US3104132A - Demountable furniture - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 17, 1963 fc. ENTWISTLE I 3,104,132

, v DEMOUNTABLE FURNITURE I Filed March 23,. 1962 I s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Cum: fury/3 Sept. 17, 1963 c. ENTWISTLE DEMOUNTABLE FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 23, 1962 INVENTOR. CLIVE [NW/671E Y%/. Z Z

A frag/wry United States Patent Filed Mar. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 181,922 8 Claims. (Cl. 297-440) This invention relates generally to furniture structures, and more particularly to demountable chairs, sofas and the like which are assembled without screws or other fastening means.

The conventional chair or sofa is composed of a frame for supporting a cushioned seat and backrest, the frame having legs fixedly attached thereto. The frame and leg assembly is usually made of wood or metal pieces held together by screws, rivets or other fasteners, or by glued joints. Once the article of furniture is assembled at the factory, it must be shipped as such, and while the several parts which make up a particular article will in the knock-down or disassembled condition occupy little space, the finished article will pre-ernpt a relatively large volume and must be carefully crated or boxed to prevent damage in transit.

Thus a chair inexpensively manufactured in a factory, say in Denmark, may by reason of shipping and handling costs become a costly item by the time it reaches a show room in the United States. The inability to disassemble seating pieces also adds substantially to home moving costs, and since America has become a highly mobile society this drawback is not without practical significance.

While folding chairs are known which lend themselves to compact storage, such chairs are generally of the uncushioned auditorium or bridge table type and make use of hinged joints which lack stability when the chair is erected. Such folding chairs are not suitable for use in living rooms or in other settings requiring a commodious and comfortable chair of good appearance and quality. On the other hand, it is not possible to fold or readily disassemble conventional cushioned chairs, sofas or chaise lounges. One cannot therefore store such articles in a demounted condition.

Another shortcoming of conventional chairs and the like is that when a part thereof is damaged, it is generally dificult to replace or repair the damaged part without a major disassembly operation. This repair of course assumes the availability of replacement parts, which is usually not the case with conventional furniture, and replacement must as a matter of practice be custom made.

Accordingly it is the main object of this invention to provide a demountable seating article which may be readily shipped and stored.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a demountable article of the above-type composed of replaceable individual parts which are quickly assembled without the use of bolts or other fasteners, the article having separable joints of high structural strength.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a demountable chair in which the front and rear legs are structurally interrelated whereby stresses imposed on the rear legs are also sustained by the front legs.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a low-cost demountable chair of good quality which may be stored and shipped in highly compact form.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a structure comprising a rectangular frame having corner sockets for receiving upright posts provided intermediately with pivot pins, the sockets being arranged whereby the posts are only free to pivot outwardly from the frame, the lower portions of the posts below the pins constituting legs, and the upper portions, arms.

Each pair of front and rear arms is interconnected by 3,l@4,l32 Patented Sept. 17, 1963 ice arm rest straps which are resiliently tightened, the straps holding the posts in the sockets and preventing outward movement thereof. Stresses imposed on the back posts by an occupant of the chair tend to deflect said posts outwardly, but such stresses are resisted by the straps which effectively are anchored by the front posts.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like elements in the several views are identified by like reference numerals.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a demountable chair in accordance with the invention, the chair being fully assembled.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same chair.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the chair frame and posts.

FIG. 4 shows one corner joint of the chair, disassembled.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the plane indicated by line 55 of HG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the plane indicated by line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a section taken along the plane indicated by line 77 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating the connection of an arm rest strap to one post.

FIG. 9 shows the end hook of one of the seat webs of the chair.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the main components of a demountable chair in accordance with the invention are a rectangular frame, generally designated by numeral 10*, provided with corner sockets A, B, C and D for accommodating four upright posts 11, 1-2, 13 and 14 which are removable therefrom. The pair of front and rear posts 11 and 13 are held in their sockets A and C by an arm rest strap 15, and the other pair of posts 12 and 14- are held in their sockets B and D by an arm rest strap 16.

The lower portions 11a, 12a, 13a and 14a of the posts elfectively constitute the legs of the chair, while the upper portions 11b, 12b, 13b and 14b constitute the arms thereof. The rear arms 13b and 14b are joined together at their upper ends by a back bar 17 which extends through bores in these arms and serves to support a removable back rest cushion 18. Resting on frame 10 is a cushioned seat 19. The cushion may be formed of foam rubber slabs covered by fabric, leather or any other suitable material, or they may be of inner spring construction.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the frame is constituted by a pair of wooden yoke pieces joined together by hollow metal cross bars 22 and 23, preferably of steel tubing, ex-

tending through apertures passing through the sockets in the ends of the yoke. The sockets A, B, C and D are formed by rectangular cut-outs in the yoke endings. In practice the yoke pieces may each be constituted by a pair of parallel slats, the socket being defined by the end portion of the slats in conjunction with the cross bar passing therethrough.

