US493285A - Combined cane and stool - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. A. NIXON.

COMBINED CANE AND STOOL.

No. 493,285. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

Fig. 2.

ATTORNEY.

BY w4/M NrrE STATES ATENT Enron.

JAMES A. NIXON, OF TITUSVILLE, ASSIGN OR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO HARVEY J. HOPKINS, OF PLEASANTVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED CANE AND STOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,285, dated March 14, 1893.

Application filed June 4, 1892. Serial No. 435,509- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. NIXON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Titusville, in the county of Crawford and State of 5 Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Combined Cane and Camp-Stool, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that article so convenient to a foot traveler or sight seer, a cane,

which can readily be transformed into a cam pstool; my object being to make one that shall be as far as possible, most suitable for both uses, viz: as a cane, strong, light appearing I and light in weight; and as a camp stool,

strong, and easy of seat; also that the transformation from cane to stool, and stool to cane,

is easily and quickly accomplished. I accomplish this by the device illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings; in which Figure 1. represents the cane; Fig. 2. the cane as separated, ready to be transformed into a camp stool; Fig. 3. the camp stool ready for use; Fig. 4. the upper ends of the legs forming the tripod, open, and the inclosing socket removed; Fig. 5. the same with the tripod closed; Fig. 6. the tripod open, with the socket inclosing the head and supporting the seat, in section; Fig. 7. the tripod in section, closed, and the socket also in sect-ion; Fig. 8. a top view of the seat and central ring. In the several drawings, the same letters are used to indicate the same or similar parts. The central section of the cane A. contains the principal component parts of the stool;

' B. the lower end; 0 the ferrule covering and inclosing the folding seat, and forming the upper end and head of the cane. The lower section B. is a simple, solid stick having the 40 ferrule D. upon the top, fitted to slide over, or screw on to the lower end of the section A. The lower part of the section A. is composed of there legs, triangular in shape, forming when folded together a round stick; and when open, a tripod for the support of the seat; and held together at the top by the socket E. The particular form of the legs is shown in Figs. 4. and 5, the extreme upper end of all, when the legs are closed, forming a circle, equal in diameter to the inside of the socket E. The legs are further held together at the top by the elastic ring E. which serves as a pivot upon which the legs swing. The legs above the ring F. are chamt'ered on the inside as shown in Fig. 5. so that when the legs are spread out they form the frustum of a cone as shown in Fig. 4. They are also chamfered on the inside as shown in section in Fig. 7. bringing the upper end nearly to a sharp edge, and so that when spread out there is left in the center, a round hole as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6.

The socket E. is a plain ring, having aninterior projecting rim G. (Fig. 6 and 7) at the bottom, and an interior screw thread at the top. The legs, when put together-as described above are inserted in the socket by passing them through from the top, the ends projecting below until the elastic ring F rests upon the rim G. of the socket. A follower H. is then inserted in the socket, filling the socket and having its under surface beveled, to fit over the legs when extended, as shown in Fig. 6, thus assisting to hold them in place and render the tripod firm. This follower is also slightly beveled on the outside, at the bottom, so that, when the legs are closed, the bevel rests against the chamfered edge on the inside of the legs, as shownin Fig. 7, thus preventing them from rattling when used as a cane. Concentric with, and projecting up from the follower H. is the neck I. having an exterior screw thread for a short distance from the top, and below that the thread is removed, leaving those above, projecting. After the follower is inserted, the interior collar K. is screwed into the socket E; thus preventing the follower H. from being lifted from the socket. A second ring L. is now introduced within the collar K. having at the bottom one 0 or two threads of screw projecting from the interior surface, fitted to engage with and pass the thread on the neck, I. of the follower. This engages with and passes the thread on 1. until the threads are free from each other, when the ring L. rests upon the follower H. and has a free rotary motion. It cannot be lifted out however Without engaging the screw threads, and Lin-screwing it from the neck I. This ring L. must of course to:

be of slightly less diameter than the interior diameter of the collar K. for so much of the ring as at any timeis required to pass through the collar, but above that point the diameter may be increased to equal the interior diameter of the socket E, or of the ferrule 0, thus affording additional strength. In the sides, near the top of the ring are cut the slots M. and in those slots, hinged upon the pivot N. are placed the arms 0. extending radially and forming the seat. A screw plug, P. isinserted in the end of the ring, and the radial arms 0. rest on the bottom of the slot M. and the under side of the plug P. thus relieving the pivot N. of any strain. The inclination of the radial arms may be adjusted by the plug P. The radial arms, shown here as four in number, (but may be more or less,) forming the seat, and being an attachment to the ring L revolve freely with the ring; and since the ring L. rests on the follower H, the weight of the person occupying the seat, presses the follower H. more firmly upon the top of the tripod. The radial arms 0. may be. folded together upward, as shown in Fig. 7 and the whole inclosed in the ferrule C. which screws on to the collar K. a head R. is placed on the top of the ferrule G. to add to the comfort and convenience as a cane; a hole being made in the head for the'purpose hereinafter described.

The transformation from cane to camp stool is made as follows: The upper ferule C. is removed;the lower end B. is removed, when the tripod A. is expanded, the end B. is reversed, the bottom end being inserted in the hole in the center of the head of the tripod, wedges the legs apart and adds to the stiifness. At the same time being rightly adjusted as to length, it acts as a center support as shown in Fig. 3. For convenience, the top ferrule C. maybe slipped over the section B. before this is inserted in the tripod. The radial arms 0. having fallen down, the stool is ready for use. The change from stool to cane is equally quick.

I make no claim for the broad device of an article, convertible into either cane or camp stool, as that is not new.

What I do claim as my invention is 1. In a folding camp stool: the tripod constructed as shown, the legs forming the tripod held together at the top by the elastic ring F; the top forming, when the legs are spread, a frustum of a cone, the top inclosed in the socket E, and with the follower I-I, fitting over and resting on the conical head of the tripod; substantially as shown and described.

2. A folding camp stool; consisting of a tripod, the legs of which are constructed as shown, the head of the tripod inclosed in the socket E. and forming, when the legs are extended, a frustum of a cone; the follower H. restingon and inclosingthe head of the tripod; the ring L. having internally projecting screw threads at the bottom engaging with and passing the externally projecting threads on the top of the neck I. of the follower H; the internal collar K; the radial arms 0. hinged in slots in the ring L; and the plug P, inserted in the upper end of the ring L. the radial arms, when extended, resting on the bottom of the slot M and on the under side of the screw P.; all the parts Working in combination substantially as shown and described.

3. A convertible cane and camp stool: consisting of the central section A. formed of the tripod, the legs of which, folded together, form a round stick, and when extended form a tripod for the support of the seat; the head of the tripod inclosed in the socket E.; the follower H, inside the socket, resting on and inclosing the head of the tripod; the ring L, with internally projecting screw threads at the bottom. engaging with and passing the externally projecting screw threads on the top of the neck I. of the follower H; the. internal collar K; the radial arms 0, hinged in slots in the upper end of the ring L; the plug P. in the top of the ring L; and the lower section B. of the cane, inverted and inserted in the center of the tripod and forming a central support; the ferrule C. with head R, All the parts working in combination; substantially as shown and described.

JAMES A. NIXON.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH SMITH, JOSEPH T. CHASE.

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