IP Verse

Chair With Appendage Accommodations

Patent No. US10945530 (titled "Chair With Appendage Accommodations") was filed by Buzz Seating Inc on Aug 27, 2019.

What is this patent about?

’530 is related to the field of seating, specifically chairs designed to accommodate individuals wearing bulky equipment such as duty belts with tools or weaponry. The background acknowledges that standard chairs often fail to provide adequate space and support for users with such equipment, leading to discomfort, potential injury, damage to the chair, or even security risks if weaponry needs to be removed.

The underlying idea behind ’530 is to create a chair that provides ample clearance and support for individuals wearing duty belts or similar equipment. This is achieved through a combination of features, most notably adjustable armrests that can be retracted to increase side clearance, and a tapered back and seat design that provides additional space at the rear of the chair.

The claims of ’530 focus on a chair featuring a back member that tapers from top to bottom, attached to a seat that also tapers from front to rear. Crucially, the chair includes two arm brackets on opposing sides of the seat, each with a retraction mechanism allowing it to move downward and rearward from an upright position. The claims also cover a base with legs and casters, and in some claims, specify adjustment levers for seat height, tilt, and forward/backward positioning.

In practice, the chair allows a user wearing a duty belt to sit comfortably without the belt interfering with the armrests or the back of the chair. The armrests can be retracted to provide more space for the belt and its contents, while the tapered back and seat create a wider opening at the rear, preventing the belt from being compressed or causing discomfort. The height and tilt adjustments further enhance user comfort and ergonomics.

The key differentiation from prior chair designs lies in the combination of the retractable armrests and the tapered back and seat. While adjustable armrests are not entirely novel, their integration with the tapered design specifically addresses the needs of individuals wearing bulky equipment. This combination provides a more comprehensive solution for accommodating duty belts and similar gear, reducing the need to remove equipment or compromise on comfort and safety.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’530 was filed, chairs were typically implemented using a variety of materials and ergonomic designs, when systems commonly relied on mechanical adjustment mechanisms rather than sophisticated electronic controls, and when hardware or software constraints made complex automated adjustments non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

Claims 2-21 were pending. Claims 2-21 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite. Claims 2-3, 7, and 14-21 were rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting. Claims 2-4, 7, and 18-19 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over prior art. Claims 8 and 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), 2nd paragraph, and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The prosecution record does NOT describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 7 claims, with claims 1 and 7 being independent. The independent claims are directed to a chair with adjustable arm brackets and a tapered back and seat. The dependent claims generally add further details and limitations to the features described in the independent claims, such as clearance, cushions, and retraction angles.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Back member that tapers
(Claim 1, Claim 7)		“Various embodiments of the invention provide a chair with user appendage accommodations. Specifically, and in one embodiment, a chair is provided. The chair includes a back member and arm brackets. The back member is tapered toward an end that is adjacent to a seat.”A back support element of the chair that narrows from its top to its bottom.
Button to retract the corresponding arm bracket in a downward and rearward direction from an original upright position to a retracted position
(Claim 1, Claim 7)		“The chair includes a back member and arm brackets. The back member is tapered toward an end that is adjacent to a seat. The arm brackets are attached under a bottom portion of the seat. Each arm bracket is adjustable 90 degrees to provide a seat clearance area for the seat when one or more of the arm brackets are adjusted 90 degrees from an original upright position.”A button that, when activated, causes the arm bracket to move down and back from its normal vertical position to a stowed position.
Seat height adjustment lever to activate the lift pneumatic cylinder and raise or lower a seat top surface of the seat
(Claim 7)		“As will be demonstrated herein and below, a chair is provided that provides substantial clearance on the sides and at the back of the seat for an individual to comfortably sit in the chair with attached weaponry or tools.”A lever that controls a pneumatic cylinder to adjust the vertical position of the seat.
Seat tapers from a front side to the rear side at an angle
(Claim 1, Claim 7)		“As will be demonstrated herein and below, a chair is provided that provides substantial clearance on the sides and at the back of the seat for an individual to comfortably sit in the chair with attached weaponry or tools.”The seating portion of the chair narrows from its front to its rear, creating an angled shape.
Second button to raise and lower a height of a top surface of the corresponding arm bracket while the corresponding arm bracket is in the original upright position
(Claim 1)		“The chair includes a back member and arm brackets. The back member is tapered toward an end that is adjacent to a seat. The arm brackets are attached under a bottom portion of the seat. Each arm bracket is adjustable 90 degrees to provide a seat clearance area for the seat when one or more of the arm brackets are adjusted 90 degrees from an original upright position.”A button that allows for vertical adjustment of the arm bracket's height when it is in its normal, upright position.

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US10945530

BUZZ SEATING INC
Application Number
US16552687
Filing Date
Aug 27, 2019
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Apr 30, 2038
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents