US3640569A

US3640569A - Chair coupling device

Info

Publication number: US3640569A
Application number: US833311A
Authority: US
Inventors: Feramorz H Young
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-06-16
Filing date: 1969-06-16
Publication date: 1972-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-08

Abstract

Multiple like chairs are coupled together in row alignment by an elongated locking bar mountable horizontally proximate the chair legs, the bar carrying holder means forming recesses opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced locations therealong so that when the bar is shifted longitudinally the recesses closely receive the chair legs, and the bar being vertically supported by spaced hangers. Means also is provided for releasably retaining the bar against shifting from chair retaining position.

Description

O Umted States Patent 51 3,640,569

Young 1 Feb. 8, 1972 [54] CHAIR COUPLING DEVICE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Inventor: Feramnn Y u g. 3 Auburn L 1,337,392 7/1962 France ..297/248 Stem Madte, Cahf- 91024 439,312 9/1925 Germany... ..297/248 22 Filed; June 16 1969 1,290,923 3/1962 France 1 ..297/248 383,467 11 193 G B 'tain ..297 4 21 Appl. No.: 833,311 I 2 mt l2 8 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam [52] U S CL ..297/248 Attorney-White & Haefliger [51] ..A47c 15/00 [58] Field of Search 297/248; 108/64; 24/81 CC; 5 ABSTRACT Multiple like chairs are coupled together in row alignment by [56] Rem-em Cited an elongated locking bar mountable horizontally proximate the chair legs, the bar carrying holder means forming recesses UNITED STATES PATENTS opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced locations 712,898 11/1902 Barney ..197/248 therealong so that when the bar is Shifted longitudinally the 2,174,224 9/1939 Geller ...297/248 X recesses closely receive the chair legs, and the bar being verti- 2,585,l l l 2/1952 Grauer.... .....l08/64 X cally supported by spaced hangers. Means also is provided for 2,675,063 1954 Nordmafh 297/248 X releasably retaining the bar against shifting from chair retain- 2,688,357 9/1954 Towne ..297/248 i i i 2,750,990 6/1956 Eves 24/81 CC X 788,966 5/1905 Upton ..3 12/218 X 4 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures PATENTEBFEB 8 I972 3.640.569

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saw u or a .L/m/vozz H. Yaw/a f/wfw CHAIR COUPLING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Need has existed for improved unitized means for retaining like chairs in accurate row alignment and against lateral shifting, and particularly such means adaptable generally to aligned retention of assemblages of chairs that may vary in number.

Insofar as I am aware, prior expedients have been lacking in various desirable respects including more simple and low-cost coupling means, easy mountability to the chairs, and the capacity for chair retention in firmly held alignment while allowing for individual chair seat movements as well as shiftability of coupled chair assemblages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention has for its general object to provide an improved chair coupling device in the form of an elongated bar which spans the legs of the coupled chairs and which so embraces the chair legs as to hold them against forward and rearward shifting of the individual chairs while the bar is locked against longitudinal retractive shifting to maintain the chair retention in all respects.

The invention aims to achieve such association with the chair legs by the provision of bar-carried retaining means which presents recesses for reception of adjacent pairs of the chair legs as a result of shifting the bar in one direction, there also being locking means associated with the bar for preventing its retractive movement in an opposite direction. The bar also is given vertical support by suspension hangers, preferably of a type that hook over the chair corresponding tie rods, thus to achieve simple and direct mountability of the bar in position and in a condition assuring positive confined alignment of the chairs.

All the various features and objects of the invention will be understood most readily by reference to the illustrative embodiment shown by the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing in rear elevation typically a four chair series with the applied locking bar;

FIG. 2 is a view as seen from line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing an end chair in side elevation;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 also is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a showing in perspective of the bar-carried retaining finger, suspension hook and locking pin;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. I showing a variational form of the invention in which duallocking bars are mounted to the lower chair legs;

FIG. 8 is an end elevation corresponding to FIG. 2 and is viewed from line 8--8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a combined view similar to FIG. 3 and taken on line 99 of FIG. 8 to show the dual bar associations with the chair legs;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on line 10-10 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line ll-1l of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 corresponds with FIG. 6 to show the variational bar-carried parts applicable to the FIG. 7 modification;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a further variational form of the invention;

FIG. I4 is an end view from line 14-- 14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a section on line l5-I5 of FIG. 13;

