Patent Publication Number: US-8118358-B2

Title: Chair

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority and the benefit thereof from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/890,716 filed Feb. 20, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth therein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is directed to a folding chair, and more particularly to a folding chair with an improved folding mechanism. 
     2. Related Art 
     As well known in the art, a folding chair is a light portable chair that can be folded and stored in a stack or row. Folding chairs are frequently used for temporary seating situations such as parties, ceremonies, concerts and the like. Folding chairs are mostly made of hard plastic, metal or wood with pivots to allow folding. 
     Depending on the pivot locations, folding chairs may be divided into two major categories: pivot under seat level and pivot at (or above) seat level. The pivot under seat level category may be further divided into minor categories such as a side X stool, a side X chair, a front X chair and the like. As shown in  FIG. 1(   a ), a side X stool has two X shaped legs aligned with a piece of cloth between.  FIG. 1(   b ) shows a side X chair, of which the supports for the backrest and the front feet are invariably the same part. The seat for the side X chair is collapsed with the sidebars, either downwards between the front legs, or upwards to align between back sidebars. As shown in  FIG. 1(   c ), the front X chair is essentially a side-x stool with a backrest. The “pivot at (or above) seat level” category typically includes a triangle shape folding chair, which is the most common type of folding chairs. As shown in  FIG. 1(   d ), the seat of the triangle shape folding chair automatically aligns between the back supports, and the support for the backrest and the front legs are the same part. 
     The aforementioned conventional folding chairs, however, suffer from one or more drawbacks such as being bulky, trouble-prone, unreliable in use, and visually unattractive. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved folding chair design that is less bulky, less trouble-prone, more reliable, and more visually attractive. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention meets the foregoing needs, which results in a significant improvement over the conventional folding chairs and other advantages apparent from the discussion herein. Thus, the invention provides a novel folding chair in order to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art. 
     According to an aspect of the invention, a folding chair includes a back frame including at least one rear leg, a seat frame pivotally connected to the back frame, at least one front leg pivotally connected to the seat frame, a link connected to the at least one front leg and the at least one rear leg to pull the front leg toward the back frame when the folding chair is folded, and a seat panel pivotally connected to the seat frame and configured to be separated from the seat frame when the folding chair is folded. 
     The folding chair may further include a back panel attached to the back frame. The back frame may includes a pair of vertical bars, each including an upper portion and a lower portion, and a horizontal bar interconnecting the pair of vertical bars, wherein the lower portions of the pair of vertical bars include two of the at least one rear leg to form a pair of rear legs. The back panel may be attached to the upper portions of the pair of vertical bars. The at least one front legs may include a pair of front legs. 
     The seat frame may include a pair of side frames pivotally connected to the rear frame, the seat panel and the pair of front legs, and a bridge frame connected to the pair of side frames and configured to support the seat panel when the folding chair is unfolded. The side frames may include L-shaped rear end portions pivotally connected to ends of the vertical bars, respectively. Each vertical bar may include a cutout portion configured to engage the L-shaped rear end portion of the side frame of the seat frame. 
     The seat frame may further include at least one hook configured to engage the horizontal bar of the rear frame when the folding chair is unfolded. The at least one hook may include a pair of hooks attached on a bottom surface of the seat frame and pivotally connected to inner side surfaces of the side frames of the seat frame. The folding chair may further include rivets pivotally connecting the pair of side frames to the rear frame, the seat panel and the pair of front legs. The at least one front leg may include a pair of front legs. 
     The link may include a front bar connected to the pair of front legs, a rear bar connected to the pair of rear legs, and a bridge coupled between the front bar and the rear bar. The folding chair may further include rivets pivotally connecting the front and rear bars of the link to the front and rear legs. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a folding chair includes a rear frame including a pair of rear legs, a rear panel attached to the rear frame, a seat frame pivotally attached to the rear frame and configured to move towards the rear panel when the folding chair is folded, a seat panel mounted on and pivotally attached to the seat frame and configured to be separated from the seat frame and move towards the rear panel when the folding chair is folded, a pair of front legs pivotally attached to the seat frame, and a link pivotally connected to the pair of front legs and the pair of rear legs and configured to pull the pair of front legs towards to rear frame when the folding chair is folded. 
     The folding chair may further include rivets pivotally connecting the seat frame to the rear frame, the seat panel and the pair of front legs, and pivotally connecting the link to the pair of front legs and the pair of rear legs. The folding chair may further include at least one hook attached to the seat panel and configured to engage the rear frame when the folding chair is unfolded. The at least one hook may include a pair of hooks attached at a bottom surface of the seat panel and configured to pivotally connect the seat panel to the seat frame. 
     The rear frame may include a pair of vertical bars, each divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portions of the pair of vertical bars constitute the pair of rear legs, a horizontal bar extending between the pair of vertical bars, wherein the at least one hook engages the horizontal bar when the folding chair is unfolded. 
     The link include a front bar pivotally connected to the pair of front legs, a rear bar pivotally connected to the pair of rear legs, and a bridge extending between the front bar and the rear bar. 
     Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
         FIGS. 1(   a ),  1 ( b ),  1 ( c ) and  1 ( d ) show conventional folding chairs; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a folding chair constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the folding chair shown in  FIG. 2  constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a detailed view of the back frame of the folding chair of  FIGS. 2 and 3  constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a detailed view of the seat frame of the folding chair of  FIGS. 2 and 3  constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a detailed view of the link of the folding chair of  FIGS. 2 and 3  constructed according to the principles of the invention; 
         FIGS. 7(   a ),  7 ( b ),  7 ( c ),  7 ( d ) and  7 ( e ) sequentially show side views of the folding chair of  FIG. 2  in various degrees of folding constructed according to the principles of the invention; and 
         FIGS. 8(   a ),  8 ( b ),  8 ( c ) and  8 ( d ) sequentially show perspective views of another folding chair in various degrees of folding constructed according to the principles of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a folding chair  100  in the unfolded position constructed according to the principles of the invention. As shown therein, the folding chair  100  may include a back panel  110 , a back frame  120  including a pair of rear legs  152 , a seat panel  130 , a seat frame  140 , a pair of front legs  150 , and a link  160 . However, as the skilled artisan will readily recognize, the folding chair  100  may be configured in different configurations with different components, without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the invention. For example, the back panel  110  may be attached to the back frame  120 , or, alternatively, the back panel  110  may be integral to the back frame  120 . As further shown in  FIG. 2 , the folding chair  100  in the unfolded position may not have the unique appearance of the conventional folding chairs shown in  FIGS. 1(   a ),  1 ( b ),  1 ( c ) and  1 ( d ), and thus may appear more aesthetically pleasing to users compared to the conventional folding chairs. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exploded perspective view of the folding chair  100  of  FIG. 2 . To establish folding mechanism, the back frame  120 , the seat panel  130 , the seat frame  140 , the front legs  150  and the link  160  may be pivotally connected to each other. For example, the seat frame  140  may be pivotally connected to the back frame  120  with rivets  170   a , the seat panel  130  may be pivotally connected to the seat frame  140  with rivets  170   b , the front legs may be pivotally connected to the seat frame  140  with rivets  170   c , and the link  160  may be pivotally connected to the front and rear legs  150 ,  152  with rivets  170   d . However, as the skilled artisan will readily recognize and appreciate, without departing from the scope and/spirit of the invention, any mechanical fasteners that allow pivotal movement may be used in replacement of the rivets  170   a ,  170   b ,  170   c  and  170   d.    
     In an embodiment of the invention, the back frame  120  may be configured to be “H” shaped, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The back frame  120  may be constructed with two vertical bars  122 ,  124  and a horizontal bar  126  interconnecting the vertical bars  122 ,  124 . The vertical bars  122 ,  124  may be divided into upper portions  122   a ,  124   b  and lower portions  124   a ,  124   b , respectively. The upper portions  112   a ,  124   a  may be used to support the back frame  110 , and the lower portions  122   b ,  124   b  may constitute the rear legs  152 . The back panel  110  may be attached to the upper portions  122   a  and  124   a  of the back panel. 
     As mentioned above, the seat frame  140  may be pivotally attached to the back frame  120  with the rivets  170   a  such that the seat frame  140  may pivotally move towards the back panel  110  when the folding chair  100  is folded. The seat panel  130  may be pivotally attached to and mounted on the seat frame  140  with the rivets  170   b  such that the seat panel  130  may be separated from the seat frame  140  and pivotally move towards the back frame  120 . The link  160  may be pivotally connected to the front legs  150  and the rear legs  152  with the rivets  170   d  such that the front legs  150  are pulled towards the bottom of the seat frame  140  when the folding chair  100  is folded. Each of the front legs  150  may include holes  154 ,  156  to engage the rivets  170   d ,  170   c , respectively. 
