Claims
- 1. A folding chair having a seat, a back rest, supporting legs which are crossed and pivotably connected together at the sides, and arm rests carried above the level of the seat, wherein each arm rest extends between a pivot at a front side of the chair and a link means for pivotally engaging said arm rest and supporting the arm rest with respect to one of the supporting legs, the arm rests in an open position of the chair being fixed by said link means in a position generally above the seat and in a folded position of the chair hanging from said pivots behind and below the back rests and via the link means locking the chair into said folded position.
- 2. A folding chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the chair comprises a first frame carrying said back rest and a rear portion of the seat; a second frame carrying a front portion of the seat and each said pivot; and a third frame connected to each said pivot and said link means, the first and second frames including said legs and the third frame including said arm rests.
- 3. A folding chair as defined in claim 2, wherein said link means comprises at least one elongated, rigid link with opposite first and second ends, the first end pivotally engaging and carried by said first frame and the second end pivotally engaging and carried by said third frame, the link means controlling and facilitating movement of the frames between the open position of the chair and the folded position and vice versa.
- 4. A folding chair as defined in claim 3, wherein said link has a length and its second end engages the arm rest in a position about twice the length of said link rearwardly of said front pivot.
- 5. A folding chair as defined in claim 3, wherein the first end of said link engages the first frame at a point adjacent said seat in the open position of said chair and the second end of the link engages the arm rest in a position vertically forwardly of the position of the first end of said link in the open position of the chair.
- 6. A folding chair as defined in claim 1, wherein in the open position of the chair the link means is inclined forwardly of the chair.
- 7. A folding chair as defined in claim 6, wherein the link means is inclined within about 30.degree. of the vertical.
- 8. A folding chair as defined in claim 6, wherein the link means is inclined within about 10.degree. of the vertical.
- 9. A folding chair as defined in claim 1, in which the link means is substantially straight.
- 10. A folding chair as defined in claim 1, wherein the link means has a lower end and said lower end engages the first frame at a point gravitationally below the level of the seat at its rear attachment to the first frame.
- 11. A folding chair as defined in claim 2, wherein the seat comprises a fabric material and the material is formed with loops at its forward and rearward portions, said first and second frames further comprise cross pieces affixed thereto and extending transversely of the chair, a retention bar received each of said loops, and engagement means between each retention bar and the respective cross piece for removably engaging and retaining each said bar on said cross piece, whereby to support said seat thereon.
- 12. A chair foldable between an open position for use and a folded position for storage, comprising only three frame members, a seat and a back rest carried on said frame members, and a pair of control links, the chair comprising:
- a first frame member extending from a front lower part of the chair, diagonally upwardly along the sides of the chair, and upwardly at the rear of the chair and carrying the back rest, and including a cross piece supporting a rear portion of the seat;
- a second frame member extending from a rear lower part of the chair, diagonally upwardly along the sides of the chair, and upwardly at the front of the chair and including a cross piece supporting a front portion of the seat, and the second frame being pivotally joined to the first frame member at centers of the diagonal parts of each;
- a third frame member pivotally joined to the second frame member above the seat at the front of the chair and extending in the open position behind the back rest and in the closed position hanging downwardly from the second frame behind the chair; and
- a pair of rigid connecting links each having a first end pivotally joined to the first frame adjacent the rear cross piece thereof and a second end pivotally joined to the third frame, the connecting links connecting and supporting the third frame in spaced relation to the first frame in the open position and in all partly and fully folded positions.
- 13. A folding chair as defined in claim 12, wherein each of the control links has a length and engages the third frame member at a point located about 1.7 to two times the length of the link rearwardly of the point of pivotal joining of the third frame member to the second frame member.
- 14. A folding chair as defined in claim 12, wherein in the open position of the chair the link is inclined forwardly of the chair between about 2.degree. and about 30.degree. of the vertical.
- 15. A folding chair as defined in claim 12, wherein each of said control links is engaged at its first end with the first frame member at a point below the rear portion of the seat.
- 16. A folding chair as defined in claim 12, wherein each of the front and rear portions of the seat is formed with a transverse loop of seat material, and each said cross piece comprises a retaining bar removably received in said loop, the bar being removably engaged with said cross piece.
