Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7416252 | Backpost unit of wooden dining chair with reclining mechanism A backpost for use in wooden dining chair. The backpost unit provides reclining movements for a wooden chair of the type having a stationary frame section within which the backpost unit is secured. The backpost unit consists of an interlocking mechanism with minimum... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7396081 | Chair height adjustment mechanism A chair control mechanism has a rotatable shaft with a radially extending member abutting an actuating finger of a gas control cylinder. A slider may push a second radially extending member of the rotatable shaft in order to rotate the shaft. The slider has a tab ex... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7390062 | Seat having cushion height and recline adjustment mechanisms A seat includes a base portion and an upright portion pivotable with respect to the base portion. The seat includes a reclining mechanism that includes first and second toothed members that are selectively engaged and disengaged to resist and permit, respectively, t... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7341567 | Traction device for physical therapy A traction device for use on a support surface which includes a body contacting assembly which releasably contacts the a suitable anatomical region of the patient, a gas spring and associated assembly, the gas spring variable between an extended rest position and a ... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7322653 | Integrated videogaming and computer workstation Disclosed is a videogaming and computer workstation unit, preferably integrated with an ergonomic chair, which permits ease of entry and exit to the chair for users of various sizes, and which permits users to use peripheral devices for operating video games and com... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7293833 | Chair and support mechanism unit thereof A chair is provided with a base 6 fixed at an upper end of a leg pillar 5, a back support unit 13 attached to the base 6 so as to tilt backward, a backrest 3 attached to the back support unit 13, and a spring unit 14 ... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7278685 | Recliner A reclining apparatus includes a base, a reclining element and a control element. The base is arranged between a seat and a post of a chair. The reclining element is connected to a backrest of the chair and pivotally installed on the base. The reclining element defi... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7234775 | Dynamically balanced seat assembly having independently and arcuately movable seat and backrest and method A seat assembly (21) including a seat (22), a backrest (23) and a mounting assembly (24) mounting the seat (22) in a near horizontal orientation for movement along an upwardly concaved arcuate seat path having a center of curvature... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7231866 | Opening and closing switch structure for valve pin control of gas cylinder The cable type opening and closing switch structure for a valve pin control of a gas cylinder is disclosed. There is provided a cable type opening and closing switch structure for a valve pin control of a gas cylinder, comprising a ball that is slide-contacted with ... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7198328 | Locking device for an office chair structure with an articulation permitting the movement of the seat and the seat back and related structures of the chair A locking device in an office chair structure of the type with articulation permitting the movement of the adjustable seat and seat back, with a mobile base from which a column rises, which is adjustable in height, and which supports a seat plane and a hinged seat b... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7108324 | Vehicle seat adjuster A pneumatic seat adjuster for moving a vehicle seat relative to a floor of the vehicle includes a body having a bore formed therein. The body is adapted to be connected to one of a floor and a vehicle seat. A piston is slidably disposed in the bore of the body. The ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7066554 | Control device having a collapsible operating handle A control device for use in a chair includes a casing fastened to the chair at the bottom side, a control rod pivoted to the casing, and an operating handle pivoted to the control rod and turnable between an operative position for rotation by the user to bias the co... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6957864 | Chair with a stopping device A chair includes an upper frame disposed above and pivoted to a lower frame. A stopping device includes a slide mounted slidably on the upper frame, and a stopping member. The slide is slidable between a first position, where the stopping member is offset from a rea... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6951370 | Exotic chair A chair includes a seat frame, a seat movably mounted on the seat frame, a backrest pivoted to the seat frame, a reciprocating mechanism mounted under the seat frame to cause the seat to engage in a series of repeated up-and-down motions, and a reclining mechanism m... | 10/04/2005 |
| 6913316 | Chair In order to provide a chair that can support near a pelvis or a lumbar portion of a person who sits on the chair irrespective of a body proportion the person or a way to sit, a boundary portion K between a back and a seat is arranged to be transformable or movable a... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6779847 | Multi-task mid-pivot chair control mechanism A chair control mechanism for positioning between the seat and seat support of a chair. The chair control mechanism includes a base section for mounting to a seat support such as an adjustable height cylinder, and a seat mounting section pivotally interconnected wit... | 08/24/2004 |
| 6739664 | Chair A chair 1 allowing a person sitting thereon to move a part of the person's body above the waist which corresponds to the backrest of the chair is provided having a backrest portion located behind a seat portion, the backrest portion being divided into backres... | 05/25/2004 |
| 6715834 | Angle adjusting device for a chair An angle adjusting device for a chair includes a fixed plate, a pivotal plate being pivotable relative to the fixed plate, a cylinder secured in the fixed plate and having an actuating pin extending out and being movable relative to the cylinder, a control rod pivot... | 04/06/2004 |
| 6669295 | Passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly A passenger seat with low profile seat back recline locking assembly, including a recline unit for controlling movement of the seat back and locking the seat back in a desired recline position. A hydraulic cylinder assembly is pivotally-mounted by a first... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6598936 | Multi-task mid-pivot chair control mechanism A chair control mechanism for positioning between the seat and seat support of a chair. The chair control mechanism includes a base section for mounting to a seat support such as an adjustable height cylinder, and a seat mounting section pivotably interco... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6450580 | Vehicle seat A motor vehicle seat has a base element which can be fastened in the motor vehicle, a seat element which is disposed on the base element, and a backrest element which is disposed on the seat element. The seat can be adjusted between a locked position and ... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6290296 | Anti-rattle pad A chair height control mechanism has a gas cylinder with a valve control finger extending from an upper end overlain by a tilting actuator. A resilient pad is adhered to the upper end of the gas cylinder surrounding the valve control finger and maintains ... | 09/18/2001 |
| 6149236 | Chair frame, control mechanism and upholstery The chair has a swiveling back (3, 4) whose rotational axis (D) defines a rear area on the seat (D) with a support (G) for the posterior. A section (32) of the back (3, 4) of the frame extends to the rotational axis (D) where it is connected to the seat s... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6116686 | Armchair An armchair is disclosed. The armchair has a seatback, a pair of armrests securely mounted on both sides of the seatback, a spring-like base securely and respectively engaged with the pair of armrests and a seat a side of which engages with a bottom side ... | 09/12/2000 |
| 5577802 | Adjustable chair A chair comprises a base with a fixed stem extending vertically from the base and a track member mounted to the top of the stem. The track member is a segment of a circle, the center of which is forward of the chair and coincident with either the knee or ... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5499861 | Chair, in particular office chair The invention relates to a load-bearing frame for a chair, in particular for an office chair, which can be adjusted in terms of its height and inclination and comprises a seat carrier (1), a backrest carrier (2), a load-bearing and pivoting device (80) an... | 03/19/1996 |
| 5498055 | Recliner: apparatus and method A recliner apparatus and method allows an occupant to recline with his feet elevated above his heart. The recliner has a chair structure composed of seat, back and footrest portions, that are supported by two side members of a frame structure. An adjustme... | 03/12/1996 |
| 5425566 | Working chair A chair, especially a working/office chair, comprising a seat-supporting frame (3), a seat (1) rotatably mounted in the frame (3) about a first axis (2), a back support (6) rotatably mounted in the frame (3) about a second axis (7) behind the first one, a... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5419615 | Chair with adjustable seat and backrest A chair includes a movable base, a first pneumatic cylinder, a support frame, a pivot frame, an elongated spring plate unit, and a second pneumatic cylinder. The first pneumatic cylinder is mounted uprightly on the movable base. The support frame has an u... | 05/30/1995 |
| 5069496 | Chair with adjustable seat and back rest A chair wherein the leg contains a gas spring which can be actuated to raise or lower a carrier for the seat and back rest. The seat is rigid wtih the carrier but the back rest is pivotally connected with the seat by hinge which contains a torque bar tend... | 12/03/1991 |
| 5029822 | Device for adjusting the inclination of the backrest of a seat A device for adjusting and locking the inclination of the backrest of a seat, for example an aircraft seat, comprises a gas compression spring which acts between the back rest and the frame of the seat and which is of the type which has a locking and rele... | 07/09/1991 |
| 5015032 | Chaise lounge with adjustable canopy A chaise lounge, usable for sunbathing and other recreational purposes, comprises a stationary base having a normally upright canopy pivotally mounted rearwardly thereon. The canopy, preferably comprising a hood-like frame covered with an open mesh and fl... | 05/14/1991 |
| 4830432 | Positioning device A positioning device is used for the positioning of a chair seat as to its inclination, or for positioning a back-rest member of a chair. The positioning device is constructed such as usual hydropneumatic springs which can be locked by closing a passage c... | 05/16/1989 |
| 4813743 | Reclining back mechanism for a seating unit A chair or sofa has a reclining back connected to a base by a mechanism which has a user-lockable, vertically oriented gas spring mounted behind the seat surface. The upper and lower ends of the gas spring are connected to upper and lower transverse membe... | 03/21/1989 |
| 4703974 | Seat furniture The seat furniture is provided with a seat-plate backrest inclination-adjusting mechanism (6), a single-column supporting device (2) and a supporting foot (1). The backrest is composed of a backrest bottom part (16) and a backrest top part (14), and when ... | 11/03/1987 |
| 4589697 | Bearing device for a chair with incline-adjustable back-rest bearer and incline-adjustable seat A height-adjustable office chair having an incline-adjustable seat and back includes a bearing device to which is connected a length-adjustable seat pneumatic spring connected by an articulated joint to the seat structure, a length-adjustable back-rest pn... | 05/20/1986 |
| 4408800 | Office chairs Improvements for office chairs are described which include a cam control mechanism having two operative positions under control of the occupant. In the first position the cam actuates a first pneumatic cylinder to adjust the height of the seat over a cont... | 10/11/1983 |
| 4007962 | Chair with adjustable back A work chair with an upholstered, adjustable seat and back which gives ergonomically correct support to the occupant's spine. The chair back comprises a back support and a shoulder support. The lower end of the back support is pivotally mounted in a round... | 02/15/1977 |
| 4004836 | Chair with tiltable spring biased back-rest A wheel-chair having a spring biased tiltable back-rest. The resilient force exerted on the back-rest by the spring is continuously adjustable to suit the actual person sitting in the chair. Preferably, the spring is a gas spring which is combined with a ... | 01/25/1977 |
