for Adjusting the Position of the Backs thereof.
Year: 1885

page_text: for Adjusting the Position of the Backs thereof.
I, JOHN WARDROP of 3 Ferguslie Buildings, Paisley, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Engineering Draughtsman do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING AND OTHER CHAIRS AND IN THE MEANS
FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE BACKS THEREOF to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in folding and other chairs and
in the means for adjusting the position of the backs thereof, is especially applicable
to folding chairs.
In carrying out the present improvements the front or forward ends of the arm-
rests are pivoted to iron or equivalent supports which are, in their turn, pivoted
upon the front rail of the seat, that is to say the rail to which the front edge of the
carpet or other webbing forming the seat is tacked or otherwise secured. When
applied to folding chairs, straps or the equivalents thereof are arranged beneath
the carpet or webbing seat so as to support the same when in use. The supports
have detents or pawls pivoted upon them in such position that they engage with
the teeth of ratchets secured to those legs of the said chair which extend obliquely
from the front rail of the seat towards the back down to the floor. The pawls may
be released from the ratchet teeth by means of leather straps which are secured to
them and to the underside of the arm-rests or by the equivalents of such straps.
The leg-rest used under the present invention is supported by hooks or loops
engaging with the front rail of the seat and by a leg hinged to its forward end, a
strap being provided for the purpose of staying or supporting the said leg when in
use or for lowering the leg-rest when necessary.
The two iron supports herein before referred to may be secured against torsional
strain or inacuracy, by means of an iron or equivalent bar extending beneath the
front rail of the seat and connecting them to each other.

page_text: Improvements in Folding and other Chairs and in the means
for Adjusting the Position of the Backs thereof.
I, JOHN WARDROP of 3 Ferguslie Buildings, Paisley, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Engineering Draughtsman do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING AND OTHER CHAIRS AND IN THE MEANS
FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE BACKS THEREOF, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My Invention, which relates to improvements in folding and other chairs and in
the means for adjusting the position of the backs thereof, is especially applicable to
folding chairs.
In carrying out my present improvements, I pivot the front or forward ends of
the arm-rests to iron or equivalent supports which are, in their turn, pivoted upon
the front rail of the seat, that is to say, the rail to which the front edge of the
carpet or other webbing forming the seat, is tacked or otherwise secured. When
applied to folding chairs, straps or the equivalents thereof are arranged beneath
the carpet or webbing seat so as to support the same when in use.
The supports
have detents or pawls pivoted upon them in such position that they engage with
the teeth of ratchets secured to those legs of the said chair which extend obliquely
from the front rail of the seat towards the back down to the floor. The pawls may
be released from the ratchet teeth by means of leather straps which are secured to
them and to the under side of the arm-rests or by the equivalents of such straps.
The leg-rest used under the present Invention is supported by hooks or loops
engaging with the front rail of the seat and by a leg hinged to its forward end, a
strap being provided for the purpose of staying or supporting the said leg when
in use or for lowering the leg-rest when necessary. The two iron supports herein-
before referred to may be secured against torsional strain or inaccuracy, by means
of an iron or equivalent bar extending beneath the front rail of the seat and
connecting them to each other.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figures 1 and 2, are respectively a side and a front elevation of a folding chair
constructed according to my present invention.
Figure 8, is a plan of the same.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a side elevation, a rear elevation and a plan
(drawn to an enlarged scale) of the iron or equivalent support and its connections
as constructed according to and constituting a part of my present Invention.
Figure 7, (sheet 2) is a side elevation of an easy chair constructed with an
adjustable back in accordance with my present Invention.
In constructing a folding chair in accordance with my present Invention and as
shewn on sheet 1, of the annexed drawings, I pivot the front or forward ends of
the arm-rests a, to iron or equivalent supports b, which are, in their turn, pivoted
upon the front rail c, of the seat d, that is to say, the rail to which, as shewn at e,
i

