AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lorenzo Field, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Cabinet Maker, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN FOLDING CHAIRS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lorenzo Field at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd November 1881.
LORENZO FIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Cabinet Maker.
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS."
My Invention has reference to the arms of such folding chairs as consist of a
back frame and a shorter front frame jointed together at the middle of the said
front frame, the seat of the chair consisting of a piece of fabric or flexible material
which is connected to the top bar of the front short frame, and to the middle bar
of the longer back frame.
My said Invention has for its object to simplify the construction of the parts
for effecting the folding of the arms of the said chairs.
In constructing the said parts according to my Invention I give to the folding
arms of the chair a curved figure, and I joint them at their inner or back ends to
the outer sides of the long back frame and near the upper ends thereof.
The outer or front ends of the folding arms of the chair are free or unjointed,
but the said ends of the arms are connected to the outer sides of the top ends of
the front frame by means of metallic clips or loops, through which the chair arms
slide freely so that the folding up or expanding out of the front frame effects the
folding rip or opening out of the jointed chair arms. The clips or loops described
through which the chair arms pass and by which they are supported, are not fixed
rigidly to the ends of the front frame carrying them, but are capable of swivelling
or turning upon a centre so as to accommodate themselves to the changing positions
of the chair arms upon which they slide. I do not limit myself to any particular
way of connecting the swivelling clips or loops to the front frame of the chair as
they may be connected by the screws on which they turn, or by separate plates or
caps. When the two frames constituting the body of the chair are folded parallel
to one another, the swivelling clips or loops on the front frame slide upon and
depress the jointed chair arms and fold them upon the outside of and parallel to
the back frame, and when the two frames are opened out to bring the chair into a
position for use, the clips or loops slide in the opposite direction upon and lift the
chair arms and support them in their raised position.
A pin or peg may be fixed near the free end of each chair arm and on its inner
ace so as to support the front frame and limit its motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Lorenzo Field in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th May
1882.
LORENZO FIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Cabinet Maker.
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS."
My Invention has reference to the arms of such folding chairs as consist of a
back frame and a shorter front frame jointed together at the middle of the said
front frame, the seat of the chair consisting of a piece of fabric or flexible material
which is connected to the top bar of the front short frame, and to the middle bar
of the longer back frame.
My said Invention has for its object to simplify the construction of the parts for
effecting the folding of the arms of the said chairs upon the body.
In constructing the said parts according to my Invention I give to the folding
arms of the chair a curved figure, and I joint them at their inner or back ends to
the outer sides of the long back frame and near the upper ends thereof.
The outer or front ends of the folding arms of the chair are free or unjointed,
but the said ends of the arms are connected to the outer sides of the top ends of
the front frame by means of metallic clips or loops, through which the chair arms
slide freely, so that the folding up or expanding out of the front frame effects the
folding up or opening out of the jointed chair arms.
The clips or loops described through which the chair arms pass and by which
they are supported are not fixed rigidly to the ends of the front frame carrying
them, but are capable of swivelling or turning upon a centre so as to accommodato
themselves to the changing positions of the chair arins upon which they slide. I
do not limit myself to any particular way of connecting the swivelling clips or
loops to the front frame of the chair, as they may be connected by the screws on
which they turn, or by separate plates or cap.
When the two frames constituting the body of the chair are folded parallel to
one another, the swivelling clips or loops on the front frame slide upon and depress
the jointed chair arms and fold them upon the outside of and parallel to the back
frame; and when the two frames are opened out to bring the chair into a position
for use, the clips or loops slide in the opposite direction upon and lift the chair
arms and support them in their raised position.
A pin or peg may be fixed near the free end of each chair arm and on its inner
face so as to support the front frame and limit its motion.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in front elevation, a folding
chair expanded or opened out for uso constructed according to my Invention;
Figure 3 represents an edge view of the same folded; Figure 4 represents a side
clevation, Figure 5 a front elevation, and Figure 6 a horizontal section of a portion
of the chair drawn of the full size; and Figure 7 represents the same view as
Figure 4 with the end of the chair arm removed.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a, a, is the long back frame, and b, b, is the shorter front frame constituting the
body of the chair, the said frames a and b being jointed together at c; d is the
seat of the chair, consisting of a piece of fabric or other flexible material connected
to the top of the front short frame band to the middle of the longer back frame a;
e is the back of the chair consisting of a piece of fabric or flexible material fixed to

page_text: the cross bars ff; g, g, are the arms of the folding chair. These arms g, g, are
jointed at h, h, to the back frame a, a, and the outer or front ends of the said arms
are unjointed and have the curved figure seen in Figures 1 and 3. The said front
or outer ends of the jointed arms g, g, are connected to the outer sides of the top
ends of the shorter frame b, b, of the chair body by means of the metallic loops or
clips i, . The said loops or clips i, i, have the figure best seen in Figures 4, 5, 6, .
and 7, the chair arms g,g, sliding freely in the said loops or clips on the folding up
or opening out of the said chair arms. The metallic loops or clips i, i, are
connected to the ends of the front frame b of the chair body by the screws k, k,.
upon which they are capable of swivelling or turning, so as to accommodate
themselves to the changing positions of the chair arms g, g, upon which they
slide; L, l, are stops on the free ends of the chair arms g, g, for limiting the motion
of and for supporting the front frame b, b, when opened out.
On opening out or expanding the two frames a, a, and b, b, the swivelling loops
or clips i, i, on the front framo b, b, slide upon and lift the jointed arms g, g, the
said arms moving from the position represented in Figure 3 to that represented in
Figures 1 and 2. When the swivelling loops or clips i, i, have reached the position
Figures 1 and 2, they support the chair arins g, g, in their raised position for use.
In the act of folding the two frames a, a, and b, b, parallel to one another as
illustrated in Figure 3, the swivelling loops or clips i, i, slide in the opposite
direction upon the chair arms and depress and fold the said arms upon the outside
of and parallel to the folded frames a, a, and b, b.
The improvements described and illustrated may be applied to the folding or
collapsing of the arms of all folding chairs in which the body is folded in the
manner shown in the Drawing, whether the seat and back be mado of a fabric or
other flexible material, or of wooden or other lnths, or whether the seat be jointed
to the back frame and be lifted vertically prior to folding the chair.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of "An Improvement or Improvements in Folding Chairs,"-
The construction and combination of parts herein before described and illustrated
in the accompany Drawing, for collapsing the jointed arms of the chair on the
folding up of the chair body and for raising and supporting the jointed arms of the
chair on the opening out or expanding of the chair body, that is to say, the
combination of the jointed curved arms g, g, with the swivelling loops or
clips i, i, k, constructed as described and illustrated, through which swivelling
loops or clips the front unjointed ends of the chair arms pass, and by which they
are collapsed and raised on the folding up and opening out of the chair body,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lorenzo Field, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Tenth day of Nov in the vaar of our Lord One thousand