US3752532A

US3752532A - Chair consisting of parts adapted for quick assembly and disassembly

Info

Publication number: US3752532A
Application number: US00145230A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Yarus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-05-20
Filing date: 1971-05-20
Publication date: 1973-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-14

Abstract

A chair consisting of only two relatively thin flat parts, which can be quickly and easily assembled without the use of tools or fastening elements, or drilling of holes in the sides of the parts. Means are provided for assembly of the parts without tilting or rocking of the parts relatively to each and enabling the parts to be automatically and properly positioned in relation to each other. The parts are of uniform thicknesses wherein said parts are superimposed for packing and shipping in a relatively flat container.

Description

United States Patent [191 Yarus 1 Aug. 14, 1973 CHAIR CONSISTING 0F PARTS ADAPTED FOR QUICK ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY [76] Inventor: Marilyn S. Yarus, 17600 S. Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 [22] Filed: May 20, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 145,230

52 us. c1. 297/440, 297/56 51 1m. (:1. A411: 7 7 00 58 Field 61 Search 108/156-158; 297/l8.l9, 20, 415; 182/151; 152/661, 667, 666,665, 56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,427,074 2/1969 Whytem, 297/443 2,701,009

2/1955 Richard 108/156 X 1,223,576 4/1917 Gartrell 297/217 2,914,117 11/1959 Underwood 297/18 X 3,301,596 1/1967 Eos 1 297/30 X 1,949,951 3/1934 Bozarth 297/56 Primary Examiner-Jan] R. Gilliam Attorney-Islet & Ornstein 1 ABSTRACT A chair consisting of only two relatively thin flat parts, which can be quickly and easily assembled without the use of tools or fastening elements, or drilling of holes in the sides of the parts. Means are provided for assembly of the parts without tilting or rocking of the parts relatively to each and enabling the parts to be automatically and properly positioned in relation to each other. The parts are of uniform thicknesses wherein said parts are superimposed for packing and shipping in a relatively flat container.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures mmnanmmms 3.752.532

SHEEI 1 OF 2 JIO Fig.2 Fig.3

INVENTOR. MARI LYN YARUS fir 4; 6

ATTORNEYS INVENTOR. MARILYN YARUS ATTORNEYS CHAIR CONSISTING OF PARTS ADAPTED FOR QUICK ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY In Whyte U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,074, a chair is disclosed for rapid erection and dismantling comprising two iongitudinally rigid parts, one of which has a transverse opening intermediate its ends through which opening the other of said parts is slidably insertable whereby a rigid cruciform structure is formed supportable on a flat surface by two adjacent ends of said parts and the portions of said parts adjacent the other two ends provide seat and backrest areas for supporting the body of a person in seated position on said structure.

The parts are similarly shaped and may be made of solid buoyant material or of hollow box-like construction, capable of floating in water.

In order to prevent unwanted movement between the two parts when assembled or erected, and thereby facilitate movement of the chair as a whole from one place to another, locating pins 16 are arranged to be insertable through holes in the longitudinal sides of the chair part so that the inner ends of such pins 16 engage in recesses in recessed fittings 22 which are pro vided in the longitudinal sides of the chair part 14. Such pins, holes and fittings are provided at each side of the chair, and, moreover, chains 26 are provided or securing the pins 16 against loss.

In the chair, as thus described, the two longitudinally rigid parts are of a hollow composite construction, requiring the components of these parts to be glued or otherwise connected together to form the composite, thereby involving considerable cost in assembling the components.

Moreover, the two longitudinally rigid parts are of a thickness and contour or conformation such as to occupy considerable space when one of the parts is superimposed or laid upon the other part, thereby requiring the use of a relatively large container or carton for the parts and entailing high shipping costs.

Furthermore, the pins 16, fittings 22, screws, and chains 26, add greatly to the cost of the chair, due not only to the intrinsic cost of these elements, but also to the time required to drill holes in the parts and secure these elements to the parts.

It may also be mentioned in this connection, that in assembling the parts, it is necessary to align the holes in one of the parts with the recesses in the fittings, and to then insert the pins in position, all of which is time consuming.

It may further be mentioned that if the pins are not of relatively large diameter, shearing stresses could be imposed on the pins by a person seated on the chair, causing possible rupture of the pins or breakage of parts.

The present invention has, as its primary object, the provision of a chair of the above-described character, but which overcomes all of the disadvantages of the chair of the aforesaid patent, to which reference has been made.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair of the character described, consisting of only two relatively thin parts, which can be quickly and easily assem bled, without the use of tools, pins, fittings, screws, chains, or other fastening elements, and without requiring the drilling of holes in the sides of the parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair of the character described, consisting of only two parts, and in which the parts have coacting means which enable one of the parts to be automatically and properly positioned in relation to the other part by the mere act of inserting one of the parts into the other.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a chair of the character described, consisting of only two flat parts which are of such thickness that when one of the parts is laid or superimposed upon the other part, the overall thickness is such that the parts can be packed and shipped in a relatively flat container or carton, to thereby reduce storage and shipping costs.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the chair, in assembled or erected condition;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the chair, as viewed from the right side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the chair, as viewed from the left side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the chair, as viewed from the bottom of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross'sectional view of the chair, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of that part of the chair which provides the seat and the rear leg of the chair, and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of that part of the chair which provides the back or backrest and front leg of the chair.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the chair will be seen to comprise two parts, generally designated by reference numerals l0 and 11 respectively, and of the contour best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The part 10 is designed to provide the back or backrest and front leg of the chair, while the part 11 is designed to provide the seat and rear leg of the chair.

