Kimball International, Inc.

Mathew A Slaats

Patrick E Strange

Steven F Trinkel

J Richard Slayton

David E Overton

Jay M Henriott

Alan B Welsh

James Edward Blessinger

Paul R Hedinger

Wade R Bray

James E Blesinger

A control mechanism for a hydraulic lifting assembly for supporting articles of furniture. The hydraulic lifting assembly includes a base, a support column secured to the base, a variable volume chamber, a fixed volume chamber and a control valve mechanism. The fixed and variable volume chambers are interconnected by a flexible conduit. The control valve mechanism includes a cam secured to a rotatable rod which is positioned so that, by rotating the rod, the cam will selectively pinch off the flexible conduit and prevent fluid flow therethrough. A spring is provided for normally urging the cam against the flexible conduit to pinch off the conduit. The control may be located in any convenient location due the flexibility of the conduit.

Height control mechanism

A chair having a tiltable back which is vertically adjustable into selected vertical positions. The adjustment mechanism includes rack and gear members which are selectively engagable to lock the back in selected vertical positions. The rack member is secured to a support column and the gear member is secured to the back. The back height adjustment mechanism permits the back to tilt about a first axis and to pivot about a second axis, to release the rack and gear members for vertically repositioning the chair back. When the bottom edge of the chair back is pulled forward, the gear teeth of the cooperating rack and gear members are disconnected thereby enabling vertical movement of the chair back. Upon release of the bottom edge of the chair back, a bias spring urges the rack members together to hold the chair back in the selected vertical position.

Chair with back height adjustment

A hydraulic lifting mechanism for an article of furniture comprising a pair of sealed chambers interconnected with a hollow conduit and containing hydraulic fluid. One of the chambers is expandable and comprises flexible walls in the form of a rolling diaphragm. The second chamber contains a pressurized gas in addition to a hydraulic fluid. The expandable chamber is located in the supporting base of the article of furniture. A two speed valve is included in the interconnecting conduit for allowing fluid transfer between the chambers at a first rate in one direction and at a second rate in the other direction. As fluid is transferred to the expandable chamber, a support column will be forced upwardly by the expanding chamber at a fast rate and when the fluid transfers from the expandable chamber to the second chamber the support column will move downwardly at a second rate of speed slower than the first rate. The second chamber and the control valve can be located remotely from the base of the article of furniture.

Hydraulic chair lift mechanism

A hydraulic lifting mechanism for an article of furniture including a refrigerant containing reservoir. The mechanism includes a flexible bag having a variable volume and fixed volume reservoir including a diaphragm for dividing the reservoir into two chambers. The first chamber contains hydraulic liquid and the second chamber contains a compressed two phase working fluid. The hydraulic liquid may be transferred between the flexible bag and the first chamber. A control valve mechanism is included in the flexible conduit which connects the flexible bag with the first chamber. The mechanism may be used in combination with a chair to provide an adjustable height control for the seat of the chair or in combination with other articles of furniture.

Hydraulic lifting mechanism for a chair or the like using a two phase

A seat adjustment mechanism for adjustably connecting a seat to a chair base is provided wherein a threaded spindle is secured to the seat and rotatably and axially movably received within a column member extending upwardly from the chair base. An adjusting nut is threadedly engaged with the spindle and supported within the column member by a bearing assembly, and which is upwardly urged by a compression spring such that the upper surface of the adjusting nut lockingly engages a downwardly facing engaging surface of a lock cap in the column member when the seat is unoccupied. By rotating the seat and the spindle secured thereto, vertical adjustment of the seat is provided. When the seat is occupied, the adjusting nut is moved downwardly by the spindle and against the bearing assembly to compress the spring and disengage the upper surface of the adjusting nut from the downwardly facing engaging surface. The seat and spindle then may be rotated without being vertically adjusted.

Seat adjustment mechanism for a chair

A remote control locking mechanism is provided for a modular desk assembly, pedestals, cabinets and like assemblies which permits the various storage compartments to be moved about and yet still be locked and unlocked irrespective of their location relative to a remote control lock actuator. Each of the various storage compartments has a locking device attached thereto which is connected to the remote control lock actuator by a cable which is slidably encased within a sheath. The sheath has one end anchored at the particular storage compartment and its opposite end anchored at the remote control lock actuator. One end of the cable is connected to the locking device of the storage compartment and its opposite end connected to a moving device within the remote control lock actuator. The length of the sheath may be greater than the distance between the storage compartment and remote control lock actuator to thereby permit the storage compartment to be moved relative thereto within the length of the sheath, and, upon actuation of the moving device within the remote control lock actuator, the cable may be moved relative to the sheath to actuate the locking device at the storage compartment.

Desk locking mechanism

A search mount for a telescope and a method of operation in which a telescope mount is provided which is indexable about a vertical axis and also about a horizontal axis so as to lay the telescope in any desired direction. The mount is provided with motors, and the movement of the motors is under the control of digital circuitry, and manual switches. The drives between the motors in the telescope mount embody backlash free reduction gearing of novel design and construction. In particular, the motors operate without requiring any feedback to effect control thereof.

Search mount for telescope and method of operation

A molding machine for dispensing at least two materials which, when combined, foam and cure within a mold thereby to form a plastic article. The dispensing is accomplished by displacing measured amounts of hydraulic fluid to a pair of chambers within each of which there is located a stainless steel bellows that is supplied with the respective material from a source thereof under pressure. When the displaced hydraulic fluid causes the bellows to collapse, the materials in the bellows are displaced therefrom into a mixing chamber in the form of high velocity jets and are mixed therein and the mixture is forced from the mixing chamber to the mold cavity to be filled. The bellows are then permitted to expand under the pressure of the material supplied thereto and the machine is ready for a further molding cycle.

Molding machine with proportional dispensing

A saw, especially for sawing wood, in which a support disc is provided with peripheral recesses with cutting teeth formed on the forwardly facing rearward sides of the recesses and which teeth may be in the form of hard wear resistant inserts. The cutting teeth are so designed that the kerf taken by the saw as it advances into the saw cut is spaced on both sides from the saw blade and also from the sides of the aforementioned cutting teeth radially inwardly from the tip ends thereof. The teeth are formed to present a positive cutting rake in all directions to the wood and shear the wood fibers off cleanly at the radially outer tip ends of the cutting teeth.

A method and apparatus for molding plastic materials, particularly foamed plastic materials, in which the materials are introduced into a mold cavity together with a foaming agent with the mold cavity being evacuated not later than immediately after the molding material is supplied thereto. The reduced pressure in the mold cavity causes the material to foam extremely quickly so as completely to fill the cavity while, at the same time, the mold is held closed by the pressure differential between the inside and outside thereof.

Method of molding rigid foamed polyurethane articles

A joint construction, especially for furniture or the like, in which members such as rail members, or the like, which extend at angles to each other, are joined together by a plastic block formed in situ on at least a pair of the members. The block may form a joint where a furniture leg is located. The plastic block, when it is to be connected to a leg may be formed directly on the leg or it may be formed with a recess therein engageable with an end part on the leg.

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Jasper, IN, United States of America

Mathew A Slaats