JP7833181B2 - chair - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law: On April 22, 2022, Aichi Corporation published drawings of a chair invented by Kumazawa Ko in an email sent to the Design Group 2, Design Department, Nagoya Branch, Takenaka Corporation.

This disclosure pertains to chairs.

Reference 1 discloses a chair equipped with a display panel having a display surface showing individual numbers. The display panel has substantially the same shape as an opening groove provided at the upper end of the backrest and is fitted into the opening groove.

Patent No. 5820603

However, the chair in reference 1 had a problem in that when the user sat in the chair and leaned back, their clothing would cover the display panel, obscuring it.
One aspect of this disclosure is to provide a chair equipped with a display panel in a highly visible location.

One aspect of this disclosure is a chair comprising a backrest, a rear section, and a display section. The backrest is configured to support the back of the chair's user. The rear section is located behind the upper end of the backrest. The display section has a display surface visible from above. The display section is located in the rear section. With this configuration, the display section is positioned behind the backrest. Therefore, the display section can be positioned in a location where it is less likely to be obscured by the seated person's clothing, i.e., in a position with good visibility.

In one aspect of this disclosure, the display unit may be provided at the rear end of the rear section. This configuration allows the display unit to be positioned away from the seated person. Therefore, the display unit can be positioned in a location with better visibility.

One aspect of this disclosure may further include a projection extending horizontally at the upper end of the back plate, with its central portion projecting backward. The aforementioned rearward portion may also be the projection. With this configuration, the rearward projection can be used as a handle. Furthermore, since the display unit is provided on the handle, there is no need to provide a separate structure for arranging the display unit.

In one aspect of this disclosure, the rear portion may be the part extending rearward from the upper end of the back plate. With this configuration, the rearward-extending portion can be used as a handle. Furthermore, since the display unit is provided on the handle, there is no need to provide a separate structure for arranging the display unit.

This is a perspective view of the chair from the front. This is a perspective view from the back of the chair. This is a perspective view of the back panel from the back side. This is a perspective view of the back panel from the front. This is a front view of the back panel. This is a side view of the back panel. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIA-VIIA in Figure 5. Figure 7B is an enlarged view of the cross-section near the upper pipe. This is a rear view of the back panel, with everything except the display area transparent. This is a top view of the modified chair. This is a perspective view of the modified chair, seen from the back. This is a perspective view of the modified chair, seen from the front. This is a cross-sectional view of a modified chair. This is a perspective view of the modified display section.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. Structure]
[1-1. Chairs]
The chair 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a support 10, a seat 20, a backrest 30, and a rear section 40. In the following description, the vertical, horizontal, and lateral directions are expressed with reference to a user who is normally seated in the chair 1.

The support body 10 is formed by bending and welding tubular metal pipes and supports the seat body 20 and backrest 30. The support body 10 includes a right leg body 11, a left leg body 12, a front connecting portion 13, a rear connecting portion 14, and a backrest frame 15.

The right leg body 11 and the left leg body 12 are annular members having a roughly rectangular annular shape when viewed from the left-right direction.
The front connecting section 13 extends straight and is a member that connects the front pipes of the right leg body 11 and the left leg body 12.

The rear connecting section 14 is curved so as to be convex toward the rear, and is a member that connects the rear pipes of the right leg body 11 and the left leg body 12.
The backrest frame 15 is connected to the rear connecting portion 14 of the right leg body 11 and the left leg body 12, and is a member that is bent into a roughly U-shape with an opening at the bottom when viewed from the front-to-back direction. The backrest frame 15 has left and right pipes 151 and 152 and an upper pipe 153. The upper pipe 153 of the backrest frame 15 is curved so as to be convex toward the rear, and connects the left and right pipes 151 and 152 of the backrest frame 15 that extend upward from the connecting portion of the rear connecting portion 14 of the right leg body 11 and the left leg body 12. The backrest frame 15 is formed by bending a single metal pipe to create the left and right pipes 151 and 152 and the upper pipe 153. The backrest frame 15 has a roughly L-shape with its upper end bent backward when viewed from the left-to-right direction.

The seat 20 is configured to allow a user to sit on it. The seat 20 is roughly rectangular in top view, with a curved shape where the rear end is convex towards the rear. When viewed from the left or right direction, the seat 20 has a roughly L-shape with the front end bending downwards. The seat 20 is supported by the right leg 11, the left leg 12, the front connecting section 13, and the rear connecting section 14. Specifically, both ends of the seat 20 in the left-right direction are connected to pipes above the right leg 11 and the left leg 12, the front end of the seat 20 is connected to the front connecting section 13, and the rear end of the seat 20 is connected to the rear connecting section 14.

