This patent application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. EP23173950, entitled “Folding chair”, filed on May 17, 2023.
The invention relates to a folding chair.
Folding chairs are commonly used in outdoor areas, such as gardens, balconies, and patios. There are two common types of folding chairs for outdoor use: folding chairs which are used in a dining position, forming a regular chair for sitting at a table, for example during a barbecue, and folding chairs that have a reclined backrest, suitable for relaxing and sunbathing, for example on a lawn, a terrace, at a pool, or a beach bar.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved folding chair, in particular with regard to its field of application and flexibility.
In particular, in one or more embodiments, a folding chair is disclosed, comprising a backrest portion, a seat portion, two armrests, and two pairs of a front leg and a back leg each, the front leg and the back leg of each pair being pivotably connected at top ends by a hinge, a bottom end of the backrest portion being pivotably connected to a back end of the seat portion by at least one hinge, the back legs of both pairs each comprising a rail running to a lower portion of the back legs, wherein the backrest portion and the seat portion are on both sides slidably connected to the rails at the position of the at least one hinge, a back end of the armrests being pivotably connected to the backrest portion, and an underside of the armrests being attached to the respective top end of the pairs of legs, and the seat portion being pivotably connected to the front legs on each side.
One of the features of the disclosed folding chair is a rail on each of the back legs of the folding chair. Connected with the rails are connection points at which a backrest portion of the folding chair is pivotably connected to a seat portion of the folding chair, such that these connection points can be slid along the rails. The rails run down to a lower portion of the back legs. This allows to store the backrest portion and the seat portion between the legs of the folding chair when the chair is in a fully folded state and to use the full extension of the legs to store the backrest portion in between the legs. In particular, this reduces a space necessary for storage of the folding chair (e.g. during storage and shipping). Further, due to the rails on the back legs the folding chair can be arranged easily in various positions. This greatly enhances the flexibility and broadens the range of possible applications. In particular, the folding chair can optionally be arranged in a dining position and in a reclined or lounge position. This, in particular, is achieved by changing an angle between the legs of the leg pairs. When decreasing the angle, the seat portion is moving to a higher position above ground and the chair may be brought into the dining position. In contrast, increasing the angle lowers a position of the seat portion above the ground and the folding chair may be brought into the reclined or lounge position.
The folding chair may comprise one or more crossbars which each connect a leg of one side to a leg of the other side of the folding chair. For example, a crossbar may connect both front legs with each other and another crossbar may connect both back legs with each other. In particular, if a crossbar connects the lower ends of the back legs, the rails run down at least to this crossbar.
The leg pairs particularly define a triangle with the ground level. Depending on an angle between the legs of the leg pairs the basis of the triangle can be increased or decreased while simultaneously lowering or raising the connection points at which the armrests, the seat portion, and the connection point of the backrest portion and the seat portion to the rail are connected to the legs of the leg pairs. In particular, a triangle is defined by a front leg, a back leg, and the seat portion. In a dining position, this triangle may essentially be of the equilateral type. In the reclined or lounge position, this triangle may essentially be of the right or oblique form.
The backrest portion may be adjusted (e.g. reclined or put upright) independently of the seat portion by using the armrests, i.e. by adjusting a position of the armrests with respect to their connection to the top end of the leg pairs. In particular, the backrest portion may be reclined by moving the connection point forward and put upright by moving the connection point backward. This way an angle between the backrest portion and the seat portion may be changed without affecting the seat portion.
In one embodiment, the rails each comprise at least two notches, each defining a position at which the connection point to the backrest portion and the seat portion can be detachably locked in the rails. This allows to easily set and fix a position of the connection point in the rail. In particular, two positions can be defined, an upper position by an upper notch for a dining position of the folding chair and a lower position by a lower notch for a reclined or lounge position.
In one embodiment, the connection of the seat portion to the front legs is being formed on each side by a connection element, one end of the connection element being pivotably connected to the seat portion and another end being pivotably connected to the respective front leg. This allows defining distinct positions into which the pivot connection can be arranged.
In one embodiment, the connection element comprises a bolt and a pivot arm, the bolt forming at one end the connection with the front leg and on the other end being pivotably connected to one end of the pivot arm, the other end of the pivot arm forming the connection with the seat portion.
In one embodiment, the backrest portion and the seat portion each comprise an outer frame, the connections each being formed on the outer frames. This allows to lower a weight of the folding chair. In particular, the outer frames define the outer edge of the backrest portion and the seat portion. The outer frames may be covered with fabric each, forming the backrest and seat areas.
In one embodiment, the bolt is arranged underneath the outer frame of the seat portion, the other end of the pivot arm being pivotably connected to an inward facing side of the outer frame. This way, due to the arrangement, two distinct positions are defined, into which the seat portion can be locked with respect to the front legs. When pivoting the pivot arm around the axis of the bolt, the pivot arm performs a half circle movement thereby raising and lowering the connection point to the seat portion. The half circle is limited on both sides by the contact of the bolt with the underside of the frame. The bolt prevents further movement of the pivot arm and, consequently, the seat portion. This way, a position of the seat portion can be alternated between these two stable positions. In particular, these two positions correspond with the positions of two notches in the rail, such that the chair can be brought into a predefined dining position and a predefined reclined or lounge position.
In one embodiment, the connection of the seat portion to the front legs comprises a locking means preventing a pivoting movement. This allows preventing an undesired or unintentional change of the position of the folding chair, thus enhancing comfort and security. The locking means may comprise a latching mechanism which can be unlocked by pushing a button or the like. In particular, the locking means may directly or indirectly prevent a pivoting movement of the bolt of the connecting element, thus preventing the pivot arm from moving along the half circle. In particular, two locking positions may be defined by the locking means corresponding to the two end positions of the half circle and/or the two positions of the folding chair, i.e. the dining position and the reclined or lounge position.
