Abstract:
A unitary chair of relatively stiff corrugated paperboard formed from a single die-stamped and scored blank, characterized in that it constitutes a base including side panels provided with a pair of opposed slots which are adapted to receive and to lock in interengagement the free ends of both a pivotal seat panel and a pivotal back rest panel. The slots are formed at the junctures of the seat supporting edges of the side panels with the back rest supporting edges of the side panels.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known in the prior art to fabricate chairs and other furniture items from cardboard or corrugated board and the like. Such chairs in various structural forms and in various designs have been made for use as toys, for children&#39;s furniture, as well as for adult use. It will be appreciated that the relatively low cost of the raw materials involved makes it possible to produce such furniture items inexpensively, even to the extent of justifying a relatively brief useful life. 
     While many different chair designs or structures have been suggested in the past, none of these has met with general acceptance or marketing success. It is believed that this may be due, at least in part, to the relative complexity of prior art structures and to some difficulty in set up or assembly of the articles at the point of use, such articles ordinarily being shipped in a knocked-down or flat form to minimize costs. It has, accordingly, been a principal aim of the present invention to provide an improved, simplified, paperboard chair which may be shipped flat but which is readily assembled without the use of tools, with a minimum of difficulty, and requiring only simple assembly directions. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND THE DRAWINGS 
     It is an important feature of the invention that the chair structure is fabricated from a single die-stamped and pre-scored blank in which all the chair elements are integrally connected. Such elements include a pair of side panels, a front panel and a back panel bridging between the side panels, a seat panel hinged to the front panel, and a back rest panel hinged to the back panel. The seat panel and the back rest panel terminate in marginal portions which lockingly interengage the side panels at slots formed therein, whereby the seat and back rest panels are firmly secured in place and the structure mechanically stabilized. 
    
    
     Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the unitary paperboard chair of the invention, in an assembled state; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the chair with portions of the seat panel and the back rest panel cut away to show understructure, and taken substantially on the lines 3--3 of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the chair of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the lines 6--6 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, exploded view indicating schematically the manner of interengagement of the various interlocking elements of the chair with the base and with an optional under support member; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the base of the chair with the seat portion cut away and with the back rest portion extending upwardly so as to show more clearly the structure of the chair base itself; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view indicating schematically the positioning of the back rest of the chair prior to pivotally positioning and interlocking the seat panel; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view indicating the back rest panel in place and the seat panel about to be locked in place; 
     FIG. 11 is a bottom view, exploded to indicate the manner in which the auxiliary support is interlocked with the back rest and the seat; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of the chair blank; and 
     FIG. 13 is a plan view of the auxiliary seat support. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now more particularly to the drawing, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the chair 20 is fabricated of a single, unitary blank 24. The blank 24 is preferably fabricated of corrugated paperboard or the like diestamped and pre-scored to demark fold lines, as shown in FIG. 12. As illustrated, the blank 24 includes a back panel 26 integrally joined along two opposed parallel fold lines 28 and 28a to a pair of side panels 32 and 32a. Each side panel is generally L-shaped in configuration, consisting of a seat supporting portion 36 and 36a and a back rest supporting portion 38 and 38a, each side panel being slotted at 40 and 40a along a line constituting an extension of the back rest supporting portion 38 of the panel 32, for purposes which will become evident as the description proceeds. 
     A front panel 42 of the chair base is joined to one of the side panels 32 along a pre-scored fold line 44, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention shown, the front panel 42 includes an integrally formed wing flange 48 joined to the free lateral edge of the front panel 42 along a fold line 54. A seat panel 58 is integrally joined to the front panel 42 along a pre-scored fold line 60. At a marginal portion opposite to and paralleling the fold line 60, the seat panel 58 is integrally formed with a locking flange 64 connected to the seat panel proper 58 along a fold line 66. As shown, the locking flange is formed with a pair of outer slots 70 and 70a and a pair of inner slots 74 and 74a, each slot extending transversely of and opening at the free edge 78 of the locking flange 64. 
     A back rest panel 82 is integrally joined to the back panel 26 through an intermediate linking web 86 delineated by a pair of parallel fold lines 88 and 88a. The free marginal end portion of the back rest panel 82 is also formed with a pair of outer slots 90 and 90a and a pair of inner slots 94 and 94a, these being spaced in correspondence with the slots formed in the seat flange 64, for purposes which will become evident in the further description of the chair structure. 
     Conveniently, in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated, a cut out 100 in the back panel 26 serves as a hand opening facilitating manual transport of the chair. Each side panel 36 and 36a is also formed with a cut-out 104 and 104a at the base to suggest leg-like structures. 
     The simple steps in the transformation of the chair structure from a planar blank to an erected, completed item of furniture is described herebelow with reference to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10. As a first step the blank 24 is folded along opposed scored lines 28 and 28a so that the side panels 32 and 32a project forwardly in a parallel relationship. The front panel 42 is then pivoted about the fold line 44 to bridge between the side panels 32 and 32a, and the flange 48 is bent about the fold line 54 and brought into engagement against the marginal inner surface of the side panel 32a. While the mode of securement of the flange to the side panel is not critical, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a pressure sensitive adhesive film is utilized as the securing means. Other fastening means such as pins or staples may be used. 
     In a second assembly step, the back rest panel 82 is pivoted forwardly about the hinge lines 88 and 88a so that the intermediate web 86 abuts and bears upon the top edge surfaces 108 and 108a of the backrest supporting portions 38 and 38a. The free edge 110 of the back rest panel swings downwardly toward the top edges 114 and 114a of the seat supporting portions 36 and 36a as the edges slide-through the respective end slots 90 and 90a of the back rest panel 82, all as indicated schematically in FIG. 9. The back rest panel 82 is then urged forwardly so that it firmly abuts the upper portions 38 and 38a of the side panels 32 and 32a, the free, marginal, downwardly directed end 112 of the back rest 82 seating in the opposed slots 40 and 40a formed in the side panels 32 and 32a. 
     The final step in the assembly of the chair 20 of the invention is to pivot the seat panel 58 rearwardly along the fold line 60 while bending the end flap 64 about the fold line 66 (FIG. 10). The end flap 64 is inserted downwardly into the slots 40 and 40a in the opposed side panels 32 and 32a so that the side walls themselves seat in the end slots 70 and 70a of the flap 64 to provide a stabilized, completed structure. 
     While the chair structure as described above is complete and self-sustaining, and while it will support considerable weight in use, in order to provide still greater weight support capability, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, and as best seen in FIG. 11, there is provided a generally V-shaped auxiliary strut or support wall 120 consisting of two legs 124 and 124a symmetrically disposed about a scored fold line 126. The support wall 120 is formed with a pair of slots 128 and 128a opening at an upper edge of the wing elements 124 and 124a. As indicated in FIG. 11, the support wall 120 is of the same height as the side panels 36 and 36a and so dimensioned that when partially folded about its mid-line 126, the end edges 130 and 130a enter into and seat in the opposed forward corners 134 and 134a of the chair base while, concurrently, the slots 128 and 128a in the respective legs 124 and 124a of the support walls interlockingly engage the downwardly directed marginal portion 112 of the back rest 82 at the inner slots 94 and 94a and also the downwardly directed flange 64 of the seat panel 58 at its inner slots 74 and 74a, whereby the wall 120 is firmly and securely locked in place to enhance the stability of and to augment support for the chair seat.