Not Applicable.
The present disclosure relates to a folding chair, and in particular, a folding chair that anchors to an angled surface while providing a horizontal seat position for the user.
Many parks, common areas and outdoor entertainment venues have ground seating areas that cover hills or inclines. Typically these seating areas do not employ any fixed seats or chairs. Instead, the user sits directly on the seating areas. To eliminate direct contact between the ground of the seating area and the user's bottom, the user typically positions a blanket or folding chair on the ground for sitting purposes. The blanket and folding chair, however, lie on the seating area at the same angle of the ground of the seating area. Therefore, due to the angled ground surface, the user sits at the angle resulting in uncomfortable viewing by the user.
Although current folding chairs have adjustable back rests and adjustable arm rests, the legs of these chairs extend to contact the ground, wherein this configuration positions the seat of the chair at the angle of the ground sitting area. As such, the adjustable back rest and adjustable arm rest do not horizontally position the user with respect to the angled ground.
Other folding chairs employ collapsible fabric as the seat area. This collapsible fabric conforms to the user's bottom when the user sits within the fabric. Due to the leg configurations of these chairs, the user still sits at the angle of the ground sitting area. Furthermore, due to the angled ground, current folding chairs slip on the angled surface since the legs do not anchor to the ground surface.
Briefly stated, the present disclosure relates to a chair that folds by a plurality of hinges between an expanded position and a collapsed position to seat a person upon a seat substantially horizontal while the chair is positioned on an angled surface.
The foldable chair comprises a back assembly having a back frame and a back covering which partially covers the back frame. The chair also comprises a support assembly secured to a support hinge of the plurality of hinges. The chair also comprises an arm assembly operatively connected to the support assembly and operatively connected to the back assembly. The arm assembly further includes a hanger that rotatably connects with the seat of the chair. The seat operatively connects to the arm assembly via the rotating hanger such that the rotating hanger positions the body of the seat in a substantially horizontal position with respect to the angled surface.
The foregoing features and advantages of the disclosure as well as presently preferred embodiments thereof will become more apparent from the reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.
In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification:
The following detailed description illustrates the disclosure by way of example and not by way of limitation. The description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure, describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and uses of the disclosure, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the disclosure.
The present invention relates to outdoor, foldable furniture. The furniture can be used in any appropriate foldable situation. For purposes of illustration only, the furniture will be described as incorporated into a chair. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,277 is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to the drawings, a chair A (
The chair A comprises a back assembly 18, a support assembly 20, a leg assembly 22, a seat assembly 24 having a seat 26 and an arm assembly 28 (
Referring to
Each back side member 36 includes a pair of telescoping members 46, 48 wherein one member telescopically reciprocates into or around the other member. The inner member 48 includes a plurality of apertures 52 defined there through. The other member 46 has a hinged connector 50 that operatively connects with the arm assembly 28. This member 46 further includes an engagement aperture 51 defined there through and sized and shaped or configured to accept an engagement pin 54 (
The apertures 52 of the inner member 48 form a seat track 70 that is integrally disposed within the back side members 36. The seat track 70 of one of the back side members 36 contains a mirror configuration of the seat track 70 for the other respective back side member 36. Since the seat track 70 is integrally disposed within the back side members 36, the seat track 70 does not extend beyond the back frame 32. The apertures 52 of the seat track 70 form a plurality of seat adjustment positions, wherein the seat adjustment positions are located between the back covering 34 and the second back end 40.
The back covering 34 partially covers the back frame 32 wherein the back covering 34 comprises any suitable material such as nylon or canvas. As shown in
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The support assembly 20 (
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Returning to
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The arm rest 98 includes a top surface, a bottom surface and side walls connecting the top surface and bottom surface. The armrest 98 further includes a beverage holder 108 connected thereto. In an embodiment, the beverage holder 108 is foldable along a hinge with respect to the arm rest 98 The beverage holder 108 includes a grooved surface 110 to accept a stem of glassware such as a wine glass. Alternatively, the beverage holder 108 includes a cupped surface 112 to accept the bottom of a beverage container such as a can. The beverage holder 108 may also include curved portions 114 that pressurably accept and hold a beverage container such as a can. The arm assembly 28 may include a variety of beverage holders 108 in an embodiment.
