Rocking chair

Claim 1

A rocking chair comprising: a chair base; a chair; flexible plastic sheet means connected between the chair base and the chair for supporting the chair and its occupant and permitting rocking of the chair with respect to the base in a plane essentially normal to a major surface of the flexible sheet means by flexing of the flexible plastic sheet means; first mounting means for connecting one end of the flexible sheet means to the chair, second mounting means for connecting an opposite end of the flexible sheet means to the chair base, the flexible sheet means extending generally upwardly from the second mounting means to the first mounting means at a slight inclination rearwardly from a vertical position when the chair is unoccupied so that the chair and its occupant initially apply a primarily compressive load to the flexible plastic sheet means, said second mounting means comprising a support member secured to and above the chair base and having a lower generally flat upwardly extending surface and an aperture extending through said support member above said flat surface, said aperture being of a width at least equal to that of the flexible sheet means and with the opposed walls of said aperture diverging from the bottom to the top of the aperture, the rear wall of the aperture being curved to provide a controlled decrease in the free length of the sheet means as the chair is rocked rearwardly, and means for fastening the lower end of the sheet means to said flat surface at the slight inclination to the vertical with the sheet means extending upwardly through said aperture towards the first mounting means, and stop means for stopping the rearward movement of the chair before the sheet means engages the upper end of said curved wall.