US2838094A - Collapsible stool - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1958 w. J. JANNING 2,838,094

COLLAPSIBLE STOOL Filed March 22, 1957 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR. w/u/AM (J. J zww s Jim 10, 1958 w. J. JANNING 2;838,094

COLLAPSIBLE STOOL Filed March 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 COLLAPSIBLE STOOL William J. Janning, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Application March 22, 1957, Serial No. 647,927

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-149) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates generally to a utility stool and more particularly to a collapsible utility stool.

In the design of general utility stools to be utilized by draftsmen and other individuals, it becomes important to obtain a stool that requires a minimum of space for compact storage purposes and yet is rugged in construction and lightweight. I

An object of the invention, therefore, resides in a general utility stool collapsibleto facilitate handling and storage thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible stool that is ruggedly built and yet relatively light in weight.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible stool utilizing a minimum of parts and foldable into a compact form using a minimum of storage space.

A still further object of the invention utilizes a collapsible utility stool adjustable in height and eliminating any need for expensive dies and fixtures in its manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a general utility stool used in the invention, illustrating the collapsed condition of said stool.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the stool used in the invention, illustrating the same collapsed condition as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view, partially broken away, of the stool of Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating said stool in "its erected or non-collapsed condition with the four legs in their supporting position.

Fig. 4 is an elevation view, partially shown in section, of the stool of Figs. l-3, illustrating the seatin an adjusted position with two legs shown. partially broken away.

Fig. 5 is a view taken about on line 55 of Fig. 4, illustrating details of the attachment between the two rigid stool legs and the foot rest.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view illustrating detailsof'the attachment between the twopivotal stool legs and the foot rest when the stool is in its erected, noncollapsed condition. a .1

With particular reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings, the general utility stool of the invention is indicated generally at 1 and comprises four hollow supporting- legs 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, a seat 2 supported on said legs, and a foot rest indicated generally at 7. Said seat 2 is supported on said legs by means of a lower plate 8 to which said legs are attached and an upper plate 11 to which said seat 2 is adjustably attached. Said upper plate 11 is pivotally connected by means of hinge 15 to te swa 0" 2,838,094 Patented June 10, 1958 lower plate 8 to enable pivotal movement of seat 2 between a horizontal and a vertical position. Said upper plate 11 incorporates on its upper surface a raised or elevated portion 11a having a central internally threaded opening therein for a purpose to be explained hereinafter in detail. Said seat 2 includes a depending portion 2a having a central opening therein in which opening the upper end of the inner telscoping screw element 131; of a double-screw assembly indicated generally at 13 is rigidly attached as by welding or any other desirable manner. The outer screw element 13a of said assembly 13, in which said inner screw element 13b is threadedly engaged, engages with said internally threaded central opening in the elevated portion 11a of said upper plate 11. Said outer screw element 13a incorporates a flat portion on its upper end on which flat portion 130 depending portion 2a of seat 2 rests when inner screw element 13b is in its lowermost position. Said outer screw element 13a, also, incorporates a circumferential stop or raised portion 13d on its lower end, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. Furthermore, outer screw element 13a incorporates an internally threaded portion 13e on its upper end portion in threaded engagement with inner screw element 13b and on its lower end portion has a smooth inside diameter spaced from inner screw element 13b to form the surrounding space indicated at 13 In this manner, an abutment indicated at 13g is formed at the upper end of space 13) on the inside diameter of outer screw element 13a, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter in detail. Inner screw elementlSb, also, includes a stop member in the nature of a washer indicated at 13h afiixed to its lower end for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Said lower plate 8 incorporates a central slot 8atherein t-hrough central slot 8a outer screw element 13a extends during pivotal movement of seat 2 between its horizontal and vertical positions. Said supporting legs 3, 4, 5 and 6' are substantially L-shaped and include a relatively short, horizontal segment and a relatively long, vertical segment. The horizontal segments of supporting legs 3 and 4 are welded to the lower plate 8 parallel to each other and offset on opposite sides of a first centerline through said plate 8 whereas the horizontal segments of supporting legs 5 and 6 are pivotally attached to said plate 8 and offset on opposite sides of a second centerline at right angles to said first centerline by means of rivets 9 (shown in Fig. 3), when in their noncollapsed condi. tion. The foot rest 7 is rotatably supported on supporting legs 3 and 4 by means of the horizontal rod or crossbar 14 as seen clearly in Fig. 2 in a manner to be hereinafter described in detail with reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings. Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawing it is seen that foot rest 7 is somewhat elliptical in form since the connection between said rod 14 and either leg 3 or 4 'is identical. Said rotatable support includes, an interconnecting member orlbracket 4a aflixed as by welding to the inner side of said leg-4 in telescopic'en gagement with rod or cross-bar 14. Said bracket 4a is held in said telescopic engagement by means of annular groove 16 formed adjacent the inner end of said bracket 4a in engagement with an interiorly disposed annular flange 17 formed as by crimping on the inside circumference walls of said rod 14. With this arrangement, rod or cross-bar 14 is permanently but rotatably connected to supporting legs 3 and 4 to enable rotation of the foot rest 7 affixed thereto from its horizontal position to a collapsed, vertical position. also a pair of substantially semicircular notches or cutout portions 18 as seen clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said notches or cut-out portions 18 are formed in the metal tubing segments 7a and 7b of said foot rest 7 without reducing the diameter of said tubing inwardly of said notches 13 and thus a bump 18a is formed in said tubing on the inner surface thereof immediately behind each of said notches '13. The pivotally mounted supporting legs 5 and 6 are releasably engaged in said notches 18 when in their supporting or noncollapsed position in a manner to be described hereinafter with reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Referring particularly to Fig. 6 of the drawings, since the retaining means indicated at 20 is identical for each pivotally mounted supporting legs 5 and 6, reference is had only to supporting leg 6. Said retaining means 20 consists of a bracket having a straight portion 200 bolted or riveted at two places to said supporting leg 6 and a curved portion 20b which curved portion 20b engages the lower portion of the metal tubing of the foot rest 7 behind the notch 18 in contact with bump 18a so that said foot rest 7 is cradled in said curved portion 20b of retaining means 20. A second retaining meansZt) identical to that described above is placed on supporting leg 5 with the open end 'of its curved portion 26b facing downwardly instead of upwardly as in the case of supporting leg 6. With this arrangement, retaining means 20 are oppositely disposed on supporting legs 5 and 6, the foot rest 7 is restrained from rotating about its support thereto in one direction and is free to rotate in the opposite direction.

