US3083995A - Folding chair - Google Patents

Description

April 2, 1963 R. w. BRADSHAW ETAL FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 3, 1958 FITZPATRICK BiJOHN TEUFEL. JR.

INVENTORS ROBERT W. BRADSHAW ROBERT J.

ATTORNEY United States Patent signors to Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation,

Bethpage, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 771,403 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-39) This invention relates to folding chairs.

More particularly, the invention is concerned with folding chairs of semi-reclining type, such as deck chairs.

It is an object to provide a chair of the type indicated which is adapted to manufacture from metal extrusions and drawn tubing and which requires a minimum of specially fabricated shapes.

A second object of the invention is to provide a chair of the type indicated which folds easily into as compact a shape as possible.

A further object of of the type indicated, in rest (if provided) may other and in which the arm and alongside or inside them so as not ness of the folded chair.

A folding chair embodying the invention in a preferred form will now first be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and the features forming the invention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a deck chair embodying the invention in a preferred form;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the chair folded FIG. 3 is a fragmentary or partial plan view, at the location of and looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4-8, inclusive, are detail sections taken on the respective lines 4-4 to 3-45 of FIG. 1.

The chair comprises a back 10, seat 11, a front leg member 12, a rear leg member 13 and arm rests 14 and includes also a leg rest 15 and a supporting leg member 16 for the leg rest.

The structure of the back, seat and leg rest may be varied and in itself forms no part of the present invention except as pointed out below. These elements consist in general of framing structural members as more particularly described below, together with interwoven straps or webbing 17 forming supporting surfaces for the body of the user.

The structural elements forming the chair are generally made up of tubular aluminum alloy drawn shapes of rectangular or approximately square cross section, providing a strong and sturdy chair at comparatively low cost.

The side members 18 of the back carry joint plates 19 and 20 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 7) secured thereto by rivets 21 and straddling the side structural members 22 of the seat 11. Bolts 23 passing through the plates 19, 20 and through the members 22 pivotally secure the back 10 to the seat 11. Washers 24 are interposed between each member 22 and the plates 19, 20. Each such pivot assembly is retained in position by a washer 25 and lock nut 26, and a bushing 27 takes the axial force due to tightening the nut 26, leaving the parts free to turn. The front leg member 12 is pivotally secured to the same members 22, as shown in FIG. 4, by means of bolts 28 together with washer elements 29 and 30 and lock nut 31, as shown. Rear leg member 13 (FIGS. 1 and 7) is pivoted to the inner plates 20 by means of bolts 32 and bushings 33 and a spacer 36, together with washers and lock nuts, as indicated. Links 34 are pivotally conthe invention is to provide a chair which the back, seat and leg be collapsed flat against each leg elements fold up to increase the thickp 3,083,995 Patented Apr. 2, 1963 "ice nected to the seat elements 22 as shown at 35 and to the leg member 13, as indicated at 35', the pivotal connections being formed of elements similar to those previously described in the case of the other joints. The arm rests 14, which may be formed of wood, plastic or metal as desired, are, in turn, pivotally connected to the back side members 18 by similar bolted joint elements 37 (FIG. 8) and are connected to the .top of the leg member 12 by means of strap hinges 38 as shown in FIG. 1. The leg rest 15 is pivotally connected to the front end of the seat 11 by strap hinges 39 and has its supporting leg member 16 pivotally connected to its frame members by bolted connections 40, as shown in FIG. 3. The leg rest may occupy either the full line position of FIG. 1 or the broken line position, as desired. When in the full line position of FIG. 1, pad 49 provided on the supporting leg member 16 abuts stop element 41 consisting of an angle bracket provided on the frame of the leg rest 15. The front edge of the leg rest 15 as well as the bottoms of the leg members 12, 13 and 16 and the top of the back 10 may be fitted with buffers 42 of rubber or other suitable material, as desired.

The back, seat and leg rest elements 10-, 11 and 15 may :be formed by bending the frame elements into a U-shape, the ends of the legs of the Us being joined together by cross members. Similarly, the leg members 12, 13 and 16 may be formed by bending the frame elements into a U-shape.

In the position of FIG. 1, the weight of the occupant of the chair is transmitted to the front leg member 12 through pivot bolt 23 and to the rear leg member 13 through pivot bolts 23 and 32. The elements 10, 11, 12 and 14 form approximately a parallelogram, which in itself tend to collapse or flatten when supporting the weight of the occupant. However, such collapse is prevented by the engagement at the lower ends of the side members 18 of the back 10 against pads 46 provided on the seat members 22, and the engagement of pads 48 provided on the leg member 13 with stop elements 41' similar to stop elements 41 provided on the inner surface of the plates 20.

