IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn,
..in the County of Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City
of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS."-A communication from abroad by
Auguste Emanuel Eliaers, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 27th March 1866, and dated the 17th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
October 1865. . .
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS," (a communication to me from
abroad by Auguste Emanuel Eliaers, of Paris, in the Empire of France,).
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved arrangement and construction of the
various parts, whereby the chair can be readily adjusted for use, or folded into
a flat form when out of use.
In one modification of the Invention the side frames of the chair are
made to open and close somewhat in the form of a pair of scissors, being

page_text: composed of two limbs jointed together. The longer limb on each side forms
the frame of the back and the front legs, whilst the shorter limb forms the
hind legs, and the support for the elbow pieces. The side frames are con-
nected together by transverse rails at suitable positions. The elbow pieces
extend from the top of the shorter limbs to about an equal height at the back,
and are made of a flexible material capable of being folded; these elbow pieces
limit the extent to which the chair can be opened. The back part of the seat
of the chair is hinged to the side frames at the same place and by the same
means as the parts composing the side frames are jointed together. The front
part of the seat is supported by rests (one at each side) which bear against
the front legs of the chair. In this arrangement the limit to which the frame
is opened is always alike, and hence the seat is always at the same height and
the back always at the same slope.
In a modification of the above the opening of the frame, and hence the
height of the seat and the slope of the back, is variable. The side frames are
made somewhat in the form of an inverted Y, that is to say, the upper half of
the shorter limb above described with its elbow pieces is dispensed with. The
front part of the seat is supported by a pair of jointed levers working on a
fulcrum attached to the front legs; the other end of these levers carries a
cross rail which is provided with a double bolt, the said bolt working at each
end of the rail into holes, formed in the inner side of the hind legs, so that by
locking the bolt into the upper or lower holes, the relative positions of the legs,
seat, and back can be varied at pleasure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I; GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, 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, use, exercise, 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,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Auguste Emanuel Eliaers, of
Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Davies, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 within six calendar months next and. immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies; do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say:-
}
The Invention consists of an improved arrangement and construction of the
various parts, whereby the chair, can be readily adjusted for use, or folded into
a flat form when out of use.
In one modification of the Invention the side frames of the chair are made
to open and close somewhat in the form of a pair of scissors, being composed
of two limbs jointed together. The longer limb on each side forms the frame
of the back and the front legs, whilst the shorter limb forms the hind legs
and the support for the elbow pieces. The side frames are connected together
by transverse rails at suitable positions. The elbow pieces extend from the
top of the shorter limbs to about an equal height at the back, and are made
of a flexible material capable of being folded. These elbow pieces limit the
extent to which the chair can be opened. The back part of the seat of the
chair is hinged to the side frames at the same place and by the same means
as the parts composing the side frames are jointed. The front part of the
seat is supported by rests (one at each side) which bear against the front legs
5 of the chair. In this arrangement the limit to which the frame is opened
is always alike, and hence the seat is always at the same height and the back
always at the same slope.
In a modification of the above the opening of the frame, and hence the

page_text: height of the seat and the slope of the back, is variable. The side frames are
made somewhat in the form of an inverted Y, that is to say, the upper
half
of the shorter limb above described with its elbow pieces is dispensed with.
The front part of the seat is supported by a pair of jointed levers working
on a fulcrum attached to the front legs. The other end of these levers
carries a cross rail which is provided with a double bolt, the said bolt working
at each end of the rail into holes formed in the inner side of the hind legs, so
.that by locking the bolt into the upper or lower holes the relative positions
of the legs, seat, and back can be varied at pleasure.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for " Improvements
in Folding Chairs," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner
in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, and. in order that the same may be distinctly understood I have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
Figure 1 on the annexed Drawing represents one modification of the
Invention, the chair being opened out for use; Figure 2 shows the same
chair folded up.
Figures 3 and 4 show a second arrangement of the chair, which differs
from the former inasmuch as it permits of the height of the seat and the
inclination of the back being varied at pleasure.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 show detached parts of the mechanism which effects
the above-mentioned objects.
Figure 8 shows a folding chair similar to that represented at Figures 3
and 4, but with a slight modification which is equally applicable to both
arrangements. The jointing together of the legs of the chair on Figures
1 and 2 is effected by means of a pivot A placed on each side and serving at
the same time to connect the seat, the latter being supported in front by the
props B which are fixed on each side of the chair. The distance to which
the legs separate is invariable, and is maintained by the elbow rests C, which
are attached to the prolongations of the legs at c and c. The back piece is
fixed by nails or by sewing to the seat, so that when the chair is opened the
back extends with it, and when it is folded the back piece folds up also. The
elbow rests C are formed of bands or straps of stuff or other flexible material
capable of being folded with the chair.
The second arrangement of folding chair represented at Figures 3 and 4
differs from the former in that the distance apart to which the legs spread is

page_text: b
T
variable, which allows of alteration in the height of the seat and gives more
or less inclination to the back. The legs A and A¹, are hinged together at a
and their spread is maintained by two arms 6 pivotted to the front legs at c,
and connected together at their posterior extremity by a cross rail B, which
may be connected to the back legs at any convenient height. For that
purpose the cross rail B is furnished with mechanism (shown at Figures 5
and 7), composed of two spring bolts t, worked by a disc P, which is furnished
with two notches (Figure 7), in which are held pins fixed near the inner ends
of the rods t. A lever is provided for turning the disc P in such a manner
as to withdraw the bolts & into the cross rail B, the springs r forcing them out
again as soon as they are released. The disc P may be replaced by a pinion P
(Figure 6), gearing with the toothed extremities of the rods t. It will be
understood that according as the cross rail B is displaced more or less by
causing the bolts t to enter one or the other of the holes t¹ formed in the inner
side of the legs A¹, a greater or less spread is given between the front and
back legs, which naturally modifies the height of the seat and the inclination
of the back. The seat is supported in front by props d which hook on to
pins 6 on the prolongations of the arms b. This arrangement of a prolonged
arm forming a lever is intended to maintain the seat always in a horizontal
position. The supports d should be unhooked when it is desired to fold the
chair, as shown by red lines in Figure 4.
The modification represented at Figure 8 consists in replacing the moveable
supports d by arms d¹ fixed at b¹, but jointed in the centre, so that in order
to fold the chair it is only necessary to push them backwards (as shown by
the red lines), to let the seat fall down. This jointed lever is also applicable
to the arrangement represented at Figures 1 and 2. Elbow rests C may be
applied to this modification of chair by prolonging the back legs A' as at a.
This prolongation should be curved or elbowed to allow it to pass outside the
upright A.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 3 and 4 the back is fixed to
the lower part by a metallic or other arme attached to the supports of the
seat.
66
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
Improvements in Folding Chairs," together with the manner in which the
same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would
remark in conclusion that I claim, as the Invention communicated to me
by the aforesaid Auguste Emanuel Eliaers, the arrangements of folding chairs
shown in the Drawings, and above described without being confined to the

page_text: precise form of chair represented, or to the manner in which the same may
be finished or ornamented.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE DAVIES.
(L.B.)