Abstract:
A foldable chair for the beach or outdoor use comprising a frame of metal or other rigid material including fabric or plastic seat and back rests is supported between pairs of elongated telescoping parallel supporting members including X-pivoted braces which are hingedly connected to enable the chair to be folded together into an elongated configuration for carrying purposes. A locking mechanism enables the chair to be maintained in rigid open position.

Description:
This relates in general to foldable or collapsible chairs, more particularly, foldable beach chairs which can be locked into a rigid open position, and can be collapsed into a folded configuration of limited width for carrying. 
     The object of this invention is improvement of the foldable beach chair disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,182 issued Oct. 4, 1988, which is incorporated herein by reference. More particular objects are to provide a chair which is more rigid and locked into position and mounted further off of the sand or other support surface, than the chair of my earlier invention. 
     My earlier patent discloses a beach chair which comprises a foldable frame of metal or other rigid material comprising a fabric or plastic seat rest supported between a pair of tubes or rods, to the ends of which are hingedly connected a pair of telescoping back supports which are interconnected by a pair of X-pivoted braces, and a lower pivoted brace. This arrangement enables the chair to be folded into an extended, elongated configuration of limited width for carrying. 
     In the improved version in accordance with the present invention, the seat is supported by a pair of telescoping trombone-shaped supports which are interconnected in the plane of the seat by a second pair of X-pivoted braces similar to those used on the chair back. The chair is locked in open upright position by a pair of bosses or detents connected to the lower ends of the back supports which snap into openings in the slidable members of the telescoping seat supports on opposite sides of the seat. When the back support members are rotated forward towards the seat, the bosses are pulled out of the openings, releasing the telescoping seat supports to become elongated. Simultaneously, the back and seat supports are elongated telescopically, and the pivoted braces in the back and seat are folded together to form an elongated configuration of limited width convenient for carrying. 
     This embodiment has the advantage over the earlier model of providing a more rigid seat which is raised up above the sand or other surface, and which is rigidly locked into its open position, but is readily disengaged for folding into its carrying configuration. 
     Other objects, features and advantages will be realized by a study of the detailed description hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective showing of the folding chair of my invention in open position, set up for use. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational showing of the folding chair of my invention, with the fabric removed, showing the frame in open position. 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational showing of the folding chair of my invention, with the fabric removed, showing the frame in open position. 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the folding chair of my invention from the top, with the fabric removed, showing the frame in open position. 
     FIG. 5 is a view of the folding chair of my invention from the bottom with the fabric removed, showing the frame in open position. 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective showings of the chair of my invention with the fabric partially cut away, in the process of being folded up and extended to carrying position. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective showing of the folding chair of my invention folded up in carrying position. 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged showing of a fragment of the chair of my invention with the back frame in upright position, and the telescoping support members held in extended position by a locking means comprising a boss interposed into an opening in one of the upper seat support members. 
     FIG. 9A is an enlarged perspective showing of the locking means of FIG. 9. 
     FIG. 10 is the enlarged showing of the fragment of FIG. 9 with the back-frame partially folded over thereby removing the locking boss or detent from engagement with an opening in the upper support member, releasing the same to be telescopically extended. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the beach chair 1, of my invention, is shown set up for use. This chair is an improvement of the chair disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,182 issued Oct. 4, 1988, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The chair 1 comprises a back-rest comprising cover 2 which is mounted on a frame supported in pivotal relation to a seat comprising cover 3. The covers 2 and 3, which may be of fabric such as, canvas or plastic or any similar material conventionally used for out-of-doors type furniture, are mounted on a frame of aluminum, or any other rigid lightweight material having sufficient tensile strength to support the weight of an average adult in sitting position, or to withstand the rigors of folding and unfolding. 
     In the present example, the back rest cover 2 is 23 inches across and 131/2 inches from top to bottom and is hemmed at opposite lateral edges to provide a pair of sleeves 2a and 2b which have inner diameters just sufficient to accommodate a pair of telescoping tubular back supports 4b and 5b, which are part of the supporting frame. In the present example, the tubular back supports 4b and 5b are each, say, 1 inch in outer diameter. 
