US20020121800A1

US20020121800A1 - Lawn chair with an inclination adjustable backrest member

Info

Publication number: US20020121800A1
Application number: US09/797,695
Authority: US
Inventors: Cheng-Yi Yu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-05
Filing date: 2001-03-05
Publication date: 2002-09-05

Abstract

A lawn chair includes a seat member disposed between left and right leg units, a backrest member extending uprightly from the seat member, and left and right armrest member fastened pivotally to the backrest member at rear portions thereof. Two tension springs are fastened to the armrest members and the leg units for urging the backrest member to a predetermined inclination relative to the seat member. Downward pressure on the backrest member by virtue of body weight of a seated person against tension force of the springs, and a simultaneous upward lifting of the armrest members relative to the leg units result in adjusting the backrest member to a desired inclined position relative to the seat member. Removal of the downward pressure from the backrest member can result in restoration of the backrest member to the predetermined inclination.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a lawn chair, more particularly to a lawn chair with an inclination adjustable backrest member.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a first conventional lawn chair is shown to include left and right leg units 1, a seat member 2, a backrest member 3, a pivot unit, left and right armrest members 4, and an inclination adjustment device 5.

As illustrated, the

seat member

2 extends in a longitudinal direction, and is disposed between and is fastened to the left and right leg units 1 in such a manner that the top portions of the left and right units 1 are located at an elevation above the seat member 2.

The

backrest member

3 extends uprightly from a rear end of the seat member 2, and has a lower section, an upper section, and an intermediate section between the upper and lower sections.

The pivot unit includes two

pivots

101 which extend in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction through the intermediate portions of rear legs 102 via two mounting brackets 302, and the lower section of the backrest member 3 to permit folding and unfolding of the backrest member 3 relative to the seat member 2.

The

armrest members

4 extend in the longitudinal direction, and have rear parts pivoted to the intermediate section of the backrest member 3 and front parts disposed movably and respectively over the top portions of the left and right leg units 1 in such a manner that folding and unfolding actions of the backrest member 3 relative to the seat member 2 result in movement of the armrest members 4 in the longitudinal direction.

The

inclination adjustment device

5 includes left and right elongated teeth members 501, left and right tongues 103, and two hollow frames 503. The left and right teeth members 501 are fixed respectively to bottom surfaces of the armrest members 4 at the front parts, and extend along the longitudinal direction. The hollow frames 503 are fixed to the bottom surfaces of the armrest members 4 around the teeth members 501, respectively to confine the teeth members 501. Each of the teeth members 501 has engaging grooves 504 which define a frontmost engaging groove (504F), a rearmost engaging groove (504R) and a plurality of intermediate engaging grooves (504M) between the frontmost and rearmost engaging grooves (504F, 504R). Each of the tongues 103 is mounted fixedly on the top portion of the respective rear leg 102, and has an upper edge 104 engaging a selected one of the engaging grooves 504. When the tongues 103 engage the rearmost engaging grooves (504R) in the teeth members 501, the backrest member 3 is disposed at a predetermined inclination relative to the seat member 2, as best shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, to adjust the inclination of the backrest member 3 relative to the seat member 2, the armrest members 4 are lifted upward in the arrow direction “a” by the hands of a seated person so as to disengage the tongues 103 from the rearmost engaging grooves (504R) in the teeth members 501. The armrest members 4 are then pushed in the arrow direction “d” by virtue of a lying action of the body weight of the seated person against the backrest member 3 such that the latter turns downward in the arrow direction “b”. The armrest members 4 are released from upward lifting after achieving a desired inclination of the backrest member 3 relative to the seat member 2, wherein the tongues 103 engage another pair of the engaging grooves 504.

A drawback of the aforesaid conventional lawn chair resides in that the

backrest member

3 cannot automatically restored to its initial position in case the seated person leaves the lawn chair.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a second conventional lawn chair has been proposed so as to overcome the aforesaid drawback, and has a structure similar to that of the first conventional lawn chair. The main difference resides in the presence of a leg-supporting frame 205′ and a pair of connecting rods 206′. The frame 205′ is mounted pivotally on the seat member 2′. The connecting rods 206′ have rear ends pivoted to a lowermost end of the backrest member 3′, and front ends pivoted to an intermediate part of the frame 205′. Under this condition, changing of the position of the backrest member 3′ can be conducted by lifting the armrest members 4′ relative to the leg units 1′. The backrest member 3′ can be restored to its initial position once the applied weight of the seated person is removed from the backrest member 3′ and by virtue of rearward pushing action of the person's legs against the frame 205′.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a lawn chair with an adjustable backrest member which can be automatically restored to its initial position once the applied body weight of the seated person is removed from the backrest member.

