Improvements in Chairs and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chairs and the like.
I, HENRY BOOZ BANES, of Bristol, Bucks County, in the State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America, Machinist, 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 improvements in chairs and the object of the same is to
afford means of rotary and rectilinear adjustment and also improved means of
rocking or tilting movement of the seat portion and also improvements in details
of construction.
I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a chair employing my device; Fig. 2 is a
sectional vertical view of a portion of the supporting tube and rod showing means
of vertical adjustment; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a lever adapted to be
manually operated to disengage the pawls.
Referring to the drawings, 1 is a tube closed at its lower end and open at its
upper end and threaded internally intermediate its top and bottom with a spiral
ratchet adapted to restrain the downward movement of the pawls and to permit of
their upward movement. The tube or rod 2, which I shall hereafter call rod to
more readily distinguish it from tube 1, may be hollow as shown in Fig. 2 or may
be solid with proper recesses or openings to receive the pawls 3 and 4 the spring 7
and the operating rod 6 hereinafter to be described. This rod 2, closed at its lower
end in case it is hollow, is adapted to fit into tube 1, having a free rotary and
rectilinear vertical movement therein. Pivoted within rod 2 are the two pawls 3
and 4 having one end of each respectively protruding through openings in the
opposite sides of the rod 2. The other ends respectively of pawls 3 and 4 are
slotted and adapted to engage with the pivot 5 at the end of rod 6, which extends
upwardly through rod 2, said pivot 5 having a longitudinal movement, with respect
to the arm of the pawl, in the slots of pawls 3 and 4, as it moves upward or down-
ward to actuate the same. Spiral spring 7 is restrained at its upper end by proper
means attached to rod 2 and bears downward against a projection on rod 6 to
force said rod 6 downward and normally maintain the pawls in engagement with
the ratchet thread of tube 1. It will be obvious that the upward movement of
rod 6 will effect the disengagement of the pawls from the ratchet thread. This
upward movement of the rod 6 is effected manually either by means of the loop 10
protruding through the central portion of the chair seat 11, or by the lever 8
operating through the slot 9 in the rod 2.
It will, therefore, be obvious that the downward vertical movement of the seat
portion may be accomplished either by rotating the same causing the pawls to
travel downward in the spiral ratchet or by actuating the rod 6 to cause the dis-
engagement of the pawls 3 and 4 to allow the rectilinear vertical downward move-
ment of the said seat portion. It will also be noted that the ratchet thread
does not extend to the bottom of tube 1 but that the interior of the lower portion.

page_text: of tube 1 is smooth and adapted to co-operate with the lower end of rod 2 to form an
air cushion upon the downward movement of the latter, a small aperture for the
admission and expulsion of air may be made in said lower portion of tube 1 in case
it should be necessary to facilitate said upward and downward movement of said
seat portion. The upward movement of said seat portion may be accomplished by
rotating the same in the direction reverse to that just described to cause the pawls
to travel upward upon the spiral ratchet thread or by simply lifting the seat portion
causing the automatic disengagement of the pawls and permitting the vertical
rectilinear elevation of rod 2.
I will now describe the means of permitting the rocking or tilting movement
of the seat portion. The spherical member 12 has an opening through the centre
thereof through which extends the tube 1 having a collar 13 to limit its downward
movement through said spherical member. It is obvious that the tube 1 and the
spherical member 12 may be made in one piece or a single casting if it should be
desirable to so construct it. The members 14 and 15 are adapted to embrace the
said spherical member 12 and to be supported by the legs 16 or other suitable
supporting means. The screws 17 are adapted to regulate the adjustment between
members 14 and 15 and so regulate the pressure exerted upon spherical member 12
and, consequently, the freedom of its movement between the members 14 and 15.
Leather or other yielding substance may be interposed between the spherical
member 12 and the embracing members 14 and 15 to improve or modify the
friction contact. The springs 18 are each attached at one end respectively to the
lower end of tube 1 while to each leg is attached the other ends of said spring
respectively, thus tending normally to keep the said tube 1 in a vertical position.
If desirable a projection 19 may be provided upon the spherical member 12
adapted to encounter the member 14 to positively limit the forward or the forward
and sideway movement of the seat portion.
I do not wish to limit myself to the specific details of construction but reserve
to myself the right to change, modify or vary such details that properly come
within the scope of my invention.
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 an adjustable supporting device the combination of a spiral ratchet-
threaded tube, a rod adapted to move therein and automatic means connected
with the rod adapted normally to engage with the surrounding spiral ratchet-
thread, substantially as described:
2. In an adjustable supporting device the combination of a spiral ratchet-
threaded tube, a rod adapted to move therein and spring-actuated automatic means
connected with the rod adapted normally to engage with the surrounding spiral
ratchet-thread, substantially as described.
3. In an adjustable supporting device the combination of a spiral ratchet-
threaded tube, a rod adapted to move therein, automatic means connected with the
rod adapted normally to engage with the surrounding spiral ratchet-thread and
means of manually operating the said automatic means to cause the arbitrary
disengagement of the same from the ratchet-thread, substantially as described:
4. In an adjustable supporting device the combination of a spiral ratchet-
threaded tube, a rod adapted to move therein and automatic means connected with
the rod adapted normally to engage with the surrounding spiral ratchet-thread
to restrain the downward rectilinear movement and to permit the downward rotary
and upward rectilinear and rotary movement of the rod, substantially as described:
5. In an adjustable supporting device the combination of a spiral ratchet-
threaded tube, a rod adapted to move therein and automatic means connected with
the rod adapted normally to engage with the surrounding spiral ratchet, the tube
having its lower interior walls smooth and adapted to form between its bottom and

page_text: the lower end of the rod an air cushion upon the sudden downward movement of
the rod :
6. In combination with chair supporting means ball and socket means of oscilla-
tion:
7. In combination with chair supporting means spring-controlled ball and
socket means of oscillation, substantially as described:
8. In combination with adjustable supporting means spring-controlled ball and
sccket means of oscillation, substantially as described:
9. In combination with chair supporting means ball and socket means of
oscillation with adjustable means of regulating the friction between the ball and
socket, substantially as described:
10. In combination with adjustable supporting means, ball and socket means of
oscillation with adjustable means of regulating the pressure upon the ball of the
surrounding socket, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1898.
HENRY BOOZ BANES.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.