Abstract
A folding chair is disclosed that includes a backrest portion, a seat portion, two armrests, and two pairs of a front leg and a back leg each, the front leg and the back leg of each pair being pivotably connected at top ends by a hinge, a bottom end of the backrest portion being pivotably connected to a back end of the seat portion by at least one hinge, the back legs of both pairs each comprising a rail running to a lower portion of the back legs, wherein the backrest portion and the seat portion are on both sides slidably connected to the rails at the position of the at least one hinge, a back end of the armrests being pivotably connected to the backrest portion, and an underside of the armrests being attached to the respective top end of the pairs of legs, and the seat portion being pivotably connected to the front legs on each side.
Claims
1. A folding chair, comprising: a backrest portion, a seat portion, two armrests, and two pairs of a front leg and a back leg each, the front leg and the back leg of each pair being pivotably connected at top ends by a hinge, a bottom end of the backrest portion being pivotably connected to a back end of the seat portion by at least one hinge, the back legs of both pairs each comprising a rail running to a lower portion of the back legs, wherein the backrest portion and the seat portion are on both sides slidably connected to the rails at the position of the at least one hinge, a back end of the armrests being pivotably connected to the backrest portion, and an underside of the armrests being attached to the respective top end of the pairs of legs, and the seat portion being pivotably connected to the front legs on each side.
2. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein the rails each comprise at least two notches, each defining a position at which a connection point to the backrest portion and the seat portion can be detachably locked in the rails.
3. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein a connection of the seat portion to the front legs is being formed on each side by a connection element, one end of the connection element being pivotably connected to the seat portion and another end being pivotably connected to the respective front leg.
4. The folding chair according to claim 3, wherein the connection element comprises a bolt and a pivot arm, the bolt forming at one end a connection with the front leg and on the other end being pivotably connected to one end of the pivot arm, the other end of the pivot arm forming a connection with the seat portion.
5. The folding chair according to claim 4, wherein the backrest portion and the seat portion each comprise an outer frame, connections each being formed on the outer frames.
6. The folding chair according to claim 5, wherein the bolt is arranged underneath the outer frame of the seat portion, the other end of the pivot arm being pivotably connected to an inward facing side of the outer frame.
7. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein a connection of the seat portion to the front legs comprises a locking means preventing a pivoting movement.
8. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein a connection of the back end of the armrests to the backrest portion is being achieved by means of a connection block, which is arranged on a backside of the backrest portion, a side of the connection block being connected to the back end of the armrest forming a pivot connection.
9. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein the underside of the armrests comprises a plurality of locking positions at which the underside of the armrests can be detachably locked to the top end of the respective pairs of legs.
10. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein the armrests comprise detachable covers.
11. The folding chair according to claim 1, wherein a distance from, on one side, a connection of the lower end of the backrest portion to the back end of the seat portion to, on the other side, a connection of the seat portion to the front leg is chosen in such a way, that in a folded state of the folding chair the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion to the back end of the seat portion can be arranged at a lower end position of the rail.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The disclosed folding chair is explained in detail below on the basis of illustrative embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction to illustrate embodiments of the folding chair;
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view to illustrate the embodiments;
[0023] FIG. 3a shows a schematic side view to illustrate a dining position of the folding chair;
[0024] FIG. 3b shows a schematic side view to illustrate a reclined or lounge position of the folding chair;
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view to illustrate an embodiment of the rail comprising a plate and two notches;
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view to illustrate embodiments of the folding chair;
[0027] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view to illustrate a connection element of an embodiment;
[0028] FIG. 7 shows a schematic view to illustrate a locking means of an embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 8 shows a schematic view to illustrate the armrests of an embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 9 shows a schematic view to illustrate the fully folded state of the folding chair;
[0031] FIG. 10 shows a schematic view to illustrate a connection block of an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and perspective depiction to illustrate embodiments of the folding chair 1. FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view from the right side to further illustrate the embodiments. The folding chair 1 comprises a backrest portion 2, a seat portion 3, two armrests 4L, 4R, and two pairs of a front leg 5L, 5R and a back leg 6L, 6R each. For better illustration, only the frames of the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are shown in FIG. 1 while fabric covers forming the backrest and seat areas are omitted.
[0033] The folding chair 1 may comprise crossbars 7 connecting the front legs 5L, 5R and the back legs 6L, 6R from side to side.
[0034] The front leg 5L, 5R and the back leg 6L, 6R of each pair are pivotably connected at top ends 8L, 8R by a hinge 9L, 9R. On either side, the front leg 5L, 5R, the corresponding back leg 6L, 6R, and the ground define a triangle.