A resilient seat backing is formed by an array of webs 24, which may be constituted by thick elastic bands, the webs terminating in metallic hooks 25 and 26 which engage the cross bars 22 and 23.

Each post is provided at an intermediate position be- I tween the arm and leg portion with a transverse pivot pin 27 projecting from both sides of the post. A small arcuate notch 28 is cut into the inner edge of each post slightly above the position of the pivot pin. The lower edge of each yoke socket is provided with aligned arcuate notches 29 and 30 to accommodate the pivot pin 27 when the post is inserted in the socket, the cross bars 22 and 23, as the case may be, entering the post notch 28.

In assembling the frame the cross bars 22 and 23 are first inserted in the apertures passing through sockets A, B, C and D of the yoke pieces 2% and 21. Caps 31, which preferably are of nylon, are force fitted into the ends of the cross bars, as shown in FIG. 4, the caps serving to prevent withdrawal of the bars. The hooked webs 24 are then snapped across the cross bars to complete the frame.

The posts 11, 12, 13 and 14 are then inserted in sockets A, B, C and D, the pivot pins being received in notches 29 and 39, the cross bars entering post notches 28, as best seen in FIG. 5. In the absence of straps 15 and 16, the post cannot pivot inwardly since movement in this direction is stopped by the cross rod 22 or 23 against which it abuts, but outward movement about the pivot pin 27 is possible.

The straps 15 and 16 are constituted by major and minor bands 15a and 15b, and 16a and 16b, made of leather or ribbed nylon or other suitable material. The major bands terminate in rectangular buckles 32 dimensioned to admit the minor bands which terminate in triangular buckles 33. A helical spring 34 is adapted to interconnect the triangular buckles 33.

The major bands are provided with rectangular cutouts adjacent the buckles, the cut-outs accommodating the arms of the chair, the major bands being secured to the rear arms 13]; and 14b by means of the back bar 17 and being secured to the front arms 11!) and 12b by means of pins 35 and 36 passing through bores adjacent the upper ends of arms 11b and 12b respectively.

Thus when the chair is demounted, the various pieces thereof, which are shown in FIG. 3, plus the two cushions may be enclosed in a relatively small carton for shipment and storage. The parts may be quickly assembled in a series of steps. First the yoke pieces 20 and 21 are connected by the cross bars 22 and 23 to form the frame and the webs 24 are hooked thereon, then the rear posts 13 and 14 are joined together by back bar :17, and these posts are inserted in sockets C and D, the rear portions of straps 15 and 16 being first mounted in place on the bar. The front posts 11 and 12 are inserted in sockets A and B, and the pins and 36 are inserted in the posts when connecting the front portions of the straps 15 and 16 thereto. Finally, the minor bands of the straps are inserted in the buckles therefor, and the springs 34 are applied to complete the structure, the entire operation being carried out in a matter of minutes.

It is to be noted that the stresses imposed on the chair are directed mainly toward the rear posts since the sitter tends to rest his weight toward the rear and to lean against the backrest. However, since the rear legs are connected by straps 15 and 16 to the front posts, these posts serve partially to bear the load and relieve the rear posts of the full brunt of the burden.

While there is shown what is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the essential spirit thereof as expressed in the claims annexed hereto.

What is claimed is:

'1. A demountable furniture structure comprising a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts, a frame having front and rear corner sockets for pivotally receiving said posts whereby the posts are free to pivot outwardly from the frame, the lower portions of the posts below the frame constituting legs and the upper portions thereof constituting arms, and a pair of removable arm rest straps, each strap being coupled between a front and a rear arm to prevent outward pivoting of said posts and to hold said posts onto said frame.

2. A demountable furniture structure comprising a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts, each post having at an intermediate point thereon a pivot pin projecting from either side thereof, a frame having front and rear corner socketsfor receiving said posts, said frame being adapted to rest on said pivot pins whereby the posts are free to pivot outwardly from the frame, the lower portions of the posts below the pins constituting legs and the upper portions thereof constituting arms, and a pair of removable arm rest straps, each strap being coupled between a front and a rear arm to prevent outward pivoting of said posts.

