1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a chair, and more particularly to a foldable chair comprising a side accessory arrangement in which a side accessory is capable of sliding from underneath a seat frame for supporting an accessory object.
2. Description of Related Arts
A foldable chair usually comprises a seat frame supporting a seat fabric thereon, a back frame upwardly extended from the seat frame for supporting a back portion of a user, and a leg frame downwardly and foldably extended from the seat frame to act as a support for the entire foldable chair as well as the user. Usually, the leg frame is foldable so as to allow the user to reduce the entire foldable chair into a compact size when it is not in use. A major disadvantage of such foldable chair is that it is very difficult for a manufacturer to install an accessory, such as a side table, onto the foldable chair without affecting its usual compact size and/or its folding mechanism.
For example, there exist foldable chairs in which a side table is foldably attached to a seat frame so that a user is able to use the side table for, say, writing purposes. This kind of foldable tables has widely been used in schools, where classrooms with limited space are used to conduct classes for many students. In those circumstances, foldable chairs are spacedly positioned in the classrooms and student sitting on the foldable chairs may unfold the side table and put their books and stationary on the side tables. The disadvantages of such foldable chairs is that when they are not in use, the chairs, although foldable, cannot be reduced to compact size and therefore are difficult to store or transport.
From the above description, one can appreciate the inherent tension between the foldability and portability of foldable chairs on one hand, and the benefits of adding a side accessory on the other. The technical problem is that adding anything like a side table onto a foldable chair would inevitably hinder the folding ability or portability of that foldable chair. This is something which has not been successfully resolved.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a foldable chair comprising a side accessory arrangement in which a side accessory is capable of sliding from underneath a seat frame for supporting an accessory object.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable chair comprising a side accessory which is arranged to hide underneath a seat frame when it is not in use, and to extend sidewardly from the foldable chair when it is needed to support user's accessory.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable chair comprising a side accessory arrangement, which does not hinder the folding operation of the foldable chair so as to allow the foldable chair to retain at its compact size and optimal portability when it is folded.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable chair comprising a side accessory arrangement, which does not interfere with the original mechanical structure of the seat frame and the leg frame. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the present invention for current foldable chair manufacturers can be minimized.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a foldable chair, comprising:
a seat frame for supporting a user to sit on the foldable chair;
a leg frame comprising a plurality of supporting legs pivotally connected with each other and the seat frame for moving between a folded position and an unfolded position, wherein in the folded position, the supporting legs and the seat frame are folded toward each other for forming a compact structure, wherein in the unfolded position, the supporting legs are pivotally unfolded to extend to define a receiving cavity between the supporting legs underneath the seat frame, and to support the seat frame at a position above the leg frame; and
a side accessory arrangement, which comprises:
a sliding frame provided on the leg frame at a position underneath the seat frame; and
a side accessory coupled with the sliding frame, and is arranged to slide between an idle position and an operation position when the leg frame is in the unfolded position, wherein in the idle position, the side accessory is inwardly slid with respective to the leg frame through the sliding frame to hide in the receiving cavity, wherein in the operation position, the side accessory is outwardly slid from the receiving cavity with respective to the leg frame through the sliding frame for allowing a user to put an object on the side accessory.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Referring to
The leg frame 20 comprises a plurality of supporting legs 21 pivotally connected with each other and the seat frame 10 for moving between a folded position and an unfolded position, wherein in the folded position, the supporting legs 21 and the seat frame 10 are folded toward each other for forming a compact structure, wherein in the unfolded position, the supporting legs 21 are pivotally unfolded to extend to define a receiving cavity 22 between the supporting legs 21 underneath the seat frame 10, and to support the seat frame 10 at a position above the leg frame 20.
The side accessory arrangement 30 comprises a sliding frame 31 and a side accessory 32. The sliding frame 31 is provided on the leg frame 20 at a position underneath the seat frame 10.
On the other hand, the side accessory 32 is coupled with the sliding frame 31, and is arranged to slide between an idle position and an operation position when the leg frame 20 is in the unfolded position, wherein in the idle position (
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foldable chair further comprises a back frame 40 upwardly extended from the seat frame 10 for supporting a back portion of the user. Moreover, the foldable chair further comprises a seat element 50 attached on the seat frame 10 for allowing a user to seat thereon. The seat element 50 may be a seat fabric or a seat cushion attached on the seat frame 10 for allowing the user to comfortably sit on the seat fabric or the seat cushion.
As shown in
The sliding frame 31 of the side accessory arrangement 30 comprises an accessory frame 311 for coupling with the side accessory 32, and a slider frame 312 slidably connecting the accessory frame 311 with the corresponding supporting legs 21. More specifically, the slider frame 312 comprises a plurality of sliding members 3121 extended from the accessory frame 311 to slidably couple with the transverse supporting members 212 of the supporting legs 21 respectively so that the sliding members 3121 are capable of sliding along the transverse supporting members 212. When the sliding members 3121 slide along the transverse supporting members 212, the accessory frame 311 is also driven to slide in and out of the receiving cavity 22.
The accessory frame 311 is shaped and sized to correspond with the particular embodiment of the side accessory 32. More specifically, the accessory frame 311 comprises a plurality of frame members 3111 connected to form a frame platform 3112 for supporting the side accessory 32. As shown in
Each of the sliding members 3121 is also elongated in shape and has one end portion connected with one of the frame members 3111 of the accessory frame 311, and another end portion slidably connected with the transverse supporting member 212 in such a manner that when the accessory frame 311 (or the side accessory 32) is horizontally displaced, the sliding members 3121 are also driven to slide along the transverse supporting member 212 so as to allow the side accessory 32 to slide in and out of the receiving cavity 22.
As shown in
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side accessory 32 comprises a side table panel 321 having two side edge portions coupled with the two corresponding frame members 3111 of the accessory frame 311 such that when the accessory frame 311 is slid along the transverse supporting member 212, the side table panel 321 also slides with respective to the transverse supporting member 212 for moving between the idle position and the operation position (as mentioned above).
The side table panel 321 further has a cup slot 3211 as a utility slot indently formed therein for allowing the user to put a cup of an appropriate size into the cup slot 3211. It is important to mention that the side accessory 32 can also be embodied as other accessories for a foldable chair so that the present invention can have a wide range of applications.
The operation of the present invention is as follows: the foldable chair is normally folded at the folded position for easy storage and transportation. When a user wishes to use the foldable chair, he or she needs to unfold the foldable chair by extending the foldable chair to the unfolded position. The user may then sit on the foldable chair for enjoyment. When he or she needs to put some accessories near the foldable chair, he or she may take out the side accessory 32 by pulling it from the receiving cavity 212 (i.e. moving the side accessory 32 from the idle position to the operation position). The user may then be able to put some personal accessories or drinks etc. on the side accessory 32. When the user finishes using the personal accessory, he or she may slidably push the side accessory 32 back to the receiving cavity 212 for putting the side accessory 32 to return to the receiving cavity 212.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110227374 A1 | Sep 2011 | US |