JP7686533B2 - Locking structure for chair upholstery - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a structure for fastening chair upholstery.

2. Description of the Related Art Various structures have been known for attaching upholstery to the backrest of a chair or the like.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a resin edge member (tape) such as polypropylene is fixed to the outer periphery of a mesh-type skin material by sewing or bonding, and the edge member is fitted into bosses provided on an upper member or a side member of the back panel, thereby attaching the mesh-type skin material to the back panel.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a configuration in which a seat clip attachment piece is sewn to the end of the seat covering material, the attachment piece is wrapped in the seat covering material, and the seat covering material is attached by engaging the attachment piece with an engagement groove provided in the seat frame.

JP 2011-92544 A Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-82968

In the chair upholstery fastening structures disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, resinous edge members or mounting pieces are sewn to the ends of the upholstery, and the edge members or mounting pieces are fastened to the back panel or the like.
However, when a resin component is sewn to the upholstery, the elasticity of the upholstery is hindered, making it difficult to pull the upholstery evenly.

There is also a structure in which a fully wrapped upholstery is fixed by sewing a front upholstery and a back upholstery together into a bag shape.
In particular, in this case, when attempting to cover the chair structure with the fully walnut upholstery having resin components sewn to it, it becomes particularly difficult to pull the upholstery evenly, making the work hard and, if pulled too hard, there is a risk of the upholstery tearing at the sewn parts or causing other damage.

In addition, living room style chairs are popular for office chairs these days, but living room style upholstery is thick and does not stretch easily, so if the chair is made to be fully wrapped, there is a manufacturing issue where it is difficult to wrap.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a locking structure that allows easy covering and strong locking when covering the chair structure with fully wrapped upholstery without the risk of damage.

According to the locking structure for chair upholstery of the present invention, a storage section capable of accommodating a locking member is formed at the open end of the bag-shaped upholstery that is placed over the structure of the chair, and when the bag-shaped upholstery is placed over the structure, a locked section is provided at the location of the storage section on the structure, and the locking member is accommodated in the storage section with the bag-shaped upholstery placed over the structure , and the locked section and the locking member accommodated in the storage section engage with each other to lock the bag-shaped upholstery to the structure, and the locking member is an L-shaped member in cross section. The engaged portion has a first side that protrudes from the surface of the structure and is positioned approximately parallel to the surface of the structure with a first gap between it and the surface of the structure, and a second side that protrudes from a tip of the first side toward the surface of the structure with a second gap formed between the tip and the surface of the structure, and the L-shaped cross-section engaging member is arranged to enter through the second gap and engage with the engaged portion, and the length of the side of the engaging member that enters the second gap and engages with the second side is longer than the second gap .
By adopting this configuration, the stretchability of the upholstery is not hindered and the upholstery can be pulled evenly, making work easier and allowing the bag-shaped upholstery to be attached to the structure without causing damage.
Furthermore, with this configuration, the locking member that has entered the second gap is less likely to come off, and strong engagement can be achieved.

The storage section may also be characterized in that it is formed to a predetermined length along the opening periphery at the opening side end of the bag-shaped upholstery, is tubular with open ends, and the resin locking member formed to a length approximately the same as the predetermined length of the storage section is inserted and stored from either of the open ends.
According to this configuration, the fastening member can be easily accommodated in the accommodation portion of the upholstery, without being sewn thereon.

The engaging portion may be provided in a recess formed in the lower surface of the structure so as to be recessed upward.
According to this configuration, the seat occupant cannot touch the portion where the upholstery is locked, so that the upholstery can be locked safely without coming loose.

The structure may be a backrest of a chair, and the backrest may have a curved shape that is convex backward.
With this configuration, wrinkles are likely to form when covering a curved structure with a bag-shaped upholstery, but the bag-shaped upholstery can be placed over the structure to prevent wrinkles, and then the engaged portion and the engaging member can be engaged.

According to the present invention, when covering the chair structure with fully walnut upholstery, it can be easily covered without risk of damage, and can be firmly secured.