The arm track 100 includes an outer telescoping member 116 and an inner telescoping member 118. The outer telescoping member 116 has a hinge connector 120 on one end and is open at the opposite end 122. Hinge connector 120 rotatably connects with hinge connector 50 of the back side member 36. The inner telescoping member 118 is sized and shaped or configured to slide within the open end 122 of the outer telescoping member 116 to reciprocally move within the outer telescoping member 116. The inner telescoping member 118 further includes a body with a hinge connector 124 at one end of the body and is open at the other end of the body. The inner telescoping member 116 includes a plurality of apertures 128 defined through the body positioned between the ends of the body. Hinge connector 124 rotatably connects with the first support end 72.
The track support 102 assembly includes brackets 130 connected to the bottom surface of the armrest 98. The brackets 130 have plurality of apertures defined there through which are sized and shaped as configured to guide and accept lock pins 132. In an embodiment, a pair of apertures is spaced toward ends of each bracket 130 and an aperture is spaced near the middle of each bracket. A pair of brackets 130 is spaced from each other to form a channel 134 there between. Ribs 136 are positioned on the bottom surface of the armrest 98 and within the channel 134. The channel 134 is sized and shaped to accept the outer telescoping member 116 wherein the ribs 136 receive the outer telescoping member 116 and connect with the outer telescoping member 116. The hanger bracket 106 operatively connects with the hangers 68 of the seat assembly 24. In particular, the hangers 68 rotatably connect to the hanger bracket 106.
The locking assembly 104 comprises a linkage bar 138 having a plurality of apertures 140 defined there through. In an embodiment, a pair of apertures 140 is spaced near the ends of the linkage bar 138 and an aperture is spaced near the middle of the linkage bar 138. The apertures at the linkage bar align with the apertures of one of the brackets 130 forming the channel 136. The locking assembly 104 further comprises the lock pins 142 that are configured to insert through the apertures. The locking assembly 104 further includes a lock handle 144 with a keyed shaft 146 wherein the key shaft 146 is configured to insert within the middle aperture of the linkage bar 138. The keyed shaft 146 includes a lock pin 142 extending therefrom. The locking assembly 104 also includes springs 148 configured to partially surround the lock pins 142 positioned through the apertures near the end of the linkage bar 138. Fasteners, such as E-clips, assist in connecting the springs 148 to the locking pins 142.
The locking pins 142 of the locking assembly 104 are configured to insert through the apertures of the bracket 106 that is rotatably connected to the seat hangers 68, and continue through the apertures of the spaced brackets 130 forming the channel 134. These springs 148 are positioned between the hanger bracket 106 and the linkage bar 138.
As shown in
The channel between the curved portions 154 remains open. The hinged connection of the straight portions 152 to the lower back member 44 positions the open channel of the curved portions 154 around the lower back member 44. Ends of the curved portion 154 are configured to penetrate the ground surface. Ends may be rounded or pointed to penetrate the ground surface.
The foot stabilizer 160 includes a molded member that inserts around the bottom leg member 44. The foot stabilizer 160 includes ribs 162 extending outward from the leg member 44 wherein the ribs 162 adhere to the ground surface 16 to provide an anti-skid force against the ground surface 16.
As shown in
Turning to
Additionally, the support assembly 20 rotates toward the back assembly 18. Since the support assembly 20 rotates around the seat hinge 79 at the plurality of angles, the first support ends 72 rotate toward the first back ends 38 of the back frame 32. The arm assembly 28 disengages from the back assembly 18 while remaining rotatably connected to the support assembly 20. In particular, the user disengages the engagement pin 54 connecting the hanger track 100 of the arm assembly 28 to the hinge 50 of the upper back member 46. Upon disengaging the hanger track 100 from the hinge 50, the arm rest 98 and associated brackets 130 and tracks are free to rotate downward about the hinge connector with the first support end 72. Due to the rotatable connection, the arm assembly 28 rotates near the back assembly 18 to position the inner telescoping member 118 upward near the first back end 38. The support assembly 20 rotates to position the first support end 72 upward and near the first back end 38 and the second support end 74 near the second back end 40. As such, leg assembly 22, support assembly 20, arm assembly 28 and back assembly 18 are aligned to provide a convenient and collapsible carrying position for the user. Furthermore, the back side members 36 are sized to expose the carrier strip beyond the first back end 38 and the second back end 40 to provide a convenient access for the user to carry the chair A in the collapsed position 14.
