Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C4/00—Foldable, collapsible or dismountable chairs
  • A47C4/04—Folding chairs with inflexible seats
  • A47C4/18—Folding chairs with inflexible seats having a frame made of metal
  • A47C4/20—Folding chairs with inflexible seats having a frame made of metal with legs pivotably connected to seat or underframe
  • A47C4/24—Folding chairs with inflexible seats having a frame made of metal with legs pivotably connected to seat or underframe with cross legs

Definitions

• This invention relates to a folding chair of the type comprising a pair of leg frames that are hinged together so that the chair may be folded substantially flat when not in use
• a seat panel has one end hinged to one of the frames with the opposite end supported by the other frame when the chair is open for use.
• a seat panel and back support are hinged together to form a seat assembly that may be folded substantially flat, and the seat assembly is supported by the pair of leg frames.
• chairs of this type are inevitably prone to collapse during use. This can cause serious bodily injury. Additionally, the chair often collapses when it is lifted to be moved to another location. This is naturally inconvenient. Therefore, the aim of the invention is to realise a folding chair offering improved safety and/or convenience to the user
• a folding chair comprises a first frame that forms the rear legs of the chair and a second frame .hat forms the front legs of the chair, the first and second frames being pivotally connec:ed so as to enable the chair to be folded substantially flat when not in use. and further comprises a seat panel that has one end pivotally connected to one of the frames and an opposite end e ⁇ gagable with the other of the frames whereby said other frame suDports said opposite end of the seat panel when the chair is open for use.
• the chair is characterized in that a locking member is mounted on one of said other frame and said opposite end of the seat panel for limited movement relative thereto, and the other of said other frame and said opposite end of the seat panel includes a locking formation for receiving the locking member to lock the chair in the open condition, the limited movement of the locking member enabling the locking member to assume a locking position in which the locking member is v located within the locking formaiior , and a release position in which the locking member is located outside the locking fo ⁇ nation.
• the arrangement is such that the locking member automatically assumes the locking position in the action of opening the xhair whereas the locking member must be manually moved into the release position in order to unlock and fold the chair.
• the folding cha r of this first aspect of the invention incorporates a highly effective and safe locking mechanism whose operation is not dependent on the user remembering to lock the chair and which has a low probability of being accidentally released while the chair is in use.
• the locking member comprises a bar extending laterally across the width of the chair, and the locking formation comprises a groove or notch adapted to locate an edge of the bar.
• the opposite ends of Ihe bar may be loosely trapped in respective recesses of a shape which permits mo ement of the bar between the locking position and the release position. These recesses may have a substantially triangular shape whereby Jhe bar rests against one inclined side of the triangle in the locking position.
• the locking member is preferably biased into the locking position.
• the bias may arise under the action of gravity on the locking member or under the action of resilient means such as at least one spring element, or both.
• the locking member may be temporarily ⁇ nd automatically displaced from its bias position into the release position before being returned, by virtue of the biasing action, into the locking position in which the lod ing member engages the locking formation.
• the seat panel is hinged to the second frame that forms the front legs of • the chair.
• the locking member- is mounted on the seat panel and the locking formation is formed at the end of the first frame that forms the rear legs of the ⁇ enair and supports the front edge of the seat panel.
• the first frame may & .engage the seat panel by means of pins that extend outwardly from the frame and slide "within respective grooves formed at each side of e seat panel.
• Ihe seat panel may be hinged tc the first frame that forms the rear legs of the chair.
• the locking member is mounted on the second frame that forms the front legs of the chair and the locking formation is formed at the rear edge of the 10 seat panel. The rear end of the seat panel is supported by the second frame when the chair is open for use.
• a folding chair comprises a pair of leg frames that are pivotally connected together so as to enable the chair to be folded substantially flat when not in use, and further com arises a seat panel supported by said 5 pair of leg frames, characterized in that the opening and closing of the pair of leg frames is governed by a sliding bar that connects the two leg frames, the sliding bar having one end pivotally coupled to a first said leg frame and including an elongate slot, a pin mounted on a second said leg frame being arranged to ride within said elongate slot, and