page_text: Figure 2, the front edge of the carpet or other webbing, forming the seat, is tacked
or otherwise secured. Beneath the carpet seat d, I provide the straps f¹, or the
equivalents thereof to support the same when in use. The before mentioned
supports b, as shewn more particularly at Figures 3, and 5, have the detents or
pawls f, pivoted to them in such position, that they engage with the teeth of the
racks g, which are secured to the legs h, of the chair, the said pawls f, being drawn
down upon the racks g, by the springs i, the two ends of which are secured
respectively to the projections j, and k, formed at the side of the pawls and at the
side of the lower part 7, of the supports b. The upper part of each of the supports b,
is formed with a cylindrical projection m, and the hole n, (Figure 4) extends
through such projection and through the upper part of the support itself, and the
said supports are formed with the tubular bosses o, by which they are pivoted
upon the front rail c, of the sent d. Through the hole n, a pin p, as shown more
particularly at Figure 1, is so riveted as to secure the front end of the arm-rest a,
on to the cylindrical projection m, (Figure 5) or, in place of the pin p, a screw or
its equivalent may be employed to retain the said arm-rest in position upon the
support b. The position of the racks g, is so related to the position of the lower
parts 7, of the supports b, as to prevent the back q, of the chair from falling too far
forward, these parts l, abutting against the ends of the racks g, when the back g,
has reached its most forward position. The detents or pawls f, are raised out from
the teeth of the racks g, by means of the straps r, the lower ends of which are
secured to such detents or pawls f, the upper ends of the said straps being secured
to the underside of the arm-rests a.
When it is desired to lower the back q, the straps r, are drawn upwards and the
pawls f, thereby released from the racks g, at which time, the said back being thus
left unsupported is free to fall backwards. To secure the back q, in any position
so arrived at, the straps are released and the detents or pawls f, thereby lowered
into the racks g, to engage with the particular teeth thereof which support the
back in the required position the back being indicated in such a position in dotted
lines at Figure 1 of the annexed drawings.
In the improved easy chair represented at Figure 7, the upper ends of the
supports b, are pivoted to brackets secured to the underside of the arm-rests 8,
which are themselves pivoted at u, to the back t, the said back being pivoted at v,
to the lower part of the chair. The lower ends of the supports b, are secured upon
short shafts which pass through the plates w, secured to the frame a, and the inner
ends of such shafts are secured into crank-arms y, as represented in dotted lines at
Figure 7. To the upper end of each of the crank-arms y, a pawl z, is pivoted so as
to engage with the teeth of the rack a¹, which is secured to the rear or inner face
of the plate w, and which pawl is capable of being disengaged from the teeth of
the rack a¹, by means of the pivoted lever b¹, and the connecting link c¹, the lower
end of which engages with a pin secured to the side of the pawls, and passes out.
through a slot formed in the plate w, all as shewn at Figure 7. When the pawls,
are raised in the before mentioned manner out of the racks a¹, the back t, of the
chair can be lowered, as indicated in dotted lines, into any desired position, and by
then allowing the said pawls 2, to re engage with the racks a¹, the back t, is
supported in any position so arrived at.
The leg-rest used under the present invention is not represented upon the
annexed drawings but is supported by hooks or loops engaging with the front
rail c, of the seat d, (Figure 1) and by a leg hinged to its forward end, a strap
being provided for the purpose of staying or supporting the said leg when in use
or for lowering the leg-rest when necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. The improvements in folding chairs consisting of the supports b, pivoted
upon the front rail c, of the seat d, and to the arm-rests a, and carrying the detents

page_text: or pawls f, which are drawn down upon the racks g, by the springs i, and thereby
made to engage with the teeth of such racks all substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore set forth with reference to Figures 1 to 6 (inclusive) of the
annexed drawings or the mechanical equivalents of all or any of the parts thereof.
Second. The improvements in folding and other chairs consisting of the arrange-
ment of parts shewn at Figure 7, of the annexed drawings all substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore set forth with reference to that Figure of the
drawings, or the mechanical equivalents of all or any of the parts thereof.