US2715937A - Collapsible rocker - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1955 R. THOMAS 2,715,937

COLLAPSIBLE ROCKER Filed June 15, 1954 INVENTOR. F054??? 1. THOMAS Jim 4 7' TUENE Y United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE ROCKER Robert L. Thomas, Brawley, Califl, assignor of one-half to Clifford S. Lupercio, Brawley, Calif.

Application June 15, 1954, Serial No. 436,759

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-76) This invention relates to a collapsible rocker constructron.

An object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible or folding rocker that can quickly and easily be arranged in operative or folded condition, as desired, and when in the former condition is quite rigid to withstand the forces imposed by the weight of a person using the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a folding rocker, a novel form of separable brace that is quickly adjusted, connected or separated and, when connected, fully maintains the erected condition of the rocker.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a Working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a folding or collapsible rocker according to the present invention, the same being shown fully erected and held in such condition by the present improved brace means.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the erected rocker.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the brace means released or separated and the rocker partly moved to collapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the rocker fully folded or collapsed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged edge view, partly in section, of one of the braces.

The rocker that is illustrated comprises, generally, rocker bars 10, substantially erect members, such as the front posts 11 and rear posts 12, the posts on each side being in the same plane, back members 13 connected to said rear posts, a seat 14, and arm rests 15 disposed in the planes of the posts 11 and 12. The above generally described rocker has the components thereof hinged together and/or pivotally connected as to be in parallelepipedon form during all positions of erection or collapse. Brace means 16 retain the rocker in operative or erected position.

The rocker bars are of generally conventional form and each is provided with a forwardly placed pivot 17 and a rearwardly placed pivot 18, said pivots, respectively, being arranged in forward and rearward pairs.

The front posts 11 are disposed inwardly of the rocker bars and are connected to the forward pivots 17 and, in turn, carry intermediate pivots 19 and hinges 20 at the upper ends thereof. The rear posts 12, respectively coplanar with posts 11, are connected to the rearward pivots ice 18 and carry intermediate pivots 21 spaced from pivots 18 the same distance that pivots 19 are spaced from pivots 17. Said rear posts carry hinges 22 spaced from pivots 21 the same distance that hinges 20 are spaced from pivots 19. Said rear posts extend considerably above hinges 22 and said extensions are connected by back member 13. A similar back member 13 is disposed below hinges The seat 14 comprises seat bars 23 that are connected at each side to pivots 19 and 21 and constitute side supports for seat member 24. it will be clear that seat 14 is parallel to the plane common to the four pivots 17 and 18. Therefore, a parallelogram is defined by said pivots and pivots i9 and 21 on each side. Since members 13 and seat 14 connect the sides, a parallelepiped is defined by the eight pivots 1'7, 18, 19 and 21.

The arm rests 15 are also parallel to seat 14 because of the similarity of spacing of hinges 20 and 22 from the respective pivots 19 and 21. Said arms are arranged to be disposed above the front posts 11 and, because of the upper extensions of the back posts, extend only to said back posts at the points of hinges 22.

As can be seen from Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the rocker can be folded open to the position of Fig. 1 and, from said open position, collapsed or folded to the generally fiat position of Fig. 4 for space-saving storage.

The brace means 16 comprises two similar brace devices, each of which comprises a link 25 carried on a pivot 26 at the side of each rear post, a link 27 carried on a pivot 28 provided in a bracket 29 afiixed to the rearward upper face of each rocker bar 10. One link, for instance link 25, is provided with a laterally directed tongue or projection 39 at its free end. The other link maybe provided with one or more holes or notches 31 for selective entry of tongue 30 therein.

With tongue 3i so entered in a hole or notch 31, as shown in Fig. 5, the brace device is rendered rigid by a slide or sleeve 32 that is normally carried by one link and is telescopically engageable over the portion of the other link that is superposed with said one link. The slide is retained captive and in link-engaging position by a tongue or tongues 33 directed oppositely to tongue 30 and at the end of link 25.

If one hole 31 is provided in each link 25, the rocker has but one erect position, the same being determined by the elfective length of the brace devices. If more than one hole is provided, the rocker can be selectively erected to assume differently angled positions relative to the rocker bars and according to the number of such holes provided.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front and rear posts, back members connecting the latter posts, a seat, and arm rests arranged with the posts to define a parallelepiped, pivots connecting said bars, seat, and arm rests to the posts, and separable brace devices extending between each rear post and the rear portion of each respective rocker bar to brace said rocker components in erected operative position, each brace device comprising a link pivotally connected to a rear post, a link pivotally connected to a rocker bar, means to separably connect the links, and a member telescopically engaged with the 3 links, when" connected, to render the same relatively rigid.

2. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front and rear posts, back members connecting the latter posts, a seat, and arm rests arranged with the posts to define a par-allele piped, pivots connecting said bars, seat; andarm rests tothe' posts, and separable brace devices extending between-each'rear post and the rear:portionof eachrespecfive-rocker bar to brace said rocker barsand rear posts in"operative-position, each-bracedevice comprising a link pivotally connected to a rear post, a link pivotally connected to a rocker bar, one link having a-hole and projection meansseparably interconnecting said links, and a sleeve member telescopically engaged with the links, when connected, to render the same relativelyrigid.

3. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front andul'ear posts, backmembers'connecting the latter posts, a seat to the posts, and separable brace devices extending between each rear post and the rear portion of each respective rocker bar to brace said rocker bars and rear posts in operative position, the posts and arm rests on the same side being disposed in the same plane and inside of the rocker bar on thatside, the rocker components being foldable on the mentioned pivots connecting them.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 247,524 Tothill Sept. 27-, 1881 FOREIGN PATENTS" 965,417 France Feb. 15, 1950

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