid distance D, in order to retain the retention band 42 of the upholstery 40 due to friction against the second wall 52 of the first retention elements 5.

In this manner, in operation, the retention band 42 is inserted in the housing channel 7, tilting it and forcing it to be deformed in the direction of its thickness, in order to insert it between the second wall 52 of the first retention elements 5 and the abutment wall 313 of the first half-shell 31, in order then be placed parallel to the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, housing it, preferably in abutment, between the first wall 51 of the aforesaid first retention elements 5 and the internal face 60 of the second retention elements 6.

More in detail, the retention band 42 is inserted along a direction transverse to the direction X, inserting its insertion end within the housing cavity 53, in order to then press the retention band 42, parallel to the direction X, so as to insert it completely within the housing channel 7. Preferably, during the mounting, the user first carries out the insertion of all the insertion ends of the retention band 42 in the housing cavity 53, and then proceeds to press downward the opposite end, so as to complete the housing of the retention band 42 within the housing channel 7.

In particular, during the pressure of the retention band 42, this is placed in abutment, substantially to size, between the first wall 51 of the first retention elements 5 and the internal face 60 of the second retention elements 6, preferably deforming the retention band 42 at the terminal end of the latter.

Advantageously, the first and the second retention elements 5, 6 are rigid in a manner such to not be deformed during the insertion of the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 in the housing channel 7. Advantageously, this is made possible by the geometry of the first and second retention elements 5, 6, by the insertion direction of the retention band 42, and by the deformability of the latter.

Advantageously, the second wall 52 of each first retention element 5 has a projection on the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, which preferably coincides with the aforesaid housing cavity 53. Preferably, each second retention element 6 is placed outside the aforesaid projection, and hence outside the aforesaid housing cavity 53, in order to facilitate the insertion of the retention band 42.

Advantageously, the first retention elements 5 and the second retention elements 6 are placed offset from each other along a direction parallel to the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

More in detail, each second retention element 6 is placed laterally with respect to a corresponding first retention element 5, in addition to also being placed closer to the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31, as set forth above and is visible in FIG. 9.

In other words, the first and the second retention elements 5, 6 are never placed frontally with respect to each other, along a direction orthogonal to the peripheral edge 310.

Advantageously, the first retention elements 5 and the second retention elements 6 are placed substantially zig-zag along the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, each first retention element 5 is placed spaced from an adjacent other first retention element 5, in particular by a clearance G, and at least one second retention element 6 is interposed between the two aforesaid first retention elements 5 (along a direction parallel to the peripheral edge 310), and frontally with respect to the aforesaid clearance G (along a direction orthogonal to the peripheral edge 310).

In particular, in such clearance G, two second retention elements 6 are placed, preferably equidistant with respect to each other.

In other words and more clearly, the chair 1 has a regular sequence of a first retention element 5 and of two retention elements 6, preferably along the entire extension of the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, the second half-shell 32 is provided with a perimeter lip 320, which is placed close to the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31 when the second half-shell 32 is mounted on the first half-shell 31.

Advantageously, the perimeter lip 320 delimits, with the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31, a passage opening A that has size such to prevent the exit of the retention band 42 of the covering element 4 from the housing volume V, once the second half-shell 32 is mounted on the first half-shell 31.

More in detail, when the two half-shells 31, 32 are mounted on each other, the perimeter lip 320 of the second half-shell 32 is placed spaced from the peripheral edge 310 of the first half-shell 31 by a distance that is smaller than the thickness of the retention band 42, or the thickness of the covering element 4 at the perimeter edge 400 of the upholstery 40, which as stated above has a thickness that is given by the sum of the thickness of the retention band 42 and of the upholstery 40, and is for example close to 4 mm.

In this manner, even if during use the retention band 42 should be uncoupled from the first and second retention elements 5, 6, it would remain in the seat within the housing volume V since it cannot exit from the aforesaid passage opening A defined between the first and the second half-shell 31, 32.

Advantageously, when the two half-shells 31, 32 are mounted on each other, the perimeter lip 320 of the second half-shell 32 is placed in contact against the covering element 4, preferably against the upholstery 40 and in proximity to the retention band 42.

Advantageously, the chair 1 comprises coupling elements, placed to connect between the first half-shell 31 and the second half-shell 32 and comprising a plurality of first hooks 8, fixed on the second surface 311 of the first half-shell 31, and a plurality of second hooks 9, fixed to the second half-shell 32 and engageable, preferably snappingly, with corresponding first hooks 8.

In particular, the first and the second hooks 8, 9 define a snapping engagement between them, which allows mounting the second half-shell 32 by simply pressing it against the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, or vice versa by facilitating the mounting of the back 3 of the chair 1.

Advantageously, the first hooks 8 which are extended projectingly from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, preferably towards the interior of the housing volume V, and in particular are extended parallel to the direction X along which are extended the first and the second retention elements 5, 6.

Advantageously, the second hooks 9 are extended projectingly from the face of the second half-shell 32 which is intended to be directed towards the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31 when these are mounted, and preferably are extended towards the interior of the housing volume V. Advantageously, the second hooks 9 are extended along a direction orthogonal to the direction (parallel to X) along which are extended the first hooks 8, as is visible in FIG. 7.

Advantageously, the chair 1 comprises alignment elements 10, which are extended preferably projectingly from the second face 312 of the first half-shell 31, preferably parallel to X, in particular towards the interior of the housing volume V. Advantageously, the second half-shell 32 has corresponding housing cavities, not represented in the enclosed figures, which are intended to house the aforesaid alignment elements 10 in order to allow the correct alignment of the first half-shell 31 and of the second half-shell 32 during the mounting thereof.

The invention thus described therefore attains the pre-established objects.

The contents of the Italian application number 102024000023856, from which this application

claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.