Chairs and seats – Collapsible chair; i.e. – relatively folding bottom – back,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-14
2001-07-10
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Collapsible chair; i.e., relatively folding bottom, back,...
C297S016200, C297S017000, C297S020000, C297S032000, C297S041000, C297S055000, C297S056000, C297S258100, C297S271500, C297S271600, C297S272100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257660
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable folding furniture, and more particularly to a furniture piece that can be collapsed to a folded condition rendering the structure portable and un-folded to a set-up condition providing a sturdy piece of furniture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable folding chairs and tables are known in the art and are provided in many different forms and manufactured from many different materials. Folding metal chairs are known that have a tubular frame with front legs that extend upward and rearward wherein a metal sheet is attached to the upper ends of the legs defining a backrest. The rear legs of the chair typically extend upward and forward and attach to the front legs in scissor-like fashion at a leg pivot. The rear legs connect to a separate seat structure also typically in the form of a formed metal sheet. These types of chairs have a thin metal bar interconnecting the front and rear leg on each side of the chair below the leg pivot. The thin bar also has an intermediate pivot so that the bar can be bent in half when the chair is folded together. Folding and unfolding of the chair requires first manually lifting on the pivot of the thin bar.
There are many other types of folding chairs known in the art. The majority of these constructions are relatively complex and include a number of separate components to complete the chair and to support the chair in a set-up condition. There are also conventional folding table constructions which have four legs and a table top. Each leg folds down from being parallel with one edge of the tabletop to being perpendicular to the table top. These types of folding tables are commonly known as card tables.
Folding sling chairs are also known in the art and utilize a number of structural components which can be folded and unfolded to construct a piece of furniture or make the furniture portable. These types of chairs utilize a piece of fabric suspended by its two opposite ends. The single piece of fabric forms both a chair seat and chair backrest when a person sits in the chair with their weight supported by the fabric sling. Examples of sling chairs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,718,473 and 5,054,849.
Folding rocking chairs are also known in the art and also typically include a multitude of separate components that form the chair assembly. Foldable rocking chairs sometimes include bottom rails that have curved bottom surfaces on which an individual can rock. An example of such a folding rocking chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,675. An even more elaborate foldable rocking chair construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,921 and includes a number of sliding and pivoting elements interconnected to one another. The bottom rails sit on the ground and remain stationary while other elements of the chair produce the rocking feature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is needed is an inexpensive, sturdy and compact folding furniture piece that can be taken along when traveling and utilized just about anywhere. What is also needed is a furniture piece that is lightweight, easy to assemble, simple to manufacture, and requires a minimum number of moving parts and yet provides a sturdy construction.
The present invention is directed to a portable furniture assembly such as a chair or a table that utilizes a scissor construction that is foldable and yet provides a very sturdy, stable piece of furniture. In one embodiment of the invention, a portable chair is movable between at least a folded condition and a set-up condition. The portable chair has two spaced apart and opposed bottom rails each having a bottom surface, a forward end and a rear end. The portable chair also has two spaced apart and opposed leg scissors. Each leg scissor has a long support and a short support that intersect one another and are pivotally attached to one another at a leg pivot. The long support of each leg scissor defines a front leg section below the leg pivot and terminates at a bottom end. Each long support also defines a seat back section above the leg pivot and terminates at a top end. The short support of each leg scissor defines a rear leg section below the leg pivot that terminates at a lower end and a seat front support above the leg pivot that terminates at an upper end. The portable chair also has a backrest link interconnecting the seat back sections of the long supports, a seat rest link interconnecting the seat front sections of the short supports, and a rail link interconnecting the bottom rails near the rear ends. A front leg joint pivotally connects the bottom ends of each front leg section to a corresponding bottom rail near the forward end. A flexible sling is suspended at its opposite ends and defines both the chair seat and chair backrest. The lower ends of the short supports are held fixed by a stop mechanism when the chair is in the set-up condition.
In one embodiment, the backrest link and the two long supports are each a discrete separate structure with the backrest link connected to the two long supports. In another embodiment, the backrest link and the two long supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.
In one embodiment, the seat rest link and the two short supports are each a discrete separate structure with the seat rest link connected to the two short supports. In another embodiment, the seat rest link and the two short supports are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.
In one embodiment, the rail link and the two bottom rails are each a discrete separate structure with the rail link connected to the two bottom rails. In another embodiment, the rail link and the two bottom rails are integrally formed as a single unitary structure.
In one embodiment, the bottom surfaces of the bottom rails are arcuate and define a rocking surface thereby forming a rocking portable chair.
In one embodiment, each of the links and supports are molded from a thermoplastic material. In another embodiment, each of the links and supports are fabricated from wood.
In one embodiment, the flexible sling is a fabric sling with one end suspended from the backrest link and the other end suspended from the seat rest link.
In one embodiment, the stop mechanism is provided by both the rail link and the lower ends of the short supports wherein the lower ends have a contoured notch formed thereon that corresponds to and abuts against the rail link when the chair is in the set-up condition.
In another embodiment of the invention, a portable table is movable between at least a folded condition and a set-up condition. The portable table has a tabletop with a top surface and a bottom surface. The portable table also has two opposed and spaced apart leg scissors that depend generally from below the bottom surface of the tabletop. Each of the leg scissors has two elongate supports that intersect one another and are pivotally attached to one another at a leg pivot. Each of the leg scissors defines two lower leg sections wherein one lower leg section of each scissor is defined below the leg pivot on each elongate support. Each of the elongate supports of the leg scissors also defines an upper support section that terminates at a top end. One upper support section of each leg scissor is defined above the leg pivot on each elongate support. The portable table has at least one tabletop joint that pivotally connects the top ends of two corresponding of the upper support sections to the tabletop, one on each leg scissor. At least one stop mechanism is provided that fixes the top end of each of the other two opposed upper support sections to the tabletop when the table is in the set-up condition.
In another embodiment of the invention, a portable table is provided that has two separate top surfaces at different height levels. The table includes two separate portable table sections, each similar to the table described above. A first section has a lower surface provided by a tabletop carried on a first pair of leg scissors each defined by first elongate
Cuomo Peter M.
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
White Rodney B.
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