US2837142A

US2837142A - Folding chair

Info

Publication number: US2837142A
Application number: US687883A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Mcguire
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-10-03
Filing date: 1957-10-03
Publication date: 1958-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1975-06-03

Description

J. c. MCGUIRE June 3, 1958 FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3, 1957 INVENTOR. JOHN C. M GU/RE FIG. 4

ATTORNEY J. C. M GUIRE FOLDING CHAIR June 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed on, 5, 1957 INVENTOR. JOHN C. M-GUIRE A T TOP/VEV United States Patent FOLDING CHAIR John C. McGuire, san Francisco, Calif.

Application October 3, 1957, Serial No. 687,883

4 Claims. (Cl. 155-440) This invention relates to a folding chair and particulady to chairs which have crossbrace members in the form of an X.

Folding chairs of the type herein disclosed and described do not lend themselves readily to beauty of design for reasons of sheer mechanical necessity. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a folding chair which permits a greater degree of freedom of artistic and pleasing design than has heretofore been possible.

It is a well-known fact that in folding furniture of the prior art where the side seat supports have pins which guide up and down, and are contained within grooves, the width of the seat and the height of the arms are restricted to the mathematical relationship necessarily involved. The result has been that the arms are too high and the seat too narrow for real comfort. Accordingly, it' is an object of the present invention to provide a choice of dimension and design in folding furniture where-- in the width of the seat is not restricted in any manner and where the height of the arms may be lowered in accordancewith the demands of comfort, without regard to mathematical necessity.

Metal as a material has lent itself particularly to folding furniture of all typjes, but any sort of folding wooden furniture has not heretofore been practical unless metal hinges, brackets and other important structural members were combined. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide afolding Wooden chair which is light in weight and structurally sound, and which does not depend upon metal hinges, brackets or the like.

It is also an object to'provi'de a folding chair which is light in weight and yet has the warmth, quality, and dignity of wood.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a folding chair which cannot be collapsed, except intentionally, and then only as an act of the actual folding.

It is a furtherobject to provide a folding chair where the seatsupport at the sides of the chair is supported by pins in short grooves so that the weight carried by the seat is directed downwardly and vertically at each leg member. Thus, since the forces are straight downwardly, the chair is stable with no wobble, twist or torque even though it is a folding chair.

Another object is to provide a folding chair" where the )t structure is not required for support but is used for stability and foldability.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, economy, and ease of manufacture, also such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will fully appear and as are inherently possessed by the device and the invention described herein.

Invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood thatthe same is merely illustrative of the invention and that the invention is capable of modification and change, and comprehends other details of construction without departing, from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended. claims. 7

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a front perspective view showing the folding chair of the present invention in open operable position. I

Figure 2 shows the chair in almost completely collapsed position.

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the movement of the crossbrace members, particularly with respect to the back leg members in the folding or collapsing operation.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in Figure l.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view taken on the line VV of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of the rotary brace member and spreader taken on the line VIVI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical section in fragment taken on the line VII-VII of Figure l and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts in the.

several views, the folding chair shown comprises a pair of front legs 11 and 12 which become the front supports for the

arms

16 and 17. The

back leg members

20 and 21 are joined with the

arms

16 and 17 in any suitable manner to form the usual arm rest supports. It will be observed. that the structure here does not limit or restrict the height or position of the arms as is usual in other structures involving folding chairs, aswill be explained later herein. At either side of the chair, the front and rear leg supports 11 and 20, and 12 and 21, respectively, are joined by the

side bars

22 and 23 so that each of the sides is an integral unit. Adjacent the floor level the front and rear legs are joined by Spreaders 24 and 25 for further structural soundness of each side. The seat 26 of the chair is a sheet of flexible material. which may be a fabric either natural or synthetic. At the two sides, the seat material 26 passes around free wooden members 27, one at each. side, and may either be secured. thereto or sewn back again on itself as shown at 28 (see Figure 5). The wooden members 27 are secured to the upper ends of the cross pieces, one at the upper ends of pieces 30 and 32, and the other at the upper ends of

pieces

31 and 33.

The stability of the chair is accomplished by the four transverse crossed pieces, 30 and'31 being in. the front and 32 and 33 being at the rear. The cross supports are pivoted at the middle by

pivots

34 and 35,. respectively. The cross members at their bottom ends are secured to

spacer members

37 and 38, which spacer members are

grooves

46 and 47 in the leg back supports'20 and 21 and in corresponding grooves 48'and 49 which are on the inner face of the front leg supports 11 and 12. The grooves, exemplified by

grooves

46 and 47, extend vertically upward only a short distance above the seat level and then curve or angle inwardly and upwardly and exit at the inner edges of the leg members. length of the grooves, the leg supports are not structurally weakened, especially at the back. With particular reference to Figures 1 and 5, it will be seen that when the chair is in the open functional position that the dowel pins- 45 of the upper movable spreaders or free members Because of the short 27 are engaged in grooves 46 to 49, inclusive, and rest in the bottom thereof, which corresponds with the seat level. When in this position any weight applied to the seat 26 is supported entirely by the pins 45 resting in the bottom of the grooves 46 to 45% In this manner the weight carried by or applied to the seat 26 is directed vertically downward at each leg member, making the chair unexpectedly secure, with no wobble, twist or torque. Without a person in the chair, the weight of the parts, even though designed for lightness of weight, is sufiicient to retain the pins 45 in slots 46 to 49, inclusive, and no inadvertencc can cause the removal thereof.

