US3026142A

US3026142A - Folding stadium chair

Info

Publication number: US3026142A
Application number: US806502A
Authority: US
Inventors: John L Holloway
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-04-15
Filing date: 1959-04-15
Publication date: 1962-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1979-03-20

Description

March 20, 1962 J. L., HOLLOWAY 3,026,142

FOLDING STADIUM CHAIR Filed April 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 John L. Hal/away INVENTOR A. 98 BY March 20, 1962 J. L. HOLLOWAY FOLDING STADIUM CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1959 John L. Holloway INVENTOR. 40,61.

BY QM United I States Patent Ofitice 3,026,142 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 3,026,142 FOLDING STADIUM CHAIR John L. Holloway, 4039 Meadowlane Drive, Jackson, Miss. Filed Apr. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 806,502 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-252) This invention relates generally to a novel chair construction and more particularly to a folding stadium chair adapted to be utilized with backless stadium benches to provide increased seating comfort for the user.

Most everyone is aware of the discomfort encountered in being seated on stadium benches for an extended time. Initially, the benches provided generally do not have back portions and further the seat portions are generally extremely hard. In view of this, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a novel chair construction which obviates these disadvantages inasmuch as the construction provides a back portion and a soft seat portion. The construction is particularly adapted for utilization with and retention on stadium benches.

I It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel stadium chair construction which iscollapsible and compact so that it may be easily transported by the individual user for its intended purpose.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novel stadium chair construction which is lightweight, inexpensive, and durable.

In accordance with the above stated objects, below is particularly described the novel construction and utilization of the stadium chair. Initially, the construction includes a seat portion and a back portion which are pivotally connected by pairs of hinge straps. The seat portion includes first and second end members which are positioned parallel to and spaced from each other. The back portion includes a third and fourth end members which are parallel to and spaced from each other. First support means are provided between the first and second end members of the seat portion and second support means are positioned between the third and fourth end members of the back portion. Each of the first and second support means are collapsible and include a pair of aligned and opposed U-shaped clips pivotally connected to the opposed end members. Rods are terminally and pivotally connected between the legs of the U-shaped clips and extend therefrom. The opposed rods are connected to each other by a channel member; the rods being pivotally retained in the channel of the channel member. It will be appreciated that the end members may be therefore moved toward or away from each' other by pivoting the rods to a position perpendicular to the channel member rather than parallel thereto. Rearwardly extending hooks are provided on the first and second end members and are adapted to abut or engage the stadium bench to retain the stadium chair comprising this invention thereon.

Fabric portions extend between the first and second end members; andthe'thi'rd and fourth end members, respectively. The construction is such that it may be compactly collapsed so that a chair bag may be provided to accommodate the collapsed chair.

Other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the chair construction illustrated being utilized with a stadium bench;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the invention illustrated without the connecting fabric portion;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a chair bag which may be provided to receive the collapsed chair construction;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the chair construction particularly illustrating the support means in extended position;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the chair construction specifically illustrating the support means in a collapsed position;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the chair construction in a collapsed position.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view of the chain construction showing the hinge strap and the back and seat portions pivoted to a position flush with respect to each other; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view of the chair construction particularly illustrating the hinge strap and the back and seat portions perpendicularly disposed.

With continuing reference to the drawings, numeral 10 generally represents the chair construction comprising this invention and including a back portion generally desig-' nated at 12 and a seat portion generally designated at 14.

The seat portion 14 includes first and .

second end members

16 and 18 which are preferably a length of aluminum, or such, piping. The back portion 12 includes third and

fourth end members

20 and 22 which are likewise formed of lengths of aluminum piping. A pair of

hinge straps

24 and 26 are utilized to pivotally. connect end member 20 to end member 16 While a second pair of binge.

straps

28 and 30 are utilized to pivotally connect end member 22 to end member 18. The hinge straps are all L-shaped. As is particularly illustrated in FIGURE 2, the

straps

24 and 26 are secured to the end member 20 by spaced

pins

32 and 34 while the

hinge straps

28 and 30 are secured to the end member 22 by spaced

pins

36 and 38. A pivot pin 40 pivotally secures the

straps

24 and 26 to the end member 16 while a similar pivot pin 42 secures the

straps

28 and 38 to the end member 18. Accordingly, as, is particularly shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, the end mem bers 20 and 22 of the back portion 12 may be pivoted about the pivot pins 48 and 42 from the perpendicular relationship illustrated in FIGURE 8 to the collapsed parallel relationship illustrated in FIGURE 7.

Support means 50 are provided between the

end members

20 and 22 of the neck portion 12 while support means 52 are provided between

end members

16 and 18 of the seat portion 14. The support means 50 initially include a pair of

U-shaped clips

54 and 56 which have

bight portions

58 and 60 respectively. Extending from the bight portion 58 are

leg portions

62 and 64 while

leg portions

66 and 68 extend from the bight portion 68. A bolt 70 extends from the bight portion 58 while a bolt 72 extends from the bight portion 60. The bolts respectively pass through

end members

20 and 22 and are retained by

nuts

74 and 76 outwardly of the

end members

20 and 22 and the

nuts

78 and 80 between the end members and the bight portions. It will be appreciated that the U-shaped

clips

54 and 56 may pivot about the

bolts

76 and 72. A red 82 is pivotally retained by a rivet 84 between the

leg portions

62 and 64 of the U-shaped clip 54 while a similar rod 86 pivotally retains by rivet 88 between the

leg portions

66 and 68 of the U-shaped clip 56. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, the

rods

82 and 86 are substantially opposed. They are connected by a channel member 99; each being pivotally connected to the channel member 96 within the channel, by rivets 92 and 94.

