Improvements in Infants' chairs
Year: 1886

page_text: I, ALEXANDER PLANT of 84 Miller Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Buyer to the Firm of Messieurs Burns, Crawford and Company,
of the same place, Fancy Goods Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This Invention which relates to Improvements in Infants' chairs, has for its
object to so construct such chairs, that they may readily be converted from
stationary chairs to chairs running upon rollers or castors, and from either of these
into rocking chairs or vice versa.
In a chair constructed according to the present Invention the upper ends of the
legs are pivoted at each side of the chair to the lower rigid rail thereof, while the
two legs at each such side of the chair are also geared together by means of toothed
quadrants. These toothed quadrants are preferably constructed of cast metal and
in one of each pair of such castings a series of holes is formed, and by means of
these holes as hereinafter explained, the chair is secured in any one of its conditions.
Beneath the seat of the chair there are arranged hand levers formed in part with
or secured to vertical rods or shafts, at the lower ends of which are provided other
levers, and in the outer or free ends of these levers, eyes or holes are so formed
that they engage with pins or bolts. These pins or bolts are supported and free to
slide borizontally in the rigid rails at each side of the chair and the outer ends of
such pins or bolts are arranged to enter the holes in the aforementioned castings.
At the upper part of the vertical rods or shafts there are provided further levers
or arms which extend from the sides towards the centre of the chair. At this
central part of the chair the inner ends of the last mentioned levers are coupled
together by means of a frame or its equivalent in which the said levers are free to
slide in the direction of their length. This frame is supported and free to slide
longitudinally upon a rod which is rigidly secured at the underside of the seat of
the chair, and extends from the front to the 'back thereof, and a spiral spring
encircling such rod or other equivalently arranged spring acts upon the said frame
and through its connected arrangement of levers in such manner as to tend always
to force the bolts outwards into the beforementioned holes. By the bolts thus
engaging with either of these holes the chair is locked in any one of its conclitions.

page_text: The inner or under edges of the moveable legs are so shaped that when in their
lowermost position they serve for the curved or rocking surfaces of the chair while
at that part where the legs are geared together the continuity of the curve is
maintained by the under edges of the beforementioned rigid rails which are
similarly curved and bear upon the floor. At the outer ends of the legs the rollers
or casters are secured in such a manner that when the chair is in its highest
position, that is to say, the position in which the legs thereof approach nearest to
the vertical the said chair is supported by the ends of the legs and when lowered
from such position into its next position the chair is supported by or upon the
rollers or casters, and may therefore be easily moved from place to place.
1
I, ALEXANDER PLANT of 84 Miller Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, buyer to the firm of Messieurs Burns, Crawford and Company of
the same place, Fancy Goods Merchants do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INFANTS' CHAIRS,' and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
My Invention which relates to improvements in Infants' chairs, relates to that
class of such chairs which are convertable from stationary chairs to chairs. running
upon runners or castors, and from either of these into rocking chairs or vice versa.
The chairs to which my present improvements are applicable, are of a well known
construction and in which the upper ends of the legs are pivoted at each side, to
the lower rigid rail thereof, while the two legs at each side of the chair are also
geared together by means of toothed quadrants.
These toothed quadrants are preferably constructed of cast metal and in one of
each pair of such castings a series of holes is formed in the ordinary manner, and
by means of these holes, as bereinafter explained, the chair is secured in any one
of its conditions. Beneath the seat of the chair there are arranged hand levers
formed in part with, or secured to vertical rods or shafts, at the lower ends of
which are provided other levers, and in the outer or free ends of these levers, eyes
or holes are so formed that they engage with pins or bolts." These pins or bolts
are supported and free to slide horizontally in the rigid rails at each side of the
chair and, the outer ends of such pins or bolts are arranged to enter the holes in
the aforementioned castings. At the upper part of the vertical rods or shafts there
are provided further levers or arms which extend from the sides towards the centre
336