3. A demountable furniture structure comprising a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts, said posts be ing provided at intermediate points thereon with pivot pins projecting from either side thereof, a frame having front and rear corner sockets for receiving said posts, said frame being adapted to rest on said pivot pins whereby the posts are free to pivot outwardly from the frame, the lower portions of the posts below the pins constituting legs and the upper portions thereof constituting arms, a pair of removable arm rest straps, each strap being coupled between a front and a rear arm to prevent outward pivoting of said posts, a back bar extending between the rear arms and passing through bores therein, a back rest cushion lying against said back bar, and a cushioned seat resting on said frame.

4. A demountable furniture structure comprising a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts, said posts being provided at intermediate points thereon with pivot pins projecting from either side thereof, a frame having front and rear corner sockets for receiving said posts, said frame being adapted to rest on said pivot pins whereby the posts are free to pivot outwardly from the frame, the lower portions of the posts below the pins constituting legs and the upper portions thereof constituting arms, and a pair of removable arm :rest straps, each strap being coupled between a front and a rear arm to prevent outward pivoting of said posts, said straps being provided with a helical spring to maintain them under tension.

5. A demountable chair comprising a frame formed by a pair of parallel yoke pieces and front and rear cross bars interconnecting said yoke pieces and passing through transverse bores adjacent the ends thereof, the ends of said yoke pieces having inwardly-directed cut-outs to provide sockets, the lower edge of each socket having a transverse notch to accommodate a pivot pin, an array of flexible webs stretched across said frame and provided with end hooks engaging said cross bars, a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts receivable within said sockets, each post having a pivot pin at an intermediate point thereon projecting from either side thereof, said frame resting on said pins in said notches whereby said posts are free to swing outwardly from said sockets and are stopped inwardly by the portions of said cross bar passing through said sockets, the upper portions of said posts above and pins constituting arms and the portions therebelow consti tuting legs, and a pair of removable straps each linked between a front and rear arm to prevent outward pivoting thereof and to hold said chair together.

6. A demountable chair comprising a frame formed by a pair of parallel yoke pieces and front and rear cross bars interconnecting said yoke pieces and passing through transverse bores adjacent the ends thereof, the ends of said yoke pieces having inwardly-directed cut-outs to provide sockets, the lower edges of each socket having a transverse notch to accommodate a pivot pin, an array of flexible webs stretched across said frame and provided with end hooks engaging said cross bars, a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts receivable within said sockets, each post having a pivot pin at an intermediate point thereon projecting from either side thereof, said frame resting on said pins in said notches whereby said posts are free to swing outwardly from said sockets and are stopped inwardly by the portions of said cross bars passing through said sockets, the upper portions of said posts above said pins constituting arms and the portions therebelow constituting legs, a back bar connectable between the rear arms, and a pair of removable straps, each being linked between a front and rear arm to prevent outward pivoting thereof and being spring tensioned to hold said chair together.

7. A de-mountable chair comprising a frame formed by a pair of parallel yoke pieces and front and rear cross bars interconnecting said yoke pieces and passing through transverse bores adjacent the ends thereof, the ends of said yoke pieces having inwardly-directed cut-outs to provide sockets, the lower edges of each socket having a transverse notch to accommodate a pivot pin, an array of flexible webs stretched across said frame and provided with end hooks engaging said cross bars, a pair of front posts and a pair ofrear posts receivable 'within said sockets, each post having a pivot pin at an intermediate point there on projecting from either side thereof, said frame resting on said pins in said notches whereby said posts are free to swing outwardly from said sockets and are stopped inwandly by the portions of said cross bars passing through said sockets, the upper portions of said posts above said pins constituting arms and the portions therebelow constiunder tension.

8, A chair as set forth in claim 7, further including a removable back rest cushion leaning against said back bar and a removable cushion resting on said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Saint-Maurice July 7, 1953 Bird July 9, 1957

Claims (1)

1. A DEMOUNTABLE FURNITURE STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PAIR OF FRONT POSTS AND A PAIR OF REAR POSTS, A FRAME HAVING FRONT AND REAR CORNER SOCKETS FOR PIVOTALLY RECEIVING SAID POSTS WHEREBY THE POSTS ARE FREE TO PIVOT OUTWARDLY FROM THE FRAME, THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE POSTS BELOW THE FRAME CONSTITUTING LEGS AND THE UPPER PORTIONS THEREOF CONSTITUTING ARMS, AND A PAIR OF REMOVABLE ARM REST STRAPS, EACH STRAP BEING COUPLED BETWEEN A FRONT AND A

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