Abstract:
A cot incorporating a frame having pairs of crossed front, rear and side legs, and with connectors for stabilizing the cot when opened and for collapsing the cot to a compact package when closed, with front pad and rear pad connectors, and with front and rear connectors being configured with generally perpendicular walls to apertures of which upper and lower ends of rear legs, front legs and side legs are pivotally connected, and with one front connector and one rear connector each including a notch within which the upper end of a front crossed leg and the upper end of a rear crossed leg are arranged to glide in opening and closing the cot, and to which an upper end of two crossing side legs are pivotally connected, for automatically folding its fabric liner as the cot is being collapsed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to foldable chairs, in general, and to a collapsible cot especially useful for casual seating, in particular. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Folding or collapsible chairs in the nature of furniture have been described in such U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,520 (Roher et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,406 (Lee). In a multiple seat arrangement, they are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,928 (Staunton et al). For outdoor use, in camping and watching sports games, chairs of this type have been illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,605 (Chang). When a reclining chair is desired for camping, hiking, fishing and concert evenings, a construction of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,068 (Levine) is said to be useful. 
     While chairs of these types may prove adequate to suit their intended purposes, a further need exists to have a folding or collapsible cot for simple use in one&#39;s backyard. Those cots (and hammocks, for that matter) that are commercially available are typically large and bulky, and once set out commonly remain in place the entire season, to suffer the travail associated with changing weather conditions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As will become clear from the following description, a collapsible cot is provided according to the invention, to consist of a frame including two pairs of front crossed legs, two pairs of rear crossed legs, and three pairs of side crossed legs, with each pair of crossed legs being pivotally connected together where they cross. First, second and third front pad connectors are included to pivotally connect to lower ends of the front crossed legs and to individual ones of the side crossed legs—while first, second and third rear pad connectors pivotally connect to lower ends of the rear crossed legs and to individual ones of others of the side crossed legs. First, second and third front connectors pivotally connect to upper ends of the front crossed legs and to individual ones of the side crossed legs, while first, second and third rear connectors pivotally connect to upper ends of the rear crossed legs and to individual ones of others of the side crossed legs. Three rear supports extend between apertures in the three rear pad connectors and the three rear connectors, and a fabric liner is included connected to two of the front connectors and to two of the rear connectors. In completing a preferred construction, moreover, a pair of side extenders are pivotally coupled to one of the front crossed legs and to one of the rear crossed legs, where they are joined with the fabric liner for a user to rest upon. 
     In accordance with the invention, to provide strength and reliability of operation, the front connectors where the two side extenders couple include a top surface having a notch therein open at one end and slightly larger than the diameter of the crossed legs when composed as a tubular configuration, a first wall at an underside thereof defining one side of the notch and to which the upper ends of the crossed legs are connected, along with a second wall at the underside, generally perpendicular to the first wall and combined therewith, to which the upper ends of the others of the crossed legs are also pivotally connected. In like manner, each of the remaining pad connectors include the two generally perpendicular walls for fastening with their respective pivotally connected legs—while the rear pad connectors include apertures at the joins of the walls where the rear supports are fixed. 
