Improvements in or relating to Folding Furniture.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1891--Accepted, 16th Jan:, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Folding Furniture.
I, THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER, of 14 Brittox, Devizes, in the County of Wilts,
House Furnisher etc., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This my invention relates to improvements in or relating to folding furniture
such as portable seats, stools, tables or other articles.
In making a folding seat I usually secure the legs together in pairs and hinge
them to the seat in such a manner that, when folded they lay against or parallel
with the seat.
.
The back legs I sometimes make to extend upwards in order to carry the back
rail or rails.
The back rail may be either movable or fixed. If it is movable it may be
secured by metal hooks or studs and sockets made to move into position as the seat
is unfolded or by any other means.
If the back rail is to be permanently secured I usually place a hinge or joint in
the extension supporting the back in a position that will allow it to fold over at
about its centre & I connect the back rail to its support by means of pins hinges,
or equivalent devices.
The seat may be either a plain board or of any suitable material or form.
Underneath the seat I usually hinge a board or strut in such a manner that it will
lay against the under part of the seat when it is folded, but at about right angles
when open, the lower corners resting upon or in projections, grooves, dovetails, or
other devices fixed to each pair of legs. These projections or grooves I prefer to
make of metal & of a suitable form to engage in metal ends or hooks which I secure
to each bottom corner of the board or strut.
I generally cut away the top of the strut at each end & place the hinges towards
the centre as this allows the strut to be raised slightly to assist in placing it in
position by slightly bending the seat upwards.
The strut prevents the swaying of the seat & also ties the structure rigidly
together in addition to supporting the centre of the seat by transferring the weight
to the legs and so preventing it from bending down in the middle.
If desired two or more struts may be used instead of one.
In order to reduce the weight and to make the seat more comfortable I some-
times use a strip of canvas or carpet strained on a frame or between strips of wood
to form the seat, the legs & strut being, if necessary hinged to cross pieces.
I sometimes have a wire or wires woven into the canvas to strengthen it and to
facilitate its attachment to the frame.
The invention is also applicable to folding tables, benches & other articles.
Deted this Seventeenth day of June 1891.
THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Folding Furniture.
I. THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER, of 14 and 15 Brittox, Devizes, in the County of
Wilts, House Furnisher, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in folding furniture such as portable seats,

page_text: stools, tables and other articles and will be best understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the back and underside of one form of
folding seat constructed according to this invention, and
Fig. 2 is a central transverse section of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the underside of the seat shown in Fig. 1 when folded up and
out of use, and
Fig. 4 is a back view of the back rail thereof.
5
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are detail views of portions of the seat shown in Figs. 1 to 4.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the back and underside of another form 1
of folding seat constructed according to this invention and of which Fig. 10 is an
end elevation.
Fig. 11 is a plan of the underside of the seat shown in Figs. 9 and 10 when
folded up.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the underside of a table constructed 1
according to this invention, and
Figs. 13 to 18 illustrate a modification of one of the fittings.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figs. I to 4, A is the seat proper, B are the legs which are
preferably formed in pairs as shown. C is the back rail and D is the strut 2
which supports the scat A at its central part. The legs B are hinged to the
underside of the seat A so that when out of use they may be folded flat against
it as shown in Fig. 3. At the upper part of each of the projecting portions B
of the legs B is provided a fitting E which is shown most clearly, in Fig. 6, and
the tongues E' of which are adapted to enter recesses F in a fitting F secured to 2
the back of the rail C.