The backrest 30 is approximately rectangular in front view and is configured to support the back of the seated user. Furthermore, in a plan view, the backrest 30 curves gently, with the left and right ends positioned further forward and the central part further back. In other words, the backrest 30 has a curved shape that is convex towards the rear. The backrest 30 is supported by the backrest frame 15.

The rear section 40 is located behind the back plate 30. The rear section 40 protrudes rearward from the upper end of the back plate 30, and when the back plate 30 and the rear section 40 are combined, they form a roughly L-shape when viewed from the left or right direction. The rear section 40 comprises an extension 41 and an upper pipe 153. The extension 41 is integrally formed with the back plate 30 and is a plate-shaped member extending rearward from the upper end of the back plate 30. The extension 41 has a roughly crescent shape when viewed from above. A recess is provided on the lower surface of the extension 41, allowing the user to use the extension 41 as a handhold by placing their hand in the recess.

[1-2. Display]
As shown in Figures 3 to 7, a display unit 50 is provided in the rear section 40. The display unit 50 is a plate having a display surface that is visible from above. The display unit 50 is provided at the rear end of the rear section 40. In this embodiment, the display unit 50 is provided on the upper surface of the upper pipe 153. More specifically, the display unit 50 is provided on the upper surface of the upper pipe 153, in the central part in the left-right direction. The display unit 50 has a shape that protrudes convexly toward the rear side, following the curved shape of the upper pipe 153.

As shown in Figure 8, the display unit 50 has a first plate portion 51 and a second plate portion 52. The first plate portion 51 is a flat, box-shaped member with an open top that constitutes the lower part of the display unit 50. The second plate portion 52 is a plate-shaped member that constitutes the upper part of the display unit 50. Two holes (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the first plate portion 51. The first plate portion 51 is fixed to the upper pipe 153 by aligning the two holes (not shown) provided in the upper pipe 153 with the two holes provided in the first plate portion 51 and inserting two screws 53 from above. After that, the second plate portion 52 is placed over the first plate portion 51 and the joint surface is bonded to form the display unit 50. Alternatively, rivets may be used instead of screws 53 to fix the first plate portion 51 to the upper pipe 153. Alternatively, the first plate portion 51 may be fixed to the upper pipe 153 by aligning the two holes provided in the upper pipe 153 with the two holes provided in the first plate portion 51 and inserting two screws 53 from below.

As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the first plate portion 51 has a groove 511 formed on its lower surface, which is convex upward along the upper surface of the upper pipe 153. The groove 511 is curved to convex toward the rear, following the curvature of the upper pipe 153. With this configuration, the display unit 50 can be fixed along the curvature of the upper pipe 153, thus preventing the display unit 50 from tilting and maintaining the display surface facing upward.

[2. Effects]
According to the embodiments described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(2a) The display unit 50 is provided at the rear end of the rear section 40. With this configuration, the display unit 50 is provided at a position away from the backrest 30. Therefore, even when the user sits in the chair 1 and leans against the backrest 30, the user's clothing is prevented from covering the display unit 50 and obscuring it. Thus, the display unit 50 can be provided in a position that is more easily visible.

(2b) A recess is provided on the lower surface of the rear section 40, allowing the user to use the rear section 40 as a handle by placing their hand in the recess. With this configuration, since the display unit 50 is provided on the handle, there is no need to provide a separate structure for arranging the display unit 50.

(2c) The display unit 50 has a shape that protrudes in a convex direction toward the rear, following the curved shape of the upper pipe 153. This configuration reduces the discomfort caused by the corners of the display unit hitting the hand when the upper pipe 153 is used as a handle.

(2d) The display unit 50 is mounted on the upper pipe 153. The upper pipe 153 is made of metal. This configuration is suitable for using the upper pipe 153 as a handle, and because the display unit 50 is fixed to a hard metal, the fixing strength is improved compared to when the display unit 50 is fixed to fabric or plastic material.

Furthermore, the upper pipe 153 is curved so as to be convex toward the rear. The groove 511 of the display unit 50 is also curved so as to be convex toward the rear, following the surface shape of the upper pipe 153. Therefore, by fitting the curved upper pipe 153 into the curved groove 511, rotation of the display unit 50 around the upper pipe 153 as an axis can be suppressed. Thus, the fixing strength of the display unit 50 can be improved.

[3. Other Embodiments]
While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can take various forms.