     In an embodiment, the seat panel  130  may include a pair of hooks  190  attached to a bottom surface thereof to engage the back frame  120  when the folding chair  100  is unfolded. The hooks  190  may be attached on a rear end portion of the bottom surface of the seat panel  130 . Particularly, the hooks  190  may be configured to engage the horizontal bar  126  of the back frame  120  to stop the seat panel  130  at a predetermined location when the folding chair  100  is in the unfolded position. This may prevent any excessive pressure applied to the seat panel  130  from damaging the structural integrity of the folding chair  100 . The hooks  190  may be configured to ensure firm engagement to and smooth disengagement from the horizontal bar  126 . The hooks  190  may also be used to establish the pivotal connection between the seat panel  130  and the seat frame  140 . For example, as mentioned above, the hooks  190  may be attached to the rear end portion of the bottom surface of the seat panel  130 . The hooks  190  may be then pivotally attached to the seat frame  140  using the rivets  170   b  such that the seat panel  130  may pivotally move about the rivets  170   b.    
       FIG. 4  shows an exemplary construction of the back frame  120  constructed according to the principles of the invention. As mentioned above, the back frame  120  may be “H” shaped and constructed with the vertical bars  122 ,  124  interconnected by the horizontal bar  126 . The vertical bars  122 ,  124  may include recesses  128  and holes  180   a  formed within the recesses  128  to engage the seat frame  140 . The back frame  120  may further include holes  180   d  arranged at the rear legs  152  to engage the link  160 . The upper portions  122   a ,  124   a  may have cutouts  125  formed along an inner front surface thereof to receive the seat panel  100 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an exemplary construction of the seat frame  140  constructed according to the principles of the invention. The seat frame  140  may be constructed with a pair of side frames  142   a ,  142   b  and front and rear bridge frames  144   a ,  144   b  interconnecting the side frames  142   a ,  142   b . Each of the side frames  142   a ,  142   b  may include a rear end portion  146 , a protrusion  148  and holes  182   a ,  182   c ,  184 . In an embodiment, the rear end portion  146  may be “L” shaped to engage the recess  128  of the back frame  120 . The hole  182   a  may be formed at the upwardly protruded end of the rear end portion  146  so as to align with the hole  180   a  of the back frame  120  when the rear end portion  146  is engaged to the recess  128  of the back frame  120 . Rivets  170   a  may be inserted through the holes  182   a ,  180   a  to pivotally connect the seat frame  140  to the back frame  120 . 
     The protrusions  148  may protrude from an inner side surfaces of the side frames  142   a ,  142   b . Each of the protrusions  148  may include the hole  184  to engage the rivet  170   b . The protrusions  148  may be configured to engage the hooks  190  with the rivet  170   b  to establish the pivotal movement of the seat panel  130 . The holes  182   c  may be arranged in the front side portions of side frames  142   a ,  142   b  to align with the holes  156  of the front legs  150 . The front and rear bridge frames  144   a ,  144   b  may be configured to support the seat panel  130  when the folding chair is in the unfold position. The shapes and locations of the front and rear bridge frames  144   a ,  144   b  may varied as long as there is no interference with the pivotal moment of the seat panel  130  when the folding chair  100  is folded. 
       FIG. 6  shows an exemplary configuration of the link  160  constructed according to the principles of the invention. The link  160  may be constructed with a front bar  162 , a rear bar  164  and a bridge  166  interconnecting the front and rear bars  162 ,  164 . The front bar  162  may have holes  180   e  at both ends thereof. Similarly, the rear bar  164  may have holes  180   f  at both ends thereof. In assembly, the holes  180   e  of the front bar  162  may be aligned with holes  154  of the front legs  150 , and the holes  180   f  of the rear bar  164  may be aligned with the holes  180   d  of the rear legs  152 . Then, the rivets  170   d  may be inserted into the holes  154  of the front legs  150  and the holes  180   e  of the front bar  162  to establish the pivotal connection therebetween. Similarly, the rivets  170   d  may be inserted into the holes  180   d  of the rear legs  12  and the holes  180   f  of the rear bar  164  to establish the pivotal connection therebetween. 
