Improvements in Folding Seats and Tables.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Folding Seats and Tables.
We, JAMES MAKENZIE CALTON, of 38 Forth Street, Pollokshields, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Cabinetmaker, and WILLIAM EGLIN, of 70 York Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, American Factor, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING SEATS
AND TABLES to be as follows, that is to say :---
"
Our said Invention has for its object to construct and combine the parts of
folding seats and tables in an improved manner. A chair made according to the
Invention has the following advantageous peculiarities. It will instantly assume
the opened or closed condition accordingly as it is held up by one hand in one or
other of two ways. The parts are strongly jointed together and no part of the
wood is weakened by grooves or sliding parts such as those which in some existing
chairs are required in connection with the folding action. The various parts may
consist of straight pieces of wood. The chair is extremely compact when folded;
and a number of the chairs can be piled or packed together in extremely small
space and in a very convenient manner.
In a chair with a back and made according to the Invention, the side bars of the
seat have jointed to their back ends a pair of legs, which when the chair is open,
cross diagonally on the outsides of a second pair of legs to which they are connected
by joint pins where they cross, so that the feet of the pair of legs jointed to the
back of the seat are under the front of the seat, whilst the feet of the other pair
are under the back of the seat. The side bars of the chair back are jointed to the
side bars of the seat at a certain distance forwards from their back ends, and,
extending about the same distance below the joints, have metal lugs fixed to their
lower ends, and by means of these lugs are jointed to the front upper ends of the
inner pair of legs hereinbefore referred to as jointed to the pair of legs connected
to the back of the seat. When the chair is open the extreme front upper ends of
the inner pair of legs enter slight recesses in the under side of the seat, these
recesses acting as stops and by preventing any movement that might occur through
[Price 8d1

page_text: slight yielding of any part, make the chair a practically rigid structure when open.
The tops of the outer pair of legs are rigidly connected together by a cross bar
where they are jointed to the back ends of the seat bars, and when the chair is held
up by this cross bar the parts collapse and fold together into the form of a flat
shallow rectangular box.
If the part of the back which rises above the seat when the chair is open, is cut
away, leaving the lower parts of the side bars which connect the seat to the inner
pair of legs, the seat becomes a stool, or if the seat part is lengthened, a form or
bench; whilst if the seat part is suitably extended and the parts made of suitable
size, the article becomes a table.

page_text: We, JAMES MACKENZIE CALTON, of 38 Forth Street, Pollokshields, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Cabinetmaker, and WILLIAM EGLIN, formerly of
70 York Street but now of 128 Queen Street Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, American Factor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object to construct and combine the parts of
folding seats and tables in an improved manner. A chair made according to the
Invention has the following advantageous peculiarities. It will instantly assume
the opened or closed condition accordingly as it is held up by one hand in one or
other of two ways. The parts are strongly jointed together and no part of the
wood is weakened by grooves or sliding parts such as those which in some existing
chairs are required in connection with the folding action. The various parts may
consist of straight pieces of wood. The chair is extremely compact when folded;
and a number of the chairs can be piled or packed together in extremely small
space and in a very convenient manner.
On an accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings there is represented a chair
with a back as made according to our Invention, figures, 1, and 2, being front and
edge views showing it in its folded condition; whilst figures, 3, and 4, are respec-
tively a side elevation and a front elevation showing the chair in its unfolded
condition. In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
•
In the folding chair shown in the accompanying drawings, the side bars, A, of
the seat, B, have jointed to their back ends a pair of legs, C, which, when the chair
is open, cross diagonally on the outsides of a second pair of legs, D, to which they
are connected by joint pins, E, where they cross, so that the feet of the pair of
legs, C, jointed to the back of the seat, B, are under the front of the seat, whilst
the feet of the other pair, D, are under the back of the seat. The side bars, G, of
the chair back H, are jointed to the side bars, A, of the seat, B, at joints, J, a
certain distance forwards from their back ends, and extending about the same
distance below the joints, J, have metal lugs, K, fixed to them, and by means of
these lugs are jointed to the inner pair of legs, D, hereinbefore referred to as jointed
When the chair is open
to the pair of legs, C, connected to the back of the seat, B.
the extreme front upper ends of the inner pair of legs, D, enter slight recesses in the
under side of the seat, B, these recesses acting as stops, and by preventing any
movement that might occur through slight yielding of any part, make the chair a
practically rigid structure when open. The tops of the outer pair of legs, C, are
rigidly connected together by a cross bar, L, where they are jointed to the back
ends of the seat bars, A; and when the chair is held up by this crossbar, L, the
parts collapse and fold together into the form of a flat shallow rectangular box, as
shown in figures, 1, and 2. The inner pair of legs, D, are connected rigidly together
by upper and lower cross bars, M, N. The seat, B, may consist of a wood framing

page_text: formed by the side bars, A, and back and front cross bars, with a cover of wood, or
canvas, or cane or other suitable material.
If the part of the back, H, with its side bars, G, which rises above the seat, B,
when the chair is open, be cut away, leaving the lower parts of the side bars, G,
which connect the seat to the inner pair of legs, D, the seat becomes a stool, or if
the seat part is lengthened a form or bench; whilst if the seat part is suitably
extended and the parts made of suitable size, the article becomes a table.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
The combining of the parts of folding seats or tables in the improved
manner substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in the accompanying
drawings.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.