This is a perspective view of the chair seen from diagonally above. There is a left side view of the chair. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the integrated backrest from below. This is an oblique view of the full walnut from below. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a locked portion. FIG. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an engagement state between a locking member and a locked portion. FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory view showing another embodiment of the storage section.

Below, we will explain an embodiment of the present invention, taking a person sitting on a chair as the reference point and defining directions as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," and "back" from the person's perspective.

Figures 1 to 3 show the external shape of a chair to which this embodiment is applied. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair seen diagonally from above, Figure 2 is a left side view of the chair, and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the chair.
The chair 10 of this embodiment comprises legs 11, a seat 12 attached to the upper part of the legs 11, and an integrated backrest 16 having a gently curved surface formed by integrally forming left and right armrests 13a, 13b and a backrest 14.

(legs)
The leg body 11 has a leg-wing type leg base 28 and a leg pillar 22. The leg base 28 has a base 24 into which the leg pillar 22 that supports the seat is fitted, and a plurality of leg wings 21 each having a caster 26 at its tip.
The leg base 28 in this embodiment is made of, for example, resin, such as glass fiber reinforced nylon or glass fiber reinforced polyamide, but is not limited to these materials.

The base 24 has a circular through-hole (not shown) extending vertically, into which the pillar 22 is fitted and fixed.
The pillar 22 has an attachment member 27 at its upper end, and the attachment member 27 is attached to the base 12 by a screw 37, thereby fixing the pillar 22 and the base 12 together.

The leg column 22 has a built-in locking gas spring (not shown) that allows the seat 12 to move up and down relative to the leg base 28. The locking gas spring is designed to expand due to gas pressure while the operating lever 29 is pressed, and the length at any position is fixed when the operating lever 29 is released.

(seat)
FIG. 4 shows a seat shell that constitutes the seat, and FIG. 5 shows a seat cushion 32 provided on the upper surface of the seat shell.
The seat 12 has a seat shell 30 and a seat cushion 32 disposed on the upper surface of the seat shell 30 .
The seat shell 30 of this embodiment is a flat plate having the same thickness overall, and is roughly elliptical in plan view, with only the areas where the left and right armrests 13a, 13b are located being formed in straight lines.
In this embodiment, the seat shell 30 is made of a plywood plate material, but the material is not limited to plywood plate material and may be made of resin, for example. In the case of resin, glass fiber reinforced nylon, glass fiber reinforced polyamide, etc. may be used.

A plurality of screw holes 31 are formed around the center of the seat shell 30 , into which screws 37 for fixing the mounting member 27 of the leg pillar 22 are inserted.
A plurality of screw holes 33 are formed on the rear side of the seat shell 30, and are configured to fix the back portion of the back inner shell described later with screws 38. Furthermore, a plurality of screw holes 34 are formed on the left and right sides of the seat shell 30 at the positions where the left and right armrest portions 13a, 13b are arranged, and are configured to fix the armrest portions of the back inner shell described later with screws 38.

The seat cushion 32 is configured by providing a cushioning material (not shown) such as urethane foam inside, and covering the outer surface of the cushioning material with an upholstery 36 .
The shape of the cushioning material is such that the upper part of the side surface is chamfered when viewed from the thickness direction, the side surface other than the chamfered portion is linear in the vertical direction, and the upper surface and the lower surface are almost flat. When viewed from above, the cushioning material has a roughly elliptical shape, which is almost the same shape as the seat shell 30.
The upholstery 36 covering the cushioning material may be made of, for example, a woven fabric, but is not limited to being made of a woven fabric, and it is preferable that the upholstery be made of the same material as the upholstery used for the integrated backrest 16.

