Patent ID: 6116688
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: A47C

Abstract:
In an office-type chair having a base, a pedestal assembly projecting upwardly from said base, and a seat-back arrangement connected to an upper end of said pedestal assembly, said seat-back arrangement including a generally horizontally enlarged seat assembly and a back assembly projecting upwardly from and adjacent a rear edge of said seat assembly, said seat assembly including a control housing therein which is generally stationarily and fixedly positioned relative to at least a front portion of the seat assembly, and a tilt mechanism associated with the seat-back arrangement for permitting at least the back assembly to be vertically tilted rearwardly away from a normal upright position into a rearwardly tilted position, said tilt mechanism including an upright member which is at least partially positioned within said back assembly and is vertically pivotal or tiltable relative to the control housing, and a manually-actuatable lock mechanism cooperating between the upright and the control housing to selectively lock the back assembly in at least said upright position, the improvement comprising:said lock mechanism including a lock plate pivotally mounted on said upright for movement between locking and unlocked positions, said lock plate being positioned adjacent said control housing for cooperating therewith when the lock plate is in said locking position;first cooperating locking parts formed on said lock plate and said control housing and being engaged when the lock plate is in the locking position and the upright is in said normal upright position for preventing rearward tilting of the upright;second cooperating locking parts formed on the lock plate and the control housing and being engaged when the lock plate is in the locking position and the upright is in a predetermined tilted position to prevent tilting movement of the upright away from the predetermined tilted position; anda manually engageable and movable actuator rod movably supported adjacent and engaged with said lock plate for controlling movement thereof between said locking and unlocking positions.