CA1157366A - Synchrotilt chair control - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The specification discloses a synchrotilt chair control in which a slide is provided between the front Or the seat support and stationary control housing, which slide serves not only to make possible synchrotilt action between the back support and seat support, but also makes possible the incorporation of a seat adjustment assembly.
The latter comprises a pivot bracket pivotally mounted on the slide and on the seat support, and an actuator for pivoting the pivot bracket. The pivotal mounting between the seat support and back support is also dual functional in that it supports a pivotally mounted lock plate for locking the control. A height adjustment actuator and hidden handle pretension adjustment bolt are also provided.

Description

This application is related to Canadian patent application serial numbers 375,774; 375,846 and 375,862.
BACKGROUND O~ Tl-IE INVENTION
, _ _ The present invention relates to synchrotilt chair controls. In syncllrotilt controls, the chair back and the chair seat both tilt, and generally tilt together, but they tilt at different rates. The back tilts at a faster rate so that as one tilts back, he is less likely to have his feet lifted off of the floor by the rising front edge of the chair seat. In contrast, the other two common types of chair controls include one attached to the chair seat only such that the cllair and back tiIt at the same rate or one attached to the back only such that the back tilts, but the seat doesn't.
Synchrotilt chair controls typically have a stationary member with a resilient biasing means mounted in the stationary member. A chair back support means is usually pivotally mounted on the stationary member and is operably interconnected with the resilient biasing means.
A chair seat support means is mounted on the stationary member and is operably connected to the chair back sunport means for rearward tilting with the chair back support means, but at a different rate with respect to it.
In order to provide for the differential rate of tilting between the chair seat and back, the chair seat support and the chair back support portions of the control must move relative to one another. Yet, theynmustbe inter-connected to one anotller so that tl-e relative movements of t!le chair seat and back can be coordinated.
One way that prior artisans have achieved this result is to provide a toggle linkage between the rear of ~h 1 the seat support and the rear of the back support. Examples of prior art patents disclosing such a mechanism include the following United States patents:
Lie 2,991,125, issued July 4, 1961; Dufton 3,369,840, issued February 20, 1968; Williams 3,402,964, issued September 24, 1968; Lie 3,455,601, issued July 15, 1969; Kerstholt 3,602,537, issued August 31, 1971; and Williams 3,672,721, issued June 27, 1972.
Another alternative employed by prior artisans is to provide a sliding connection between the rear of the seat support and the rear of the back support member. Examples of this approach include U.S. patents to Sengpiel 2,447,601, issued August 24, 1948; Moore 3,072,436, issued January 8, 1963; and Pauquete 4,013,257, issued March 22, 1977.
There are several important drawbacks to these prior art arrangements. The moving toggle linkage or slide between the rear of the seat support member and the rear of the back support member are subjected to tremendous loading forces and accordingly tend to wear out and otherwise operate inefficiently. The tremendous forces imposed on the rear of a chair control, either a seat supporting member or a back upright supporting member or both, are perhaps not totally appreciated by those skilled in the art. Hence, the prior art devices described above have not enjoyed any signi-ficant success.
One prior attempt to overcome this difficulty through the use of two separate torsion members in an attempt to distribute the loading forces is shown in Anderson et al.
U.S. patent 3,545,810, issued Decelnber 8, 1970. Even so, the loads imposed at the rear of the seat support member and back upright support member are very high. Further, such

-2-1 mechanisms tend to be extremely cumbersome and complicated, as do the prior art mechanisms described above.
Another problem encountered with the arrangements described above is that a user may get the feeling as he leans back that the chair back and seat are separating from one another due to the slight shift between the seat support member and the back support member at the rear thereof. One prior artisan attempted to eliminate this uneasy feeling by pivotally joining the rear of the seat support to the chair back support and providing for sliding movement at the point at which the back support members are pivotally joined to the stationary chair control housing. Ciuffini et al., U.S.
patent 3,240,528, issued March 15, 1966. Unfortunately, that also is a heavily loaded point and accordingly, there may be a tendency for the sliding bearings to stick or wear out.
Another drawback is that such chair controls tend to be very complicated. The toggle or slide, for example is just one more single junction mechanical device on the mechanism which clutters it up. The addition of still further control features such as, for example, the locking cylinder of Lie 2,991,125 is almost unthinkable because of the resulting cluttered look.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a revolutionary synchrotilt chair control which exhibits incredible economy of space and component function. Because of the unique arrangement of components a remarkable number of features can be provided in a single control.
rlhe synchrotilt chair control of the present inven-tion utilizes a slidable interconnection between the seat 1 15'73~6 1 and the stationary member. Ilowever in the present in-vention, it is a dual function slide in that a unique seat adjustment assembly utilizes the same slidable connection to facilitate adjusting the seat angle. Preferably, this slide is located at the front of the chair, with the back of the seat support being directly pivotally connected to the back support. Not only is the slide dual function, but its preferred location subjects it to decreased wear and tear, the loads imposed at the front of a seat during rearward tilting being less than those at the rear.
In a narrower aspect of the invention, another feature is provided based on the pivot axle mounting between the seat support and back support. A control locking plate is pivotally carried on this piv~t axle and an acutator can be operated to pivot it into operable engagement with the stationary member, thereby locking the chair control against any tilting action.
These and other unique features are all independent inventions in their own right, capable~ of operation in en-vironments other than synchrotilt chair controls. They are so claimed in copending patent applications. However, they also cooperate in unique ways to create the revolutionary synchrotilt chair control of the present invention. These features, objects and advantages will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the written specification and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~INGS
Figure 1 is a plan view of a chair control made in accordance with the present invention;
Figure Z is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along planes II-II of Figure l, showing only the right side seat support stretcher and back support arm (as viewed in Figure l) and eliminating certain parts for clarification purposes;
Figure 3 is the same view as Figure 2, but with the chair control in the position which it assumes when a person leans back in a chair to which the chair control is attached;
Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the chair control with some of the internal components being shown in hidden lines;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of the chair seat supporting assembly as shown in Figure l;
Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the assembly of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the seat adjustment pivot bracket as shown in Figure l;
Figure 8 is a cross sectional view thereof taken along plane VIII -VIII of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a top plan view of the pivot bracket in~ert as shown in Figure l;
Figure lO is a cross sectional view thereof taken along plane X-X of Figure 9;
Figure 11 is a cross sectional view thereof taken along plane XI-XI of Figure 9;
Figure 12 is a cross sectional view thereof taken along plane X~I-XII o~ Figure 9;
Figure 13 is a top plan view o~ the seat adjustment slide as shown in Figure 2;

Figure 14 is a side elevational view of the slide of Figure 13;
Figure lS is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken generally along plane XV-XV of Figure 1, showing only as much as the chair control as necessary to illustrate the pneumatic cylinder actuator assembly:
Figure 16 is a side elevational view of the operator handle mounting bracket for the pneumatic cylinder adjust-ment assembly as shown in Figure lS;
Figure 17 is a rear elevational view of the bracket of Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a side elevational view of the bracket of Figure 16;
Figure 19 is a top plan Yiew of the handle spring as shown in Figure l;
Figure 20 is an elevational view of the push rod end cap a~ shown in Figure 1:
Figure 21 is a front elevational view of the back up-right lock plate as shown in Figure l;
Figure 22 is a cross sectional view taken generally along plane xxII-xxrI of Figure 21, but with a pivot axle shown extending therethrough Figure 23 is a side elevational view of the back plate spring as shown in Figure l;
Figure 24 i8 an end eleYational view of the spring of Figure 23;
Figure 25 is an eleYational view of portion~ of the tension ~olt assembly as shown in Figure l;
Figure 26 is a top plan Yiew of the assembly o~
Figure 25S
Figure 27 is an elevational view of the adjustment cap as sho~n in Figure 4;