(Backrest)
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the integrated backrest as viewed obliquely from below.
The integrated backrest 16 is configured by integrating the left and right armrests 13a, 13b and the backrest 14. The left and right armrests 13a, 13b are formed in a substantially straight line along the front-rear direction, and the backrest 14 is formed to be gently curved so as to be convex toward the rear side, and the left and right armrests 13a, 13b and the backrest 14 are connected by a curve. Note that the integrated backrest 16 is not configured with the left and right armrests 13a, 13b and the backrest 14 being separate, but is configured as a continuous, integrated unit.

As described above, the integrated backrest 16 of this embodiment is formed by integrating the left and right armrests 13a, 13b with the backrest 14, and is generally C-shaped in plan view with an opening at the front.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the integrated backrest when viewed obliquely from below.
A bag-shaped full casing 40 is attached to the integrated backrest 16. The full casing 40 is formed by joining the front upholstery and the rear upholstery at the top and sides. In the full casing 40 of this embodiment, a cushioning material such as urethane foam is arranged on the inside of the upholstery 41 (particularly the inside of the upholstery 41 located on the front side), which is made of, for example, a woven fabric. However, the material of the upholstery 41 of the full casing 40 is not limited to woven fabric, and it is preferably the same material as the upholstery 36 used for the seat 12.

A cylindrical storage section 42 is formed at the lower end, which is the opening side, of the full case 40 shown in Fig. 7. The storage section 42 is formed by rolling a separate cloth member onto the lower end of the upholstery 41 of the full case 40 and sewing it at a sewing section 43. A bias tape material or the like can be used as the separate cloth member.
Furthermore, the storage section 42 is not limited to being formed using a separate cloth member, but may be formed by folding back the lower end of the upholstery 41 of the full covering 40 and sewing it at the sewing section 43.
The position of the stitching 43 is lower than the height position of the seat cushion 32. Therefore, by disposing the seat cushion 32 in the seat shell 30, the stitching 43 is hidden by the seat cushion 32 and cannot be seen.

The cushioning material is not provided in the area of the full covering 40 that corresponds to the storage section 42 below the stitching 43. This is because the area corresponding to the storage section 42 is located below the seat cushion 32 and therefore no cushioning material is required, and because it would interfere with the engagement between the locking member 60 housed in the storage section 42 and the locked sections 50, 52 formed on the shell 46.

In Figs. 6 and 7, the locking member 60 housed in the housing portion 42 is illustrated as a linear member, but it may be a member having an L-shaped cross section, as described later.
6 and 7 show an embodiment in which an opening 47 is formed by cutting out a part of the accommodation portion 42 at a predetermined location of the accommodation portion 42. The location where this opening 47 is formed is a location where the locking member 60 housed in the accommodation portion 42 engages with the locked portions 50, 52 formed on the shell 46, but in reality, the opening 47 does not have to be formed.

Next, FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the shell of the integrated backrest as viewed obliquely from the front.
The shell 46 of the one-piece backrest 16 is made of, for example, resin, and is integrally molded from glass fiber reinforced nylon, glass fiber reinforced polyamide, or the like, but is not limited to these materials.
The portion of the shell 46 to which the full casing 40 is attached is a main body portion 48 which stands upright in the vertical direction, and a seat receiving portion 49 is formed protruding horizontally from the lower end portion of the main body portion 48 .

The seat receiving portion 49 protrudes horizontally so that the seat shell 30 can be placed thereon, and is configured so that the placed seat shell 30 can be fixed in place.
The seat receiving portion 49 is formed with a screw hole 51 corresponding to the screw hole 33 formed in the seat shell 30 , and a screw hole 53 corresponding to the screw hole 34 formed in the seat shell 30 .

After placing the seat shell 30 on the seat receiving portion 49, the screw 38 is inserted from below the seat receiving portion 49 through the screw hole 51 and into the screw hole 33 of the seat shell 30 to secure it, and the screw 38 is inserted from below the seat receiving portion 49 through the screw hole 53 and into the screw hole 34 of the seat shell 30 to secure it.

