Wall proximity chairs and hardware therefor

This invention adds a stabilizing system to the chair disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 618,954, filed Oct. 2, 1975, and minimizes swaying side to side, and thereby maintaining the rigidity of the chair. The stabilizing system comprises a pair of paralleled base plates attached to front and rear cross-rails supported on the floor. Arm mounting members are attached to the left and right side arms of the chair, respectively. Friction reducing buttons on said arm mounting members movably contact said base plates. At least one of said buttons is adjustable to ensure retaining said chair against swaying sideways. A button at each side of the chair, is attached to one link of the arm rest suspension linkage, to slidably contact another link of the suspension linkage, to also aid in preventing side sway of the chair. The cross-rails extend beyond the base plates and beyond the inner surfaces of the side arms of the chair. The cross-rails can extend to the outer surfaces of the side arms, with supporting pads or glides mounted on the ends of the rails to increase stability of the chair, particularly against tilting sideways if excessive weight is imposed on one side of the chair. The rear cross-rail is vertical while the front cross-rail is horizontal, thereby giving rigidity to the parallel base plates. The base plates are supported on the cross-rails and the rest of the chair is supported on the base plates. Parts of the base plates are pushed out where the buttons contact the base plates in the upright position of the chair, for increased rigidity in said upright position. Coil springs are employed to help ensure keeping the leg rest retracted in upright position of the chair.

This invention relates to improvements relating to wall proximity chairs. 
One object of this invention is to improve the chair disclosed in our 
copending application Ser. No. 618,954, filed Oct. 2, 1975. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a chair of the character 
described, with highly improved means to keep the chair from swaying side 
to side and increase the stability of the chair. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a chair of the character 
described in which front and rear cross-rails are fixed to parallel base 
plates and extend beyond the inner surfaces of the side arms of the chair 
and beyond the base plates to increase the stability of the chair, 
particularly against sideway tilting of the chair if excessive weight is 
imposed on one side of the chair. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a chair of the character 
described in which the front cross-rail is in a horizontal plane while the 
rear cross-rail is in a vertical plane. The front cross-rail is horizontal 
so that it can be as low as possible to clear the lower ends of the 
ottoman linkage, while the ottoman is projected from retracted position. 
Yet another object of this invention is to provide in a chair of the 
character described, a highly improved stabilizing system for the means 
for suspending the side arms of the chair, comprising a pair of parallel 
base plates attached supportedly to front and rear cross-rails supported 
on the floor, arm mounting members being attached to the side arms of the 
chair, carrying friction reducing buttons slidably contacting said base 
plates as the chair is moved between upright position and extended 
position, one of said buttons being adjustable to compensate for lack of 
parallelism of the arm rests thereby to aid in preventing side sway of the 
chair seat. 
Yet another object of this invention is to provide in a chair of the 
character described, push outs on the base plates to contact said buttons 
in the upright position of the chair to aid in eliminating sway side 
movement of the chair in said upright position. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable 
chair and hardware therefor, which shall be relatively inexpensive to 
manufacture, easy to assemble and which shall yet be efficient to a high 
degree in use. 
Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part 
hereinafter pointed out. 
The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, 
combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be 
exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the 
scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a chair embodying the 
invention. Said chair comprises a base 11. FIG. 3 is a bottom view looking 
up on the base 11. It comprises left and right parallel, symmetrical base 
plates 12 attached at their front ends to a front wood cross-rail 13 for 
support thereby, and at their rear ends to a rear wood cross-rail 14 for 
support thereby. The cross-rails, as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing extend 
beyond the base plates 12. 
Each base plate 12 comprises a flange 15 in a vertical plane extending from 
front to rear and from the lower end of which a horizontal flange 16 
extends inwardly. Flange 15 has a front vertical edge 17 inclined inwardly 
in order to catch and deflect the linkage of the ottoman during end of 
retraction when uneven pressure is applied to the ottoman. Extending from 
the rear end of flange 15 is an outwardly extending vertical wing 18 
provided with a top horizontal flange 19. Wing 18 extends down below the 
level of flange 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The rear cross-rail 14 contacts 
the rear faces of wings 18 and the undersurface of flanges 19 and are 
secured thereto by screws and/or bolts 21. 
