Furniture Member Having Lumbar Adjustment Mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021251388-A1
Application number	US-202117313272-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 6, 2021
Priority date	Nov 5, 2018
Publication date	Aug 19, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A seating or furniture assembly may include a seat bottom, a seatback, and a lumbar adjustment assembly. The seatback is disposed adjacent the seat bottom and includes a seatback frame. The lumbar adjustment assembly may be mounted to the seatback frame and may include a rail, a threaded rod disposed within the rail, a first slider block slidably engaging the rail, a second slider block slidably engaging the rail, a third slider block engaging the rail, a lumbar pad, and a plurality of links connecting the lumbar pad to the first, second, and third slider blocks. The threaded rod includes a first threaded section having threads with a first handedness and a second threaded section having threads with a second handedness that is opposite the first handedness. The first and second slider blocks threadably engage the first threaded section. The third slider block threadably engage the second threaded section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An assembly comprising:
a seat bottom; a seatback disposed adjacent the seat bottom and including a seatback frame; and a lumbar adjustment assembly mounted to the seatback frame and including a rail, a threaded rod disposed within the rail, a first slider block slidably engaging the rail, a second slider block slidably engaging the rail, a third slider block slidably engaging the rail, a lumbar pad, and a plurality of links connecting the lumbar pad to the first, second, and third slider blocks, wherein the threaded rod includes a first threaded section having threads with a first handedness and a second threaded section having threads with a second handedness that is opposite the first handedness, and wherein the first and second slider blocks threadably engage the first threaded section and the second slider block threadably engages the second threaded section.

2 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a motor assembly attached to the rail and rotatably driving the threaded rod relative to the rail.

3 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the links include a pair of first links, a pair of second links, and a pair of third links.

4 . The assembly of claim 3 , wherein a first end of each of the first links is rotatably coupled to the first slider block, wherein a second end of each of the first links is rotatably coupled to the lumbar pad, wherein a first end of each of the second links is rotatably coupled to the second slider block, wherein a second end of each of the second links is rotatably coupled to the lumbar pad, wherein a first end of each of the third links is rotatably coupled to the third slider block, wherein a second end of each of the third links is rotatably coupled to the lumbar pad.

5 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second ends of the first links, the second ends of the second links, and the second ends of the third links are rotatably coupled to the lumbar pad at first, second, and third rotational axes, respectively, and wherein the first, second, and third rotational axes are spaced apart from each other and parallel to each other.

6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lumbar pad moves in a direction perpendicular to directions in which the first, second, and third slider blocks move along the rail.

7 . The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the lumbar pad moves away from the rail when the first and second slider blocks move toward the third slider block along the rail, and wherein the lumbar pad moves toward from the rail when the first and second slider blocks move away from the third slider block along the rail.

8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seatback frame includes a lower cross member, an upper cross member, a first lateral support member, and a second lateral support member, and wherein a motor assembly of the lumbar adjustment assembly is attached to the first lateral support member and the rail is attached to the second lateral support member.

9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second, and third slider blocks includes a channel that slidably and non-rotatably receives the rail.

10 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the threaded rod is a single,
unitary body.

11 . An assembly comprising:
a frame; a motor assembly including a housing attached to the frame; a rail including a first end attached to the motor assembly and a second end attached to the frame; a threaded rod coupled to the motor assembly and disposed within a channel of the rail, the threaded rod including a first threaded section having threads with a first handedness and a second threaded section having threads with a second handedness that is opposite the first handedness; a first slider block slidably engaging the rail and threadably engaging the first threaded section; a second slider block slidably engaging the rail and threadably engaging the first threaded section; a third slider block slidably engaging the rail and threadably engaging the second threaded section; and a plurality of links rotatably coupled to the first, second, and third slider blocks.

12 . The assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a support member attached to the plurality of links.

13 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the links include a pair of first links, a pair of second links, and a pair of third links, wherein a first end of each of the first links is rotatably coupled to the first slider block, wherein a second end of each of the first links is rotatably coupled to the support member, wherein a first end of each of the second links is rotatably coupled to the second slider block, wherein a second end of each of the second links is rotatably coupled to the support member, wherein a first end of each of the third links is rotatably coupled to the third slider block, wherein a second end of each of the third links is rotatably coupled to the support member.

14 . The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second ends of the first, second, and third links are rotatably coupled to the support member at first, second, and third rotational axes, respectively, and wherein the first, second, and third rotational axes are spaced apart from each other and parallel to each other.

15 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the support member is a lumbar pad, and wherein the frame is a seatback frame.

16 . The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the seatback frame includes a lower cross member, an upper cross member, a first lateral support member, and a second lateral support member, and wherein the housing of the motor assembly is attached to the first lateral support member and the second end of the rail is attached to the second lateral support member.

17 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the support member moves in a direction perpendicular to directions in which the first, second, and third slider blocks move along the rail.

18 . The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the support member moves away from the rail when the first and second slider blocks move toward the third slider block along the rail, and wherein the support member moves toward from the rail when the first and second slider blocks move away from the third slider block along the rail.

19 . The assembly of claim 11 , wherein each of the first, second, and third slider blocks includes a channel that slidably and non-rotatably receives the rail.

20 . The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the threaded rod is a single, unitary body.

Assignees

• La Z Boy Inc

Inventors

• Bucholz Brandon
• Hegedus Alexander M
• Lapointe Larry P

Classifications

• A47C7/462 Primary

  adjustable by mechanical means · CPC title