A plurality of engagement portions 50 for engaging the front side of the casing 40 are formed on the lower front surface of the main body portion 48 of the shell 46 .
As shown in Figure 9, when viewed from the side, the engaging portion 50 is L-shaped and consists of a horizontal portion 50a extending forward and a vertical portion 50b extending downward from the tip of the horizontal portion 50a. However, the vertical portion 50a may protrude further from the tip toward the front surface 46a of the shell 46, and a gap narrower than the gap 56 described below may be formed between the front surface 46a and the point protruding toward the front surface 46a.
A gap 56 is formed between the vertical portion 50a of the locked portion 50 and the front surface 46a of the shell 46. The locking member 60 of the casing 40 enters into this gap 56 and engages with the locked portion 50.

FIG. 10 shows an enlarged view of the lower part of the shell.
A plurality of engagement portions 52 for engaging the rear side of the casing 40 are formed on the lower portion of the main body portion 48 of the shell 46 .
The multiple engaging portions 52 are formed in an upwardly recessed recess 54 formed between the lower front side wall surface 46b of the shell 46 and a seat receiving portion 49 protruding forward from the lower portion of the shell 46.
Each of the engaging portions 52 protrudes downward within the recess 54 and is L-shaped bent toward the lower front side wall surface 46b of the shell 46, and is shaped to engage with an engaging member 60 of the casing 40 described later.

(Engagement between the walnut and the shell)
As described above, the cylindrical housing portion 42 is formed at the lower end portion, which is the opening side, of the full casing 40. The housing portion 42 houses the locking member 60 for engaging with the locked portion 50 on the front side of the shell 46 or the locked portion 52 on the rear side.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a locking member.
The locking member 60 is a resin member formed to have approximately the same length as the storage portion 42 .
11 has an L-shaped cross section. The L-shaped cross section of the locking member 60 is preferable for secure engagement, but the locking member 60 may be linear (having a roughly circular cross section) or plate-shaped instead of the L-shaped cross section of the locking member 60 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
In this embodiment, the locking member 60 that engages with the locked portion 50 on the front side of the shell 46 is a linear member as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and employs, for example, a metal wire.
The locking member 60 that engages with the locked portion 52 on the rear side of the shell 46 is a resin member with an L-shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 11. The material of the L-shaped cross section locking member 60 may be a resin material such as polypropylene, but is not limited to polypropylene. However, the locking member 60 needs to have a suitable degree of flexibility so that it can be bent along the curve of the shell 46.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic configuration of the storage section for the fully wrapped upholstery.
The lower end of the upholstery 41 of the full covering 40 is formed as a cylindrical storage section 42, which is formed by rolling a separate cloth member and sewing it at a sewing section 43, or by folding it back and sewing it at a sewing section 43. Both left and right ends of the cylindrical storage section 42 are openings 44.
The locking member 60 is stored in the storage portion 42 by first covering the shell 46 with the walnut 40 and then inserting the locking member 60 through the openings 44 formed at both ends of the cylindrical storage portion 42.

FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of an engagement state between the locking member and the locked portion.
FIG. 13 shows, as an example, a case in which the rear side of the casing 40 is engaged with the shell 46 .
The engaged portion 52 is composed of a vertical portion 52a extending downward and a horizontal portion 52b extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical portion 52a toward the lower front side wall surface 46b of the shell 46.

A gap 63 is provided between the tip of the horizontal portion 52b of the engaged portion 52 and the lower front side wall surface 46b. One end 60a of the L-shape of the engaging member 60 enters through this gap 63, and the horizontal portion 52b of the engaged portion 52 and one end 60a of the engaging member 60 engage with each other.

In this case, if the width of the gap 63 is G1 and the length of one end 60a of the locking member 60 is L1, then L1>G1.
In this way, by making the length of one end 60a of the locking member 60 that enters through the gap 63 longer than the distance of the gap 63 between the locked portion 52 and the lower front side wall surface 46b, the locking member 60 is less likely to come off the locked portion 52, and a strong engagement can be achieved.
Furthermore, when inserting the locking member 60 into the gap 63 between the locked portion 52 and the lower front side wall surface 46b, one end 60a and the other end 60b of the locking member 60 can be spread apart to allow the one end 60a of the locking member 60 to be inserted into the gap 63.

FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of the upholstery receiving section.
14 has an opening 47 formed by cutting out a part of the upholstery 41 at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. By forming the opening 47, a part of the locking member 60 housed in the housing 42 is exposed from the opening 47.
In addition, when the locking member 60 is linear as shown in Figures 6 and 7, an opening 47 can be formed in the accommodating portion 42 at a position corresponding to the locked portion 50 or the locked portion 52, allowing the locking member 60 to directly contact the locked portions 50, 52 without going through the upholstery 41, ensuring secure engagement. However, when the locking member 60 is L-shaped as shown in Figure 11, there is no need to provide an opening 47 as secure engagement can be achieved.

As described above, when the full casing 40 is placed over the shell 46 of the integrated backrest 16, the tubular housing 42 that houses the locking member 60 is provided at the lower end of the upholstery 41 of the full casing 40, so that the upholstery 41 can be pulled evenly without impeding its elasticity. This makes it easy to put the full casing 40 on, and the full casing 40 can be put on without damaging it.

In addition, in the upholstery locking structure of the present invention, the structure to be fully covered is not limited to an integrated backrest in which both left and right armrests and the backrest are integrated as in this embodiment, but it may also be a configuration in which the fully covered structure is placed on a backrest that is separate from the armrests.
Furthermore, the seat may be made entirely of cloth.

10 Chair 11 Leg body 12 Seat 13a, 13b Armrest portion 14 Backrest 16 Integrated backrest 21 Leg wing 22 Leg pillar 24 Base 26 Caster 27 Mounting member 28 Leg base 29 Operating lever 30 Seat shell 31 Screw hole 32 Seat cushion 33 Screw hole 34 Screw hole 36 Upholstery 37 Screw 38 Screw 41 Upholstery 42 Storage portion 43 Sewing portion 44 Opening 46 Shell 46a Front surface 46b Lower front side wall surface 47 Opening 48 Main body 49 Seat receiving portion 50 Interlocking portion 50a Horizontal portion 50a Vertical portion 51 Screw hole 52 Interlocking portion 52a Vertical portion 52b Horizontal portion 53 Screw hole 54 Recess 56 Gap 60 Interlocking member 60a One end 60b Other end 63 Gap

Claims (4)

A storage portion capable of storing a locking member is formed at an open end of a bag-shaped upholstery that is placed over the chair structure,
When the bag-shaped upholstery is placed on the structure, a latched portion is provided at a location on the structure where the storage portion is located,
The bag-shaped upholstery is configured so that the locking member is housed in the housing portion with the bag-shaped upholstery covering the structure , and the locked portion and the locking member housed in the housing portion are engaged with each other to lock the bag-shaped upholstery to the structure,
The locking member is an L-shaped member in cross section,
The engaged portion is
a first side protruding from a surface of the structure and disposed substantially parallel to the surface of the structure with a first gap between the surface and the first side; and a second side protruding from a tip of the first side toward the surface of the structure with a second gap between the tip and the surface of the structure,
The L-shaped cross-section locking member is
The second gap is provided to enter the second gap and engage with the locked portion,
A locking structure for chair upholstery, characterized in that the length of the side of the locking member that enters the second gap and engages with the second side is longer than the length of the second gap . The storage section includes:
The bag-shaped upholstery is formed at an opening end of the bag-shaped upholstery along an opening periphery to a predetermined length, and is tubular with both ends open;
2. The locking structure for chair upholstery as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the locking member made of resin and formed to a length approximately the same as the specified length of the storage section is inserted and stored from either of the open ends. The engaged portion is
3. The structure for fastening the upholstery of a chair according to claim 1, wherein the structure is provided in a recess formed in the lower surface of the structure so as to be recessed upward. The locking structure for chair upholstery according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the structure is a backrest of a chair, and the backrest has a curved shape that is convex toward the rear.

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