GB2464607A - A collapsible bed chair - Google Patents

Abstract

A bed chair foldable between a chair configuration, a bed chair configuration and a collapsed transit configuration comprising legs and a frame with a plurality of sections approximately equal in size and with bearing surfaces wherein the outer sections can be folded to a collapsed position lying parallel to the inner sections 2 and one of the outer sections has a hinge 22 which allows a sub section 24 of an outer section to fold upwards from its collapsed position to define a back for its chair configuration. This provides a shorter bearing surface than if an outer section were simply folded at an angle to an inner section. Preferably there are three sections providing a total length of 210 cm with a sub section 24 of length 55cm. The legs may be pivotally connected and their length may be altered independently of one another. The invention is designed for use when fishing.

Description

Outdoor Apparatus This patent application relates to a piece of seating equipment commonly used but not limited to recreational fishing.

When fishing from a waterside fishermen who wish to rest tend to use either an upright chair or bedchair.

For example, when fishing through the day an upright chair might serve their needs best, whereas at night a bedchair will probably be more suitable.

At present each type of seating option can only be provided by a single product but circumstances commonly arise where both types of seating option are required for the same expedition, for example fishing several days and nights in succession.

In these circumstances anglers have the option of purchasing and transporting both a chair and bedchair or taking a single product and improvising the other seating option.

Both designs are constructed from a bearing surface, often in the form of a textile component, attached to a frame. The frame is most often tubular and is constructed from sections connected together with hinges. Connected to the frame sections are pivotable pairs of legs which elevate said frame and said bearing surface away from the ground.

Both chair and bedchair designs have two functional configurations, the first configuration whereby frame, bearing surface, and pivotable legs are extended into a seating arrangement and a second configuration where the frame, bearing surface, and pivotable legs are folded into a transit configuration.

Conversion between the first and second configurations is achieved by a series of hinge manipulations and movements of the pivotable pairs of legs.

The bearing surface is permanently fixed to the hinged frame and due to its flexible nature easily folds between the conIiguration. The folding of the bearing surface occurs between sections where the frame hinges are positioned.

The art of these seating devices is well known and will for this reason only be outlined in the following narrative and drawings.

Due to the fact that it is the hinged frame which is innovative and novel and the bearing surface has little to do with this patent the bearing surface has been omitted from the drawings in the hope that its absence will enhance the explanation of the patentable frame features. It should be obvious to the reader that the bearing surface of either a chairör bedchair is the side of the frame which can support the body of the user.

The present invention overcomes the limitations of a chair and bedchair as separate items by providing a single product which has a first configuration chair, a first configuration bedchair and a shared second configuration for transit.

I

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows prior art for a two section foldable chair frame in its first configuration; Figure 2 shows prior art for a two section foldable chair frame in its second configuration; Figure 3 shows prior art for a three section foldable bedchair frame in its first configuration; Figure 4 shows prior art for a three section foldable bedchair frame partially folded into its second configuration; Figure 5 shows prior art for a three section foldable bedchair frame fully folded into its second configuration; Figure 6 illustrates the invention in an intermediate phase set between the fist configuration chair, the first configuration bedchair, and the second configuration used for transit; the pivotable legs of A section are extended and the bearing surfaces of A section and modified B section are directly facing one another; Figure 7 illustrates the invention as an upright chair with a subsection of modified B section providing back support; Figure 8 illustrates the invention showing that B section can be further modified to allow users of different sizes to gain the correct distance between back of knee to base of spine.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The chair frame I, shown in Diagram 1, is in the open configuration and shows section 2 and section 3 hinged 4 together. Section 2 has two pairs of legs 5, pivoted 6 to the front end 7 and back end 8 of section 2. The front end 7 of section 2 is used to support the user's body at the rear of the knee and the back end 8 the base of the spine.

Section 2 has a total length 9 which is limited to the anatomical length between the back of knee to base of spine and is approximately 55 centimetres. For the remainder of this document the first section 2, of any described design, will be called A section 2.

Section 3, usually constructed from a single tube 10 bent into a U-shape, provides upper body support and is attached to A section 2 at end 8. For the remainder of this document the second section 3, of any described design, will be called B section 3.

The hinge 4 between A section 2 and B section 3 allows conversion of the chair between the first configuration Figure 1 and the second configuration Figure 2.

In the second configuration, Diagram 2, hinge 4 allows B section 3 to be folded towards A section 2 until the bearing surfaces of A section 2 and B section 3 directly face each other. In addition the pairs of legs 5 pivoted 6 to A section 2 have rotated towards one another and rest in a parallel plane against the outside of A section 2.

To reduce the overall dimensions of the second configuration chair frame 1 to a minimum the length of B section 3 is approximately equal in length to A section 2.

The resulting shape of the second configuration chair frame 1 resembles a flat rectangle 11.

An additional advantage of B section 3 having its length approximately equal to A section 2 is that in the first configuration an upper body support section of 55 centimetres does not impede the casting of a fishing rod from an upright seated position.

Bedchair frame 12, Diagram 3, is built on an identical design as described for the chair frame 1 but has an additional third section 13.

The third section 13 is hinged 14 to A section 2 at end 7 and forms a support for the lower legs. The third section 13, like B section 3, is usually constructed from a single section of tube 15 bent into a U shape.

For the remainder of this document the third section 13, of any described design, will be called C section 13.

In the first configuration, Diagram 3, C section 13 is extended and forms a horizontal bearing surface for the lower legs.

Overall bedchair frame 12 stability, in the first configuration, can be increased by the optional addition of one or more pivotable 6 pairs of legs 5 to B section 3 and or C section 13.

When A section 2, B section 3 and C section 13 are all co-linear they form a flat horizontal bed 16. B section 3 can be moved to offer a range of inclinations by manipulation of hinge 4.