[0035] A bottom end 10 (FIG. 2) of the backrest portion 2 is pivotably connected to a back end 11 of the seat portion 3 by a hinge 12L, 12R (FIG. 1) on either side of the backrest portion 2.
[0036] The back legs 6L, 6R of both pairs each comprise a rail 13L, 13L running to a lower portion 14 of the back legs 6L, 6R. The backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are on both sides slidably connected to the rails 13L, 13R at the position of the hinges 12L, 12R. The connection may comprise a bolt and/or a roll on either side of the folding chair 1 that is running inside the rails 13L, 13R.
[0037] A back end 15 of the armrests 4L, 4R is pivotably connected to the backrest portion 2. The connection may be between sides of the backrest portion and the armrest mutually facing each other. An underside of the armrests 4L, 4R is attached to the respective top end 8L, 8R of the pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R. The seat portion 3 is pivotably connected to the front legs 5L, 5R on each side. In particular, the connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R is located around a middle portion 16 (FIG. 2) of the seat portion 3.
[0038] The backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 may each comprise an outer frame, the connections each being formed on the outer frames.
[0039] The degrees of freedom, in which the parts of the folding chair 1, in particular the backrest portion 2, the seat portion 3, and the pair of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R can move is limited due to the various connection points between the parts. This is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b. The degrees of freedom available allow to comfortably alternate the state of the chair between a dining position (FIG. 3a), in which the seat portion 3 is oriented nearly horizontally and the backrest portion 2 is in an upright position, and a reclined or lounge position (FIG. 3b), in which the seat portion 3 is slightly tilted backwards from the horizontal orientation and the backrest portion 2 is reclined to about 45? with respect to a vertical direction. In addition, due to the coupling between the parts, when the folding chair 1 is converted from the dining position to the reclined or lounge position the seating portion 3 and the backrest portion 2 are lowered in height, which becomes apparent by the benchmark level 40 indicated in FIGS. 3a and 3b. This is a result of an increase in the angle between the front legs 5L, 5R and the back legs 6L, 6R, which leads to lowering the connection points of the legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R to the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3, respectively. To effect the conversion from the dining position to the reclined or lounge position, the connection point, where the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are connected and where there is the connection to the rails on each side of the folding chair 1 is moved to a lower position within the rail (i.e. from the position indicated as A to the position indicated as B). Conversely, when the folding chair 1 is to be converted from the reclined or lounge position to the dining position, the connection point, where the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are connected and where there is the connection to the rails on each side of the folding chair 1 is moved to a higher position within the rail (i.e. from B to A).
[0040] When the connection point, where the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 are connected and where there is the connection to the rails on each side of the folding chair 1 is moved to the lowest position within the rail, i.e. the lower portion 14 of the back leg 6L, 6R, in particular, to a lower end position 14x (FIG. 4) of the rail, the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 can be stored between the legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R, making use of the full extension of the legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R for storage. The space necessary for storage of the folding chair 1 is thus reduced. In particular, by arranging the connection point at the lower end of the legs 6L, 6R, a total height of the folding chair 1 can be minimized, since the back rest portion 2, which is stored usually without moving the connection point to a lower position with respect to the legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R but keeping it at a fixed position, is positioned at the lower portion 14 of the back legs 6L, 6R, in particular at a lower end position 14x of the rail. This allows to store the backrest portion 2 just above the ground between the legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R. This greatly reduces the height and the total storage volume of the folding chair 1 when in the (fully) folded state, leading to advantages during storage and shipping. This is schematically shown in FIG. 9, which shows a view of the folding chair 1 from the right side in the fully folded state. It is noted that in this view the backrest portion 2 and the rail 13R are almost completely hidden behind the right back leg 6R. Contrary to folding chairs 1 of the prior art, the backrest portion 2 does not stick out from the top, but may be completely hidden between the two pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R.
[0041] In particular, a distance from, on one side, the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion 2 to the back end of the seat portion 3 to, on the other side, the connection of the seat portion 3 to the front leg 5L, 5R may be chosen in such a way, that in a folded state of the folding chair 1 the connection of the lower end of the backrest portion 2 to the back end of the seat portion 3 can be arranged at a lower end position 14x (FIGS. 4 and 9) of the rail 13L, 13R.
[0042] The rails 13L, 13R may each comprise at least two notches 17 (FIG. 2), each defining a position at which the connection point to the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3 can be detachably locked in the rails 13L, 13R. This embodiment is illustrated schematically in more detail in FIG. 4, which shows an embodiment of the rail 13R with two notches 17. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the rail 13R comprises a plate 18, in which the rail 13R is formed, for example, by a recessed channel or a groove. The plate 18 comprises a plurality of holes 19 and is screwed (or additionally or alternatively otherwise fixed) to the right leg 6R of the folding chair 1. The rail 13L (FIG. 1) for the left back leg 6L is provided in an analogous (mirror symmetric) arrangement. During use an opening or mouth of the notches 17 particularly faces in an upward direction. The locking (i.e. blocking a downward movement of the connection point locked inside the notch 17) may then be effected by the weight of the folding chair 1 (and a person sitting on the folding chair 1).
[0043] In particular, the two notches 17 shown in FIG. 4 are positioned in such a way, that the folding chair 1 can be securely fixed into the dining position, as depicted in FIG. 3a, and the reclined or lounge position, as depicted in FIG. 3b. The notch 17 on the end of the rail 13R corresponds with the dining position and the other notch 17 with the reclined or lounge position. In principle, it is possible to define more than two positions by arranging more than two notches along the rail 13R. This allows defining more than just two positions, into which the folding chair 1 can easily be arranged and locked.
[0044] The connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R may be formed on each side by a connection element 20, one end of the connection element 20 being pivotably connected to the seat portion 3 and another end being pivotably connected to the respective front leg 5L, 5R. This is schematically depicted in FIG. 5, which shows an enlarged portion of FIG. 1.
[0045] In particular, the connection element 20 comprises a bolt 21 and a pivot arm 22, the bolt 21 forming at one end the connection with the front leg 5L, 5R. On the other end the bolt 21 is pivotably connected to one end of the pivot arm 22, the other end of the pivot arm 22 forming the connection with the seat portion 3. This embodiment of the connection element 20 is schematically depicted in a disassembled state in FIG. 6. At the ends, the pivot arm 22 comprises holes 24. Through one hole 24 the pivot arm 22 is connected to the bolt 21, for example, by a screw, which is screwed into an axial hole 25 in the bolt 21. Through the other hole 24 the pivot arm 22 is pivotably connected to the seat portion 3. This connection may comprise a bolt or a riveted bolt.
[0046] The bolt 21 is, in particular, arranged underneath the outer frame of the seat portion 3 while the other end of the pivot arm 22 is pivotably connected to an inward facing side 23 of the outer frame, which becomes apparent from FIG. 5 (due to the perspective view the pivot arm 22 can be seen on the left side of FIG. 5 and the bolt 21 underneath the outer frame of the seat portion 3 can be seen on the right side of FIG. 5).
[0047] The connection of the seat portion 3 to the front legs 5L, 5R may comprise a locking means 26 preventing a pivoting movement. The locking means 26 on both sides is schematically shown in FIG. 5 and, in more detail in front and side views, in FIG. 7. The locking means 26 may be screwed or otherwise fixed to the respective front leg 5L, 5R, in particular, to a side facing inwards to a direction of the seat portion 3. The locking means 26 may comprise a button 27 which when not pressed blocks an upward movement of the seat portion 3. In particular, the upward movement of the outer frame of the seat portion 3 is blocked on both sides by the buttons 27. When pressed, the button 27 disappears into a housing 33 (FIG. 7) of the locking means 26 and no longer blocks the way. As a consequence, an upward movement of the seat portion 3, in particular the outer frame of the seat portion 3, is no longer blocked. The button 27 may be held in a protruding position by a spring or other elastic mechanism. The locking means 26 and the button 27 are positioned in such a way that in the locked state the position of the button 27 is directly above an upper edge of the seat portion 3, in particular, directly above an upper edge of the outer frame of the seat portion 3. This has two effects: First, the seat portion 3, in particular the outer frame of the seat portion 3, can be tightly locked. Second, when the buttons 27 on both sides have been pressed and the seat portion 3 is moved upwards, the seat portion 3, in particular the outer frame of the seat portion 3, is blocking the release of the button, such that it stays inside the housing 33 until the seat portion 3 is moved sufficiently downward again. In cooperation with the connection element 20 this allows to define two distinct positions or states into which the folding chair 1 can be converted, e.g. the dining position and the reclined or lounge position. To change from one position to the other, the buttons 27 on both sides have to be pressed and an upward movement, followed by a downward movement have to be executed until the buttons 27 are released again into the locking position. In contrast, to convert the folding chair 1 from the dining position to the reclined or lounge position the seat portion 3, additionally, has to be moved in a backward direction. To convert the folding chair 1 from the reclined or lounge position to the dining position the seat portion 3, additionally, has to be moved in a forward direction. During the conversion, the bolt 21 of the connection element 20 is rotated, leading to a movement of the pivot arm 22. The connection point of the pivot arm 22 to the seat portion 3, i.e. to the inward facing side 23 of the outer frame of the seat portion 3, performs a half circle during the movements, leading to a guided upward and downward movement of the seat portion 3. The total range of downward movement of the seat portion 3 is limited from underneath by the bolt 21, which comes into contact with the seat portion 3, in particular with the outer frame of the seat portion 3, when the dining position or the reclined or lounge position is reached. During the conversions, the connection points of the backrest portion 2 to the seat portion 3 are slid on either side inside the rails 13L, 13R and eventually are locked in one of the notches 17.
