Patent Publication Number: US-8967714-B2

Title: Stacking and nesting chair

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/698,564, filed on Feb. 2, 2010 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,951, entitled “STACKING AND NESTING CHAIR,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/149,241, filed on Feb. 2, 2009, entitled “STACKING AND NESTING CHAIR,” which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to furniture. More specifically, the present invention relates to a chair configured for stacking and nesting when in a collapsed position. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The changing nature of the workplace has brought forth the need for flexibility in space usage. For example, instead of dedicated rooms for different functions, many companies now use the one large, open space alternatively for such activities as computer training, conferences, small group teaming for facilitating interaction, as classrooms, for panel discussions, and even as dining facilities. To allow this flexibility, new furniture concepts are needed to provide the flexibility being sought. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to a stackable and nestable chair including a seat assembly, a pair of rear legs spaced apart by a first distance, and a pair of front legs spaced apart by a second distance different than the first distance. The front legs and the rear legs mutually connected by a crossbar, and the seat assembly is supported by the crossbar when the seat is in an operable position. A caster is attached to a bottom of each of the front and rear legs, and each caster includes a notch that is configured to couple with a leg of an adjacently stacked chair. 
     In another aspect, the present invention relates to a stackable and nestable chair including a seat assembly having an operable position and a collapsed position, a pair of rear legs spaced apart by a first distance, and a pair of front legs spaced apart by a second distance less than the first distance. The front legs and the rear legs are connected at a common axis by a crossbar, and the seat assembly is supported by the crossbar when the seat assembly is in the operable position. A caster is attached to a bottom of each of the front and rear legs, and each caster includes a notch that is configured to couple with a leg of an adjacently stacked stackable and nestable chair. When the seat assembly is in the collapsed position, the front legs are capable of passing between rear legs of an adjacently nested stackable and nestable chair and positionable such that, when the stackable and nestable chairs are nested, the casters on the front legs of the stackable and nestable chair are forward of the crossbar on the adjacently nested stackable and nestable chair. 
     In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a stackable and nestable chair including a leg assembly having two front legs and two rear legs. The front legs are connected to the rear legs by a crossbar, and the two rear legs are spaced apart by a first distance and the two front legs are spaced apart by a second distance less than the first distance. A seat assembly is pivotally mounted to the crossbar and is supported by the crossbar when the seat assembly is in an operable position. A caster is attached to a bottom of each of the front and rear legs, and each caster includes a notch that is configured to couple with a leg of an adjacently stacked stackable and nestable chair. The stackable and nestable chair is capable of being arranged in stacked and nested assemblies with other similarly configured stackable and nestable chairs. 
     While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front isometric view of an embodiment of a stackable and nestable chair in an operable position. 
         FIG. 2  is a front isometric view of the stackable and nestable chair in a collapsed or folded position. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded front isometric view of the stackable and nestable chair in the collapsed position. 
         FIG. 4A  is an isometric front view of four stackable and nestable chairs in a collapsed position and arranged in a stacked assembly. 
         FIG. 4B  is a top view of the stacked assembly shown in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 4C  is a side view of a portion of the stacked assembly shown in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5A  is an isometric top view of four stackable and nestable chairs in a collapsed position and arranged in a nested assembly. 
         FIG. 5B  is a top view of the nested assembly shown in  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6A  is an isometric front view of four stackable and nestable chairs in a collapsed position and arranged in a stacked and nested assembly. 
         FIG. 6B  is a top view of the stacked and nested assembly shown in  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of another embodiment of a stackable and nestable chair. 
         FIG. 8A  is an isometric front view of two stackable and nestable chairs shown in  FIG. 7  in a collapsed position and arranged in a stacked assembly. 
         FIG. 8B  is an enlarged isometric view of the leg cap of one stackable and nestable chair shown in  FIG. 7  engaging the leg-mounted spacer of another stackable and nestable chair. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the stacked assembly shown in  FIG. 8A . 
     
    
    
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The stackable and nestable chair described herein is capable of interfacing with other similar chairs in both stacked and nested configurations. The chair is stackable in the sense that the chair is capable of being vertically stacked upon other similar chairs when in a collapsed position. The chair is nestable in the sense that the chair is capable of being horizontally nested with other similar chairs when in a collapsed position. Furthermore, a stack of stackable and nestable chairs as described may be nested with other stacks of stackable and nestable chairs. A stack of the stackable and nestable chairs in the collapsed position occupy substantially the same floor space as a single stackable and nestable chair in the collapsed position. Nested stackable and nestable chairs occupy less floor space on average in a nested position than the space the chairs occupy in an operable position. 
