GB2360446A

GB2360446A - Folding chair/hammock; foldable flooring

Info

Publication number: GB2360446A
Application number: GB0006869A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Damon Joseph Edwards
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-21
Filing date: 2000-03-21
Publication date: 2001-09-26
Also published as: GB0006869D0

Abstract

A combination chair and hammock, or folding chair, comprises a folding frame 2,4, and flexible sheet material 64 of a generally triangular form and anchored at one corner to an apical anchorage 26 of the frame 2,4 and at its other corners to respective lateral anchorages 56 of the frame 2,4. The folding frame 2,4 is comprised of two longer rectilinear wooden members 2 and two shorter rectilinear wooden members 4 extending at the inner sides of the respective members 2 and connected to the members 2 by way of respective pivotal connections 6. A dowel 48 acts as a strut between the front ends of the members 2, whilst a rope 50 looped over a rear connection 46 between the members 4 acts as a tie between the members 2 and can be adjusted to allow the connection 46 to be moved rearwards to bring the article to its hammock condition. There is also disclosed tent flooring comprising a plurality of triangular panels hinged together in such manner that the flooring can be brought from a use condition in which the panels extend generally in a single plane to a folded condition in which the panels extend parallelly face-to-face with each other (Figs 6, 7).

Description

2360446 APPARATUS According to one aspect of the present invention, there

is provided a combination chair and hammock.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a folding chair comprising a folding frame, and flexible sheet material of a generally triangular form and anchored at one corner to an apical anchorage of the frame and at its other corners to respective lateral anchorages of the frame.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided flooring comprising a plurality of panels hinged together in such manner that the flooring can be brought from a use condition in which the panels extend generally in a single plane to a folded condition in which the panels extend parallelly face-to-face with each other.

In order that the invention may be clearly and completely disclosed, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an article of furniture, Figure 2 is a front elevation of the article, Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of an apical anchorage of the article, Figure 4 is a fragmentary axial secti-on through a pivotal connection of the article, Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of a lateral anchorage of the article, Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tent, and Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view from above of flooring of the tent.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the article of furniture can be considered to be a combination chair and hammock or a folding chair. It includes a folding frame comprised of two longer rectilinear wooden members.2 and two shorter rectilinear wooden members 4 extending at the insides of the respective members 2. The members 2 are connected to the members 4 by way of respective pivotal connections 6 each 1 comprising a bolt 8 which extends through aligned lateral bores 10 and 12 through the two members 2 and 4 at each side of the frame, a nut 14 screwed onto the bolt 8, a washer 16 between the nut 14 and the member 2, a washer 18 between the two members 2 and 4, and a washer 20 between the member 4 and the head 22 of the bolt 8.

At respective ends, the members 2 are formed with chamfers 24 at an apical anchorage 26. The anchorage 26 includes a threaded stud 28 extending through aligned slot- form holes through the chamfered ends of the members 2. On respective ends of the threaded stud 28 are wing nuts 30. Axially inwards of the wing nuts 30 are respective angled, shoulder spacers 32. Between the spacers 32 and the respective members 2 are washers 34. At the chamfers 24 are respective washers 36 between which is a hook device 38 comprising an eye ring 40 through which the stud 28 extends, a snap hook 42, and a screw fastener 44 for releasably retaining the hook 42 closed.

The members 4 also have respective, adjacent, chamfered ends interconnected by a connection 46 the same as that of the anchorage 26, except that the hook device 38 is omitted. At their opposite ends from the anchorage 26 the members 2 are formed at their insides with blind bores in which is inserted a dowel-form strut 48, and respective bores extending laterally through the members 2 for receiving respective ends of a rope 50 which acts as a tie and the respective extremities of which are provided with a stopper 52 and formed with a readily releasable knot 54. The middle of the rope 50 is passed over the chamfered ends of the members 4 and looped around the connection 46, being retained there by the wing nuts of that connection 46. At the other ends of the respective members 4 are lateral anchorages 56 each consisting of a loop 58 of rope passed through a lateral bore 60 through the member 4 and knotted, for example clovehitched, at 62. Canvas 64 of generally triangular shape is anchored at one corner to the anchorage 26 by means of a loop 66 of rope releasably engaged over the hook 42 and threaded through reinforcing webbing 68 sewn to the back of the canvas 2 64 around the whole of the periphery of the canvas. The other two corners of the canvas 64 are anchored to the lateral anchorages 56 by the loops 58 being threaded through the webbing 68 before being knotted at 62. The canvas 64 is formed with two laterally outwardly extending pleats 70 which enable the canvas 64 to expand to a bucket shape to make it more comfortable for a user to sit in the article with the article in its chair condition shown in Figures 1 and 2. In that condition, the rope 50 prevents the rear ends of the members 4 from sliding rearwards relative to the members 2, whilst the strut 48 prevents the lower ends of the members 2 from moving towards each other.

