US2980454A - Chair frame structure - Google Patents

Description

April 1961 H. v. THADEN I 2,980,454

CHAIR FRAME STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 26, 1958 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY Wm JWHM ATTORNEYS April 18, 1961 H. v. THADEN 2,980,454

CHAIR FRAME STRUCTURE Filed NOV. 26, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY 9 Jdw FM ATTORNEYS CHAIR FRAME STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 26, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 9 K 7; 47 INVENTOR Mo! VJMM.

ATTORNEYS CHAIR STRUCTURE Herbert V. Thaden, High Point, N.C., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Samuel S. Dennis 3rd, Boston, Mass, trustee Filed Nov. 26, 1953, Ser. No. 776,625

4 Claims. (Cl. 287-54) This invention relates generally to a novel metal chair frame structure and more particularly to a chair frame provided with reinforcing rod and pipe joint coupling means. The invention also relates to novel clamping means for securing a plurality of adjacent chairs together in rows.

In so-called stack chairs having tubular metallic frames the problem arises of providing means for securing the transverse rods or tubular members to the tubular leg elements. It is customary in the art to weld the transverse rods or tubular members tothe leg elements or to connect the same by removable fastener means, such as metal screws, nuts and bolts and the like. The present invention was developed to provide novel readily-assembled rod joint coupling means for connecting the elements together in a simple, rigid reinforcing manner without necessitating the use of weld seams or other connections.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an extremely rigid chair frame structure having split sleeve coupling means for connecting the transverse cylindrical members to the tubular chair leg elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a chair row assembly consisting of a plurality of chairs each having U-shaped bent tubular members the extremities of which define chair legs, in combination with novel clamping means for connecting the adjacent legs of adjacent chairs together in a rigid manner.

A more specific object of my invention is toprovide a chair frame-structure having two bent U-shaped tubular elementsthe extremities of which define pairs ofhollow chair legs and also having split sleeve means within said Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a chair embodying my novel tube and rod joint coupling;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the rod joint coupling taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the rod joint taken along line 33' of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of a plurality of chairs ganged together by means of my novel connecting p;

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the connecting clamp taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view of another embodiment of my connecting clamp; v

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of a plurality of chairs connected by the clamp of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view of a joint similar to that of Fig. 2 wherein both elements are tubular;

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional plan and elevational view, respectively, of a split sleeve joint embodiment for connecting two angularly-arranged cylindrical members to a main tubular member;

7 frame 1 consists of a pair of bent U-shaped tubular ele- Figs. 11 and 12 are perspective and detailed views of another embodiment of chair clamping means; and

Fig. 13 is a perspectivev view of still another chair clamping embodiment of my invention.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1-3, the chair ments 2, 3 the extremities of which define the four chair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7; 'As will be explained below, the hollow tubular elements maybe made of light gage aluminum, lightweight steel or, other suitable structural material.

The tubular elements 2 and3are connected by means rigid transverse rods 8, 9, 10 and 11. While for the purposeof the presentdescription the transverse elements.

8-11 have been illustrated as being solid rods, it is apparent that the joint described below may be made in the same manner if the elements 8-11 are tubular. Rods 8 and 9 and rods 10 and 11 are connected at their central portions, respectively, bymeans of the Weld seams 12, by means of sleeves, or by any other suitable connecting means. The rigid seat unit 13-having aback portion 14 is supportedby the transverse rods 8 and 10 andis secured thereto by suitable securing means (not shown). At their lower extremities the legs are provided with relatively soft protective elements 15 which hollow legs for firmly connecting the endsof transverse cylindrical bracing members Within the legs.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel pipe joint coupling consisting of a first cylindrical member inserted transversely through at least one peripheral opening in a hollow second-tubular member,

. andua split sleeve member colinearly. arranged within said. hollow second member, one side of said split sleeve member cooperating with aperipheral notch in said first prevent scratching and marring of the floor surface.

. It is to be noted that, legs 4 and 5 and legs 6 and 7, respectively, are angularly inclined at, acute angles with respect to each other. Stability. and rigidity is provided to the legs by the transverse bracing bars,l6 and 17 cylindrical member to secure said first memberto said second member.

A further object of my invention is to provide a.

clamp for connecting the adjacent inclined legs of two chairs together, said clamp having oppositely extending bentgprojections. at both ends thereof for engaging said legs. to prevent lateral movementofthe chairs'relative to each other. v Another object of my invention is to provide means for clamping together the leg bracing rods of two adja ce'nt chairs' and thus prevent relative lateral movement of the chairs;

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparent" from a study oflthe following specification when considered in conjunction with-the accompanying drawings in which:

having notches 13 therein for, receiving the rods 8 and 19 of the next lower chair when a plurality of chairs are stacked upon each other in a nested fashion.