(3a) In the above embodiment, the rear portion 40 is shaped to protrude rearward from the upper end of the back plate 30, and the rear portion 40 is exemplified as including the upper pipe 153. However, the shape of the rear portion is not limited to this. The rear portion 140 does not have to have an extension portion 41. For example, the rear portion 140 may be configured to extend in the left-right direction at the upper end of the back plate 130, like the upper pipe 153, and the central part in the left-right direction protrudes rearward. As shown in Figure 9, the upper end of the back plate 130 of the chair 100 does not have to be bent rearward. The back plate 130 may be supported by the backrest frame 15 such that there is a gap 131 between the upper end of the back plate 130 and the upper pipe 153. In such a configuration, the gap 131 functions as a handhold. The display portion 50 is provided on the upper surface of the upper pipe 153. In this modified example, the upper pipe 153 corresponds to the protruding portion and the rear portion.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the chair 200 does not necessarily have to have an upper pipe 153. The rear section 240 is the portion extending rearward from the upper end of the backrest 30. In this configuration, the rear section 240 functions as a handrail. The display section 50 is provided at the rear end of the rear section 240.

(3b) In the above embodiment, the display unit 50 is exemplified as being provided at the rear end of the rear portion 40. However, the position in which the display unit is provided is not limited to this. The display unit 350 may be provided behind the rear end of the back plate 30. "Behind the rear end of the back plate 30" refers to the portion that protrudes backward from the rear end of the thickness of the back plate 30. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the display unit 350 may be provided behind the rear end of the back plate 30 and in front of the front end of the upper pipe 153. In other words, the display unit 350 may be provided on the extension portion 41. If the upper surface of the extension portion 41 is flat, the lower surface of the display unit 350 may also be flat.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration was illustrated in which the display unit 50 does not overlap with the back plate 30 when viewed from above. However, a portion of the display unit 50 may overlap with the back plate 30 when viewed from above. The display unit 50 only needs to be provided on at least a portion of the rear portion 40. A portion of the display unit 50 may protrude from the rear portion 40 and overlap with the back plate 30 when viewed from above, or it may protrude further rearward than the upper pipe 153. Also, the area of the display unit 50 that substantially displays information, such as characters, only needs to be located on the rear portion 40. For example, the area of the display unit 50 where no characters are displayed may be located on the upper surface of the back plate 30, and the area of the display unit 50 where characters are displayed may be located on the upper surface of the extension portion 41.

(3c) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the display unit 50 has the shape of a plate was illustrated. However, the shape of the display unit is not limited to this. For example, the display unit 450 may have the shape of a triangular prism with length in the left-right direction, as shown in Figure 13.

(3d) The functions of one component in the above embodiment may be distributed among multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Furthermore, some parts of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Also, at least some parts of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to, substituted for, or otherwise replaced with the configuration of other above embodiments.

1, 100, 200…Chair; 10…Support; 11…Right leg; 12…Left leg; 13…Front connecting section; 14…Rear connecting section; 15…Backrest frame; 20…Seat; 30, 130…Backrest; 40, 240…Rear section; 41…Extension section; 50, 350, 450…Display section; 51…First plate section; 52…Second plate section; 53…Screw; 131…Gap; 151…Left and right pipes; 152…Left and right pipes; 153…Upper pipe; 511…Groove.

Claims (8)

It is a chair,
The chair has a backrest that is configured to support the back of the user,
A rear portion provided behind the upper end of the back plate,
A display unit having a display surface visible from above,
Equipped with,
The display unit is fixed to the rear part,
The rear portion includes an extension that extends rearward from the upper end of the back plate,
The extension is plate-shaped with its upper and lower surfaces being substantially parallel.
chair. The chair according to claim 1,
The extension portion has dimensions in the front-to-back direction that are smallest at both ends in the left-to-right direction and largest in the center in the left-to-right direction.
chair. A chair according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The aforementioned rear section is equipped with a pipe,
The aforementioned pipe is a chair provided behind the extension . It is a chair,
The chair has a backrest that is configured to support the back of the user,
A rear portion provided behind the upper end of the back plate,
A display unit having a display surface visible from above,
Equipped with,
The display unit is fixed to the rear part,
The rear section of the chair is provided with a pipe that is positioned between it and the backrest with a gap in between. It is a chair,
The chair has a backrest that is configured to support the back of the user,
A rear portion provided behind the upper end of the back plate,
A display unit having a display surface visible from above,
Equipped with,
The display unit is fixed to the rear part,
The rear portion has dimensions in the front-to-back direction that are smallest at both ends in the left-to-right direction and largest in the center in the left-to-right direction.
A chair. A chair according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, or 5,
The display unit is a chair provided at the rear end of the rear section. A chair according to claim 3 or claim 4,
The chair has a pipe that extends horizontally from the upper end of the backrest, with its central portion in the horizontal direction protruding backward. A chair according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, or 5,
The rear portion is the part of the chair that extends backward from the upper end of the backrest.