This open, operative position corresponds with the full reach of the material 26 which forms the seat for the chair. Because the pins 27 are released from the confinement of the grooves 46 to 49 at a short distance above the seat level, the width of the seat can be any desired dimension, and is not involved or restricted to mathematical proportions. This result alone makes it possible for the designer to have a choice both with respect to the dimension and form of the folding chair, and permits the lowering of the arm rests 16 and 17 to any position or shape desired, without in anyway detracting from its foldability.

To form a comfortable back support, a web of sheet material 50 is prepared so that it has loops 51 at either end which are adapted to slide over the upper exposed ends of the leg back supports 20 and 21. The material making up the web 50 may, of course, be identical with that used for the seat 26.

Referring nowmore particularly to Figure 3, in folding or collapsing 'the chair for storage or any other purpose, the seat 26 is pulled upwardly at the center which causes the members 27 at either side to ride upwardly in their respective grooves 46-48 and 4749. This causes the cross members 30 to 33, inclusive, to move toward each other, pivoting on

pivots

34 and 35 to bring the sides together to the closed position. The pins 45 ride vertically upward in the slots 46 to 49, inclusive, until the pins engage the inwardly directed upwardly curved channel of the slots. For ease of manufacture the curved portion may be made angular, which approximates the arc of the pins 27 when rotated about

pivots

34 and 35 at the point of entrance to the grooves. The pins follow this curved channel and are freed or released at the outer.

terminus of the slots, in which position the chair may then be collapsed and folded in the manner indicated in Figure 2.

To re-establish the chair to the operative position, the sides thereof are moved apart, toward the open position and when so moved an appropriate distance, the spreader members 27 are rotated on their

pivots

34 and ,35 so that the pins 45 are brought into position at the entrance of their respective grooves 46-48 and 47-49.

X members

30 and 31 and 32 and 33 to open until the pins 45 rest in the bottoms of their respective slots or grooves.

I claim:

l. A folding chair of the class described comprising in combination two side units each comprising a front leg,

a back legand connecting members, spaced X-shaped' members pivoted at their respective cross points, a rotatable connecting member adjacent the bottom of each of said side units and'secured to the lower ends of said X-shaped members, a free connecting member secured to the upper ends of said X-shaped members at each side, said free-connecting members having a web of material secured therebetween to form the seat of said chair, and each of said free members having pins extending beyond the ends thereof, substantially vertical grooves in the opposed faces of said front and back legs of each side unit which are curved to enter at the inside a short distance'above the seat level and terminating at the appropriate seat level, for removablygreceiving theend. pinsof The spreader members 27 then drop into position causing the 4 said free connecting members, and a web of material between the upper portion of said back legs to form the back of said chair.

2. A folding chair of the class described comprising in combination two side units each comprising a front leg, a back leg and rigid connecting members, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivoted at their respective crosspoints, a rotatable connecting member adjacent the bottom of each of said side units and secured to the lower ends of said X-shaped members, a free-connecting member secured to the upper ends of said X-shaped members at each side, said free-connecting members having a web of material secured therebetween to form the seat of said chair, and each of said free members having dowels extending beyond the ends thereof, grooves in the opposed faces of said front and back legs of each side unit entering in a downward curve a short distance above the seat level and continuing vertically downward, terminating at the appropriate seat level, for removably receiving the end dowels of said free connecting members, and a web of material between the upper portion of said back legs to form the back of said chair.

3. A folding chair unrestricted by mathematical dimensions and proportions comprising in combination two companion side units each including a front leg, a back leg and rigid connecting members one of which forms the arm support, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivoted at their crosspoints, a fixed rotatable connecting member adjacent the bottom of each side unit and secured to the lower ends of said X-shaped members at either side, free connecting members secured to the upper ends of said X-shaped members at either side, said free connecting members having a web of flexible material therebetween forming the seat of the chair in the operable position, and each of said free members having dowels extending beyond the ends thereof as support pins, vertical grooves in the opposed faces of the front and back legs of each of said side units, entering at the inner edge thereof in the form of a downwardly directed curve a short distance above the seat level and terminating at the seat level, said grooves removably receiving and retaining saidsupport pins to support any weight carried by the seat vertically downward at each of the four legs, and a web of flexible material stretched between the upper portions of said back legs to form the back for said chair.

'4. A folding chair unrestricted by mathematical dimensions and proportions comprising in combination two companion side units each including a front leg, a back leg and rigid connecting members one of which forms the arm support, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivoted at their cross points, a fixed rotatable connecting member adjacent the bottom cof each side unit and secured to the lower ends of said X-shaped members at either side, free.

connecting members secured to the upper ends of said X-shaped members at either side, said free connecting members having a strip of foldable material therebetween formingthe seat of the chair in the operable position, and eachof said free membershaving dowels extending beyond the ends thereof as support pins, vertical grooves in the opposed faces of the front andback legs of each of said side units, entering a short distance above the 'seat level from the inner edge of said leg members in a downwardly angled groove and terminating at the seat level, said grooves removably receiving and retaining said support pins to support any weight carried by the seat vertically downward at each of the four legs, and a corresponding strip of foldable material stretched between the upper portions of said back legs to form the back for said chair.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS