US1330185A - Automatic folding chair - Google Patents

Description

J. W. HARDY.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. 1918.

1,330, 185. Patented Feb. 10,1920

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JAMES W. HARDY, OF NEWTON, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Application filed January 12, 1918. Serial No. 211,575. 7

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns W. HARDY, a citizenof the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Harvey and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Automatic Folding Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic folding chairs which will automatically close when unoccupied thereby occupying less floor space.

Another object of this invention is to provide a chair which automatically closes when the occupant rises thus giving greater floor space between the rows of chairs and avoiding confusion when going to or coming from the respective chair.

'With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and set forth in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved folding chair as made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the chair in closed position.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5' indicates the chair in its entirety and it comprises in its construction a plurality of supporting standards 6. The supporting standards 6 have vertical portions the lower ends of which are bent angularly to provide the attaching feet 7 which feet are each provided with an aperture through which is adapted to extend a suitable fastening means for rigidly securing the standards to a support designated A in the drawings. The supporting standards are arranged in pa1rs each pair having a front standard 9 and a 7 rear standard 8. The upper ends of the vertical portions are twisted as at 10 and are further extended in an upwardly and inwardly inclined direction to provide the sup porting members 10. The upper. ends of the supporting members 10 are overlapped and are pivotally connected together by the bolts 12 having secured thereto, suitable nuts 13. A horizontal vrod 14 has: its I ends 1ournaled through each forward leg 9 of each pair intermediate the ends thereof and pro ects laterallybeyond the exterior sides thereof.

A linklo has one end pivotally secured to the outer end of the rod 14 on the exterior side of each forward leg 9. The free end of the link is pivotally secured to a bolt 16 extended transversely through the rear legs of each pair on the interior thereof. The bolt 16 has secured on the inner end and bearing against the link 15 a suitable nut 17 which prevents the link from being accidentally displaced.

A seat 18 is provided with side depending flanges 19 which flanges are pivotally mounted on the bar 1 1 to position the seat between the pairs of standards 6. A back 20 has its lower end secured to the rear edge of the seat 18 by suit-able hinges 21 and by virtue of the weight of the back, the seat will normally rise to a vertical position when no pressure is placed thereon and thus automatically collapse the seat and back tomove them in the plane of the pairs of supporting standards. The opposite side edges of the back 20 are provided intermediate their ends with laterally extending attaching ears 22 and an arm 23 at one end pivotally secured to each ear ZQ-as at 24:. The forward end of each arm 23 is pivotally mounted on the bolts 12 which pivotally connect the upper ends of the standards 6 together. ward edge of each arm is provided with a horizontally disposed flange 25 which constitutes a rest and the forward end of this flange is curved downwardly to overlie the upperends of the supporting members 10 to limit the swinging movement of the seat and back in automatically closing. The curved portions 25 of the arm rests 25 constitute stops so as to engage the upper ends of the standards or members to prevent the seat from swinging too far and out of the planes of the standards when unoccupied.

It will be seen that from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that a seat of this character will automatically close and thus position the seat and back in the plane of the pairs of standards 6 and provide a greater floor space when the chairs are not occupied and permit passage between the rows of seats without crowding the occupants of the occupied seats.

It will be understood that it will be only necessary to grasp the forward edge of the seat 18 and press the same downwardly to move the seat into a horizontal positionand raise the back upwardly in-the position illus. trated in Fig. 1. r Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

l. 'A folding seat comprising a plurality of standards arranged in pairs, a seat pivotally secured between the standards and to one standard of each pair, a back. hingedly secured to the seat, arms pivotally secured to the back and standards, means carried by the arms for limiting the closing movement of the seat, and means carried by the seat for limiting the opening movement thereof.

2. A folding chair comprising pairs of standards, links connecting the standards in pairs, attaching means carried by the stand ards, a seat pivotally secured to one standard of each pair, a back hinged to the seat, arms JAMES W. HARDY Witnesses:

W. W. REGIER, J. G. REGIER.

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