# Patent

## Title
Two-step connecting element

## Abstract

A device positioned within in a chair, especially a chair with an adjustable back of the chair and head rest, is disclosed. The device is configured such that between a section of the head rest and an attachment section on the chair construction is arranged a connecting element with, for example, a rod, which by movement of the adjustable back of the chair is arranged to affect the angle of the head rest in relation to the back of the chair. Further, the head rest, through use of a blocking device and a coupling organ which come into effect in the reclined position of the back of the chair, may be so adjusted either in a manual or automatic way.

## Background
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a U.S. National Phase of International Patent Application Ser. No. PCT/NO02/00248, filed Jul. 5, 2002 which claims the priority of Norwegian Patent Application Ser. No. 20013342, filed Jul. 5, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a length-adjustable connecting element for a chair, with adjustable back of the chair and head rest, arranged between the head rest and the chair construction, which by movement of the adjustable back of the chair is arranged to affect the angle of the head rest in relation to the back of the chair, as the angle of the head rest may be altered by changing the effective length of the connecting element in the reclined position of the back of the chair.
PRIOR ART
From WO 92/06621, which is incorporated herein as reference, a device for a chair with adjustable back of the chair and head rest is known, wherein the head rest may be adjusted in relation to the relative reclining positions of the back of the chair, using a telescopic length adjustable connecting element that stretches between the head rest and a suitable location on the chair. This device has relative complicated and expensive regulating organs and locking organs which must be operated through the upholstery of the chair, and they are difficult to make functioning in a satisfactory way.
PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION
The basis of the present invention lies in the object of presenting a connecting element that comprises simple parts, that is robust and dependable and that is silent in use.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a connecting element with manual or automatic adjustment that may be adapted to any chair with a head rest, including such chairs having arched guides, and also such chairs with adjustable lower back support.
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The aforementioned objects are achieved by a device of the introductory given kind, which according to the invention is characterized by the features evident from the enclosed patent claim 1.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in association with the enclosed drawings, and the additional enclosed patent claims.



SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a phantom drawing of a chair according to the invention seen from the side, wherein the back of the chair is in a reclined position, simultaneously as the head rest is shown in a reclined position in dotted line.
FIGS. 2-5 depicts different positions of the head rest in relation to the back of the chair, in one embodiment of the connecting element according to the present invention, in a length profile.
FIGS. 6 and 7 depicts the connecting element in FIGS. 2-5 in a locked and an uncoupled position, respectively, in larger detail.



DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
On FIG. 1 the framework of a chair 1 of the type disclosed in WO 92/06621 is mainly shown, which chair 1 comprises an adjustable back of the chair 2 with an adjustable head rest 3.
It should be understood that the chair specified in FIG. 1 has a special adjustment of the head rest 3. The head rest is active in that it maintains an upright position when the back of the chair is reclined. In the reclined position of the back of the chair this function of the head rest may be disconnected by pulling the head rest somewhat forward. The head rest may then be reclined.
In FIG. 1 the back of the chair 2 is supported about an axis of rotation 9 making it possible for the back of the chair 2 to take different angular positions, as the back of the chair in the lower part at the same time has a connection joint 10 to the chair seat 5, which is accomplish by a known movement mechanism 8.
In FIG. 1 a connecting element 18 with a rod 17 is also shown, which is attached at the top to a joint 19 on the head rest, and which in the lower part is attached to a joint 7 on a permanent part of the framework of the chair, in a distance from the axis of rotation 9. The connecting element 18 with the rod 17 may take mainly two different length positions and has its shortest length amongst others when the back of the chair 2 is in an upright position, wherein the head rest 3 is almost an extension of the back of the chair 2, and forms its largest angle (almost 180°) with the back of the chair. When the back of the chair 2 is reclined to the position shown in FIG. 1, the relative movement of the back of the chair 2, and the connecting element 18 with the rod 17, will imply that the head rest 3 is pulled forward to a steeper angle in relation to the back of the chair 2. With the help of a mechanism, the connecting element may then be lengthened, so that the head rest may be reclined to the dotted position 3′.
In FIGS. 2-5 one embodiment for a connecting element according to the present invention is shown.
In this embodiment the connecting element 18 comprises groove 21, blocking device 22 and coupling organ 24 which cooperate with each other so that the head rest 3 may be affected in the above mentioned ways by changing the length of the connecting element. The length of the connecting element 18 is further restricted in this embodiment by the stopping device 25 and track 26.
In FIGS. 6 and 7 it is shown in greater detail that the connecting element 18 comprises a guide 20 in the form of a circular cylinder, a blocking device 22 in the form of a sphere, a slider 23 and a stopping device 25. The coupling organ 24 is in the form of a first track in slider 23, wherein the coupling organ 24 has a more shallow part A and a deeper part B, which cooperate with the blocking device 22 and a groove 21 in guide 20.
Likewise, it may from FIGS. 6 and 7 be seen that the connecting element may comprise a track 26 in slider 23 with end restrictions C and D which cooperate with a stopping device 25 placed in a hole in guide 20. The stopping device 25 is held in place in guide 20 by a spring ring 27 surrounding the guide 20.
The main parts of the connecting element, such as the guide 20, the slider 23, and the rod 17 may be produced in a mouldable material such as a plastic material.
In an upright position of the back of the chair 2, the blocking device 22 will fall down between the shallow position A in the coupling organ 24 in the slider 23 and the groove 21 in the guide 20, due to gravity as is evident from FIG. 2. When the back of the chair 2 is reclined as shown in FIG. 3, the head rest function is locked. In the reclined position of the back of the chair 2 as shown in 4, a small (manual) pull forwards of the head rest 3 will release the blocking device 22 out of clamp between the shallow position A in the coupling organ 24 and the groove 21, down into the deeper position B of the coupling organ 24 due to gravity, and thereby uncouple the head rest as shown in FIG. 5. This implies that the slider 23 will move in the guide 20, and not fall down between position A in the coupling organ and the groove 21 until in a new upright position of the back of the chair 2. When the back of the chair 2 is reclined down again, the blocking device 22 will lock the slider 23 to the guide 20 and the head rest function is regained in cooperation with the connecting element 18.
The movement of the head rest 3 is further restricted in this embodiment by the movement of the slider 23 in guide 20 being restricted by the guiders stopping device 25, which run in the gliders track 26 between the end restrictions C and D. This restricts the movement of the head rest forward, in upright position, as the slider 23 may not be moved further into the guide 20 than when the stopping device 25 stands against the end restriction C in track 26, see FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. In the reclined position of head rest 3, the movement both forward and backwards is restricted, where the latter is of most current interest in that the slider 23 moves in the direction out of the guide 20 until the stopping device 25 stands against end restriction D in then track 26, see FIGS. 5 and 7.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-5 the chair is further equipped with a driver 30 attached to the back of the chair in its one end and to the joint 19 on the head rest in its other end by a track 31, as shown in FIG. 4. The driver 30 secures the head rest 3 against backward distortion in the reclined position, and brings the head rest 3 with it when the back of the chair 2 is raised up such that the slider 23 moves all the way down into the guide 20 in the upright position, making the blocking device 22 fall down between the groove 21 and position A in the coupling organ 24 again.
In other embodiments the stopping device with track as described over may be arranged on other places in the connecting element than shown in the figures, or on other movable parts between the back of the chair 2 and the head rest 3, such as for example on the arched guides of the head rest or as separate stopping devices similar to the driver 30, or the function may be attended by the upholstery.
The driver 30 may likewise be arranged on other places between the back of the chair 2 and the head rest 3, or its function may be attended by the upholstery for example, or devices in the arched guides of the head rest. Further, the driver 30 may be constructed in other ways such as a wire or a similar flexible organ with a certain length.
The connecting element may in its upper end be formed as a rod 17, which is fastened in the joint 19 on the head rest. The rod part may have a shape which gives a suitable elastic flexibility. Alternatively the rod may be somewhat arched or contain at least one slight angle. Further, the rod 17 may be attached to the slider 23 in a way that allows rotation and/or variation of the angle between them.
A person skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment over is only one example, and that the invention is restricted only by the claims enclosed. The guide 20 with slider may have another cross section than circular, such as for example oval or square. Likewise the blocking device 22 may be a roll or another element influenced by gravity. The coupling organ 24 and the groove 21 may have another suitable design adapted to the blocking device 22, such as a simple v-formed track which secures the above mentioned function of the groove 21, blocking device 22 and coupling organ 24.
Even if it is preferable both in technical production and in costs to produce most of the parts of the connecting element according to the invention from a mouldable plastic material, it will be understood that other materials such as metal or sintered materials may be used.

