Patent Publication Number: US-2022227265-A1

Title: Double wall folding chair and method for use

Description:
This non-provisional patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 63/139,347, filed on Jan. 20, 2021, presently pending, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to a folding chair and more specifically, to a double wall folding chair and a method for using the chair. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Seats in the North American market today are made from a single-ply injection mold. This technology provides seats that lack design and comfort unless padding is added. The prior art also does not provide the ability for features built into the seats. The design of folding chairs made from a single-ply injection mold is also bulky and doesn&#39;t fold flat, Thus, there is a need for a flat-folding chair that is easy to produce, provides comfort without additional pieces, and allows for design features built into the seats. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure describes a double-ply molded folding chair that is comfortable and provides for built-in design features. 
     In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a folding chair including a double wall single mold seat, a double wall single mold back, and a hinge joining the seat and the back to allow the seat and the back to open and close relative to each other. 
     In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for using a folded chair, including detaching the folding chair, which includes a double wall single mold chair seat and a double wall single mold chair back, from a support frame and folding the chair back against the chair seat to form a flat folded configuration. 
     A more complete understanding of the disclosure can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description in connection with the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 . is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a folding chair of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a side plan view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  is a front plan view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2C  is a side plan view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 1  in a folded configuration. 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway perspective view of an embodiment of a chair scat of the folding chair. 
         FIG. 4  is a cutaway perspective view of an embodiment of hair back of the folding chair. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the assembled folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the folding chair including a stop on the chair seat. 
         FIG. 7  is a side cutaway view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the folding chair. 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom perspective view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 8  in a folded configuration. 
         FIG. 10A  is a top plan view of an embodiment of the folding chair in the folded configuration. 
         FIG. 10B  is a side plan view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 10A . 
         FIG. 10C  is a bottom plan view of the folding chair illustrated in  FIG. 10A . 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the folding chair. 
     
    
    
