US3363667A

US3363667A - Tubular furniture

Info

Publication number: US3363667A
Application number: US448349A
Authority: US
Inventors: Morton I Thomas; Bertrand R Lesser
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-04-15
Filing date: 1965-04-15
Publication date: 1968-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1968 THOMAS ET AL 3,363,667

TUBULAR FURNITURE Filed April 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l if} u //9 maxim? 25/1 2' F BC]. 2

FIGQ

INVENTORS.

A T TORNE K Jan. 16, 1968 THQMAS ET AL 3,363,667

TUBULAR FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1965 a; 37 FIGS INVENTORS.

5 H W N Hi ,m n [m 0 A mm M 0 FICJ.7

United States Patent 3,363,667 TUBULAR FURNITURE Morton I. Thomas, Baker-town Road, Monroe, N.Y. 10950, and Bertrand R. Lesser, 24 Stonewall Laue, Mamaroueck, NY. 10543 Filed Apr. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 448,349 Claims. (Cl. 160-327) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Tubular metal furniture having coverings formed from plastic strips; the terminal ends of the strips being anchored in slot portions of the metal frame Without clips or other supplemental anchoring means.

In conventional tubular metal furniture having bent tubular metal frames with flexible strips or webbing spanning and interconnecting opposed portions of such frames, the terminal ends of the strips or webbing are anchored to the frames by various forms of mechanical fasteners which must grip end portions of the strips or webbing and must also engage the frame. Such known fasteners require highly experienced labor in the assembly of the frames and strips or webbing, involve extended assembly operations, thus increasing production costs; and still may give rise to incomplete or inferior anchorage of the strips or webbing.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved tubular furniture construction wherein strips forming the back or seat of a chair or the like, are self anchored in the tubular frame portions without the need for auxiliary fasteners, clasps or the like, thereby markedly simplifying assembly operations and reducing production costs.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a furniture construction of the character described, an improved system for anchoring the terminal ends of strips on frame members in the absence of fasteners or clasps, the strips being of a nature and so related to the frame members as to provide self anchorage thereon yet being substantially proof against inadvertent separation of the strips from the frame members.

Other objects of this invention in part are obvious and in part will hereinafter be pointed out.

Summary of the invention The instant invention relates to tubular furniture having slotted frame portions for receiving the terminal ends of flexible strips or webbings forming the seat and back portions thereof; the strip ends being sharply bent at the ends of the edges of the slots in the frame while the intermediate portions of the strip are tensioned so as to coact with the bent strip ends to anchor the same without the need for supplemental clips or the like.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a chair of the tubular metal frame type, which incorporates means for anchoring strips forming the back and seat thereof in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a single plastic strip used in covering frames such as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the strips in anchored relation to opposed frame members;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing the anchored end of a strip in relation to a frame member;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views showing alternative terminal end forms for strips embodying the invention;

3,363,667 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 FIG. 9 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4, showing an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Whereas in tubular frame furniture having webbing or strips forming the seat and back portions thereof, are conventionally anchored on the frame by means of various fasteners and clasps; the instant invention eliminates the need for any fasteners or clasps and permits the strips to be self anchored at their ends in slots formed in the frame members.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, 10 designates a typical tubular frame piece of furniture, such as a chair; the same being formed of bent metal tubing to provide a back portion 11, a seat portion 12, as well as

legs

13, 14 and arms 15. Such chair may be of the folding type, having conventional pivoted connections to allow the several portions thereof to be collapsed to a compact form, all in a manner well known in the art.

Back portion 11 may comprise a single piece of bent light metal tubing of circular cross section with parallel, opposed

elongated frame portions

16, 17 and an interconnecting frame portion 18. Similarly, seat portion 12 may also be formed from a single piece of bent tubing having

opposed frame portions

16, 17 and a forwardly disposed interconnecting portion 18A.

