Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Dec., 1888
We, ARNO ELSTE and FRITZ STOLL, both of 98", Curtain Road, Shoreditch, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturers and Importers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention (a communication from abroad by E. A. Naether, of Zeitz, Prussia, in
the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to folding chairs of that class known as hammock chairs
and has for its chief objects to construct the same in such a manner that any suitable
inclination may be given to the back without the occupant having to leave the chair;
that the chair may serve also as a rocking chair; and that the occupant can rise from
the chair more easily than heretofore.
According to the said invention. the lower frame, to the front cross bar of which
one end of the flexible seat can be connected, rests at its rear end upon the floor
and at its front end is supported upon legs or props jointed to the said lower frame.
Stays can also be provided to maintain the said legs in their proper position relatively
to the said lower frame.
The back frame of the chair, to the upper cross bar of which the other end of the
flexible seat is attached, is connected, to the lower frame by pivots and can be moved
thereon without any movement of the said lower frame.
The lower ends of the back frame can project sufficiently far below the lower frame
to bear upon the ground when owing to the weight of a person upon the flexible
seat the back frame may have been moved forwards to a certain position. Or
flexible bands can be connected to the projecting portions of the back frame and
also to the legs of the lower frame.
A stay is in some cases provided to hold the back frame in any required position.
It will be understood that owing to the motion of the back frame being quite
independent of that of the lower frame a person sitting upon the chair can rock the
back frame upon its pivots and thus move the seat. This movement of the seat also
enables a person to get it into such a position that he can easily rise therefrom.

page_text: In some cases a cane or other fixed seat is substituted for the flexible seat. In
these cases the back frame instead of being jointed directly to the lower frame is
jointed to one end of a support the other end of which is jointed to the lower frame.
The lower end of the back frame is also jointed to an auxiliary frame for carrying
the seat, which auxiliary frame is mounted upon the front end of the lower frame.
With this construction of frame however the flexible seat can be substituted for the
fixed seat. In the latter case a stay is sometimes provided to prevent the back from
coming forward under the weight of a person sitting upon the chair..
The pivot pins when necessary run in suitable slots in the side bars of the frames
to enable the chairs to be folded.
Dated the 14th day of February 1888
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Folding Chairs.
We, ARNO ELSTE and FRITZ STOLL, both of 98", Curtain Road, Shoreditch, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturers and Importers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (a communication from abroad by E. A. Naether, of Zeitz, Prussia,
in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer) and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to folding chairs of that class known as hammock chairs,
and has for its chief objects to construct the same in such a manner that any suitable
inclination may be given to the back without the occupant having to leave the chair;
that the chair may serve also as a rocking chair; and that the occupant can rise from
the chair more easily than heretofore.
According to the said invention the lower frame, to the front cross bar of which
one end of the flexible seat can be connected, rests at its rear end upon the floor and
at its front end is, supported upon legs or props jointed to the said lower frame.
Stays can also be provided to maintain the said legs in their proper position
relatively to the said lower frame.
The back frame of the chair to the upper cross bar of which the other end of the
flexible seat is attached, is connected to the lower frame by pivots and can be moved
thereon without any movement of the said lower frame.
The lower ends of the back frame can project sufficiently far below the lower
frame to bear upon the ground when owing to the weight of a person upon the
flexible seat the back frame may have been moved forwards to a certain position.
Or flexible bands can be connected to the projecting portions of the back frame and
also to the legs of the lower frame.
A stay is in some cases provided to hold the back frame in any required position.
It will be understood that owing to the motion of the back frame being quito
independent of that of the lower frame a person sitting upon the chair can rock the
back frame upon its pivots and thus move the seat. This movement of the seat also
enables a person to get it into such a position that he can easily rise therefrom.
In some cases a cane or other fixed seat is substituted for the flexible seat. In
these cases the back frame instead of being jointed directly to the lower frame is
jointed to one end of a support the other end of which is jointed to the lower frame.
The lower end of the back frame is also jointed to an auxiliary frame for carrying
the seat, which auxiliary frame is mounted upon the front end of the lower frame.
With this construction of frame however the flexible seat can be substituted for the
fixed seat. In the latter case a stay is sometines provided to prevent the back from
coming forward under the weight of a person sitting upon the chair.
The pivot pins when necessary run in suitable slots in the side bars of the frames to
enable the chairs to be folded.

