Herman Miller, Inc.

Millerknoll, Inc.

Adam James Daley-Fell

Brian D Alexander

Christopher Hoyt

Daniel Rucker

Joseph Doran

Matthew James Lilley

A furniture system includes an office productivity structure (OPS). The furniture system also includes a sensor coupled to the OPS, the sensor operable to detect occupancy of the OPS and generate an output signal indicative of the occupancy; and a processor coupled to the sensor. The processor is operable to receive the output signal generated by the sensor, determine, based on the output signal, that the OPS is occupied, and, in response to determining that the OPS is occupied, generate a command to initiate at least one action associated with the OPS or an operator of the OPS.

System architecture for office productivity structure communications

A furniture system includes an office productivity structure (OPS). The furniture system also includes a sensor coupled to the OPS, the sensor operable to detect a parameter of the OPS and generate an output signal indicative of the parameter; and a processor coupled to the sensor. The processor is operable to receive the output signal generated by the sensor, determine, based on the output signal, an operation condition of the OPS, when the operation condition is determined to be within a satisfactory range, determine an estimated time before servicing is needed, and when the operation condition is determined to be outside a satisfactory range, send a service alert.

A furniture system includes a chair having a seat, a backrest coupled to the seat, and a base supporting the backrest and the seat. The furniture system also includes a plurality of sensors and a processor. Each sensor is operable to detect a physical force imparted by a user on the chair, and generate an output signal indicative of the physical force. The processor is coupled to the plurality of sensors, and is operable to receive the output signals generated by the plurality of sensors, and determine, based on at least one of the output signals, a current posture of the user sitting in the chair.

A seating structure includes a base, a seat, a backrest connected to the seat, and an electronic circuit supported by the base. The seat or the backrest includes a carrier and a suspension material secured to the carrier and spanning across an opening formed by the carrier. The suspension material includes a plurality of electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic circuit is coupled to the electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic circuit includes an electronic processor and a sensor. The sensor is configured to generate an output signal indicative of an electrical parameter of one of the electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic processor is configured to apply a drive signal to one of the plurality of electrostatic discharge fibers, receive the output signal from the sensor, and determine a state of the seating structure based on the output signal from the sensor.

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Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Adam James Daley-Fell