The strut D is hinged to the underside of the seat A by the hinges D' (which
are arranged comparatively close together at its central part) so that it may be
turned from its operative position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to its inoperative position
(when the seat is out of use) as shown in Fig. 3, and so that it will give the 30
greatest support to the part of the seat A mostly requiring it, viz. its central part,
the upper corners being removed as shown for this purpose. Each end of the
strut D is provided with a fitting G the tongue G₁ (Fig. 8) of which is adapted to
enter a recess H₁ (Fig. 9) of a fitting H secured to the inner side of each of the
legs B as shown in Fig. 1 ; while the body G of the fitting bears upon the edge of 3
the part H2 of the fitting H which is slightly hollowed to retain it in place. The
guard or stop H³ is provided to prevent the tongue G' escaping from the recess H¹
which it would be liable to do by the bending of the board or seat A in the case
of persons sitting upon the end or ends with nobody upon the central part between
the legs B. The rails B of the legs B are each provided with a recess B³ for 4
receiving the adjacent end of the strut D when the seat is folded up as shown in
Figure 3.
In this construction of seat it will be seen that when the strut D occupies the
position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 the legs B are securely tied together and the
seat A is supported at the middle the strut itself being supported at each end upon t
the legs B. While in this position the rail C is securely held on top of the
extensions B' by the fittings F and E.
When it is desired to close up the seat all that is necessary is to push the lower
edge of D inwards as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and lay it flat against the
underside of the seat A and fold the legs B down upon it as shown in Fig. 3 the 50
rail C being detached by the same operation.
The seat A shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 is constructed of a preferably wooden
frame over which may be stretched canvas, carpet or the like. This frame is
provided with rails A' to which the leg hinges B₁ are secured. In this construction
also the fittings G and H are dispensed with, the legs B being merely provided 54
with blocks B upon which the ends of the strut D are supported. Each of the
extensions B¹ has pivotted to it an arm B the upper end of which is pivotted at C¹

page_text: to the back rail C the extensions B₁ being moreover provided upon their outer
faces with plates B7 which restrict the movement of the arms B* to the required
extent. When this seat is folded by moving in the strut D and folding down the
legs B the arms B turn upon the pivots B and C¹ and fit into the recesses formed
in B¹ for receiving them as shown in Fig. 11.
The construction of the table shown in Fig. 12 is substantially the same as that
of the seat shown in Fig. 1 without the extensions B₁ and rail C. In this con-
struction there are provided two struts D one at each side of the table and which
when turned inwards in the manner before described with reference to the other
examples enable the legs.B to fold down, close against the underside of the table.
The struts D although shown parallel may as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12 be
tapered as in the other examples.
The before described articles of furniture may be varied without departing from
the essential spirit of the invention; for example, instead of one strut D being
applied to a seat, two struts may be applied one at each side or in place of one
strut being applied at one side as shown in the accompanying drawings it may be
applied midway between the front and back. The seat shown in Fig. 1 may also
be formed without the extensions B¹ and rail C so as to constitute an ordinary
form.
In Figs. 13 to 18 is illustrated a modification of the fittings E and F previously
described. Here a plate I having a recess I¹ is secured upon the back C and an
angle plate K upon the leg extensions B'. When the two parts are put together
the tongue K of the plate K enters the recess I¹ of the plate I, the back C resting
upon the angle flange K² and the projecting portion 12 of plate I being received in
the recess L in the extension B'. Figs. 17 and 18 show the seat fitted with this
arrangement, folded up and it will be seen that the projections I fit upon the
underside of the seat A so that the whole fit snugly together and can be secured
by hooks or equivalent so as to form a compact package; whereas with the
fittings shown in Fig. 6 special fastenings would be required in place of the
projections I².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a folding seat stool table or the like the combination with the seat A and
legs B hinged thereto of a strut such as D also hinged to A and so connected with
the legs B as to prevent the legs from pulling apart from the strut the ends of
which are supported by the legs substantially as described.
2. In a folding seat stool or the like the fittings E E' and F F' substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a folding seat stool or the like the fittings I ¹ 12 K K¹ K² substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a folding seat stool table or the like the fittings G G₁ and H H¹ H² H³
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a folding seat stool table or the like a strut such as D hinged to the under-
side of the seat or table top and supported at its ends upon the legs B substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In a folding seat the combination with the seat A legs and strut B and D
hinged thereto and extensions B' of a rail C and arms such as B pivotted to the
extensions B' and to the rail C substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of December 1891.
THOMAS B. SLOPER.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.