page_text: of the chair. At this central part of the chair the inner ends of the last mentioned
levers are coupled together by means of a frame or its equivalent in which the
said levers are free to slide in the direction of their length. This frame is supported
and free to slide longitudinally upon a rod which is rigidly secured at the under-
side of the seat of the chair and extends from the front to the back thereof, and a
spiral spring encircling such rod or other equivalently arranged spring, acts upon
the said frame and through its connected arrangement of levers, in such manner,
as to tend always to force the bolts outwards into the beforementioned holes. By
the bolts thus engaging with either of these holes the chair is locked in any one of
its conditions.
་
The inner or under edge of the moveable legs, in the ordinary well known
manner, are so shaped that when in their lowermost position, they serve for the
curved or rocking surfaces of the chair, while at that part where the legs are
geared together the continuity of the curve is maintained by the under edges of
the. beforementioned rigid rails which are similarly curved and bear upon the floor.
At the outer ends of the legs the runners or castors are secured in such a manner
that when the chair is in its highest position that is to say the position in which
the legs thereof approach nearest to the vertical the said chair is supported upon
one of the ends of the legs and one runner at each side and when lowered from
such position into its next position the chair is supported by or upon the runners
or castors and may therefore be easily moved from place to place.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figures 1 and 2, are respectively a front and a side elevation of an infants chair
constructed according to my present Invention.
Figure 3, is a horizontal section of the same shewing more distinctly the working
parts thereof..
As illustrated upon the annexed drawings, the well-known class of Infants' chairs,
to which my present Invention applies, is that in which the legs 1 and 2, are so
pivoted to and upon the side frames 3 and 4 of such chairs, and are so geared together
by the segmental toothed racks 5 and 6, that the legs are capable of being moved
from the relative, approximately upright position which they are shewn to occupy
at Figures 1 and 2, and in which position only the two castors or runners 7, on the
front legs 1, are in contact with the floor, into an approximately horizontal position
in which the curved under edges or surfaces of such legs rest upon the floor and
serve as rocking surfaces whereby the said chairs are converted into rocking chairs ;
and my said Invention consists in the means for locking the legs 1 and 2, in such
position, or in any of the well known positions intermediately between those two
extreme positions hereinlast mentioned.
The two segmental racks 6, (Figures 2 and 3) which, by the screws 8, are secured
one to each of the two back legs 2, are formed in part with the curved plates 9, in
which are provided the holes 10.
The pins or bolts 11, which are supported and free to slide horizontally in the
metal bushes 12, are capable of engaging with any of the beforementioned holes 10,
in the ordinary well known manner. The inner ends of the pins or bolts 11, are
bent upwards and with these upturned ends of the said bolts, the outer ends of
the levers 13, engage. The levers 13, are secured upon, or, as shewn more par-
ticularly in dotted lines at Figure 2, of the annexed drawings are formed in part
with the vertical shafts 14, each of which is so supported in the brackets or
bearings 15, as to be capable of moving rotatively within them.-Each of the metal
rods which, as shewn upon the annexed drawings constitutes one of the before-
mentioned levers 13, and one of the vertical shafts 14, is so bent at its upper part,
as to further constitute the hand lever 10, and the inwardly projecting arm or
lever 17, but, I desire it to be understood that any or all of the beforementioned
levers 13, 16 and 17, may be constructed independently of the vertical shafts 14,
and that the said levers under such independent construction are secured upon the
vertical shafts 14, by any suitable means, The inner end of each of the projecting

page_text: arms or levers 17, enters, and is free. to slide in a hole formed in the frame 18,
which is mounted and free to slide longitudinally upon the rod 19.-This rod 19,
is supported at its front or forward end by the screw 20, or its equivalent, and by
the staple 21, (Figure 3) or its equivalent at its rear end, in a horizontal or
approximately horizontal position beneath the seat 22, of the chair and the spiral
spring 23 which is coiled around the said rod 19, tends always to force the
hereinbefore described arrangement of levers 13, 16 and 17, and bolts 11, into the
relative positions in which they are represented upon the annexed drawings that
is to say, the said spring 23, tends always to force the bolts 11, into the holes 10,
and thus to lock the legs of the chair in any one of their positions. When it is
desired to alter the chair from one condition into another, the free ends of the
hand levers 16, are drawn outwards and consequently by means of the vertical
shafts 14, and levers 13, the bolts 11, are. withdrawn from the holes 10, and. the
said chair may then be raised or lowered into the desired position. The hand
levers 16, then being released the spiral spring 23, through the media of the sliding
frame 18, and in turn the levers 17, the vertical shafts 14, and the levers 13, force
the bolts 11, outwards into the holes 10, next presented to them.
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
claim is.
The improvements in Infants chairs consisting of the levers 13, 16, and 17, the
lever 17, of which engages with the frame 18, supported and free to slide against
the pressure of the spiral spring 23, upon the rod 19, the arrangement being such
as tends always to force the bolts 11, into the holes 10, all substantially as, and
operating in the manner and for the purposes herein before set forth with reference
to the annexed drawings or the mechanical equivalents of all or any of the parts
thereof.
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