US3463546A - Knockdown paperboard chair with storage space - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 26, 1969 3,463,546

KNOCKDOWN PAPERBOARD CHAIR WI '1H STORAGE SPACE a. E. GIEBEL Filed Aug. 28, 1967 United States Patent US. Cl. 297-440 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A paperboard chair constructed from two blanks. One blank incorporates the back section, the side panels. seat flaps cut out from the side panels in such a manner that the assembled chair has the resemblance to a swing chair, and bottom flaps which are interfolded or secured together to form a base structure. A second blank forms a front section, a seat cover and a bottom flap. When the two blanks are properly folded and secured to each other, a wing chair with a storage space below the seat is formed. The space also houses a removable support for the seat.

This invention relates to furniture, particularly to chairs of the type constructed of low cost paperboard, fiberboard or similar light weight, high strength, relatively rigid material in sheet form, hereinafter referred to as paperboard. This board is provided with a waterproof coating which makes the furniture resistant to damage by moisture and which adapts the furniture to be decorated with water or oil paints.

One object of this invention is to provide a chair which can be assembled from a few prepared and preformed blanks of paperboard which are of a size which can be easily shipped and mailed.

Another object is to provide a chair assembled from several paperboard blanks which incorporates a storage space under the seat, which space also serves to house the seat support assembly.

Another object is to provide blanks which are so simplified that even a young child can assemble them to form a chair, one of the blanks forming the front and seat to provide a replaceable seat means when the old one is worn out.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be exemplified in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the assembled chair;

FIG. 2 shows a view of the assembled chair taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the major chair blank which, when folded, forms the back section, the sides, the seat flaps and the bottom flaps of the chair;

FIG. 4 shows the other blank forming the front, the seat cover and a bottom flap of the chair;

FIG. 5 shows the seat support means assembly; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the chair showing the preferred manner of interfolding the bottom flaps.

The paperboard chair in accordance with the invention is of sufiicient strength to support the desired weight of the sitter, usually a young child or infant, yet it is light enough to be picked up by the child and moved. The

3,463,546 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 'ice coating applied to the paperboard material is preferably a synthetic thermoplastic such as a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer or an acrylic polymer. The board is coated on the outside and thereby is waterproofed to withstand normal usage.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chair resembles a wing chair with a hand hold at the top. It is assembled from a major blank 1 (FIG. 3) forming a frame-like structure for the chair, a smaller blank 2 (FIG. 4) and support blanks 3 which are partly slotted for the cruciform assembly (FIG. 5).

Major blank 1 comprises back section 5, side panels 6 and 7 connected to the back section by score lines 8, and bottom flaps 10, 11 and 12 depending from the back section and side panels respectively, at score lines 13. As will be noted in FIG. 3, side panel 6 has seat flap 14 secured thereto by a score line 15 intermediate the side panel. A curved out line 16 extending from the top horizontal edge of blank 1 to the inner end of score line 15 permits longitudinal separation of flap 14 from the side panel. The configuration of out line 16 forms a wing section 18 in the side panel which gives the finally assembled chair the resemblance to a wing chair, as shown in FIG. 1.

Similarly, side panel 7 is also provided with a score line 15 and out line 16 whereby seat flap 19 and wing section 20 are formed.

Although cut lines 16 are shown shaped to provide wing type sides, other configurations may be used for the cut lines to provide other well known styles of chairs.

A series of holes 22 are located along the outer vertical edges of side panels 6 and 7. As will be pointed out later the holes are utilized in securing the blanks in the final chair assembly.

The second blank 2, shown in FIG. 4, comprises front section 24, seat cover 25 connected thereto by score line 26 and bottom flap 27 connected thereto by score line 28. Front section 24 has side attaching flaps 30 and 31 connected thereto by score lines 32. Flaps 30 and 31 have a series of holes 33 along their length to cooperate with holes 22 in the side panels in the final chair assembly. Seat cover 25 has a fold flap 34 connected thereto by a score line 35.

The support means comprise blanks 3, each having a central slot 38 extending from an edge to about the center. The two slotted blanks are assembled as shown in FIG. 5 to present a cruciform or X cross-section.

To assemble the chair, blank 1 is bent along score lines 88 to bring side panels 6 and 7 at right angles with back section 5. Seat flaps 14 and 19 are separated at cut lines 16 and bent along score lines 15-15 to form a part of the seat means. End flaps 110, 11 and 12 are bent horizontally along their score lines 13 and, when secured together, form the base or bottom of the chair assembly. It is preferable that in assembly, the bottom flaps be folded counter-clockwise and be secured to each other by interfolding and locking each other or by using mold-resistant and weatherproof adhesive to form a strong multi-ply base structure if a permanent assembly is desired.

Blank 2 is then bent along score lines 26 and 28 to bring seat cover 25 and bottom flap 27 to their horizontal positions. Flaps 30 and 31 are bent along their score lines 3232. Flaps 30 and 31 are placed within the outer edges of side panels 6 and 7, and the holes 22 in the side panels are aligned with holes 33 in the flaps. Bottom flaps 10, 11 and 12 are then arranged horizontally and folded inwardly in the following order, reference being made to FIG. 6. Flap 11 is folded first, followed by the folding of flap 10 over it and then folding flap 12 over flap 10. Thus, each flap is held by an edge of the adjacent flap; that is, flaps 11, 10 and 12 are folded counter-clockwise.

To lock the assembly, flap 27 is folded and arranged so that one of its edges overlies fiap 12 and its other edge is below flap 11.

Seat cover 25 overlies horizontally arranged seat flaps 14 and 19 to provide a smooth seating surface. Seat cover 25 is held in its horizontal position by folding its flap 34 between the back section and the seat flaps, the flap of the seat cover serving to frictionally hold flap 34 in position.

The front section is finally fastened to the side panels by fastening means inserted through some or all of the aligned holes 22 and 23. While any type of fastener may be used, screw-nut means 40 or other commercially available fasteners, such as metal or plastic, are preferable for the reason that they permit the assembly of the chair by a child as part of a program of nursery school education.

After the front section 24 is fastened to side panels 6 and 7, an enclosed space 41 is formed which is bounded by the back and front sections, the side panels, the seat cover and the base. Access to this space is had by lifting seat cover 25 and flaps 14 and 19.

Space or chamber 41 performs two functions. Firstly, it may be used for storage for toys or the like and secondly it houses the seat support assembly comprising blank means 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the seat support assembly is placed within space 41 with the intersecting axis of blanks 3-3 vertically arranged so that the seat means comprises flaps 14 and 19 and cover 25 and rests upon the cruciform section. This arrangement provides a strong support for the seat and still provides for storage space. The support may be removed from chamber 41 so that the entire space 41 may be utilized for storage.

The lifting and seating forces and strains on the front section and seat cover 24 and 25 eventually wear them out before the rest of the chair structure is worn out. The Worn out blank 2 may be easily replaced by a new one by merely removing fastening means 40 and changing the old unit for a new one and reinserting the fastening means in holes 22 and 33. The use of screw-nut fastening means greatly facilitates the above change, as well as the original assembly. However, the two blanks may be secured by other fastening means, such as by stapling flaps 30 and 31 to the side panels with paper fasteners through holes 22 and 33, or by using strong adhesive means, if a permanent bond between the parts is desired.

For convenience in handling and carrying the chair, a hand grip slot 42 is punched in back section and a finger hole 43 may be cut in seat cover 25. In lieu of hole 43, a tab stapled to seat cover 25 may be utilized to lift the seat.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description (or shown in the accompanying drawing) shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A paperboard chair assembly consisting essentially of flat paperboard blanks comprising: a first blank having a back section with projecting side panels connected by score lines to each vertical edge of said back section, each side panel having an intermediate, substantially horizontal score line starting from the outer vertical edge and terminating at an intermediate point on the panel, and a out line starting from an intermediate point on the outer horizontal edge thereof which terminates at the inner end of said horizontal score line, thereby permitting a portion of each side panel to form a seat flap when bent to a horizontal position along its score line, and the remaining portion of the side panel along the out line forming a wing section to give the final assembly a wing chair appearance; said side panels being foldable along their vertical score lines substantially perpendicular to said back panel; a second blank having a front section and a seat cover connected thereto along its upper horizontal edge foldable along a score line; and means for securing the vertical edges of the front section of the second blank to the vertical edges of the side panels of the first blank, with the seat cover arranged horizontally and overlying the horizontally bent seat flaps, whereby the back section, the side panels, and the front section form a chamber uncovered by lifting the seal flaps and cover.

2. A paperboard chair in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second blank has attaching fiaps connected to its front section along the vertical edges, which flaps are secured to the vertical edges of the side panels of the first blank.

3. A paperboard chair in accordance with claim 2, wherein the securing means comprise aligned holes in the attaching flaps and side panels and fastening means insertable through the aligned holes.

4. A paperboard chair in accordance with claim 1, wherein the back section and side panels of the first blank and the front section of the second blank have bottom flaps which overlap to form a base structure.

5. A paperboard chair in accordance With claim 1, wherein there is a removable support means for the seat flaps located in the chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,100,979 11/1937 Rowe. 2,313,362 3/1943 Rolls. 3,168,347 2/ 1965 Lyles 297442 3,250,570 5/1966 Smith et a1. 297-442 3,290,089 12/ 1966 Farrell 297-192 X 3,331,634 7/1967 Harrison 297-442 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 297192, 442

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