     The telescoping tubular back supports 4 and 5 each comprise a cylindrical upper terminal portion, say, 1 inch in outer diameter, which extend, say, 3 inches, in an axial direction. Projecting downward and inward from the tops of 4 and 5 are tubular members 4a and 5a, which in the present embodiment are about 18 inches long and just less than 7/8 inch in outer diameter. These fit telescopically into the corresponding metal sleeves 4b, 5b, on each side, each comprising a tube, say, one inch in outer diameter, 7/8 inch in inner diameter, and 18 inches long. 
     The inner ends of the sleeves 4b, 5b are rigidly fastened between the prongs of the respective identical U-shaped metal shoes 30, 31, comprising parallel plates 30a, 30b and 31a, 31b so that when the tubular sleeves 4b, 5b are disposed in fully open, upright position, they form an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees with the horizontally-disposed seat 2. The shoes 30, 31 will be more fully described hereinafter. 
     The seat cover 3, which in the present example is rectangular is, say, 15 inches from front to back, and 23 inches across the width, having a pair of sleeves on its opposite lateral edges which accommodate the upper tubular rungs of seat supports 6 and 7 which are 1 inch in outer diameter. The seat supports 6 and 7 which are spaced, say, 17 inches apart in edgewise relation, are shaped like a pair of parallel slide-trombones, extending, say, 16 inches overall from front to back in closed position, and, standing, say, 6 inches from top to bottom on the supporting surface. 
     The elongated elipitical seat supports each comprise a pair of C-shaped elements 6 and 7 in telescoping reaction, which are of tubular construction, 1 inch in outer diameter and 7/8 inch in inner diameter, the closed ends of the C being at the front end of the open chair, and the legs of the C extending inwardly towards the matching C-shaped elements 6a and 7a, having their closed ends at the rear, and the legs extending inwardly. The legs of C-shaped members 6, 6a are slideably mounted edgewise in trombone fashion on the tubular members 6c and 6b; and the legs of the C-shaped members 7, 7a are slidably mounted spaced apart from 6, 6a, on the tubular members of 7c and 7b. When the chair is set up in completely open position, the inner ends of 6 and 6a, and of 7 and 7a, are telescopically closed together in flush relation as shown in FIG. 2, the trombone-shaped composites being spaced apart edgewise, and supporting the seat 3 in taut relation between them. 
     Important features of the presesnt invention are the U-shaped shoes 30 and 31 (FIG. 1 and 2) which anchor the lower ends of sleeves 4b and 5b of back frame members 4 and 5 to the back rear portions of the seat support members 6a and 7a, about an inch from their rear ends. The U-shaped shoes 30 and 31 each comprise a pair of frusto-triangular metal plates, 30a, 30b and 31a, 31b, say 1/8 inch thick, spaced apart about an inch, with their major surfaces in parallel relation. The plates 30a, 30b and 31a, 31b comprising shoes 30 and 31, are each, say, two inches wide across the bottom, one inch wide across the top, and say, 21/2 inches high. The shoe 30 comprising plates 30a and 30b is fastened rigidly in place on the bottom end of the sleeve 4b by bolts 36 and 37. The bottom edges of 30a and 30b abut and are fastened to a foot plate 30c, shown in FIG. 9A which serves to fasten the plates 30a and 30b together at the bottom. The bottom edges of plates 31a and 31b abut a similar foot plate 31c which serves to fasten them together. 
     The shoe members 30 and 31 are mounted rotatably on the upper rungs of the tubular members 6a and 7a, respectively, so that the upper legs of the C-shaped tubular members 6a and 7a pass through the respective openings between the lower ends of the sleeves 4b and 5b, and the upper surfaces of the feet 30c and 31c. Pivots 32 and 33, respectively, pass through plates 30a and 30b, and 31a and 31b, and the respective lateral walls of 6a and 6b, so that the shoes 30 and 31 respectively enclosing the tubular back support sleeves 4b and 5b rotate from an upright position when the backrest 2 is fully open, to a forward position in which the sleeves 4b and 5b approach a parallel relation to seat support members 6a and 7a. 
