Patent ID: 7334845

Claim:
A seating unit comprising: a back frame having at least one vertical side section forming a rearwardly concave shape in a lumbar region; a flexible supporting surface supported by the frame; a plurality of elongated resilient force-distributing members supported by the frame and having sufficient resilient stiffness to support a seated user when opposing ends of the force-distributing members are supported, the force-distributing members being associated with said supporting surface to control a contour of the supporting surface when supporting the seated user, the resilient force-distributing members being generally flexible and bendable along their length and being sufficient in number and distribution across the supporting surface so as to reduce localized deflection of the supporting surface and thereby reduce point contact pressure associated with the seated user; and a tensioning component associated with the lumbar region of the back frame that engages at least some of the force-distributing members to cause the opposing ends of the some force-distributing members to move horizontally toward each other such that the some force-distributing members thus take on a more curved pretensioned supportive shape.