Patent ID: 6682145
Filing Date: 2004-01-27
Classification: A47C

Abstract:
An office chair having an inflatable bladder arrangement, comprising:a chair base; an inflatable chair pad supported on said base which is disposed on one of a seat assembly and a back assembly and; said inflatable bladder arrangement including a bladder which is positioned in said chair pad, and a pump unit connected to said bladder, said pump unit having a bellows pump which pumps fluid into said bladder to inflate said bladder and having a release valve which releases said fluid to deflate said bladder, said inflatable bladder arrangement further including a manually movable actuator member which is supported on said chair and is connected to said pump and said release valve, said actuator member being movable in a first direction from a neutral position to actuate said pump and inflate said bladder and being movable in a second direction to actuate said release valve and deflate said bladder, said actuator member being accessible from an exterior of said chair for manual movement thereof in said first and second directions, said bellows pump comprising an outer bellows material defining a hollow interior and a filler material in said hollow interior which is air-permeable and resilient to maintain and restore said bellows material to an uncompressed shape and return said actuator member to said neutral position.