US540794A

US540794A - Folding chair

Info

Publication number: US540794A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 1912-06-11

Description

.(No Model.)

J. A. KOCH.. FOLDING CHAIR.

N0. 540,794. I Patented June 11, 1895.

WITNESSES! ATTORNEY TNE uonms' nnzns ca, Pnovouma, WASMINQTON, n. c

UNITED A STATES I PATENT OFFICE. 7

JACOB A. KOCH, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FOLDING CHAIR.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,794., dated June 11, 1895.

Application filed p l 1894. semi No. 506,355. on model.)

To all whom it'may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB A. KOCH, a citi zen of theUnited States ofAmeriea, residing at Denver,in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Chairs; and

ings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in folding chairs; and my construction is specially adapted for use where chairs are arranged together in series, as in public halls or auditoriums. The construction has, however, equal advantages as a single chair or stool, and possesses all the functions of a fold- I ing camp chair.

The device is adapted to be folded up into small compass, and will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my improved construction, several chairs being shown connected, one being folded and another partly folded; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chair partly folded. Fig. 3 is an underneath view of the bottom of the chair. Fig. 4 is a side elevation on a larger scale, showing the pivoted arm's connecting the chair-legs. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the manner of hinging the parts together. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the double hinge-plate. Fig. 8 is a view partly in section, showing a modified form of construction. Fig. 9 is a view of one of the hinge-plates shown in two positions. Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line a; m, Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters indicating corresponding parts or elements in these views, let the numeral 5 designate each of the front. legs of the chair, and 5, the rear legs thereof. The front legs are respectively connected with the rear legs by the upper bars 5 and the lower bars 5 The two front legs, as well as the two rear legs, are connected by two arms 6 whose outer extremities are pivoted to the chair legs. Their inner extremities are pivoted to each other as shown at '7. Movably attached to both sets of arms 6 at the points 7, is the bow-shaped upwardly projecting arm 8 whose extremities are apertured to receive the pivots which connect the arms 6 at the point 7. The arm 8 is movably attached to the seat 9 of the chair by means of the two double hinge plates 10 shown in detail in Fig. 7, which hinge plates engage the central portion of the arm 8, and are made fast to the seat on the under side.

Movably connected with the arm 8 and engaging the same at a point between the two hinge plates 10, is the forked brace. 12 which is provided with asleeve 12 located at the junction of the fork, and through which the arm 8 passes; while the separate extremities of the forked arms are provided with eyes 12 through which one of the bars 5 passes. The seat is movably attached to the opposite bar 5-by means of the hinge plates 13 which are of the construction shown in Fig. 9. This hinge plate is integral, but may be said to be composed of two spring-

parts

13 and 13 united by a clasp 13 adapted to'grasp the bar 5, to which the seat is hinged. In use, the

parts

13 and 13 are pressed together and riveted as shown at the rightin Fig. 10, and inserted in a mortise formed in the chair seat. As shown in the drawings, two of these hinge. plates are employed, and inserted in mortises a short distance from each other. Glue is then poured around them. These mortises are made wedge-shaped as shown in Fig. 3, and fastening blocks 14 of corresponding shape are fitted intothem. By means of these blocks, the hinge plates are thus made fast to the seat Without the use of screws, nails or similar fastening devices.

When several of the chairs are connected,- the eyes 12 of the brace 12 are located in spaces 15 between the parts 13 of the clasps which are divided for this purpose. The part 13 of each hinge plate 13 is provided with a flange 13 which is of a height equal to the depth of the mortise, and engages the inner edge of the retaining block 14. This flange is an additional feature of security, and makes it impossible to displace the hinge plate by any reasonable usage, since an outward pull on the bar 13 would only have a tendency to tighten the wedge-shaped retaining block in the mortise.

Allthe hinge plates employed in connecting the parts of the chair in operative relation are retained in place in a manner similar to that just described when speaking of the hinge plate 13.

Thelegs of the chair at the point where the arms 6 are pivoted thereto, may be provided with shouldered locking washers 20 which have flanges 20 grasping the chair legs, and a shoulder 20 engaging a shoulder 6 on the arm 6 when the chair is ready for use, the seat being in a horizontal position. The shoulder 20 prevents the arm 6 from moving down-' ward farther than may be necessary to bring the seat of the chair to the position aforesaid. The engaging extremities of the two arms 6 may be adapted to grasp the arm 8, as shown in Fig. 9, when the seat is in position for use.

The manner of connecting the chairs in a continuous series of any desired length, as well as the manner of folding said chairs in a compact mass, will be fully understood from the drawings, reference being made in this connection to Fig. l. in particular.

The rear legs of the chair are provided with upward extensions 5, which form a support from the rear for the back 16 when in the upright position, as shown in Fig. 1.

To fold the chair, the back 16 is thrown down to engagement with the seat 9, which is then raised to the upright position. During this movement of the seat, the legs 5 and 5 on one side are moved to engagement with the corresponding legs on the opposite side. In the same n1anner,and bya repetition of the operation, an entire row of connected chairs may be folded up into a very small space, comparatively; while by reversing the operation, the same chairs may be quickly unfolded and placed in position for use.

Where a number of the chairs are arranged together, only the outer legs of the two outside chairs need be provided with the locking washers 20, since the arms 6 where they are pivoted to the legs of the chairs, will in all other cases look themselves against downward movement farther than the horizontal. The feature last mentioned is illustrated at the right in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a folding chair, the combination of the two sets of side legs, each set being composed of one front and one rear leg, connecting arms pivoted to the legs and to each other, the upwardly projecting bow-shaped arm movably attached to the connecting arms at their pivoted point, the seat hinged to a bar connecting two of the side legs and movably attached to the bow-shaped arm, and a brace movably attached to the seat at one extremity, and to a bar connecting the other side legs at the opposite extremity, substantially as described.

2." In a folding chair, the combination of the two sets of side legs, connecting arms pivoted to the legs and to each other, a bow-shaped arm movably attached to the connecting arms at their pivoted points, the seat hinged to a bar connecting one set of side legs and movably attached to the bow-shaped arm, a brace movably attached to the seat at one extremity,

and to a bar connecting the other set of side legs at the opposite extremity, aback hinged to the rear edge of the seat, and suitable means for supporting the back when in the raised position, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the parts to be con nectedand a suitable hinge pin, of a hinge plate fashioned to receive the hinge pin at one extremity, and provided with a flange at the opposite extremity, one of the connected parts being provided with a wedge-shaped socket, a fastening block of corresponding shape adapted to fit into the socket on top of the plate, and means substantially as described for retaining the fastening block in position, substantially as described.

In testimony'whereof I aftix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB A. KOCII. Witnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDET, H. J. KOCH.