US2595179A - Chair convertible into a table and vice versa - Google Patents

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,R. s VELLA April 29, 1952 CHAIR CONVERTIBLE INTO A TABLE AND VICE VERSA Filed May 2, 1950 Mini RUBY .1 T'zLA IN V EN TOR.

Patented Apr. .29, 1952 UNITED STATES- PATENT F 2,395,179 CHAIR; CONVERTIBLE INTO A TABIiE- AND V VICE VERSAK Riih'y veiia; Los Aiigls'icalif;

Abplii'xatior'i' May fli 'lilm', Serial Noi- 159522 3 Claims. (c1.155 43i This; ihiiefi-tioh relates te an intefconvertible 1h; table ahd-chair; 7

speifially' speakir'ig the in've'ntioii' perieee of fiirr'iitui' e convertible from an" chair Iitd a:table and'viceversa; the table vioe' 'is iii iise'as a chair and the arms of the chaiif sdppbfting' 'the table top member when the device-is used as a table'.

AIthGUQHthe art-to which this invent-ion per tair'is' 1S already Well developed, yet there" r= maifis-' 1'oom for improvement particularly in re gaid to SiIhp1ifyirig ceiistl dctiorl al'ldjto securing" a smeothr; more satisfactory: operation of such a*dvice'.--; I V

Accordingly; among the obj ee'ts' -of the resent ifi-Vefitibri die td reduce the" number of in thedevicef and to p'i'ovide a; device cons'istmlgimember wh ch selectively forms the back 'ofthe (lfifiif 'alild' thwlbl tbp 031i be -01231 21"ate d in amofehat isfactorjfl manner converti'hg thefchairih'fidaf-table and' in cdnveftirlg th tfible into "a greove'facing thatofth'e 'othef'and' adepies'sion inthefiont end bf each of said grooves: inborn binatiomwit'h' a" chair back member with pins pldjtingfldm its? sid eedges'td travel i1 1 Saidgrooves, sdpositio'ned in" relation to saidgio'oves aiid depies'sion's" as to maintain said member midlength portions 'oi' 'the'se feur 'lesbemgrn ee or otherwise se'eured -tof eorner postionsf of 'said skeletal frame 6 supported inits -cor r'ier 'poij s: byupstandingiron'tleg's I andrear l 8 chair. bottom ffame which is 'preyide'd with a conventional,padded-seat pommsa-e M i Twin horizontal arm I rests ID are; fifov'id'd each'idf'w'hich is1secured'atop the legs-Wendi at its-side of t-hechaina rearkend portioii' lOiz of" each of said arm =restsex tending 'rearwatdlyof a back' chair -leg 8 Each-- 0?said-arm rests is internally grooved eel-indicated at-|-|,.from a point about" athird the -way baekfromvits fi'ont" end,. rear'wa'r'dly to a. point" considerably back f the rear leg B' at its-ssi'dei'ofthe d'evi'cei eacha roove being rectangular iii czross' section and pfe'ferably extending "about-half way tniou'gh the thickness of the ai'fii restas isi-Wll Shown it? Fig; 3.-

A combined, swin'g'ably mcuntee chai r tameand table' w imember eis pf'ovided a a be? carrying a subsiiralntiet11y 'ldtafi added back rest proper '16 having Side 'pietis 1 arespaced inwardly 'fr omtheout e'dg" 1501 tibns of thebodypoiti'enof SaidSWiHg-aB me b'ef l5." Each- 0f s'aid side pieces carries olltwai"dly 'p'iojecting dowel pin" Of Sfili all times projecting slidabli'intd thea? giove' ll at-its'Sideofthe-"cH-a are located somewhat abovfth'mid liigto!" said inell'lbez" l5Whenthe-1atter in its-chair back foi-miligpositi'ohafi which time; owmg w sai'd pins [8' being located forwardly of its" cen t'ei of gravity; Saidlhembef" IE 'ihCIine'S -SIigI A-M? backward with-its pins 18 engaging the-rear ends- 0fthe grooves and==its lower end-abutti pair of elastic bumpersl9 carried -by.--the "leg's The lower end of said inember l5 may be- 'swiiiig upwardly and rearwardly from the chairbaok forming. position, and during such SWing-thre of said pins l8 remain in engagement-Withthe rearends ofthe guide-grooves I l untilsaidmemher I! has reached a nearly horizontal position, whereupon the operator will pull said member I 5 forwardly till its pins l8 seat in bottom depressions Ila provided for them at the front" converting the device from a chair into a table,

and when converting it from a table into a chair swing backwardly and upwardly over said rounded parts. During these operations said ledges do not contact with the upper surface of said arm rests; therefore injurious wear and friction is avoided.

