Patent Publication Number: US-2016220027-A1

Title: Three point adirondack chair

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an Adirondack style chair with an improved design that increases stability on uneven ground and increases structural strength. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Adirondack chairs are a type of outdoor furniture in which the seat support members extend beyond the rear of the chair to the ground, forming the rear legs of the chair. They are also known as Muskoka chairs in parts of Canada. An early example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 794,777 to Bunnell. 
     A present form of the Adirondack or Muskoka chair is described in US Patent No. Des. 109,239 to Wolpin, which includes the contoured seat and curved back that are typical features of modern Adirondack or Muskoka chairs. For many years these chairs were made of wood or plastic simulated-wood material with the pieces of the chair nailed, glued, bolted, or screwed together to from a single unit. More recently, some have been molded as a single piece out of plastic. Current Adirondack or Muskoka chairs have four legs or supports, consisting of two front legs that extend up to support large armrests and two rear supports. Typically, the rear supports are either extension of the seat support members or, in the case of most molded chairs, legs which are angled back from the seat. Adirondack or Muskoka chairs also have an angled back with armrests connected to and helping to support the back of the chair. In many non-molded designs, there are additional supports that form a triangle between the back of the chair and the rear supports, further reinforcing the structure of the chair. This creates a very sturdy chair that is suitable for outdoor use. However, this chair, like any other with four legs, does not work well on uneven ground. On rocky or uneven ground it is not usually possible to find a position in which all four legs will touch the ground. This leaves either an unstable chair that rocks from side to side or a chair that deforms and breaks or wears out at the joints. Thus, there is a need for an Adirondack or Muskoka style chair that will remain stable and structurally sound when used on rocky or uneven ground. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This aforementioned need is satisfied by the chair assembly of the present invention, which in one embodiment comprises an Adirondack or Muskoka style chair in which the two seat support members are angled toward each other and extended beyond the rear of the chair so as to come together at the point of contact with the ground, forming a chair that is in contact with the ground at only three points. More specifically, the present invention relates to an Adirondack Chair comprised of first and second seat support members angled toward each other to form a “V” shape and extended beyond the rear of the chair so as to come together at the point of contact with the ground; a seat section attached to the top of the seat support members, a back section attached to the seat support members to form an angle generally comfortable for sitting (preferably at least 90-degrees); generally vertical first and second front legs attached to the seat support member to the front or side of the chair, and horizontal first and second armrests connecting the top of the first and second legs with the side of the back support section. Preferably, the present Adirondack chair further comprises a back support post of at least one member that attaches the back support members to the seat support members at the point at which the seat support members come together. 
     Implementations of the present invention provide a chair with an improved design that increases stability on uneven ground and increases structural strength. Preferred embodiments include armrests, most preferably horizontal, connecting the top of each front leg with the back section. Another preferred embodiment includes one or two back support members connecting the rearward point where the seat support members make contact and the back section. 
     Another embodiment involves removing the left armrest of one chair assembly and the right armrest of another and abutting them so as to form a loveseat configuration. 
     Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now make to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of one embodiment of a chair assembly of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1  with the seat covering members and back covering members removed. 
         FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a back view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the chair assembly in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of one embodiment of a loveseat assembly of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to an Adirondack style chair with an improved design that increases stability on uneven ground and increases structural strength. As will be clear from the drawings the the following, the chair utilizes a 3-point leg configuration. Three contact point make the present chairs particularly suited to use on rocky or other irregular surfaces. 
     Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. As used herein, the components designated as “first” or with numerals bearing a “a” suffix are oriented on the left side of the chair when seated and the components designated as “second” or with numerals bearing a “b” suffix are oriented on the right side of the chair when seated 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 8 , one embodiment of a chair assembly  100  of the present invention is illustrated. A seat section  102  is attached to a back section  104 . First seat support member  106   a  and second seat support member  106   b  are set at an angle to each other and meet at point  126 . A plurality of horizontal seat covering members  120  extend between and may extend beyond the outside edges of the first and second seat support members  106   a  and  106   b . Flat seat members are contemplated in the present invention, but can be uncomfortable. In this preferred embodiment, the first seat support member  106   a  and second seat support member  106   b  may be formed with a contoured and beveled top so that the seat covering members  120  define a contoured surface. An additional crossbar support  110  may be attached to the inner faces of seat support members  106   a  and  106   b  which provide additional sideways stability. 
     A back section  104  is attached to the upper surface of the seat support members  106   a  and  106   b  in proximity to the seat section  102  and may consist of lower back support member  116 , upper back support member  118 , first side support member  114   a  and second side support member  114   b.  A plurality of back covering members  122  extend between and may extend beyond lower back support member  116  and upper back support member  118 . The back covering members  122  are oriented in a generally vertical orientation. Often the vertical orientation is allowed to fan outward at the top as shown in  FIG. 4 . There may be an odd or even number of back supporting members, typically six to eight in total. Gaps are formed between the back support members and the most central gap may be positioned at the center of the chair. As shown in  FIG. 5 , back support members  122  may taper in width with the wider part at the top of the member. Back support members  122  may be inclined slightly outward, the inclination increasing with the outermost members having the greatest inclination. This may form diagonal elements that increase the sideways stability of the back section. As shown in  FIG. 2 , lower back seat support member  116  and upper back seat support member  118  may be formed with a laterally concave front so that the back covering members  122  define a laterally concave surface. 
     First front leg  108   a  and second front leg  108   b  are attached to seat support members  116   a  and  116   b  respectively. First front leg  108   a  and second front leg  108   b  may be vertical or may extend to the front or side of the chair. First armrest  124   a  is attached to front leg  108   a  and may extend beyond the front leg to the front and side of the chair. First armrest  124   a  is also attached to first side support member  114   a.  First armrest  124   a  may be horizontal or inclined and may incorporate sections of extra width to serve as a table. The attachment of the armrest  124   a  may include first front brace  126   a  and first rear brace  128   a  which provide extra support for armrest  124   a.  Second armrest  124   b  is attached to front leg  108   b  and may extend beyond the front leg to the front and side of the chair. Second armrest  124   b  is also attached to second side support member  114   b.  Second armrest  124   b  may be horizontal or inclined and may incorporate sections of extra width to serve as a table. The attachment of the second armrest  124   b  may include second front brace  126   b  and second rear brace  128   b  which may provide extra support for armrest  124   b.  Attachments may include front brace  126   b  and rear brace  128   b  to provide extra support for armrest  124   b.    
     Back support post  112  is attached to upper back support member  118  and to first seat support member  106   a  and second seat support member  106   b.  Back support post  112  meets seat support members  106   a  and  106   b  at the point  126  at which they come together. 
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment, in which the back support is achieved with two back support members  112   a  and  112   b,  which attach to upper seat support member  118  at different points. Back support posts  112   a  and  112   b  meet seat support members  106   a  and  106   b  at the point  126  at which they come together. 
     Back support members  112 ,  112   a  and  112   b  are extremely difficult to fabricate for use in a 3-point chair configuration since they require multiple compound cut to form the contact abutment. 
       FIG. 9  shows a loveseat assembly  130  of the present invention. in this assembly, 3-point chairs are positioned next to each other to form a 2-person seat. Removing the abutting armrests, and fabricating the front leg member such that they do not extend above the height of the seat section achieves a loveseat configuration. This type of positioning of two chairs is not otherwise possible on rocky or irregular surfaces. 
     The loveseat  130  comprises (a) a first chair section  140   a  comprising first and second seat support members,  206   a  and  206   b,  angled toward each other to form a “V” shape where the point  226  of the “V” extends beyond the rear of the chair so as to come together at the point of contact with the ground, a seat section  202  attached to the top of the seat support members  206   a/b , a back section  204  attached to the seat support members  206  to form an angle generally comfortable for sitting (preferably greater than or equal to 90 degrees), one vertical left side front leg  208   a  attached to the side of the seat support member  206   a  at the front or side of the chair and extending above the height of the seat section  220 , one vertical right side front leg  208   b  attached to the side of the seat support member  206   b  at the front or side of the chair and not extend above the height of the seat section  220 ; and one left side horizontal armrest  224   a  connecting the top of the leg  208   a  with the first side support member  214   a,  and (b) a second chair section  140   b  comprising first and second seat support members angled toward each other to form a “V” shape where the point  226  of the “V” extends beyond the rear of the chair so as to come together at the point of contact with the ground, a seat section  202  attached to the top of the seat support members  206   a/b , a back section  204   a  attached to the seat support members to form an angle generally comfortable for sitting (preferably greater than or equal to 90-degrees), one vertical right side front leg  208   b  attached to the side of the seat support member  206   b  at the front or side of the chair and extending above the height of the seat section  220 , one vertical left side front leg  208   a  attached to the side of the seat support member at the front or side of the chair and not extend above the height of the seat section  220 ; and one right side horizontal armrest  224   b  connecting the top of the leg with the side of the back support section, wherein the first chair section  140   a  and the second chair section  140   b  are positioned such that the right side seat section of the first chair section  140   a  and the left side of the second chair section  140   b  are in contact and form a double seat. Preferably, the two chair sections  140   a  and  140   b  are releasably attached by means of a clamp, hooks or screws. 
     Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and the following claims.