Object holder for office-type chairs

Abstract: Object holder for office-type chairs (13), which are used advantageously for children and/or youngsters and comprise a seat (15), a seatback (14) and a supporting base (20), at least one small object holder (10) being positioned in cooperation with a specific part (seat, seatback, arm) of the office-type chair (13) and having a retracted position (24a) within that specific part and a usage position (24b) at the side of and outside that specific part.

Description: This invention concerns an object holder for office-type chairs and office type chair as set forth in the main claim. The preamble of the main claim is based on an internal known state of the art. The object holder of this invention is applied, to office-type chairs and in particular to office-type chairs used by children or youngsters. The object holder according to the invention can be fitted to all kinds of office-type chairs used by children and/or youngsters and others and equipped, or not equipped, with arms. US-A-3,180,680 discloses a rack located below a foldable chair and acting as an object holder for the person occupying the chair or for anyone sitting in a chair behind the chair in question. GB-A-696,872 discloses an easy chair with an object-holder drawer positioned below and capable of being pulled open together with one arm of the chair. US-A-3,049,374 discloses a food container which can be positioned in cooperation with the seatback of an aircraft seat. US-A-1,375,573 discloses jutting containers which are fitted in a stationary manner to the arm of an armchair. The above teachings of the state of the art cannot bed applied to office chairs or office-type chairs since they are structurally and functionally unsuitable for the purposes and use of office chairs. This invention is set forth and characterised in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe variants of the idea of the main embodiment. The purpose of this invention is to provide normal office chairs, preferably for children, with a small object holder suitable to support and contain small objects without increasing the lateral bulk of the chair, except momentarily while the device is being used. A person seated on the chair can have ready access to the object holder according to the invention. An office-type chair can be equipped with several object holders, which may also be different from each other. The object holder according to the invention can be used also on chairs positioned in front of a desk and used by visitors, or in conference rooms, or lecture halls. The object holder according to the invention also enables a desk to bed kept free of all the small objects commonly used, which are rested otherwise on the desk and take up space and may sometimes cause confusion. The object holder according to the invention enables small objects to be stored which belong to office work, such as pens, pencils, writing equipment in general, personal objects, etc., in a structure solidly fixed to the chair itself. The object holder according to the invention comprises a container which can be moved from a closed position to an open position and which is fitted firmly to the seat of the chair below and at one side of the seat. According to another variant the object holder according to the invention is equipped with a lid that can be overturned or can slide so as to prevent the objects stored in the object holder from falling when the chair is moved. The attached figures, which are given as a non-restrictive example, show some preferred embodiments of the invention as follows:- Fig.1 shows from below an office-type chair equipped with an object holder according to the invention; Fig.2 is a front view of the chair of Fig.1 In the figures the reference number 10 indicates generally an object holder for office-type chairs used advantageously, but not only, by children and/or youngsters. In this case the object holder 10 according to the invention is fitted to a common office-type chair 13. This office-type chair 13 is of a known kind and consists in particular of a supporting base 20, with or without wheels, to which is fitted a supporting shaft 19 that bears a seat 15 on its upper end. To the seat 15 is fitted in this example a seatback support 22, on which is positioned a seatback 14 by means of a seatback adjustment device 21. The object holder 10 according to the invention consists of a container 11 fitted below and to the side of the seat 15 by a positioner device 12, which enables the container 11 to be positioned at the side of the seat 15 so as to be accessible to a user seated on the office-type chair 13. The container 11 according to the invention has a retracted position 24a contained within the overall dimensions of the seat 15 and a usage position 24b outside the overall dimensions of the seat 15. In the attached figures the retracted position 24a is shown with continuous lines, whereas the usage position 24b is shown with lines of dots and dashes. In Figs.1 and 2 the container 11 can move horizontally and is fitted to the ends of an articulated parallelogram consisting of positioner rods 18, the other ends of which are secured rotatably to a bracket 17 solidly installed on the lower surface of the seat 15. According to a variant the object holders 10 are two in number and are fitted to the two sides of the seat 15.

Claims: Office type chair and object holder (10) for said Office-type chairs (13), which are used advantageously for children and/or youngsters and comprise a supporting base (20), a seat (15) and a seatback (14), a seatback support (22) with a seatback adjustment device (21) being included between the seat (15) and the seatback (14), a supporting shaft (19) being located between the supporting base (20) and the seat (15), the object holder being characterised in that in the lower part of the seat (15) and in the vicinity of the central zone of the same is included a bracket (17) to which are secured movable positioner rods (18), which bear at their end said object holder (11) having a retracted position (24a) below the seat (15) and a usage position (24b) at the side of and outside the seat (15), these two positions lying substantially on one plane. office type chair and object holder as claimed in Claim 1, which is supported by a parallelogram system (17-18). office type chair and object holder as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, which comprises a lid. Office-type chair having more than one object holders accordingly to the preceding claims.

Inventors: GUION SILVANO, TODESCO GIUSEPPE, ZAMO' LUCIO, ZAMO' NICOLA, GUION, SILVANO, TODESCO, GIUSEPPE, ZAMO', LUCIO, ZAMO', NICOLA
Applicants: OFFIX KLASS SPA
Application year: 1992
Main classification: A47C7
IPC codes: A47C7