Patent ID: 7364238

Claim:
An article of furniture which includes: a base having a front and a rear and a top surface; a backrest assembly having a front edge and a rear edge and slideably arranged relative to the base in a plane parallel to the top surface of the base to adjust a depth of the base as measured between the front edge of the backrest assembly and the front of the base; and a carrier arrangement interposed between the base and the backrest assembly for facilitating sliding displacement of the backrest assembly relative to the base; the carrier arrangement includes a locking mechanism acting on the base and the backrest assembly for locking the backrest assembly in a first position at which the depth of the base has a minimum length dimension, a second position at which the depth of the base has a maximum length dimension and at least certain positions between the first position and the second position, the locking mechanism comprising: a tubular housing defining an aperture in a peripheral wall; a locking member receivable in the aperture, the locking member being displaceable between a first position in which it protrudes through the aperture and a second position in which it is at least partially withdrawn into the aperture; and a displacement member movably received in the housing, the displacement member being displaceable between a locking orientation and an unlocking orientation so that, when the displacement member is in its locking orientation the locking member is urged partially out of the aperture in the housing to protrude a predetermined extent through the housing to effect locking and, when the displacement member is in its unlocking orientation, the locking member is free to be at least partially withdrawn into the housing to effect unlocking.