page_text: To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a chair constructed according to our invention,
and provided with a flexible seat.
Figures 2 and 3 are side elevations illustrating slight modifications in the construction
of such chair. .
Figure 4 is a view of a detail.
Figures 5 and 6 are a front and side elevation respectively of the chair folded.
Figure. 7 is a sectional elevation of a chair adapted for either a flexible or rigid
seat.
Figure 8 is a similar view illustrating a modification.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of a chair having a rigid seat.
Figures 10 and 11 are front elevations in their folded positions of chairs having
flexible and rigid seats respectively.
:
The improved chair, Figures 1 to 6, comprises a back or top frame a and a seat or
bottom frame b, the side bars of which frames are binged or pivoted together at e;
and a flexible seat d the upper end of which is secured to the cross bar a¹ of the
frame a while the other end is secured to a cross bar b¹ of the frame b.
The front end of the seat frame is supported upon props or legs e, e which are
normally held in position by stays or struts f, f, so that the back frame a can move
independently of the seat frame as indicated by the dotted lines Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The flexible seat d when stretched out straight as indicated in the said Figures is
shorter than the distances from the bar a¹ to the pivot c and from the pivot c to the
bar b¹.
The effect of this arrangement is that when a person is sitting in the chair, the
weight upon the seat portion counteracts or balances the pressure upon the back
portion so that the occupant can recline at any angle, sit upright or rock himself at
will.
The forward motion of the chair back in rising from a reclining position is stopped
in the normal sitting position either as shown in Figure 1, by prolonging the side bars
of the back frame a as at g, so that the ends of the said side bars will press upon the
floor as soon as the sitting position is reached; or as shown in Figure 2 by the use of
suitable bands or chains ; or as shown in Figure 3 by the engagement of the brace
or stay i with the notches j (Figure 4) in the side bars. The said brace when used
also serves to arrest the rearward motion of the back at certain points and so prevent
a rocking motion of the same.
The seat and back being hinged together as herein before described and shown it is
obvious that the whole back frame of the chair can be folded flat upon the seat frame
as also can the legs e, e after raising the struts f,f the pins at one end of which slide
in slots in the said legs.
In the chairs shown in Figures 7 to 11 the back frame, instead of being pivoted to
the lower frame is jointed to the upper end of a support which is pivoted at its lower
end to the frame b. The lower end of the back frame is jointed to an auxiliary frame
for carrying the seat, which auxiliary frame is also jointed upon the front cross bar b
of the lower frame.
seat.
This construction of frame is adapted for use with either a flexible seat or a rigid
When the flexible seat is used it is connected to the cross bar a¹ of the frame a
and to the cross bar of the auxiliary frame as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 10 and
when a cane or other rigid seat is used it is carried by or fixed in the frames a and las
shown in Figures 9 and 11.
In order to prevent the back frame from moving too far back we apply in extensions
at the lower ends of the side bars of the frame a a cross bar m, Figure 7, which when
the said frame has reached a certain rearward position impinges against the underside
of the auxiliary frame l. Or we employ the stay n, Figure 8, which at one end is
connected to the support k and at the other adapted to engage with one or other of the
notches o in the frame b.
As herein before stated with reference to Figures 1 to 6 the seats and backs of the

page_text: chairs shown in Figures 7 to 11 are sufficiently short to prevent the chair from falling
back.
In the modification shown in Figures 9 and 11 the strutf is jointed at
P so that
when the chair is folded it lies as indicated in dotted lines. The side bars of
the frame b are also slotted to allow the pins of the supports k to slide therein for
folding.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
(1) A folding chair the back frame of which is adapted to move independently of
the seat or lower frame, so as to enable the occupant of the chair to place the chair
back at any desired angle, substantially as described.
(2) A folding chair the back of which is pivoted to the lower frame in such a
manner that the back of the chair can move independently of the seat, substantially
as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings.
(3) The modification of our invention wherein the back frame is carried upon
supports and the seat by an auxiliary frame, substantially as described with reference
to Figures 7 to 11 of the drawings.
(4) The manufacture and use of the improved folding chairs hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 14th day of November 1908
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.