Figure 28 is a cross sectional view of the cap taken along plane XXVIII-XXVIII of Figure 27;
Figure 29, located on the same Yheet as Figure 25, is a cross sectional view of the adjustment cap of Figure 25 as~embled with the actuating lever as shown in Figure 26; and Figure 30 shows an alternative adjustment cap and means for securing it to bolt a portion of the cap being broken away.
DESCRIPT~ON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
-A. BASIC ASSEMBLY
Figures 1-4 illustrate the basic assembly of the pre-ferred embodiment chair control 1. In Figure~ 2 and 3, itis shown mounted on a supporting column or spindle asse~bly 2.
Chair control 1 comprises a stationary control housing 10 which houses a bias means 30 (Figs~ 1 and 4). The degree of pretension on bias means 30 is controlled by tension bolt assembly 40. Chair back support arms 60 are secured to the ends of the arbor 31 of bias means 30 and pivot with respect to ~tationary control housing 10. Chair seat support stret-cher assembly 70 is pivotally mounted at its rear directly to back support arms 60. The front of seat support assembly 70 is slidably mounted within tracks 20 on the front of sta-tionary control housing 10. This slidable mount is through a seat adjustment assembly 80 described more fully hereinbelcw.
Chair control 1 also includes a pneumatic cylinder actuator assembly 100 for actuating the pneumatic cylinder 3 located within spindle assembly 2. The invention also con-templates in the preferred embodiment a chair control locking assembly 140 described more fully hereinbelow. This locks the control against tilting and thereby prevents the back upright and the seat from tilting.

Stationary control housing lQ is a stamped or otherwise .

11573~6 formed metal dish having a bottom wall 11, side walls 12, a front wall 13 and rear wall 14 (Figs. 2 and 3). A

- 7a -I ~.57~6 1 lip 15 extends around the upper periphery (see Fig. 2).
There is an aperture in bottom 11 through which the upper end of spindle 2 extends. A s~indle mounting plate 16 is welded to the inside of housing 10 and includes an aperture 17 therein to also receive the upper end of column assembly 2 (Figs. 1 and 2).
Projecting forwardly from front wall 13 are a pair of track brackets 20. These are formed of metal by bending them so as to define a top wall 21, a bottom wall 22 and a front wall 23. These bascially define the track in which seat support assembly 70 is slidably mounted. Extend-ing downwardly from bottom wall 22 is a front brace 24 and then bent inwardly from front brace 24 to form the bottom brace 25. The rear portion of top wall 21, front brace 24 and bottom brace 25 are welded to stationary control housing 10 to hold track brackets 20 in place.
Bias means 30 comprises a torsional coil spring arrangement. An arbor 31 which is generally circular in cross sectional configuration extends through holes 17 in side walls 12 of stationary control housing 10 (compa~eto Figs. 1 and 2). Arbor 31 is actually hidden in Figure 1 since it is covered by a plastic sleeve 34. The ends of arbor 31 are rotatably carried in end bearings 35 which are located with-in side wall holes 17. Coiled around arbor 31 and sleeve 34 are a pair of coil springs 32. The front ends 32a of coil springs 32 are captured under retainer nut 59 of tension bolt assembly 40, captured in notches and between the side walls thereof. The rear ends 32b of springs 32 are captured under the chair back support arms 60. Tension adjustment is achiev-~S() ed by tightening or loosening tension bolt 40 in retainer nut 1 15~386 1 59. Basically, tension adjustment bolt assembly 40 com-prises a bolt 40a having a hollow shank normally housing a lever 47. One can grasp gripping cap 51, retract lever 47, pivot it to one side into a slot 43a and rotate it to thread bolt 40a up or down in retainer 59.
Chair back support arms 60 are formed of metal and are preferably channel shaped in cross section having a top wall 63, a side wall 64 and a bottom wall 65 (Fig. 2).
There are two such chair back mounting arms 60, one located on either side of stationary housing 10 (Fig. 1). The generally channel shape cross section allows one to slip a chair back support frame or arm into the channels.
The arbor mounting hole or holes 61 in the side wall 64 of chair back support arm 60 is visible through the hole 17 in the side of stationary housing 10 in Figure 2.
There are two semi-circles 61 spaced by a bridge 62. The ends of arbor 30 are slotted so that they fit into the semi-circles 61. In this way, chair back support arms 60 are fixed against rotation with respect to arbor 30 and as one tilts back in the chair, chair back support arms 60 pivot and arbor 30 rotates within its plastic end bearings 35.
On top wall 63 of each support arm 60, located toward the front thereof are a pair of downwardly projecting dimples or protrusions 69 (Fig. 2). The rear end 32b of each coil spring 30 is captured between dimples 69. The other protru-sions shown projecting up from top wall 63 are merely reinforc-ing ribs.
Located about midway along the length of each chair back support arm 60 is a hole 66 which is adapted to receive the rear axle 68 and suitable bearing 68a. It is on the rear g 1 1$~3~

1 axle 68 that the rear of chair seat support assembly 70 is pivotally carried.
The chair seat support assembly 70 comprises a pair o-f spaced stretchers 70a joined at the front by front piece 74 (Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6). Each side stretcher 70a is formed of steel to define a top ledge 71 and a side wall 72.
There are mounting holes 76 in top ledges 71 to facilitate mounting chair control 1 to the bottom ofachair seat.
Located in one side stretcher 70a is a push rod hole 77 through which the push rod 105 of pneumatic cylinder adjustment assembly 100 extends. There is an aperture 78a in the same side stretcher and a similar aperture 78 in the other side stretcher 70a through which the back upright lock rod 150 extends.
Located towards the rear of each side wall 72 of each stretcher 70a is a rear axle receiving hole 79 ~Fig. 6) which receives the end of rear axle 68 carried in a suitable plastic bearing of "T" shaped longitudinal cross section 79a (Fig. 1). Of course, suitable retainer clips 79b or the like then hold rear axle 68 in position (hidden in Fig. 1).
The front piece 74 which is welded to and thereby joined to side stretchers 70a is generally "J" shaped having a bottom wall 74a, a front wall 74b and a top lip 74c. Bottom wall 74a includes a pair of spaced slots 75 therein for cooperating with components of seat adjustment assembly 80.
One slot is located towards one side stretcher 70a and the other slot towards the other.
A large generally rectangular opening 73 is pro-vided towards the front of each side wall 72 of each s-tretcher 70a. (Figs. 4 and 6). Ihese facilitate sliding of axie 89 -1 in tracks 20 without interference and also facilitate cooperation with seat adjustment assembly 80. The forwardmost holes 73a in each side wall 72 of each stretcher 70a similarly facilitate mounting of seat adjustment assembly 80 to stretcher assembly 70. The details of this coopera-tion are set forth more fully hereinbelow.
B. SEAT ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY
Seat adjustment assembly 80 comprises first of all a pivot bracket 81 which is pivotally mounted between side stretchers 70a of stretcher assembly 70 via pivot nut, bolt and washer assemblies 82 through holes 73a (Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 8). Pivot bracket 81 comprises a pair of spaced, short le;g~ 81a joined by a cylindrical bottom wall 81b. Cylindri-cal wall 81b defines at least a portion of the wall of a right circular cylinder having its axis of revolution on the pivot axis between bracket 81 and seat support assembly 70. All are formed of metal and are welded together or alternatively formed from a single piece. -The hole 82a towards the front of each side wall 81a through which the bolt of nut, bolt and washer assembly 82 passes can be seen in Figure 8. Referring to Figure 7, it will be seen that:there are a pair of spaced slots 83 in bottom wall 81b of pivot bracket 81. Each slot 83 is generally spirally or helically oriented in the cylindrical bottom wall 81b. When pivot bracket 81 is pivotally secured in position in seat support stretcher assembly 70, helical slots 83 line up above slots 75, with bottom wall 81b possibly but not necessarily contacting bottom wall 74a of front piece 74 of seat support assembly 70. However, slots 83 are slanted relative to slots 75 such that they overlap only at selected points at any given time.