• said .elongate slot includes an angled locking portion at an end of the slot, 0 the arrangement being such that said pin automatically enters the locking portion of the slot in the action of opening the chair whereas the pin must be manually released from the locking portion, by manipulating the : sliding bat; in order to unlock and fold the leg frames.
• the fold g chair of this second aspect of the invention incorporates a highly effective and safe locking mechanism whose operation is not dependent on the user remembering to lcck the chair and which has a low probability of being accidentally released while the chair is in use.
• the locking portion of the sliding bar slot extends generally upwardly when the chair is open for use, so that the pin enters the locking portion as the sliding bar drops under the action of gravity.
• the locking portion of the slot may, for example, extend at approximately 90" to the main portion of the slot.
• the seat panel may be pivotally connected to the second leg frame by me ans of said pin
• a back support may be hinged to the seat panel to form a collapsible seat assembly.
• the hinge connection may be of such a 'type that the angle between the seat panel and the back support is adjustable to a plurality of settings that provide different degrees of repose
• the chair may thus be a multi-position, for example 5-position, folding chair.
• the sliding bar is preferably provided on only one side of the chair in order to simplify the unlocking operation.
• the folding chair does not collapse when lifted up to be moved to a new location. This adds to the chair's convenience in everyday use.
• Figs 1 to ⁇ relate to a folding chair according to a first embodiment of the invention, wherein'
• Fig. 1 is a side view of the folding chair in its open state
• Fig. 2 is a side view of the chair in its folded state
• Fig. 3 shows a rear leg frame of the chair
• Fig. 4 is an end view of the seat panel
• Fig. 5 is ap internal side view of the seat panel
• Fig. 6 is a view of the locking mechanism with the locking bar in its locking position
• Fig. 7 is a view of the locking mechanism with the locking bar in its release position
• Fig. 8 shows a modification of the locking mechanium
• Figs. 9 and 10 relate to a folding chair according to a second embodiment of the invention, wherein:
• Fig. 9 is a side view of the folding chair in its open state.
• Fig. 10 shows detail of a sliding bar adapted for use Ln locking the leg frames.
• Fig. 1 shows the chair in its open condition and Fig. 2 in its closed or folded state
• the chair comprises a pair of leg frames 1 , 2 which ace coupled together by means of a pivot connection, such as a hinge, at a point remole from the ends of the frames.
• the first leg frame 1 forms the rear legs of the chair .
• the second frame 2 forms the forward legs of the chair.
• Ihe second frame 2 also extends upwardly to form the back support of the chair.
• the back of the seat panel 3 is pivotally connected by means of a hinge to the second frame 2.
• the front of the seat panel 3 is supported by the upper end of the first frame 1 when the chair is open for use.
• Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate how the rear leg frame 1 is coupled to the seat panel.
• the frame 1 comprises a pair of mutually parallel side members 5 that form the rearwardly extending legs.
• the side members 5 ars connected together by a pair of cross bars 6.
• the upper ends of the side members 5 include respective laterally outwardly extending pins 7, each of which may take the form of a screw or cylindrical stud or the like.
• the seat panel 3 comprises a seating board 8 and a pair of side timbers 9.
• the inward faces of the side timbers 9 include a groove 11 that extends subst ⁇ nt ⁇ ally the length of the side timber 9.
• the p i ns 7 * of the leg frame 1 ride in the respective grooves 11 of the seat panel as the cha i r is opened and closed
• the pins 7 res i de i n the leftmost ends of the grooves 11. as viewed in Fin. 5.
• the pins 7 are located at the rightnost ends of the grooves 11, as viewed ⁇ n F i g. 5.
• the chair is closed by lifting the front edge of the seat panel 3 upwardly and moving the same in the direction of the arrow 4 shown in Fig. 1.
• the shorter frame 1 rides in the grooves 11 of the seat panel as the frames 1 and 2 close together in a s ⁇ ssors-like action
• the locking mechanism in this embodiment comprises a locking bar 10 which is mounted on the underside of the seat panel towards the front edge thereof In the locked condition, the locking bar 10 is located in notches 15 formed in the upper edges of the side members 5 of the shorter leg frame 1.
• the locking bar 10 extends laterally across the width of the seat panel. Its ends are located loosely ⁇ substant i ally 15 triangular-shaped recesses 12 formed in the sido members 9 of the seat panel.
• the locking bar is biased into the locking position shov ⁇ in Figs. 5 and 6 under the action of gravity, as represented by the arrow 13 in Fig. 6. In this state, the locking bar rests on the inclined edges of the triangular recesses 12.
• the leg framo members 5 slide along the grooves 20 11 in the seat panel, moving in the left direction av, viewed in Figs. 5 to 7 .
• the locking bar 10 is temporarily moved upwardly- being dislodged by the upper ends of the frame members 5.
• the locking bar 10 drops down to the locking position in which the lower edge of the locking bar is located within 5 the tr i angular notch 15 of each frame member 6
• the chair is now in the locked condition shown in Fig.