     The drawings provided herein are presented for convenience to explain the functions of the elements included in the described embodiments of the folding chair. Elements and details that are obvious to a person skilled in the art may not have been illustrated. Conceptual sketches have been used to illustrate elements that would be readily understood in the light of the present disclosure. Some details have been exaggerated for clarity. These drawings are not fabrication drawings and should not be scaled. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description and drawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     The following description refers to a folding chair. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosure provided may be applied to a double wall blow molded chair that can fold flat. The folding chair nay be reversibly attached to structures, such as a frame-mounted to the ground, a table frame, a boat deck, or a trailer hitch frame. The folding chair provides a comfortable chair that can fold flat for storage and can included additional features molded into the chair for comfort and ease of use. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure is presented in  FIG. 1 . A folding chair  100  includes a chair seat  110  and a chair back  120 . The chair seat  110  is joined to the chair back  120  with a hinge  170 , allowing the chair back to fold against the chair seat or to open to a configuration for seating. The chair seat  110  has a seat top layer  130  and a seat bottom layer  140  (not in view in  FIG. 1 ). The seat top layer  130  is continuous with the seat bottom layer  140 , so that the seat comprises a single molded piece with double-wail construction. The chair back  120  has a back forward layer  150  and a back rear layer  160  (not in view in  FIG. 1 ). The back forward layer  150  is continuous with the back rear layer  160 , thus the chair back  120  comprises a single molded piece with a double-wall construction. The double-wall construction of the chair seat  110  and chair back  120  allows one layer, for example, the seat top layer  130  and back forward layer  150  to he contoured for comfort and the other layer, for example, the seat bottom layer  140  and back rear layer  160 , to he non-contoured so that the folding chair is flat when in the folded configuration. The double-wall construction also allows for features such as cup holders to he molded into the chair seat or back. The double-wall single mold construction can be achieved by, for example, blow molding. 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a hinge  170  joins the seat  110  to the back  120 . In one embodiment, a hinge  170  comprises a hinge rod and joins the seat  110  and back  120  through chair seat adaptors  180  and a chair back adaptor  190 . The chair seat adaptors  180  and the chair back adaptor  190  may be functional features that are molded into the chair seat  110  and chair back  120 , respectively. The hinge  170  may comprise a solid metal hinge to provide a sturdy folding chair  100 . In one example, the hinge  170  may be a solid metal rod traversing the chair seat and chair back adaptors  180 ,  190 , thereby joining the chair seat  110  and chair back  120  in a foldable manner. A connector  195  may he attached to the seat bottom layer  140  to allow the folding chair  100  to be attached to other structures, such as a support frame, for example, a frame-mounted to the ground or a deck, a table frame, a boat deck or a trailer hitch frame. An example of a trailer hitch frame that the folding chair may be attached to through the connector  195  is provided in U.S. Patent No. 2013/0257,121. The connector  195  may comprise a plate with bolt holes for attachment of the folding chair  100  to other structures. 
     The folding chair seat  110  and back  120  may be constructed by blow molding, using materials such as polyethylene plastic. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A to 2C , an embodiment of the folding chair  100  in an open and folded configuration is presented. In  FIG. 2A , the folding chair  100  is in an open configuration, with, for example, a 100° angle between the chair seat  110  and chair back  120 . As further illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the open configuration of  FIG. 2A  of the folding chair  100  is presented in a front view. As illustrated in  FIG. 2C , the folding chair  100  is in the folded configuration. The alignment of the chair seat adaptor  180  and chair back adaptor  190  (not visible) provide a flat-folding of the seat  110  and back  120 , while the flat surface of the seat bottom layer  140  and back rear layer  160  provide a flat folded chair. 
     In one embodiment, such as the one shown in  FIG. 2A , the thickness  330  of the chair seat  110  is 2 inches, approximately. The thickness  320  of the chair back  120  is likewise 2.00 inches, approximately. The total width  310  of the open chair  100  is 21.31 inches, approximately. The height  340  of the open chair  100  is 18.25 inches, approximately. As shown in  FIG. 2C , the thickness  350  of the folded chair is 4 inches, approximately. For the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C  approximate dimensions refer to measurements made feasible using appropriate manufacturing methods. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a cutaway view of the folding chair seat  110  is shown. The seat top layer  130  is contoured for comfort when a user is seated on the folding chair  100 . The double-wall structure of the chair seat  110  provides cushioning and strength without requiring additional parts, such as an added seat cushion. The overall flat surface of the seat bottom layer  140  provides a flat configuration in the folded configuration of the folding chair  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a cutaway view of the folding chair back  120  is shown. The back forward layer  150  is contoured for comfort when a user is seated on the folding chair  100  and leaning back. The double-wall structure of the chair back  120  provides cushioning and strength without requiring additional parts, such as an added back cushion. The overall flat surface of the back rear layer  160  provides a flat configuration in the folded configuration of the folding chair  100 . 
     In one embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the chair seat  110  and chair back  120  are joined through the hinge  170 , which threads through the chair seat adaptors  180  and chair back adaptor  190 . The hinge allows the chair back  120  to fold forward and down against the chair seat  110 . As further illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a chair back stop  610  may be provided along the bottom edge of the chair back  120 . The chair back stop  610  is shaped to abut a complementary surface on the chair seat  110  when the chair back is in the open configuration and thereby hold the chair back in an open position, thus maintaining the chair back in a position for a user to sit on the folding chair  100 . The stop  610  may hold the chair back  120  in an approximately vertical position relative to the chair seat  10  for example, at an approximately 100° angle relative to the chair seat. 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the chair back stop  610  is an extension of the double-wall body of the chair back  120 . The hinge  170  traverses through the chair back adaptor  190  and the chair seat adaptors  180  (not clearly visible in  FIG. 7 ), so the chair back  120  can rotate around the hinge into an open configuration of the folding chair  100 . The rotation of the chair back  120  to the open position extends to the point when the chair back stop  610  abuts the chair seat  110 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a connector  195 , such as a metal plate, may he fixed to the chair seat bottom layer  140 . In one embodiment, the connector  195  may be a flat plate or another shape such as a cylinder and may be made of stainless steel for strength and weather resistance. The connector  195  provides a means for attaching the folding chair  100  to another structure, such as a support frame, for example, a support frame fixed to the ground or a deck, a table, a boat deck, or a tailgate seat frame. As further illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the folding chair  100  can be closed to the folded configuration while still providing access to connector  195  for fixing or removing the chair to other structures. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10A-C , an embodiment of the folding chair  100  with a rotatable connector  195  is illustrated in the folded configuration.  FIG. 10A  illustrates the chair back rear layer  160  with the chair back adaptor  190  extending between the chair seat adaptors  180 .  FIG. 10B  illustrates a side plan view of the chair  100  in the folded configuration, with flat seat bottom layer  140  and flat back rear layer  160 .  FIG. 10C  illustrates the connector  195  as a plate that is rotatable with respect to the chair seat  110 , so that if the connector is attached to another structure, the chair  100  can swivel about the structure. 
     The dimensions of the embodiment shown is  FIGS. 10A-C  are as follows. The width  380  of the chair back  160  is approximately 18.28 inches, The thickness  360  of the folded chair is approximately 4.8 inches. The depth  370  of the folded chair is approximately 18 inches. The thickness  365  of the connector is approximately 0.8 inches. Turning to  FIG. 10C , the distance  390  between the bolt holes is approximately 5 inches. The width  395  of the connector is approximately 6 inches. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , the folding chair  100  is illustrated in the open configuration with the connector  195  fixed to the seat  110 . 
     To use the folding chair  100 , a user may open the chair back  120  away from the chair seat  110  to the open configuration to allow a user to sit in the chair. For storage, the chair  100  can be closed to the folded configuration. For use in conjunction with a frame, such as a tailgate seat frame, the chair  100  may be attached to the frame using the connector  195  and then opened for sitting. For storage, the chair  100  may be folded Chile still attached to the frame or may be removed from the frame and folded. 
     While embodiments of the folding chair have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, alternate constructions, and equivalents may be employed. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.