GB2239391A

GB2239391A - Angler's seat or bedchair

Info

Publication number: GB2239391A
Application number: GB8929144A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clifford Royston Fox
Original assignee: Fox Design International Ltd; Fox International Group Ltd
Current assignee: Fox Design International Ltd; Fox International Group Ltd
Priority date: 1989-12-22
Filing date: 1989-12-22
Publication date: 1991-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2009-12-22
Also published as: GB8929144D0; GB2239391B

Abstract

A seat or bedchair having individually telescopically adjustable logs (10, 14), each such leg (10, 14) being provided with ratchet means (12, 32) which enable the leg (10, 14) to be increased in length relatively freely, but which resist subsequent shortening of the leg (10, 14). As a result, once a suitable position, for example on the bank of a river, has been located, the angler's seat or bedchair may be placed on the ground and each of its legs (10, 14) may be individually adjusted simply by pulling the lower pan of the log (10, 14) downwardly until it reaches the desired length, the ratchet means (12, 32) preventing the collapse of the leg (10, 14) when the user sits on the seat or bedchair. <IMAGE>

Description

An9ler's seat or bedchair The present invention relates to an angler's seat or bedchair.

One such bedchair is described in GB-A2,129,288. In that prior construction of seat or bedchair, each supporting leg thereof is telescopically adjustable so that each leg can be adjusted to a desired length independently of any one of the other legs. In order to fix a leg at the desired length, one of the telescopically engaging parts of the leg is provided with a spring loaded plunger which engages one of a number of spaced apart holes in the other part of the leg to inhibit telescopic adjustment until such time as the plunger is pushed to disengage that hole.

A disadvantage of this construction is that the engagement and disengagement of the plunger in order to set the leg at the desired length can be a relatively difficult manipulation, especially if the user is suffering from cold hands as he or she may well be on the bank of a river at certain times of the year.

The present invention seeks to improve the ease with which each leg of a seat or bedchair can be telescopically adjusted.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a seat or bedchair having individually telescopically adjustable legs, each such leg being provided with ratchet means which enable the leg to be increased in length relatively freely, but which resist subsequent shortening of the leg.

As a result, once a suitable position, for example on the bank of a river, has been located, the angler's seat or bedchair may be placed on the ground and each of its legs may be individually adjusted simply by pulling the lower part of the leg downwardly until it reaches the desired length, the ratchet means preventing the collapse of the leg when the user sits on the seat or bedchair.

Examples of a ratchet mechanism which may be used on each of the legs of an angler's seat or bedchair, such as the seat or bedchair disclosed for example in CB- A-2,129,288 > in accordance with the present invention, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an axial sectional view of the lower end of a telescopically adjustable leg; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional diagram through a middle part of the telescopically adjustable leg; Figures 3 to 5 show respective alternative cross-sections through an inner part of the telescopically adjustable leg; Figure 6 shows a perspective diagrammatic view of the upper end of an inner part of the telescopically adjustable leg; Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an insert of the inner part shown in Figure 6;; Figure 8 show a diagrammatic axial sectional view through overlapping inner and outer parts of the telescopic leg; Figure 9 shows a locking mechanism of the telescopically adjustable leg in a release position; Figures 10 and 11 show alternative constructions for interengaging parts of the ratchet mechanism; and Figures 12 and 13 show respective different constructions for the inner part of the telescopic leg and an insert therefor.

Figure 1 shows a lower inner part of a telescopically adjustable leg comprising a tubular generally square sectioned aluminium alloy part lo having an injection moulded plastics or diecast aluminium alloy insert 12 recessed slightly inwardly of one of the sides of the leg part 10, that side being open to expose the insert 12 in the manner shown in Figure 3.

The lower leg part 10 engages an outer upper leg part 14 telescopically, as shown by the section in Figure 2. The upper leg part 14 is also generally square sectioned, having a slightly larger diameter to receive the lower leg part. The upper leg part 14 is also made of alluminium alloy tubing.

Figures 6 and 7 show the construction of the lower leg part in greater detail. The insert 12 is an elongate member which extends from the bottom to the top of the inner leg part 10. It has two elongate flanges 16 and 18 extending along its length on opposite sides which are engaged by respective inwardly directed lips 20 and 22 of the tubular leg 10 on the open side thereof. The insert 12 is further provided with a plurality of teeth 24 spaced apart along the length of the insert 12. Each tooth has an upwardly and outwardly slopping surface 26 on one side, which faces outwardly and slightly downwardly from the insert, and a upwardly facing surface 28 which is generally perpendicular to the length of the insert, in the manner of a ratchet tooth.

Figure 8 shows an upper portion of the inner leg part 10 engaging a lower portion of the outer upper leg part 14. A clamp 30 surrounds that lower portion of the leg part 14 and has a latch 32 extending inwardly through an aperture in a side wall of the upper leg part 14. The vertical extent of the latch 32 is the same as the pitch between two adjacent teeth 24 of the insert 12, and it has a shape corresponding to the recess between two such teeth. Thus, it has a lower edge 34 which engages the upwardly facing surface 28 on one of the teeth 24, and a sloping surface 36 which abuts one of the sloping surfaces 26 of the teeth 24. The latch 32 is held in the clamp 30 in such a manner that it is free to slide horizontally, inwardly and outwardly between a position in which it engages the ratchet teeth 28 and a position in which it is disengaged therefrom.Resilient means 38 are provided to urge the latch 32 in an inward direction. Thus, when the leg part 10 is pulled downwardly, engagement of the sloping surfaces 28 and 36 push the latch 32 outwardly as successive teeth 24 pass by the latch 32. However, if the lower part of the leg 10 is raised, or pushed further into the upper leg part 14, the surfaces 34 and 28 abut one another to inhibit such movement. In this way, the latch 32 and the insert 12 behave in the manner of a ratchet.

In order to disengage the latch 32 from the insert 12, and allow the lower leg part 10 to be pushed fully home into the upper leg part 14 for transportation and storage, a lever 40 is provided on the clamp 30 which is pivoted thereto about a pivot pin 42 shown in Figure 9. The pivot end of the lever 40 is provided on one side with a cam 44 which engages an inner surface 46 provided on the latch 32 in such a manner that as the lever 40 is pivoted upwardly about the pivot pin 42 it withdraws the latch 32 from the insert 12, thus enabling free movement of the inner leg part 10 both inwardly and outwardly within the upper leg part 14 in a telescopic manner.

Numerous modifications and variations to the present invention will readily occur to a person familiar with the art without taking the resulting construction outside the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of the sloping surface 36, the latch 32 may have nothing more than a rounded corner 48 which is slidable against a sloping surface 50 provided on the insert 12 as shown in Figure 11. In this way, the inside end of the latch 32 can be of stepped form as shown in that Figure.

Alternatively, the inside end of the latch 32 may form a complete quarter circle 52 as shown in Figure 11.

Instead of a series of teeth 21, the insert may be provided with a series of apertures 54 as shown in Figures 12 and 13, thus giving the insert a ladder construction. The apertures 54 may be complete throughholes or merely recesses within the insert. It is not impossible to reverse the setting of the latch 32 and the insert 12 so that the latter is on the outer upper leg part 14 and the former is on the lower inner leg part 10.

The present invention also extends to the manner of construction of the upper outer leg portions of the angler's seat or bedchair. Thus, in one construction of a pair of such legs, which may be the forward pair or the rear pair of the seat or bedchair, a multiple cross-strut 60 can be secured to and extend between two upper leg parts 14 as shown in Figure 14. The multiple cross-strut 60 comprises two lengths of I-section plastics or metal lengths a first one 62 of which is straight and a second one 64 of which has a first straight centre section 66 secured to the centre of the straight length 62, and two end parts 68 diverging upwardly away from the straight section 62. Each length is bonded at both ends to the pair of upper leg parts 14 by means of bosses 70. The two lengths 62 and 64 are clamped together by means of a clamp 72 as shown in Figure 15.An alternative form of clamp is shown in Figure 16 which comprises two C-sectioned plates 74 which are bolted to the strut lengths 62 and 64 by means of bolts 76. Alternatively, the two lengths 62 and 64 may be fused or welded together.