       FIG. 1  is a front isometric view of stackable and nestable chair  10  in an operable position. As used herein, the term “operable position” is used in its broadest sense to refer to a position in which seat  12  is oriented to permit a user to sit upon it (for example, in a substantially horizontal orientation).  FIG. 2  is a front isometric view of chair  10  in a collapsed or folded position, wherein seat  12  is disposed in a substantially vertical position such that the front of seat  12  is adjacent back assembly  14 .  FIG. 3  is an exploded front isometric view of chair  10  in the collapsed position. 
     Chair  10  includes a leg assembly constructed of a pair of front legs  16  and a pair of rear legs  20 . Front legs  16  and rear legs  20  are mutually connected by crossbar  24  that extends transversely between the left legs and the right legs of chair  10 . In the embodiment shown, crossbar  24  extends through an aperture in each of front legs  16  and is secured to rear legs  20 . As a result of this configuration, front legs  16  are more closely spaced apart than rear legs  20 . Chair  10  also includes arms  26  that, in some embodiments, are continuous with rear legs  20 . Four wheels or casters  30  are coupled to the bottoms of front legs  16  and rear legs  20 . 
     Seat  12  may be comprised of, for example, a plastic molded seat pan, a formed metal pan, plywood, or compression molded composite. Seat  12  may also include a pad (not shown) on a top surface of the seat pan when in the operable position. Seat  12  may be secured to crossbar  24  with support flanges  34 . In the embodiment shown, support flanges  34  each include first bracket  35  including recess  36  that is configured to receive crossbar  24 . Support flanges  34  also each include second bracket  38  having a recess that is configured to receive crossbar  24 . When assembled, second bracket  38  couples to first bracket  35  to rotatably secure support flange  34  to crossbar  24 . Lateral stops  40  are held between mounting bracket  35  and crossbar bracket  38  and interact with tabs  42  on crossbar  24  to prevent support flanges  34  from moving along crossbar  24 . Support flanges  34  are secured to an underside of seat  12  with screws  44 . Consequently, seat  12  is rotatably secured to crossbar  24  due to the relationship between brackets  35  and  38  and crossbar  24 . The curve in crossbar  24  maintains seat  12  in a substantially horizontal position when chair  10  is in the operable position shown in  FIG. 1 . When seat  12  is rotated to collapse chair  10  as shown in  FIG. 2 , back assembly  14  interacts with the front of seat  12  to prevent seat  12  from rotating beyond the collapsed position. 
     Back assembly  14  includes a curved back support  50  that, in some embodiments, is formed from metal, plastic, molded plastic, or a metal frame with mesh. Support member  52  is configured to connect back support  50  to front leg  16 . Support member  52  includes upper side post  54 , lower side post  56 , and sleeve  58 . Upper side post  54  includes male feature  60  that is insertable through bushing  58  and into a female feature (not shown) in lower side post  56  to assemble support member  52 . Upper pin  62  on each upper side post  54  is insertable into a hole defined on a side of back support  50 , and lower pin  64  on each lower side post  56  is insertable into a hole defined by front leg  16 . Lock washer  66  secures lower side post  56  to the interior of front leg  16 . The structural relationship between upper side post  54  and lower side post  56  allows back support  50  to pivot around an imaginary line that extends axially through bushings  58  of support members  52 . 
     Each of front legs  16  includes elongate tube  70  and end post  72 . In some embodiments, elongate tube  70  and end post  72  are comprised of a metallic material, such as steel. End post  72  includes pin  74  that is insertable into elongate tube  70  at an end of elongate tube  70  opposite lower side post  56 . Lock washer  76  secures end post  72  to the interior of elongate tube  70 . Each elongate tube  70  also includes aperture  78  that crossbar  24  passes through to secure front legs  16  relative to crossbar  24 . In some embodiments, the front legs  16  and/or rear legs  20  are rotatable about crossbar  24 . 