If it is desired to fold the chair, the arm rests 14 are pulled back up alongside the back 10 as shown in FIG. 2, collapsing the parallelogram structure of the chair, so that leg member 12 and seat 11 are also lined up and lie fiat against the back 161 and arm rests 14. At the same time, the links 34 are pulled up, swinging the rear leg member 13 forwardly around the pivot bolts 32, so that these elements come up flat against the under surface of the webbing 17 of the seat 11. Leg member 16 may be folded back into the leg rest 15 which then drops down and lies flat against the seat 11, so that the chair collapses into the form shown in FIG. 2, providing exceptionally easy folding together with compactness for transportation and storage. The setting up of the chair reverses the foregoing procedure and in a manner which is obvious. It will be observed that the plates 19 and 20 extend forwardly from the plane of the back 10 generally, locating the pivot bolts 23 and 32 forwardly of the back 10' by a suitable distance to permit the element to lie flat as mentioned above. The axial distance from bolt 37 to bolt 23 plus the axial distance from bolt 23 to bolt 28 equals the sum of the distance from the bolts 28 and 37 to the axis of hinge 38, permitting folding into the flat condition of FIG. 2 and which involves folding the seat 11 through an angle of about with relation to the back 10. At the same time, the leg member 13 is required to swing around through an angle of approximately 250, and this is accomplished by suitably proportioning the links 34 and suitably locating the pivot bolts 35, 35' and 32 relative to the pivot bolt 23.

What is claimed is:

1. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and a rear leg, comprising a side structural seat element, a fork fixed to the back and straddling the said seat element, a pivot passing through the fork and seat element and maintaining the outer fork element in spaced relation to the seat element, a rear leg and a pivot passing through the inner fork element and the upper end of the leg for pivoting the leg to the back, a link, a second pivot joining the link to the said seat element at a point spaced from the first said pivot and a third pivot joining the link to the leg at a point below the first said pivot, the said link drawing the leg up flat against the seat when the seat is folded up flat against the back.

2. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and a rear leg, comprising a side structural seat element, a fork fixed to the back and straddling the said seat element, a pivot passing through the fork and seat element and maintaining the outer fork element in spaced relation to the seat element, a rear leg and a pivot passing through the inner fork element and the upper end of the leg for pivoting the leg to the back, a link, a second pivot joining the link to the said seat element at a point spaced from the first said pivot and a third pivot joining the link to the leg at a point below the first said pivot, the said link being curved upwardly and drawing the leg up flat against the seat when the seat is folded up flat against the back.

3. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and a rear leg, comprising a side structural seat the first said pivot and to the leg at a point below the first said pivot, the said link drawing the leg up fiat against the seat when the seat is folded up fiat against the back, the three said pivots being approximately aligned with each other both in position for use and when the chair is folded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,225,306 Kovats Dec. 17, 1940 2,467,909 Rechler Apr. 19, 1949 2,503,508 Parks Apr. 11, 1950 2,599,164 Cudini June 3, 1952 2,600,374 ONeill June 10, 1952 2,714,921 Rechler Aug. 9, 1955 2,729,277 Rechler Jan. 3, 1956 2,783,823 Tong Mar, 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 387,975 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1933 773,127 France Aug. 27, 1934 191,572 Austria Sept. 10, 1957

Claims (1)

1. IN A FOLDING CHAIR, A JOINT STRUCTURE FOR THE CHAIR BACK, SEAT AND A REAR LEG, COMPRISING A SIDE STRUCTURAL SEAT ELEMENT, A FORK FIXED TO THE BACK AND STRADDLING THE SAID SEAT ELEMENT, A PIVOT PASSING THROUGH THE FORK AND SEAT ELEMENT AND MAINTAINING THE OUTER FORK ELEMENT IN SPACED RELATION TO THE SEAT ELEMENT, A REAR LEG AND A PIVOT PASSING THROUGH THE INNER FORK ELEMENT AND THE UPPER END OF THE LEG FOR PIVOTING THE LEG TO THE BACK, A LINK, A SECOND PIVOT JOINING THE LINK TO THE SAID SEAT ELEMENT AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE FIRST SAID PIVOT AND A THIRD PIVOT JOINING THE LINK TO THE LEG AT A POINT BELOW THE FIRST SAID

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