US3281183A

US3281183A - Combination chair back and child's high chair

Info

Publication number: US3281183A
Application number: US468290A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Manglos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-06-30
Filing date: 1965-06-30
Publication date: 1966-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-25

Description

Oct. 25, 1966 J. c. MANGLQS 3,281,183

COMBINATION CHAIR BACK AND CHILD'S HIGH CHAIR Filed June so, 1965 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 Fig./ 6 Fig-5 John Mung/0s INVENTOR.

Oct. 25, 1966 J. c. MANGLOS 3,281,183

COMBINATION CHAIR BACK AND CHILD'S HIGH CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 30, 1965 Fig.4

INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,281,183 COMBINATION CHAIR BACK AND CHILDS HIGH CHAIR John C. Manglos, 1018 S. Park, Independence, Mo. Filed June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,290 4 Claims. (Cl. 297238) This invention relates to a novel and useful combination chair back and a childs high chair and more specifically to an apparatus which is designed to adapt a conventional straight back chair to selectively function as a conventional chair and as a childs high chair.

While there are numerous types of childre-ns high chairs commercially available and some of these high chairs are constructed in a manner whereby they may be readily folded so as to be compactly stored and transported from one location to another, these complete high chairs being necessarily quite expensive tomanufacture, especially if they are of the folding type, and usually constructed in a manner whereby they support children at a predetermined height in a non-adjustable fashion.

Parents of small children still using high chairs and also children which have only recently graduated from using a high chair will occasionally desire the use of a high chair which will seat the child supported thereby at an elevation somewhat lower than the elevation at which a child is supported by a conventional high chair. Still further, While the types of conventional high chairs which are foldable may be transported from one location to another with less eifort than a high chair which cannot be folded, even the fold'able type of high chair requires considerable storage space and is oftentimes cumbersome to handle.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a high chair attachment for use in connection with a conventional chair of the type including a straight back, such a chair being of the type provided with a dinette set or a card table set including a table and four chairs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a high chair attachment for a straight back chair which may be readily removably engaged and supported from the straight back portion of such a card table or dinette set chair.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a high chair attachment for use in connection with the aforementioned type of straight back chair and which may be semi-permanently secured thereto in a manner such that the chair may alternately be used as a high chair for a small child and as a conventional chair by an adult without removing the attachment from the chair.

Another object of this invention is to provide a high chair attachment in accordance with the preceding objects which may be readily removed from an associated straight back chair and stored or transported in an extremely compact state.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumenated herein is to provide a high chair attachment in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the detail of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the high chair attachment of the instant invention shown in an opera- "ice tive position to form a high chair for a small child and supported from the back of a conventional straight back chair;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIG 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to that of FIGURE 3 but showing the high chair attachment in a collapsed position mounted on the straight back chair in order that the chair may be utilized to support an adult;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of the high "chair attachment of the instant invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the high chair attachment of the instant invention. The attachment 10 is i1- lustrated in FIGURES 1-5 of the drawings as being secured to a conventional dinette set type of straight back chair including a seat 12 and a straight upright back assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 14. The back assembly 14 is defined by a pair of rearwardly and upwardly

inclined support arms

16 and 18. The support arms .16 and 18 are usually interconnected by means of aback bracing member (not shown) but which has been removed from the chair in order that including a pair of

opposite side walls

22 and 24 interconnected by means of an arcuate back wall 26. The

side Walls

22 and 24 include rearwardly and upwardly inclined inwardly projecting

flange portions

28 and 30 which, together with the back wall 26 define a rear hollow portion 32.

. URES 1 and 2 of the drawings.

A bottom wall 34 is secured between the lower ends of the

side walls

22 and 24 and the lower end of the back wall 26 and has certain portions thereof cut away in order to provide downwardly opening portions of the rear portion 32 adapting the housing 20 to be telescoped downwardly over the upper ends of the

support arms

16 and 18, the housing 20 being firmly supported from the back assembly 14 in this manner.

The upper end of the housing 20 includes a top wall 36 which interconnects the upper ends of the

side walls

22 and 24 and the back wall 26. The front of the housing 20 is open as best seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawings and a high chair seat and regular chair back-forming panel member 40 is pivotally secured along one edge portion to the bottom wall 34 by means of a piano hinge 42. In this manner, the member 40 is pivotable from the raised retracted position illustrated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings to a substantially horizontally disposed extended and high chair seat forming position illustrated in FIG- In addition, it will be noted that the member 40, when in its retracted position, includes an arcuate front surface 44 adapted to conform to the contour of the back of a person seated in the chair. Still further, the member 40, when in the raised position, forms a closure for the front end of the housing 20.