[0048] The connection of the back end 15 (FIG. 2) of the armrests 4L, 4R to the backrest portion 2 may be achieved by means of a connection block 50 (schematically shown in FIG. 10), which is arranged on a backside of the backrest portion 2. A side 51 of the connection block 50 is connected to the back end 15 of the armrest 4L, 4R forming the pivot connection. This side 51 may comprise a bolt 52 with a groove 53 circularly running around the bolt 52. The bolt 52 is then inserted into the armrest 4L, 4R, such that the connection block 50 can pivot relatively to the armrest 4L, 4R, i.e. around an axis defined by the axis of the bolt 52. The side 51 of the connection block 50 is, in particular, connected to in inward facing side of the armrests 4L, 4R. Another side 54 of the connection block 50 is connected to the backside of the backrest portion 2, in particular to a backside of an outer frame of the backrest portion 2. This connection may comprise one or more riveted bolts or screws, such that the other side 54 of the connection block 50 is firmly fixed to the backside of the backrest portion 2.
[0049] An underside 28 of the armrests 4L, 4R may comprise a plurality of locking positions 29 at which the underside 28 of the armrests 4L, 4R can be detachably locked to the top end 8L, 8R of the respective pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R. FIG. 8 shows schematic views of the side and the underside 28 of the right armrest 4R to illustrate this embodiment. An insert 30 comprising the locking positions 29 is placed inside a groove 31 in the armrest 4R. The insert 30 comprises a plurality of recesses 32 into which a complementary part, for example a hook or a protrusion, of the top end 8L, 8R of the respective pairs of legs 5L, 5R, 6L, 6R can be positioned. The recesses 32 each have a backward facing opening with a ramp and a hook-like protrusion, such that a backward movement of the armrest 4R is blocked when locked. A forward movement, however, is possible such that the armrest 4R can be released and repositioned. The ramp facilitates the release of the complementary part from the recess 32. In an alternative embodiment, the recesses 32 may be integrally formed in the underside of the armrest 4R, 4L.
[0050] The armrests 4L, 4R may comprise detachable covers. This greatly increases the design options without increasing the variants of the basic folding chair 1.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0051] 1 folding chair [0052] 2 backrest portion [0053] 3 seat portion [0054] 4L armrest (left) [0055] 4R armrest (right) [0056] 5L front leg (left) [0057] 5R front leg (right) [0058] 6L back leg (left) [0059] 6R back leg (right) [0060] 7 crossbar [0061] 8L top end (left legs) [0062] 8R top end (right legs) [0063] 9L hinge (left legs) [0064] 9R hinge (right legs) [0065] 10 bottom end [0066] 11 back end (seat portion) [0067] 12L hinge (left) [0068] 12R hinge (right) [0069] 13L rail (left) [0070] 13R rail (right) [0071] 14 lower portion [0072] 14x lower end position [0073] 15 back end (armrest) [0074] 16 middle portion [0075] 17 notch (rail) [0076] 18 plate (rail) [0077] 19 hole [0078] 20 connection element [0079] 21 bolt [0080] 22 pivot arm [0081] 23 inward facing side (outer frame) [0082] 24 hole (pivot arm) [0083] 25 hole (bolt) [0084] 26 locking means [0085] 27 button [0086] 28 underside (armrest) [0087] 29 locking position [0088] 30 insert [0089] 31 groove [0090] 32 recess [0091] 33 housing (locking means) [0092] 40 benchmark level [0093] 50 connection block [0094] 51 side (connection block) [0095] 52 bolt [0096] 53 groove [0097] 54 other side (connection block)