FIGS. l6 and 17 are fragmentary enlarged sections respectivcly on lines I6-I6 and I7-I7 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 illustrates a modified form of bracket for mounting the locking bar to the chair legs;

FIGS. 19 to 24 illustrate a further variational embodiment of the invention and correspond respectively and serially to FIGS. 1 to 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In reference first to FIGS. 1 to 6 the chairs C, variable in number and typically four, appear by FIG. 1 in rear elevation and may have a usual folding chair construction best illustrated by FIG. 2 and including a generally U-shaped frame 25 including front legs 26, rear legs 27 hinged at 28, and seat 29 pivoted respectively to the forward frame and rear legs at 30 and 31 for upward swinging movement either for aisle clearance or to fold the chair, as permitted by rear pivoting of the hinge by the pivots at 32. The chair structure also includes an upper tie rod 33 and a pair of

lower tie rods

34 and 35.

The chairs are held together against lateral shifting by an elongated locking bar 36 which spans the chair legs and carries

hooklike retainers

37 and 38, which form recesses at 39 which open lengthwise of the bar to receive the chair legs when the bar is shifted to the FIG. 3 position. Retainers 37 are elongated as illustrated to receive and retain adjacent chair legs 27 whereas the end retainers 38 are shallower since they retain only single chair legs. As will be understood, the locking bar and retainers are applicable to the chairs, initially placed in alignment, by engaging the bar against the chair legs from a position to the FIG. 3 right, and then shifting the bar to the left and to its illustrated retaining position. Retractive shifting of the bar is prevented by inserting the chain-carried locking pin 40 into the bar openings 41, the pin being engageable against one of the chair legs 27a, see FIG. 4, to positively block chair releasing movement of the bar.

The bar is shown to be supported vertically and in horizontal alignment with the chairs by hooks 42 which engage with and over the chair tie rods 33, the hooks being applicable thereto as shown in FIG. 5 by initially raising the bar and its retainers 37 and then dropping the hooks down onto the tie rod. Thus supported the locking bar assures positive confinement of the chairs while allowing for such upward tilting of the chair seat 29 as may be necessary for aisle clearance.

The FIG. 7 variational form of the invention differs from the described embodiment in that a pair of locking bars 44 are applied and mounted to the front and rear surfaces of the

chair legs

26 and 27 as shown in FIG. 8. As before, the bar-carried

retainers

45 and 46 receive and hold the chair legs although here instead of using the suspension hooks these retainers ride the upper surfaces of the lower

chair tie rods

34 and 35, upward displacement of the bar being prevented by legs 47 engageable against the undersides of the tie rods. The same locking pin arrangement at 48 may be used to prevent longitudinal shifting of the bar from its FIG. 9 and 10 position.

The FIG. 13 to FIG. 17 modification corresponds generally to the FIG. 1 form except that here the locking bar 50 is supported by reception of its chair-retaining fingers 51 within brackets or cleats 52 affixed to the chair rear legs and present ing hooklike openings 53 into which the fingers may be dropped when rocked into the recesses from the elevated bar and broken line position appearing in FIG. 17.

In reference to the modification of FIG. 18, the bracket 54 may carry a keeper 55 pivoted at 56 to swing in the direction of the arrow from a rest position of engagement with the stop pin 57.

The FIGS. 19 to 24 modification is adaptable to folding chairs having thickened wooden seats, the locking bar 58 generally being oriented in correspondence with FIG. I but carrying the spaced upper and

lower fingers

59 and 60 which are engageable with seat 61 above and below its pivot 62, the upper finger being relatively shorter but sufficiently extended to receive and embrace the leg 27, while the lower and longer finger is extended beneath the seat 61.

In addition to the described structural and functional features. the unitized locking bar assemblies have the advantage of quick and easy mountability to the chairs, with corresponding facility in removability and capacity when not in use to be accommodated in compact stacked arrangements.

1 claim:

1. A device for coupling together multiple like chairs having like legs aligned in a row and having horizontal tie rods, comprising a. an elongated locking bar adapted to be placed horizontally and proximate the legs,

b. holder means carried by the bar forming recesses opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced locations therealong characterized in that when the bar is shifted longitudinally in one direction relative to the chairs the recesses closely receive said legs, said recesses formed by rigid, L- shaped retainer members integral with the bar, and extending away from the bar and then generally parallel thereto in said one direction, certain of said members being of length so that the formed recesses receive two adjacent chair legs.