To bring the article into a hammock condition, the length of the rope 50 between the two members 2 can be increased, so that the rear ends of the members 4 can move rearwards to allow the members 2 to turn downwards to bring the anchorage 26 to a lower level.

To fold the article into a substantially planar condition, it is simply necessary to render the rope 50 ineffective and to turn the members 4 relative to the members 2 about the pivotal connections 6 into a condition in which the V-shaped profile of the members 4 fits within the V shaped profile of the members 2. In this planar condition, the article is readily portable.

To make the article more readily portable and storable, it can be brought to a substantially linear condition in which the strut 48 has been removed from between the members 2 and the wing nuts 30 of the anchorage 26 and the wing nuts of the connection 46 are unscrewed to be loosened to allow the members 2 and 4 to swing together, which is why the holes through the chamfered ends of the members 2 and 4 are each of slot-like form.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the tent comprises canvas providing the walls 72 and the roof 74 of the tent. The canvas 70 is supported by external poles 76 via ropes '78 and by a central pole 80. The floor 82 of the tent is provided by wooden flooring consisting of a plurality of, in this example twelve, panels 84 each of triangular shape. Each panel 84 3 consists of a triangular outer frame 86 with an infill 88 of a grille of slats 90. The radial members of the frames 86 of each pair of adjacent panels 84 are hinged together by at least two bar, back-flap, hinges (of which one is seen and referenced 92 in Figure 7), whereby the floor 82 can be brought from its planar, use condition shown into a transporting and storage condition in which the panels 84 are folded to form a zig-zag in parallel, face-to- face contact with each other. The floor 82 may be of a spiral form in 10 which the panels 84 are each of increasing radial dimension.

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Claims

CLAIMS 1. A combination chair and-hammock.
2. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 1 and comprising a folding frame, and flexible sheet material of a generally triangular form and anchored at one corner to an apical anchorage of the frame and at its other corners to respective lateral anchorages of the frame.
3. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 2, wherein said folding frame is comprised of first and second elongate members and third and fourth elongate members connected to the respective first and second members by way of respective pivotal connections at respective locations intermediate the ends of the respective first and second members and the ends of the respective third and fourth members.
4. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 3, wherein, at said apical anchorage, respective rear ends of the first and second members are formed with respective chamfers facing towards each other.
5. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said anchorage includes a stud extending through aligned slot-form holes through respective rear ends of the respective first and second members and, on respective ends of the stud, clamping devices loosenable to allow the first and second members to be turned towards each other about their rear ends to a collapsed condition.
6. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 5, wherein said stud is externally threaded at both ends and said clamping devices are respective wing nuts mounted on the respective ends of said stud.
7. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said anchorage further comprises, axially inwards of the respective clamping devices, respective angled, shoulder spacers.
8. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein said anchorage further comprises a hook device comprising an eye ring through which the stud extends, a snap hook, and a fastener for releasably retaining the hook closed.
9. A combination chair and hammock according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the third and fourth members converge rearwards towards an apical interconnection therebetween.
10. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 9, wherein, at said apical interconnection, respective rear ends of the third and fourth members are formed with respective chamfers facing towards each other.
11. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said apical interconnection includes a second stud extending through aligned slot-form holes through respective rear ends of the respective third and fourth members and, on respective ends of the second stud, further clamping devices loosenable to allow the third and fourth members to be turned towards each other about their rear ends to a collapsed condition.
12. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 11, wherein said second stud is externally threaded at both ends and said further clamping devices are respective wing nuts mounted on the respective ends of said second stud.
13. A combination chair and hammock according to any one of claims 3 to 12, and further comprising respective blind bores formed at the inner sides of the first and second members at respective front ends thereof, a dowel-form strut readily releasably inserted in the blind bores, and a rope which acts as a readily releasable tie between the first and second members.
14. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 13 as appended to claim 9, wherein the middle of the rope is releasably connected to said interconnection.
15. A combination chair and hammock according to claim 14, wherein the rope is adjustable to increase and reduce the length of the rope between the first and second members, whereby said interconnection can be moved rearwards and forwards, respectively, so that the first and second members can be turned downwards and upwards, respectively, to bring the anchorage to a lower level and a higher level, respectively.