The frames forming back portion 11 and seat portion 12, are completed by means of transversely extending, parallel plastic strips 19 extending between and anchored at their opposite ends to

frame portions

16, 17. The strips 19 are formed of extruded plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, vinylidene chloride, or the like. Such strips may have cross sectional configurations of selected geometric form, and for the purpose of illustration, is shown in FIG. 3 of substantially elliptical section with curved surface portions 20, tapering toward side edges 21.

The strips 19 while flexible, have a degree of stilfness, with a maximum thickness at midsection of about /s" and preferably not less than about A their width being as desired, and typically of the order of from about 1" to about 1 /2. While the strips 219, as shown in PEG. 2 have opposite

terminal end sections

22, 22A of substantially keystone shape, for the purpose hereinafter described; the strips may have other terminal end edge configurations, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, the opposed

tubular frame portions

16, 17; which may be part of seat or back portions of a chair or the like, are formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, elongated slots 23 in the top wall portion 24 of said frame portions, said slots 23 being conveniently located immediately to one side of the vertical section lines of said frame portions 1'6, 17. Said slots 23 are adapted to receive therein the

terminal end sections

22, 22A of strips 19 as said strips span and

interconnect frame portions

16, 17.

The strips 19 have normal, unstretched length somewhat less than the distance between a pair of laterally aligned slots on

frame portions

16, 17 plus a dimension somewhat greater than twice the outer circumferential extent of a

single frame portion

16 or 17. Such strips 19 can be longitudinally stretched at room or elevated temperatures to achieve a temporary increase in length, but will revert to their normal length upon removal of stretching tension. This is due to the memory characteristic of the plastic materials from which the strips are formed.

Accordingly, with

frame portions

16, 17 at a fixed distance from each other, strips 19 are mounted on said frame portions in anchored relation thereto, as follows. The terminal end 22 of a strip 19 is inserted into a slot 23 on frame portion 16, the shoulders 25 on the keystone portion 22 providing means for determining the approximate length of strip end to be inserted into said slot 23. The slot 23 has a length which will readily admit strip end section 22 at shoulder portions 25 thereof.

The portion 2 6 of strip 19 immediately adjacent to strip end section 2 2, is then wrapped clockwise about tubular wall 27 of frame portion 16, thereby forming a sharply bent transverse crease or edge 28 which engages lateral edge 29 of slot 23; the interiorly disposed end section 22 being deflected away from slot edge 29, as shown in FIG. 5. The intermediate portion 30 of strip 19 is then extended toward frame portion 17 and stretched longitudinally, either at room temperature or after being heated somewhat, by suitable stretching means, not shown, to thereby temporarily lengthen strip 19 to allow the terminal end portion 22A thereof to be inserted into a slot 23 on frame portion 27.

To this end, the strip portion 26A is wrapped about tubular wall 27A of frame portion 17, in a clockwise direction; to allow the strip end section 22A to be inserted into slot 23 on frame portion 17, forming a sharply bent transverse crease or edge 28A in the strip 19 which engages lateral edge 29A of slot 23, the strip end 22A being deflected outwardly of slot edge 29A within frame member 17.

The tension on strip 19 is then released to permit the same to contract and to thus tend to restore itself to its normal, original length. However, residual tension will be retained by contracting strip 19 due to its normal, untensioned length being somewhat less than the distance between slots 23 in frame portions 1 6, 17 plus the wrap around

portions

26, 26A of said strip.

Thus, the intermediate portion 30 of strip 19 will be under substantial tension and portions 31 at the junction of intermediate portion 30 and wrap around

portions

26, 26A. will tightly bear on the

bent edge portions

28, 28A of strip 19. It has been found that under such tension conditions and with bent edge portions 28, 2 8A tightly engaging the

slot edges

29, 29A respectively, the

terminal ends

22, 22A will be well anchored on

frame portions

16, 17. Thus, with each of the strips 19 mounted in pairs of laterally related slots 23 on

frame portions

16, 17 there will be provided completed seat and back portions for chair 10.

