Improvements in Chairs, Sofas, Settees, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Sept., 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chairs, Sofas, Settees, and the like.
I WILLIAM HUTCHINSON of 37 Church Road Norwood in the County of
Surrey Upholsterer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to chairs sofas settees and the like that is to say those
articles of furniture that are made to be sat upon and have backs or heads or other
vertical or inclined surfaces provided for purposes of rest or otherwise and its
object is so to fit these backs or heads or other surfaces that the angle of
inclination thereof can be easily and readily altered in a cheap and effective
manner.
To carry out this object say in a chair 1 erect or fit two standards on the two
sides of the seat in the proper corresponding positions and to the upper ends of
these standards I connect preferably detachably by pins or otherwise one end of
each of two springs which can very conveniently be coiled metallic springs and the
other ends of these springs can form or be attached to the arms of the chair to
which arms the back made in any convenient manner can be solely attached and is
thus supported by the springs alone. To regulate the angle of inclination at which
this back is so supported I fit on one or both of the arms a rod or bar which
can be connected with a complementary appliance on one or both of the sides of
the seat and can be adjusted. For instance this rod may be a lever pivoted on
the side of the arm and the upper end of this lever is an handle by which the lever
may be rocked to engage or disengage the lower end of the lever wherein a number
of ratchet or other teeth are forined with or from a stud on the side of the seat
being kept in position if desired by a guide. Again this lever may be engaged
with this stud by a spring in which case no upper handle would be necessary.
Again a screw thread may be formed on this rod which would engage into a nut
fitted either on the arm or on the seat and the rod could be revolved by an handle
or a wheel or otherwise.
•
The springs and the arms can be covered or treated in any usual manner so long
as the springs are allowed to do their duty.
In the same manner the heads or backs of sofas settees and the like can obviously
be fitted for the same purpose
For purposes of packing or transmission or otherwise it is obvious that when the
springs are detachably connected with the standards the whole arms and back can
easily be separated from the seat.
Dated this 21st day of November 1890.
JOMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chairs, Sofas, Settees, and the like.
I WILLIAM HUTCHINSON of 37 Church Road Norwood in the County of
Surrey Upholsterer 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 chairs sofas settees and the like or that is to say to those
articles of furniture that are made to be sat upon and have backs or heads or other
vertical or inclined surfaces provided for purposes of affording rest or otherwise and
the object of this my invention is so to construct and fit these backs or heads or

page_text: other surfaces and so to connect the same with the seats or main parts of the articles
of furniture that the angles of inclination thereof can easily readily and quickly be
altered in a simple cheap and effective manner.
In order the inore clearly to explain this my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I refer to the accompanying drawing wherein I have shewn
a perspective view of the skeleton frame of a chair as constructed according to and
fitted with my invention.
The seat A of the chair can be made and fitted in any usual and convenient or
other manner and on each of the two sides of this seat A in the proper corresponding
positions I erect a standard B of the proper desired height and it may be made
of metal and to the upper end of each of the standards B I connect preferably
detachably by means of a pin or otherwise one end and if so constructed the inner
end of a spring D which most conveniently as is shown in the drawing is a coiled
metallic spring and the other end and if so constructed the outer end of each of
these springs D can form or can be attached to the arm E of the chair and the
back K of the chair which also can be made and fitted in any usual and convenient
or other manner is not directly and immediately and rigidly connected with the
seat A but is solely attached to these two arms E and is thus supported by the two
springs D alone by which arrangement and method of construction it is very
evident that the angle of inclination of this back K of the chair can easily readily
and quickly be altered as is desired.
To regulate the angle of inclination at which the back of the chair is so supported
by the springs and to maintain and retain the same at any such angle of inclination
while and so long as it may be desired so to do I may fit to one or both of the
arms of or elsewhere in the chair any usual and ordinary or other appliances or
devices which may be suitable and convenient for the end or purpose in view and
applicable to the same.
For example a rocking lever may be pivoted on the outor side of preferably cach
of the arms of the chair the upper end of which lever would form an handle while
along or in the lower part thereof would be formed a number of ratchet or other
teeth or notches and this lever could be rocked by the handle to engage or to
disengage one of these teeth or notches with or from a stud secured in the proper
corresponding position on the side of the seat of the chair. Again this lever could
be engaged with this stud by a spring in which case no handle would be required.
Again a rod may be mounted in a sleeve or socket on the outer side of preferably
each of the arms of the chair in such wise that it can be revolved therein by an
handle or a wheel or otherwise and on the lower part of this rod would be formed
a screw thread which could engage into a nut or socket fitted in the proper corre-
sponding position on the side of the seat of the chair.
Ench of these appliances or devices hereinbefore described would obviously assist
in supporting the arms and the back of the chair at the arranged for elevation
whereby the back of the chair is maintained and retained at the desired angle of
inclination and this may oftentimes and with some springs be advisable if not
absolutely necessary but when these springs are coiled imetallic springs as is shewn
in the drawing as also on other occasions it may not be and perhaps even generally
will not be necessary to give any assistance in supporting the arms and the back of
the chair by or through any appliances or devices for the springs themselves will
properly and efficiently perform this function and in this case it will only be
necessary to forcibly depress the arms and the back of the chair against the
springs to produce the required angle of inclination in and by the back of
the chair.
When the chair is so fitted according to this arrangement in order to maintain
and retain the back thereof at the desired angle of inclination against the springs
I can provide strips or straps H of leather or other suitable material and one end
of a strap H can be attached to the seat A of the chair and along the strap F
towards the other end thereof are made a number of holes one of which could be
engaged over a stud secured in the proper corresponding position on the arm E of

page_text: the chair which arrangement would preferably he so fitted on both sides of the
seat and on both arms as is shewn in the drawing or the one end of a strap H' can
be attached to the back K of the chair preferably at or about the middle part
thereof and one of the holes in the other end of this strap E' could be engaged
over a stud secured in the proper corresponding position on the seat A of
the chair.
All parts of this chair that is to say the seat the arms and the back can be
stuffed and upholstered and covered or otherwise treated in any usual and
convenient or other manner so long as the springs are allowed to act and do their
duty as hereinbefore described.
For purposes of transmission or packing or otherwise it is obvious that when the
springs are detachably connected with the standards the arms and the back of the
chair can easily be separated from the seat thereof.
In the same manner the heads or backs or other corresponding parts of sofas
settees and the like can obviously be constructed and fitted for the same purpose
and no further description or explanation is or can be needed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The improvements in chairs sofas settees and the like substantially as hercin-
before described and set forth for the purpose declared.