Improvements relating to Folding Seats, Tables, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept.. 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1890-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE ARMSTRONG MANUFACTURING COMPANY,"
Incorporated, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States of America,
Manufacturers.]
Improvements relating to Folding Seats, Tables, and the like.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to camp-stools and other folding-seats, and also to folding-
tables and similar articles, and is designed to improve the construction of such
articles and to render the same not only lighter and more compact when folded,
but also stronger and more stable and rigid when in use than those heretofore
constructed.
I provide a frame-work which comprises two jointed and folding portions or
supports similar to each other and connected about midway between their upper and.
lower ends by hinge-joints so that they may be moved towards and away from each
other about the said hinge-joints and can also be folded and unfolded as required.
These folding portions or supports are connected at their upper end by a web or strips
of canvas or other suitable material, and are held together by tie pieces or braces which are
so constructed that they will not interfere with the folding and unfolding of the said
supports. A hooked bar is pivoted to one of the said supports on each side of the.
stool or other article and is adapted to engage with a pin or stud fixed in the other
support for the purpose of locking the parts firmly in position when the article.is
unfolded.
I sometimes construct a camp-stool or other folding seat as follows, viz. :-I.
make each of the aforesaid folding portions or supports of two frames consisting
of side bars united at one end by a cross-bar. The lower frame is pivoted to the
upper frame near the lower end thereof. The two upper frames are connected at:
their lower end by hinge-joints.
Suitable tie-pieces are provided to prevent unfolding of the upper and lower parts
of each support beyond a certain extent. Each of these tie-pieces consists preferably
of two V-shaped rods or pieces of wire one of which is pivoted to the upper and the
other to the lower part of the said support. The said V-shaped pieces are connected.
by an elongated link or other suitable connection which will permit the movement of
the said V-shaped pieces towards and away from each other in the folding and
unfolding of the stool or other article.
The lower parts of the folding supports are held together securely when the stool
or other article is ready for use, by means of hooked bars as above mentioned. These
connecting bars are preferably so formed and arranged that the lower frames must be
forced towards each other and the canvas web or strips tightly stretched before the
said hooked bars will engage the aforesaid pins or studs. The parts are thus held in
a state of tension and very rigid and secure.
The frames of my improved seats may be composed of any suitable material but.
are preferably made of metal.
It is obvious that modifications may be introduced in the above construction without
departing from the nature of my invention.
Dated this 17th day of September 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & CO.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Folding Seats, Tables, and the like.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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.:,—
My invention relates to camp stools and other folding seats and also to folding
tables and similar articles, and is designed to improve the construction of such articles
and to render the same not only lighter and more compact when folded, but also
stronger and more stable and rigid when in use than those heretofore constructed.
According to my said invention. I make a folding seat, table or similar article as
follows, viz. I construct it with jointed or folding supports, to the upper ends of
which the seat or table-top is secured, and which are connected about midway between
their upper and lower ends by, hinge-joints in such a manner that all the parts can be
folded together and will then occupy a space the length of which is equal to about
half that of the said supports. These supports are provided with one or more hooked
bars or catches for fastening them together beneath the said hinge-joints when the
seat or table is open or unfolded. Each of the said supports is, moreover, provided
with tie-pieces which connect the upper with the lowor part thereof and which are
tightly stretched when the said supports are fastened by the aforesaid catch or
catches. These tie-pieces are so formed and arranged that they do not interfere
with or obstruct the movement of the parts for folding and unfolding the seat or
table.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan.
Figure 2a front elevation and
Figure 3 a side elevation of my improved folding seat, table or the like, showing
the same open or ready for use.
Figure 4 is a front elevation and
Figure 5 a side elevation showing the said seat, table or the like closed or folded for
transport.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A, A are the jointed or folding supports the upper parts A of which are connected
at their lower end by hinge joints B. The lower parts A¹ of the said folding supports
are pivoted at O'to the upper parts A thereof. The said parts A A' consist preferably
of flat bars bent as shown; they may, however, be formed of side bars united. at one
end by a cross-bar; and the said bars may be of any other suitable shape in transverse
section. The side bars of the upper parts A of the folding supports are united at
their upper end by other cross-bars or cross pieces D which are connected together; by
a web or strips D of canvas or other suitable material. The cross-bars or connecting
pieces at the lower end of the lower parts A¹ of the folding supports are preferably
slightly bent or curved as shown in the drawing to strengthen them and to enable
them to rest more evenly on and to take a better hold or grip of the ground or surface
upon which the stool or seat is placed. The parts A A-of the folding supports at
each end of the stool are connected by tie-pieces E, E and links F. These tie-pieces
consist preferably of V-shaped rods or pieces. of wire. The V-shaped rod or tie-
preces E are pivoted at E to the upper part A of the framework and the V-shaped
rod or tie-piece E' are pivoted at E³ to the lower part A of the said framework. The
said V-shaped pieces E E' are connected by the elongated or double link For they
may be connected by any other suitable device which will permit the movement of the
said V-shaped pieces towards and away from each other in the folding and unfolding
of the seat or other article. G, G are hars pivoted at G¹ to the side bars of the
lower part A¹ of one of the folding supports and provided with hooks G adapted to

page_text: engage with pins or projections H upon the side bars of the other lower part A of
the other folding support. By these means the said lower parts A' of the folding:
supports are held together securely when the stool or seat is open or ready for use as
shown in Figures 1 to 3. The said connecting or hooked bars G are preferably so.
formed and arranged that the lower parts A' must be forced towards each other and
the canvas web or strips D' and ties E, E, F tightly stretched before the said hooked
bars will engage with the aforesaid pins or studs. The parts are thus held in a state-
of tension and the stool or sent is consequently very rigid and secure.
The frames of my improved stools or seats may be composed of any suitable
material but are preferably made of steel.
In order to close or fold the stool or seat (as shown in Figures 4 and 5) the hooked
bars G are first disengaged from the pins or projections H, and the lower parts A' are
turned or moved upwards (as shown by dotted lines in Figure 2). The said lower
parts A are then folded over the upper parts A and the latter are closed or
brought together, the canvas web or strips D collapsing or folding downwards
between the said upper frames and the tie-pieces E, E, links F and hooked rods G
assuming the positions shown in Figures 4 and 5.
It will be seen that the improved folding stool or seat when closed or folded is.
reduced into a very small compass and is exceedingly compact and very convenient
for storage or transport. The said folding stool or seat moreover when open and
ready for use is strong and rigid and not liable to collapse or close when moved or to
become shaky from constant use as is the case with folding stools or seat as hitherto
usually constructed.
By making the tie-pieces E, E' as above described and connecting them by the
elongated links F, I am enabled to very readily fold and unfold the stool or seat, the
said links permitting the tie-pieces to approach each other as required.
It is obvious that the construction of my apparatus may be slightly modified,
if desired, to better adapt it for the purpose for which it is required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is
1st. A folding seat, table or similar article, wherein two jointed or folding supports
are connected about midway between their ends by hinge-joints and are provided with
one or more hooked bars or catches for fastening them together, and with tie-pieces
which require to be tightly stretched to permit such fastening of the said supports,
and which are so formed and arranged that they do not interfere with the folding and
unfolding of the seat, table or the like, for the purposes above specified.
2nd. The improved folding stool or seat constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 CM... 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.