US 6,220,661 · Granted 2001-04-24
The Quick-Snap Chair Back That Changed Office Furniture Assembly
Imagine a chair back cushion that clicks on and off like a phone case instead of being bolted down forever. This patent describes a genius two-part system: hooks at the top that drop into slots, and a stretchy fabric panel at the bottom that grips a molded groove without any tools. You can swap cushions in seconds.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a chair back assembly where a cushion attaches to a rigid support shell using two distinct mechanical systems: top connectors that allow drop-in placement, and a bottom section with a stiffened edge flange that friction-fits into a molded recess. The cushion cover itself is protected as a two-panel design where a vertical-stretch front meets a high-stretch rear panel with reinforced bottom edge. Anyone manufacturing a chair back with this specific quick-attach top-and-bottom connector strategy would be infringing.
Why it matters
This patent solved a real manufacturing and user problem in office furniture: making chair backs that are easy to replace or adjust without requiring tools or technical knowledge. Steelcase, a major commercial furniture maker, filed this to protect a competitive advantage in the growing market for ergonomic, modular office seating. The ability to quickly swap cushions means facilities managers can maintain chairs longer and customize comfort without buying entirely new chairs.
Real-world use
When you sit in an office chair and notice the back cushion is worn out, instead of throwing away the whole chair, a maintenance person can pop the old cushion off and snap a new one on in under a minute.
Original USPTO abstract
A chair includes a base, a back upright operably supported on the base for movement between an upright position and a reclined position, and a back construction. The back construction includes a back support shell attached to the back upright, and further includes a cushion assembly attached to the back support shell with quick-attach top and bottom connectors. Specifically, the back support shell includes top apertures, and the cushion assembly includes hooks for drop-in attachment to the top apertures. The back support shell also includes a molded bottom section defining a horizontally extending recess, and the back cover includes a stiffened edge flange configured to frictionally engage the recess to retain the back cover to the back support along the bottom section of the back construction. The cushion assembly includes a cover assembly that includes an upholstered front panel, and a rear panel forming a sock that can be pulled upwardly onto a cushion. The rear panel includes a first sheet section having a one-directional stretch in a vertical direction, and further includes a second section having a high-stretch property. The second section hangs downwardly from the front panel and has a strip of stiff material sewn along its lower edge to form the stiffened edge flange noted above.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,220,661
- Filing date
- 1999-04-19
- Grant date
- 2001-04-24
- Assignee
- Steelcase Development Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- PETERSON GORDON J.
- CPC class
- A47C7/24
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