US2695050A - Child's chair - Google Patents

Description

L. T. QUICK CHILDS CHAIR Nov. 23, 1954 Filed July 2, 1948 Patented Nov. 23, 1954 CHILDS CHAIR Leonard Thomas Quick, Mimico, Toronto, Canada Application July 2, 1948, Serial No. 36,582 2 Claims. (Cl. 155-127) This invention relates to chairs and particularly to a chiids chair.

The average childs chair used for eating purposes and A Still further object of the invention is t chair of this kind 0 PTPVldC 21 its set-up position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a chair of this kind in which the child may be safely held without any practical danger of the childs falling out of it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair of this kind which may be employed for any given child over a period from practically babyhood until the age of substantially seven to eight years.

With these and other objects in view, the invention generally comprises a body formed from two substantially S-shaped, preferably metal, tubular members, detachably secured in relation one to the other by a horizontal seat, and including a detachable tray and support rods therefor, the latter being slidably related to and securable to the forwardly projecting arms of the chair formed by the upper portion of each substantially S- shaped member. Preferably the chair embodies a removable back supported in normal upright position merely by bearing against parts of the chair frame, while the chair preferably includes a foot rest, which is adjustable and detachable to meet particular requirements. In the preferred chair, which includes both tray and foot rest, the tray, the seat, and foot rest form, 1n effect, tlc members for maintaining the chair framework rigid in its normal set up position.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying detailed drawlngs.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation the present invention. i

Figure 2 is a front elevatlon thereof.

of the chair according to of the centre vertical axis of the chair to Figure 3 is a View illustrating one form of back rest and the manner that it engages with the side frames of the chair, the latter being shown in section.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 but showing an alternative form of back rest and alternative construction designed to support the back rest.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken through the upper portion of one side frame and showing the manner in which the side frame is preferably connected to the seat.

`Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail to show an alternative positioning of the foot rest.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail illustration of an alternative manner of constructing the tray to provide a channel for clearing the arms of the chair when the tray is slid inwardly towards the arms.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the various parts 0f the chair illustrated in perspective and with the side frames folded to illustrate the manner in which the parts of the unit may be detached and the whole structure folded.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the collapsed chair packed for carrying as a compact unit.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the chair as a whole which is made up of a pair of symmetrical side frames l0 of generally S-shaped form and preferably from tubular stock. Being of generally S-shaped form, the lower bar of the S-shaped element indicated by the numeral 11 forms the base or bearing support for the side frames. The intermediate parallel section of the side frame indicated by the numeral 12 forms the seat support and the upper parallel portion 13 forms the arm of the chair. The connecting portion of the frame between the parts 12 and 13 is indicated by the numeral 14 and is preferably curved as shown. The connecting portion 15 between the parallel portions 12 and 11 is off-set outwardly as at 16 (see Figure 2 particularly) so that the portions 11 are disposed laterally outwardly of the normal vertical axis of each side frame thereby to provide for a sturdy chair which will not tend to tip sidewise, whereas the members 11 are extended far enough back prevent tipping backwards. The same is the case in respect to the possibility of the chair tipping in the forward direction.

These symmetrical side frames are connected together by the seat B which bears upon the upper surface of the portions 12 of each side frame and is preferably secured thereto by means of the clamps 17, the clamping action of which is controlled by the wing nut 18 and the screw element 19 which preferably pass through the chair seat as shown more particularly in Figure 5. When these clamps are secured the whole chair is made quite rigid by the addition of either the foot rest C or the tray D, both elements being preferably employed as part of the chair but either of which could be omitted. Maximum rigidity, however, is attained when both these elements C and D are employed.

