US2487880A - Adjustable chair - Google Patents

Description

1949 Y K. K. KISSELL 2,48 30 ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed March 9, 1945 INVENTOR. K. ,e. 'K/SSELL BY 4w MM Patented Nov. 15, ,1949

' Kenneth K;

Kissell, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Eula Elizabeth Esping Application March 9, 1945, Serial No. 581,748

This invention relates to improvements in that class of chairs especially intended'for invalids or convalescents use, and among the objects of my invention are to provide a chair of this class that is extremely comfortable in that the weight of the user is supported entirely by a flexible web so that his body is out of contact with any hard object; to provide a chair of the aforesaid class that can readily be adjusted between an upright sitting position and a fully reclining position simply by the occupant changing his posture; to provide a chair of the nature just mentioned that is well balanced in all positions and tends to retain its various positions of adjustment by reason of the manner in which the weight of the occupant is distributed; to provide in a chair of this character means in convenient reach of the occupant and readily manipulated by him for releasably retaining the adjustable structure in any position to which it is adjusted, and to provide a chair of the invalid class including the usual wheels and trailing casters and from which said wheels and casters may be readily removed so as to convert the chair into one of the standing type for more general use as on a porch or lawn.

Other objects and advantages will appear as I proceed to describe the invention in detail by reference to the accompanying drawing, and

among which are the more general ones of simplicity of design and construction, economy, strength and durability.

In-the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation, and Fig. 2 aside elevation of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig.

'3 is a vertical section from front to rear through the chair, showing it adjusted to an almost fully reclining position; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail through the edge portion of the seat, as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of one of the trailing casters, and Fig. 6 a sectional detail showing a supporting stay for the rear portion of the seat.

The chair comprises, generally, a rigid supporting frame, and an adjustable structure made up of back, seat and front sections, and which structure is pivotally connected to and sustained by the supporting frame. The supporting frame, according to the present embodiment of the invention, is built up of two X-shaped parts I, desirably fabricated of metal tubing, that are connected together adjacent their lower ends by a horizontal member 2 which extends across the back and forwardly along each side and is con- 1 Claim. (Cl. 155106) '22, respectively. The

nected to the lower portions of said X-sha parts I, said parts also being rigidly connected together adjacent their lower front corners by a cross bar 3. The supporting frame is desirably fitted with casters 4 of the size ordinarily employed on pieces of furniture, and said frame is further braced by a cross member 5 that extends between the downwardly and rearwardly inclined members of the X-shaped parts. The supporting frame is completed by substantially horizontal, parallel side members 6,'shown as including armrests l. v v

Unless the structure is to be used as a standing chair, in which case it would rest onthe casters 4, it is provided with relatively large wheels 8 and trailin casters 9. The trailing casters are of conventional construction and are removably connected to the rear portion of the member 2 in any suitable manner obvious to the average mechanic. The axis IS, on which the wheels 8 are mounted, is removably supported by brackets I6 by being withdrawable therefrom, said brackets being connected to the forwardly and downwardly inclined members of the parts I-'.

The back, seat, and front sections of the above mentioned adjustable structure are designated, generally, by the reference numerals 20, 2| and back section 20 is made up of side rails 23, that are connected together at their upper ends by a cross bar 24, and at their lower ends by across bar 25. Intermediate their ends, the side rails 23 have hangers 25 secured to them, and said hangers are connected by pivot members 21, to the rear end portions of the side members 6 of the supporting frame. Pivotally connected to the front ends of said side members are the side rails 2i!v of the front section 22; and near their lower ends said rails 28 are rigidly connected by a cross bar 29. Pivoted at 30 to brackets 3| that are secured to and extend rearwardly from the side rails '28 of the front section are the forward ends of side rails 32 of the seat section 2|. The side rails 32 extend rearwardly beyond, and inside those of the back section and are pivotally connected to the side rails of the back section by bolts 33, said bolts, according to the present embodiment, also assisting in holding clamping strips 34 to the inner sides of the rails 32. The lateral edges of a cross web 35 of suitable flexible material, such as a relatively heavy and strong grade of carpet, are fir ly clamped between the strips 34 and the rails 32, a suitable number of bolts 36, additional to the bolts 33, being employed for firmly securing the parts together. Adjacent the front of the seat when seatedin the chair. :seat section aconsiderable distance rearwardly f the backsection, the body is well supported section, the sides thereof may be held apart by a dropyoke 31. It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 that the seat section projects a material distance rearwardly of the back section, and that the cross Web 35 extends from the rear end of said section entirely to the front thereof. To prevent the side rails of the seat section, alon with the clamping strips 34, from keeling over under weight imposed upon the cross web 35 when the chair is, in use, "the inner ends-of the bolts 33 have connected to them, and are sustained by,