The support means 52 are substantially identical to the support means 5!? and accordingly will not be specifically described. It will be seen that the support means 58 as positioned in FIGURE 2 will prevent the end members from moving toward each other when a person leans thereagainst between the

end members

20 and 22. In order to collapse the chair 10 to move the

end members

28 and 22 toward each other, the U-shaped

clips

54 and 56 of the support means 50 and the corresponding U- shaped clips of the support means 52 are positioned as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. With the U-shaped clips so disposed, the rods 82 and $6 of support means 50 and the corresponding rods of support m eans 52 may be pivoted from the position parallel to the channel member 90 to a position substantially perpendicular thereto, The respective end members will therefore move toward each other and the chair construction will occupy substantially half of its expanded width.

In order to retain the chair 10 on a stadium bench 96, rearwardly extending

hooks

98 and 10% are supported from the spaced

end members

16 and 18 to engage the bench 96 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Further,

fabric portions

102 and 104 connect the

end members

20 and 22,

and 16 and 18 respectively to provide a cushioned or soft seat and back portion. It will be realized that the

flexible fabric portions

102 and 104 do not hinder the collapsi- 'bility of the chair construction shown in FIGURE 6.

When the chair is entirely collapsed as illustrated in FIG- URE 6 it may be conveniently received in a bag 108 or such to facilitate the carrying thereof.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed. 7

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A collapsible stadium chair comprising a seat portion and a back portion pivotally fixed thereto, said seat portion including first and second end members, said back portion including third and fourth end members, said first and second end members being spaced and substantially parallel, said third and fourth end members being spaced and substantially parallel, first support means connecting said first and second end members, second support means connecting said third and fourth end members, said first and second support means being collapsible and each including three substantially longitudinally aligned elongated bracing members, means pivotally securing the adjacent ends of the opposite end bracing members to the corresponding remote ends of the intermediate bracing member for rotation about parallel axes, and means pivotally attaching each of the, remote ends of said opposite end bracing members to the corresponding end member for movement about a pair of axes one of which extends transversely of said corresponding end member and the other of which extends at substantially right angles to said one axis, said pivotal securing means. including means for preventing swinging movement of the opposite end bracing members secured to each of said intermediate 1 bracing members about their axes of rotation to one side not that intermediate bracing member whereby each set of said three bracing. members, when longitudinally aligned and forming an longated composite bracing mernher will resist folding in all but one direction. 2. A collapsible stadium chair comprising a seat portion and aback portion pivotally fixed thereto, said seat portion including first and second end members, said back portion including third and fourth end members, said first and second end members being spaced and substantially parallel, said third and fourth end members being spaced and substantially parallel, first support means connecting said first and second end members, second support means connecting said third and fourth end members, said first and second support means being collapsible and each including three substantially longitudinally aligned elongated bracing members, means pivotally securing the adjacent ends of the opposite end bracing members to the corresponding remote ends of the intermediate bracing member for rotation about parallel axes, and means pivotally attaching each of the remote ends of said opposite end bracing members to the corresponding end member for movement about a pair of axes one of which extends transversely of said corresponding end member and the other of which extends at substantially right angles to said one axis, said pivotal attaching means including a U-shaped clip having a bight portion connecting corresponding ends of a pair of substantially parallel legs, means pivotally securing said bight portion to the corresponding end member for rotation about an axis extending through said bight portion and paralleling said legs andtransversely through said last mentioned end member, means pivotally securing said remote end of the corresponding opposite end bracing member to said clip for movement about an axis extending between said legs and paralleling the axis of rotation of the other end of said corresponding opposite end bracing member.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said opposite end bracing members are each in the form of an elongated rod-like member, said intermediate bracing members each comprising an elongated channel member substantially U-shaped in cross-section and having adjacent ends of the corresponding opposite end members disposed therein.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a laterally offset hook member carried by one end of each of said first and second end members with each hook member opening toward the remote end of the corresponding end member.

5. The combination of claim 1 including means for limiting pivotal movement of said back portion relative to said seat portion.

6. The combination of claim 1 including a pair of fabric portions respectively joining said first and second end members and said third and fourth end members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,813,020 Brown. July 7, 1931 2,007,713 Gafiers 'July 9, 1935 2,521,114 Campbell pt. 5, 1950 2,542,820 Legois Feb. 20, 1951 2,647,563 Bishop et al. Aug. 4,-19S3 2,897,912 Tucker nn Aug. 4, 1959 a V FOREIGN PATENTS 406,763 France f... Dec. 15., 1909 522,006

Belgium Ana 1