WO1997039662A1

WO1997039662A1 - Glider with flexible suspension belts

Info

Publication number: WO1997039662A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/006706
Authority: WO
Inventors: Glen Kemnitz; Kristi Killen; James Machen; Brad Rakow; David Domico; Gerald Skulley
Original assignee: Sunlite Casual Furniture, Inc.
Priority date: 1996-04-24
Filing date: 1997-04-23
Publication date: 1997-10-30

Abstract

An article of furniture, such as a glider (10), that has a base member (14), a seat portion (12), a plurality of flexible belt members (16) which suspend the seat portion above the base member such that the seat portion glides in a back and forth motion relative to the base member and a plurality of rigid belt cover members (22) which extend around and are spaced from the belt members and space the base member from the seat portion at a constant distance.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

GLIDER WITH FLEXIBLE SUSPENSION BELTS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an article of furniture, such as a glider, of the type in which a seating portion is supported above and glides relative to a base member. More particularly, this invention concerns an article of resin furniture having means for suspending the seat portion from the base member, wherein the suspension means is preferably flexible belt members and means for spacing the base member from the seating portion.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional gliders generally comprise a base member, a seating unit and a plurality of bearings, such as ball bearings and sleeve bearings, that the seating unit engages and provides for the back and forth motion of the seating unit relative to the base member. The disadvantage to using this type of glider is that the components are subject to wear as a result of the contact between the bearings and the seating unit. This wear inhibits the smoothness of the glider motion, and eventually causes undesirable noise to be created.

Nowhere in the prior art is there disclosed an article of furniture that has a base member, a seat portion, means for suspending the seat portion from the base member such that the seat portion glides in a back and forth motion relative to the base member and means for spacing the base member from the seat portion, wherein the suspension means are motionless relative to the base member and seating portion at their contact points and thus, is substantially not subject to wear and glides smoothly in a back and forth motion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present preferred invention provides an article of furniture that has a seat portion that glides smoothly in a back and forth motion relative to a base member without creating noise and is substantially not subject to wear. The present preferred embodiment of the invention is an article of furniture substantially comprising a base member, a seat portion, means for suspending the seat portion from the base member such that the seat portion glides in a back and forth motion relative to the base member, and means for spacing the seat portion from the base member at a constant distance. Preferably, the base member, the seat portion and the spacing means are resin.

The suspension means are preferably four flexible belt members which extend between and are attached to the seat portion and the base member, wherein the belt members are motionless where they contact the base member and the seat portion resulting in substantially no wear of the parts and no noise being produced.

The present preferred embodiment further provides for the spacing means to be substantially oblong, rigid members which extend around and are spaced from the suspension means.

Other details, objects and advantages of the present preferred embodiment will become more apparent with the following description of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings show the present preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

Figure l is a front perspective view of a glider employing the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the glider shown in Figure 1, with the seating unit removed.

Figure 3 is a side perspective view of the glider of Figure 2 with the belt cover members removed.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the glider shown in Figure 2 taken along line IV-IV.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the inside of one of the belt cover members shown in Figure 2 viewed along the line V-V.

Figure 6 is a front view of the outside of the belt cover member shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side view of the belt cover member shown in Figure 5. Figure 8 is a front view of the inside of the belt cover member shown in Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT PREFERRED INVENTION

Although this invention is suitable for other uses, it will be described as being used in a resin glider. Such description is for the purpose of explanation and is not intended to limit the scope of this invention.

Figure l illustrates a glider 10 having a seat portion 12 and a base member 14 both made from resin (preferably polypropylene or another rigid plastic material such as nylon, polyethylene, PVC, or polystyrene) wherein the seat portion 12 is suspended above the base member 14 and glides in a back and forth motion relative to the base member ₁₄. As seen in Figures 2 through 4, the means for suspending the seat portion 12 above the base member 14 are four flexible circular belt members 16 (Figs. 3 and 4) that extend around hub members 18 and 20 of the seat portion 12 and the base member 14, respectively. The flexible belt members 16 are preferably made from a polyester weave with urethane, although other materials are, of course, possible. Four rigid belt cover members 22 (Figs. 2 and 4) are also provided which space the base member 14 from the seat portion 12 and which extend around and are spaced from the flexible belt members 16.

The base member 14 can take many forms; however, it is preferred that the base member 14 include two channel- shaped members 26 (Figs. 2 and 3) each having a front leg 28 and a back leg 30 (Fig. 3) and two elongated bodies 32 wherein one of the elongated bodies 32 extends between and is attached to the front legs 28 of the two channel-shaped members 26 and the second elongated body 32 extends between and is attached to the back legs 30 of the two channel- shaped members 26. Each of the elongated bodies 32 have two end portions 34 with hub members 20 (Fig. 3) .