In one embodiment, the connection of the back end of the armrests to the backrest portion is being achieved by means of a connection block, which is arranged on a backside of the backrest portion, a side of the connection block being connected to the back end of the armrest forming the pivot connection. This way a mechanical stability and reliability of the connection of the armrests to the backrest portion can be increased. Since the main direction in which a force is exerted on the connection is a backward direction, positioning the connection block on a backside of the backrest portion, i.e. behind the backrest portion, increases stability of the connection. The connection block may be attached to the backrest portion, in particular to a frame of the backrest portion, by means of glue and/or screws or the like.
In one embodiment, the underside of the armrests comprises a plurality of locking positions at which the underside of the armrests can be detachably locked to the top end of the respective pairs of legs. This allows to easily arrange and fix the position of the armrests with respect to the top end of the legs. The locking positions can be defined by notches, into which a protruding element of the top end of the legs, e.g. a nose or a hook, can be arranged and detachably locked. The notches on the underside of the armrest may be oriented in such a way that the position of the armrests can be changed by lifting the armrests and simultaneously moving the armrests forward, while locking in a notch can be achieved by moving the armrest backwards. To this end, an opening or mouth of the notches may be facing in a backward or essentially backward direction.
In one embodiment, the armrests comprise detachable covers. This greatly increases a flexibility since various types of covers with different materials and/or colors and/or forms can be used. This allows to greatly increase the varieties in which the folding chair can be manufactured without increasing the cost. A single model of the folding chair may be provided with a multitude of different options for the armrest covers. The armrests and/or covers may be provided with locking means to detachably lock the covers into place.
In one embodiment, a distance from, on one side, the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion to the back end of the seat portion to, on the other side, the connection of the seat portion to the front leg is chosen in such a way, that in a folded state of the folding chair the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion to the back end of the seat portion can be arranged at a lower end position of the rail. This allows to decrease a height of the folding chair in the folded state and thus further reducing the space necessary for storage of the folding chair (e.g. during storage and shipping). In particular, during transport a number of folding chairs transported in the same volume can be increased due to the lower dimensions, to the benefit of lower shipping cost per piece.
The disclosed folding chair is explained in detail below on the basis of illustrative embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:
The folding chair 1 may comprise crossbars 7 connecting the front legs 5L, 5R and the back legs 6L, 6R from side to side.
The front leg 5L, 5R and the back leg 6L, 6R of each pair are pivotably connected at top ends 8L, 8R by a hinge 9L, 9R. On either side, the front leg 5L, 5R, the corresponding back leg 6L, 6R, and the ground define a triangle.
A bottom end 10 (
The back legs 6L, 6R of both pairs each comprise a rail 13L, 13L running to a lower portion 14 of the back legs 6L, 6R. The backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are on both sides slidably connected to the rails 13L, 13R at the position of the hinges 12L, 12R. The connection may comprise a bolt and/or a roll on either side of the folding chair 1 that is running inside the rails 13L, 13R.
A back end 15 of the armrests 4L, 4R is pivotably connected to the backrest portion 2. The connection may be between sides of the backrest portion and the armrest mutually facing each other. An underside of the armrests 4L, 4R is attached to the respective top end 8L, 8R of the pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R. The seat portion 3 is pivotably connected to the front legs 5L, 5R on each side. In particular, the connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R is located around a middle portion 16 (
The backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 may each comprise an outer frame, the connections each being formed on the outer frames.
The degrees of freedom, in which the parts of the folding chair 1, in particular the backrest portion 2, the seat portion 3, and the pair of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R can move is limited due to the various connection points between the parts. This is schematically illustrated in
When the connection point, where the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are connected and where there is the connection to the rails on each side of the folding chair 1 is moved to the lowest position within the rail, i.e. the lower portion 14 of the back leg 6L, 6R, in particular, to a lower end position 14x (
In particular, a distance from, on one side, the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion 2 to the back end of the seat portion 3 to, on the other side, the connection of the seat portion 3 to the front leg 5L, 5R may be chosen in such a way, that in a folded state of the folding chair 1 the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion 2 to the back end of the seat portion 3 can be arranged at a lower end position 14x (
The rails 13L, 13R may each comprise at least two notches 17 (
In particular, the two notches 17 shown in
The connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R may be formed on each side by a connection element 20, one end of the connection element 20 being pivotably connected to the seat portion 3 and another end being pivotably connected to the respective front leg 5L, 5R. This is schematically depicted in
In particular, the connection element 20 comprises a bolt 21 and a pivot arm 22, the bolt 21 forming at one end the connection with the front leg 5L, 5R. On the other end the bolt 21 is pivotably connected to one end of the pivot arm 22, the other end of the pivot arm 22 forming the connection with the seat portion 3. This embodiment of the connection element 20 is schematically depicted in a disassembled state in
The bolt 21 is, in particular, arranged underneath the outer frame of the seat portion 3 while the other end of the pivot arm 22 is pivotably connected to an inward facing side 23 of the outer frame, which becomes apparent from
The connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R may comprise a locking means 26 preventing a pivoting movement. The locking means 26 on both sides is schematically shown in
The connection of the back end 15 (
An underside 28 of the armrests 4L, 4R may comprise a plurality of locking positions 29 at which the underside 28 of the armrests 4L, 4R can be detachably locked to the top end 8L, 8R of the respective pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R.
The armrests 4L, 4R may comprise detachable covers. This greatly increases the design options without increasing the variants of the basic folding chair 1.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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23173950 | May 2023 | EP | regional |