'Ifhe superior manner in which the device is operable will be more clearly understood when itis noted that, at each side of the device, when the stud I8 is in engagement with the rear end of the groovell, the radial distance from the center of the stud to the adjacent part of the ledge Z is slightly greater than the vertical distance from the midheight of the groove to the top of the arm rest, so' that when the lower end of member I is swung upwardly and rearwardly from itspendant position about the axis of said stud until said member reaches a horizontal positiodand thereupon is pulled forwardly toward proper'table top-forming position, during this operation a"clear ance can be maintained between said ledge 2ll-and the top surface'of the arm rest until said member l5 has been pulled so far forward as to cause its stud l8 to drop into the depression Ha. Therefore, in operating the device forward and rearward horizontal movement of said member l5 will not produce injurious abrasion or wear between it and the underlying arm rests, aridyet when it is in its most forward pos'ition it will rest in a fiatwise, non-tiltable manner upon the arm rests and will be releasably locked against backsliding;

In Fig. 3 the body portion of the chair back member I5 is shown projecting above the padded back rest, where it is ornamented by filigree openings 2B and a wavy upper edge 21.

In assembling the device, after the padded back rest member It has been attached to the remaining part of the swingable member 35 and the pins ill have been driven into place with bores provided for them into which they snugly fit, the grooves I l in the arm rests are caused to register with said pins while the swingable member I5 is in a superjacent relation to the tops of the four chair legs, Whereupon the arm rests are put into place atop said legs.

- It is to be understood that the form of the invention herein illustrated and described is but one example of the same and that various changes as to the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

' Iclaim:

' 1. An interconvertible combination table and chair having a pair of substantially horizontal arm rests in each of which is a longitudinal groove facing the other arm rest, and a chair ill back member with outwardly projecting pins in its side edges at all times occupying said grooves to guide said member into and from table top forming position, said grooves each having a depression at its outer end, the spacing of said pins from the under side of the table top compared to the spacing of the grooves from the top faces of the arms maintaining the side portions of said member out of sliding contact with the upper surfaces of said arm rests during the movement of said member from chair back to table top position, and vice versa, and when said member is in its most forward table top forming position said depressions providing seats for said pins which enable the operator to lower said member into a contact with said arm rests wherein it is releasably held against backsliding.

2. A combination chair and table comprising a stationary frame including legs and a rectangular chair bottom supported by said legs, there being a front and a rear pair of said legs connected with corner portions of said chair bottom and extending upwardly thereabove, a substantially horizontal arm rest supported at each side of the chair atop the aforesaid upwardly extending pore tions of said legs, each of said arm rests having a rear end portion which extends a considerabledistance rearwardly of the top of the rear leg at its side of the chair, each of said arm rests hav ing along it a longitudinal groove the open side of which is directed toward the opposite arm rest and which extends from a point considerably spaced away from the front end of the arm rest rearwardly to a point considerably rearward of the top of the rear leg at that side of the chair, and a combination chair I back. and table top member, said member carrying at eachside an outwardly projecting pin which, when said member is in chair back forming position is located forwardly of the center of gravity of said member and above its midheight and engages the rear end of the aforesaid groove at its side of the chair while the lower end of said member inclines forwardly and abuts loosely against the back side of the aforesaid stationary frame, said member being swingable upwardly at its lower portion and movable forwardly, thus advancing its said pins along said guide grooves until the former occupy the front end portions of the latter, said member having laterally projecting side portions which at such time rest upon said arm rests, said grooves each having a'bottom depression in its front end, the spacing of said pins from the under side of the table top compared to the spacing of the grooves from the top faces of the armsmaintaining said laterally projecting side portions of said member out of contact with the upper surfaces of said arm rests except when said member is in its most forward position, at which time said pins seat in said depressions and permit said side por-. tions to lower into contact with the arm rests.

3. A chair having legs, a seat portion carried thereby, arm rests mounted upon said legs and a back portion for said chair convertible into a table top and vice versa, a side piece secured to said back portion in an inwardly spaced relation to each of its side edges, a dowel pin anchored in each said side piece and having a free end portion extending outwardly therefrom, there being a groove in each said arm rest facing the other arm rest and extending from a point near the rear end of the arm rest to a point in a predetermined relation to its front end, said pins occupying said grooves in both the back forming position of the chair back and in the table forming position, said pins when said back is in the chair back forming position occupying the rearmost position in said grooves and when said back is in the table forming position said pins occupying the foremost position in said grooves, that portion of said chair back which lies adjacent said dowel supporting side pieces and which in the table forming position overlie said arm rests comprising ledges, the distance from each said ledge to the center of each said pin being slightly greater than the vertical distance from the midheight of said grooves to the topmost portion of said arm rests, whereby as said pins move in a horizontal direction in said grooves said ledges remain out of contact with said arm rests, each of said grooves having at its front end a depres- RUBY S. VELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 916,631 Towne Mar. 30, 1909 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date 391,303 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1933

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