- 17. A folding chair having a front, a rear, and sides and being foldable between an open position for use and a closed position for storage, the chair comprising:
- a seat having a front edge and a rear edge and side edges extending between the front and rear edges;
- a back rest having a lower edge and a top edge and side edges extending between the lower and top edges;
- a first frame comprising:
- a front lower cross piece extending from one side of the chair to the other and generally parallel to the front edge of the seat and spaced a distance below said front edge in the open position of the chair,
- a pair of lower side pieces affixed to the front lower cross piece and extending diagonally upwardly and rearwardly therefrom at the sides of the chair to the rear edge of the seat,
- a pair of upper rear side pieces each affixed to the corresponding lower side pieces and extending upwardly along the side edges of the back rest to the top edge of the back rest, and
- a rear cross piece extending between the junctions of the lower and upper side pieces at either side of the chair and supporting the rear edge of the seat;
- a second frame comprising:
- a rear lower cross piece extending from one side of the chair to the other generally parallel to the rear edge of the seat and spaced a second distance therebelow in the open position of the chair,
- a pair of lower side pieces affixed to the rear lower cross piece and extending diagonally upwardly and forwardly therefrom at the sides of the chair to the front edge of the seat,
- a pair of upper side pieces each affixed to the corresponding lower side piece and extending upwardly to a free end, and
- a front cross piece extending between the junctions of the lower and upper side pieces at either side of the chair and supporting the front edge of the seat, and wherein
- each of the corresponding lower side pieces of the first and second frames are pivotally joined to one another at approximately the middle of each, whereby the first and second frames in the open position have their lower cross pieces and the front or rear, seat-supporting cross pieces spaced apart at distances less than the corresponding spacing distances in the closed position of the chair;
- a third frame comprising:
- a pair of elongated side pieces each pivotally joined at one end thereof to one of the free ends of the upper side pieces of the second frame and extending along and generally parallel to a side edge of the seat in the open position of the chair and slidably engaged with the upper rear side pieces of the first frame in the open position, and
- a rear cross piece affixed to the ends of the side pieces and extending across the chair behind the back rest in the open position of the chair; and
- a pair of rigid control links each having first and second ends, said first ends pivotally engaging said first frame member adjacent said seat and said second end pivotally engaging and supporting said third frame in the open position of the chair.
- 18. A folding chair as defined in claim 17, wherein each of the pair of rigid control links has a length and wherein the second ends thereof are pivotally joined to the third frame at a distance of about two times the length of the link rearwardly of the point of its pivotal joining with the free ends of the upper side pieces of the second frame.
- 19. A folding chair as defined in claim 17, wherein each of said pair of rigid control links extends slightly forward of vertically from the first frame and the second end of the links in the open position of the chair.
- 20. A folding chair as defined in claim 19, wherein each of the pair of rigid control links extends at less than about 30.degree. from the vertical.
- 21. A folding chair as defined in claim 19, wherein each of the pair of rigid control links extends at less than about 10.degree. to the vertical.
Parent Case Info
The present invention is a continuation-in-part of my prior, co-pending application Ser. No. 895,054, filed Aug. 11, 1986, to be abandoned.
The present invention relates generally to folding or collapsible furniture and more particularly to folding chairs of the director style having crossed legs, arm rests, and a back support.
Prior art directors' chairs typically require disassembly of several pieces and a complex folding sequence for moving between a use position and a storage position. For instance, chairs with legs crossed at the front and rear have arm supports which fold sidewardly of the chair, capturing the seat fabric beneath them and in turn being held in the upright position by a back rest fabric looped over upstanding posts at the rear of the arm rests. The chair of my U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,630 folds from side to side, but has no structure above the level of the arm rests to interfere with the folding-together of the arms. Other forms of chairs have flexible seats and backs on rigid frames which fold with their arms in a front to rear collapsing movement. Other forms of furniture and chairs fold in various ways, but none is known to have the particular features and advantages of the present invention. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,812,801 and 3,334,943 disclose folding chairs with five-piece frames. The '801 patent shows links 43, but they join and control different parts than the links herein.
The present invention is characterized in its great simplicity, in that a chair is provided having only three distinct frame members, pivoted together for easy movement between open (use) and closed (storage) positions. In its broadest form, the invention comprises having arm rests pivotally connected to the front of the chair, adapted to pivot rearwardly and downwardly under control of links to the rear leg frame, as the chair is folded, and then to pivot downwardly to lock the front and rear frame members together in the closed or storage position. In more detailed forms, the invention comprises the layout and arrangement of the three frame members and the links, and the pivoting and folding parts and arrangements, as disclosed and shown herein. A novel attachment of the seat fabric to the support members is also shown.
In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a chair embodying the invention, from the right front and above the chair, in the open position for use;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1 and showing an intermediate stage of folding or unfolding the chair, between its use and storage positions;
FIG. 3 is a general perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the chair in its fully folded or closed position for storage;
FIG. 4 is a partial front elevation view of the link detail of the chair, taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view, partly in section, taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of seat fabric attachment means of the present invention;
FIG. 7 a top elevation view, partly in section, taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 7.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 820791 |
Nov 1937 |
FRX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
895054 |
Aug 1986 |
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Patent Grant
4787671
