Abstract:
A chair uses multiple elastic bands to form the seating surfaces. The elastic bands are held in place with a mounting bracket which facilitates easy assembly of the chair and reduces the likelihood of breakage or improper assembly of the elastic bands. The elastic bands are positioned nearly level with the chair side rails and mounting bracket, and the elastic bands cover the mounting screws to provide a chair which is more comfortable and more aesthetically pleasing.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of 61/055,698, filed May 23, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to chairs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a chair having elastic bands for the seating surfaces and mounting brackets for attaching the elastic bands to the chair frame. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Chairs are commonly used for a variety of activities. Many persons will sit in a chair while working, spending approximately eight hours per day in the chair. It is thus important that the chair provides good support, as a poorly designed chair can adversely affect a person&#39;s circulation, muscles, and skeletal structure. In some cases, poorly designed chairs may cause or promote long term health problems. 
         [0004]    A variety of different approaches have been taken in making a comfortable chair. Many chairs use foam padding beneath a cloth or leather seating surface to support persons sitting on the chair. While these chairs are often more comfortable than non-padded chairs, the foam padding does not completely conform to a person&#39;s body and often applies uneven pressure. Other chairs use a mesh surface to support a person sitting on the chair. The mesh surface allows air flow around the person&#39;s body and may reduce the discomfort associated with heat build up, but does not conform well to the person&#39;s body. The mesh is relatively inelastic, limiting the ability of the mesh to conform to a person&#39;s body. Additionally, the mesh is directly tied to adjacent areas of the mesh such that when weight is applied to one area of the mesh adjacent areas of the mesh move in the same similar direction and are tightened, losing their ability to conform to the person&#39;s body. 
         [0005]    There has been some attempt to construct chairs which use individual bands of elastic for the seating surface. The elastic bands stretch laterally across the chair and stretch to accommodate the weight of a person sitting in the chair. It has, however, been difficult to attach the elastic strips in a secure manner which does not adversely affect the appearance of the chair or which does not interfere with sitting on the chair. In a prior art chair as shown in  FIG. 10 , elastics  1  are attached to a housing  2  by being inserted through an opening  3 , doubled over and held with a clamp  4 . The housing  2  includes a flange  5  which extends over a chair rail  6  and is held in place by a screw  7 . 
         [0006]    The housing  2  is disposed so that it partially covers the chair rail  6 . Some people do not like the appearance of the (usually plastic) housing  2  on the chair rail  6 . Others may find the housing uncomfortable, as the housing extends inwardly from the chair rail and intrudes into the seating area of the chair. Additionally the flange  5  of the housing  2  is exposed, making it easier to damage the housing. 
         [0007]    There is thus a need for a chair which uses elastic strips to better conform to a person&#39;s body and which provides improved aesthetic appeal and increased comfort for persons sitting in the chair. There is a need for an attachment system which connects the elastic strips to the chair in a manner which does not interfere with sitting on the chair and which does not adversely affect the appearance of the chair. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved chair. 
         [0009]    According to one aspect of the invention, a chair is provided which uses elastic bands as the seating surface and which provides an improved method of mounting the bands. The elastic bands are secured to the side rails of the chair in such a way that the method of securing the bands is not apparent to a user. The bands are secured within a small housing that is attached to the side of the chair rail. The housing intrudes less into the seating area of the chair, and thus does not interfere with the use of the chair and is less likely to be broken while in use. 
         [0010]    This and other aspects of the present invention are realized in a chair as shown and described in the following figures and related description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a chair according to the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of a portion of the seat of the chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the outside of the mounting bracket of the chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the inside of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the end of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  shows another perspective view of the inside of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  shows an elastic band and retaining clip of the chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  shows another elastic band and retaining clip of the chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  shows a series of cut-away views of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3 , illustrating assembly of the mounting bracket; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  shows a method of attaching elastic bands to a chair rail in accordance with the prior art. 
       
    
    
       [0022]    It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The drawings and descriptions are exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0024]    Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a chair according to the present invention is shown. The chair  10  typically includes feet  14  and arms  18  as may be desired according to the particular type of chair. The chair  10  includes a seat  22  and a back  26  which extend between left and right lower side rails  30  and left and right upper side rails  34 . It will be appreciated that, according to the particular type or style of chair  10 , some of the particular components such as the arms  18  may be omitted. Alternatively, the lower side rails  30  and upper side rails  34  may be combined together into a single piece side rail for each side. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of a portion of the seat  22 , illustrating how the chair  10  is constructed. The back  26  of the chair  10  is constructed in a similar manner. The seat  22  is formed from a plurality of elastic bands  38  which are stretched between the left and right lower side rails  30  and held in place by mounting brackets  42 . As can be seen, the elastic bands  38  are supported at the ends and are not supported in the middle, allowing the bands to stretch and deflect under the weight of a person sitting in the chair. The elastic bands  38  provide comfortable seating as each particular elastic band is able to stretch and deflect to a different degree according to the weight placed upon it and independent of the adjacent elastic bands. The mounting brackets  42  are advantageous as they securely hold the elastic bands  38  while not encumbering the surface of the chair  10 . The mounting brackets  42  extend above the elastic bands  38  by only a minimal amount, increasing the comfort of the chair  10  and not interfering with the movement of a person using the chair. Additionally, most of the bracket  42  is hidden by the elastic bands  38 , and the fasteners used to attach the brackets  42  to the side rails  30 ,  34  are hidden by the elastic bands  38 , improving the appearance of the chair. 