• leg frame 1 is prevented from moving upwardly by the location of the pins 7 at the ends of the grooves 1 - and to the left by the stop block 17. Movement of the leg frame members 5 in the rkjhtward direction (as seen in the drawings) in an attempt to close the chair is prevented by the locking bar being located in the notches 15. The chair is thus locked automa:ically in the course of opening the chair for use.
• the user must temporarily dislodge the locking bar 10 from the notches 15 by moving the locking bar 10 into the' release position, as shown by the arrow 14 in Fig. 7.
• the leg frame members 5 are then free to travel along the groove 11 to close the chair. Once the upper ends of the frame members 5 have passed the locking bar 10, the latter will drop back under the action of gravity to the bias position lOshow ⁇ in Fig. 5.
• Fig 8 shows a modification of the locking mechanism in which resilient means are employed to bias the locking bar into the locking position.
• an angled plate 18 formed of spring steel sheet is mounted at each end of the locking bar 10 The plate 18 may be secured to the locking bar by means of one or more screws.
• Each plate 18 is arranged as shown whereby the bar 10 is moved to the release position against the spring action and returns to the biased position upon release.
• FIG. 9 is a side view of Ihe chair in its open condition while Fig. 10 shows detail of the sliding bar that forms a key part of its locking mechanism.
• the chair includes a pair of leg frames consisting of a front leg frame 21 and a rear leg frame 22, The two leg frames ;11 , 22 are hinged together at their upper ends.
• the chair further includes a seat assembly consisting of a seat panel 23, a back support 25 and a pair of arm rests 26.
• the se ⁇ t panel 23 and back support 25 are connected together at the rear of the chair by means of hinges on either side.
• the seat assembly is supportec. by the leg frames.
• the seat panel is coupled to the legs of the frame 21 towards the front of the seat panel by means of respective * pins 29 which pivotally connect each side of the seat panel to the adjacent front leg.
• the back support 25 is coupled to the pair of leg frames by the arm rests 26.
• the pivot connections between the arm rests and the back support and. the couplings between the arm rests and the leg frames permit limited movement of the back support 25 relative to the seat panel 23 ⁇ /hen the chair is in its open state.
• this feature is not essential and the back support may alternatively have a single, fixed angle relative to the seat panel when the chair is open for use.
• the opening and closing of the chair is governed by a sliding bar 27 which links the front and rear leg frame's.
• a single sliding bar 27 is provided on the right hand ⁇ ide of the chair. It will be obvious that the sliding bar could alternatively be provided on the left hand side of the chair or, less preferably, on both sides.
• One end of the bar 27 is pivotally connected to the rear leg 22 so that the bar may rotate about the pivot connection.
• the bar includes an elongate longitudinal slot 28 which " extends inwardly a predetermined distance from the other end of the bar.
• the pin 29 which couples the seat panel 23 to the front leg 21 rides within the slot 28.
• the outer end 34 of the slot 28 determines the limits of the travel by the pin 29.
• the outer end 34 of the slot includes a locking portion 32 which, in this embodiment, extends at approximately 90° to thei main portion 31 of the slot.
• the pin 29 rests at the inner end 33 of the slot.
• the sliding bar 27 drops down under the action of gravity since, at this time, the locking portion 32 is disposed generally vertically. In this way, at the end of its travel, the pin 29 automatically enters the locking portion 32 and comes to a rest at the end 35 of the slot 28. f ⁇ this condition, the chair is locked due to the pin 29 being trapped within the locking portion 32 of the slot.
• the invention may be embodied in numerous other ways without departing from the scope thereof.
• the upper edge of the bar may be pivotally connected to the leg frame, or seat panel. The movement of the locking bar between the locking and
• the second frame extends upwardly to form a back support for the chair.
• the seat assembly may comprise a seat panel without any 5 back support
• a seat assembly that includes a back support may have a single opening angle or may be of the multi-position type.
• the sliding bar may be provided respectively on both sides of the chair, although such a design i-$ less convenient in use.
• a chair in accordance with either aspect of the invention may also incorporate arm rests that are hinged to one or more of the leg frames, seat pam.l and/or back support i n a manner that is known per se in the art.

Landscapes

• Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)
• Dry Shavers And Clippers (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=19749447

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2000
  • 2000-08-16 EP EP00306998A patent/EP1127516B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-08-16 DE DE60015290T patent/DE60015290T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-08-16 AT AT00306998T patent/ATE280524T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2001
  • 2001-02-28 WO PCT/SG2001/000020 patent/WO2001064077A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2001-02-28 AU AU36324/01A patent/AU3632401A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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