Patent ID: 8172324

Claim:
A preference control mechanism for a chair having a back and a seat, the preference control mechanism being actuatable to adjust a force required for tilting at least one of the seat and the back, the preference control comprising: a housing having a channel, the housing sized and configured for attachment to at least one chair component; a shuttle having a cavity, the shuttle being moveable within the channel; a sub shuttle moveable within the channel of the housing, the sub shuttle being moveable independent of the shuttle; at least one resilient member, the at least one resilient member having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end attached to the shuttle and the second end attached to the sub shuttle; and the shuttle and sub shuttle moveable within the channel to adjust a position of the shuttle from a first position to at least one second position to adjust the force needed for tilting the at least one of the back and the seat, the shuttle not being moveable to a different position defining a different amount of force needed to tilt the at least one of the seat and the back if the at least one of the seat and back is in a tilted position; and the sub shuttle being moveable independent of the shuttle within the channel to at least one position corresponding to the at least one second position of the shuttle such that adjustment of the preference control is settable when the at least one of the seat and back is in a tilted position and the shuttle is not moveable, movement of the sub shuttle to one of the at least one position when the at least one of the seat and back is in a tilted position positioning a portion of the at least one resilient member so that the at least one resilient member causes the shuttle to move to one of the at least one second position of the shuttle after the at least one of the seat and back is moved out of that tilted position and into a position in which the shuttle is moveable.