     Each of feet 30c and 31c has a button or boss, on its upper inner surface when the respective shoe 30, 31 is in upright position, which penetrates and snaps, into the respective superposed openings 6d, 6e, and corresponding openings on the other side to close the tubular member 6 against 6c, and member 7 against 7c, thereby maintaining the back support members 4 and 5 in upright position. (See FIGS. 9A and 10) 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, there is shown the beach chair 1 of the present invention in upright, open position, with the covers 2 and 3 removed to show the framework. As shown in FIG. 3, the back rest is supported by the X-pivoted braces 8 and 9, each comprising a substantially flat rectangular stiffening member of aluminum or other light weight metal, each of which is, for example, 211/8 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick in the present embodiment. 
     The braces 8 and 9 are centrally pivoted on their flat surfaces to move rotatably about the pin 10 to either form a flat x when the chair is completely open, or to collapse together, approaching parallel relation when the chair is closed. The upper end of the brace 8 is connected by a pivot pin to the eyelet 5d which is disposed to extend laterally inward from the upper end of the telescoping arm 5. The lower end of brace 8 is connected by a pivot pin in eyelet 4e, which extends laterally inward from the lower inner end of the inwardly-slideable tubular member 4b which is fixed in position in the shoe 30. Likewise, the upper end of brace 9 is connected by a pivot pin extending from eyelet 4d; and the lower end of brace 9 is connected by a pivot pin extending inward from an eyelet 5e in a lateral projection from the shoe 31 fixed to the lower end of the sleeve 5b. 
     Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown from the top and from the bottom, respectively, with the cover 3 removed, beach chair 1, as fully open and set up. The metal braces 19 and 20 are each one inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick. When the chair 1 is set up, the braces 19 and 20 are rotatably disposed about the pivot 21 to form an x. 
     The upper brace 20 terminates at its rear end in an upwardly extending prong about 2 inches long, which is rotatably encased in the cylindrical bearing 19b fixed in parallel relation to the inside surface of the support member 6. At its front end, brace 20 terminates in an upwardly extending prong about 2 inches long which is rotatably enclosed in the cylindrical bearing 20a, fixed parallel to the inside surface of support member 7. 
     In a similar manner, the prong on the forward end of the lower brace 19 is rotatably encased in the cylindrical bearing 19a attached to the inner surface of support member 6; and the prong on the rear end of brace 19 is encased in the cylindrical bearing 20b which is attached to the inner surface of the support member 7a. 
     The mechanism will now be described for folding the chair into a longitudinal compact array, as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. The completely folded embodiment is approximately 6 inches in overall width and 22 inches in overall length. 
     A salient feature of the folding mechanism is the construction of the telescoping tubular back supports 4 and 5, and the telescoping tubular seat supports 6, 6a and 7, 7a. 
     Shown in FIG. 6, is an initial step, which is unique to the combination of the present invention, the boss 30d, (see FIGS. 9B and 10) are pulled downward, respectively, disengaging themselves from the openings 6d, and the corresponding boss and the corresponding opening on the other side. This unlocks the shoes 30 and 31, permitting them to rotate in a counter clockwise direction about the respective pins 32 and 33 on the other side, thus propelling the back supports 4b and 5b to rotate forward. This releases the members 6 and 7 to move to the left, becoming separate from the corresponding members 6a and 7a. 
     FIG. 7 shows the next step of the folding-up process, in which the supports 6, 6a and 7, 7a become telescopically elongated in the direction shown by the arrows, at the same time being moved inwardly, closer together, causing the seat braces 19 and 20 to be rotated towards one another assuming a parallel relation, and the rear cross member 12 to fold into the longitudinal slot in member 11. Simultaneously, the back supports become telescopically elongated with the inner tubular members 4a and 5a moving outward in the direction shown by the arrows from their respective sleeves 4b and 5b, causing the back braces 8 and 9 to rotate toward one another assuming a parallel relation. In the final step, the folded chair takes the shape shown in FIG. 8 which for convenience, may be fitted into a tubular bag. This folded configuration is convenient for carrying on a bicycle or motorcycle, or in a car. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment for the purposes of illustration, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms or dimensions shown by the way of illustration, but only by the recitations of the claims hereinafter.