stays 38 that have a purchase at their lower endson the cross bar 25 of the back section 20. The

connection between the inner ends of the bolts 33 and the stays 38 may be conveniently made by threading the bolts into tapped holes inthestays in a manner obvious to one skilled in the art.

A longitudinal web 40 of flexible material, such as a heavy grade of canvas, is secured at oneend to the upper cross bar 24 of the back section 20 andial: its Opposite end to the cross bar 29 of theirontsection 22, said web overlying the cross web {1,5, the latter desirably being stretched tight- 1y between the sides of the seat section 2!. A footrest42 is pivotally supported by and between th lower endsof the side rails 23 of the front section 22 and is releasably held in a position at substantially right angles to the plane of said section-by braces 44 that are detachably con nected at their upper ends to the side rails 28. p Constructed as abovedescribed, the adjustable structure is capable of swinging with a sort of parallelrule actionsbetween a position in which the back, and front sections are approximately svertical, as shown in Fig. 2, and one in which Said sections closely approach a horizontal :position, the seatsection at all tirnesremaining substantially horizontal; and it is evident .from the construction described that a person occupying the ohairvis at all-times supported from his head to. thelregiqn of his feet by the websof flexible .material and entirely out of contact with .any rigid part of the structure, it being explained that the topcross bar 24 of, the back sectionis well abovethehead'of a person of average height By extending the when-in a recliningposition; and when in such 'positiQn, the occupant of the chair may disenage the braces-44 of the'footrest and-swing-the latter downwardly into the plane of the front -.frame.where it is held by engagement with the covered cross bar,29, soas to more comfortably support the feet,

-'A.slottedp1ate 46 is. pivotedat 47 to QIIGOf .4. projecting through the slot thereof is a threaded stud 48 on the adjacent side rail 23 of the back section. By means of a thumb nut applied to said stud, the plate may be locked to said rail so as to firmly hold the adjustable structure in any desired position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a chair of the class, described, the combination of a supporting frame, and an adjustable structure sustained thereby comprising a back section, a seat section and a front section, the

back and front sections being pivotally connected tonthe supporting frame, and the seat section being pivotally connected at its forward end to the front section and adjacent its rear end to the back section, the seat section projecting a conwith the back section, said seat section comprising side rails and a rigid" cross member connecting them together adjacenttheir forward ends, said member being spaced a substantial distance below the plane of theftop edges Iof the side rails, a cross web of flexible material having its lateral edgessecured to theside rails of the seat section along their topedges and extending from the front to the rear thereof, said cross web being sufficiently taut to remain out of contact with the aforesaid cross member. under the weight of a person occupying the seat, andalongitudinal web, of flexible material attached at one end to the top of the back section and overlying the cross web and secured at its oppositeend to the lower portion of the front section, the longitudinal web being supported intermediate its ends solely by the cross web and being freely movable with relation thereto.

KENNETH K. KISSELL.

REFERENCES CITED "UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 139,561 7 Farrell June.31, 187-3 516,493 Knight Mar..l3, 1894 647,929 Allen Apr. 24, 19.00 806,176 Oakley Q. Dec. 5, 1905 882,248 Heas Mar. 17, 1908 1,240,089 Pottinger Sept, 11, 1917 1,650,826 Fargo Nov. 29, 1927 1,860,867 Matthews May .31, 1932 2,020,207 Platter 11 Nov. 5, 1935 2,093,829 Clark Sept. 21, 1937 2,275,908 Kelly May 10, 1942

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