Claims
- 1. A collapsible chair, comprising:
a frame assembly including a plurality of angled frame members, the upper ends of said angled frame members being pivotally attached to upper connectors, and the lower ends being pivotally attached to feet, such that said frame assembly as a whole expands outwardly from a central area; said frame assembly further including back support uprights and rear corner upright members, each of said upright members having an upper end which is pivotally connected to one of said back support uprights at a flexible joint; a support surface, having a back portion, said back portion being held in position by said back support uprights; and each of said flexible joints including a resilient support assembly which biases said back portion to an upright position.
- 2. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said angled frame members of said frame assembly are grouped into a plurality of scissor pairs which are joined near their midpoints by pivots; ends of said frame members of said scissor pairs are joined at pivot assemblies to form an extended scissors-frame assembly, such that the frame assembly moves towards a central area from all sides as a unit when the frame is to be collapsed, and moves away from this central area when expanding.
- 3. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes an external spring.
- 4. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes an internal spring.
- 5. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes an internal strut
- 6. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes an omni-directional spring.
- 7. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes a leaf-spring.
- 8. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes at least one resilient rod.
- 9. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes a ball-and-socket joint.
- 10. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes a hinge.
- 11. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes a resilient sleeve.
- 12. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said back support uprights are joined together by a cross bar.
- 13. The collapsible chair of claim 1, wherein:
said back support uprights include two separate back support posts.
- 14. A frame for a collapsible chair, comprising:
a plurality of angled frame members, the upper ends of said angled frame members being pivotally attached to upper connectors, and the lower ends being pivotally attached to feet, such that said frame as a whole expands outwardly from a central area; said frame further including back support uprights and rear corner upright members, each of said upright members having an upper end which is pivotally connected to one of said back support uprights at a flexible joint; a support surface, having a back portion, said back portion being held in position by said back support uprights; and said flexible joint including a resilient support assembly which biases said back portion to an upright position.
- 15. The frame for a collapsible chair of claim 14, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes elements chosen from a group consisting of external springs, internal springs, internal struts, omni-directional springs, leaf-springs, resilient rods, ball-and-socket joints, hinges and resilient sleeves.
- 16. The frame for a collapsible chair of claim 14, wherein:
said back support uprights are joined together by a cross bar.
- 17. The frame for a collapsible chair of claim 14, wherein:
said back support uprights include two separate back support posts.
- 18. A collapsible chair, comprising:
a frame assembly including a plurality of angled frame members, the upper ends of said angled frame members being pivotally attached to upper connectors, and the lower ends being pivotally attached to feet, said plurality of angled frame members being grouped into a plurality of scissor pairs which are joined near their midpoints by pivots, the ends of said frame members of said scissor pairs being joined at pivot assemblies to form an extended scissors-frame assembly, such that the frame assembly moves towards a central area from all sides as a unit when the frame is to be collapsed, and moves away from this central area when expanding; said frame assembly further including back support uprights and rear corner upright members, each of said upright members having an upper end which is pivotally connected to one of said back support uprights at a flexible joint; a support surface, having a back portion, said back portion being held in position by said back support uprights; and said flexible joint including a resilient support assembly which biases said back portion to an upright position.
- 19. The collapsible chair of claim 18, wherein:
said resilient support assembly includes elements chosen from a group consisting of external springs, internal springs, internal struts, omni-directional springs, leaf-springs, resilient rods, ball-and-socket joints, hinges and resilient sleeves.
- 20. The collapsible chair of claim 18, wherein:
said back support uprights are joined together by a cross bar.
- 21. The collapsible chair of claim 18, wherein:
said back support uprights include two separate back support posts.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/238,663, filed Oct. 4, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60238663 |
Oct 2000 |
US |