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16. A combination chair and hammock according to any one of claims 3 to 16, wherein the third and fourth members are located to the inner sides of and are shorter than the first and second members.
17. A combination chair and hammock according to any one of claims 2 to 16, wherein said sheet material is formed with two laterally outwardly extending pleats which enable the sheet material to expand to a bucket shape.
18. A folding chair comprising a folding frame, and flexible sheet material of a generally triangular form and anchored at one corner to an apical anchorage of the frame and at its other corners to respective lateral anchorages of the frame.
19. A chair according to claim 18,1 wherein said folding frame is comprised of first and second elongate members and third and fourth elongate members connected to the respective first and second members by way of respective pivotal connections at respective locations intermediate the ends of the respective first and second members and the ends of the respective third and fourth members.
20. A chair according to claim 19, wherein, at said apical anchorage, respective rear ends of the first and second members are formed with respective chamfers facing towards each other.
21. A chair according to claim 19 or 20, wherein said anchorage includes a stud extending through aligned slot-form holes through respective rear ends of the respective first and second members and, on respective ends of the stud, clamping devices loosenable to allow the first and second members to be turned towards each other about their rear ends to a collapsed condition.
22. A chair according to claim 21, wherein said stud is externally threaded at both ends and said clamping devices are respective wing nuts mounted on the respective ends of said stud.
23. A chair according to claim 21 or 22, wherein said anchorage further comprises, axially inwards of the respective clamping devices, respective angled, shoulder spacers.

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24. A chair according to claim 21, 22 or 23, wherein said anchorage further comprises a hook device comprising an eye ring through which the stud extends, a snap hook, and a fastener for releasably retaining the hook closed.
25. A chair according to any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the third and fourth members converge towards an apical interconnection therebetween.
26. A chair according to claim 25, wherein, at said apical interconnection, respective rear ends of the third and fourth members are formed with respective chamfers facing towards each other.
27. A chair according to claim 25 or 26, wherein said apical interconnection includes a second stud extending through aligned slot-form holes through respective rear ends of the respective third and fourth members and, on respective ends of the second stud, further clamping devices loosenable to allow the third and fourth members to be turned towards each other about their rear ends to a collapsed condition.
28. A chair according to claim 27, wherein said second stud is externally threaded at both ends and said further clamping devices are respective wing nuts mounted on the respective ends of said second stud.
29. A chair according to any one of claims 19 to 28, and further comprising respective blind bores formed at the inner sides of the first and second members at respective front ends thereof, a dowel-form strut readily releasably inserted in the blind bores, and a rope which acts as a readily releasable tie between the first and second members.
30. A chair according to claim 29 as appended to claim 25, wherein the middle of the rope is releasably connected to said interconnection.
31. A chair according to claim 30, wherein the rope is adjustable to increase and reduce the length of the rope between the first and second members, whereby said interconnection can be moved rearwards and forwards, respectively, so that the first and second members can be turned downwards and upwards, respectively, to bring the anchorage to a lower level and a higher level, respectively.

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32. A chair according to any one of claims 19 to 31, wherein the third and fourth members are located to the inner sides of and are shorter than the first and second members.
33. A chair according to any one of claims 18 to 32, wherein said sheet material is formed with two laterally outwardly extending pleats which enable the sheet material to expand to a bucket shape.
34. Flooring comprising a plurality of panels hinged together in such manner that the flooring can be brought from a use condition in which the panels extend generally in a single plane to a folded condition in which the panels extend parallelly face-to-face with each other.
35. Flooring according to claim 34, wherein each panel consists of an outer frame with an infill of a grille of slats.
36. Flooring according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the panels of each pair of adjacent panels are hinged together by at least two bar, back-flap, hinges.
37. Flooring according to any one of claims 34 to 36, wherein each panel is of triangular shape.
38. Flooring according to claim 37 and of a spiral form in which the panels are each of increasing radial dimension.
39. A combination chair and hammock, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.
40. Flooring, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

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