         [0026]    Turning now to  FIG. 3  a perspective view of the outside of the mounting bracket of the chair of  FIG. 1  is shown. The mounting bracket  42  is sized to mount a plurality of elastic bands  38  to the chair  10 . The mounting bracket  42  thus includes a plurality of openings  46  through which the elastic bands  38  pass. A number of screws  50  or bolts are used to attach the mounting bracket  42  to the chair side rails  30 ,  34 . It will be appreciated that the mounting brackets  42  may be made to varying lengths as is desired. Thus, a single bracket  42  may be made which extends along the entire length of the seat  22  or back  26 . Alternatively, multiple smaller brackets  42  may be made such that a number of brackets  42  are used to extend along the length of the seat  22  or back  26 . If multiple smaller brackets  42  are used, the brackets may be designed with interlocking ends. Thus, the brackets  42  may include an interlocking post  54  and corresponding recess  58  such that adjacent brackets are interlocked for rigidity and appearance. The use of multiple brackets along the chair is advantageous as it creates a modular bracket system. A few brackets, such as a straight and a curved bracket, may be interchanged to fit a variety of different chair shapes, and thus allow for greater variety in chair design without overly increasing the manufacturing cost. 
         [0027]    One advantage of the configuration of the bracket  42  shown in  FIG. 3  is that multiple screws  50  are used to secure the bracket to the chair rail. If one or even two screws were to come loose, the bracket is still adequately supported. In some prior art configuration a single screw is used to hold one side of a pair of elastics. If the screw comes loose, the elastics may no longer be held properly. 
         [0028]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a perspective view of the inside of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3  is shown. It can be better seen how the screws or bolts  50  extend through the bracket  42  so as to secure the bracket to the side rails  30 ,  34 . The recess  58  can also be better seen, illustrating how adjacent brackets  42  may interlock together if desired. 
         [0029]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , a perspective view of the end of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3  is shown. The inside side  62  of the bracket  42 , which is mounted against the chair side rails  30 ,  34 , is contoured to match the contour of the side rails and to allow the bracket to fit more closely to the side rails. Thus, the mounting bracket  42  shown has a curved cross section as shown at  66  to fit against a round side rail  30 ,  34 . Other shaped brackets could be used with oval, rectangular or square chair rails, etc. 
         [0030]    Turning now to  FIG. 6 , a more detailed perspective view of the inside of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3  is shown. The mounting bracket  42  includes triangular or wedge shaped projections  70  formed adjacent to each of the holes  46 . The projections  70  are angled across the holes  46  so as to push the elastic bands sideways as they extend through the holes, and thus bend the portion of the elastic bands  38  which extends inwardly through the holes  46  sideways. Bending the elastic bands  38  sideways makes it less likely that the elastic bands pull out of the mounting bracket  42 , and makes the mounting bracket more compact. The projections  70  move the elastic bands  38  into the proper mounting position when the mounting bracket  42  and elastic bands  38  are secured to the side rails  30 ,  34 . Thus, the projections  70  properly position the elastic bands  38  during installation, making it easier to install the brackets  42 , and also support the elastic bands and ensuring a strong and reliable connection. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show elastic bands and retaining clip used in the chair of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of an elastic band  38  and a clip  74 . The exemplary elastic band  38  is approximately 0.25 inch thick and 0.5 inch wide. The elastic band  38  may be a single strand or multiple strands of elastic material  78 , and is typically enclosed within a cloth tube  82  to protect the elastic  78  and make it more comfortable for a user. The clip  74  may be a wire which is wrapped around the elastic  38  as is shown.  FIG. 8  shows an alternate clip  74  which is formed by bending a small piece of metal around the elastic band  38 . The clip  74  provides an inexpensive and reliable method of securing the elastic band  38  inside of the mounting bracket  42 . 
         [0032]    Turning now to  FIG. 9 , a sequence of cut-away views illustrating the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3  and the assembly of the bracket to the side rails is shown. The leftmost drawing illustrates the shape of the bracket  42 , hole  46 , and projection  70 . The projection  70  has a curved surface which faces the hole  46  and which begins parallel to the hole and curves downwardly. The second drawing illustrates how the elastic band  38  is placed through the hole  46  and a clip  74  is placed on the end of the elastic band. The clip  74  is bigger than the hole  46  and prevents the elastic band  38  from being pulled back through the hole. 
         [0033]    The next drawing shows how the elastic band  38  is then moved until the clip  74  is pulled somewhat into the mounting bracket  42 . The projection  70  pushes the clip  74  downwardly and bends the elastic band as shown. The rightmost drawing shows how the mounting bracket  42  is then placed against a side rail  30  (or the upper side rail  34 ) and secured to the side rail  30  with screws or bolts  50 . Because the projection  70  has already bent the elastic band  38 , placing the mounting bracket  42  against the side rail  30  continues to bend the elastic band  38  and presses the clip  74  into the position shown. The projection  70  prevents the clip  74  from moving too far upwardly where the elastic band  38  would be overly bent or pinched against the hole  46 , helping to reduce the failure of the elastic band  38 . It can be seen how the mounting bracket  42  positions the elastic band at nearly the same height as the side rail  30 , making the chair more comfortable. It will also be appreciated that the mounting screws  50  and most of the mounting bracket  42  will be located beneath the elastic bands  38 , proving a chair which is more aesthetically pleasing. The mounting bracket also makes assembly of the chair easier and reduces the likelihood of improperly positioning the elastic bands, reducing the risk of an elastic band breaking during use. 
         [0034]    There is thus disclosed an improved chair. It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.