As previously indicated, the seat 2 is adjustable to various heights by means of the double-screw assembly 13 shown in detail in Fig. 4 of the drawings. By incorporat ing the previously described telescoping inner screw ele ment 13b in outer screw element 13a, a much greater adjustment is effected with substantially less space being utilized when stool 1 is in its stored or collapsed condition. Moreover, the raised portion 11a on upper plate 11 provides a much more stable and rugged support for double screw assembly 13. When it is desired to elevate seat 2, the latter is rotated until the stop member 13h (which has entered space 13]) engages with abutment 13g, at which point further rotation of seat 2 and inner screw element 13!) effects positive rotation of outer screw element 13a. Said outer screw element 13a continues to rotate and thereby further elevate seat 2 until the desired elevation is reached or until its stop 13d engages with the bottom surface of upper plate 11.

To summarize the operation of the general utility stool 1 of the present invention, if it is desired to store said stool, it is only necessary to pivot the seat 2 about hinge to its elevated or vertical position, disengage foot rest 7 from retaining means on supporting legs 5 and 6, pivot said legs 5 and 6' out of notches 18 to their collapsed position adjacent and parallel to respective rigidly supported legs 3 and 4-, and at the same time, pivot foot rest 7 to its vertical position. if it is desired to erect said stool 1 to its noncollapsed position, it is only neces sary to reverse the procedure outlined above.

Thus, a unique and general utility stool has been developed by the instant invention in which the require ments of a minimum of necessary storage space, light 7 weight, ruggedness of construction, inexpensiveness in manufacture, and adjustable in height have been satisfied.

I claim: I 1. A general utility stool comprising an upper plate, a

Said foot rest 7 includes lower plate aflixed to said upper plate and spaced there from, a stand attached to said lower plate, a seat afiixed to said upper plate, collapsible means supporting said seat and said lower plate comprising a first pair of sup porting legs rigidly aflixed to said lower plate and a second pair of supporting legs afiixed to said lower plate and pivotal between an open, supporting position and a closed nonsupporting position, and a foot-rest rotatably mounted between said first pair of supporting legs having means locking said second pair of supporting legs in said open, supporting position, said foot-rest rotatable between a locking position and a nonlocking position.

2. A general utility stool as in claim 1, said upper plate being hingedly mounted on said lower plate to pivot said seat from a horizontal position to a vertical stored position.

3. A general utility stool as in claim 1, and means in corporated in said seat adjusting the height thereof above said stand, said meanscomprising a double-screw fixedly attached to the bottom of said seat at one end thereof.

4. In a general utility stool having a plurality of sup porting legs foldable into arelatively flat, stored condition, means adjustably supporting a seat on said stool comprising a main support plate pivotally mounted on said support legs and having a relatively large thickness in the center thereof, a central hole in said plate having internally contoured threads therein, an outer screw element having a hole with internally contoured threads therein, and an inner telescoping screw in engagement with the internal threads of said outer screw element at tached to said 'seat at one end thereof.

5. A general utility stool havinga fixed lower plate and an upper plate pivotally mounted thereto, a first pair of legs hingedly connected to said lower plate for collapse between a supporting and a nonsupporting position, a second pair of legs rigidly fixed to said lower plate trans verse to the supporting, noncollapsed position of said first pair of legs, and an adjustable seat fixed to said upper plate and pivotal between a horizontal and a vertical position and having means adjusting the height thereof, said means comprising an outer element in adjustable engagement with said upper plate, and an inner element in tele scopic adjustable engagement with said outer element attached to said seat.

6. In a general utility stool having a pair of rigidly supported legs, a pair of pivotally supported legs, an adjustable seat and a foot-rest, means rotatably support ing said foot-rest on said pair of rigidly supported legs, comprising a hollow cross-bar rigidly supporting said foot-rest and means rotatably connecting each end of said hollow cross-bar to each of said pair of rigidly supported legs, said last-named means comprising an interconnect ing member aflixed to each of said pair of rigidly supported legs in telescopic engagement with said hollow cross-bar adjacent each end thereof, an annular groove adjacent the inner end of each of said interconnecting members, and an interiorly disposed annular flange on the inside walls of said hollow cross-bar in rotatable engage ment with said annular groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Dec. 2,

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