At the front end of each base plate 12, there is a vertical under recess 22 
receiving the front cross-rail 13, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Cross-rail 
13 is attached to the recess 22 by any suitable screws accessible from top 
and front. Said recess portions 22 each comprises a web 22a extending up 
from flange 16, a top web 22b and a downwardly extending flange 22c, as 
shown in FIG. 1. The front rail 13 partially extends above flange 16 and 
partially below flange 16. Pads or glides 23 are attached to the under 
edge of rear cross-rail 14. These pads or glides are disposed beyond the 
base plates 12. Also pads or glides 24 are attached to the underside of 
the front cross-rail 13, also disposed beyond the base plates 12. 
Cross-rail 13 may have a central glide 24a. With such construction the 
chair will not readily tilt if excessive weight is imposed on the side of 
the chair. The pads 23, 24 contact the floor on which the chair rests. 
The chair 10 also comprises a body 25 having side arms 30 each having an 
inner vertical wall 30a and an outer vertical wall 30b, and a mounting 
block 30c at the inside of the inner wall 30. Said blocks 30c have 
portions aligned with outer ends of the arm mounting members 39, as will 
be described hereinafter. Side arms 30 are provided with usual front walls 
30g, bottom walls 30d, rear walls 30e and with arm rests 30f. These side 
arms 30 are disposed vertically and are located at the outsides of the 
base plates and extend upwardly above the base plates. Said side arms are 
rigidly interconnected by a cross rail 30f and by other cross rails, not 
shown, in the usual manner. 
Said base plates may have horizontal inwardly pouched stiffening ribs 32 
near their front ends. 
The chair 10 further comprises a body supporting member 33 comprising a 
seat frame 34 having a front rail 35 and a rear wall 36 interconnected by 
parallel side rails 37. Fixed to the inside of each side rail 37 is a seat 
mounting link 38. Fixed to the seat frame 34 is a chair back 34a. Attached 
to the inner side of arm mounting block 30c of side arms 30 are arm 
mounting members 39. The members 39 on the right and left side are similar 
and symmetrically disposed. Hence the member 39 on the side shown in FIGS. 
1 and 2 only will be described. 
Also the seat mounting links 38 are mounted for movement relative to the 
base plates 12 and to the arm mounting members 39, (and hence relative to 
the side arms 30 to which said members are fixed), by similar 
symmetrically disposed linkages substantially similar to linkages which 
connect the seat mounting links 50 of our copending patent application, 
Ser. No. 618,954, filed Oct. 2, 1975, to the mounting plates 41 and arm 
mounting members 21 of said copending application. This linkage is 
described and shown in said copending application. 
Said arm mounting member 39 comprises three pieces integrated into one 
subassembly. One piece 40 comprises a downwardly and rearwardly inclined 
arm 41 which reaches down below the level of the upper edge of base plate 
12. Extending upwardly and rearwardly from the lower end of arm 41 is an 
arm 42 forming an elbow 43. Arm 42 has a rearwardly extending rear end 44. 
The second piece is designated by numeral 45 and comprises an arm 46 
extending forwardly and crossing the upper end of arm 41 and therebeyond 
and riveted thereto by pin 47 which also serves as a stop pin for main 
pivot lever 137 in upright and T.V. positions. Extending downwardly and 
rearwardly from the rear end of arm 46 is an arm 48 which crosses arm 42 
and is riveted thereto as at 49. Extending rearwardly from the lower end 
of arm 48 is an arm 50, making an elbow 51 therewith. The third piece of 
the arm mounting subassembly 39, is a guide support 53 riveted at its 
upper end by rivets 54, 55 to arm 41 and inclined downwardly and forwardly 
therefrom. At the right hand side of the chair, a slide button 56 is 
mounted on the lower end of member 53 and contacts an outer surface of the 
base plate 12 on the right hand side of the chair. When the chair is in 
upright position, as will appear hereinafter, button 56 contacts a pushed 
out pad 57 of the flange 15 (see FIG. 3). 
The arm mounting member is fixed to the inner side of arm mounting block 
30c of the side arm 30 by a screw 57a passing through a hole in member 53. 
The arm mounting member is also bolted and/or screwed to said block by 
bolts passing through slot 58 of arm 44 of the arm mounting member and 
through a slot 60 in arm 41, and through hole 61 in arm 50, and also 
through hole 63 in arm 42 of the subassembly. Numeral 59 is a stop pin 
against which the rear pivot link 99 contacts in T.V. and fully reclined 
positions, as will appear hereinafter. 
On the arms 50, at both the left and right hand sides of the chair is a 
friction reducing button 70 contacting a pushed out pad 71 on the base 
plate, when the chair is in upright position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of 
the drawing. 
As will appear hereinafter, when the chair moves to extended position, the 
buttons 56 and 70 move off the pushed out pads 57 and 71 and slide along 
the outer sides of flanges 15 of the base plates to the fully extended 
position of the chair, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing. 
The arm mounting subassembly at the left hand side of the chair differs 
from the subassembly on the right hand side of the chair in that instead 
of a fixed friction reducing button 56 on member 53, on the right hand 
side, the left hand side has an adjustable button. Instead of member 53 
there is utilized on the left hand side, a member 53a riveted to arm 41 of 
the arm mounting subassembly of the left hand side. Arm 53a has an offset 
tongue 80 formed with a hole 81 in which is fixed a bushing 82 formed with 
a horizontal central internally threaded hole 81a. Screwed through 
threaded hole 81 is a screw shank 82a. Said screw shank 82a carries a 
slide button 83 adapted to be adjusted into contact with a push out pad 84 
on flange 15 of the base plate 12 on the left hand side of the chair, when 
the chair is in upright position of FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 of the drawing. The 
screw shank 82a has a polygonal head 82b. Screwed to the shank 82a between 
the tongue 80 and the button 83 is a lock nut 85. 
The suspension linkage for the seat links 38 from the arm mounting member 
39 and the base plates 12 will now be described. 
The suspension linkage on both sides are similar and symmetrically 
disposed. 
Said linkage designated by numeral 90, comprises a rear swing link 91. Said 
rear swing link 91 comprises an arm 92 slanting upwardly and forwardly and 
pivoted at its lower end, as at 93, to elbow 51 between arms 48 and 50 of 
member 45 which is part of the arm mounting member 39. The upper end of 
arm 92 is near the rear end of the seat link 38 in the upright position of 
the chair (FIG. 1). Extending forwardly from the upper end of arm 92 is an 
arm 94. Pivoted to the forward end of arm 94, as at 95, is the upper end 
of a rear shift link 96 slanting downwardly and forwardly and pivoted at 
its lower end, as at 97 to flange 15 of base plate 12. 
Pivoted to the rear end of seat link 38, as at 98 is the upper end of a 
rear pivot link 99, the lower end of which is pivoted, as at 100 to arm 48 
of the arm mounting member 39. 
Pivoted to base plate 12 rearwardly of pivot 97, as at 101 is the lower end 
of a rear suspension link 102, the upper end of which is pivoted, as at 
103, to the rear swing link 91 at the junction of arms 92, 94 of said rear 
swing link. 
Pivoted to the junction 43 between arm 41, 42 of member 40 of the arm 
mounting member 39, as at 105, is the lower end of a front swing link 106. 
Said front swing link 106 comprises an arm 107, the lower end of which is 
pivoted at 105 as described above. Arm 107 slants somewhat upwardly and 
forwardly in the upright position of the chair as illustrated in FIG. 1. 
Extending at substantially right angles to the upper end of arm 107, 
inclined forwardly and downwardly is an arm 108. Rear and front swing 
links 91, 106 are substantially similar in shape. Pivoted to flange 15 of 
base plate 12, at a point somewhat forwardly of pivot 97, as at 109 is the 
lower end of a front suspension link 110. The upper end of said front 
suspension link 110 is pivoted to the rear end of arm 108 of the front 
swing link 106 by pivot pin 111. Pivots 111 and 103 are interconnected by 
a stabilizing link 114. 
Pivoted to the base plate 12 as by pivot 115 is the lower end of a front 
shift link 116. Pivot 115 is disposed forwardly of pivot 109. The upper 
end of the front shift link 116 is pivoted, as at 117 to the forward end 
of arm 108 of the front swing link 106. A drive link 120 is pivoted at one 
end to about the midpoint of arm 92, of the rear swing link 91. The front 
end of drive link 120 is pivoted by a pivot pin 121 to the lower end of a 
long sequence link 122. The upper end of the long sequence link 122 is 
pivoted, as at 123 to the seat link 38, forwardly of the rear end of said 
seat link. Pivot pin 121 is connected by a short sequence link 125 to a 
pivot pin 126 on arm 41 of the arm mounting member 39. 
Pivoted to the seat link 38 as at 130 is one end of a sequence link 131. 