The seat portion 12 comprises a seating unit 36 (Fig.

1) attached to two support arms 38 with connectors 40 (Fig.

2) . The connectors 40 fit within cavities (not shown) within the seating unit 36 and a fastener (not shown) , such as a screw, is threaded through the center of each connector 40 so that the connectors 40 form a tight connection with the seating unit 36. Each support arm 38 is in the shape of a truncated triangle and has a top member 42, a bottom member 44 and two side members 46. Hub members 18 (Figs. 3 and 4) extend from the support arms 38 where the bottom member 44 and the side members 46 meet (Fig. 2) . The belt cover members 22, shown in Figures 2 and 4 and in greater detail in Figures 5 through 8, extend around and are spaced from each of the flexible belt members 16. Each belt cover member 22 is preferably made from a rigid resin, although other materials are, of course, possible. As viewed from the inside of the belt cover member 22, as seen in Figures 5 and 8, each of the belt cover members 22 includes an oblong shaped body 48 having an interior surface 50, an exterior surface 52, a top end 51, a bottom end 55, a side member 54 extending perpendicularly from the periphery of the interior surface 50 of the body 48, a curvilinear bi-level shelf 49 also extending from the inside of the face of the body 48, a cylindrical boss 53, and a cap member 56. Viewed from the outside of the belt cover member 22, as seen in Figure 6, each of the belt cover members 22 includes a cap member 56 at the top end 51 thereof, a cylindrical boss 53 extending from the exterior surface 52 at the bottom end 55 of the belt cover member 22, and a second shelf 58. The belt cover members 22 are attached to the hub members 18 and 20, after the flexible belt members 16 are placed thereon, using a fastener, such as a screw, to attach each boss 53 of the belt cover members 22 to the hub members 18 and 20. As seen in Figure 4, the belt cover member 22 is placed over the hub member 20 such that the boss 53 shown in Fig. 5 extends within the hub member 20 and is fastened thereto. The hub member 18 is then positioned within the cap member 56 at the bottom end 55 such that the boss 53 shown in Fig. 6 extends within the hub member 18 and is fastened thereto.

In operation, the seat portion 12 glides back and forth relative to the base member 14. The flexible belt members 16 suspend the seat portion 12 above the base member 14. Because there is no rotational movement between the flexible belt members 16 and the hub members 18 and 20, there is substantially no wearing friction and thus, no wear of the parts. The belt cover members 22 space the base member 14 from the seat portion 12 at a constant distance while the seat portion 12 is gliding back and forth relative to the base member 14 thus, providing smooth movement.

While the present preferred embodiment has been described herein, it is distinctively understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims and any equivalents thereof.

Claims

I Claim:

1. An article of furniture, comprising:

(a) a base member;

(b) a seat portion;

(c) means for suspending the seat portion from the base member such that the seat portion glides in a back and forth motion relative to the base member; and

(d) means for spacing the base member from the seat portion at a constant distance.

2. The article of furniture of Claim 1, wherein the suspension means is at least two flexible belt members.

3. The article of furniture of Claim 1, wherein the seat portion further comprises a pair of support arms.

4. The article of furniture of Claim 1, wherein the base member, the pair of support arms and the spacing means are resin.

5. The article of furniture of Claim 3 , wherein the pair of support arms are substantially in the shape of a truncated triangles each having a top side, a bottom side and two side members, wherein hub members extend from the support arms at the point where the bottom member and the side members meet and engage the suspension means.

6. The article of furniture of Claim 4, wherein the seat portion is positioned between the pair of support arms.

7. The article of furniture of Claim 1, wherein the spacing means is a plurality of rigid belt covers that equal the number of flexible belt members.

8. The article of furniture of Claim 1, wherein the base member includes hub members which extend therefrom and engage the suspension means.

9. An article of furniture comprising:

(a) a base member having at least two hub members;

(b) a pair of support arms having at least two hub members;

(c) a seat portion rigidly attached to the pair of support arms;

(d) a plurality of flexible belt members hub members extending between and attached to the base member and the pair of support arms hub members; and

(e) a plurality of rigid belt cover members that extend around and are spaced from the plurality of belt members, and wherein the plurality of rigid belt cover members are attached to the base member hub members and the pair of support arms hub members.

10. The article of furniture of Claim 9, wherein the plurality of flexible belt members are a polyester weave with urethane.

11. The article of furniture of Claim 9, wherein the plurality of belt cover members each comprise an oblong body having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a top end and a bottom end, wherein a cylindrical boss extends from the interior surface at the top end and a second cylindrical boss extends from the exterior surface at the bottom end.