US2957516A - Folding chair - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 25, 1960 E, L, u sZ 2,957,516

' FOLDING CHAIR Filed July 5, 1957 INVEN TOR. EDMUND L.KUBISZ l4 BY mlvtl ATTORNEY United, States Patent FOLDING CHAIR EdmundrL. Kubisz, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Machine and Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey 1 Filed July 5, 1957, SenNo. 670,014 1 Claim. (Cl.'155- -139) My invention relates to a light weight folding chair.

Chairs .of this type. are generally used outdoors and quite often are carried about by hand and transported within automobile trunks. They must be strong, light in weight and take up very little room when stored. While folding furniture of this type is generally not given much care, it must nevertheless remain sturdy and comparatively rigid when supporting the weight of a person. Folding chairs manufactured in the past, when subjected to the treatment mentioned, have had a tendency to sway. This is very undesirable because it can lead to accidental collapse.

It is one of the primary objects of this invention to provide a folding chair that will not jackknife or tend to sway from side to side when in use.

A further object is to provide a folding chair that is of a simplified lightweight construction having wrap-around links on both sides of the seat frame for gripping the rear legs to add rigidity to the chair when in use.

A further object is to provide a folding chair with rear legs whose midpoints have a bend to provide added strength when force is applied to this portion of the rear legs.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved folding chair.

Fig. 2 is a partial rear view of my folding chair showing wrap-around links in locked position.

Fig. 3 is a partial side view of my folding chair taken on line 2-2, showing the wrap-around links in locked position.

The framing members of my improved folding chair may all be made of tubular lightweight metal stock, except for the arm rests and the wrap-around leg links which may be made of any suitable flat material such as sheet metal. The frame members may all be U-shaped and are easily formed by bending machines. Seat and back panels may be made of cloth or other suitable materials and may be easily attached to the sides of the U-shaped frames forming the seat and back respectively.

Referring to the drawings, the tubular chair frame components consist of an inverted U-shaped back rest frame 10, a U-shaped seat frame 12, a U-shaped rear leg member 14, a pair of front legs 16, and a U-shaped lateral front leg support 18, and a pair of arm rests 22 formed from flat metal stock. While I have shown the rear legs to consist of a U-shaped member, it will be appreciated that individual rear legs may be used having suitable bracing such as employed for the front legs.

The front legs 16 are maintained in a fixed position parallel to each other by the U-shaped lateral front leg support frame 18. The U-shaped lateral support frame ice 18 is joined to the insides of each front leg 16 by rivets 26 and pivot bolts 28 and lock nuts 30.

The front of the U-shaped seat frame 12 is pivotally joined to the upper end of the lateral front leg support frame 18 and the front legs 16 by bolts 28 and lock nuts 30.

The upper portions 32 of the U-shaped rear leg members 14 have a forward bend at or near their respective midpoints and at their uppermost extremities are pivotally connected by suitable rivets or bolts 34 to the vertical flanges at the forward end of'the arm rest 22. The uppermost extremities 36 of the front legs 16 are likewise pivotally connected by rivets 38 to the same vertical flanges of the arm rests 22, immediately forward of and adjacent to the rear leg upper pivot points 34.

The inverted U-shaped back rest support 10 has a rearward bend 40 at its uppermost portion. The sides of said back rest support 10 are pivotally connected, at their lower ends to the rearward sides of the U-shaped seat frame 12, by a pair of pivot bolts 42 and lock nuts 44.

A pair of links having wrap-around extensions 24 are pivotally joined by the bolts 42, which freely pass through holes formed near the ends of said links 23 having said extensions 24, and are held securely under lock nuts 44. A suitable washer 43 is positioned between the rear seat frame 12 and the lower end of the back seat frame 10. The bolts 42 also extend through and join the rear sides of the seat frame 12, the lower end of said back rest 10 and the washer 43 so as to pivotally join these elements together. Said wrap-around links, having holes formed at their lowest extremities, are pivotally joined by rivets 46 extending through those holes, to the vertical sides of the rear leg frame 14.

When viewed from the side, the arm rests 22 pivotally arranged to be parallel at all times, whether the chair is opened or folded, with the sidesof the seat frames 12 and the front legs 16 are always parallel to the sides of the back rest 10 as in a parallelogram, that is pivotally connected at its corner.

As the chair is opened, the wrap-around links 24 whose upper integral portions are designed to seat themselves around the leg portions of the rear leg frame, firmly grasp the convex surfaces 48 of the offset leg supports and hold immovable the vertical portions of the rear leg frame 14, at substantially the same level of the seat frame 12.

As the weight of a chair occupant exerts force, through the wrap-around links 24, upon the convex surfaces 48 of the offset rear leg supports, the chair becomes more rigid, eliminating sideward sway, thus having the characteristics of a rigid, non-foldable chair.

The seat and back fabric 50 is folded over at their respective ends and sewn as to form a loop, to accommodate its supporting tubular member. It will be noted that anti-fiber washers have been positioned at all pivot points to eliminate wear and provide clearance between frame members to facilitate folding.

The tubular rear leg support frame 14 is crimped on the inside of the vertical portions of said frame at points above the offsets, to allow clearance of screw heads. The lower ends of the front legs 16 have suitable ribbon or plastic tips 52 placed thereon to provide a trim appearance and to prevent the marring of any floor finish. Suitable flanges 54 are inserted into the ends of the lateral front leg support 18 and into the forward ends of the seat frame 12, to provide a finished appearance.

The chair is folded substantially fiat by pressing the top of the back rest frame 10 forward. This movement disengages the Wrap-around links 24 from the vertical rear legs support 14 and brings the rear leg support 14 into contact with the front legs 16. The chair is now compact and ready for storing. It will be readily ap' w Patented Oct. 25,- 19 60 parent from the foregoing description of the improved folding chair that the novel method of construction used herein contributes toward a durable, rigid and safe folded chair.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, the present disclosure has been made by way of example, and the various other details of construction and a combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

A folding chair comprising in combination, a pair of arm rests, a pair of front legs pivotally connected to the forward portion of said arm rests, a back connected to the rear portion of said arm rests, a pair of rear legs pivotally connected to said back rest and said arm rests, a seat frame pivotally connected at its forward end to said front legs and having a pivoted connection at its rear end to the lower end of back, a pair of flat formed displaceable links formed with transverse semi-cylindrical extensions, one end of each of said links pivotable about said pivoted connection and disposed between said seat frame and one of said rear legs, the other end of each of said links pivoted to said legs inwardly thereof at a predetermined point spaced below said back rest, each of said semi-cylindrical extensions engaging each of said rear legs when said chair is in open position to prevent lateral displacement of said rear legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 195,549 Wakefield Sept. 25, 1-877 2,203,076 Baxter June 4, 1940 2,213,590 Parry Sept. 3, 1940 2,638,970 Harber May 19, 1953 2,709,481 Budai May 31, 1955 2,812,801 Heyman Nov. 12, 1957 2,837,140 Hedman June 3,1958

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