Abstract:
A seating apparatus comprises support poles, a seat, a first retaining material, and a second retaining material. The first retaining material may extend from the seat to a first end of the support poles and the second retaining material may extend from the seat to a second end of the support poles to form the seating apparatus.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/290,987 filed Dec. 30, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to backpacking accessories, and more particularly relates to a lightweight chair. 
         [0003]    Backpackers currently often have to carry a heavy load of equipment during their activities. Thus, any savings in the weight of their equipment may prove to be valuable. Further, for various reasons, backpackers may also often spend extended periods in their tents due to the weather, darkness, insects, or other reasons. Thus, having comfortable seating available may also be useful. 
         [0004]    As can be seen, what is needed is a lightweight chair that may be easily carried. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one aspect of the present invention, a seating apparatus comprises support poles; a seat; a first retaining material that extends from the seat to a first end of the support poles; and a second retaining material that extends from the seat to a second end of the support poles. 
         [0006]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a lightweight chair in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a enlarged detailed perspective view of the lightweight chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a side view of the lightweight chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a rear view of the lightweight chair of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows an enlarged detail view of the lightweight chair of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows an enlarged detail view of the lightweight chair of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
         [0014]    Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. 
         [0015]    Broadly, embodiments of the present invention generally provides a lightweight chair that may be easily carried along and used during outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, or climbing, or for any indoor and/or outdoor uses where a lightweight chair may be desirable. 
         [0016]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary chair  10  may be about  42  inches in length and may include support poles  16 , a seat portion  12 , and retaining materials, such as upper and lower retaining fabrics  12   a  and  14 , that may extend from the seat portion  12  to the support poles  16 . 
         [0017]    The seat portion  12  may be about twelve inches in width, may be made of fabric, such as nylon Supplex®, and may include a non-slip fabric panel  24  to make it easier to sit on the seat portion  12 . In an exemplary embodiment, the seat portion  12  may not include any padding, thus making the chair  10  more lightweight. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the upper retaining fabric  12   a  may stretch from the seat portion  12  to upper portions  16   a  of the support poles  16  to form an arc-shaped sling that may act as a back and/or neck support for a user sitting on the seat portion  12  of the chair  10 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the upper retaining fabric  12   a  may include pole retention pockets  22  for accepting and retaining upper portions  16   a  of the support poles  16 . The pole retention pockets  22  may be pockets that are sewn into the upper retaining fabric  12   a,  and additional pieces of fabric, such as pieces of Cordura®, may be sewn or otherwise attached to the inside of the retention pockets  22  for further reinforcement. The top of the upper portions  16   a  of the support poles  16  may also be covered with a vinyl cap to further protect the pole retention pockets  22 . The upper retaining fabric  12   a  may be tapered in form, so that it narrows from a width of about fourteen inches near the seat portion  12  to a width of about eight inches near the upper portions  16   a  of the support poles  16 . 
         [0019]    The lower retaining fabric  14  may be about fourteen inches in width by about twenty inches in height, and may tautly stretch from the seat portion  12  to lower portions  16   b  of the support poles  16 , which may be on the opposite ends of the support poles  16  as the upper portions  16   a  of the support poles  16 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the lower retaining fabric  14  may include holes  14   a  that the lower portions  16   b  of the support poles  16  may pass through. Portions of the lower retaining fabric  14  surrounding the holes  14   a  may be reinforced via corner reinforcements  28  that may be sewn or otherwise attached to the lower retaining fabric  14 . Draw cords, such as ¼-inch draw cords, may also be used to connect the lower retaining fabric  14  to the support poles  16 . 
         [0020]    Non-slip feet  18 , such as feet made of rubber, may be attached to the bottom of the lower portions  16   b  of the support poles  16  to prevent the support poles  16  from slipping. Pole retention O-rings  26 , such as a micro nylon washer, may be disposed around each of the lower portions  16   b  of the support poles  16  to help prevent the support poles  16  from cutting through the non-slip feet  18 . 
         [0021]    The support poles  16  may be a pair of poles made of carbon fiber or any other appropriate materials having a high strength-to-weight ratio, and may be about twenty two inches long. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the support poles  16  may be disposed so that they crisscross to form an X shape. As shown in  FIG. 6 , an O-ring tensioner  20  may attach to the support poles  16  at the location where they crisscross in forming the X shape to retain the support poles  16  in the formed X shape. By using the O-ring tensioner  20 , the support poles  16  may be in tension when the support poles  16  are in a closed position held next to each other, and the support poles  16  may spring back into the X shape when they are released from the closed position and no longer held next to each other. 
         [0022]    In use, the seat portion  12  of the chair  10  may rest on bare ground or may rest on a sleeping pad or other padding on the ground. Alternatively, if the ground is not solid enough to provide a stable surface for the chair  10 , a stiff lightweight panel may be placed below the chair  10  to ensure a solid and stable surface. The upper retaining fabric  12   a  may be adjustable by changing the position of the support poles  16 , thereby allowing the user to easily find a comfortable position. 
         [0023]    To store and/or transport the chair  10 , the seat portion  12 , the upper retaining fabric  12   a,  and the lower retaining fabric  14  may be rolled up and secured with a cord lock. The chair  10  may be unrolled by disengaging the cord lock and using drawstrings to unroll and pull the chair  10  taut. 
         [0024]    It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.