Patent Application
20190125084
The technical field relates generally to outdoor furniture and particularly to a convertible chair canopy.
Outdoor furniture may provide people with many hours of enjoyment while relaxing outdoors, such as on a backyard deck or patio. One problem, however, with outdoor furniture is that it may be subjected to rain, dirt, dust, or pollen and an individual would find it unpleasant to sit upon a chair or other piece of outdoor furniture that is wet or soiled. The problem may be exacerbated when the outdoor furniture includes pillows or other padding. In order to keep their outdoor furniture clean and dry when not in use, a person may have to expend the time and physical effort to move the outdoor furniture to a sheltered location. Alternatively, a person may retrieve and apply a separate cover to the outdoor furniture. As can be appreciated, it is inconvenient to maintain a storage area for one's outdoor furniture covers, as well as having to bring them out when it is time to cover the outdoor furniture and put them back away when one wants to enjoy the outdoor furniture.
This disclosure relates to a canopy configured to attach to a chair or other similar piece of furniture. In an aspect, the canopy may include a back frame comprising a fastener for releasably attaching the back frame to a back of a chair. The canopy may include a front frame that is connected to the back frame via one or more hinges. A collapsible cover may be included that connects to the back frame and the front frame. In an aspect, the back frame may include a back frame cross member, a first back frame side member attached to a first end of the back frame cross member, and a second back frame side member attached to a second end of the back frame cross member opposite the first end. The first back frame side member and the second back frame side member may each be attached to a first and second hinge, respectively, of the plurality of hinges. The front frame may include a front frame cross member, a first front frame side member attached to a first end of the front frame cross member, and a second back frame side member attached to a second end of the front frame cross member opposite the first end. The first front frame side member and the second front frame side member may each be attached to the first and second hinge, respectively, of the plurality of hinges.
In another aspect, a chair may comprise a seat and a back connected to the seat. A front frame may be connected to one or more hinges disposed at a junction of the seat and back, such that the front frame may be pivoted between the seat and the back. The chair may include a collapsible cover connected to the back and the front frame.
The following detailed description is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, examples are shown in the drawings; however, the subject matter is not limited to the specific elements and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:
Described herein is a canopy configured to be mounted to a chair or other similar piece of furniture. The canopy may serve to protect the seating surface of the chair from undesirable elements, such as pollen, dust, or rain.
In describing embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the figures, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. The disclosure, however, is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
The hinges 118 may be spring-loaded such that the front frame 110 will naturally return to the open position when not held in the closed position, such as by a user or a by a fastener attaching the front frame 110 to the seat 128 of the chair 102. Conversely, the hinges 118 may be spring-loaded to maintain the front frame 110 in the closed position when not otherwise held in the open position, such as by a user or by a fastener attaching the front frame 110 to the back 126 of the chair 102.
The hinges 118 may be spring-loaded by virtue of one or more springs 160 connecting the front frame 110 and the back frame 104. In particular, the springs 160 may connect the respective side members of the front frame 110 and the back frame 104. As an example, the springs 160 may be tension springs such that when the front frame 110 and the back frame 104 are rotated away from each other (i.e., to a closed position), the retraction of the springs 160 may cause the front frame 110 and the back frame 14 to return back towards each other (i.e., to an open position) in the absence of any counterforce. As another example, the springs 160 may be compression springs that apply an extending force when the back frame 104 and the front frame 110 are moved towards each other. For example, the front frame 110 may be moved to a position proximate the back frame 104 and/or the back 126 of the chair 102 (i.e., an open position), which causes the compression springs to compress. The front frame 110 may be fixed in that position via one or more fasteners. When the fasteners are released, the compression springs may expand and cause the front frame 110 to rotate away from the back frame 104 and/or the back 126 of the chair 102 (i.e., a closed position).
Additionally or alternatively to the springs 160 shown in
The hinges 118 each may be configured with a push-button or other mechanism to release the front frame 110 from its spring-loaded position to its initial position in which it is not under force from a spring. For example, the push-button may be actuated to cause the canopy 100 to move from the open position to the closed position by virtue of the spring characteristic of the hinges 118.
In some aspects, the hinges 118 each may be configured to operate in a stepped manner with respect to the hinges' 118 angles of rotation. For example, the hinge 118 (and by extension the front frame 110 and/or the back frame 104) may be rotated according to a series of steps at which the hinge 118 may remain in that stepped position until further acted upon. The steps may be effectuated by a gear or cog comprised within the hinge 118. Accordingly, the canopy 100 may be opened or closed via a number of stepped positions. For example, the canopy 100 may be moved between a series of steps, wherein the series of steps comprises a first position at which the canopy 100 is fully closed, a second position at which the canopy 100 is three-fourths closed, a third position at which the canopy 100 is one-half closed (or one-half opened), a fourth position at which the canopy 100 is one-fourth closed (or three-fourths open), and a fifth position at which the canopy 100 is fully open.
