IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, SEATS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, SEATS, AND
OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES."-A communication from abroad by Henri
Hubert Giesendorff, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st April 1875.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS,
SEATS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is (while simplifying the construction of
folding chairs, seats, and other analogous articles) to impart greater,

page_text: rigidity to the article when unfolded and in use than is the casc in
folding chairs or seats as hitherto constructed.
The improved folding scat is so constructed that it will not close or
fold up when lifted (as in the case with most folding chairs, and which
renders them very inconvenient) but yet it can be folded up with facility
by merely drawing the arms towards each other so as to release certain
fastenings when the arms and scat may be thrown up against the
back.
In carrying out the Invention each of the hinder legs and back
uprights forms one rigid piece, the back uprights being simply con-
tinuations of the hinder legs, and these parts are connected together by
cross bars which complete the rigid back framing of the chair. The
seat is jointed by means of metal pieces to the upper ends of the back
legs, which near their lower ends are provided with fixed pivots to which
are attached (by joints) the lateral bars of the chair. The opposito ends
of these bars are jointed to the front legs which are connected together
by cross bars, and are jointed to a metal piece fixed on the under side of
the framing of the seat. There are two side arms attached by joints at
about their middle part to the upper part of the front legs The upper
ends of these arms terminato in a knob, and their lower ends are jointed
to auxiliary folding bars which are also jointed to the back legs The
joints of the arms with the auxiliary folding bars are formed of a
cylindrical cross bar of steel so as to give clasticity, and yet impart
sufficient rigidity to the chair as it extends across. The arms of the
chair are connected with the back by means of straps or other flexiblo
fittings. When the chair is unfolded and in use it is kept in a rigid
state by means of a metal hook (on each side,) which catches over a stud
or screw fixed in the metal cross piece which connects the upper ends of
the front legs together. These hooks are kept in place by the steel cross
bar at the lower end of the side arms, but they may be easily detached
by pressing the upper ends of the arms slightly inwards or towards cach
other, when the chair may be folded up.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said
William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler leurs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Iler special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admını-
strators, and assigns, or sucl others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
usc, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, SEATS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Henri Hubert Giesendorff,
of Paris, in the Republic of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my exccutors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office on or before the Thirteenth day of October, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say
The object of this Invention is (while simplifying the construction of

page_text: folding chairs, seats, and other analogous articles), to impart greater
rigidity to the article when unfolded and in use than is the case in
folding chairs or scats as hitherto constructed.
The improved folding seat is so constructed that it will not close or
fold up when lifted (as is the case with most folding chairs, and which
renders them very inconvenient), but yet it can be folded up with facility
by merely drawing the arms towards cach other so as to release certain
fastenings when the arms and scat may be thrown up against the
back.
Another important advantage resulting from the use of the improved
construction of folding chair is that the chair does not present externally
any projecting hook or metallic lever or joint which would be liable to
catch and tear the clothes of the person who may sit on the-chair. The
absence of any such projecting metallic parts admits of the chair being
covered with any kind of fabric embroidered or otherwise, and orna-
mented with fringes if desired.
It will be easily understood that the improved construction of parts to
all kinds of folding scats, chairs, arm chairs, stools, rout seats, &c,
made of wood or other material, and of whatever form and kind of
'decoration may be employed according to whether it be desired to
provide seats or stools of simple construction for conservatories or
gardens, or more expensive and ornamental scats for apartments.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side clevation, and Fig. 2, a
front elevation of an arm chair constructed according to the Invention,
and provided with a cane bottom and leather back. In these two Figures :
the chair is shewn as expanded and ready for use. Fig 3 is a side
clevation, and Fig. 4 a front elevation of the same chair collapsed or
folded up for the convenience of being stowed away.
It will be seen that each of the hinder legs a and back uprights b
forms one rigid piece, the back uprights being simply continuations of a
the hinder legs which are curved to impart stability to the scat These
parts are connected together by a cross bar c, Fig 2, and other cross
picces which complete the rigid back framing of the chair, and to which
some of the other parts are jointed. The seat d is jointed by means of
the metal picces e, Fig. 1, to the upper ends of the back legs a which 3
near their lower ends are provided with fixed pivots to which aro

page_text: 2
•
attached (by joints) the lateral bars 9 of the chair. The opposite ends
of these bars are jointed to the front legs of the chair. These front
legs are connected together by cross bars j and k, and are jointed to a
metal piece m fixed by means of a screw to the under side of the framing a
of the seat. There are two side arms n, n, attached by joints at about
their middle part to the upper part of the front legs 2, 2.
The upper
ends of these arms terminate in a knob, and their lower ends are jointed
to auxiliary tolding bars o, o, which are also jointed to the back legs a, a
The joints of the arms with the auxiliary folding bars o, o, are formed
of a cylindrical cross bar p of steel so as to give elasticity, and yet
impart sufficient rigidity to the chair as it extends across.
The arms n
of the chair are connected with the back b by means of straps q, q, or
other flexible fittings. When the chair is unfolded and in use it is kept
in a rigid state by means of a metal hook or piece" (on cach side) which
catches over a stud or screws fixed in the journals of the metal cross
piece which connects the upper ends of the front legs together These
pieces or hooks are kept in place by the steel cross bar at the lower
end of the side arms, but they may be easily detached by pressing the
upper ends of the arms slightly inwards or towards each other, when the
chair may be folded up. These parts are more clearly seen in the
detached view, Fig. 5. The journals are free to move in their bearings
or sockots made in the upper part of the front legs, i, which at this
part are provided with an oval-shaped opening in order to admit of the
studs or catches 8, 8, having a certain amount of play. By this means
the position of the arms n of the chair will be determined by the play of
the studs s in their oval-shaped mortice, the rigid bar p above mentioned
(which connects the lower parts of the arms of the chair) tending by its
natural clasticity to maintain these latter in position when they are the
furthest removed from each other, as in Figures 2 and 4.
It will now be understood that the hooks being sufficiently rounded
at their lower part it will only be necessary in order to open the chair to
push down the bottom or scat d, so that the curved part of the hooks
will push back the studs or catches & so as to cause the latter to enter
the hooks where they will be held by the action of the spring rod p.
The chair will then be maintained in an open or unfolded state; on the
other hand in order to shut or fold up the chair it will only be necessary
to draw the two arms n, n, slightly towards each other, and then to fold
them back on the back of the chair. In fact, the act of drawing the

page_text: arms towards each other, the journals & which are held therein in such a
manner as to play freely in their circular sockets made in the upper
part of the fore feet 2 will force the studs or catches & out of the hooks?',
and there will then be nothing to prevent the seat from being brought
up into the position shewn at Figures 3 and 4
น
8
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Folding
Chairs, Seats, and other Analogous Articles," and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent as aforesaid, I would observe that the essential
features of novelty, which I desire to secure by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent in the above described folding chair or seat
arc,-
First. Making each of the hunder legs and uprights of the back in one
piece.
Second. Connecting the arms n, n, of the chair to the front legs i, i,
and the two movable bars o, o, by flexible joints, as licrein set
forth
Third. Connecting the scat d of the chair to the jointed front legs by
means of the hook fastenings, as shown and described, so that when once
the seat is opened for use it may be held in that position until it is
required to be closed
Fourth. Constructing the hook fastenings of the scat in such a
manner that they may be released by simply drawing the arms n, n,
towards each other, as heren set forth, so that the parts of the chair
may be folded against the back, as shown and described.
Fifth. The combination of the spring 1od or bar with the arms for
the purpose of automatically holding the parts in place, as herein set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, havo
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-