The

parts

10 and 11 are preferably made of an inexpensive material, such, for example, as plywood, of a thickness of 1 inch or three-fourths inch, it being noted, at this point, that the parts are of uniform thickness throughout their expanse or area, so that when one of the parts is laid or superimposed upon the other part, the overall thickness of the parts is either 2 inches or 1% inches, depending upon the thickness of plywood employed, so that the parts can be packed and shipped in a relatively flat container or carton of minimum depth, and at minimum expense. This thinness of the parts is also of advantage in storing the parts, and in transporting the parts manually from one place to another.

The part 10 is provided intermediate its ends with a transversely extending slot or opening 12 having parallel upper and

lower edges

13 and 14 respectively, which are disposed in planes inclined approximately to the plane of the rear surface of the part 10, this angle of inclination serving a purpose to be presently described. The slot or opening 12, moreover, serves to divide the part 10 into two areas, one of which, designated by reference numeral 15, provides the front leg of the chair, when the

parts

10 and 11 are assembled, and the other of which, designated by reference numeral 16, provides the back or backrest of the chair.

The part 11 is provided with -a rearwardly extending tongue 17 of a reduced width slightly less than the length of the slot 12, and which, when the parts 10 and l 1 are assembled, provides the rear leg of the chair, the portion of the part 11 forwardly of this tongue providing the seat 18 of the chair.

The junction of the tongue 17 of the part 11 with the seat 18 provides shoulders or stops l9 and 20 which are in planes inclined approximately 75 to the plane of the bottom surface of the part 11, and which serve a purpose to be presently described.

In assembling the

parts

10 and 11 to form the chair, as best seen in FIGS. 4, and 6, the part is supported by one hand on a horizontal supporting surface S (FIG. 4), in the inclined position shown in FIG. 4, and the tongue 17 of the part 11 is passed into and through the slot or opening 12, by means of the other hand, until the shoulders 19 and come into abutment with the front surface of the part 10, at which time, the part 11 will assume the position on the surface S shown in FIG. 4.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the thickness of the part 11 is substantially the same as the distance between the upper and

lower edges

13 and 14 of the slot or opening 12, so that these

edges

13 and 14 serve to guide movement of the tongue 17 through the slot 12 at the proper angle to the part 10. This insures against any tilting or rocking movement of the

parts

10 and 11 relatively to each other during such movement.

At the termination of this movement, the

inclined shoulders

19 and 20 of the part 11 will lie flat against the front surface of the part 10, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, thus providing additional insurance against any tilting or rocking movement of the

parts

10 and 11 relatively to each other after assembly.

The

inclined edges

13 and 14, and

shoulders

19 and 20, provide means for not only facilitating assembly of the parts, but also enables the parts to be automatically and properly positioned in relation to each other by the mere act of inserting one of the parts into the other. This assembly, moreover, is accomplished without the use of tools, pins, fittings, screws, chains or other fastening elements, and without requiring drilling of holes in the sides of the parts.

The disassembly or separation of the parts is accomplished in an obvious quick and easy manner.

The chair, as thus constructed and assembled, is extremely rugged and durable, and can be manufactured at low cost and sold at a reasonably low price. The ruggedness or strength of the chair has been determined by load tests conducted by well-known testing laboratones.

The results of these tests appear in the following table:

Location of Applied Thickness of Maximum Load Load Chair Parts (Lb.)

At junction of seat and backrest l" 500 At front edge of seat 1" 325 56" 200 At top edge of backrest 1" 130 All loads were applied perpendicular to the surface supporting the chair.

" Loading was tenninated in each instance at the point of audible cracking of the plywood.

Although the chair has been described particularly with reference to its construction from plywood parts, it is to be understood that other relatively lightweight material may be used for such parts, such, for example, as plastics.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention: I claim:

1. In a knockdown chair assembly consisting of a pair of interengageable back and seat elements each constituting a support for the other and collectively defining a seat structure, the combination comprising, a back element including a one-piece substantially rectangular body portion of uniform thickness throughout with planar major faces, means defining a transverse elongated opening extending through said back element between said major faces having angularly inclined parallel wall portions lying in a plane inclined at an angle of less than to the rear surface of said back element and dimensioned to provide substantial marginal portions between the end extremities of said opening and the edges of said back element, said back element further including an extremity terminating in a continuous surface engaging edge portion, a seat element including a onepiece body portion of uniform thickness throughout, said seat element including a seat portion and a tongue portion, said seat portion having a width substantially the same as the width of said back portion, said tongue portion configured to extend through said opening in said back element and including angularly inclined shoulder means in substantial full face engagement with each of said marginal portions of said back element to limit insertion of said tongue into said opening, said tongue further including an extension portion defining a rear surface engaging support leg.

Claims

1. In a knockdown chair assembly consisting of a pair of interengageable back and seat elements each constituting a support for the other and collectively defining a seat structure, the combination comprising, a back element including a one-piece substantially rectangular body portion of uniform thickness throughout with planar major faces, means defining a transverse elongated opening extending through said back element between said major faces having angularly inclined parallel wall portions lying in a plane inclined at an angle of less than 90* to the rear surface of said back element and dimensioned to provide substantial marginal portions between the end extremities of said opening and the edges of said back element, said back element further including an extremity terminating in a continuous surface engaging edge portion, a seat element including a onepiece body portion of uniform thickness throughout, said seat element including a seat portion and a tongue portion, said seat portion having a width substantially the same as the width of said back portion, said tongue portion configured to extend through said opening in said back element and including angularly inclined shoulder means in substantial full face engagement with each of said marginal portions of said back element to limit insertion of said tongue into said opening, said tongue further including an extension portion defining a rear surface engaging support leg.