US2876051A

US2876051A - Swivel chair iron

Info

Publication number: US2876051A
Application number: US433366A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fox Martin
Original assignee: Seng Co
Current assignee: Seng Co
Priority date: 1954-06-01
Filing date: 1954-06-01
Publication date: 1959-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 1976-03-03

Description

March 3, 1959 I M. FOX 2,876,051

SWIVEL CHAIR IRON Filed June 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 3, 1959 M. FOX

SWIVEL CHAIR IRON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1, 1954 inventio n r elates to a swivel. chair iron for swivelof the'pi'esent invention-is to provide a chair iron which" rriay be"economicallyfabricated from sheet metal to provide a pair of opposed plates which form an annular ball bearing race, and which are held together by simple keepers to prevent separation of the plates, the keepers having non-metallic bearing surfaces.

A further object of the invention is to provide a keeper construction which includes a nylon bearing supported by a rigid metal backing piece.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred and an alternative embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of an upholstered swivel chair of a type to which the invention may be applied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the chair base and chair bottom connected by the preferred form of swivel,

chair iron;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the preferred form of chair iron with parts broken away to more clearly show the construction;

Fig. 4 is a section taken as indicated along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an antifriction hearing.

In the embodiment illustrated, the preferred form of swivel chair iron, indicated generally at in Fig. 2, is interposed between a conventional chair base 11 and a chair bottom 12 which is surmounted by an upholstered chair 13.

The chair iron comprises a lower plate 14 which is screwed to the chair base 11 and a coacting generally similar upper plate 15 which is screwed to the chair bottom 12. As best seen in Fig. 3, the plates 14 and 15 are stamped out of sheet metal in the form of annuli, and have complementary annular grooves 16 and 17, respectively, which cooperate to form a ball race for a plurality of ball bearings 18. The lower plate 14 has screw holes 19 which are positioned beneath recesses 20 in the upper plate 15, while the upper plate 15 has bosses 21 to receive attaching screws which are opposite recesses 22 in the lower plate so that the screws for attaching the respective plates to the chair elements may be readily installed. The ball bearings 18 are held in spaced relationship in the ball race by means of over lapping perforated link bars 23 which have mating apertures in their end portions so that a pair of adjacent link bars may be held in assembled relationship by the ball bearings 18 which are positioned in the apertures.

The keeper means of the preferred form of the invention consists of a plurality of spaced upwardly and outwardly extending ears 24 which are formed integrally with the lower plate 14 and extend peripherally beyond the matching margins of both plates to receive bearing means, indicated generally at 25. As best seen in Fig. 4, the bearing means includes a pin or stud 26 which ex- 2,876,051 ggtented Mar. 3, 1959 ecr e a. 'a 8 mike m P1l 12mi s "fir y e ured. w th. marginal; f pot lqn'fi ver ppi atma s n rti '5 j' l e. i rmealis f n enlarged top head 30 onjthe pines;

Asj'sjeendnFig. 5, the nylonbearing 28 takes the form ofalarge, fi' lwasherjandfthe backing in p29 isfallso a Y agrari n, thereisonlya smallclearance between e top faceof the; ppe'r; plate 15 and' the e app be r g T urf ee f he yl n: earin 1 Th use or a nylon bearing in the keeper permits'a' very o e fit between e 1 r e i n v t ef i p P 9 5. Withou y 'undeslrabl i' e ch a wou d aused. bri tl us of a simple metal flange overlying; the'top "plate. Likewise no lubrication is nece'ssaryat the margin of the top plate 15 because of the use of a nylon hearing.

The spacers 23 do not extend entirely around the ball race formed by the grooves 16 and 17, there being no spacer between the ball bearings identified as 18a and 18b in Fig. 3. This is possible because the positions of the bearings 18a and 18b are fixed by the spacers which. extend around the balance of the ball race.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a swivel chair iron: upper and lower opposed plates provided with complementary grooves forming a ball race; a plurality of spaced balls in said race; a plurality of integral circumferentially spaced, radially extending mounting ears on the outer margin of one of said plates and extending peripherally beyond the opposed portions of said plates; a plurality of flat, disc-like hearing members, there being a bearing member abutting each of said ears with a planar bearing surface portion loosely overlapping the outer margin of the other of said plates, said bearing members being of non-metallic material which is strong in compression but relatively weak to torsional strains; a separate rigid metal backing piece abutting each of said bearing members and backing up said bearing surface portions; and means firmly securing each bearing member and associated backing piece to a mounting ear.

2. In a swival chair iron: upper and lower opposed plates provided with complementary grooves forming a ball race, one of said plates having an uninterrupted fiat, circular marginal portion and the other plate having a plurality of integral, circumferentially spaced, radially extending mounting ears with plane surfaces in a plane parallel to and immediately adjacent said marginal por tion; a plurality of spaced balls in said race; a plurality of flat, disc-like bearing members, there being a bearing member abutting the plane surface of each of said mounting ears, each of said members having a planar bearing surface portion extending radially from the ear and loosely overlapping said marginal portion, said bearing members being of a non-metallic material which is strong in compression but weak to torsional strains; a separate rigidmetal backing piece abutting each of said bearing members and backing up said bearing surface portions; and means firmly securing each bearing member and associated backing piece to a mounting ear.

3. In a swivel chair iron: upper and lower opposed annular plates provided with complementary grooves forming a ball race; a plurality of spaced balls in said race; a plurality of circumferentially spaced mounting ears integral with a margin of one of said plates and extending radially with respect to said margin and the a corresponding margin of the other of said plates; 21 plurality of flat, disc-like bea'r'ing members, there being a bearingsmemberzabutting each of said ears with a planar bearing surface. portion loosely overlapping said corresponding margin of said other of said plates, said bearing members being of non-metallic material which is strong in compression but relatively weak to torsional strains; a separate rigid metal backing piece abutting each of said bearing members and backing up'said bearing surface portions; and means firmly' securing each bearing member and associated backing piece to amounting ear.

,4. ,In a swivel chair iron: upper and, lower opposed annular, plates provided with complementary grooves forming-a ball race; a plurality of spaced balls in said race; a plurality of circumferentially spaced integral mounting ears on a margin of one of said plates and extending radially with respect to said margin and the corresponding margin of'theother of said plates; a plurality of fiat bearing washer members, there being a bearingwasher member abutting each of said ears with a planar bearing surface portion loosely overlapping said corresponding margin of said other of said plates, said bearing washer members being of non-metallic material which is strong in compression but relatively weak to torsional strains; a separate rigid metal washer member abutting each of said bearing washer members and backing up said bearing surface portions; and a separate two flanged stud impaling each of said ears and the associated washer members to secure both said members to the ear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 846,948 Richter Mar. 12, 1907 1,334,958 McEwen Mar. 30, 1920 1,801,204 Leuzinger Apr. 14, 1931 2,528,950 Engstrom' Nov. 7, 1950 2,566,421 Lapointe .Sept. ,4, 1951 2,644,199 Miller July 7, 1953 2,648,579 Slyter et a1. Aug. 11, 1953 2,671,631 Fox Mar. 9, 1954