IMPROVE- MENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel of No 28 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS."-A communication from abroad by Christian
Timme, of Neustadt-Magdeburg in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS" [A communi-
cation from abroad by Christian Timme, of Neustadt-Magdeburg in the German
Empire.]
This invention relates to an improved construction of folding chairs which when
opened or unfolded shall have the jointed parts rigidly secured together as an
ordinary chair while the back and legs are enabled to be made of any desired
curvature instead of requiring to be straight and parallel, as in such chairs of
ordinary construction in which the seat is made to slide up the back.
For this purpose the seat is pivotted to the hind legs by means of two angular
brackets secured to the latter by screws, the seat being made to turn up on its
pivots so as to fold against the back. The brackets are within the side rails of the
seat so as not to be visible. On the underside of the side rails of the seat are
spring catches which when the seat is turned down catch over pins in the back or
over notches in plates that carry the brackets, and thus hold the seat rigidly in the
open position. In like manner the front legs are pivotted to the side rails of the
seat near their lower edge by means of brackets on the legs, and to the upper part
of the side rails are attached spring catches which when the seat is turned down,
catch over pins in the legs, or over notches in plates fixed thereto, so as to hold the
legs rigidly in the open position. The spring catches at front and at back have
side projections by means of which they can be depressed so as to release the legs
when requiring to be folded.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th September 1882.
"
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS A communi-
cation from abroad by Christian Timme of Neustadt Magdeburg in the German
Empire
This invention relates to an improved construction of folding chairs which when
opened or unfolded shall have the jointed parts rigidly secured together as an
ordinary chair while the back and legs are enabled to be made of any desired
curvature instead of requiring to be straight and parallel, as in such chairs of
ordinary construction in which the seat is made to slide up the back.
For this purpose the seat is pivotted to the hind legs by means of two angular
brackets secured to the latter by screws, the seat being made to turn up on its
pivots so as to fold against the back. The brackets are within the side rails of the
seat so as not to be visible. On the underside of the side rails of the seat are
spring catches which when the seat is turned down catch over pins in the back or
over notches in plates that carry the brackets, and thus hold the seat rigidly in the
open position. In like manner the front legs are pivotted to the side rails of the
seat near their lower edge by means of brackets on the legs, and to the upper part
of the side rails are attached spring catches which when the seat is turned down,
catch over pins in the legs, or over notches in plates fixed thereto, so as to hold the
legs rigidly in the open position. The spring catches at front and at back have
side projections by means of which they can be depressed so as to release the legs
when requiring to be folded
Fig. 1 shews a side view of a chair constructed according to the before described
invention. Fig. 2 shews the same folded together. Figs. 3 to 9 shew various
details. Fig. 10 shews a part elevation of another construction of chair. Figs. 11
to 13 shew details of the same.
Fig. 14 shews the side view of a table having the invention applied thereto so
that the legs can be folded underneath. Figs. 15 to 19 shew details of the same.
Fig. 20 shews a part elevation of another arrangement of folding chair. Fig. 21
shews a plan of the mechanism, Fig. 22 shews a part section of the chair with the
fastening with the front legs and Fig. 23 shews a section with the fastening for the
hind legs.
In the arrangement shewn at Figs. 1 to 9 the back A. is hinge-jointed to the
Beat C while the side pieces D are hinge-jointed to the front legs G. For folding
the parts together, the spring catches i & e fixed to the parts D are raised by means
of the projecting lugs k from off pins & Fig. 3 and a Fig. 4 situated in notches in
the front and bind legs. The seat C can then be turned up on the pivots on the
brackets B while the front legs G can turn on the pivots on the brackets H so as to
fold against the underside of the seat as shown at Fig. 2. The seat C D is suitably
recessed for the brackets BH to fit into it as shewn at Figs 3 and 4. These brackets
may either be screwed into the legs as at Figs. 1 to 4, or as shewn at Figs. 5 to 8
they may be rivetted to metal plates K and M which are screwed to the legs. These
plates have slots L and N into which the catches i and e take when unfolded.
the arrangement shewn at Figs. 10 to 13 the brackets H and B have hooks h and 6'
for engaging with the catches i and e, which in this case do not project beyond the
parts D as in Figs 1 to 6 but are contained in recesses therein.
In

page_text: In the construction shewn at Figs. 20 to 23 the brackets B and H instead of
being pivotted to the parts D, are pivotted to two iron plates S. The spring
catches i and e are rivetted to these plates and take into the hooks b¹ and h of the
brackets B and Has in the previous case. The brackets B and H have extensions
by which they are additionally secured to the legs by means of screws. The parts D
of the chair are secured to the plates S by means of screws. By the above
arrangement all recessing of the wood work and consequent weakening of the
chair is prevented. Figs. 14 to 19 shew the construction of a folding table. Each
leg has a plate M screwed to it, through which a bracket H is screwed into the
wood that is pivotted at X to the table. To the side of the latter is screwed a
projecting plate Z and the spring catch I, each of which enter corresponding slots i
and in the plate M when the leg is turned into the vertical position. The catch I
holds the leg securely in this position while the plate Z prevents any lateral play
thereof.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim:
First. The use in folding chairs of pivotted brackets secured to the legs in
combination with catches i and e fixed to the side bars and caused to
engage with pins d and a in recesses in the legs when these are unfolded,
substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9 of the
drawings.
Second. The use of brackets pivotted to the seat and provided with hooks into which
take catches on the seat, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 10
to 13 of the drawings.
Third. The use of brackets such as are referred to in the preceding claim pivotted
to iron plates on the side rails of the chair which also carry the spring catches
that take into the hooks of the brackets, substantially as herein described
with reference to Figs. 20 to 23 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fifth day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
D
הלט
ГАЯ
D. ABEL. (L.)