US3032375A - Chair comprising removable elements - Google Patents

Description

May 1, 1962 A. LALANDRE 3,032,375

CHAIR COMPRISING REMOVABLE ELEMENTS Filed April 25, 1960 FIG. 1

FIG. 3 FIG. 2 7

5d IMWR A. LALANDRE 3,032,375 CHAIR COMPRISDIG REMOVABLE ELEMENTS Andre Lalandre, Paris, France, assignor to Alladin Plastics, Inc, Gardenia, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Apr. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 24,385 (Ilairns priority, appiication France June 12, 1959 3 Claims. or. 297-448) The present invention has for its object a chair essentially characterized by the fact that the seat member thereof, preferably made from a plastic material, with an in tegrally molded chair back member, comprises on its lower face means by which a leg cross-piece assembly may be removably connected, the latter having diverging legs which are held spaced-apart and locked in an operative position by means of a cross-piece and associate parts insuring at the same time the stiffness of the whole structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the means for removably connecting the legs are constituted by internally splined sleeves or sockets in which are engaged with a sliding fit the upper ends, preferably slotted, of four tubular chair legs comprising key-hole shaped slots (i.e., slots having the upper portion thereof enlarged with respect to the lower portion) acting as lockkeepers and adapted to receive studs formed at the ends of the arms of a rigid cross-piece the function of which is to maintain the relative spacing of said legs and prevent them from escaping from their sleeves or sockets when someone lifts the chair.

There is provided a suitable locking means which is associated with each stud of the aforementioned cross-piece, so as to maintain said stud set in its lock-keeper.

In order that the present invention be better understood, there will be now described in an illustrative and by no means limitative manner one exemplary embodiment thereof as represented in the annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective bottom view of said embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 11-11 in FIG. 1 showing how the cross-piece arms are locked on the legs of the chair seat member;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of one leg of the chair, showing the lock-keeper adapted to receive one of the cross-piece studs.

Referring now to the drawings, the number reference 1 indicates generally the back member and seat member unit made from a plastic material as recited hereinabove, which is integrally molded and comprises on the underface of the seat member four diverging sleeves or sockets 2, which are externally ribbed as at 2a and internally splined as at 3 (FIG. 2).

In said splined sockets 2 are telescopically nested the upper ends of tubular chair legs 4 having therein one or more slots 7 which lend themselves as above explained to a sufi'icient resilient upsetting so that each of said ends may be easily introduced into and removed from its associated splined socket, if desired.

The chair legs 4, because of their divergence, define spaced bearing points on the ground and impart thereby to the chair substantial support insuring the steadiness of the chair. Said legs are interconnected by means of a removable cross-piece member, which is constituted in the present case by two rigid rods 50, made for example of steel, which are disposed in a cross manner and welded at the intersecting point 8 thereof. Such rods terminate in a stud d which engages and locks itself in a. corresponding key-hole shaped slot 66a forming a lock-keeper provided in each of the chair legs 4.

On the ends of said arms 50 is slidably mounted a collar or ring 9, preferably made from a plastic material, which is provided with a peg 10 which is adapted, after each of the studs 5d has been introduced into the lower 3,932,375 Patented May 1, 1962 "ice section 6 of its corresponding lock-keeper, to be engaged in the upper part or eye 6a of said lock-keeper (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

When the four pegs 10 are engaged in their respective lock-keepers, they positively lock the arms 50 of the crosspiece member which becomes a unitary structure with the four legs of the chair.

If it is desired to remove the cross-piece in order to take off the legs of the seat of the chair, it suffices to disengage the pegs 10 by sliding the rings 9 on their respective cross-piece arms in the direction toward the point of intersection of the rods. The end studs may then be lifted upwardly and out of the enlarged portion of their respective keyhole slots, one at a time. In order to completely remove the legs from the chair, it is then necessary only to pull the legs from their respective sockets.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the present invention has been described purely as an example thereof in an illustrative and by no means limitative manner and that those skilled in the art may bring thereto any desirable modification without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A chair readily assemblable from a knockdown condition which comprises: a seat constituted by a plastic seating member; internally splined leg-receiving sockets integrally molded on the lower face of said plastic seating member; and rigid tubular legs, the upper end of each of said legs being split by an elongated slot of suflficient length so that the diameter of the upper ends will be reduced upon their insertion into said leg-receiving sockets whereby the splines cooperate with the upper ends to hold them in engagement Within the sockets.

2. A chair readily assemblable from a knockdown condition which comprises: a seat constituted by a plastic seating member integrally molded with a chair back; internally splined leg-receiving sockets integrally molded on the lower face of said plastic seating member; rigid tubular legs, the upper end of each of said legs being split by an elongated slot of sufiicient length so that the diameter of the upper ends will be reduced upon their insertion into said leg-receiving sockets whereby the splines cooperate with the upper ends to hold them in engagement; and brace means connected to each of said legs.

3. A chair readily assemblable from a knockdown condition which comprises: a seat constituted by a plastic seating member; externally ribbed leg-receiving sockets integrally molded on the lower face of said plastic seating member, said sockets having a plurality of splines molded on the inner surface thereof; and rigid tubular legs, the upper end of each of said legs being split by an elongated slot of suflicient length so that the diameter of the upper ends will be reduced upon their insertion into said legreceiving sockets whereby the splines cooperate with the upper ends to hold them in engagement with said sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 490,288 Hubbard Ian. 24, 1893 632,064 Roberts Aug. 29, 1899 1,480,416 Pohl Jan. 8, 1924 1,528,129 Phillips Mar. 3, 1925 1,552,104 Zahner Sept. 1, 1925 1,695,411 Busch Dec. 18, 1928 1,764,226 Rennack June 17, 1930 2,650,657 Ohlsson Sept. 1, 1953 2,800,171 Hoven July 23, 1957 2,808,875 Bargen Oct. 8, 1957 2,864,967 Redick Dec. 16, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,236,664 France June 12, 1959

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