In other aspects, the hinges 118 each may be configured such that when the canopy 100 is moved to a certain position (including any position between the open and closed positions), the canopy 100 will remain in that position until the canopy 100 is subsequently moved. In this aspect, the hinges 118 need not operate in a stepped manner, but instead may operate to allow a continuous range of motion.
The canopy 100 may include a covering 120 attached between the back frame 104 and the front frame 110. The covering 120 may be tightly attached to each of the back frame 104 and the front frame 110 to create a substantially water-proof or water-resistant seal between the covering 120 and each of the back frame 104 and the front frame 110. When the canopy 100 is closed, the covering 120 may cover the seating area of the chair (e.g., the top of the seat 128 of the chair 102 and the front-facing portion of the back 126 of the chair 102) from both above and the sides. The covering 120 may be composed of a thin material, such as fabric (e.g., canvas or nylon) or plastic (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyvinyl chloride), that is sufficiently flexible to allow for the free pivoting movement of the front frame 110 from a closed position to an open position, and vice versa. The material of the covering 120 may be water-resistant so that the canopy 100 may effectively protect the underlying chair 102 or other furniture from rain or other sources of water. Additionally or alternatively, the covering 120 may comprised a material providing resistance to UV (ultra-violet) radiation. The UV resistant material may protect the underlying furniture from damage caused by UV radiation.
The covering 120 may be supported by a plurality of support members 122. Each of the support members 122 may be pivotally attached to the hinges 118 and attached to or integrated with the covering 120. For example, the covering 120 may have a series of substantially closed channels 123 integrated therein, perpendicular to the direction of movement when opening or closing the canopy 100, through which each respective support member 122 may be disposed to support the covering 120. The support members 122 may be sized and shaped similarly to the back frame 104 and/or the front frame 110 so that the support members 122 may be stored compactly when the canopy 100 is in the open position. The support members 122 may each comprise, for example, a metal or plastic rod or shaft formed in the desired shape. As an example, the rod or shaft may have a diameter or width of about one-eighth inch to about one-quarter inch.
It will be appreciated that embodiments of the canopy 100 are specifically contemplated that include the support members 122 and that do not include the support members 122. For example, one embodiment of the canopy 100 may include the covering 120 that stretches between the back frame 104 and the front frame 110 without any support members 122. Such an embodiment may be appropriate where the chair 102 does not have any armrests, for example. Conversely, an embodiment of the canopy 100 that does include the support members 122 may be appropriate where the chair 102 does have armrests, so that the support members 122 may assist the covering 120 in clearing the armrests when the canopy 100 is closed.
The back frame 104 and the front frame 110 may each be configured according to the dimensions and/or shape of the chair 102 or other piece of furniture to which the canopy 100 may be attached. For example, as depicted in
In an alternative embodiment, the canopy 100 may be integrated with the chair 102. For example, the covering 120 may be connected to the front frame 110 and the top and/or sides of the back 126 of the chair 102. The chair 102 may have one or more hinges 118 positioned at the junction between the back 126 and the seat 128 of the chair 102. The front frame 110 may be attached to the hinges 118 and may be configured to pivot between the back 126 (in the open position) and the seat 128 (in the closed position). In the open position, the front frame 110 may be flush with the back 126 or positioned such that the front frame 110 bounds the edges of the back 126 (i.e., the front frame 110 is slightly larger than the back 126).
In one embodiment, the canopy 100 may be configured to allow adjustment to fit a variety of sizes of chairs or other types of furniture. For example, the width of the back frame 104 may be adjusted according to the width of the back 126 of the chair 102 and the width of the front frame 110 maybe adjusted according to the width of the seat 128 of the chair 102. The height of the back frame 104 may be adjusted according to the height of the back 126 of the chair 102 and the height of the front frame 110 may be adjusted according to the depth of the seat 128 of the chair 102.
To allow adjustment to the height of the back frame 104, each of the side members 136, 140 may include two interconnected members. In particular, each side member 136, 140 may include an upper side member 144, 146 and a bottom side member 148, 150. To allow interconnection, the upper side member 144, 146 may be configured with dimensions less than the dimensions of the respective bottom side member 148, 150, or vice versa. A portion of the upper side member 144, 146 may be inserted into a respective opening 152, 154 defined by the walls of the respective bottom side member 148, 150, or vice versa. The length of the portion of the upper side member 144, 146 inserted into the respective opening 152, 154 may be varied to adjust the overall length of the side member 136, 140 and, therefore, the height of the back frame 104. The inserted portion of the upper side member 144, 146 may be sufficiently secured within the respective opening 152, 154 by friction or other securing means, such as a system of pressure-recessable buttons on the upper side member 144, 146 and corresponding holes in the bottom side member 148, 150. When the upper side members 144, 146 and the bottom side members 148, 150 are interconnected, they may form structures analogous to the first member 106 and the second member 107 depicted in
It will be appreciated that the front frame 110 may be configured similarly to the embodiment of the back frame 104 described in reference to
While the disclosure has been described in connection with the various embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiments. Therefore, the convertible chair canopy as described herein should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
