Chairs and seats – Collapsible chair; i.e. – relatively folding bottom – back,... – Laterally collapsible
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-31
2003-04-01
Brown, Peter R. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Collapsible chair; i.e., relatively folding bottom, back,...
Laterally collapsible
C297S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06540290
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improved folding chairs and particularly to a folding chair that has toggle joints to engage various elements and to function as fulcrums that allow the elements to fold closely with one another, thereby permitting the chair to be folded to a compact size.
Outdoor leisure and recreational activities are very popular these days. As many people live and work in highly competitive environments, and have accumulated a lot of tension and stress, participation in outdoor activities such as field trips, camping, or Bar-B-Q helps people to release tension and stress, and can improve quality of life. It often happens that some recreational sites do not have all the facilities required. In order to better enjoy the outdoor activities, people have to carry some outdoor articles and goods with them, especially tables and chairs. Hence to shrink the size of the tables and chairs has become an important issue to furniture producers.
Folding chairs are widely used nowadays, such as in outdoor trips, school activities, provisional meetings, etc. In the earlier days, folding chairs were mostly made of wood. As wooden chairs are heavy, they are rarely used these days.
In order to remedy the shortcomings of the folding chairs in the past, contemporary folding chairs generally adopt metal chair frames made of steel tubes, aluminum tubes or steel rods. They are bent to desired shapes, then are coupled and stitched with seat pads and backrests made of canvas or fabric. They are generally light weight and portable, and are easy to fold to small sizes for carrying. Hence they are well accepted on the market.
The aforesaid folding chairs mostly have the seat pad pivotally engaged to the backrest. After being used for a period of time, the seat pad tends to sag and cause deformation of the pivotal section. As a result, the pivotal section will not function properly, and make folding or extending of the chair difficult. It becomes an annoying problem to users.
Moreover, the seat pad and backrest usually are fixedly stitched to the chair frame. Once assembled, it is not possible to remove or separate from the chair frame. Hence when using for a period of time, the seat pad and backrest could become smeared or frayed. As the seat pad and backrest cannot be removed for washing and cleaning or replacement, the whole folding chair has to be thrown away. It is a costly waste.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the invention is to resolve the foregoing disadvantages. The invention aims to provide an improved folding chair that has toggle joints to engage various elements and to function as fulcrums to allow the elements to be folded closely with one another for folding the chair to a compact size.
The folding chair of the invention consists of two side frames. Each side frame has a front leg and a rear leg bridged by a linkage bar. The chair also includes a first and a second loading bracket located between the side frames. The linkage bar is coupled with a turnable tubular rod. The tubular rods at two sides attach respectively to a first and a second toggle bar. The first and the second loading bracket include respectively a first and a second side bar which are pivotally engaged with the first 5 and second toggle bars, and have one end engaged with a toggle joint. The first and second side bar have respectively a first and second loading bar on the upper side to form a seating zone. When applying force on the side frames in sideward directions, the two tubular rods will turn about the linkage bars and drive the first and second toggle bar, the first and second loading brackets folding towards each other about the toggle joints so that the chair may be folded to a compact size.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Bacon & Thomas
Brown Peter R.
Edell Joseph
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