0. a series of rodlike hangers rigidly carried by and projecting from the bar at locations therealong longitudinally spaced from said retainer members and recesses and characterized in that the hangers hook over horizontal tie rods on the chairs to suspend the locking bar in horizontal position proximate said legs and to block upward tilting of each chair relative to other coupled together chairs, and

d. a locking part carried by the bar proximate a retainer member to be shifted into position for engagement with a chair leg to block reverse shifting of the bar in the opposite longitudinal direction relative to the chairs when said recesses closely receive said legs. 2. The device of claim 1 including said chairs having said tie rods, the hangers being located relative to the legs to continually suspend the bar during said bar shifting.

3. A device coupling together multiple like chairs having like legs aligned in a row, comprising a an elongated locking bar placed horizontally and proximate the legs,

b. holder means carried by the bar forming recesses opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced location therealong characterized in that when the bar is shifted longitudinally in one direction relative to the chairs the recesses closely receive said legs, said recesses formed by rigid, L- shaped retainer members integral with the bar, and extending away from the bar and then generally parallel thereto in said one direction, certain of said members being of a length so that the formed recesses receive two adjacent chair legs,

. and a series of cleats attached to the chair legs and downwardly recessed to receive terminals on the retainers to suspend the locking bar in horizontal position proximate said legs and to block upward tilting of each chair relative to other coupled togetherchairs,

d. a locking part carried by the bar proximate a retainer member to be shifted into position for engagement with a chair leg to block reverse shifting of the bar in the opposite longitudinal direction relative to the chairs when said recesses closely receive said legs, and

. the chairs being hinged to fold, and the cleats projecting forwardly from the rear legs of the chairs to which they are attached and at locations to be free of interference with chair front legs during said folding.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said L-shaped members project closely above the chair seat, and there being additional members carried by the bar toproject closely below the chair

Claims

1. A device for coupling together multiple like chairs having like legs aligned in a row and having horizontal tie rods, comprising a. an elongated locking bar adapted to be placed horizontally and proximate the legs, b. holder means carried by the bar forming recesses opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced locations therealong characterized in that when the bar is shifted longitudinally in one direction relative to the chairs the recesses closely receive said legs, said recesses formed by rigid, L-shaped retainer members integral with the bar, and extending away from the bar and then generally parallel thereto in said one direction, certain of said members being of length so that the formed recesses receive two adjacent chair legs, c. a series of rodlike hangers rigidly carried by and projecting from the bar at locations therealong longitudinally spaced from said retainer members and recesses and characterized in that the hangers hook over horizontal tie rods on the chairs to suspend the locking bar in horizontal position proximate said legs and to block upward tilting of each chair relative to other coupled together chairs, and d. a locking part carried by the bar proximate a retainer member to be shifted into position for engagement with a chair leg to block reverse shifting of the bar in the opposite longitudinal direction relative to the chairs when said recesses closely receive said legs.

2. The device of claim 1 including said chairs having said tie rods, the hangers being located relative to the legs to continually suspend the bar during said bar shifting.

3. A device coupling together multiple like chairs having like legs aligned in a row, comprising a. an elongated locking bar placed horizontally and proximate the legs, b. holder means carried by the bar forming recesses opening lengthwise of the bar and at spaced location therealong characterized in that when the bar is shifted longitudinally in one direction relative to the chairs the recesses closely receive said legs, said recesses formed by rigid, L-shaped retainer members integral with the bar, and extending away from the bar and then generally parallel thereto in said one direction, certain of said members being of a length so that the formed recesses receive two adjacent chair legs, c. and a series of cleats attached to the chair legs and downwardly recessed to receive terminals on the retainers to suspend the locking bar in horizontal position proximate said legs and to block upward tilting of each chair relative to other coupled together chairs, d. a locking part carried by the bar proximate a retainer member to be shifted into position for engagement with a chair leg to block reverse shifting of the bar in the opposite longitudinal direction relative to the chairs when said recesses closely receive said legs, and e. the chairs being hinged to fold, and the cleats projecting forwardly from the rear lEgs of the chairs to which they are attached and at locations to be free of interference with chair front legs during said folding.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said L-shaped members project closely above the chair seat, and there being additional members carried by the bar to project closely below the chair seat.