## Claims

1. A connecting element in a chair wherein the chair comprises an adjustable back and a head rest, said head rest having a first angle, in relation to the back of the chair, the connecting element being positioned between a section on the head rest and an attachment section on the chair, the connecting element is adjustable to affect said first angle and wherein said first angle may be adjusted into a second angle by altering the length of the connecting element, said connecting element including a guide and a slider which moves within the guide and may be locked in relation to the guide, wherein the guide and slider cooperate with a gravity influenced blocking element device to cause a locked connecting position for the connecting element in a shortened state, wherein the connecting element comprises a stopping device that limits movement of said slider in said guide, and wherein the stopping device comprises a stopper attached to the guide that runs in a track in the slider, which track limits the movement of the slider in the guide to a first end restriction and likewise hinders that the slider is pulled out of the guide by a second end restriction.

2. The connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the connecting element has a cross section having a geometry selected from circular, oval, square or multisided.

3. The connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the connecting element is equipped with a rod, said rod being partly made of a flexible material and being slightly arched.

4. The connecting element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the guide and the slider of the connecting element are made of a moldable material.

5. The connecting element of claim 4, wherein the moldable material is plastic.

6. A connecting element in a chair wherein the chair comprises an adjustable back and a head rest, said head rest having a first angle, in relation to the back of the chair, the connecting element being positioned between a section on the head rest and an attachment section on the chair, the connecting element is adjustable to affect said first angle and wherein said first angle may be adjusted into a second angle by altering the length of the connecting element, said connecting element including a guide and a slider which moves within the guide and may be locked in relation to the guide, wherein the guide and slider cooperate with a gravity influenced blocking element device to cause a locked connecting position for the connecting element in a shortened state, the connecting element being equipped with a rod, said rod being partly made of a flexible material and being slightly arched, wherein the rod is further attached to the slider in a way which forms an angle between them and allows rotation of the angle between them.

7. The connecting element of claim 6, wherein the flexible material contains a slight angle.

8. The connecting element of claim 6, wherein the rod is further attached to the slider in a way which allows variation of the angle between them.

9. A connecting element in a chair wherein the chair comprises an adjustable back and a head rest, said heed rest having a first angle, in relation to the back of the chair, the connecting element being positioned between a section on the head rest and an attachment section on the chair, the connecting element is adjustable to affect said first angle and wherein said first angle may be adjusted into a second angle by altering the length of the connecting element, said connecting element including a guide and a slider which moves within the guide and may be locked in relation to the guide, wherein the guide and slider cooperate with a gravity influenced blocking element device to cause a locked connecting position for the connecting element in a shortened state, the connecting element being equipped with a rod, said rod being partly made of a flexible material and being slightly arched, the flexible material containing a slight angle, wherein the rod is further attached to the slider in a way which forms an angle between them and allows variation of the angle between them.