     Each of rear legs  20  includes elongate tube  80  and end post  82 . In some embodiments, elongate tube  70  is comprised of a metallic material, such as steel, and end post  82  is cast from a metal such as Al or Zn or injection molded in plastic. End post  82  includes pin  84  that is insertable into elongate tube  80  at an end of elongate tube  80  opposite arm  26 . Lock washer  86  secures end post  82  to the interior of elongate tube  80 . Crossbar  24  is secured to each elongate tube  80  on a side of elongate tube  70  opposite seat  12 . In some embodiments, crossbar  24  is secured to each elongate tube  80  be inserting crossbar  24  into an aperture formed in the side of each elongate tube  80 . Crossbar  24  may also be welded or rotatably coupled to elongate tubes  80 . As discussed above, in this arrangement front legs  16  are more closely spaced apart than rear legs  20 . Alternatively, front legs  16  may be spaced further apart than rear legs  20 . 
     Arms  26  each include long portion  90  and short portion  92  connected by curved portion  94 . Short portion  92  is configured to be secured to elongate tube  80  by inserting pin  96  into an end of elongate tube  80  opposite end post  82 . Lock washer  98  secures pin  96  to the interior of elongate tube  80 . When secured to elongate tube  80  of rear leg  20 , arm  26  is continuous with rear leg  20 . Curved portion  94  transitions arm  26  from short portion  92  in alignment with elongate tube  80  to long portion  90  which is sloped downward from the back to the front of arm  26 . In addition, curved portion  94  curves outward from short portion  92  such that the spacing between long portions  90  of arms  26  is greater than the spacing between elongate tubes  80  of rear legs  20 . 
     Casters or wheels  30  are coupled to ends of front legs  16  and rear legs  20  to facilitate movement or placement of chair  10  along a floor. To secure casters  30  to the end of legs  16  and  20 , each casters  30  includes a pin  100  configured to mate with a corresponding aperture formed in end post  72  of front legs  16  or end post  82  of rear legs  20 . In some embodiments, casters  30  are rigid and roll in a single direction. In other embodiments, caster  30  swivels around pin  100  to facilitate movement in two directions along a floor. Pin  100  may be arranged non-radially with respect to the wheels of the caster. Notch  105  is formed on the bottom of each caster  30  which, as will be described in more detail herein, facilitates proper stacking alignment of multiple chairs  10 . In an alternative embodiment, chair  10  is provided without casters or wheels  30 . 
       FIG. 4A  is an isometric front view, and  FIG. 4B  is a top view, of four chairs  10   a ,  10   b ,  10   c , and  10   d  in a collapsed position and arranged in a stacked assembly  120 . Chairs  10   a - 10   d  are substantially similar to or the same as chair  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , and features of chairs  10   a - 10   d  that are similar to those in  FIGS. 1-3  are labeled with corresponding reference numerals. Chairs  10   a - 10   d  may be arranged in stacked assembly  120  for storage or when moving the chairs from storage to a set up location. The greater spacing between arms  26  than rear legs  20  of chair  10  allows front legs  16  and rear legs  20  to fit between arms  26  of the chair  10  immediately below it for stacking. For example, the spacing between arms  26   d  of chair  10   d  allows front legs  16   c  and rear legs  20   c  of chair  10   c  to fit between arms  26   d  and rest on chair  10   d  in a substantially vertical arrangement. Thus, in stacked assembly  120 , intersection  122  of front legs  16  and rear legs  20  of chairs  10   a - 10   d  are disposed substantially vertically with respect to each other. Floor footprint  125  of chairs  10   a - 10   d  in stacked assembly  120  is generally the same as the footprint of a single chair  10 , allowing more chairs  10  to be stored in less floor space than conventional chair designs. It will be appreciated that while four chairs  10   a - 10   d  are shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , any number of chairs  10  may be included in stacked assembly  120 . 
     To facilitate proper alignment and spacing of chairs  10   a - 10   d  in stacked assembly  120 , notch  105  on each rear caster  30  is sized to engage the rear leg  20  of the adjacent chair  10  in stacked assembly  120 . For example, casters  30   a  attached to rear legs  20   a  of chair  10   a  engage rear legs  20   b  of adjacent chair  10   b  in stacked assembly  120 . In one embodiment, front casters  30  attached to front legs  16  do not engage or touch the front leg of the adjacent chair to allow front casters  30  to rotate freely.  FIG. 4C  shows chairs  10   c  and  10   d  arranged in this configuration, with front casters  30   c  on front legs  16   c  not engaging front legs  16   d , but with rear casters  30   c  on rear legs  20   c  engaging rear legs  20   d . This configuration allows a stack of chairs to nest with other stacks in that front casters  30  can rotate out of the way as rear legs  20  of an adjacent stack pass during nesting of the stacks. In an alternative embodiment, both the front and rear casters  30  engage the legs  16  and  20  of an adjacent chair when the chairs  10  are stacked. 