The arms of the chair formed by the portions 13 of the side frames and formed of tubular stock present an open socket at their extremities 20. These form sockets for the rearwardly projecting support bars 21 of the tray D which bars are secured suitably to the tray by the securing means 22 which include a spacer 23, so that the tray is spaced from the support rod 21 at least sufliciently to clear the upper surface of the arms 13. Therefore, the tray D may be adjusted inwardly and outwardly in respect to the child seated in the chair and the tray is readily secured by the securing members 24 passing through the extremities of the arms 13 into engagement with the supporting bars 21. Alternatively, instead of employing the spacer 23 to space the tray upwardly from the rod supports 21, the tray may bear in some measure against these rod supports and by means of grooves 23a disposed in the bottom of the tray and aligned with the arms 13 of the chair, the tray may be slid inwardly towards or outwardly away from the arms 13 in which case the grooves 23a will permit the tray to slide over the arms.

The over-all height of the side frame 10 is preferably chosen to be not greater than the normal spacing between the under surface of a kitchen table and the floor upon which it is supported. Therefore, when not in use the chair may be pushed under such a table and is then completely out of the way, In this instance, the chair back E is completely detachable and, in fact, is freely mounted on the chair. In this connection, it will be seen, by reference to Figure 3, that the chair back E is provided with the laterally projecting 'wings 25 formed between the lower notches 25a and the upper recessed portion 26a of the back so that the wings will fit between the intermediate and upper horizontal portions of the side frames 12 and 13 respectively, so that when the lower edge of the back E rests against the rear edge 26 of the seat B the back E is supported in the upright position in a solid manner. Moreover, when it is desired to move the chair to position under a table, as above referred to, the back is very readily swung downwardly and attached or caused to lie upon the seat.

An alternative form of construction of chair back is shown in Figure 4, where the back E1 is provided with the laterally projecting lugs 27 designed to support it in bearing relation on the intermediate portion 12 of the side frame, while a cross bar 2?, may be attached to the back so that its ends project laterally beyond the side edges of the back and thus function to support the back in a similar manner to that described in connection with Figure 3. As a further alternative, however, the bar 23 might be secured to the side frame instead of being an attached portion of the back El.

The foot rest C is designed to be attached by means of clamps 29 of similar character to the clamps 17 used in conjunction with the seat and more clearly shown in Figure 5. The screw elements 3G of these clamps cooperating with the wing nuts 31 are designed to pass through the foot rest to one side of the ends of the foot rest so that the curved clamping portion of the clamp 29 like that of the clamp 17 may engage the frame and clamp the foot rest against it. Obviously, as shown in Figure 6, the foot rest can be readily detached and reversed in order to accommodate the feet of smaller children, whereas it is an easy matter to set the foot rest at any desired elevation for this purpose also.

In the case of particularly small children, it will be desirable as a safety measure to employ a strap 31a extending substantially between the tray and the seat and which the legs of the child may straddle. In this connection, the strap may be looped about the transversely extending tubular bar 21a forming a continuation of and connecting the support bars 21 and one end of the strap then secured to the chair seat such as by means of a slit extending over a projecting pin 31h projecting from the bottom of the seat.

The use of the S-shaped side frames as shown makes it possible readily to include flexible side covers F which may be turned at their upper and lower extremities to form tubular channels so that by slipping one over the outer free extremity of each arm and' sliding it around the curved portion to locate it on the intermediate section 12 the other end of it can be readily slipped over the free end of arm 13 to assume the normal position shown in Figure l. This provides against any possibility of the child slipping out sidewise from the seat.

In addition to the features of the chair as above described, it will be obvious that the chair can be readily collapsed into a compact unit for storage or transportation. This is clear from a consideration of Figure 7. By removing the foot rest C and the tray D and loosening the clamping element 17, the side frames may be swung so that the arms move outwardly and the base support 11 moves inwardly, thus substantially to assume the position shown in Figure 7. Therefore, by placing the back, the tray, and the foot rest on the seat a very compact collapsed unit results. Obviously, of course, it is readily re-assembled merely by swinging the side frames upwardly to proper position, securing the seat clamp, and then applying the tray, foot rest, and back.

I preferably employ the type of clamp shown, having a main base plate 32 and a curved clamping portion to one side thereof, since this provides for quick, easy, and practical adjustment or detachment when required.

