US2613730A - Folding chair - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1952 E. w. ANDERSON ET AL FOLDING CHAIR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 7, 1951 {{(IIIIIIIIIIIA'IJITIIIIA INVENTORS 2/ 'ENFRED w. ANDERSON ARVlD J.ANDERSON ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1952 E. W. ANDERSON ET AL FOLDING CHAIR 2 sHEE'Ts 'sHEET 2 iled March 7, 1951 M u w! H! INVENTORS ENFRED W. ANDERSON ARVJD J.ANDERSON W/ 2 WV ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 14, 1952 -FOLDING CHAIR f Enfred W. Anderson and Arvid J. Anderson,

Norway, Mich.'

" l- Application March 1, 1951, Serial No. 214,258

This invention relates cto 'folding chairs and is an improvement on our pending application Serial Number 180,118, filed August18,"19-50. i

As brought out in tliebbjectsof our pending application, the basic purpose of the invention Claims. (01. 155-140) resides in the provision'iofa sturdy folding chair v having the appearance of a permanent full sized chair when set up "foru'se,-and which will not accidentally close 'or pinch'personsusing the chair, and when collapsed, will occupy a minimum amount of: space and stand vertically in 'an upright position on-its'own legs.

The primary object ofour present invention is v to improve the"chair'"construction, not only to enhancethe appearance-thereof, but to give additional comfort and an effective back support for the user of the chair.

Another salient object-f the invention,- is the provision of .means whereby a wide'chair back can be hingedly carried'by the chair seat s'o that said back'canxbe folded over the chair seat and thereafter thetchair 'seatwith the'back can be utilized to bring about ,thecollapsing of the side frames of the chair towardone another.

A furtherimportant objectof the invention is the provision ofmeansywhereby the chair bottom or seat an'dlthe :back will be disposed directly between thesideframes, when the chair 1 is in its collapsed ,positionq-to aid in the stability of the chair whenjthe. chairiscollapsed and stood upright on its legs; j, I

A further importantobject of our invention is the provision'of animproved linkage for facilitating the -co1lapsingaand: opening of the chair.

With these andjother objects in view, the invention consists intheji novel construction, arrangement and formation. of parts, as-will be hereinafter mQlezf; specifically described and claimed, and illustrated" in l the accompanying drawings, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is, a sideqeleyational view of our improved chair in its set up position.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of in its set up positions Figure 3 is a vertical the chair. 1

Figure 4 is a transvcrsesectionalview through the chair taken on the line |4' of Figure 3,

the chair sectional view through looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the chair showing the same in its collapsed .position, the view showing the position of the chair seat or bottom and the back relative to the side frames.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the chair in its collapsed position.

Y z Figure 'Tis an enlarged fragmentary detail transverse sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows illustrating the linkage.

J Figure 8 is a fragmentary front elevational View showing .the chair in its collapsed position and illustrating the means of pivotally connectin the side frames of the chair together;

Figure 9 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 9--9'of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is a detail horizontal sectional viewtaken on the line I||I0 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows illustrating the means employed for detachably connecting thechair back to the'back uprights, when the chair is in its set up position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates our improved folding chair.

As set forth in our co-pending application, the

chair includes a pair of companion-like side frames I5 and I6, a chair seat or bottom I1, and

' a back rest I8.

frame I5 includes a top rail I0 and front and rear legs 20 and 2|. The top rail I5 extends rearwardly of the leg 2| and has rigidly secured thereto a back upright 22'.

also includes a. top rail 23 and front and rear- The side frame I6 legs 24 and 25. The rail '23 extends rearwardly of its leg 25 and has rigidly'secured thereto a back upright 26. The back legs 2| and 25, diverge rearwardly from the front legs 20' and 24, so as to form a wide, spreading base when the chair is in its open position. v

The back uprights 22 and 26 have rigidly secured to their upper ends inwardly extending over-lapping plates 21 and 28. The plates 2|- and 28 are-pivotally connected together by a centrally disposed pivot bolt. 29, so that the chair frames I5 and I6 can be swungtoward one an The free edge of the plate 28 is provided with angularfaces 30 and 3|. a stop to' limit the outward swinging movement of the frames I5 and I6 and the face 3| acts as a stop to limit the inward swinging'movement of the frames when the chair is collapsed.

