US2493682A - Folding chair - Google Patents

Description

J. P. MEE-HAN 2.493.682

FOLDING CHAIR l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. N mw WE N E I M D.. N M. JW

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ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1950 Filed June 27, 1946 Jan. 3, 1950 J, P, MEEHAN 2,493,682

FOLDING CHAIR Filed June 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN P MEEHAN BY M77] ATTORNEYS Patented `an. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-ICE FOLDING CHAIR John P. Meehan, San Gabriel, Calif. Application June 27, 1946, seriai'Nq. 679,707

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to folding chair construction, having more particularly to do with folding chairs made of metal and having seats and back rests made of fabric or other exible material.

In conventional folding chair construction, the cross members which provide the seat support and bracing for the legs are usually pivoted at their bottom ends to the legs or posts and have a projection at their top ends which slidably fit in longitudinal slots provided in the posts, so that as the seat-supporting frame is folded, the projections slide along the slots. This construction, however, has several disadvantages which those working in this art have long sought to overcome. One of those objections is that in order to provide for suliciently long slots for the projections it is necessary to make the posts so high in relation to the width of the seat that the arm rests carried by the top ends of the posts are positioned too high for comfort, or else it is necessary to make the seat too narrow for comfort. Another serious objection to such construction is that the weight of an occupant of the seat tends to swing the side arm members in such manner as to place undue tension on the fabric seat, which soon results in tearing of the fabric. Another objection is that the slots and projections frequently become corroded, which interferes with free sliding movement of the projections along the slots and renders folding and unfolding diflicult. A still further objection is that chairs so constructed lack sufficient strength and durability for long life and are incapable of supporting abnormally heavy weight.

It is an object of my invention to overcome those disadvantages and to provide a folding chair in which there is no necessary relationship between the heights of the posts and the width of the seat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a folding chair in which the Weight of the occupant is transferred from the seat frame to the posts by means of novel abutment members pivotally connected at their respective ends to the seat frame and to the posts.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a folding chair in which the weight of an occupant on the fabric seat does not place the seat in such tension as to result in tearing. i

Another object is to provide a folding chair which is economical of manufacture, which does not require slots and projections to catch the clothes of the user and which is extremely durable and practicable.

My invention possesses still further features of novelty which will become apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention, the chair being in open position ready for occupancy;

Fig. 2 is a perspective like Fig. 1 but showing the chair in folded position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section illustrating the attachment of the fabric seat to the seat-supporting frame.

It will be understood, of course, that within the broader scope of the-invention as defined by the claims, it is contemplated that various modi' cations may be made in the structural details particularly illustrated in the drawings.

Referring now'to vthe drawings, the numerals 5 and 6 denote a pair of spaced parallel U-shaped frame members providing upright posts 5a, 5b and 6a, 6b as well as arm rest supports 5c, 6c. An arm rest plate 'l is xed, as by welding, to each arm rest'support. Preferably, the frame members 5 and 6 are made of metal tubing or bar stock and each post has fitted over its bottom end a cup-shaped floor-engaging member 9, which may be made of rubber or metal.

Secured, as by welding, to each of the back posts 5b, 6b there is a back rest supporting upright I0 presenting an enlarged top end Il. A fabric back rest strip I2 has looped ends I2a which slidably fit over the back rest supporting uprights.

For supporting the fabric seat l5. I provide a pair of U-shaped metal frames l1, I8 presenting respectively side arms l la, |8a and a cross arm I lb, |817 interconnecting the side arms. These frames are arranged diagonally crosswise into an X shape as shown and the pairs of arms lla, |8a and Ilb, I8b are pivotally connected together intermediate their ends by pivot pins I9 and 20.

The bottom ends of the arms lla, I8a and llb, |811 are pivotally supported from the posts by being rotatably mounted on cross rods 25 whose ends extend into holes provided in the posts. Thus the seat-supporting frames may be relatively swung about their pivots between the positions of Figs. 1 and 2.

To support the seat-supporting frames when the weight of an occupant of the seat is imposed thereon, I provide for each of the side arms Ila, |8a and Ilb, lb an abutment member 30, there being four of such members. One end of each of the abutment members 30 is pivotally secured to a post by a pivot pin 32 and the other end of each of said members is pivotally connected to one of the side frame elements, against the inner surface thereof, by means of a pivot pin 33. Intermediate its ends, each of the members 30 is provided with a substantially right angled bend 35 which bend provides an abutment shoulder against which 'one of the side arms 'engages when the chairis in fuliy opened position ready to receive an occupant (Fig. 1), which transfers the pressure exerted on the seat frame to the post moves the parts from the position of Fig. ,-1 to the position of Fig. 2, in which latter folded position it Will be noted that the arms Hb, |811 of the seatsupporting Aframe extend above the arm rests, so that there does not have to be any definite relationship between t-h'e height of the post and the width offthe seat.l Y,

As best shown in Fig. 4, the fabric vseat `Iii is secured to the cross arms Hb, Ib in the following manner. V The free ends 15a of the fabric seat are clamped against -the respective arms l'lb, |812` by means of the respective plates 31, each of which is secured lto its carried arm by screws 38, and then the fabric is folded over the top surfaces of the plates as shown.

I claim: v

'1. In a folding chair, two inverted lil-shaped side frames, a sea-t framecomposed of Uj-shaped members Vdisposed crosswisue of each other between the side frames and -piVotally connected together intermediate their ends for relative swinging movement, one of said members having its -free ends pivotally secured to the respective sides of one of the side frames adjacent their bottom ends and the other of said members having its free ends p-ivotallfy secured to the respective `sides, of the other side frame, a exible seat secured at its respective ends on the top portions.

of'said members, and auxiliary bracing means for each of said members comprising a link pivotally secured at one end to a side of said member and pivotally secured at its other end to a side of the contiguous side frame, each of said links having intermediate its ends an abutment portion disposed in the plane of movement of the side of the U-shaped member to which it is pivotally secured whereby to arrest movement of said member.

V2-. Infa fo1dingehair,'two inverted Uf-shaped side frames, a seat frame composed of U'shaped members disposed crosswise of each other between the side frames and pivotally connected together intermediate their ends for relative vswinging movement, one of said members having its free ends pivotally secured to the respective sides of one of the side frames adjacent their bottom ends and the other of said members having its free ends pivotally secured to the respec- ,I

tive sides of the other side frame, a flexible seat secured at its respective ends on the top portions of said members, and auxiliary bracing means for each of said members comprising a link pivotally secured at one end to a side of said member and pivotally secured `at its other end to a side of the contiguous side frame, each of said links Vbeing V-shaped in longitudinal section and having at its apex a 'right angle bend providing an abutment inthe plane of movement o' the side of the U-shaped member t'o which it is pivotally secured. Y U

JOHN?. MEEHAN.

REFERENCES n CITED The following references are of record in Vthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France T-e v Mar. 26, 1935

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