Furthermore, despite temporary elongation of strips 19 when weight or pressure is applied to the same, as when one sits on chair 10, upon removal of such weight or pressure, the anchorage of strips 19 on

frame portions

16, 17 is maintained, even as the strips contract to their tensioned condition. The shoulders 25 on

strip end sections

22, 22A have a tendency to hook under the end edges 32 of slots 23, further avoiding inadvertent pull out of the strip end portions from said slots.

While strips 19 are shown with

terminal end sections

22, 22A of keystone shape; the strips have end sections of other edge configurations, as shown in FIG. 7, where strip 19A has parallel side edges 35 and transverse edge 36; or in FIG. where strip 19B has tapered edges 37 and recesses 28 to mark the extent of insertion of the same into slots 23 of

frame portions

16, 17. It is understood that the length of slots 23 is adjusted to admit the selected strip end configuration.

While, as shown in FIG. 4, the slots 23 are located top wall portions 24 of

frame portions

16, 17 so as to insure that

strip portions

26, 26A will have a wrap around relative to

tube walls

27, 27A of a full 360, it has been found that slots 23 may be so located on top wall portions 24 of the

frame portions

16, 17 as to provide a wrap around of

strip portions

26, 26A, which may be somewhat less than 360, see FIG. 9. The anchorage of strip ends 22, 22A in slots 2-3 will still be satisfactory and devoid of inadvertent release of strip ends from their slots in

frame portions

16, 17.

It is understood that the spacing between anchored strips 19 may be varied as desired; and the strips may be used to span any pair of tubular frame members held in fixed displaced relation to each other and anchored thereto in accordance with the instant invention, for any selected purpose.

As various changes might be made in the embodiments of the invention herein disclosed, without departing from the spirit thereof, it is understood that all matter herein shown or described, shall be deemed illustrative and not by way of limitation, except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a furniture construction comprising tubular framing having opposed elongated tubular frame portions, covering means between and interconnecting said frame portions, said covering means comprising a plurality of plastic strips extending at their opposite ends to said frame portions, means for anchoring terminal end portions of said strips on said frame portions, said anchoring means comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots on said frame portions, each slot on one frame portion being laterally aligned with a corresponding slot on the other frame portion, each plastic strip having its terminal end portions in flat planar form respectively inserted into a pair of opposed slots on said frame portions and projecting interiorly of said frame portions, the terminal end portions of said strip being sharply bent along a transverse edge at a point spaced from the ends of said strip, the creased edge portions of said strip engaging an outer transverse edge of said slots in the frame portions, the strip portion immediately adjacent the terminal end portion at each end of said strip being wrapped around one of said frame portions over approximately a 360 peripheral extent thereof, the intaermediate portion of said strip between said wrapped strip portions eing under longitudinal tension whereby to tightly engage and anchor the terminal end portions thereof within said slots in the frame portions.

2. A furniture construction as in claim 1 wherein said end portions include sections of the strip adjacent the terminals thereof disposed interiorly of said frame portions, said sections being angularly deflected in a direction away from said edge of the slot of said tubular frame portion.

3. A furniture construction as in claim 1 wherein the intermediate strip portion includes a portion overlying and tightly engaging the sharply bent edge portion of said strip.

4. A furniture construction as in claim 1 wherein said strips include means along side edge portions thereof at the terminal ends thereof to mark the extent of the terminal end portions to be inserted into the slots in said tubular frame portions.

5. A furniture construction as in claim 4 wherein the means on the edge portions of said strips comprises shoulder means engageable with end edges of said slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,622,663 12/1952 Burd 37l 2,910,068 10/1959 Lane l29-1 3,021,176 2/1962 \Eads et a1. 297-452 3,084,739 4/1963 Jaworski 24-2653 3,202,375 8/ 1965 Dinkin 24274 3,231,008 1/1966 Seckel 160327 HENRY C. SUTI-I E-RLAND, Primaiy Examiner.

G. W. HORNADAY, Assistant Examiner.