GB2314505A

GB2314505A - An auxiliary leg

Info

Publication number: GB2314505A
Application number: GB9613508A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clifford Royston Fox
Original assignee: Fox Design International Ltd
Current assignee: Fox Design International Ltd
Priority date: 1996-06-27
Filing date: 1996-06-27
Publication date: 1998-01-07
Also published as: GB9613508D0

Abstract

An auxiliary leg (40) is attached to or is a part of a seat or other article. The seat is to be supported on uneven ground. The attachment projects transversely from a pivotable main leg (36) of the seat. The main leg (36) is positioned against the seat part (28) of the seat for storage purposes. The auxiliary leg (40) is shorter than the main leg (36) . The attachment projects in an intended downward direction away from the seat part (28) of the seat when the main leg (36) is in its storage position.

Description

An auxiliary leg The present invention relates to an auxiliary leg, especially but not exclusively, for use with or being part of a seat or bed chair.

Hitherto, seats and bed chairs for use in angling or other outdoor activities have been made with at least one leg which is pivotable so that it can be folded-up against a main body of the seat or bed chair for storage purposes.

One form of such a seat or bed chair does not have this leg adjustable in length, so that it may be difficult to arrange the seat or bed chair so that its main body is level, because of the uneven ground. Other forms of seat or bed chair have a leg adjustable in length, for example by telescopic means, but this still results in the minimum length of the leg being at least half the maximum length insofar as there are two parts of the leg which telescope one within the other. Even with this form of construction, therefore, there are limitations in the extent to which the seat or bed chair can be used satisfactorily on uneven ground.

The present invention seeks to provide a remedy.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an auxiliary leg for attachment to or being part of a seat, bed chair or other article, which is to be supported on uneven ground, which projects transversely from a pivotable main leg of the article in such a manner that, when the main leg is positioned against the main body of the article as it would be for storage purposes, the auxiliary leg, which is shorter than the main leg, projects in an intended downward direction away from the main body of the article.

The auxiliary leg may be constructed to be attached to a main leg of an existing seat, bed chair or other article which has already been made. For this purpose, the auxiliary leg may be formed at its intended upper end with U-shaped attachment means. The attachment means may comprise a short length of channel-section material. The arms of the "U" may be provided with attachment holes respectively.

The auxiliary leg itself may be of a square section, although it may alternatively be made of a round section.

The auxiliary leg may itself be telescopically adjustable, so that, if the main leg to which it is attached is also telescopically adjustable, the combination of the auxiliary leg with the main leg provides two different ranges of adjustments.

Examples of an auxiliary leg made in accordance with the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective generally eleyational view of the leg; Figure 2 shows a view of the leg shown in Figure 1 from one end thereof; Figure 3 shows a view of the leg shown in Figure 1 from the other end thereof; Figures 4 and 5 show respective different elevational views of the leg in directions IV and V respectively shown in Figure 2; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a seat to which is attached a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows an elevational view from one side of the seat shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 shows an underneath view of the seat shown in Figure 6; Figure 9 shows a view from above of the seat shown in Figure 6; Figures 10 and 11 show respective front and rear views of the seat shown in Figure 6; and Figure 12 shows a side elevational view of the seat shown in Figure 6 with its rear main legs pivoted upwardly against the part which is sat on.

The auxiliary leg 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5 comprises a relatively short length of square section aluminium alloy tubing 12, on an intended upper end of which is welded a Ushaped connector 14 to facilitate connection of this auxiliary leg 10 to a pivotable main leg of a seat, bed chair or other article which is to be used on uneven ground. The connector 14 itself comprises a short length of channel-sectioned aluminium alloy, the base of which is welded to the upper end of the tubing 12 so that the arms 16 and 18 of the connector 14 extend upwardly from the tubing 12. Each arm 16 and 18 is provided with a bolt hole or eyelet 20.

The lower end of the auxiliary leg 10 is provided with a socket attachment 22 welded to the lower end of the tubing 12 and receiving a ball part (not shown) of a generally disk-shaped foot pad 24 which is universally swivellable by virtue of the ball and socket connection.

The underside of the pad 24 is provided with a stud 26 to reduce the likelihood that the foot pad 24 will slide along the ground on which it is planted.

Figures 6 to 12 show a seat for use by anglers or for other outdoor pursuits which has a seat portion 28, a backrest 30, two front legs 32 connected by a cross-strut 34 and pivoted to respective frame portions of the seat part 28 so as to be pivotable from an extended position as shown in Figure 6 for use to position in which they are folded-up against the seat part 28 for storage purposes, and two rear legs 36 also connected together by a crossstrut 38 and pivotably connected to the seat part 28. The back-rest 30 can also be pivoted downwardly onto the seat part 28 for a complete folding-up of the seat.

Each main rear leg 36 is telescopically adjustable, and has an auxiliary leg 40 welded at a position close to its upper end and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the leg 36 with the latter extended for use.

However, on certain uneven ground, the main legs 36 may be too long even when the telescopic adjustment is fully retracted. In this situation, the legs 36 can be pivoted up against the main seat part 28 as if for storage, while the front main legs and the back-rest 30 are left in their extended condition. This arrangement is shown in Figure 12 from which it can be seen that each auxiliary leg 40 is now directed downwardly and becomes an effective rear leg of the seat, this auxiliary leg 40 being substantially shorter than the main leg 36 even when the telescopic adjustment thereof is fully retracted.

In the construction shown in Figures 6 to 12, the auxiliary leg 40 is welded to its associated main leg 36.

However, it will be readily apparent that a seat which is substantially the same as that shown in Figures 6 to 12, but which does not have auxiliary legs 40 provided on it at the time of manufacture, could be adapted by two auxiliary legs each as shown in Figures 1 to 5, simply by bolting these two auxiliary legs to the existing main rear legs 36 by the appropriate insertion and tightening of the coach bolt through the eyelet 20 and a pair of holes already in the main leg 36 for telescopic adjustment purposes (or through two further holes drilled through the main leg 36 for adjustment purposes).

Many variations will readily occur to a reader of ordinary skill in the art to the illustrated auxiliary legs without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, for a less expensive auxiliary leg, the foot pad 24 could be welded directly on to the tubing 12, thus omitting the relatively expensive ball and socket connection. The attachment means 40 could comprise a short length of tubing which could be slid on to the main leg 36 and bolted in position by a spigot already present in the telescopic adjustment means of the main leg 36 where it projects outwardly from one of the adjustment holes.

Claims

Claims:

1. An auxiliary leg is attached to or is a part of a seat, bed chair or other article, which is to be supported on uneven ground, which projects transversely from a pivotable main leg of the article in such a manner that, when the main leg is positioned against the main body of the article as it would be for storage purposes, the auxiliary leg, which is shorter than the main leg, projects in an intended downward direction away from the main body of the article.

2. An auxiliary leg according to claim 1, which is so constructed that it can be attached to a main leg of an existing seat, bed chair or other article which has already been made.

3. An auxiliary leg according to claim 2, which is formed with U-shaped attachment means.

4. An auxiliary leg according to claim 3, in which the attachment means comprise a short length of channel-section material.

5. An auxiliary leg according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the arms of the U are provided with attachment holes respectively.

6. An auxiliary leg according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the leg being of square section.

7. An auxiliary leg according to any one of claims l to 5, the leg being of round section.

8. An auxiliary leg according to any one of claims l to 7, which is telescopically adjustable.

9. A combination of a main leg, and an auxiliary leg attached thereto, the auxiliary leg being as claimed in claim 8, in which the main leg is telescopically adjustable, the combination providing two different ranges of adjustments.

10. An auxiliary leg substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.