B section 3 of bedchair frame 12 is required to support upper body and additionally the head and is therefore longer than the respective B section 3 of a chair 1. This increase in length, in comparison to chair frame 1, does not affect casting ability as bedchair 12 users stand up from their seated position to cast.

To provide full body support for the user the total length of bedchair frame 12 is approximately 210 centimetres. This total length is equally divided between the three sections.

Diagram 4 shows the intermediate step for converting bedchair frame 12 to the second configuration. Manipulation of hinge 14 allows the folding of C section 13 towards B section 3 until bearing surfaces of C section 13 and B section 3 are parallel and directly facing one another.

The second configuration, Diagram 5, is completed by manipulating hinge 4 so that C section 13 is sandwiched between B section 3 and A section 2.

Bedchair frame 12 like chair frame I has a second configuration which resembles a flat rectangle 17.

With the majority of fishermen not willing to either purchase and or carry both a chair and bedchair many choose to use their bedchair frame 12 as an improvised chair.

The improvised chair of bedchair frame 12 is shown in Diagram 4 and has several significant disadvantages when compared to chair frame 1:-The hinge 14 defines the end of the improvised chair and is equivalent to the front end 7 of chair frame 1. When a user rests on the improvised chair the back of their knee prevents them from sitting any further back on A section 2. Due to the fact that all three sections of bedchair frame 12 are approximately 70 centimetres in length a large gap exists between the base of the spine and B section 3 providing a bearing surface for the upper body.

If the user attempts to rest their upper body on B section 3 they need to compensate for the gap by slouching their spine so the remainder of their upper body can reach the bearing surface of B section 3.

The discomfort is further increased by the crossbar 19 of the U-shaped structure of C section 13 which transverses the width of the seating area close the imaginary axis line of hinge 4. Crossbar 19 directly impedes the user creates a rigid barrier above the bearing surface.

If such discomfort can be tolerated there is the additional risk that the users weight will buckle and damage the structural strength of said crossbar 19.

Some bedehair frames 12 are supplied with one or more pairs of legs 5 pivoted 6 to C section 13. In the improvised chair position the crossbar 20 which connects the pair of legs 5 creates the same problems as the C section 13 crossbar 19.

These failures of the improvised chair tend to make users sit with no back support from B section 3 and over sustained periods of time makes this seating option undesirable.

Finally, if an angler does decide to rest against bearing surface of B section 3 they are unable to cast a fishing rod due to B section's 3 longer length.

This invention is an improvement of existing three section bedchairs and overcomes the above problems by describing a single product which in its first configuration provides either an upright chair or bedchair and has a second configuration suitable for transit.

The first and second configurations of the bedchair features of this invention, and the means by which they are attained, are identical to prior art. For this reason only a brief description of this invention's bedchair features will be mentioned.

It is the novel and innovative association between A section 2, hinge 4, and a modified B section 3 which allows the generation of a first configuration upright chair from a standard three section bedchair.

Figure 6 shows the invention frame 21 in an intermediate step where, in the least amount of moves, the invention can easily configure into either the first configuration chair, the first configuration bedchair, or the second configuration used for transit.

B section 3 has been modified by the addition of hinge 22 thereby dividing B section 3 into B subsection 23 and B subsection 24.

The combined length of hinge 22, B subsection 23 and B subsection 24 are approximately equal in length to A section 2 and C section 13.

Preferably B subsection 24 is approximately equal to distance between the back of knee to the base of spine which is roughly 55 centimetres.

The second configuration, used for transit, is achieved by pivoting 6 the pairs of legs of A section 2 towards each other so that they rest parallel to A section 2.

The first configuration bedchair is achieved in exactly the same way as described earlier for a three section prior art bedchair frame 12 with the unfolding of C section 13 by hinge 14 and modified B section 3 by hinge 4.

Hinge 22 remains locked and plays no part in either the first configuration bedchair frame 12 or the steps needed to adjust the frame into this configuration or the second configUration, resulting in hinge 22, B subsection 23, and B subsection 24 behaving as a single rigid unit and acting in exactly the same way as B section 3.

Examination of hinge 22 shows that it folds in the opposite direction to hinge 4.

To explain this folding process when all major sections and subsections are co-linear and the pivotable 6 pairs of legs 5 are extended and make contact with the ground hinge 4 rotates modified B section 3 upwards away from the ground whereas hinge 22 rotates B subsection 24 towards the ground.

The first configuration upright chair, Figure 7, is achieved by manipulation of hinge 22. This permits B subsection 24 to rdUtte about said hinge 22 and adopt an inclined position suitable for supporting the upper body.

Maintaining the parallel face to face association between A section 2 and B subsection 23, whilst allowing B subsection 24 to rotate about said hinge 22 to provide a chair produces the following inventive and novel features: B subsection 23 parallel alignment with A section 2 deducts B subsection 23 bearing surface from the total surface area provided modified B section 3 for upper body support.

The removal of B subsection's 23 bearing surface results in only B subsection 24 providing a lesser portion of upper body support. Preferably B subsection 24 is approximately equal to 55 centimetres which is ideal for seated casting of a fishing rod.

The parallel and face to face alignment between A section 2 and B subsection 23 also deducts an approximately equal bearing surface area from A section 2.

The reduction in length of A section 2 provides a lesser bearing surface which is equal in length to the distance between the back of the knee to the base of the spine resulting in B subsection 24 being the correct distance from hinge 14 to provide a bearing surface to correctly rest the users back.

The crossbar 19 of C section 13 is concealed within the void 25 created by the parallel face to face association between A section 2 and B subsection 23. This prevents the user coming into direct contact with said crossbar 19 resulting in an unimpeded bearing surface for an upright chair position.