ll~7386 1 The particular points at which slots 83 line up with slots 75 is determined by adjustment slide 90 (Figs. 2, 4, 13 and 14). Adjustment slide 90 comprises a flat bottom plate 91 having a gripper flange 92 project-ing downwardly from the bottom thereof. Protruding up-wardly from bottom plate 91 are a pair of spaced bolts 93.
Bottom plate 91 including gripper 92 is molded of plastic and bolts 93 are square cross section shoulder b~lts ~hich ~re molded in place in the plastic. A raised locating shoulder 96 around each bolt 93 is alo integrally molded of the plastic material with plate 91 and gripper 92.
In assembly, bolts 93 project upwardly through slots 75 and 83, with each locating shoulder 96 fitting snuggly within one of said slots 75 in the bottom wall 74a of front piece 74 of seat support assembly 70. More specifi-cally, the square cross sectioned shank 95 of each bolt 93 extends upwardly through the slot 88 in a molded plastic pivot bracket insert 86 (Figs. 9-12 as well as Figs. 1, 2, and 4). Pivot bracket inserts 86 are made of self lubricat-ing type of plastic such as a glass reinforced nylon in order to minimize friction in the seat adjustment assembly.
It will be noted that each insert 86 is cylindrical in cross sectional configuration so that it seats snuggly against the cylindrical cross sectional configuration of the bottom wall 81b of pivot bracket 81. The slot 88 in pivot bracket in-sert 86 is similarly helical in shape so that it matches with slot 83. It will be further noted that each slot 88 is framed by a peripheral, downwardly projecting lip 87 which actually extends into and through the receiving slot 83. The helical configuration of lip 87 can be appreciated by reference to the three cross sections shown in Figures 10, 11 and 12.

-1 1573~6 1 Because of the difference between the generally rectilinear slot 75 in seat support front piece 74 as distinguished from the helical slot 88 in pivot bracket in-serts 86, it will be noted by reference to Figure 13 that the plastic guide or locating shoulders 96 at the base of each upwardly projecting bolt 93 are generally rectangular in configuration and are oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of seat adjustment slide 90. Thus, these locating shoulders 96 sit nicely in slots 75 and slide readily from one end thereof to the other.
However, the generally rectangular shank or shoulder 95 of shoulder bolts 93 are cocked at a slight angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of slide 90. This is accomplished by embedding shoulder bolts 93 at a cocked angle that can be seen from the outline of the heads 94 of the bolts which are embedded in the plastic of bottom plate 91. These cocked, generally rectangular shanks or shoulders 95 then fit readily into slots 88 and slide readily along the length thereof.
Projecting upwardly from the cocked shoulder 95 of bolts 93 are the threaded upper ends 95a. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 4, it will be understood that a washer of generally solid semi-cylindrical lateral cross section fits over the threaded portion 95a of each~bolt 93 and the cylin-drical wall portion of each washer 97 seats down in the cylindrical nest defined by pivot bracket inserts 86. Flanged nuts 98 are then threaded down onto threaded ends 95a of bolts 93. The components are dimensioned or adjusted such that washer 97 rests on top of shoulder or shank 95 without tightening pivot bracket inserts 86 and pivot bracket 81 too tight against 1 1$ 73~6 1 bottom wall 74a o-f seat stretcher front piece 74. This allows one to slide seat adjustment slide 90 to the left or to the right relative to the front of chair control 1, thereby changing that portion of slots 88 and 83 which over-lie the longitudinally oriented slots 75 of seat stretcher front piece 74. In effect, this causes pivot bracket 81 to rotate about its pivotal mounting via nut, washer and bolt assemblies 82 to seat stretcher assembly 70. Such rotation shifts the elevation of the left end of each leg 81a of pivot bracket 81 with respect to the side stretchers 70a of seat stretcher assembly 70.
The purpose of this change in elevation is to change the effective angle or elevation of the front of a chair seat mounted on chair control 1. Located at the left end as viewed in Figures 2, 4 and 8, of pivot bracket 81 is an axle re-ceiving hole 84. A front slide axle 89 extends through the axle receiving holes 84 in the opposite pivot bracket legs 81a.
The ends of the axle 89 are carried in suitable bearings 89a.
Axle 89 passes through the lateral openings in track brackets 20 at the front of stationary control housing 10 whereby pivot bracket 81 is pivotally mounted to stationary hausing 10. Within the confines of each track bracket 20, axle 89 is carried in a plastic bushing 99 of generally rectangular cross section (Figs. 1 and 2). Retainer clips or rings 99a (Fig. 1) hold the plastic bushing 99 and axle 89 in position within track brackets 99. With the ends of pivot bracXet legs 81a thus assembled to the front of stationary control housing 10, the pivoting of pivot bracket 81 by chang-ing the positionof slide 90 thereby changes the elevation of the front of seat support assembly 70 with respect to the front 1 ~573S6 1 of stationary control housing 10. This then facilitates ad-justment of the seat angle by the user of the chair to which chair control l is mounted.
Bushings 99 are preferably formed of a self lubricat-ing plastic material of the type commonly used to minimize friction. An example of such a plastic would be the acetal type, available from Dupont as "Delrin" TM, and from Celenese as "Celcon" TM. This enables bushings 99 to slide along the length of track brackets 20.
Such sliding action takes place when the user of a chair to which chair control 1 is mounted leans back in the chair. In leaning back, he causes chair back support arms 90 to pivot about their pivot point with respect to station-ary housing 10. Similarly, chair seat support assembly 70 tilts rearwardly since it is pivotally connected directly to back support arms 60 at axle 68. At the same time, front axle 89 and bushings 99 slide rearwardly within track brackets 20. The enlarged openings 73 in the side stretchers 70a allow clearance for the ends of axle 89 to move up and down and slide.
A comparison of chair control l in its untilted and tilted back positions respectively can be seen by comparing Figures 2 and

3.
Also, the sliding interconnection between station-ary member 10 and pivot axle 89 allows pivot axle 89 to shift as pivot bracket 81 is rotated. At some point, there has to be means allowing at least one connection between said housing 10 to shift vis-a-visseat support 70 when pivot bracket 81 is rotated.
C. TENSION ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY
Tension adjustment assembly 40 comprises a threaded bolt assembly 40a which extends through the bottom of stationary 1 15'~3~6 1 housing 10 and is threaded into a threaded retainer nut 59 (Fig. 4). Referring to Figures 25, it will be seen that ad-justment bolt 40a comprises a threaded end 41 which projects from a hollow tubular shank 42. There is an enlarged head 43 at the end of hollow shank 42 and there are a pair of spaced slots 43a and 43b on opposite sides of head 43 (Fig. 26).
Positioned within hollow shank 42 is an elongated lever 47 having an enlarged retainer head 48. Lever 48 is free to slide in and out of hollow shank 42 and can be ex-tracted from its position as shown in solid and hidden lines in Fi-gure 25 to the lateral position shown in phantom lines in Figure 25. In the lateral position, lever 47 is seated with-in and extends through the large slot 43a on one side of head 43.
In order to prevent lever 47 from -falling completely out of the hollow interior of shank 42, a slotted washer 45 is welded to the open top of head 43. It includes a relatively long slot 45a which extends from beyond its center to one edge and which, in assembly, is aligned with slot 43a in the side of head 43. Another shorter slot 45b extends from the opposite side of washer 45 and aligns with slot 43b in head 43 of bolt 48.
It can be seen that slot 43a allows one to pull lever 47 into an extended position and fold it over so that it extends through slot 43a, but does not allow the enlarged head 48 to be retracted from the assembly since slot 45a is narrower than the width of enlarged head 48.
Enlarged head 43 of bolt 40a includes an annular rib 44 projecting from the exterior surface thereof. This facilitates mounting a plastic cap 54 over head 43 (Figs. 27, 28 and 29). Cap 54 includes an inner annular groove 55 which seats over projecting annular rib 44 and thereby holds cap 54 in 1 position on enlarged head 43.
Cap 54 also includes an enlarged slot 57 which ex-tends completely up one side and through the top of the cap all the way beyond its center and almost to the opposite side (Figs. 27 and 28). Slot 57 is intended to line up with slots 43a and 45a so that the presence of cap 54 on head 43 does not hinder the action of lever 47 as illustrated in Figure 25.
In order to align slot 57 properly, cap 54 includes an inwardly projecting tab 58. Tab 58 is located directly opposite slot 57 and seats within slots 45b and 43b on head 43 to thereby insure that slot 57 will be properly aligned with slots 43a and 45a.
Other than aesthetics, the primary purpose of cap 54 is to retain lever 47 in its normally stored condition as illustrated in Figures 4 and 25. Lever 47 includes its own annular rib 49 near its end opposite retainer head 48. Cap 54 includes an annular lip 56 extending around a top central opening. Top lip 56 and annular rib 49 are dimensioned such that annular rib 49 can be forced past lip 56 in either direction, but the fit is a snug one such that absent application of force, annular rib 49 will be retained be-hind lip 56 to thereby hold lever 47 in its up position as indicated in Figure 4 and Figure 29.
Lever 47 includes a knurled end 50. This receives a plastic gripping head 51 which has a hollow core to fit snuggly over knurled end 50. The bottom (or top depending on your point of view) of gripping head 51 is hollowed out to define a shallow recess 52. The purpose of recess 52 is to fit over and cover the downwardly protrudino lips 56 of 1 cap 54 when lever 47 is seated in its normally stored posi-tion as illustrated in Figure 29. The reason lips 56 project downwardly below the level of the rest of the body of cap 54 and then inwardly is that such positioning renders them somewhat more flexible, enabling them to be dimensioned more snuggly around the main body of lever 47 and still allow them to be flexed to one side as annular rib 49 passes.
The threaded end 41 of bolt 40a is threaded into a threaded opening in retainer nut 59. When one wants to adjust the pretension of bias means 30, one grips gripping head 51, pulls lever 47 downwardly and then pivots lever 47 to one side until it is located so as to pass through slot 43a (Fig.
25). One then applies a force to the end of lever 47 and thereby rotates adjustment bolt 40a, causing it to thread upwardly or downwardly in retainer nut 59.
Figure 30 discloses an alternative and indeed most preferred means for securing cap 54 to bolt 40a. The differences in the Figure 30 embodiment over that described above are:
1. elimination of rib 44 and groove 55;
2. addition of a knurled surface 43c on head 43; and 3. closing of slot 57 in cap 54 at the base thereof by a bridge 57a of plastic material.
With slot 57 closed by bridge 57a, cap 54 can now be force fitted onto head 43. Knurled surface 43a digs into the interior plastic surface of cap 54 and holds cap 54 in place on head 43. This eliminates the need for rib 44 and groove 55.
D. PNEUMATIC CYLINDER ACTUATOR
Pneumatic cylinder adjustment assembly 100 is de-I 15'73fi6 1 signed -for use in conjunction with a pneumatic cylinder pedestal base of the type shown in Figure 2. A pneumatic cylinder 3 is housed within a hollow sleeve or column 2.
At the top end of pneumatic cylinder 3 is an actuator button 3a. When one depresses acutator button 3a, one allows the piston rod to expand outwardly with respect to its cylinder; or alternatively iE weight is applied to the chair upon which control 1 is mounted, one compresses the piston rod into the cylinder 3.
Figure 15 provides the best illustration of pneumatic cylinder actuator assembly 100. A pivot mounting bracket 101 is welded to and is part of stationary housing 10. Specifically, it is welded on top of spindle mounting plate 16 (see also Figures 1 and 2). Pivot mounting bracket 101 has a pair of upwardly projecting spaced legs, each with an aperture therein to receive a pivot pin 103. Pivot pin 103 extends through a "T" shaped pivot arm 102. Thus pivot arm 102 is free to pivot about pivot 103. It is seated be-tween the spaced legs of pivot mounting bracket lOl.
Located in the extending leg of pivot arm 102 is an adjustment screw 104. Adjustment screw 104 rests on top of cylinder actuator button 3a.
Pivotally connected to the opposite end of the "T"
cross bar of arm 102 is push rod 105. The upper end of arm 102 is grooved or notched at 102a (note the hidden lines in Figure 15) and the flattened end 105a of push rod 105 fits down into slot or groove 102a. A top pivot pin 106 extends through holes in arm 102 and in the end 105a of push rod 105 to pivotally join the two together. Suitable retainers or clips hold pivot pins 103 and 106 in place. This interconnec-I ~S~3S6 1 tion is loose, allowing push rod 105 to shift slightly fore and aft of housing 10, as well as to pivot up and down.
Push rod 105 extends outwardly over back support arm 60 and through side hole 77 in side stretcher 70a (see also Fig. 5). Fitted over the projecting end of push rod 105 is a plastic end cap 107 having a projecting tip 107a (see also Figure 20). Cap 107 is hollowed out as in-dicated by the hidden lincs in Figure 20 to receive the end of push rod 105. It is apparent that when one pushes on push rod 105, one causes arm 102 to rock downwardly and push button 3a downwardly, thereby actuating pneumatic cylinder 3.
It will be noted that seat support 70 is located above back support 60 in elevation, in part so that push rod 105 will extend out over one back support 60 without inter-fering with it ~Figs. 2-4). Indeed, back support arm 60 deviates downwardly after it goes over pivot axle 68 and then slopes back upwardly towards the front of control 1 so as to create a depression in the vicinity of push rod 105, and of control lock actuator 150, thereby insuring an absence of interference even when control 1 is tilted.
The pushing of push rod 105 is achieved through operator handle 120. Operator handle 120 is pivotally mount-ed on a handle mounting bracket 110 which in turn is welded to stretcher 70a (see Figs. 1, 5 and 15). Referring to Figures 16 and 17, it will be seen that handle mounting bracket 110 comprises a pair of spaced side walls 112 joined by a top wall 113. Depending downwardly from the left hand (as viewed in Figure 16) portion of mounting bracket 110 are a pair of spaced legs 114. They include apertures 115 therein to facilitate pivotal mounting of handle 120.

