Improvements in or relating to Hammock Chairs.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Hammock Chairs.
I. ANTONIA EUGENIE LEONIE MAERTENS at present residing at 42 Lillie Road,
West Brompton in the County of Middlesex, Chair Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a chair which may be adapted to a variety of purposes
and which is carried in a suitable framework and provided with accessories such as a
screen or sunshade, book rest and so forth, and which will be best understood by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the completo apparatus in use as a swing chair;
Figure 2 is a perspective view taken more at one side and showing the "chair"
laid out nearly flat so as to act as a hammock or bed.
Figure 3 shows the chair detached and folded up.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A is a trestle framework of suitable construction connected together at the base
by bars or ties B which in the drawings are shown connecting two of the legs in
pairs but which may be arranged if necessary to connect all four of the legs. These
trestles are connected at the top by a cross bar C with which one of the trestle legs A
is firmly connected while the other is jointed to the top of the other trestle legs as
at A' so that the trestle may be opened out when required for use or folded up so
as to occupy little space when not in use. Braces may also be used for further
strengthening the framework if required. To prevent the legs opening too wide
cross ties D) of any convenient description such as a cord or chain but preferably
composed of links provided with a knuckle joint at the centre and pivotted to each
of the pair of legs to which they belong at their ends may be employed. As shown
in the drawing these cross ties when the frame is closed fold upwardly and when
open fall to a horizontal position but not below that, as will be well understood.
By this arrangement this trestle can be folded up so as to occupy very little space
when required for travelling as shown in Fig. 4. The leg A which is connected to
the cross bar C is preferably secured by a pin or tenon C³ Fig. 4 fitting into a
corresponding mortice C and to fold up the frame (after the chair has been removed)
the following operations are necessary. The bars B Fig. 1 at the bottom of the
frame are released at one end from one of the legs A and folded up onto the other
as shown in Fig. 4; the bar C is then taken off the tenons C3 and folded down
between the legs A as clearly shown in Fig. 4 the braces C being then folded in the
opposite direction to that which they assume when the trestle is in use; thus in
Fig. 4 they are shown extending downwards while in Fig. 3 they are shown extending
upwards. They are pivotted to Cat C and do not require to be released from either
the bar C or the legs A the turning upon their three pivots being sufficient.
To set the frame again the legs A are pulled apart to their proper distance the
bar C is placed upon the tenon C and the bars B folded down and secured as before.
In its general construction the seat portion of this mechanism, which for con-
venience herein called the chair, although it serves purposes other than those of an
ordinary chair, resembles the well-known folding chairs now so largely used for many
purposes, the jointed framing however being differently arranged from those of the
usual chairs. This framing consists at each side of one long side E extending the
whole length of the chair when in its vertical position and situated at the back of
the chair, one short side F situated at the front, and two horizontal cross pieces Gall
jointed together in the usual manner. These side frames are connected together by
four cross rods H situated at the top and bottom ends of the sides E and F the
chair being completed by the usual covering of canvas or other similar material.
This chair is freely supported in the framing so as to be able to swing or hang

page_text: freely therein by means of suitable hanging devices, preferably chains I which as
shown in the drawings are connected to the top bar C of the trestle at and
dividing join the chair at the top F1 of the forward sides F and to the back sides E
at about the centre of their length as at E, at which part however the chain is
preferably divided as shown in figure 2 so as to obtain a stronger bearing.
From the front of bars G extend two chains K which carry a foot rail L which
hangs freely so that it will be seen that the chair hangs quite free in the framework
and may be used as a swing or caused to oscillate as desired.
A canopy or sunshade M is pivotted at C³ upon the cross bar C and is provided
with stays N or other equivalent means by which its position may be varied so as to
suit the convenience of the person using the chair. Thus it may be entirely horizontal
or tilted over in either direction to any required angle. Each stay N is preferably
divided for a considerable portion of its length into a fork N which passes through
a sleeve O and between which is the screw bolt P carrying the wing or mill-beaded
nut so that at any position the nut may be tightened up and the arm fixed. The
sleeve O is preferably made of thin metal so that it may be readily compressed upon
the stay. The canopy M is adapted to receive one or more hanging curtains so that
portion or the whole may be enclosed to form a tent if desired: this curtain
arrangement is not shown in the drawings.
a
In Figure 2 the chair is shown in a horizontal position where it serves as a lounge
or hammock or even as a bed if provided with a pillow and the necessary coverings.
Usually a pillow or cushion is provided at the head end of the chair in any caso as it
is a convenient rest for the head and useful in all positions.
The person using the chair sits in it as a chair when it is in the position shown in
figure 1 with his feet resting upon the foot rail L to support the feet when he can
use the apparatus as a chair or swing. To alter the position or inclination it is
merely necessary to push slightly back with the head or back when the chair will
promptly stretch out and assume the horizontal position of Figure 2 or any inter-
mediate position. To return to the sitting posture it is merely necessary to incline
the body forward when the chair promptly adapts itself to the required position.
For convenience a reading desk R may be used and either secured to the chains I,
to the trestles A, or to the side of the chair E, a convenient plan being to adapt it
to be hooked on to the chains I. This reading desk will preferably be made to fold
up so that it may if necessary be simply folded up with the rest of the apparatus
without the necessity for bodily removing it.
When folded up the apparatus occupies scarcely any room as it folds flat and may
be laid against a wall from which it projects but a slight way.
Modifications can manifestly be readily made in the constructions of either the
chair or the framework without departing from the spirit of this invention as many
different ways of designing and jointing either the chair or its framework could be
easily devised without in any way altering the general arrangement of this apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A hammock chair in which the "chair" is so hung that at the option of the
person using it and without getting off, he can change it from a chair to a lounge or
hammock substantially as described.
2. The construction of a hammock chair in which the person using it can at will
change it from a chair to a hammock or lounge or vice versa without assistance or
getting off the chair, substantially as described."
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete hammock
chair and supporting framework substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a hammock chair the combination with the canopy of one or more curtains
or equivalent hangings whereby a tent adapted to completely enclose the hammock
chair may be provided substantially as described.

page_text: 5. The combined hammock chair and tent substantially as described.
6. In a trestle for a hammock chair the combination with the trestle legs A jointed
together in pairs at their upper ends of a cross bar such as C removably connected
with one leg of each pair and braces such as C" pivotted to the legs A which carry
the bar C and also to the bar C so as to permit of the various parts of the trestle
being folded together substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete trestle for
hammock chair substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
ANTONIA MAERTENS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.