Accordingly, a lawn chair of the present invention includes left and right leg units, a seat member, a backrest member, a pivot unit, left and right armrest members, and an inclination adjustment device. The seat member is fastened to the left and right leg units, and extends in a longitudinal direction in such a manner that top portions of the left and right leg units are located at an elevation above the seat member. The backrest member extends uprightly from the seat member, and has a lower section, an upper section, and an intermediate section between the upper and lower sections. The pivot unit extends in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction, and through the lower section of the backrest member and a selected one of the seat member and the left and right leg units to permit folding and unfolding of the backrest member relative to the seat member. The armrest members extend in the longitudinal direction, and have rear parts which are pivoted to the intermediate section of the backrest member, and front parts which are disposed movably and respectively over the top portions of the left and right leg units in such a manner that folding and unfolding actions of the backrest member relative to the seat member result in movement of the armrest members in the longitudinal direction. The inclination adjustment device includes left and right elongated teeth members fixed respectively to the armrest members at the front parts, and extending along the longitudinal direction. Each of the teeth members has engaging grooves that define a frontmost engaging groove, a rearmost engaging groove and a plurality of intermediate engaging grooves between the frontmost and rearmost engaging grooves. Left and right tongues are mounted fixedly on the top portions of the left and right leg units and selectively engage a corresponding pair of the engaging grooves. The tongues engage the rearmost engaging grooves in the teeth members when the backrest member is disposed at a predetermined inclination relative to the seat member. Two tension springs have rear ends fastened to the rear parts of the armrest members, and front ends respectively fastened to the tongues under tension, thereby urging the armrest members frontward in the longitudinal direction. Under this condition, the backrest member is disposed at the predetermined inclination relative to the seat member. Downward pressure on the backrest member by virtue of body weight of a seated person against action of the tension springs, and a simultaneous upward lifting of the armrest members relative to the leg units result in movement of the tongues from the corresponding pair of the engaging grooves to another pair of the engaging grooves, thereby adjusting the backrest member to a desired inclined position. Removal of the downward pressure from the backrest member can result in a restoration of the backrest member to the predetermined inclination by virtue of restoration force of the tension springs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0015]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first conventional lawn chair with an inclination adjustable backrest member; [0016]
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the first conventional lawn chair, illustrating interengagement between an armrest member and an inclination adjustment device that is disposed between the armrest member and a leg unit; [0017]
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the first conventional lawn chair at the normal position; [0018]
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the first conventional lawn chair, after adjustment to a desired inclination of the backrest member relative to the seat member; [0019]
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the first conventional lawn chair shown in FIG. 4, illustrating interengagement between the armrest member and the inclination adjustment device; [0020]
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a second conventional lawn chair with an inclination adjustable backrest member; [0021]
FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the second conventional lawn chair at the normal position; [0022]
FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of the second conventional lawn chair, after adjustment to a desired inclination of the backrest member relative to the seat member; [0023]
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a lawn chair according to the present invention; [0024]
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating interengagement between an armrest member and an inclination adjustment device that is disposed between the armrest member and a leg unit; [0025]
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment taken along lines XI-XI in FIG. 10; [0026]
FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment, after adjustment to a desired inclination of the backrest member relative to the seat member; and [0027]
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 12, illustrating interengagement between the armrest member and the inclination adjustment device.[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the preferred embodiment of a lawn chair of the present invention is shown to include left and [0029] right leg units 30, a seat member 10, a backrest member 20, a pivot unit consisting of two pivots 201, left and right armrest members 40, and an inclination adjustment device.
As illustrated, each of the left and [0030] right leg units 30 includes a front leg 31 and a rear leg 32 that is fastened to the front leg 31 at a top portion thereof.
The [0031] seat member 10 is disposed between, and is fastened to intermediate portions of the left and right leg units 30, and extend in a longitudinal direction in such a manner that the top portions of the left and right units 30 are located at an elevation above the seat member 10. Preferably, a leg-support frame 12 is mounted slidably on the seat member 10, and is extendible from the seat member 10 so as to support the legs of a person who is seated on the seat member 10.
The [0032] backrest member 20 extends uprightly from the seat member 10, and has a lower section, an upper section, and an intermediate section between the upper and lower sections.
The [0033] pivots 201 extend in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction through the intermediate portions of the rear legs 32 via two mounting brackets 11, and the lower section of the backrest member 20 to permit folding and unfolding of the backrest member 20 relative to the seat member 10.
The [0034] armrest members 40 extend in the longitudinal direction, and have rear parts pivoted to the intermediate section of the backrest member 20, and front parts disposed movably and respectively over the top portions of the left and right leg units 30 in such a manner that folding and unfolding actions of the backrest member 20 relative to the seat member 10 result in movement of the armrest members 40 in the longitudinal direction.
The inclination adjustment device includes left and right [0035] elongated teeth members 41, left and right tongues 321, and two tension springs 43. The left and right teeth members 41 are fixed respectively to bottom surfaces of the armrest members 40 at the front parts, and extend along the longitudinal direction. Two hollow frames 412 are fixed to the bottom surfaces of the armrest members 40 around the teeth members 41, respectively to confine the teeth members 41. Each of the teeth members 41 has engaging grooves 411 which define a frontmost engaging groove (411F), a rearmost engaging groove (411R) and a plurality of intermediate engaging grooves (411M) between the frontmost and rearmost engaging grooves (411F, 411R). Each of the left and right tongues 321 is mounted fixedly on the top portion of the respective rear leg 2, and has an upper edge 322 engaging a selected one of the engaging grooves 411. When the tongues 321 engage the rearmost engaging grooves (411R) in the teeth members 41, the backrest member 20 is disposed at a predetermined inclination relative to the seat member 10.
The tension springs [0036] 43 have rear ends 431 fastened to two fixed spring-retention studs 42 on the rear parts of the armrest members 44, and front ends 432 respectively fastened to the tongues 321 under tension, thereby urging the armrest members 40 forward in the longitudinal direction and consequently disposing the backrest member 20 at the predetermined inclination relative to the seat member 10. Preferably, the tongues 321 are formed with spring-engaging holes 323 at intermediate portions thereof to facilitate hooking of the front ends 432 of the tension springs 43 therein. Each of the armrest members 40 further has a pair of spaced apart partitions 44 provided on the rear part thereof between the spring-retention stud 42 and the rearmost engaging groove (411R) of the teeth member 41 to define a spring guiding rail 45 (see FIG. 11), within which a respective one of the tension springs 43 is mounted.
The [0037] backrest member 20 is at the predetermined inclination, i.e. the normal position (shown by dotted lines in FIG. 12) by virtue of engagement of the tongues 321 in the rearmost engaging grooves (411R) in the armrest member 40. In the event that a person seated on the seat member 10 wishes to adjust the inclination of the backrest member 20 relative to the seat member 10, he can apply a downward pressure on the backrest member 20 by applying his body weight on the backrest member 20 and by a simultaneous upward lifting of the armrest members 40 relative to the leg units 30. Under this condition, the tongues 321 move from one corresponding pair of the engaging grooves 411 to another corresponding pair of the engaging grooves 411, thereby adjusting the backrest member 20 to a desired inclined position, as best shown in FIG. 13.
In a similar manner, removal of the downward pressure from the [0038] backrest member 20 due to forward tilting action of the seated person in the arrow direction “B” can result in restoration of the backrest member 20 to the predetermined inclination by virtue of restoration force of the tension springs 43.
With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims. [0039]