11573~6 1 Handle 120 comprises first of all a handle bracket 121 formed of metal, as is mounting bracket 110 (Fig. 18). Hand]e bracket 121 includes a top plate 122, ribbed for reinforcement and a pair of spaced,downwardly depending apertured ears 123 on either side of top plate 122. These ears 123 fit just inside the spaced legs114 of mounting bracket 110 and a pivot pin 126 extends through apertures 123a and apertures 115 to thereby pivotally mount handle bracket 121 to mounting bracket 110 (Fig. 15). Suitable retainer clips hold pin 126 in place.
Projecting upwardly from top plate 122, and sloped somewhat rearwardly with respect thereto, is push plate flange 124 (Fig. 18). It includes an aperture 124a therein (indicated by hidden lines in Figure 18). The projecting tip 107a on the end of p~sh rod 105 projects into and through aperture 124a in push plate flange 124 (Fig. 15). Thus when one pushes upwardly on the handle 120, push plate flange 124 pushes push rod 105 inwardly, thereby pivoting arm 102 downwardly and depressing cylinder button 3a.
To facilitate pushing handle 120, an enlarged plastic button 125 is secured to the exposed under portion of top plate 122 of handle bracket 121. It will be noted that handle mounting bracket 110 includes a downwardly turned stop flange 116 along the front edge (or left edge as viewed in Figure 15 or 16) of top plate 113 (Figs. 16 and 17). This flange 116 serves as a stop for push plate flange 124 and thereby prevents handle 120 from falling off the tipped end 107a of push rod 105 (see Fig. 15).
Additionally, handle 120 is biased upwardly so that 1 1573~6 1 there is always a slight pressure against push rod 105 by means of a small spring 130 (Figs. 15 and 19). Spring 130 is capable of biasing handle 120 against push rod 105 only with sufficient force to generate approximately l or S 2 pounds of force on the top of cylinder button 3a. It takesaforce of approximately 30 pounds on button 3a to actuate cylinder 3. Thus, the only purpose o-f spring 130 is to insure that handle 120 is held snuggly against the end of push rod 105 at all times.
Spring 130 comprises a coil portion 131 with a long leg 132 extending off one end of coil 131 and a short leg 134 extending off the other end (Fig. 19). The end of long leg 132 is bent laterally at 133 and the end of short leg 134 is bent downwardly as viewed in Figure 19 such that the bent end is not visible in Figure 19. However, in Figure 15, it can be seen that coil 131 of spring 130extends around pivot pin 126 and that the bent end 135 of short leg 134 wraps around the back edge of the downwardly depending leg 114 of handle mounting bracket 110. The bent end 133 of long leg 132 then wraps around the leading edge of handle 120, thereby biasing it upwardly and holding it snuggly against plastic cap 107 on the end of push rod 105.
Thus, handle 120 is pivotally mounted to seat support 70 rather than to stationary housing 10. This in-sures that with respect to a user in the chair seat, handle 120 will always be in the same relative location, even if seat support 70 is tilted somewhat by the user. The loose connection of the tipped end 107 of push rod 105 to push plate 124 of handle 120, and to a lesser extent the loose fit at the other end of rod 105, insures that push rod 105 won't 1~57366 1 bind up when seat support 70 is tilted.
E. LOCKING ASSEMBLY
The purpose of locking plate 140 is to lock the chair back in its upright condition, making it im-possible for a person to tilt the chair and chair control 1 rearwardly. Referring to Figures 1, 4, 21 and 22, it will be seen that locking plate 140 comprises a rigid metal plate which has been formed to define a pair of spaced side walls 142 and a middle leg 143, all projecting in the same direction from and joined by a back wall 141. Each side wall 142 includes a keyhole opening 144 therein. Middle leg 143 simply includes a round hole 145 therein. Locking plate 140 is pivotally mounted to chair control assembly by means of rear axle 68 extending through keyholes 144 and hole 145, all of which are in alignment with one another. As can be seen by reference to Figure 1, each axle bearing sleeve 68a extends inwardly sufficiently far that a por~ion thereof ex-tends through each of the end openings 144 in side walls 142.
As can be seen by reference to Figure 22, each bearing sleeve 68a also includes a small projecting spline 68b which extends into the slot portion of keyhole 144. Spline 68b is narrower than the width of the slot portion of keyhole 144 so that lock plate 140 can be rotated about bearing 68a, yet spline 68b serves as a stop to prevent rotation beyond certain limits.
This prevents plate 140 from clanking noisely against lip 15 on housing 10. Bearing sleeve 68a will not itself rotate relative to chair back support arms 60 in that it includes other splines 68c received within similar notches in the apertures 66 in arms 60 (see Figs. 1 and 2).
Referrillg to Figure 4, it can thus be seen that ~57386 1 when locking plate 140 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 4, the bottom of its sidewalls 142 will come into position above the lip 15 along the rear edge of stationary housing 10. Side walls 142 are dimensioned such that when in that position, one cannot tilt back support arms 60 downwardly since the bottom edge of side walls 142 immediately comes into abutment with lip 15, or preferably into abutment with some sort of sound deadening plastic bumper, not shown in Figure 4. When in this locking posi-tion, plate 140 is in operable engagement with stationary housing lO in and with tilting back supports 60 in that it blocks any significant relative tilting of the two. As thus intended, the term operable engagement still allows for a slight space between plate 140 and housing 10 when the control is "at rest".
In order to facilitate rotation of lock plate 140 from its unlocked condition as shown in Figure 4 to its locked condition as described above, a lock actuator rod 150 is provided which extends through a hole 78 in one side stretcher 70a (compare Figs. 1 and 2) and is rotatably re-ceived in a similar hole 78a in the opposite side stretcher 70a (see also Fig. 5 where holes 78 and 78a are shown hidden).
Lock actuator rod 150 includes a generally U-shaped deviation or lever or bell crank portion 151 in its central part. The base of lever or bell crank portion 151 is located within a notch 146 cut in the end of middle leg 143 of lock plate 140 (Fig. 22). Mounted on the end of lock rod 150 is an enlarged handle 152. By depressing handle 152 towards either side of its axis of pivoting, one rotates rod 150 and thereby moves bell crank 151 upwardly or downwardly. This in turn rotates 1 1573~6 1 lock plate 140 about rear axle 68 and -facilitates movemellt of lock plate 140 from its locked to unlocked condition or visa-versa.
Spring 160 (Figs. 1, 23 and 24) biases lock plate 140 and lock actuator rod 150 to either the unlocked posi-tion or locked position through an over center action.
This prevents lock plate 140 from being inadvertently moved one way or the other. Referring particularly to Figures 23 and 24, it will be seen that spring 160 comprises a pair of open looped ends 161 which are located in side by side, spaced relationship. Each then is bent into a rearwardly extending leg 163 which in turn terminates in an upwardly bent, upwardly extending rear leg 163. Legs 163 are joined at their ends by a short bight 164. When viewed from the lS end (Fig. 24), spring 160 has a generally U-shaped configura-tion at one end, with legs 163 defining the sides of the "U". In assembly, spring 160 fits over leg 143 of back plate 140 such that bight 164 fits into a small notch 147 cut into the top of leg 143 (Fig. 22). The looped ends 161 then fit over and are preferably closed around the base of bell crank 151 of lock rod 150. Spring 160 then tends to hold lock plate 140 in either its locked or unlocked condition, depending on the position of bell crank 151.
_ERATION
With the various assemblies, sub assemblies and components thus described, the operation of chair control 1 can be more fully appreciated. As a person leans back in a chair to which chair control l is assembled, the chair back support arms 60 begin to pivot about their pivotal mounting (on arbor 31) to stationary housing 10. At the same time the 1 rear of seat support stretcher assembly 70 begins to shift downwardly relative to its front since chair seat support stretcher assembly 70 is pivotally joined to back support arms 60 by rear axle 68. The front of seat support assembly 70 pivots about front axle 89 which, along with its bushings 99, slides rearwardly in tracks 20. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate chair control 1 in its untilted and fully tilted conditions respectively.
The various pivot points are located such that the chair back tilts rearwardly at a rate which is approximately twice as fast as the rate of tilt for the seat. Because the seat support 70 is pivotally connected directly to the back support arms 60 rather than through some sort of toggel linkage or slide, there is less sensation of the seat and back separating as one tilts rearwardly. Further, wear and tear are minimized since the only movement between the seat support 70 and back support 60 is a pivotal movement about suitable bearings. The loads imposed on the sliding bushings 99 are relatively minimal compared to the loads imposed on rear axle 68. That is because as one tips rearwardly in the chair, one tends to shift his weight to the rear of the chair and off from the front of the chair seat. As a result, there is little likelihood of bushings 99 getting hung up in track 20 or of wearing out before they have enjoyed a suitable life span.
If the chair user wishes to change the angle of the chair seat, he simply reaches under the seat, grasps gripper 92 and moves adjustment slide 90 to either the left or right, depending on which way he wants to adjust the seat angle. This movement causes upwardly projecting bolts 93 to slide in slots 75 of seat support stretcher assembly 70 and in 1~573~6 1 helical slots 88 and 83 of pivot bracket inserts 86 and pivot bracket 81 respectively. Because slots 88 and 83 are helical and thus skewed slightly with respect to slots 75, such movement of bolts 93 causes pivot bracket 81 to pivot about its pivot mountings 82, which in turn changes the elevation of front axle 89 with respect to the front of seat stretcher assembly 70. This, of course, results in changing the seat angle.
If one wishes to change the height of the chair, one can reach under the chair seat and press upwardly on handle 120. This pivots handle 120 about mounting bracket 110 and causes push plate flange 124 to push against the end of push rod 105. This in turn pivots arm 102 downwardly and thereby pushes cylinder button 3a downwardly (Fig. 15).
If the chair is unoccupied when one does this, pneumatic cylinder 3 will expand, thereby causing the chair to move upwardly. If one is seated on the chair when one does this, pneumatic cylinder 3 will contract, thereby adjusting the chair height downwardly.
If one wishes to lock the chair against any tilt-ing motion, one simply reaches under the other side of the chair seat and pushes upwardly against the rear portion of handle 152. This twists lock actuator rod 150 and pivots bell crank 151 upwardly. This in turn pivots lock plate 140 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4, there-by causing the bottom edges of lock plate side walls 142 to come into position above the lip 15 of the rear portion of stationary housing 10. This makes it impossible to pivot back support arms 60 downwardly and hence make it impossible to tilt rearwardly in the chair to which chair control 1 is 11573~6 1 mounted.
If one wishes to adjust the pretension on bias unit 30, one reaches under the front of chair control 1 and grasps button 51, pulls lever 47 down past lip 56 and pivots lever 47 into slot 43a in the side of bolt 40a.
By then rotating lever 47, one threads bolt 40a in threaded retainer 59. This pulls down on, or alternatively eases off on, the ends32a of coil springs 32 and thereby changes the tension thereon.
Of course, it is understood that the above is merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects thereof as more particularly defined. in the appended claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the present invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

