US1196655A - Folding chair. - Google Patents

Description

C. A. BUFFINGTON.

FOLDING: CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED 0m. 8. I9l5.

1 a 1 96 655 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. A. BUFFINGTON.

FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 2915.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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J9 15' 19 JJ 26' CALVIN A. BUFFINGTON, 0F BERKSHIRE, NEW YORK.

FOLDING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 191 6.

Application filed October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CALVIN A. BUFFING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkshire, in the county of Tioga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of folding chairs, and an object of the invention is to provide a chair of an extremely simple and cheap construction which may be readily folded to occupy a small space when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to construct a chair comprising a seat, front and rear legs formed of resilient metal and pivotally secured to the seat, the legs each including two arms which exert a pressure one toward the other so that the same will frictionally contact with the seat or with members associated with the seat to effect in sustaining the device in a set up position.

It is another object of the invention to provide a chair including a seat provided with leg members which are so associated therewith as to be folded over the seat when the device is collapsed or not in use and which, when in a set up position, will provide a firm and steady support for the seat.

It is a still further object of the invention to construct a chair having foldable leg members wherein the rear legs are of a materially greater length than the front legs so that the said rear legs will provide the back of the chair when the chair is in its set up condition.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvementresides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the legs and the back folded over the seat of the chair, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the chair, Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the chair, Fig. 5 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the clips employed in connection with the back or rear legs of the seat.

The seat 1 of my improved chair may be and preferably is constructed of a slab or piece of wood, and also may be bound by a suitable strip of metal, such a metal strip being at least desirable upon the front edge of the seat and being indicated by the numeral 2. The seat is provided upon its underface adjacent its longitudinal edges with strips or cleats 3 which will be secured to the seat in any desired or preferred manner, as for instance, by bolts 1 which are shown in the drawings. The cleats, at the front end of the seat, are formed with transverse notches 5, the said notches being disposed directly below the metal strip 2, and the outer sides of the said cleats, at the said front of the seat, are preferably beveled, as indicated by the numerals G. The notches 5 are adapted to receive the connecting bar 7 formed with the front legs 8 when the seat it in its set up position. The legs comprise each two members, or more properly speaking each of the front legs comprises a substantially V-shaped element, the outer arms 9 being formed with a connecting bar 7 and the inner arms 10 having their ends offset, as at 11, and being arranged in suitable bearings provided by openings 12 in the cleats 3 at a suitable distance to the rear of the notches 5. Both the inner and outer arms 10 and 9 respectively have their lower portions offset to provide outwardly extending feet 13. The metal strip from which the front legs. are formed is of course resilient, and the connecting bar or bail 7 is adapted to exert a pressure toward the offset ends 11 of the inner arms of the legs, and so it will be noted that when the front legs are swung upon their offset bearing portions 11, the connecting bar or bail must be expanded and forced away from the rear legs before the same can be positioned within the notches 5. To assist in directing the bar to within the'notches, the underfaces of the cleats 3 below the notches 5 are rounded, as at 14, and this arrangement permits of the bail being guided to its seat within the notches when the operator grasps the opposite legs and forces the same to an upright position, as it is thought will be readily understood.

The members which I have termed the inner arms 10, of the front legs, lie against the underface of the seat when the front legs are folded, while the bail or connecting member 7 of what I have termed the outer arms 9 of the front legs rests upon the cleats.

The rear legs, indicated broadly by the numeral 15, are of a substantially similar construction to the front legs, the same being constructed from a single strip of strong and resilient wire. The upper or connecting member for the legs is, however, extended above the feet ofthe rear legs a distance greatly in excess to that ofthe connecting bar 7 of the front legs, and said rear connecting bar, indicated by the numeral 16, has its ends bent downwardly, as at 17, and continued inwardly, as at 18, and the said inwardly extending portions have their ends extended to provide what I Will term the rear arms 19 of the legs 15. These arms pass through elongated slots provided in tho oilset or angular ends 92 as well as in a portion of the boss 20 of clip members 21.