-According to the present invention, novel rod joint means are provided'for connectingthe ends of rods 8,

9, 10 and 11 to the tubular legs 4, 5, 6 and 7. Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 (which disclose the joint as applied to leg 5) the extremities of rods"10" and 11 -extend through apertures 5a and-5b in the tubular legs 5. The rods have vertical side notches 10a, 11a in those thereof which extend within the tubular leg. The verticalnotches'are in the peripheral walls of the rods .im-. mediatelyadjacent the inner periphery of the tubular leg. The extremities of the rods 10 and 11 arelsecured within" the tubular leg 5 by means of the longitudinally-l 7 'split sleeve member 19 which-is driven upwardlvwithin theho'llowleg 5 by suitable mandrel meansduring as:

sembly' of the chair frame. The vertical side portion 19a,

of the split flange 19 is inserted within the vertically aligned-notches-llld, 11a -'of the rods"1U and" 11 to rigid=.. 1' 1y lock the rodendsgwithin .the:hollowv leg 5; and.

portions v,-z wherein the transverse cylindrical "member 40 155m prevent longitudinal movement of the rods. It should be mentioned that the outer diameter of the sleeve 19 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the hollow leg 5. Also, foratight :fit-of;the assembled elements: it is desirable;that,the gap: between the} side portions-19a and 19b o f-thesplit sleeve be approximately' egual to the transverse thicknessf ofithe rods at the notchedportions thereofl The-sleeve'1 9is preferably formed from steel or other suitable metal possessingrelatively great inherentstrengthg 3 Ina similar manner, split sleeves 20, 21 and 22 (Fig; 1) serve to secure the ends of the rods within the hollow legs 4,. dz7 respectively. T. 7

T It is important to note that not only do, thesplit sleeves 1 9, 20, 21; and- 2 2; serve to;1o clg the ends of the-rods A within the hollow legs but, also thesleeves serve to rein forcethe hollow legs at the point of rod junctures.

Should the tubular elements 2and-3;be formed of, lightgage al uminum,- for.example, the length of :the split sleeves may be extended if, desiredso that the lower ends 'of the sleeves terminate adjacent the'ends'of the hollow legs and thus serve to reinforce the legs over the better portion of their length. a s

It will be readily apparent that many advantages are achieved from theruse; of a chair structure having the novel rod and pipe joint'structure according to the present invention. First, the 'chair trame components may, 7 be shipped in aknoc'ked-down disassembled state to re-- duce shippingspaceuand costs; theichair frame being 'readily assembled by the retailer without the necessity of weld joints or the like Also, by the use of the inexpensive steel split locking-andreinforcing sleeves, low

strength decorative tubing; (such as anodized aluminum} for example) may readily be used for the bent t l-shaped elements 2 and 3. I a Figs/44, clamping means are illus- 7 Referring :now to V tr ated for connecting'as a rigid assemblage a plurality f thefstacl; chairs of Fig. larranged ina row. As shown in", Figs. 4mm the chairs are arrangedside by'side and the adjacent legs of the chairs are joined by means of the clamps 30.; As shown in Fig.5 the clamp 30 consists era rigid upper rod 31 having horizontal bent portions '31i1;' 31 b atach end thereof and a rigidlower rod 32 having horizontal bent' portions"32a,' 32b at each end thereof, thegbent portions offered-32 extending outwardly mare opposite ,di rection ben't portions of rod 31. gRods 30; and 31 vare connected attheir: longitudinal peripheral slot 40' to retain the end of tubular member within the bore of hollow member 41. e

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, a plurality of angularlyarranged transverse rods 44, may be secured to the main hollow member 46 by means of a sleeve 47 having axial slots 48, 49, 50 in cooperative engagement with grooves 45', 44', 44" to secure the rods to member 46. It will be noted that rod 44 extends completely through oppositely aligned apertures in the main hollow member.

46. Instead of providing the axial slots in sleeve 47, the sleeve may be subdivided into a plurality of sections if desired.