It will be appreciated that the mirror image of the multiple strut construction enables two components to create a whole multiple strut.

Each upper leg part 14 may be constructed as shown in Figures 17 to 19 which show how the leg is formed of two channel-section lengths 80 provided with corresponding formations 82 and 84 along the inner ends of the C-section to enable the two lengths 80 to be located with respect to one another. They are held together in this way permanently by the boss 70 in the finished construction. A bracket 86 with a pivot hole 88 is integrally formed on one of the lengths 80 to enable it to be secured to the main frame of the angler's seat or bedchair.

With further reference to Figure 1, the leg part 10 is provided at its lower end with a plastics foot pad 100. The latter is held in position by a ball-and-socket joint so that it is swivelable. Thus a plastics plug 104 is inserted as a tight fit inside the end of the lower end of the leg part 10, the plug 104 having one end of a metal shank 106 embedded in it, the other end of which provides the ball 108 of the ball-and-socket joint. The foot pad 100 has a spherical recess 110 which snap-fits over the ball 108 to complete the ball-and-socket joint. A strip of plastics 112 interconnects the foot pad 100 with the plug 104 to ensure the pad is not lost in the event that it is accidentally knocked off the ball 108. A protrusion 114 on the underside of the pad 100 inhibits sliding when the seat or bedchair is in use.

The lower leg part 10 and insert 12 may comprise a single integrally moulded plastics or metal component.

The various components of the seat or bedchair, particularly the cross struts for the legs, may be injection moulded from a plastics composite such as a reinforced polyarylamide compound. This may avoid the need for welding.

Claims

1. A seat or bedchair having individually telescopically adjustable legs, each such leg being provided with ratchet means which enable the leg to be increased in length relatively freely, but which resist subsequent shortening of the leg.

2. A seat or bedchair according to claim 1, in which each such leg comprises an upper part fixed to the main body of the seat or bedchair, and a lower part which telescopically engages the upper part.

3. A seat or bedchair according to claim 2, in which a portion of the lower leg part is received within a portion of the upper leg part.

4. A seat or bedchair according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which a first part of the ratchet means is provided on one of the leg parts, and a second part of the ratchet means is provided on the other of the leg parts.

5. A seat or bedchair according to claim 4, in which the first part of the ratchet means comprises a detent member with means to urge it towards the second part of the ratchet means.

6. A seat or bedchair according to claim 5, in which the second part of the ratchet means comprises a member provided with a series of recesses or holes spaced apart along the direction of relative movement between the leg parts, the detent member having a portion which is received in one of the recesses or holes.

7. A seat or bedchair according to claim 6, in which the recesses are the spaces between a series of teeth on the second part of the ratchet means.

8. A seat or bedchair according to any one of claims 4 to 7, in which the ratchet effect is brought about by sloping surfaces provided on one or both of the parts of the ratchet means.

9. A seat or bedchair according to any one of claims 5 to 8, in which the said second part of the ratchet means comprises an elongate insert.

10. A seat or bedchair according to claim 9, in which the insert is provided with flanges extending along its length at two sides thereof, respectively engaged by flanges provided on opposite sides of one of the leg parts.

11. A seat or bedchair according to claim 10, in which that one of the leg parts has a channel section, with its flanges extending towards one another from opposite sides of the channel.

12. A seat or bedchair according to claim 11 in which that part of the leg comprises an aluminium alloy.

13. A seat or bedchair according to claim 11 or claim 12, in which the insert comprises a synthetic plastics material.

14. A seat or bedchair according to claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to 13 read as appendant to claim 5, in which withdrawing means are provided to enable the detent member to be moved out of engagement with the second part of the ratchet means independently of the ratchet effect.

15. A seat or bedchair according to claim 14, in which the withdrawing means comprise a cam.

16. A seat or bedchair according to claim 15, in which the cam is provided on a hand-operable pivotably mounted lever.

17. A seat or bedchair having individually telescopically adjustable legs, each such leg being substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9, with or without one or more of the modifications shown in the other Figures of the accompanying drawings.