Patent Application
20250040711
The present disclosure is directed to is a foldable glider chair. The foldable glider chair has a base and a gliding seat frame pivotally connected to the base to allow relative movement of the gliding seat frame relative to the base in a reciprocating fashion in a direction parallel to the length edges of the seat.
Reference numerals in the written specification and in the figures indicate corresponding items.
An embodiment of a foldable glider chair is shown generally by element number 20. The foldable glider chair 20 comprises a base 22 and a gliding seat frame 24.
The base 22 comprises first and second left legs 26,28 and first and second right legs 30,32. Not in any limiting sense, but for ease of illustration and making reference to the drawings, left is considered relative to the left hand of a user seated in the chair and right is considered relative to the right hand of a user seated in the chair. The first and second left legs 26,28 are laterally spaced across the base 22 from first and second right legs 30,32. The first left leg 26 may be pivotally connected to the second left leg 28, and the first right leg 30 may be pivotally connected to the second right leg 32. The base 22 may be movable between an expanded position (
The base 22 may further comprise a left stationary support member 34 and a right stationary support member 36. The left and right stationary support members 34,36 may be connected together. For instance, the left and right stationary support members may be connected together to form a general U-shape or rectangular shape. The left stationary support member 34 may be operatively pivotally connected to the first left leg 26 and operatively pivotally connected to the second left leg 28. The right stationary support member 36 being operatively pivotally connected to the first right leg 30 and operatively pivotally connected to the second right leg 32.
The gliding seat frame 24 may comprise a seat support frame 38. The seat support frame 38 may have left and right carriage members 38a,38b. The left carriage member 38a of the seat support frame 38 may be operatively pivotally connected to the left stationary support member 34 of the base 22 by a plurality of linkages 40. Likewise, the right carriage member 38b of the seat support frame 38 may be operatively pivotally connected to the right stationary support member 36 of the base by a plurality of linkages 40. The left and right carriage members 38a, 38b of the seat support frame 38 may have depending projections 38c,38d that are operatively pivotally connected to the linkages 40. The seat support frame 38 may also have cross members 38e extending across the carriage members 38a,38b to provide structural integrity to the frame. The seat support frame may also have left and right lateral side members 38f,38g connected to the cross members 38e on which fabric for the seat may be mounted. The fabric for the seat may be secured to the left and right lateral side members 38f,38g in a groove formed on the left and right lateral side members. The seat frame may be constructed such that the left carriage member and left lateral side members are integral or monolithic in construction and/or structurally adjacent to each other, and the right carriage member and right lateral side members are integral or monolithic in construction and/or structurally adjacent to each other.
The second left leg 28 and the second right leg 32 may each have a primary portion 28a,32a, respectively and a secondary portion 28b,32b, respectively. Each primary portion 28a,32a may be operatively pivotally connected to the respective secondary portion 28b, 32b. Each primary portion 28a, 32a may be operatively pivotally connected to the respective first leg 26, 30, and each secondary portion 28b, 32b may be operatively pivotally connected to the respective lateral support member (i.e., the secondary portion 28b of the second left leg 28 may be operatively pivotally connected to the left stationary support member 34 and the secondary portion 32b of the second right leg 32 may be operatively pivotally connected to the right stationary support member 36).
The primary portion 28a, 32a of each second leg may be operatively pivotally connected to the respective first leg 26, 30 laterally outboard of the respective first leg. The secondary portion 28b,32b of each second leg may operatively pivotally connected to the respective stationary support member 36,34 of the base 22 laterally outboard of the respective stationary support member of the base.
The base 22 may have at least one front brace 42 connected to the first left leg 26 and the first right leg 30, and at least one rear brace 44 connected to the second right leg 28 and the second left leg 32. The front brace 42 may comprise a single member extending of the first left leg 26 and the first right leg 30, or it may comprise scissors members pivotally connected to each other and the first left leg 26 and the first right leg 30. The rear brace 44 may comprise a single member extending of the second left leg 28 and the second right leg 32, or it may comprise scissors members pivotally connected to each other and the second left leg 28 and the second right leg 32.
Each of the first and second left legs 26, 28 and first and second right legs 30, 32 may have a foot 46 adapted and configure to contact a ground surface (GS). In the alternative, the glider chair may have struts extending between the feet to support the chair on a ground surface, and in such a configuration, the braces 42,44 may be omitted.
The glider chair 20 may further comprise a left backrest member 48 and a right backrest member 50. The left backrest member 48 may be operatively pivotally connected to the left lateral side member 38f of the seat support frame 38, and the right backrest member 50 may be operatively pivotally connected to the right lateral side member 38g of the seat support frame. Fabric may extend across the backrest members 48,50. Fabric for the backrest may be secured to the left and right backrest members 48,50 in a groove formed on the left and right backrest members. One or more backrest rib members 51 may extend between the left and right backrest members 48,50 to provide additional support and structural integrity for the glider chair.
The glider chair 20 may also comprise a left armrest member 52 and a right armrest member 54. The left armrest member 52 may be operatively pivotally connected to the left lateral side member 38f of the seat support frame 38, for instance, with a left pivoting armrest strut 56, and the right armrest member 54 may be operatively pivotally connected to the right lateral side member 38g of the seat support frame 38, for instance with a right pivoting armrest strut 58. The seat support frame 38 may extend between the left and right armrest members 52,54. The left armrest member 52 may be operatively pivotally connected to the left backrest member 48 and the right armrest member 54 may be operatively connected to the right backrest member 50.
The first and second left legs 26,28 may comprise left cross leg supports, and the first and second right legs 30,32 may comprise right cross leg supports. The left cross leg supports may be laterally spaced from the right cross leg supports by the front brace 42 and the rear brace 44. As discussed above, the left cross leg supports and the right cross legs supports may be movable between the expanded position (
The foldable glider chair 20 may further comprise a side-seat attachment 60. The side-seat attachment 60 may be operatively attached to left or right armrest members 52, 54. The side-seat attachment may comprise a cupholder, a tray, umbrella holder, pocket, or the like.
In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.
It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.
As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents
