US3883173A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Seat with thigh support
Assignee: Ipeco Europe Ltd
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Filing: 1973-01-26
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Granted: 1975-05-13
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Expires: 1993-01-26
Abstract
Abstract A seat has individual supports for the lower thigh of the user which are pivotally mounted at the front of the seat portion of the seat (i.e., the portion on which the user sits and which bears his weight). They are able to be individually depressed against a spring-loading by the user applying weight to them. The depression occurs in a pivoting motion about a pivot axis adjacent the upper surface of the seat portion but the path of this motion is defined by a linkage beneath the thigh supports and the seat portion, and there is no hinge at the pivot axis. The limit uppermost position of the supports, to which they are urged by the spring-loading, is controllable and two mechanisms are shown for this.
Inventors
- 👤 Bernard William Shephard
- 👤 Kenneth George Draper
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 20:33
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/62
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
303 words
An upholstered seat comprising: a main seat portion having upper and lower surfaces, a forward end and individual thigh support portions each of which includes an upper and lower surface, biasing means individually and resiliently urging each of said thigh support portions upwardly into an upper support position, each of said thigh support portions being independently movable with respect to the other, said individual thigh support portions being located in juxtaposition with the forward end of said main seat portion at opposite sides thereof, individual strut means in fixed relation with each of said thigh support portions and extending downwardly therefrom and including guide pins, a frame member in fixed relation with said main seat portion, said frame member including a pair of elongate slots in which said guide pins are slidably received, a linkage assembly operatively connecting said biasing means to the thigh support portion associated therewith, said linkage assembly including a pivotally mounted lever means having one end mounted to one of said strut means and another end to a connecting link which is in turn operatively connected to said biasing means, said linkage assembly being disposed below the lower surface of said thigh and main seat portions, said guide pins, elongate slots and linkage assembly cooperating to direct the movement of said thigh support portions along an arcuate path about a pivot axis located adjacent the upper surface thereof at said upper surface of said main seat portion, each of said thigh support portions being movable downwardly along said arcuate path upon the application of a load to it from above, whereby said individual thigh support portions are individually resiliently loaded upwardly and individually movable with respect to each other about said pivot axis adjacent the upper surfaces thereof without the presence of a pivotal hinge at said pivot axis.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
303 words
An upholstered seat comprising: a main seat portion having upper and lower surfaces, a forward end and individual thigh support portions each of which includes an upper and lower surface, biasing means individually and resiliently urging each of said thigh support portions upwardly into an upper support position, each of said thigh support portions being independently movable with respect to the other, said individual thigh support portions being located in juxtaposition with the forward end of said main seat portion at opposite sides thereof, individual strut means in fixed relation with each of said thigh support portions and extending downwardly therefrom and including guide pins, a frame member in fixed relation with said main seat portion, said frame member including a pair of elongate slots in which said guide pins are slidably received, a linkage assembly operatively connecting said biasing means to the thigh support portion associated therewith, said linkage assembly including a pivotally mounted lever means having one end mounted to one of said strut means and another end to a connecting link which is in turn operatively connected to said biasing means, said linkage assembly being disposed below the lower surface of said thigh and main seat portions, said guide pins, elongate slots and linkage assembly cooperating to direct the movement of said thigh support portions along an arcuate path about a pivot axis located adjacent the upper surface thereof at said upper surface of said main seat portion, each of said thigh support portions being movable downwardly along said arcuate path upon the application of a load to it from above, whereby said individual thigh support portions are individually resiliently loaded upwardly and individually movable with respect to each other about said pivot axis adjacent the upper surfaces thereof without the presence of a pivotal hinge at said pivot axis.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A seat as defined in claim 1 wherein the thigh support portions are upholstered continuously with the main seat portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
63 words
A seat as defined in claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the upholstery is smooth and uninterrupted adjacent the pivot axis, and the lower surface of the upholstery is interrupted by a reentrant when the thigh support portion is upward, the pivot axis being in a narrow neck of upholstery between the front of the seat portion and the thigh support portion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A seat as defined in claim 1 wherein an adjustable limit means is operatively connected to said individual thigh support positions for selectively and individually regulating the upper support positions thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
78 words