Figs. lland 12 disclose an alternative embodiment of clamping means for joiningtogether the legs of two adjacent ohairs. The generally U-shaped clamp '60 is pivotally connected at its extremities to the transverse rod 61 and has a laterally-bent central portion adapted to removably engage theltransverse' bracing rod 62 to clamp the two chairs together. While theportion 60 hasbeen illustrated as extending upwardly in Fig. 12 (the clamp 60 beingadapted. for counterclockwise pivotal movement to cause'jclamping engagement), it will be apparent that as an alternative the bent portion 60" could extend downwardly so that clamping engagement wouldbeflachieved by clockwise pivotal movement of clamp60t r f I 'Fig. 13 illustrates another-embodiment of a clamp similar to=that of Fig.f5 wherein the-longitudinal member consists 'oftwo pivotally connected sections 70, 71 each havingglat'eral projections 72 with downwardly-bent extrernities' 73. I In'order to clamp together ap'air of the chairs illustrated in Fig. 1,"the 'clamp isjack-knifed about its 5 central pivot 74" and is inser'ted between'the adjacent cntraljportionsfby means of a weld seam o'r'other suit- I ablelcpnn'eetionr't In order toiclampftheflegs of adjacent chairs'togetherrthe clamp '30 is inserted intermediate the upper bent';portions ofithe' u shaped elementzof one chairfand the'u shaped element 3 oi'the adjacent chair a and is tmovedfdownwardlyv until bent portions 311 and 31b of rod .31 engage'the angularly inclined legs 5 and 4,

V respectively, 3 1d bent portions 32d and 32b engage anguin larly-inclined legs -7' andfi, respectively. The-clanipiallf thus is maintained inpositionjbetween the chairsand firmly" prevents .relativegmovement 'ofitthe chairs in any ,horizohta'l-direction] ,li iAceoi-din'gtot the clamp embodiment of Figs, 6 and 7, thems sm pav m n fidr t o' s 33a, a 'a "d 34b ai'e slidably connected {by meansof collarsi w ehieneir clelthetstraight, central portions" of the clamp.

Br mean g t th s lar nemb im n e h irs 9i ie I '7; may beemov d. forwa dly o r a rd yJ-wi h 162 toieaeh'otherato'agcertain extent to, achieve jastagg'ered "s a fisfa fie e s de n ia us ip t afi n a Thezelampjwillprevent.lateral displacemeriflof' he ch'a rs ""rel tive-to each'othe 1 V well as. the lmainshollow member), splitgsleeve a portionutzfrwhich extends;finto lthe transverse .those ski 35 chair legs; The sectidns' 70, 71 m then pivoted to a hor-' izontalposition'so that the projections "72, '73 will conneetfthebracingfrod 16 of one"chair with the bracing rod 17 pf "tl 1e adjacent chair 'and thus connect the chairs together to' prevent, relative 'later'almotion the'rebetween.

While-in accordance 'with' the patent statutes I have illustrated and described the best forms and embodiments ofmy'inventio'n now known tome, it will be apparent to led in the art that other changes and modificationsfmay be made in the apparatus described without deviating from the scope ofthe invention as setforth in the following claims; v

. e .1 'd ipgjjdi nt eonpljng comprising a hollow firsttubul-ar'member having an opening in thetperiphery *thereof, a s'ec'ond cylindrical 'memberyarrange'd at an angle-with respect to said, first tubular member, one end of said second memberlextending throughthe apertures of saidwfirst member and, terminating within said first member, "the portion of said second member extending within s'aidiihollow first member having a peripheral groove therein; 7 and a split cylindrical sleeve, 'coaxially arrangedf within said hollow first member, aportion of said sleeve'extending within'the peripheral groove of said secondzmember tocphnect seeond memlber to said I 3; A rodandtpipe joint'couphng'com'prising a'h'ollow first' tubularmembenhavingia pair of oppositely-aligned openings in the periphery thereof a *s'e'con'd cylindrical member arranged atfianganglelavithrespectgto said first 7 tubular member andextending through'said openings, the portion .of 'said second member: within-saidchollow first I mem e havi a a pa z bf Per p r l g s v h rein and a. y in i ;als eevee axiallyta rang d w hiu said l dw first member, said fsl eeve havingifa plurality f;iaxially -1 extending. slots at one e nd thereof; walls tof said slots riphe'ral groov s of said second Secon memBerItoI'said first;

4. A rod and pipe joint coupling comprising a tubular first member, at least two second cylindrical members angularly-arranged with respect to each other, one end of each of said second cylindrical members extending through peripheral openings in said first member, the portions of each of said second members within said first member having at least one peripheral groove therein, and a cylindrical sleeve coaxially arranged within said hollow first member, said sleeve having a plurality of axially-extending slots at one end thereof, the walls of said slots extending within the peripheral grooves of said second members to connect said second members to said first member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McDonald Aug. 14, 1928 Bales Nov. 7, 1933 Ewing Mar. 14, 1939 Goodyear Apr. 15, 1941 Hastings Dec. 14, 1948 Towne Sept. 7, 1954 Gleitman Jan. 20, 1959

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