In a synchrotilt chair control having a station-ary control housing, resilient biasing means mounted in said stationary control housing, chair back support means pivotally mounted on said stationary control housing and operably interconnected with said resilient biasing means, and chair seat support means mounted on said stationary control housing and operably connected to said chair back support means for rearward tilting with said chair back support means, but at a different rate with respect thereto, against the biasing action of said resilient biasing means in response to a person leaning back in a chair to which said control is mounted, the improvement comprising; said chair seat support means having a forward portion located towards the front of a seat of a chair, when said control is mounted on a chair, and having a rearward portion located towards the rear of such a chair seat; said rearward portion of said chair seat support means being pivotally connected directly to said chair back support means; said stationary housing including track means located towards the front there-of; said seat support means including first pivot axis means slidably mounted in said track means at said forward portions of said seat support means, whereby said seat support means is free to shift relative to said stationary housing when a user tilts rearwardly in a chair mounted on such chair control;
seat adjustment means including a pivot bracket pivotally mounted to said first pivot axis means and to said seat support member on a second pivot axis; said pivot bracket in-cluding a cylindrical wall extending generally laterally with respect to the sides of said seat support member, said cylindrical wall defining at least a portion of the wall of a right circular cylinder whose axis of revolution lies on said second pivot axis; said cylindrical wall in-cluding at least one helically oriented slot therein; a slide slidably mounted on said seat support member for generally lateral movement with respect to the sides of said seat support member, said slide including projection means projecting through said helical slot in said cylindri-cal wall whereby as said slide is moved laterally, said cylindrical wall and therefore said pivot bracket are rotated about said second pivot axis, thereby changing the relative elevation of said first pivot axis means with re-spect thereto and thereby changing the pitch of said seat support means with respect to said stationary housing.

The chair control of claim 1 in which said track means comprise; a pair of spaced track brackets mounted on the front of said stationary control housing and projecting forwardly therefrom, each said track bracket comprising:
a flat top wall and a flat bottom wall joined by a front wall; said first pivot axis means comprising an axle mounted in bushings which are slidably located between said top and bottom walls of said track brackets, such that said bushings slide in said track brackets.

The chair control of claim 1 comprising:
said stationary control housing having spaced side walls;
said resilient bias means comprising a torsion means extend-ing between said spaced side walls of said stationary control housing and having portions extending through and beyond said side walls, said extending portions be-ing generally in alignment with the torsional axis of said torsion means; said chair back support means comprising a separate lever arm mounted on either side of and to the outside of said stationary control housing on said extend-ing portions of torsion means so as to pivot about said torsional axis; said seat support means comprising a pair of spaced stretchers mounted to the outside of said back support means and said stationary control housing.

The chair control of claim 3 comprising: said stationary member being generally dish shaped in configura-tion with said resilient biasing means being mounted within said dish and thereby generally concealed from view.

The chair control of claim 1 in which said slide includes a gripping flange projecting downwardly therefrom whereby a user can readily grasp said gripping flange and slide said slide one way or another.

The chair control of claim 1 in which said seat support member includes a wall having a generally rectilinear slot therein extending generally laterally with respect to the sides of said seat support member; said pro-jection means on said slide extending through said generally rectilinear slot.

The chair control of claim 6 in which said pro-jection means includes a locating shoulder of generally rectangular lateral cross section with sides oriented generally parallel to said generally rectilinear slot, said shoulder being received in said generally rectilinear slot; said projection means including a second shoulder of generally rectangular lateral cross section and having sides oriented at an angle with respect to said sides of said first shoulder and generally parallel to the sides of said helical slot as projected into a plane, said second shoulder being received within said helical slot.

The chair control of claim 7 comprising: a molded plastic insert of semi-cylindrical configuration corresponding to the configuration of said cylindrical wall and being seated therein, said insert including a helical slot therein aligned with said helical slot in said cylindrical wall; said helical slot in said plastic insert including a lip extending peripherally there around and projecting downwardly from the generally cylindrical configuration of said insert, said lip fitting into and covering the edges of said helical slot in said cylindrical wall.

The chair control of claim 8 comprising: a plastic washer of semi-cylindrical vertical cross section positioned on the end of said projection means and being seated within said plastic insert; means securing said plastic washer on said end of said projection means.

The chair control of claim 6 in which said slide comprises a molded plastic member and said projection means comprises a shoulder bolt having a head imbedded in said plastic slide.

The chair control of claim 7 in which said slide is a molded plastic member and said projection means com-prises a shoulder bolt having a head imbedded in said plastic slide; said first shoulder being integrally molded of plastic with said slide and surrounding said shoulder bolt; said second shoulder comprising the shoulder of said shoulder bolt.

The chair control of claim 5 comprising: said stationary control housing having spaced side walls; said resilient bias means comprising a torsion means extending between said spaced side walls of said stationary control housing and having portions extending through and beyond said side walls, said extending portions being generally in alignment with the torsional axis of said torsion means;
said chair back support means comprising a separate lever arm mounted on either side of and to the outside of said stationary control housing on said extending portions of torsion means so as to pivot about said torsional axis;
said seat support means comprising a pair of spaced stretchers mounted to the outside of said back support means and said stationary control housing.

The chair control of claim 6 comprising: said stationary control housing having spaced side walls; said resilient bias means comprising a torsion means extending between said spaced side walls of said stationary control housing and having portions extending through and beyond said side walls, said extending portions being generally in alignment with the torsional axis of said torsion means;

said chair back support means comprising a separate lever arm mounted on either side of and to the outside of said stationary control housing on said extending portions of torsion means so as to pivot about said tor-sional axis; said seat support means comprising a pair of spaced stretchers mounted to the outside of said back support means and said stationary control housing;

The chair control of claim 1 in which said pivot bracket is generally U-shaped, comprising a pair of spaced side walls joined by said cylindrical wall, said first and second pivot axes extending through said side walls of said pivot bracket.

The chair control of claim 14 in which there are two of said helical slots in said cylindrical wall, said slots being spaced laterally from one another with respect to said side walls and being oriented generally parallel to one another; there being two of said projection means on said slide, one projecting through each of said helical slots.

The chair control of claim 1 in which a rear pivot axle extends between said seat support means and said back support means, said rear pivot axle comprising said pivotal connection of said seat support means directly to said back support means; a rigid member pivotally mounted on said rear pivot axle; actuator means mounted on said chair control and operably connected to said rigid member for pivoting said rigid member between a locking position and an unlocking position, said rigid member being of such a configuration and having such an oreintation in its mount-ing to said chair control that when in said locking position, it extends from said rear pivot axle to a position of operable engagement with said stationary control housing, thereby preventing relative movement of the two, and such that when in said unlocking position, it is out of operable engagement with one of said tiltable and stationary members whereby said tiltable member can tilt with respect to said stationary member.

The chair control of claim 16 which includes stop means positioned to abut said rigid member and stop it, as it is moved towards said locking position, at a point just short of physical engagement with said one member whereby movement of said rigid member into said locking position will not cause it to clank noisely against said one member.

The chair control of claim 17 in which said stop means comprises: said rigid member including a keyhole opening, said rear pivot axle passing through the enlarged portion of said keyhole opening and including a spline ex-tending into the slot of said keyhole opening, said rear pivot axle and said spline being held against rotation and said spline being smaller in width than the width of said slot of said keyhole whereby said rigid member can be pivoted about said rear pivot axle from the point of engagement of said spline with one side of said slot to the point of engage-ment of said spline with the other side of said slot.

The chair control of claim 18 in which said spline is integrally molded of plastic with a sleeve which fits onto said pivot axle whereby the engagement of said keyhole slot with said spline is relatively noise free.

The chair control of claim 19 in which said actuator means is pivotally mounted on said seat support means.

The chair control of claim 18 in which said actuator means comprises: a pivotally mounted rod having a deviation therein defining a lever, said lever engaging said rigid member and pivoting said rigid member when said rod is twisted.

The chair control of claim 21 in which said rigid member includes a leg projecting laterally of said pivot axle and having a slot therein which engages said lever of said actuator rod.

The chair control of claim 21 in which said slot in said leg is open ended whereby said lever of said actuator rod can be slid readily into engagement with said slot.

The chair control of claim 23 which comprises:
spring means operably mounted between said lever of said actuator rod and said rigid member for biasing said rigid member towards either its locking or unlocking position.

The chair control of claim 24 in which said spring means operably engages said actuator rod on its axis of rotation and operably engages and pushes against said rigid member at point which moves through a plane extending from the axis of rotation of said actuator rod and the axis of rotation of said rigid member as said rigid member is shifted between its locking and unlocking positions.

The chair control of claim 25 in which said rigid member leg includes a notch therein, said spring means be-ing seated in said notch.

The chair control of claim 16 in which said actuator means comprises: a pivotally mounted rod having a deviation therein defining a lever, said lever engaging said rigid member and pivoting said rigid member when said rod is twisted.

The chair control of claim 27 in which said actuator rod is pivotally mounted on said seat support means;
said seat support means being positioned on a higher eleva-tion than said back support means whereby said actuator rod extends over said back support means.

The chair control of claim 28 in which said back support means deviates downwardly and forwardly from its mounting on said rear pivot axle and then slopes forwardly and upwardly to its pivotal mounting to said stationary control housing, thereby defining a depression; the pivot axis of said actuator rod extending over said depression in said back support means.

The chair control of claim 27 in which said rigid member includes a leg projecting laterally of said pivot axle and having a slot therein which engages said lever of said actuator rod.

The chair control of claim 30 in which said slot in said leg is opened ended whereby said lever of said actuator rod can be slid readily into engagement with said slot.

The chair control of claim 31 which comprises:
spring means operably mounted between said lever of said actuator rod and said rigid member for biasing said rigid member towards either its locking or unlocking position.

The chair control of claim 32 in which said spring means operably engages said actuator rod on its axis of rotation and operably engages and pushes against said rigid member at a point which moves through a plane extending from the axis of rotation of said actuator rod and the axis of rotation of said rigid member as said rigid member is shifted between its locking and unlocking positions.

The chair control of claim 33 in which said rigid member leg includes a notch therein, said spring means be-ing seated in said notch.

The chair control of claim 34 in which said spring comprise a pair of looped ends looped around said actuator rod on its axis of rotation, a rearwardly extending leg ex-tending rearwardly from each of said looped ends, an upwardly extending leg extending upwardly from each of said rearwardly extending legs and a bight portion joining the ends of said upwardly extending legs, said bight portion being seated in said notch of said leg on said rigid member.

The chair control of claim 27 in which said rigid member further includes a pair of spaced end legs which ex-tend over the rear edge of said stationary member when said rigid member is in its locking position, said end legs com-prising that portion of said rigid member which are in operable engagement with said stationary member when said rigid member is in its locking position, said rear legs be-ing positioned in very close proximity to the rear of said stationary member but being spaced slightly therefrom where-by they do not clank noisely against said stationary member when said rigid member is moved into its locking position.

The chair control of claim 1, in which said stationary member has mounting means for securing to the top of a height adjustable chair base, which base has a height adjustment actuator at the top thereof, the improvement comprising: linkage means pivotally mounted at one end adjacent said mounting means whereby when said chair control is located in place atop a chair base, the height adjustment actuator of said chair base is engaged by said linkage means; said linkage means being pivotally connected at its other end to said tilting member of said chair control and extending to the exterior of said tilting member; handle means operably connected to said extending end of said linkage means whereby a user seated in a chair to which said chair control is secured can readily actuate the height adjustment actuator on a chair base mounted underneath said chair control by reaching under said chair and activating said handle; said seat support means being positioned on a higher elevation than said back support means whereby said linkage means extends over said back support means.

