Patent ID: 6974188
Filing Date: 2005-12-13
Classification: A47C

Abstract:
1. A chair comprising a frame including a left chair-back support and a right chair-back support arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the left chair-back support, a pivotable back unit including a chair back arranged to lie between the left and right chair-back supports, a left axle coupled to a left side of the chair back, and a right axle coupled to a right side of the chair back, the left axle being coupled to the left chair-back support and the right axle being coupled to the right chair-back support to support the chair back for pivotable movement relative to the frame about a horizontal pivot axis from a home position in a counterclockwise direction to assume a rearward-leaning pivot position and in a clockwise direction to assume a forward-leaning pivot position, and a chair-back return device including a left return spring mounted on the left chair-back support and formed to include first and second spring arms arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define a tab-receiving space therebetween, the chair-back return device further including a tab mounted in fixed relation to the chair back and arranged to extend into the tab-receiving space formed between the first and second spring arms and arranged to move the first spring arm relative to the frame to load the left return spring in response to movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under an external first pivoting force applied to the chair back from the home position toward the rearward-leaning position to provide first spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the first pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back and to move the second spring arm relative to the frame to load the left return spring in response to movement of the chair back about the horizontal pivot axis under an external second pivoting force applied to the chair back from the home position toward the forward-leaning position to provide second spring arm return means for returning the chair back to the home position once the second pivoting force is no longer applied to the chair back.