A seat as defined in claim 4 wherein said linkage assembly includes a pivotally mounted connecting member to which said connecting link and biasing means are respectively connected and said adjustable limit means is connected to said pivotally mounted connecting member, said adjustable limit means acting to limit the forward arcuate travel of said pivotally mounted connecting member, thereby enabling the selective and individual regulation of the upper support position of each of said individual thigh support members.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
126 words
A seat as defined in claim 5 wherein said adjustable limit means comprises a scissors linkage movable into respective open and closed positions, one pair of arms of said scissors linkage being operatively inteRconnected with said pivotally mounted connecting member to provide a stop means for said linkage assembly in one of said open or closed positions, and the opposed pairs of arms of said scissors linkage being screw-threadedly engaged in an oppositely screw-threaded fixed control axis, whereby rotation of a control rod operates to regulate the extent to which said scissors linkage can travel in the fully open and fully closed positions associated with the particular setting of the control rod to thereby selectively control the action of said stop means on the linkage assembly.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
109 words
The seat as defined in claim 4 wherein said adjustable limit means comprises a freely movable link, one end of which is mounted to one of said individual thigh support portions and the other end of which is connected to said main seat portion, downward depression of the thigh support portion associated therewith being in opposition to the resilient loading provided by said biasing means and being in the direction of free movement of said movable link, said link including an adjustable stop means for selectively determining the position from which said movement starts, whereby the uppermost position of the thigh support portion associated therewith can be selectively regulated.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
A seat as defined in claim 7 wherein said freely movable link is separate from said linkage assembly.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
292 words
In a seat having a main seat portion fixed relative to pivotally adjustable and depressible individual thigh support portions and having an upper surface for receiving and supporting vertically a user of the seat, the improvement comprising biasing means urging each of said thigh support portions into an upper support position, said thigh support portions including individual strut means in fixed relationship therewith and extending downwardly therefrom, said main seat portion including a frame member in fixed relationship therewith, and constraining means associated with each of said strut means and frame member, said constraining means including a guide pin which is slidably received within an elongate slot, one of said guide pin and elongate slot being in fixed relationship to said strut means and the other being in fixed relationship to said frame, a linkage assembly operatively connecting said biasing means to the thigh support portions associated therewith, said linkage assembly being disposed below said main seat and thigh support portions and including a pivotally mounted lever means having one end mounted to one of said strut means and another end fixed to a connecting link which in turn is operatively connected to said biasing means, whereby travel of said guide pin along said elongate slot in cooperation with the linkage assembly provides constrained movement of said thigh support portion associated therewith for limiting movement of said thigh support portion along an arcuate path about a pivot axis located adjacent the upper surface thereof at a forward end of said main seat portion and said individual thigh support portions are individually resiliently loaded upwardly and individually movable with respect to each other about said pivot axis adjacent the upper surfaces thereof without the presence of a pivotal hinge at said pivot axis.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
292 words
In a seat having a main seat portion fixed relative to pivotally adjustable and depressible individual thigh support portions and having an upper surface for receiving and supporting vertically a user of the seat, the improvement comprising biasing means urging each of said thigh support portions into an upper support position, said thigh support portions including individual strut means in fixed relationship therewith and extending downwardly therefrom, said main seat portion including a frame member in fixed relationship therewith, and constraining means associated with each of said strut means and frame member, said constraining means including a guide pin which is slidably received within an elongate slot, one of said guide pin and elongate slot being in fixed relationship to said strut means and the other being in fixed relationship to said frame, a linkage assembly operatively connecting said biasing means to the thigh support portions associated therewith, said linkage assembly being disposed below said main seat and thigh support portions and including a pivotally mounted lever means having one end mounted to one of said strut means and another end fixed to a connecting link which in turn is operatively connected to said biasing means, whereby travel of said guide pin along said elongate slot in cooperation with the linkage assembly provides constrained movement of said thigh support portion associated therewith for limiting movement of said thigh support portion along an arcuate path about a pivot axis located adjacent the upper surface thereof at a forward end of said main seat portion and said individual thigh support portions are individually resiliently loaded upwardly and individually movable with respect to each other about said pivot axis adjacent the upper surfaces thereof without the presence of a pivotal hinge at said pivot axis.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-05-12 | 1978-11-11 | 1979-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-05-12 | 1982-11-11 | 1983-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-05-12 | 1986-11-11 | 1987-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |