Patent Publication Number: US-2013229034-A1

Title: Folding canopy chair

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/547,429 filed Jul. 12, 2012 and now pending, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/298,264, filed Nov. 17, 2011 and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,172, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/704,698, filed Feb. 12, 2010 and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,091,962, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/152,303, filed Feb. 13, 2009, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Folding chairs having a collapsible frame with fabric materials attached to the frame to form the chair seat and back rest are popular for outdoor activities and events. These chairs fold along perpendicular lateral and longitudinal axes, so as to be compact and fit easily into a sleeve-type bag for carrying and storage. 
     Canopies of various types are known for attachment to numerous types of folding chairs. These prior art canopies are generally symmetrical in shape and typically are mounted to the back of the chair using a pair of support arms on opposite sides of the chair frame, or using a single centered arm or post, such as for an umbrella attachment, These canopies and umbrellas sometimes limit the fold-ability of the chair, or must be removed before the chair is folded. Some canopies or umbrellas are removably or detachably mounted to the frame. These various prior art coverings often provide little adjustability of the canopy or umbrella over the chair to protect the person from the sun or rain. Therefore, a objective of the present invention is to provide an improved folding canopy chair having an adjustable umbrella. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The folding canopy chair of the present invention has a detachable canopy or umbrella which can be mounted to either side of the chair. The post of the umbrella may have two push button hinges for pivotal movement about two horizontal axes, while the umbrella top pivots 380 degrees about the post axis, to allow the position of the umbrella over the chair to be adjusted to protect a person sitting in the chair from the sun and/or rain. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the improved folding canopy chair of the present invention, showing the umbrella in alternative positions on the left and right sides of the chair. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the canopy chair. 
         FIG. 3  is a left side elevation view of the canopy chair. 
         FIG. 4  is a right side elevation view of the canopy chair. 
         FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  showing one adjusted position of the umbrella. 
         FIG. 8  is a rear elevation view of the canopy chair. 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the canopy chair, showing the umbrella in alternative positions rotated about a substantially vertical axis. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the chair with the umbrella folded down to a storage position adjacent the chair frame. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged, exploded view of the clip components of the chair and umbrella. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of one of the push button hinges of the canopy post. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     A chair is generally designated in the drawings by the reference numeral  10 . The chair includes a folding frame  12  which forms the legs of the chair and the supports for the back rest, seat, arid arm rests of the chair  10 . Fabric material is attached to the frame  12  so as to form the chair seat  14 , back rest  16 , and arm rests  18 . The chair  10  can he folded and unfolded between a use position and a storage position. The general construction of the frame  12 , seat  14 , back rest  16  and arm rests  18  may take various forms known in the art, such as the commercially available “Kelsyus” chair. 
     The chair  10  includes a canopy  20  removably connected to the frame  12 . The canopy  20  is in the form of an umbrella, with a post  22 , a plurality of spokes  24 , and a fabric covering or body  26 . 
     The lower end of the post  22  is mounted to the frame  12  using a clip  28 . The clip  28  may take any convenient form. In a preferred form, the clip  28  includes a female receptacle  30  fixed to an upper side of the frame  12  adjacent the back rest  16  of the chair  10 . The lower end of the post  22  includes a male member  32  with a resilient tab  34  received in the female receptacle  30  so as to lock the canopy  20  to the frame  12 . The receptacle  30  has an opening so that a person&#39;s finger can depress the tab  34  to unclip the umbrella  20  from the chair  10 . The resilient tab  34  allows the canopy  20  to be removed from the female receptacle  30 . As shown in the drawings, a receptacle  30  is provided on both the left and right sides of the frame  12 , such that the canopy  22  can be selectively positioned in either side of the chair  10 , as desired by a person sitting in the chair. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the post  22  of the canopy  20  has upper and lower segments  36 ,  38 . A push button hinge  40  is provided at the juncture of the upper and lower segments  36 ,  38 , to allow the upper segment  36  to pivot forwardly and rearward approximately 180°-270° about a horizontal axis relative to the lower segment  38 , A second push button hinge  42  is provided at the bottom of the lower segment  38 , adjacent the male clip member  32 , which allows the lower segment to pivot forwardly and rearward at least 270° between the arm rests of the chair  10  and the back corner of the frame  12 . 
     Preferably, the hinge  42  allows 360° rotation of the umbrella  20  relative to the chair  10 . The push button hinge  42  allows the canopy  20  to move between a use position extending above the chair  10  and a storage position adjacent the frame  12 . The hinges  40  and  42  lock in position at incremental angles. When the button of the hinge is depressed, the hinge is unlocked to allow rotational movement about the button axis. When the button is released, the hinge locks in the selected angular orientation. Thus, the umbrella can be pivoted about one or both hinges  40 ,  42  to provide shade to the chair  10 , depending on the sun angle relative to the chair. The post segments  36 ,  38  can be co-axially aligned, as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , or may be disposed at various angles, as shown in one example of  FIG. 5 . 
     A Velcro strap  44  may be provided to hold the collapsed umbrella body  26  in the storage position, as shown in  FIG. 8 . The Velcro strap  44 , if long enough, may also extend around the frame  12  to secure the canopy  20  in the storage position. The storage position of the canopy  20  can be maintained when the chair  10  is folded open for use or folded down for storage and carrying in a sleeve bag (not shown). 
     The body  26  of the canopy or umbrella  20  is rotationally mounted on the upper end of the post  22  for 360° rotation in. either direction about the axis of the upper post segment  36 . Thus, rotation of the body  20  about the axis of the upper post segment  36 , and the pivotal movement of the post segments  36 ,  38  about the horizontal axes of the push button hinges  40 ,  42  allows the canopy or umbrella  20  to be selectively positioned by persons sitting in the chair to provide the desired protection from the sun, wind and/or rain. The umbrella  20  can also be clipped to either side of the chair, depending on the sun angle, for the best protection. 
     The shape of the body  26  of the canopy or umbrella  20  may be non-symmetrical, with the post  22  being offset with respect to the center of the body  26 . The spokes  24  do not have equal lengths, as in a conventional umbrella. For example, as best seen in  FIG. 7 , there are two short spokes, two long spokes and two intermediate spokes. This offset, non-symmetrical shape of the canopy or umbrella  20  allows the umbrella to be mounted to one side of the chair frame  12 , while still providing shade or protection across the full width of the chair  10 , as best shown in  FIG. 7 . The umbrella shape defines a long side, a short side, and opposite lateral sides, any of which may be positioned toward the front of the chair  10 , to provide desired shade while also allowing a person sitting in the chair to view an activity or event without obstruction by the umbrella. Preferably, the underside of the body  26  has a coating or metallic layer to provide enhanced ultraviolet protection and heal resistance. 
     The chair  10  has additional unique features for comfort and convenience. Padding may be provided in the fabric of the seat  14 , back rest  16 , and arm rests  18 . A lumbar support  46  is provided in the back rest  16  for added comfort. A beverage receptacle  48  may be provided in one or both of the arm rests  18 . Storage pockets  50 ,  52  may be provided on one or more of the arm rests  18  and on the front of the seat  14 . Preferably, the pockets  50 ,  52  include zippers  54  for opening and closing the pockets. One of the zippers  54  may also include a bottle cap opener on the zipper pull. 
     In use, when a person is finished sitting in the chair  10 , the spokes or ribs  24  can be quickly and easily collapsed or refracted to fold down the umbrella body  26  by pulling downward on a collar slidably mounted on the post  22  and to which the inner ends of the spokes are attached. Then, the post segments  36 ,  38  are straightened, if angularly oriented, by depressing push button hinge  40 . Then, the push button hinge  42  can be actuated so that the post  22  can be folded rearward and downwardly to a position adjacent the rear corner of the frame  12 . The frame  12  can then be folded to a fully collapsed position and inserted into a carrying bag or case, without detaching the canopy  20 . The left and right side clips, the button hinges, and the rotational body of the umbrella allow for positioning options of the umbrella relative to the chair. 
     The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the post  22  can be detachably connected to the frame  12  with a connector or mounting means other than the clip  28 , and different hinges may be used for pivoting the post  22  relative to the frame  12  or chair  10 . The post  22  may also be a single piece or multiple pieces, or have a telescoping construction. The structure of the chair may also vary from that shown in the drawings.