The chps 21 comprise each a substantially right angular member, and the arm thereof which is provided with the elongated slot and which is formed with the offset ends 22 has said slot disposed only a slight distance above the seat of the chair, while the second arm of each of the clips is secured to the underface of each of the cleats, preferably through the bolts which connect the cleat to the seat, a nut 24 being provided for each of the said bolts. Disposed upon the'bolts between the lower arms of the clips and the said nuts is a swinging catch member 25, the said member being provided with a slot 7 which enters from one of its edges and which is adapted to engage with the rear arms 19 of the leg members 15 to sustain the said arms in a vertical position.

The rear arms have their ends outturned and rounded inwardly providing. feet 26, and extending upwardly and angularly from the feet are the front arms 27 of the rear legs 15. These arms 27 are spread for a suitable distance from the rear arms 19 and the upper portions of the front arms are oflset and-are passed through suitable openings 28 in the cleats 3, the said offset portions, indicated by the numeral 29, providing the shafts or trunnions upon which the rear legs are adapted to be swung.

The numeral 30 designates a transverse strip which is connected to the rear arms 19 at the juncture of the inwardly extending portions 18 of the strand comprising the rear legs and back, and secured to this strip in any desired or preferred manner is a substantially rectangular vertically disposed member 31 which has its upper end bent over the bar 16. The member 31 may have its opposite sides inturned to provide cleats 32, whereby a wooden back memberc33 may be secured to the said member 31, it being understood that the said member 31 is constructed of metal.

In lowering the rear legs 15 as well as the back formed by the rear legs, the catch members 25 are swung out of engagement with the arms 19 and the connecting bar 16 is swung over the top of the seat, the elongated slots permitting of said movement, so it will be noted that while a portion of the rear legs projects beyond the rear of the seat, the chair may be easily and quickly folded to provide only a small bundle which will occupy only a small space for storage or for shipment. It will be noted that the spring arms providing the rear legs exert a tension sui'ficient to normally retain the rear legs in their set up position independent of the catch 25, and if desired, the vertical arm of the clip 21 may be grooved to receive the portion of the rear arms of the legs '15 whioh contact theronnth so hat or many Instances the employment of he oatoh may be dispensed with.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a foldable chair, a seat, cleats secured to the chair adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, front and rear legs for the chair, each of said legs being formed from a single strand of resilient wire comprising inner and outer arms, the inner arms having their ends offset and journaled in bearings in the cleats, the outer arms being spread from the inner arms to exert a tension toward the inner arms, the connecting member of the strip being formed with the outer arm, the outer arms of the rear legs adapted to press against the rear of the chair, while the outer arms of the front legs and the connecting member therefor adapted to press against the cleats when the chair is in a set up position.

2. In a foldable chair, a seat, longitudinal cleats upon the bottom of the seat, said cleats at the juncture of the chair having transverse notches and the said cleats having their lower faces rounded toward the said notches, front and rear legs each formed from a single strand of resilient material, each of said legs comprising a pair of inner. and outer arms which are oined by feet and which are spread away from each other from the said feet, the inner arms having their ends offset and journaled in openings in the cleat, the connecting member of the outer arms of the front legs adapted to be swung over the rounded portions of the cleats to permit of the connecting element of the said arms being received within the notches in the cleats, clips upon the rear of the seat having offset ends provided with elongated slots through which the outer arms of the rear legs pass and to further permit the said outer arms and the connecting member therefor being swung over the top of the seat when the chair is in its folded position.

3. In a foldable chair, a seat, cleats upon the bottom of the seat adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, said cleats in the front of the chair having transverse notches and the underface of the cleats being rounded toward the said notches, front and rear legs for the said seat, each being constructed from a single strip of wire and each including a connecting member having vertically disposed arms having their ends outturned to provide feet, inner arms connected with the feet and spread away from the other arms to exert a tension between the said arms, the inner arms having their ends oifset and ournaled in openings in the cleat, and a connecting member for the front legs adapted to be swung over the rounded portions of the cleats to engage in the notches of the said cleats, clip members secured to the cleats and extending vertically to the rear of the chair, said clip members having their vertical ends offset and provided with elongated slots through which the outer arms of the rear legs pass, and the connecting member of the said outer arms of the rear legs being disposed a distance above the seat and being provided with longitudinal and transverse connecting members providing a back for the chair, and catch members engaging said outer arms of the rear legs for assisting in sustaining the said rear legs in the set up position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN A. BUFFINGTON.

l/Vitnesses:

CHAS. A. PARTRIDGE, HIRAM C. CRoss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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