Turning to
While rotating the support assembly 20, the user slides the outer telescoping member 46 upward and around the lower telescoping member 48 to position the back frame 32 at a desired height wherein the user can engage the outer telescoping member 40 to the inner telescoping member 48 via engagement pin.
The user then rotates the leg assembly 22 from the support assembly 20 by rotating the leg assembly 22 around the leg hinge 80. In rotating the leg hinge 80 in the plurality of angles, the user moves the bottom leg members 44 in contact with the angled surface 16. Then the user can move the arm assembly 28 upward to engage the back assembly 18. In particular, the user moves the hanger bracket 106 upward to engage the back side member 36 via the engagement pin. In moving the hanger track 106 upward, the armrest support 98 and associated brackets 130 rotate around the rotatable connection with the first support end 72 to become horizontal with respect to the ground surface 16. Due to rotation of the arm brackets 130, the seat 26 suspends from the arm assembly 28 via the hangers 68 rotatably connected to the hanger bracket 106 and to the seat frame 58.
During use, the inner telescoping member inserts 118 within the outer telescoping member 116 supported by the ribs 136 and brackets 130. The user rotates the handle 144 and associated key shaft 146 to move the linkage bar 138 and associate lock pins 142 away from and out of the spaced brackets 130 to allow the inner telescoping member 118 to reciprocally move within outer telescoping member 116. At a desired position of the position of the inner telescoping member 118 within the outer telescoping member 116, the user rotates the key shaft 146 and pushes the lock handle 144 to move the linkage bar 128 and associated pins 142 toward the brackets 130 to engage the lock pins 142 with the apertures 128 of the inner telescoping member 118 so as to lock the inner telescoping member 118 in the preferred position within the outer telescoping member 116. The springs 148 maintain a bias force on the engaged lock pins 142.
Depending upon the angle of the surface 16, the user can easily adjust the angle of leg assembly 22, support assembly 20 and back assembly 18 through the respective hinges and pins to accommodate the desired position of the leg assembly 22, support assembly 20 and back assembly 18. Further, as the user adjusts the chair to the angled surface 16, the rotatable hangers 68 rotate to position the seat 26 substantially horizontal in the extended position while the chair A is positioned on the angled surface 16.
During operation, the user places the lower back member 44 on the ground surface 16 and places their foot or hand on the foot pad 158 of the anchor 30. The user then applies downward pressure to the foot pad 158 to rotate the straight portions 152 and the curved portions 154 toward the ground surface 16. The open channel of the curved portions 154 moves around the enclosed lower back member 44. Upon movement of the straight portions 152 and curved portions 154, the ends of the curved portions 154 penetrate the ground surface 16 to anchor the chair to the ground 16.
On a substantially flat surface, the user positions the leg assembly 22, support assembly 20 and back assembly 18 on the ground surface 16 to provide the substantially horizontal position for the seat 26 via the rotatable hanger 68. As the surface angles, however, the user conveniently moves the legs 84 and support 70 to maintain the body 64 of the collapsible seat in the substantially horizontal position since the hangers 68 rotate freely while the legs 84 and supports 70 move in response to the angles surface.
The back assembly 18, support assembly 20, leg assembly 22, seat assembly 24 and the arm assembly 26 comprise a light weight material including, but not limited to, a metal alloy or plastic. Suitable metal alloys include but are not limited to aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel and steel alloy. The back assembly 18, support assembly 20, leg assembly 22, seat assembly 24 and the arm assembly 26 may comprise channel members or solid members. The components of the chair A, however, can form other configurations such as, for example, tubular sleeve having a square, rectangular, triangular, or other polygonal or curvilinear cross section.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/084,415 filed Jul. 29, 2008, in the name of the present inventor and entitled “Foldable Chair” and is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61084415 | Jul 2008 | US |