'A chair back-forming panel 46 is pivotally secured at one edge portion to the member 40 by means of a piano hinge assembly 48 a spaced distance from the hinge as sembly 42. The high chair back-forming panel 46 is 'pivotable between a position substantially paralleling the member 40 and a position disposed substantially normal to the member 40.

A pair of flexible tension members 50 have one pair of corresponding ends secured through suitable bores 52 in the

flanges

28 and 30 as at 54 and their other ends secured through the free marginal edge portion of the member 40 as at 56. Intermediate portions of the flexible members 50 are secured through suitable bores 58 formed in the high chair back-forming panel 46 adjacent its free-swinging edge portion and the flexible members 50 may be knotted as at 60 so as to limit swinging movement of the free edge portion of the panel 46 away from the free edge portion of the member 40. In addition, the .fiexible member 50 limit downward swinging movement of the free edge portion of the member 40 toward the horizontally disposed high chair seat forming position illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings.

The arcuate or concave front face 44 of the member 40 includes a pair of elongated recesses 64 in whichelongated leg members 66 are pivotally secured by means of suitable hinge assemblies 68. The leg members 66 are fully retractable within the recesses 64 and are pivoted to the extended positions illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings when it is desired to utilize the attachment as a high chair seat.

In operation, the back bracing member (not shown) normally secured between the

support arms

16 and 18 is first removed. Then, the attachment 10 is telescoped downwardly over the upper ends of the

support arms

16 and 18 with the latter received within the rear portion 32 of the housing 20. If the member 40 is in the upstanding closed position illustrated in FIGURE of the drawings, its forward or front surface 44 will provide a suitable backrest for an adult seated in the chair. However, when it is desired to use the chair as a high chair, the member 40 is pivoted to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings which will automatically cause the panel 46 to be also positioned as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. Then, the leg members 66 may be swung to their depending positions and engaged with the upper surface of the seat 12 to assist in supporting the weight of a child seated in the attachment 10.

It will of course be understood that the height of the high chair seat-forming member 40 when the latter is in its open position is determined by the height of the back of the associated chair. Accordingly, the attachment is readily adaptable to the height of any table if suitable chairs for that table are provided with conventional height backs.

As hereinbefore set forth, if it is desired that the attachment 10 is to be utilized in conjunction with a straight back chair without removing the aforementioned backbracing member, the rear portion 32 of the housing 20 may be made larger during the construction of the attachment 10 in order that the rear portion 32 will also accept such a back-bracing member secured between the

support arms

16 and 18.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only if the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed. I

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a conventional chair of the type including a seat and an upright back, a high chair attachment comprising a high chair seat and regular chair back-forming member, means pivotally securing one edge portion of said member to said back for rotation about a generally horizontal axis extending along said edge portion and across said seat a spaced distance above the latter, a high chair back-forming panel pivotally secured along one edge portion thereof to said member for rotation about an axis generally paralleling and spaced laterally from the first-mentioned axis toward the free edge of said member and with said back panel disposed above said member when the latter is generally horizontally disposed, means operatively connected between said panel and said member limiting pivotal movement of the free edges thereof away from each other to relative positions with said panel and member disposed generally normal to each other, and means connected to said member and engageable with said conventional chair to limit the swinging movement of the free end of said member away from the upper portion of said back to a position with said member substantially horizontally disposed and spaced above said seat, said means pivotally securing said one edge portion of said member to said upright back comprising a mounting member secured to said upright back and to which said one edge portion of said member is pivotally secured, said mounting member defining a shallow housing open at its forward end, said chair backforming member, with said panel thereon, being swingable from said horizontal position to an upright position forming a closure for the forward end of said housing and with said panel disposed in said housing, said housing also including a rear portion which opens downwardly, said housing being removably telescoped downwardly over the upper end of said upright back with the latter disposed in said rear portion.

2. In combination with a conventional chair of the type including a seat and an upright back, a high chair attachment comprising a high chair seat and regular chair backforming member, means pivotally securing one edge portion of said member to said back for rotation about a generally horizontal axis extending along said edge portion and across said seat a spaced distance above the latter, a high chair back-forming panel pivotally secured along one edge portion thereof to said member for rotation about an axis generally paralleling and spaced laterally from the first-mentioned axis toward the free edge of said member and with said back panel disposed above said member when the latter is generally horizontally disposed, means operatively connected between said' panel and said member limiting pivotal movement of the free edges thereof away from each other to relative positions with said panel and member disposed generally normal to each other, and means connected to said member and engageable with said conventional chair to limit the swinging movement of the free end of said member away from the upper portion of said back to a position with said member substantially horizontally disposed and spaced above said seat, said mounting member comprising a housing including a downwardly opening portion removably telescoped downwardly over the upper end of said upright back.

3. A high chair attachment for use in connection with a conventional chair of the type including a seat and an upright back, a high chair seat and regular chair backforming member, means carried by one edge portion of said member adapting said member to be pivotally secured to said back above said seat for rotation about a generally horizontal axis extending along said edge portion and across said seat a spaced distance above the latter, a high chair back-forming panel pivotally secured along one edge portion thereof to said member for rotation about an axis generally paralleling and spaced laterally from the first-mentioned axis toward the free edge of said member and with said back panel disposed above said member when the latter is generally horizontally disposed, means operatively connected between said panel and said member limiting pivotal movement of the free edges thereof away from each other to relative positions with said panel and memberdisposed generally normal to each member is pivotally secured, said mounting member defining a shallow housing open at its forward end, said member, with said panel thereon, being swingable from said horizontal position to an upright position forming a closure for the forward end of said housing and with said panel disposed in said housing, said housing also including a rear portion which opens downwardly, said housing being adapted to be removably telescoped downwardly over the upper end of said upright back with the latter disposed in said rear portion.

4. A high chair attachment for use in connection with a conventional chair of the type including a seat and an upright back, a high chair seat and regular chair backforming member, means carried by one edge portion of said member adapting said member to be pivotally secured to said back above said seat for rotation about a generally horizontal axis extending along said edge portion and across said seat a spaced distance above the latter, a high chair back-forming panel pivotally secured along one edge portion thereof to said member for rotation about an axis generally paralleling and spaced laterally from the first-mentioned axis toward the free edge of said member and with said back panel disposed above said member when the latter is generally horizontally disposed, means operatively connected between said panel and said member limiting pivotal movement of the free edges thereof away from each other to relative positions with said panel and member disposed generally normal to each other, and means connected to said member and adapted to be engaged with said conventional chair to limit the swinging movement of the free end of said member away from the upper portion of said back to a position with said member substantially horizontally disposed and spaced above said seat, said means adapted to pivotally secure said one edge portion of said member to said upright comprising a mounting member adapted to be secured to said upright back and to which said one edge portion of said member is pivotally secured, and said mounting member comprises a housing including a downwardly opening portion adapted to be removably telescoped downwardly over the upper end of said upright back.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,034,678 8/1912 Berger 297238 1,216,287 2/1917 Corbin 297256 1,260,972 3/ 1918 Faiella 297238 1,347,127 7/1920 Singleterry 297112 1,817,708 8/1931 Pintow 297-112 2,174,627 10/ 1939 Fraune 297238 2,825,391 3/1958 Underhill 297380 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVENTIONAL CHAIR OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A SEAT AND AN UPRIGHT BACK, A HIGHT CHAIR ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A HIGH CHAIR SEAT AND REGULAR CHAIR BACK-FORMING MEMBER, MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING ONE EDGE PORTION OF SAID MEMBER TO SAID BACK FOR ROTATION ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS EXTENDING ALONG SAID EDGE PORTION AND ACROSS SAID SEAT A SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE THE LATTER, A HIGH CHAIR BACK-FORMING PANEL PIVOTALLY SECURED ALONG ONE EDGE PORTION THEREOF TO SAID MEMBER FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLELING AND SPACED LATERALLY FROM THE FIRST-MENTIONED AXIS TOWARD THE FREE EDGE OF SAID MEMBER AND WITH SAID BACK PANEL DISPOSED ABOVE SAID MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID PANEL AND SAID MEMBER LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FREE EDGES THEREOF AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO RELATIVE POSITIONS WITH SAID PANEL AND MEMBER DISPOSED GENERALLY NORMAL TO EACH OTHER, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CONVENTIONAL CHAIR TO LIMIT THE SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END OF SAID MEMBER AWAY FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BACK TO A POSITION WITH SAID MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AND SPACED ABOVE SAID SEAT, SAID MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING SAID ONE EDGE PORTION OF SAID MEMBER TO SAID UPRIGHT BACK COMPRISING A MOUNTING MEMBER SECURED TO SAID UPRIGHT BACK AND TO WHICH SAID ONE EDGE PORTION OF SAID MEMBER IS PIVOTALLY SECURED, SAID MOUNTING MEMBER DEFINING A SHALLOW HOUSING OPEN AT ITS FORWARD END, SAID CHAIR BACKFORMING MEMBER, WITH SAID PANEL THEREON, BEING SWINGABLE FROM SAID HORIZONTAL POSITION TO AN UPRIGHT POSITION FORMING A CLOSURE FOR THE FORWARD END OF SAID HOUSING AND WITH SAID PANEL DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID HOUSING ALSO INCLUDING A REAR PORTION WHICH OPENS DOWNWARDLY, SAID HOUSING BEING REMOVABLY TELESCOPED DOWNWARDLY OVER THE UPPER END OF SAID UPRIGHT BACK WITH THE LATTER DISPOSED IN SAID REAR PORTION.