The chair control of claim 37 in which said handle is pivotally mounted directly on said tilting member where-by its position relative to said tilting member and to a chair seat mounted on said tilting member never changes.

The chair control of claim 38 in which said linkage means includes a rod, said handle including a push plate en-gaging the end of said rod whereby when one pushes on said handle, said push plate pushes said rod.

The chair control of claim 39 which includes a tip smaller in cross section than said rod and projecting from the end of said rod; said push plate on said handle in-cluding an aperture therein through which said tip projects to thereby hold said rod in position with respect to said push plate.

The chair control of claim 40 in which said tip is part of a plastic cap which seats over the end of said rod.

The chair control of claim 38 in which said back support means deviates downwardly and forwardly from its mounting on said rear pivot axle and then slopes forwardly and upwardly to its pivotal mounting to said stationary control housing, thereby defining a depression; said linkage means extending over said depression.

The chair control of claim 38 in which bias means connected to said handle biases said push plate towards engagement with said end of said rod.

The chair control of claim 38 in which said linkage means includes an arm of generally T-shaped configura-tion, having a cross bar and a stem; one end of said cross bar being pivotally mounted to said mounting means and the other being loosely, pivotally connected to said rod; said stem of said T projecting from said cross bar and over an opening in said mounting means through which the height ad-justing actuator of a chair base ends when said chair control is mounted on such a chair base.

The chair control of claim 44 in which said stem includes a screw threaded laterally therethrough for pushing against said height adjustment actuator whereby one can ad-just the action of said arm against the height adjustment actuator by threading said screw upwardly or downwardly in said stem.

The chair control of claim 37 in which said back support means deviates downwardly and forwardly from its mounting on said rear pivot axle and then slopes forwardly and upwardly to its pivotal mounting to said stationary control housing, thereby defining a depression; said linkage means extending over said depression.

The chair control of claim 37 in which a threaded member is operably connected to the bias means and a bolt is threaded in the threaded member whereby tightening or loosening said bolt changes the pretension on the bias means, the improvement in said chair control comprising: said bolt having a hollow shank with an open end, a lever being telescopically received in said hollow shank and projecting from said open end, means on said bolt engagable by said lever when said lever is retracted from said hollow shank and pivoted to a generally lateral position with respect to said bolt; means preventing said lever from being completely re-moved and separated from said bolt when it is retracted from said hollow shank; retainer means on said bolt normally hold-ing said lever in a stored position within said hollow shank, said retainer means being adapted to yield upon application of manual force to allow said lever to be withdrawn from said hollow shank and pivoted to its lateral position engaging said engagable means on said bolt.

The chair control of claim 47 in which said retainer means comprising a molded plastic retainer cap seated on the end of said hollow shank and including an aperture therein through which said lever passes.

The chair control of claim 48 in which said plastic cap includes generally annular inwardly projecting retainer lip means extending at least partially around said aperture in said retainer cap and which engages at least a portion of said lever to normally hold said lever in said stored position within said hollow shank, but which yields when one pulls on said lever to allow said lever to be with-drawn from said hollow shank and rotated to its generally lateral position with respect to said bolt.

The chair control of claim 49 in which said lever includes an annular projecting rib towards that end thereof which is located near said open end in said hollow shank when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank, said annular rib being engaged by said annular inwardly projecting lips of said retainer cap when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank.

The chair control of claim 50 in which said annular inwardly projecting lip means protrudes downwardly from said cap, with respect to the position of said cap when said chair control is installed on a chair, and then pro-trudes inwardly whereby said annular lip is rendered more yieldable when one pulls said annular rib of said lever past said lip.

The chair control of claim 51 in which said lever includes a molded plastic gripping cap on that end thereof which is located outside of said hollow shank of said bolt whereby one can readily grip said lever and manipulate it.

The chair control of claim 52 in which said gripping cap includes a recess in that surface thereof which is oriented towards said retainer cap, said recess being adapted to receive said protruding lip and conceal same from view when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank of said bolt.

The chair control of claim 47 in which said means engagable by said lever when said lever is rotated to a lateral position with respect to said bolt comprise a long-itudinal slot extending from said open end in said hollow shank down the side of said shank.

The chair control of claim 54 in which said lever includes a retainer head on that end thereof which is located within said hollow shank, said retainer head having a cross section which is enlarged with respect to the rest of the cross section of said lever; said bolt including a slotted retainer washer secured at and defining said open end of said hollow shank, said washer allowing said lever to be moved in and out of said hollow shank, but having an opening sufficiently small that it will not allow said retainer head to pass, the slot of said washer comprising a portion of said slot which extends from said open end of said hollow shank down the side of said hollow shank.

The chair control of claim 55 in which said re-tainer means comprising a molded plastic retainer cap seated on the end of said hollow shank and including an aperture therein through which said lever passes.

The chair control of claim 56 in which said re-tainer cap includes an elongated slot extending from its aperture at least part of the way down the side thereof, which slot is aligned with said slot in said hollow shank of said bolt.

The chair control of claim 57 in which said hollow shank of said bolt includes a second slot generally in one side thereof, but not communicating with said open end of said hollow shank, said retainer cap including an inwardly projecting tab which seats in said second slot to properly orient said retainer cap on said hollow shank with said slot of said retainer cap in alignment with said first slot in said hollow shank.

The chair control of claim 1, in which a threaded member is operably connected to the bias means and a bolt is threaded in the threaded member whereby tightening or loosening said bolt changes the pretension on the bias means, the improvement in said chair control com-prising: said bolt having a hollow shank with an open end, a lever being telescopically received in said hollow shank and projecting from said open end, means on said bolt en-gagable by said lever when said lever is retracted from said hollow shank and pivoted to a generally lateral position with respect to said bolt; means preventing said lever from being completely removed and separated from said bolt when it is retracted from said hollow shank; re-tainer means on said bolt normally holding said lever in a stored position within said hollow shank, said retainer means being adapted to yield upon application of manual force to allow said lever to be withdrawn from said hollow shank and pivoted to its lateral position engaging said engagable means on said bolt.

The chair control of claim 59 in which said re-tainer means comprising a molded plastic retainer cap seated on the end of said hollow shank and including an aperture therein through which said lever passes.

The chair control of claim 60 in which said plastic cap includes generally annular inwardly projecting retainer lip means extending at least partially around said aperture in said retainer cap and which engages at least a portion of said lever to normally hold said lever in said stored position within said hollow shank, but which yields when one pulls on said lever to allow said lever to be withdrawn from said hollow shank and rotated to its generally lateral position with respect to said bolt.

The chair control of claim 61 in which said lever includes an annular projecting rib towards that end thereof which is located near said open end in said hollow shank when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank, said annular rib being engaged by said annular inwardly projecting lips of said retainer cap when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank.

The chair control of claim 62 in which said annular inwardly projecting lip means protrudes downwardly from said cap, with respect to the position of said cap when said chair control is installed on a chair, and then protrudes inwardly whereby said annular lip is rendered more yieldable when one pulls said annular rib of said lever past said lip.

The chair control of claim 63 in which said lever includes a molded plastic gripping cap on that end thereof which is located outside of said hollow shank of said bolt whereby one can readily grip said lever and manipulate it.

The chair control of claim 64 in which said gripping cap includes a recess in that surface thereof which is oriented towards said retainer cap, said recess being adapted to receive said protruding lip and conceal same from view when said lever is in its normally stored position within said hollow shank of said bolt.