     While legs  16  and  20  are shown sized to fit in notches  105  on casters  30  of an adjacent chair, it will be appreciated that other structures and shapes of legs  16  and  20  are possible to interface with or engage casters  30 . For example, legs  16  and  20  may alternatively include grooves to engage the wheels on opposing sides of notches  105 , or legs  16  and  20  may include raised portions configured to fit within notches  105 . 
       FIG. 5A  is an isometric front view, and  FIG. 5B  is a top view, of four chairs  10   e ,  10   f ,  10   g , and  10   h  in a collapsed position and arranged in a nested assembly  130 . Chairs  10   e - 10   h  are substantially similar to or the same as chair  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , and features of chairs  10   e - 10   h  are similar to those in  FIGS. 1-3  are labeled with corresponding reference numerals. In nested assembly  130 , chairs  10   e - 10   h  are disposed substantially horizontally with respect to each other. As discussed above, nesting assembly  130  may be used, for example, in rooms such as conference rooms or meeting spaces where the meeting area may be rearranged from a seating configuration to an open space configuration. Such nesting chairs may be horizontally stacked to reduce the space occupied by the chairs and to avoid having to lift the chairs in a vertically stacked configuration. 
     The slope of arms  26  and the spacing between rear legs  20  of chair  10  allows chairs  10  to be nested as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . In particular, arms  26  each slope downward from the back to the front of chair  10 . When one chair  10  is arranged adjacent another chair  10 , the back of arm  26  of the front chair rests on arm  26  of the rear chair. For example, when chair  10   e  is positioned adjacent chair  10   f  as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the slope of arms  26   e  allows chair  10   e  to be moved toward chair  10   f  until the back of arms  26   e  contact arms  26   f . This brings chairs  10   e  and  10   f  into a nested assembly. Chairs  10   g  and  10   h  may similarly be moved toward chairs  10   e  and  10   f  to provide nested assembly  130 . The slope of arms  26  are such that chairs  10  may be moved toward each other until there is little or no space between adjacent chairs  10 . In addition, the spacing between front legs  16  and rear legs  20  allows chairs  10  to be nested without rear and front casters  30  interfering with each other (e.g., rear caster  30   e  and front caster  30   h ). Thus, floor footprint  135  of chairs  10   e - 10   h  in stacked assembly  130  is smaller than the footprint of four chairs  10  in the operable position, allowing more chairs  10  to be stored in less floor space. It will be appreciated that while four chairs  10   e - 10   g  are shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , any number of chairs  10  may be included in nested configuration  130 . 
       FIG. 6A  is an isometric front view, and  FIG. 6B  is a top view, of twelve chairs  10   i ,  10   j ,  10   k ,  10   l ,  10   m ,  10   n ,  10   o ,  10   p ,  10   q ,  10   r ,  10   s , and  10   t  in a collapsed position and arranged in stacked and nested assembly  150 . Chairs  10   i - 10   t  are substantially similar to or the same as chair  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , and features of chairs  10   i - 10   t  are similar to those in  FIGS. 1-3  are labeled with corresponding reference numerals. Three nested stacks of four chairs each from stacked and nested assembly  150 . That is, first stack  152  includes chairs  10   i - 10   l , second stack  153  includes chairs  10   m - 10   p , and third stack  154  includes chairs  10   q - 10   t . Chairs  10  in each stack  152 ,  153 , and  154  are stacked as described with regard to  FIGS. 4A and 4B . Stacks  152 ,  153 , and  154  are nested with each other as described with regard to  FIGS. 5A and 5B . Floor footprint  155  of chairs  10   i - 10   t  in stacked and nested assembly  150  is substantially the same as floor footprint  135  of nested assembly  130  since, as discussed above, the floor footprint of chairs  10  in a stacked assembly is substantially the same as the floor footprint for a single chair  10 . It will be appreciated that while twelve chairs  10   i - 10   t  are shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , any number of chairs  10  may be included in stacked and nested configuration  150 . 