Claims

I claim:

1. A lawn chair comprising:

left and right leg units having top portions;

a seat member disposed between and fastened to said left and right leg units to extend in a longitudinal direction in such a manner that said top portions of said left and right units are located at an elevation above said seat member;

a backrest member extending uprightly from said seat member, and having a lower section, an upper section, and an intermediate section between said upper and lower sections;

a pivot unit extending in a transverse direction relative to said longitudinal direction through said lower section of said backrest member and a selected one of said seat member and said left and right leg units to permit folding and unfolding of said backrest member relative to said seat member;

left and right armrest members extending in said longitudinal direction, and having rear parts pivoted to said intermediate section of said backrest member and front parts disposed movably and respectively over said top portions of said left and right leg units in such a manner that folding and unfolding actions of said backrest member relative to said seat member result in movement of said armrest members in said longitudinal direction; and

an inclination adjustment device including

left and right elongated teeth members fixed respectively to said armrest members at said front parts and extending along said longitudinal direction, each of said teeth members having engaging grooves that define a frontmost engaging groove, a rearmost engaging groove and a plurality of intermediate engaging grooves between said frontmost and rearmost engaging grooves,

left and right tongues mounted fixedly on said top portions of said left and right leg units and selectively engaging one of said engaging grooves, said tongues engaging said rearmost engaging grooves in said teeth members when said backrest member is disposed at a predetermined inclination relative to said seat member, and

two tension springs having rear ends fastened said rear parts of said armrest members, and front ends respectively fastened to said tongues under tension, thereby urging said armrest members frontward in said longitudinal direction and consequently disposing said backrest member at said predetermined inclination relative to said seat member;

whereby, downward pressure on said backrest member by virtue of body weight of a seated person against action of said tension springs and simultaneous upward lifting of said armrest members relative to said leg units result in movement of said tongues from one of said engaging grooves to another one of engaging grooves, thereby adjusting said backrest member to a desired inclined position; and

whereby, removal of said downward pressure from said backrest member can result in restoration of said backrest member to said predetermined inclination by virtue of restoration force of said tension springs.