Folding platform rocker

This is a portable, collapsible full size platform rocker. The foldable chair is supported from a rocker which is supported from a base. The bottom end of the two front legs each has a fork which fits over a support rod between the two rockers. There are two rear legs which at the lower end are pivoted to the rocker and at the upper end curved toward the two front legs. The back of the chair is pivoted to the top of the rear leg and the seat connects between a pivot to the front leg and a pivot on the rear leg which is beneath the pivot for the back frame. The front leg supports rearwardly extending arms which have bolts at the rear end which extends into a vertical slot in the back frame.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT 
The following U.S. Patents were provided applicant by a professional 
searcher making a preliminary patentability search on this application in 
the Patent files of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 
U.S. Pat. No. 147,589, Baer; 
U.S. Pat. No. 488,704, Thornbeck; 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,672,437, Vance; 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,711,371, Zentmyer; 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,220, Puccia; 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,072, Holt; 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,107, Chippa. 
U.S. Pat. No. 488,704 (Thornbeck) discloses a folding rocking chair having 
a ground frame composed of two bars N, rockers G connected to the ground 
frame and legs B and D connected to the rockers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,107 
(Chippa) discloses a collapsible spoon-bottom chair having a scissor-type 
lever 16, each individual lever 16 having opposite ends 18 and 20, the 
ends being slidable in guide rails 14. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a portable, collapsible rocking chair. 
Rocking chairs and folding chairs are well known. The rocking chairs can 
take various types from one just having a rocker at the lower end of front 
and back legs on each side or it can be rockers mounted on a base which is 
known as a platform rocker. Folding chairs are also widely known. There 
are many varities of them. Perhaps the most common are the lawn chairs 
which have different folding features, but all can collapse from the 
upright position for sitting to a folded position for storage. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This is a foldable, portable, full size platform rocker which has two 
parallel rocker bases and two rockers mounted thereon by heavy duty 
springs which permits the rocking action between the rocker and the rocker 
base. A support rod extends between the two rockers in the front of the 
chair. There is a seat frame supported by two front legs and two rear legs 
each supported from the two parallel rockers. The seat frame is attached 
to the two front legs by pivots intermediate the top and bottom of the 
legs and are connected to the rear legs at a point below the top portion. 
The top portion of the rear legs are each curved toward the front legs. 
Each of the side frames of the back of the chair is pivotally connected to 
the top of each of the rear legs. Each of the rear legs are connected by 
pivots to the back end of the rocker. 
There is a support bar going across the front between the two rockers. The 
lower end of the two front legs have slots which fit over the support rod. 
The side back frames of the back of the chair each has a longitudinal 
slot. There is an arm on each side of the chair connecting the top of the 
front leg to a bolt which extends through the slot in the back side frame. 
The front of the arm is pivotally connected to the top of the front leg. A 
side guide is pivotally mounted at its rear end to the pivot between the 
top of the rear leg and the side frame of the back. The front end of the 
side guide is pivotally connected to the front leg below the pivot for the 
seat frame. The back frame and the seat frame can be covered with wooden 
slats or fabrics as desired. By manipulating the back and the seat, i.e., 
pulling together or pushing apart the chair can be extended to a sitting 
position or retracted to its collapsed position. 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a portable platform 
rocking chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Attention is first directed to FIG. 1 which shows a preferred embodiment of 
my invention. Shown thereon is a base 10 supporting a rocker 12 through 
support means 14 which are typically heavy duty two coil springs which 
permits the rocking action between the rocker and the base while holding 
the two parts 10 and 12 sturdily together. As shown in FIG. 2 there is of 
course a second base 11, a second rocker 13 and a second support means 15 
which are essentially identical to base 10, rocker 12 and support means 
14. The top of the front of rockers 12 and 13 are connected by a support 
rod 16. 
Referring back to FIG. 1 there is shown a seat side frame 18 which is 
supported near its front end by a pivot 20 on front leg 22. The lower end 
of front leg 22 is provided with a slot 24 which fits over support rod 16 
when the chair is in its upright position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. There 
are a pair of rear legs 26 which have an upper curved portion 28 which 
curves toward the front of the chair. A pivot 30 located at about the 
point where the leg 26 curves connects the rear of the seat side frame 18 
to the leg 26. An arm 32 is connected to the top of front leg 22 by pivot 
34. A back 36 is provided having a slot 38. The back end of arm 32 is 
connected by a bolt 40 which extends through slot 38. The length of slot 
38 is sufficient to permit the movement of the bolt 40 as depicted in 
drawings, FIGS. 3 through 7. 
A side guide 42 is also provided. It connects at one end by pivot 44 to 
front leg 22 at a point below pivot 20. The other end of side guide 42 
connects through pivot 44 to the top end of curve section 28 of the rear 
leg 26. It is to be understood that FIG. 1 shows only one side of my 
collapsible portable rocker. However, there is another side having 
corresponding parts. Some of those parts are illustrated in FIG. 2. For 
example, there is a corresponding back side frame 37 which corresponds to 
back frame 36. A second front leg 23 which corresponds to front leg 22. A 
front leg brace 46 connects legs 22 and 23. There is a corresponding arm 
33 which corresponds to arm 32. There is also a seat pivot 21 which 
corresponds to seat pivot 20. The back side frames 36 and 37 are provided 
with a top frame 50 and a bottom frame 52. These frames support some body 
supporting material such as fabric or wood slats. The seat side frame 18 
has a corresponding seat side frame 19 which together with the back and 
front part of the frame and a back seat frame, not shown, also supports a 
body supporting material such as wooden slats or fabric. The frames can be 
made of any suitable material. For example, as stated the materials, the 
various parts can be made of suitable materials. For example, the front 
legs 22 and 23 and the rear legs 26 are preferably made of one inch rigid 
tubular aluminum. Support rod 16 is preferably made of rigid tubular 
aluminum. It is also preferred that the back frames and the seat frames be 
made of wood. 
As shown in FIG. 10 there is a saddle 54 mounted on seat frame 18 and 
beneath the point where back frame 36 will contact it. This saddle 54 is 
preferably made of a heavy plastic and is on each side of the seat frame. 
This adds firmness and prevents possible slippage or "squeak" between 
these two points. 
The chair's views shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is when the chair is in its opened 
or operating position so that it can be used as a platform rocker. When in 
this position the curvature of the rear legs 26 together with the downward 
force of the back frame sides 36 and 37 causes a downward and forward 
pressure to be exerted against the seat and supporting legs when the chair 
is in use to create a solid, firm and stable seating. 
It is quite easy to fold the chair from the position shown in FIG. 1 to 
that shown in FIG. 7. When it is desired to fold the chair I grasp the 
front 51 of the chair seat as shown in FIG. 2 and the top 60 of the back 
of the chair. Then I left upward to allow the slotted bottom 24 of the 
front legs 22 and 23 to be free of the front support rod 16. I then 
continue to pivot the rear legs 26 toward the rear while moving the seat 
51 and back 60 toward each other as shown in FIG. 4 by arrows 70 and 72. 
The side guide 42 is connected to the pivot point where the rear leg 26 
and the side back are connected. The other end of the side guide 42 is 
attached to the front leg 22 below pivot 20. During this backward motion 
the side guide 42 pulls the front leg 22 toward the rear as indicated by 
arrow 74. Continuing to pivot the chair on the rear leg 26 allows the seat 
and back to fold into the base as indicated by arrow 76 and 72 the 
sequences in FIGS. 5 and 6 to the folded position shown in FIG. 7. 
Attention is next directed to FIGS. 8 and 9 which shows means for latching 
the chair in the folded position. This includes a stretch latch or strap 
80, a brace 78 extends between the two side rockers 12. Stretch latch 80 
is molded to fit over the brace 70 as shown in FIG. 9. An anchor screw 82 
with suitable bend is attached to back frame 36 and the upper end of 
stretch latch 80 is provided with a hole for fitting over the head of 
anchor screw 36. The stretch latch may be Butyl rubber. A second brace 79 
also extends between the base 10 and base 11. 
There is preferably a stretch latch on each side of the chair and once 
these are released by removing the stretch latch from the anchor screw 82 
on each side. It is quite simple to reverse the operation and take a 
folded chair as shown in FIG. 7 to the upright position shown in FIG. 1. 
All one has to do is to unhook the stretch latch 80. There is preferably a 
stretch latch on each side of the chair and once these are released by 
removing the stretch latch from the anchor screw 82 on each side (change 
pivot 42 to pivot 43 for the side guide and on front leg 22). 
I have described a comfortable, full size platform rocker that has as a 
platform a base 10 on which a rocker 12 rests and rocks. The rocker 12 is 
firmly attached to the base by means of heavy duty coil springs in a well 
known manner that firmly and solidly holds the base of the rocker 
together. My folding platform rocker has independent front and rear legs 
that fold opposite each other to fold down compactly. This is illustrated 
especially in FIGS. 5 and 6 which show the rear legs 26 leaning toward the 
left (or the front) and the front legs 22 folding toward the right (or the 
rear). In the set up position as shown in FIG. 1, weight on the seat 18 
applies a rotating torque on front leg 22 which looking at the FIGURE is 
clockwise and the same force acting on the rear leg 26 which slopes to the 
front applies a counterclockwise torque about pivot 17. This features 
creates a firm, solid seating when in use. 
While the invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details 
of construction and the arrangement of components without departing from 
the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the 
invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes 
of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached 
claim or claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each 
element thereof is entitled.