       FIGS. 7(   a ),  7  ( b ),  7  ( c ),  7  ( d ) and  7  ( e ) sequentially show side views of the folding chair  100  prior to and during a folding movement.  FIG. 7(   a ) shows the chair  100  being in the unfolded position. The link  160  extended from the rear legs  152  may maintain a predetermined distance between the front legs  150  and the rear legs  152 , which may prevent the front legs  150  from being accidentally folded. Thus, the seat frame  140  may be firmly supported by the front legs  150  and the rear legs  152  in the unfolded position. Also, as mentioned above with reference to  FIG. 3 , the hooks  190  may be engaged to the horizontal bar  126  of the rear frame  120 , which may ensure the folding chair  100  stay in the unfolded position. To fold the folding chair  100 , as shown in  FIG. 7(   b ), the user may lift the seat panel  130  to separate the seat panel  130  from the seat frame  140  and disengage the hooks  190  from the horizontal bar  126  of the back frame  120 . Once the hooks  190  are disengaged from the horizontal bar  126 , the user may pivotally move the seat frame  140  towards the back panel  110 , as shown in  FIG. 7(   c ). When the seat frame  140  pivotally moves about the rivets  170   a  (see  FIG. 3) , the front legs  150  may be folded about the rivets  170   c  because the link  160  may pull the front legs  150  towards the bottom of the seat frame  140  to maintain the predetermined distance between the front legs  150  and the rear legs  152 . As shown in  FIG. 7(   d ), as the seat frame  140  continues to pivotally move towards the back panel  110 , the seat panel  130  may be completely folded and adjoin the back panel  110 , and the front legs  150  may be pivotally pulled further towards the bottom of the seat frame  140  by the link  160 .  FIG. 7(   e ) shows the folding chair  100  in the folded position, in which the seat frame  140  is completely folded to adjoin the seat panel  130  and the front legs  150  are also completely folded to adjoin the seat frame  140 . As shown in  FIG. 7(   e ), the folding chair  100  in the folded position may be very compact. Also, since the seat panel  130  is separated from the seat frame  140  by the folding movement, the folding chair  100  may be less trouble-prone and more reliable than conventional folding chairs. 
       FIGS. 8(   a ),  8 ( b ),  8 ( c ) and  8 ( d ) sequentially show perspective views of another folding chair  100 ′ prior to and during a folding movement, constructed according to the principles of the invention. Although the folding chair  100 ′ may not have the identical appearance of the folding chair  100  shown in  FIG. 2 , the construction, main components and operational principles thereof may be substantially the same as those of the folding chair  100 .  FIG. 8(   a ) shows the folding chair  100 ′ in the unfolded position. The folding chair  100 ′ may be constructed with a back panel  110 ′, a back frame  120 ′, a seat panel  130 ′, a seat frame  140 ′, front legs  150 ′. The lower portions of the back frame  120 ′ may constitute rear legs  152 ′ of the folding chair  100 ′.  FIG. 8(   b ) shows the seat panel  130 ′ being lifted towards the back panel  110 ′. As shown therein, hooks  190 ′ may be attached on the bottom surface of the seat panel  130 ′ to form a pivotal connection between the seat panel  130 ′ and the seat frame  140 ′. As mentioned above, rear end portions  192  of the hooks  190 ′ may be configured to engage the rear frame  120 ′ when the chair  100 ′ in the unfolded position.  FIG. 8(   b ) shows the rear end portions  192  of the hooks  190 ′ being disengaged from the rear frame  120 ′.  FIG. 8(   c ) shows the seat frame  140 ′ being pivotally pulled towards the back panel  110 ′ and the front legs  150 ′ being pulled towards the bottom of the seat frame  140 ′ by the link  160 ′.  FIG. 8(   c ) shows the folding chair  100 ′ in the folded position, in which the seat frame  140 ′ is completely folded and the front legs  150 ′ are pulled to adjoin the bottom of the seat panel  140 ′ by the link  160 ′. Thus, according to the invention, a folding chair that is less bulky, less trouble-prone, more reliable, and more visually attractive compared to conventional folding chairs. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.