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(11) | EP 1 698 255 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Plastics chair |
(57) A plastics chair being constituted by:
The chassis (13) is composed of a flat bottom (16), from which a grid of reinforcement ribs (15) extends in the opposite direction with respect to the legs (12). |
[0002] In the field of chair production, it is particularly important to combine excellent strength qualities with good manufacturing flexibility in terms of cost savings, aesthetics and styling, and ergonomic design.
[0003] However, an increasingly dynamic and competitive market such as the current one requires first of all to contain production costs by investing in the study and development of chairs constituted by an ever smaller number of parts, which can be mutually assembled easily and quickly.
[0004] In any case, the development of new chairs cannot avoid safety requirements, and therefore strength and resistance requirements, as dictated by the UNI 10977 and UNI EN 1728 standards.
[0005] Other important cost factors are related to the storage and transport of chairs; in order to optimize them, it is necessary to increase, for an equal volume, the number of chairs stored within such volume, without this affecting the structural and aesthetic qualities of the chairs.
[0006] The aim of the present invention is to provide a plastics chair which can be set up easily and quickly even by an operator who lacks particular prior training or directly by the user.
[0007] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a plastics chair which is compact and stackable.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair which is at least as strong and resistant as required by currently applicable safety standards.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastics chair which has a good visual impact.
[0010] A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair which is optionally modular, one or more parts of which can be replaced easily with other equivalent parts having a different aesthetic content.
[0011] A still further object of the present invention is to provide a plastics chair which can be manufactured with known systems and technologies.
[0012] This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a plastics chair, characterized in that it is constituted by:
- a first supporting part, which comprises legs which are monolithic with a supporting chassis,
- a second part, which forms a seat which is fixed to said chassis by way of connecting means,
[0013] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the chair according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a partially sectional side view of a detail of the chair according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a front sectional view of a portion of the chair according to the invention;
Figure 4 is another perspective view, in the assembled condition, of the chair according to the invention;
Figure 5 is a view of a part of the chair according to the invention, stacked on an identical part of another chair according to the invention.
[0014] With reference to the figures, a plastics chair according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
[0015] The chair 10 is constituted by:
- a first supporting part 11, which comprises legs 12 which are monolithic with a supporting chassis 13,
- a second part, which forms a seat 14 which is fixed, by way of connecting means described in greater detail hereinafter, to the chassis 13.
[0016] The chassis 13 is composed of a flat bottom 16, from which a grid of reinforcement ribs 15 protrudes in the opposite direction with respect to the legs 12.
[0018] Two reinforced lateral tabs 16 rise from the chassis 13 externally to its dimensions, in the opposite direction with respect to the legs 12.
[0019] The reinforced tabs 16 are adapted to be each inserted in a complementarily shaped seat 17, which is provided on the lower part 19 of a back 18, which is also made of plastics material.
[0020] The back 18 is associated, by means of the tabs 16 and the seats 17, with the first part 11 and the second part 14.
[0021] Advantageously, the reinforced lateral tabs 16 are inserted in the back 18 at its uprights 20.
[0022] The strengthening band 21 is provided between the two reinforced lateral tabs 16 and is monolithic with the first part 11.
[0023] The strengthening band 21, provided with vertical ribs 21a, enters a complementarily shaped pocket 22, which is open between the two seats 17 for the tabs 16, in the lower part 19 of the back 18.
[0024] The back 18 has, at its edge which is adjacent to the chassis 13, a fold 23 which is adapted to be pressed between the chassis 13 and a facing edge 24 of the seat 14, in order to prevent the disengagement of the back 18 from the tabs 16.
[0027] The inserts 25 are adapted to be inserted in corresponding holes 26 of the chassis 13, each insert being provided with a head 27 for snap interlocking on a corresponding protrusion 28 provided inside each one of the holes 26.
[0029] The back 18 is associated with the first part 11 by inserting the tabs 16 in the corresponding seats 17 and the reinforcement band 21 in the pocket 22.
[0030] The seat 14 is then arranged on the chassis 13 and pressure is applied to the seat 14 so that the inserts 25 enter with a snap action the respective holes 26.
[0031] In this way, the back 18 is fixed to the chassis 13 and to the seat 14 by means of its fold 23, which, as described earlier, remains clamped between the chassis 13 and the seat 14.
[0032] The seat 14 can be removable and therefore replaceable with another technically and structurally equivalent one, having a different aesthetic content, selected among a plurality of seats available when the product is ordered or in a kit which can be purchased separately or provided together with the chair already during purchase.
[0033] In the exemplary embodiment described here, the first part 11 is made of an engineering polymer, while the seat 14 and the back 18 are made of polypropylene.
[0035] The reinforcement grid 15 with hexagonal cells, the reinforced tabs 16, the strengthening band 21 and the solid legs 12 cooperate to make the chair 10 suitable to pass the safety tests performed according to the UNI 10977/2002 standards, and as required by the UNI EN 1728 certification standard related to testing methods for determining strength and durability.
[0036] The front legs 12 are internal with respect to the chassis 13, i.e., they extend from below the chassis 13, while the rear legs are external, i.e., they extend starting from a rear region of the sides 30 of the chassis 13.
[0037] Moreover, the region connecting the rear legs 12a and the chassis 13 of a first chair 10 is shaped so as to allow the rear legs 12b of a second identical chair 10b to be arranged adjacent to the rear legs 12a of the underlying first chair 10, in a configuration in which the second chair 10b is stacked on the first chair 10.
[0038] Even more advantageously, the profile of the back 18 can be inscribed in the quadrilateral outlined by the ground contact points of the legs 12.
[0039] The same applies to the profile of the seat 14, which can be inscribed in the quadrilateral outlined by the ground contact points of the legs 12.
[0040] The stackability of the bases 13 and the possibility to store between the legs 12 both the seats 14 and the backs 18 allows to stack in a disassembled condition several identical chairs 10 according to the invention, with advantages in terms of storage volumes and packaging volumes for shipping.
[0041] In practice it has been found that the invention thus described solves the problems noted in known types of plastics chair.
[0042] In particular, the present invention provides a plastics chair which can be installed easily and quickly even by an operator who does not have particular prior training.
[0044] Further, the present invention provides a chair which is at least as strong and resistant as required by currently applicable safety standards.
[0045] Moreover, the present invention provides a plastics chair which has a pleasant aesthetic content.
[0046] Further, the present invention provides a chair which is optionally modular and one or more parts of which can be replaced easily with other equivalent ones having a different aesthetic content.
[0047] Moreover, the present invention provides a plastics chair which can be manufactured cheaply with known systems and technologies.
[0048] In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to state of the art.
[0049] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2005U000010 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
[0050] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.
1. A plastics chair, characterized in that it is constituted by:
- a first supporting part (11), which comprises legs (12) which are monolithic with a supporting chassis (13),
- a second part, which forms a seat (14) which is fixed to said chassis (13) by way of connecting means,
said chassis (13) being composed of a flat bottom (16), from which a grid of reinforcement ribs (15) extends in the opposite direction with respect to the legs (12).2. The chair according to claim 1, characterized in that said grid of ribs (15) is of the type provided with cells having a hexagonal cross-section.
3. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that two reinforced lateral tabs (16) protrude from said chassis (13) in the opposite
direction with respect to the legs (12), and are each adapted to be inserted in a
complementarily shaped seat (17) provided in the lower part (19) of a back (18), also
made of plastics material, to be associated with said first part (11) and said second
part (14).
4. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reinforced lateral tabs (16) are inserted in said back (18) at its uprights
(20).
5. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a strengthening band (21) is provided between the two reinforced lateral tabs (16),
is monolithic with said first part (11) and is adapted to be inserted in a complementarily
shaped pocket (22) which is open between the two seats (17) for the tabs (16), on
said lower part (19) of the back (18).
6. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said back (18) has, at its edge which is adjacent to the chassis (13), a fold (23)
which is adapted to be pressed between said chassis (13) and the facing edge (24)
of said seat (14), in order to prevent the extraction of the back (18) from the tabs
(16).
7. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said connecting means are constituted by quick interlocking inserts (25), which are
elastically deformable and protrude below said seat (14) and are adapted to be inserted
in corresponding holes (26) of said chassis (13), said inserts (25) being provided
with a head (27) for snap interlocking on a corresponding protrusion (28) provided
inside said holes (26).
8. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first part (11) is made of an engineering polymer.
9. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said seat (14) and said back (18) are made of polypropylene.
10. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said legs (12) are solid.
11. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front legs (12) are arranged inside the chassis (13) and extend from below the
chassis (13), and the rear legs are external to said chassis (13) and extend from
a rear region of the sides (30) of the chassis (13).
12. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting region between the rear legs (12a) and said chassis (13) is contoured
so as to allow the rear legs (12b) of another identical chair (10b) to be arranged
adjacent to the rear legs (12a) of the underlying chair (10), in a configuration in
which said additional chair (10b) is stacked on said underlying chair (10).
13. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile of the back (18) can be inscribed in the quadrilateral outlined by the
ground contact points of the legs (12).
14. The chair according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile of the seat (14) can be inscribed in the quadrilateral outlined by the
ground contact points of the legs (12).