       FIG. 7  is an isometric view of chair  200  according to another embodiment of the present invention. Chair  200 , which is shown in the operable position, has many features similar to chair  10  described above, but does not include arms  26 . Elements of chair  200  shown in  FIG. 7  include seat  212 , back assembly  214 , front legs  216 , rear legs  220 , casters  230 , and back support  250 . These components may have constructions, assemblies, compositions, and configurations substantially similar to those of seat  12 , back assembly  14 , front legs  16 , rear legs  20 , casters  30 , and back support  50 , respectively, described above with regard to chair  10 . Chair  200  includes leg caps  260 , which are connected to the end of rear legs  220  proximate seat  212 . Chair  200  also includes leg-mounted spacers  262  coupled to the rear legs  220  partway between the leg caps  260  and the casters  230 . Leg-mounted spacers  262  are on the side of rear legs  220  facing front legs  216 . 
       FIG. 8A  is an isometric view of two chairs  200   a  and  200   b  in a collapsed position and arranged in a stacked assembly  270 . Chairs  200   a  and  200   b  are substantially similar to or the same as chair  200  shown in  FIG. 7 . Chairs  200   a  and  200   b  may be arranged in stacked assembly  270  for storage or when moving the chairs from storage to a set up location. Floor footprint  275  of chairs  10   a - 10   d  in stacked assembly  270  is generally the same as the footprint of a single chair  200 , allowing more chairs  200  to be stored in less floor space than conventional chair designs. It will be appreciated that while two chairs  200   a  and  200   b  are shown in  FIG. 8A , any number of chairs  200  may be included in stacked assembly  270 . It will also be appreciated that, while not shown, chairs  200  also may be nested in an arrangement similar to chairs  10  shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , and may be stacked and nested in an arrangement similar to chairs  10  shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
     To facilitate proper alignment and spacing of chairs  200   a  and  200   b  in stacked assembly  270 , notch  305  on each rear caster  230  is sized to engage rear leg  220  of the adjacent chair  200  in stacked assembly  270 . For example, casters  230   a  attached to rear legs  220   a  of chair  200   a  engage rear legs  220   b  of adjacent chair  220   b  in stacked assembly  270 . In one embodiment, front casters  230  attached to front legs  216  do not engage or touch the front leg of the adjacent chair to allow front casters  230  to rotate freely.  FIG. 9  shows a side view of chairs  200   a  and  200   b  arranged in this configuration, with front casters  230   a  on front legs  216   a  not engaging front legs  216   b , but with rear casters  230   a  on rear legs  220   a  engaging rear legs  220   b . This configuration allows a stack of chairs to nest with other stacks in that front casters  230  can rotate out of the way as rear legs  220  of an adjacent stack pass during nesting of the stacks. In an alternative embodiment, both the front and rear casters  230  engage the legs  216  and  220  of an adjacent chair when the chairs  200  are stacked. 
     To further facilitate proper alignment and spacing of chairs  200  in stacked assembly  270 , leg caps  260  and leg-mounted spacers  262  are arranged such that when chairs  200  are arranged in stacked assembly  270 , leg-mounted spacers  262  engage leg caps  260  of the chair  200  stacked immediately below it in stacked assembly  270 . To illustrate,  FIG. 8B  is an enlarged isometric view of leg cap  260   b  of chair  200   b  engaging leg-mounted spacer  262   a  of adjacently stacked chair  200   a . Leg caps  260  and leg-mounted spacers  262  are shaped to provide the desired spacing between adjacent rear legs  220  in stacked assembly  270 . For example, in the embodiment shown, leg caps  260  include a rounded protrusion that extends from rear legs  220  toward leg-mounted spacers  262  of the adjacently stacked chair. The size of the rounded protrusion the leg-mounted spacers  262  can be selected to provide the desired spacing. 
     Chairs as described can be easily nested and/or stacked with other similar or identical chairs to minimize the floor space consumed by the chairs when stored in the collapsed position. Nesting chairs may be used, for example, in rooms such as conference rooms or meeting spaces where the meeting area may be rearranged from a seating configuration to an open space configuration. Such nesting chairs may be horizontally nested, such as along a wall or corridor, to minimize space occupied by the nested chairs. Nesting chairs may facilitate setup, takedown, and storage of the chairs. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which these inventions belong. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present inventions, the preferred methods and materials are now described. 
     Other embodiments of the invention are possible. Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.