Patent ID: 8677562
Filing Date: 2014-03-25
Classification: A47B,E05F,E05Y,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An assembly controlling relative movement between a first member and a second member in a piece of furniture, said assembly comprising: a rotary shear damper and a drive mechanism; said rotary shear damper includes a casing connected with said first member, a rotor connected with said drive mechanism, and a working chamber containing a viscous damping medium, said working chamber being at least partially disposed between an interior surface of said casing and an exterior surface of said rotor, the surfaces of said working chamber being exposed to the viscous damping medium; said drive mechanism includes an elongated drive element which is connected with said second member, said elongated drive element extends through said casing and said rotor of said rotary shear damper, said elongated drive element having a series of helical twists, and a clutch collar which engages said helical twists and transmits force from said elongated drive element to said rotor to rotate said rotor relative to said casing and to shear the viscous damping medium in said working chamber to provide a resistive force which resists relative movement between said first and second members, said clutch collar being movable relative to said rotor and said drive element; said rotor having a first annular array of teeth which extend around said elongated drive element, said clutch collar having a second annular array of teeth which extends around said drive element, said clutch collar being movable between an engaged condition in which said second annular array of teeth is engaged with said first annular array of teeth, the engaged condition transmits force from said elongated drive element through said clutch collar to said rotor, and a disengaged condition in which said second annular array of teeth is spaced from said first annular array of teeth, the disengaged condition is ineffective to transmit force, said clutch collar being movable between the engaged condition and the disengaged condition under the influence of said drive element.