In accordance with our present invention, the

chair seat I1 and the back It are-arranged'and' constructed in a novel fashion and are joined to the side frames I5 and IS in an improved can be fabricated in any The face 30 acts as way. The seat I"! can be provided with 2. rolled front edge 32 so that when the seat is in its lowered position, the same will give an ornamental efiectand hide to a degree, certain operating mechanism from view. The seat can be upholstered, should such be desired. Rigidly secured to the seat I7, adjacent to its rear edge, is a centrally ,disposewupstanding cleat 33 to which is "connected by -hinges'lili, 'the'back I8;

The back [8 includes a relatively wide back rest panel 35 and the supporting piece 36. porting back piece 36 at its lower edge is connected directly to the cleat 33 by the hinges 34, so that the back l8 in its entirety-can befolded .Over the seat 1?.

When the back It; is in its .raised position the same is held against -acci-'- This sup swinging of the levers 41' and 42 will push the lower ends of the frames 15 and 16 away from one another to a diverging positiomand as the seat approaches the rails l9 and 23, the tapered dowelpins will be received in the socket opendental displacement by means of a headed pin 31 (see Figure carried by the panel'35.

The plate 28 has secured to its lower edge a keeper 38 for receiving and gripping the head of the pintl. 'This keeperSfi can embody resilient gripping jaws 39;. L 1

In contra-distinction to ourchair shown in the mentioned pending application, the; chair seat; H is independent of the side frames 1 6 and that is, the chair seat is nothinged directly to either of the side frames. As illustrated, (see Figures Sand '7) the frames l5 and 16 have pivotally connected thereto, as at 40, crossed levers H and 42, respectively, and the, levers are pivotally connected together inter- .mediate their endsby means iof .a'pivotv pin 43.

Preferably, there area front and rear set of the crossed levers 4i and 42. If desired, the pins 40,. for the levers, can be carried by brace boards 44 secured to' the inner faces of the side rails lfi and- 23. The levers 42 of each set have their upper ends pivotally connected by-Tmeans of pins 45,. directly to the chair seat ll. The upper ends of the leversdl are-pivotally connected to the chair seat 11 by connecting links 45. As illustrated, the links are joined to the levers 4i byppivot pins 47, and to the chair seatby' pivot pins. 48. It is-preferredto secure to-xthe chain seat {7, cleats 49 and the pivot pins 45 and 48 can beecarried by these cleats. A third transversely extending cleat 50 can also be secured to the lowensurface of the seat ll, should such be desired,

The upper faces of the side rails 19 and 23 carrytapereddowel pins 5! and socket openings 52 ,aregformed in the lower surface of the seat I? for; receiving these pins when the seat is inits lowered position.

In use of ourimproved chair, and considering that the chair is in its set up position, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive,-and it is desired to collapse the same, the back I8 is pulled forwardly to detach the headed pin 31 from the keeper 1 38, and the back is lowered over the seat as shown in dotted lines in Figures 3 and i.- 'The seat l7 itself is new grasped adjacent to the side frame I5 and is pulled upwardly and at'the same time, the frame I6 is moved toward the frame;.l 5. The upward swinging movement of the seat ll .will automatically move the lower ends of the-levers M and 42' toward one another and the links 46 will push and carry the seat I! upward to the position shown in Figures 5 and 6.

By referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that the seat l'l is movedto a substantially vertical position between theside frames I5 .andlfi. and that the side frames l5 and It are parallel to ings 52. The terminals of the cleats 49 and 58 rest between the side frames I5 and 16, which ing the chain. 1 Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this instrengthen the chair and these cleats form abut ments against which the side frames rest.

From the foregoing. description, it can be seen that we have improved the original chair in the back construction and in the means of foldvention, but what we claim as new is:

1. A folding chair comprising a pair of like companion side frameaeach of said frame includingr a top rail, depending front and rear legs and a back upright, means pivotally connecting the back uprightstogether whereby the side frames can be moved toward and away from one another, a seat movable relative to the side frames, front. and rear pairs. of crossed levers, the crossed levers of each pair being pivotally "connected intermediate their ends, means pivotally connecting the lower endsof the crossed levers of each pair to the side frames, means pivotally connecting the upper end of one 1ever of each pair of levers to the seat, and links pivotally connecting the upper ends of the other levers tothe chair seat.

2. A folding chairas defined in claim 1, and depending cleats carried by the seat adapted to engage the inner faces of the side rails when the seat is in its lowered position.

A folding chair as'defined in claim 1, and said side frames and seat having cooperating pins and sockets when the, chair seat is in its lowered position over the side frames.

4. A foldingchair as defined in claim 1, and a hinged back secured to the rear end of the seat movable to an inoperative position over the seat.

5. A folding chair as defined in claim 1, and said 'chair'seat being movable to a raised vertical position for drawing theframes toward one another by said levers with the seat lying between the frames.

ANDERSON. ARVID J. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 177,913 Switzerland Sent. 2, 1935

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