     As will also become clear, in one embodiment of the invention, the side extenders are each pivotally coupled to their associated front crossed leg and to their rear crossed leg at a point below the connector which joins them, whereas in a second embodiment, the sides extenders are pivotally coupled at a point above the connectors. In this first embodiment, various taps, fasteners, and overlying rings are employed to align the crossed legs and extenders together, and to secure them in position; in the second embodiment, hinges are employed to achieve this comparable result. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the collapsible cot of the invention in an unfolded position, with its seating fabric removed; 
     FIGS. 2A-2F are helpful in an understanding of the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIGS. 3A &amp; 3B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of two of the three front pad connectors of the collapsible cot of the invention; 
     FIG. 4A &amp; 4B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of a first front connector of the invention; 
     FIG. 5A &amp; 5B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of two of the three rear pad connectors of the invention; 
     FIGS. 6A &amp; 6B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of a first rear connector of the invention; 
     FIGS. 7A &amp; 7B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of a second front connector and of a second rear connector of the collapsible cot of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the collapsible cot of the invention also in an unfolded position with its seating fabric removed, constructed in accordance with a second embodiment; 
     FIGS. 9A &amp; 9B are views helpful in an understanding of the alternative embodiment of FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 10 illustrates the embodiment of the collapsible cot of FIG. 8 with the seating fabric in place, but is also helpful in an understanding of the installation of the seating fabric in the embodiment of FIG. 1; and 
     FIGS. 11A,  11 B and  11 C are sectional views helpful in understanding one manner of securing the seating fabric as a liner for the collapsible cot of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As with the folding chair of U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,406, the collapsible cot of the present invention is constructed out of tubular members. In particular, the frame of the cot  10  includes a first pair of front crossed legs  12 ,  14 , a second pair of front crossed legs  16 ,  18 , a first pair of rear crossed legs  20 ,  22 , a second pair of rear crossed legs  24 ,  26 , a first pair of side crossed legs  28 ,  30 , a second pair of side crossed legs  32 ,  34 , and a third pair of side crossed legs  36 ,  38 . As illustrated, each of the pairs  12  &amp;  14 ,  16  &amp;  18 ,  20  &amp;  22 ,  24  &amp;  26 ,  28  &amp;  30 ,  32  &amp;  34 , and  36  &amp;  38  are joined together by pivot pins  25 . The crossed legs  12  &amp;  14 ,  16  &amp;  18 ,  20  &amp;  22 ,  24  &amp;  26 ,  28  &amp;  30 ,  32  &amp;  34  and  36  &amp;  38  are tubular, and are constructed of aluminum or steel. 
     A first front pad connector  40  pivotally connects to lower ends of the front crossed leg  12  and the side crossed leg  28 , while a second front pad connector  42  pivotally connects to lower ends of the front crossed leg  18  and the side crossed leg  32 . A first rear pad connector  44  pivotally connects to the lower ends of the rear crossed leg  20  and the side crossed leg  30 , while a second rear pad connector  46  pivotally connects to lower ends of the rear crossed leg  26  and the side crossed leg  34 . A first front connector  48  pivotally connects to the upper ends of the front crossed leg  14  and the side crossed leg  30  while a second front connector  50  pivotally connects at an upper length of the front crossed leg  16  and to the upper end of the side crossed leg  34 . A first rear connector  52  pivotally connects to the upper ends of the rear crossed leg  22  and the side crossed leg  28 , while a second rear connector  54  pivotally connects at an upper length of the rear crossed leg  24  and to the upper end of the side crossed leg  32 . 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a third front pad connector  56  is included, pivotally connected to the lower ends of the front crossed legs  14  &amp;  16  and to the lower end of the side crossed leg  36 . A third rear pad connector  58  similarly is pivotally connected to the lower ends of the rear crossed legs  22  &amp;  24 , and to the lower end of the side crossed leg  38 . A third front connector  60  pivotally connects to upper ends of the front crossed legs  12  &amp;  18 , and to the upper end of the side crossed leg  38 . A third rear connector  62  then pivotally connects to the upper ends of the rear crossed legs  20  &amp;  26 , and to the upper end of the side crossed leg  36 . 
     To complete the configuration of the frame  10 , a first side extender  70  pivotally couples to the front crossed leg  16  along its upper length, while a second side extender  72  pivotally couples to the rear crossed leg  24  along its respective own upper length. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 10, a fabric liner  100  is connected to the front connectors  48  and  60  and to the rear connectors  52  and  62  and to fit over and around the upper ends A, B, of the side extenders  70 ,  72 —both for this embodiment of the invention and for a second embodiment to be described below. 
     In FIG. 1, the side extenders  70 ,  72  are shown pivotally coupled to the front crossed leg  16  and to the rear crossed leg  24  at a point above the second front connector  50  and the second rear connector  54 , respectively. FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate the pivotal coupling of the two side extenders  70 ,  72  to their respective front and rear crossed legs  16 ,  24  by means of a hinge pin  90 ,  92 , for example, in the manner noted in FIGS. 2A-2C, and rotatable from its open position of FIG.  2 D through its immediate position shown in FIG. 2E to its folded position of FIG. 2F, when it is desired to collapse the frame  10  of the cot. The end of the extenders  70 ,  72  to which the fabric liner  100  secures when in place is again indicated at A, B. FIGS. 11A-11C in this respect illustrate sectional views of a manner of securing the fabric liner  100  to the front connectors  48 ,  60  and to the rear connectors  52 ,  62 , by means of a bolt  101 , for example, extending through apertures  175  in the liner  100  overlying each of the four connectors at such point, to seat within a cap  102  which fits substantially flat there against the top surface of the liner  100 . 
     FIG. 8, on the other hand, shows an alternative embodiment in which the side extenders  70 ,  72  are each pivotally coupled to the front crossed leg  16  and to the rear crossed leg  24  at a point below the second front connector  50  and below the second rear connector  54 , respectively, instead of above those connectors as in FIG.  1 . As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the embodiment of FIG. 8 is one in which a first bracket  84  is included at a point below the second front connector  50  while a similar second bracket  86  is included at a point below the second rear connector  54 . As illustrated more particularly in FIG. 9B, the two side extenders ( 70  on the one hand, and  72  on the other), are pivotally coupled to the brackets  84 ,  86 , by a pin  35  to permit the pivoting of the side extenders  70 ,  72 , about both the front crossed leg  16  and the rear crossed leg  24 . Each of the brackets  84 ,  86  typically may be composed of steel, welded to the crossed leg  16  (or  24  as the case may be), to receive and join with the respective extender  70 ,  72 . As FIGS. 9A and 9B further show, a first tap  80  is provided along the upper length of the front crossed leg  16  while a second such tap  82  is provided along the upper length of the rear crossed leg  24 , to allow for positioning of the side extenders  70  and  72 , respectively, in fixing the position of the side extender with its respective crossed leg. 
     FIG. 9B further shows a fastener  88  at left and right undersides of the fabric  100 , near its top end, at a position to overlie the side extender and its adjacent crossed leg, for securing the respective extender and leg together. Thus, those points labelled C and D in FIG. 8 illustrate the locations where the fasteners  88  of the fabric  100  secure in holding the side extender  70  to the crossed leg  16  and the side extender  72  to the crossed leg  24 —with the fastener  88  being in the form of a steel ring when the crossed legs  16 ,  24  and the side extenders  70 ,  72  are tubular. FIG. 10, in this respect, shows this alternative embodiment of the invention with the fabric liner  100 . 
     Particularly referring to FIGS. 1,  8 ,  10 ,  3 A &amp;  3 B, the lower end of the front crossed legs  12  &amp;  18  are fastened by rivet or other pivot manner to the front wall  110  of the front pad connectors  40 ,  42 , shown as having a generally perpendicular side wall  112 , the fastener passing through its aperture  114 . Similarly, the lower end of the side crossed legs  28  &amp;  32  is also fastened by rivet or other pivot to the wall  112  by means of its aperture  116 . As illustrated, both front pad connectors  40 ,  42  are identical, with the lower end of the front crossed leg  12  being pivoted on one surface of the front wall  110  on one connector  40 ,  42 , with the lower end of the front crossed leg  18  being on the opposite surface of the front wall  110  of the other connector  40 ,  42 , and with the lower ends of the side crossed legs  28  and  32  being pivoted on opposing faces of the side wall  112 . 
     In like manner, referring to FIGS. 1,  8 ,  10 ,  5 A &amp;  5 B, the lower end of the rear crossed legs  20  &amp;  26  and the lower ends of the side crossed legs  30  &amp;  34  are fastened by rivets or other pivots to the rear pad connectors  44 ,  46 . Each of the connectors  44 ,  46  include their own pairs of generally perpendicular walls and their own apertures. Thus, and as indicated, the lower end of the front crossed leg  20  is fastened by pivot or otherwise to rear pad connector  44  at one surface of the wall  111  by aperture  115  while the lower end of leg  26  is fastened by pivot or otherwise to one surface of the wall  113  by aperture  117 . Correspondingly, the lower end of the side crossed leg  30  is fastened to the opposing surface of wall  111  via aperture  115  while the lower end of the side crossed leg  34  is fastened to the opposing surface of wall  113  via aperture  117 . An aperture  118  is included at the joins of the walls  111  &amp;  113  of the connectors  44 ,  46 , while a similar aperture  119  is included at the join of the walls  110  &amp;  112  of the connectors  40 ,  42 , to allow for a common construction of these front and rear pad connectors and an interchangeability of components, although such apertures  118  and  119  at these connectors are not needed for the operation of the collapsible cot. 
     As an examination of FIGS. 1 and 10 will show, the front connector  48  may be constructed identical to the rear connector  52 —with the structure of these two connectors having generally perpendicular side walls to which the upper ends of the front crossed leg  14  and the side crossed leg  30  are pivoted on the one hand with respect to the front connector  48 , and to which the upper ends of the rear crossed leg  22  and the side crossed leg  28  are likewise pivotally connected with respect to the rear connector  52  on the other hand, This is shown in FIGS. 7A &amp; 7B where the perpendicular side walls are shown at  147 ,  148 , and where the aperture is shown at  149 . The pivot connections for the legs are through the apertures  145 ,  146 . 
     The third front pad connector  56  is similarly constructed comparable to the third front connector  60  in having yet a further perpendicular wall so as to receive three sets of legs instead of the two sets as with the front pad connectors  40  and  42 —pivotally receiving the lower ends of the front crossed legs  14  &amp;  16  and the lower end of the side crossed leg  36 . Correspondingly, the third front connector  60  receives at its three perpendicular walls, the pivot connections of the front crossed legs  12  &amp;  18  and the upper end of the side crossed leg  38 . The third rear connector  62 , on the other hand, includes the same three perpendicular walls to receive, in pivot connections, the upper ends of the rear crossed legs  20  &amp;  26  and the side crossed leg  36 —with its own further aperture. In such manner, the rear pad connector  58  and the rear connector  62  may be mirror images of one another, just as are the front pad connector  56  and the front connector  60 . As will be appreciated, each of the connectors  48 ,  52 ,  60  and  62  are provided with apertures  75  as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 8 to receive the bolt  101  and cap  102  of FIGS. 11A,  11 B &amp;  11 C in holding the fabric liner  100  in place. 
     To complete the construction of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the upper end of the side crossed leg  32 , is fastened along the upper length of the rear crossed leg  24  on the rear connector  54  in a manner identical to that by which the upper end of the side crossed leg  34  is fastened along the upper length of the front crossed leg  16  in the front connector  50 . Such connectors  50  and  54  are illustrated in FIGS. 4A &amp; 4B and  6 A &amp;  6 B, respectively—with the configurations of FIGS. 4A and 4B receiving the legs  16  and  34 , and with the configurations of FIGS. 6A &amp; 6B receiving the legs  24  and  32 . As shown, the connectors  50 ,  54  include a top surface  150  having a notch therein  151  open at one end, understood to be slightly larger than the diameter of the crossed legs  16 ,  24  when composed as a tubular configuration. This dimensioning allows the legs  16 ,  24  to glide easily within the notch  151  as the cot is folded closed or opened. As more particularly shown in FIGS. 4B and 6B, the front connector  50  and the rear connector  54  further include a first wall  152  at an underside defining one side of the notch  151  and to which the legs  16  and  24  are fastened. At the same time, the connectors  50  and  54  include a second wall  153  at the underside, generally perpendicular to the wall  152  in combination therewith, to which the upper ends of the side crossed legs  34  and  32  are fastened. In similar manner, both perpendicular walls  152  and  153  are provided with apertures  154 ,  155  for fastening with their respective pivotally connected legs. 
     To collapse the opened cot of FIGS. 1 and 8, all that is needed is for one to push forward the side extenders  70 ,  72  to the upper ends of the front crossed leg  16  and the rear crossed leg  24 . The legs  16 ,  24  readily slide within the notch  151 , and the pivot connections of all the legs to opposing faces of the perpendicular walls reliably collapses the frame to a compact configuration. Then, in a collapsed condition, the cot can be simply carried to wherever it may be placed for storage. As will be appreciated, the collapsing of the cot will be understood to fold the fabric liner  100  inwardly and out of the way at the same time, yet without it having to be removed from the side extenders  70 ,  72 . 
     While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.