US 6,729,691 · Granted 2004-05-04
The Stretchy Mesh Back That Made Office Chairs Actually Comfortable
This patent covers a clever office chair back made of stretchy mesh material that snaps onto the frame without tools or screws. The mesh stretches between two connection points, and a sliding lumbar support pushes forward to support your lower back — all designed so the back and seat tilt together when you lean.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a chair back assembly with a deformable, stretchable two-piece carrier that holds mesh material and connects to a chair frame through a grooved bottom edge that engages frame tabs and spherical openings at the top. What's protected here is the specific method of stretching the carrier and mesh between a transverse member and upper spherical connection points, plus the integrated lumbar support that slides along the carrier's edges and connects the back to the seat so they pivot as one unit.
Why it matters
This design solves a real manufacturing and comfort problem: making chair backs that are quick to assemble, adjustable for different body sizes, and supportive without rigid internal structures. By using stretchy materials and simple snap-together geometry, Hon Technology created a chair back that could be produced faster and at lower cost than traditional welded or bolted designs, while giving users a sliding lumbar support they could customize to their own back shape.
Real-world use
Every time you sit in a modern office chair with a mesh back that flexes and gives, and you reach back to slide that lumbar support up or down to fit your spine, you're using the exact mechanism this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
A chair back is disclosed and includes a mesh material connected to a two-piece carrier, the carrier being deformable and stretchable. The carrier has a bottom edge including a groove and is engageable by tabs attached to a transverse member of a chair frame assembly. The upper ends of the carrier each includes an opening for receiving a spherical end portion of the upper end of the chair frame assembly. Engagement of the carrier with the chair frame assembly is accomplished by stretching the carrier and mesh between the transverse member and the spherical end portions. The chair back includes a lumbar support which is mounted to slide along the side edges of the carrier and along vertical supports of the chair frame assembly, the lumbar support causing the chair to tension forwardly. The chair back is pivotal under the influence of a chair user and is pivotally connected to the chair seat so as to cause the chair seat to also pivot in response.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,729,691
- Filing date
- 2002-02-15
- Grant date
- 2004-05-04
- Assignee
- Hon Technology, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- —
- CPC class
- A47C7/282
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