Haworth, Inc.

Tim Fookes

Bryan L Roels

Bret Marschand

Keith Shoemaker

William F Schacht

Linda Elizabeth Chesser

Brian S Gessler

Tracy Cook

Rick Roels

Jeff Tayler

Pete J Beyer

Joe Willette

Mark J Sherman

Steve Simpson

Joanna Atman

Jason M Rose

Chris Simmons

An improved chair back is formed of a molded construction uses multiple mold shots of mold materials to develop different performance characteristics in selected areas of the chair back. The chair back has the appearance of a unitary molded panel, but is formed from multiple mold shots which preferably are performed at multiple stations on a mold tool. By providing multiple mold shots and selected materials to form different areas of the chair back, different performance characteristics are generated including the provision of a peripheral frame providing structural rigidity to the chair back, a lumbar support panel which provides localized support to the lumbar region of the chair occupant, and a thin sheet-like support panel extending between the frame and enclosing the interior region defined between the peripheral frame to provide a more flexible and pliant surface providing more comfortable contact with the occupant's back.

Manufacturing process for forming a chair back

An office chair is provided with includes a chair arm assembly on each opposite side thereof for supporting the arms of a user. The arm assemblies each include a latching assembly to permit adjustment of the height of an arm cap thereof while maintaining the arm cap at a selected elevation. The latch assembly is engageable with an inner liner provided within a support post. Further, the armrest assembly has a plurality of interconnected and relatively movable plates which permit adjustment of the angular orientation of the arm cap along with adjustment of the arm cap in the front-to-back direction and the side-to-side direction.

Arm assembly for a chair

An armrest for a chair is provided which has an improved anti-rotation and mechanical connection between an armrest body and a frame tube of the chair. The end of the frame tube is mechanically deformed or is shaped so as to have a non-circular profile with a central opening defined by inwardly projecting arcuate surfaces of the frame tube. The armrest includes a cooperating, non-circular socket which fits onto the frame tube wherein a suitable fastener is threaded downwardly into direct, self-threading engagement with an upper opening formed in the end of the frame tube.

Armrest for a chair

A tilt tension mechanism for a chair comprises a gear drive mechanism for driving a torsion bar having a drive shaft, a face gear and an actuator shaft with a pinion gear section. The pinion gear section and face gear have cooperating spiral threads which provide for multi-teeth engagement. An isolator bearing is disposed adjacent to the engagement section between said pinion gear teeth and said face gear teeth to support vertical tooth loads.

Tilt tension mechanism for chair

A chair back is supported on a rigid upright coupled to a horizontal tilt shaft disposed under the front of the chair seat and supported on a control housing fixed to a pedestal. A tension mechanism urges the upright into an upright position. The chair seat is movably supported on the upright by an arrangement which permits the seat to pivot about a transverse horizontal axis positioned adjacent the upper surface of the seat. A control link is pivoted at one end to the control housing, and the other end has lost-motion pivotal connections to the seat frame and the upright. The lost-motion pivotal connection to the seat frame including a spring cooperating between the upright and the seat frame to allow the seat to move relative to the upright.

Tilt control mechanism for chair

A desk arrangement is provided which includes freestanding furniture units, namely, a stationary cabinet and a movable table. While the movable table is movable relative to the cabinet, the cabinet and table are connected together by an intermediate link top which permits relative movement therebetween but interconnects the cabinet and table to define a single interconnected furniture unit. The link top is both slidable and pivotable relative to the cabinet and table to permit sliding and pivoting of the table between a closed position directly adjacent to the cabinet and an open position spaced outwardly therefrom. The link top can define an auxiliary worksurface and also defines a bridge between the cabinet and table to which cabling can be connected. This arrangement thereby permits flexible repositioning of the table while also permitting power and/or communications cabling to be routed therebetween.

Furniture arrangement having a slidable intermediate table

A desk or worksurface arrangement is provided which has a cable management slot along a back edge of the worksurface wherein removable end caps enclose the opposite ends of the slot. The caps retain cabling within the cable management slot but are removable without tools to permit the cabling to be slid out of the slot or past horizontally to an adjacent desk. The end caps may also be fixedly attached to a vertical storage unit to connect the vertical storage unit to the top of the desk arrangement while permitting the vertical storage unit to be removed from the desk without requiring tools.

Desk arrangement

A universal wall support or frame member is provided which is used to connect laterally spaced apart side walls of a file cabinet or other type of storage cabinet. The universal wall support includes opposite end sections which are telescopingly engaged together so that the wall support may be extended to any desired length and thereafter fixed at a set length such that the universal wall support is usable for different size cabinet constructions. The opposite end sections define a first range of cabinet sizes, and the universal wall support may include an intermediate extender section which slidably joins opposite end sections together so that the universal wall support defines a second range of cabinet sizes. The opposite end sections further include support flanges for supporting the side walls, particularly those made of wood, to further strengthen the file cabinet.

Universal wall support for a cabinet

A laptop computer desk includes an interior storage compartment which is defined below worksurface level and has a triangular shape to accommodate a laptop computer therein. The storage compartment is enclosed by a front door and top doors wherein the front door folds down to define a wrist rest while the top doors fold over onto the work surface to define blotters or writing areas adjacent to the storage compartment. The interior of the storage compartment includes a receptacle unit for power and/or communication outlets, and flexible fabric divider walls which define interior compartments for storing cables.

Growing community of inventors

Hudsonville, MI, United States of America

Tim Fookes