Pivot pin 130 is located forwardly of pivot pin 123, but rearwardly of the 
front end of the seat link 38. Said sequence link 131 has an upper arm 132 
the upper end of which is pivoted to the seat link at 130. In the upright 
position of the chair, (FIG. 1), arm 132 slants downwardly and rearwardly. 
Extending from arm 132 is an arm 133 slanting downwardly and forwardly 
(FIG. 1). Said arm 133 is formed with a short slot 134 near its lower end. 
At the junction of arms 132, 133 is a pivot pin 136 connected by a main 
pivot lever 137 to a pivot pin 138 at the junction of arms 46 and 48 of 
part 45 of the arm mounting member 39. At the end of forwardly extending 
end 46 of said part 45 and disposed forwardly of stop pin 47 is a pivot 
pin 140 which pivotally connects one end of a guide link 141 to said arm 
46. At the opposite end of guide link 141 is a pin 142 slidably engaged in 
slot 134 of the arm 133. Pivoted to the forward end of seat link 38 as at 
136a is one end of an ottoman drive link 137a. Pivoted to the lower end of 
arm 133 of link 131, as at 138a is the lower end of an ottoman link 139, 
crossing link 137a and pivoted thereto as at 140a. The upper end of link 
139 is pivoted as at 141 to an ottoman angle 142. A second ottoman link 
143 is pivoted at its upper end as at 144 to said ottoman angle 142, and 
at its lower end, as at 145, to the lower end of ottoman drive link 137a. 
An extension coil spring 152 interconnects an upper end of link 137a with 
arm 133 of sequence link 131 to and in moving the ottoman toward retracted 
position. Any suitable ottoman, as shown at 142a, interconnects the 
ottoman angles 142 at the right and left sides of the chair. 
The chair disclosed herein may be placed near a fixed wall disposed behind 
the chair. As the chair is moved from upright position to T.V. partially 
reclined position and then to the fully reclined position of FIG. 2, the 
body supporting means and chair body move forwardly so that the back of 
the chair body supporting member 33 does not touch the wall. As the chair 
moves from upright to reclined position, the ottoman angles are projected, 
and as the chair is moved back to upright position the ottoman angles are 
retracted to the upright position of the chair. These operations are 
described in our copending application, Ser. No. 618,954, filed Oct. 2, 
1975 and need not be repeated. 
During such movements, the arm mounting members, being suspended, swing 
somewhat and their lower ends move slightly vertically as well as 
horizontally. Hence slide buttons 56, 79, 83 also move both horizontally 
and vertically. 
Fixed to drive link 120 is a slide button 160 contacting the adjacent 
surface of arm 107 of the front swing link 106. The path of contact of 
said button 160 with arm 107 is outlined at 161 in FIG. 2 of the drawing. 
The contact of button 160 with arm 107 is substantially centrally located 
with respect to the linkage 90 and helps to eliminate side sway in the 
linkage. 
The sequence of operations to fix the base plates to the cross-rails to 
achieve stabilization will now be described. 
With the chair in inverted position, as shown in FIG. 3, projections 71 of 
the base plates are first moved against rear buttons 70 on the arm 
mounting subassemblies 39, and then screwed to the vertical rear 
cross-rail 14. Then the base plates are moved to exact parallel relation 
to each other by means of any suitable fixture, and then attached to the 
front cross-rail 13 in parallel relation to each other. Thereafter the 
adjustment screw 82a on the front left hand side of the chair, is adjusted 
relative to the adjacent base plate projection 84, to cause button 83 to 
move the paralleled base plates to cause the other base plate to slidably 
contact the button 56 against projection 57. Then the lock nut 85 is 
manipulated to lock the adjustment screw 82a in adjusted position, so that 
all four buttons contact push outs on the base plates. Side sway will 
thereafter be prevented. 
All the push outs 71, 56, 84 on the base plates have forwardly and inwardly 
inclined surfaces to ease rearward movement of the arms of the chair and 
to tighten the movement of the chair to upright position of greater 
rigidity or stability. 
The cross-rails extend beyond the base plates. In fact, they can extend 
beyond the inner surfaces of the side arms of the chair up to the outer 
surfaces of said side arms, to help prevent tilting of the chair if 
excessive weight is applied to one side or the other of the chair. Thus, 
the pads or glides are placed at the undersides of the ends and of the 
middle of the front rail and the outer ends of the rear cross-rails and 
not on the base plates, as in former construction. 
It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several 
objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet 
the conditions of practical use. 
As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and 
as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is 
to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the 
accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative.