Chairs with adjustable back supports

Abstract

An adjustable chair can support an occupant that sits on a front portion of a seat cushion. When the user leans back, the chair can provide back support without requiring that the user slide rearwardly along the seat cushion, thereby providing back support to minimize, limit, or substantially eliminate lower back fatigue, discomfort, or the like. A back support of the chair can be located at a desired forward/rearward position based on the user's position on the seat. In some settings, the chair can be used by a card dealer who tends to sit on a forward portion of the seat when dealing cards. The back support can be positioned to comfortably support the dealer's back when, for example, the dealer sits generally upright. The chair can also be used by other individuals that frequently sit on the front of the seat cushion.

1 .- 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A chair, comprising:
 a back support;   a seat support assembly including a seat support rotatable about an axis of rotation when the chair rests on a support surface; and   a slider mechanism having a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein the slider mechanism in the locked configuration holds the back support relative to the seat support, and wherein the slider mechanism in the unlocked configuration allows the back support to translate to allow the back support to translate across most of a distance between a back end of the seat support and the axis of rotation.   
     
     
         14 . The chair of  claim 13 , wherein the slider mechanism is configured to translate the back support forwardly across an upper surface of the seat support and a distance greater than 5 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The chair of  claim 13 , further comprising a vertical support coupled to the back support and including a C-shaped section with a curvature that matches a curvature of a most rearward padded region of the seat support as viewed from a side of the chair. 
     
     
         16 . The chair of  claim 13 , wherein the back support is rotatably coupled to a vertical support to allow rotation of the back support while the back support is positioned directly above the seat support, and wherein the seat support assembly has a pivot defining the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         17 . The chair of  claim 13 , wherein the slider mechanism includes a vertical support extending from the back support to the seat support assembly, and wherein the vertical support holds the back support spaced apart from the seat support so as to allow rotation of the back support relative to the seat support. 
     
     
         18 . The chair of  claim 13 , wherein the slider mechanism includes a plurality of sliders coupled to the seat support assembly and a connector coupling the back support to the slider mechanism. 
     
     
         19 . The chair of  claim 13 , wherein the back support in a forward position has a front surface positioned generally midway between a front end and the back end of the seat support. 
     
     
         20 . The chair of  claim 13 , further comprising a C-shaped support coupled to the back support and the slider mechanism, and wherein the C-shaped support is configured to extend over the seat support such that the back support translates a distance of at least 5 inches in a direction generally parallel to a cushion of the seat support. 
     
     
         21 . The chair of  claim 20 , wherein a curvature of the C-shaped support matches a curvature of a most rearward region of the cushion as viewed from a side of the chair. 
     
     
         22 . The chair of  claim 20 , wherein the C-shaped support is configured to move across at least most of a front-to-back length of a seat surface of the cushion. 
     
     
         23 . The chair of  claim 20 , wherein the slider mechanism includes:
 a bracket coupled to the C-shaped support, and   a plurality of linear extenders coupled to the bracket and the seat support assembly.   
     
     
         24 . A chair, comprising:
 a back support;   a seat support including one or more wheels for rolling along a horizontal support surface; and   a slider mechanism having a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein the slider mechanism in the locked configuration holds the back support relative to the seat support, and wherein the slider mechanism in the unlocked configuration allows the back support move linearly across most of a distance between a back end of the seat support a midway point between the back end and an opposing front end of the seat support.   
     
     
         25 . The chair of  claim 24 , wherein the slider mechanism is configured to allow the back support to translate forwardly across an upper surface of the seat support a distance greater than 5 inches. 
     
     
         26 . The chair of  claim 24 , further comprising a vertical support coupled to the back support and including a C-shaped section with a curvature that matches a curvature of a most rearward padded region of the seat support as viewed from a side of the chair. 
     
     
         27 . The chair of  claim 24 , wherein the back support is rotatably coupled to a vertical support to allow rotation of the back support while the back support is positioned directly above the seat support, wherein the seat support has a pivot defining an axis of rotation about which a seat of the seat support rotates when the chair rests on a support surface. 
     
     
         28 . The chair of  claim 24 , wherein the slider mechanism includes a vertical support extending from the back support to the seat support, and wherein the vertical support holds the back support spaced apart from the seat support so as to allow rotation of the back support relative to the seat support. 
     
     
         29 . The chair of  claim 24 , wherein the slider mechanism includes a plurality of sliders coupled to the seat support and a connector coupling the back support to the slider mechanism. 
     
     
         30 . The chair of  claim 24 , wherein the back support in a forward position has a back-supporting surface positioned generally midway between a front end and the back end of the seat support. 
     
     
         31 . The chair of  claim 24 , further comprising a C-shaped support coupled to the back support and the slider mechanism, and wherein the C-shaped support is configured to extend around and above the seat support such that the back support translates a distance of at least 5 inches in a direction generally parallel to a cushion of the seat support.