The various features of this chair will be clearly apparent from the foregoing and it will be observed that by employing two independent S-shaped side frames all the various edvantages of adjustment and collapsibility are realized. Moreover, by providing the free ends on the arms 13, I automatically provide tubular sockets which permit the practical mounting, the adjustment and steady support of the tray D.

In Figure 8 the parts are illustrated in exploded relation to show the manner in/which the chair is collapsed readily and from Figure 9, it will be clearly understood that the parts are so designed that the collapsed unit may be packed in a very compact manner for carrying. In this respect the side frames when moved such as in Figure 8 to the collapsed interlapping position form a base for the packed unit and the upper face of the tray D may then be positioned to lie upon the seat B with the support bars 21 projecting rearwardly. In this instance the securing means 22 which secure the tray D to the arms 21 project upwardly and when the back E is placed on top of the tray, the upper shoulders formed by the recesses 26a (Figure 3) at the upper extremity of the wings 25 are caused to abut the securing means 22 so that when a securing strap 31a is caused to encircle the parts so packed, the back E is held securely between the strap and the securing means 22. Moreover, it will be noted that the upper end of the back will rest in a natural manner against the upwardly projecting edge of the foot rest C so that a irm compact unit is provided for carrying the chair from one location to another as when travelling.

The packing of the chair in the manner described is readily achieved and securernent of the packed units made by use of the strap 31a which also may form a general utility element of the chair as described particularly in the case of very young children and where its use in the set-up chair becomes no longer necessary, it then becomes solely a utility element for securing the chair in the packed arrangement.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that I attain the general objects of my invention and it should be noted that the chair is of such character that it may be used for any given child from practically babyhood until substantially seven to eight years of age. In this respect, it should be obvious that the chair is of very sturdy construction so that it will conveniently support a child of substantial size whereas by reason of the adjustability of the foot rest C upwardly or downwardly along the section 13 of the side frames or its reversal inwardly as previously described, the chair is readily fitted to the size of the child. Consequently, in the later years the chair may be employed as a general utility chair and the tray employed somewhat in the manner of a desk or book rest. Finally, it will be appreciated that the chair is produced of a minimum number of folded to collapsed position or moved to set-up position while obviously the parts where desired may be readily detached and stored.

What l claim as my invention is:

1. A foldable chair comprising: two side membersV each having three substantially horizontal spaced apart sections, the mid horizontal sectionl of each side member connecting with the top horizontal section at one of its ends by means of a curved section, and with the bottom horizontal section at the other of its ends by means of an inclined section; a seat member; connecting means for swingably connecting the mid horizontal section of each side member to said seat member, one side member being connected to said seat member adjacent one side edge and the other side member being connected to said seat member adjacent the opposite side edge of said seat member, the mid horizontal section of each of said side members being parallel to the other one; locking means for locking said swingably connected side membersl with respect to said seat member with their principal planes in parallel relation to each other; and a back member having wings in interlocking relation with the curved section of each of said side members that joins the mid to the upper horizontal section when they are disposed in parallel relation to eachy other as aforesaid.

2. A foldable chair comprising: two side members each having three substantially horizontal spaced apart sections, the mid horizontal section of each side member connecting with the top horizontal section at one of its ends by means of a curved section,` and with the bottom horizontal section at the other of its ends by means of an inclined section; a seat member; connecting means for swingably connecting the mid horizontal section of each side member to said seat member', one sidemember being connected to said seat member adjacent. one side edge and the other side member being connected to said seat member adjacent the opposite side edge of said seat member, the mid horizontal section of each of said side members being parallel to the other one; locking means main elements, readily' for locking said swingably connected side members with respect to said seat member with their principal planes in parallel relation to each other; and a back member having wings in interlocking relation with the curved section of each of said side members that joins the mid to the upper horizontal sections thereof the lower edge of said back member resting against the rear edge of said seat member.

Name Logan Date I une 29, 1948 Number D. 150,076

Number Name Date Parker Oct. 9, 1888 Shaver Apr. 14, 1931 Leibo Jan. 9, 1934 Horwitt Feb. 11, 1936 Wood Dec. 28, 1948 Wood Ian. 18, 1949 Flinn Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1885 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1941

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