Improvements in Chairs and Seats.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Chairs and Seats.
I, JOHN THOMAS MOORE, of Wood Villa, Langley, Macclesfield, in the County
of Chester, Chair Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to folding and reclining chairs and garden seats and
consists in the hereinafter described improvements therein.
My first improvement applies to the simplest folding chairs or seats, and has
for its object to prevent the usual tipping forward when sitting on the front
of the chair. The sides of such chairs consist each of two legs one of which
may be continued upwards to form the back, while the other hereinafter called
front leg crosses the same at the middle of the leg and is pivotted thereto. My
improvement consists in pivotting or hinging another piece to the top of the
front leg and connecting the foot of the back leg to the middle of this piece
by another bar, this bar being thus parallel to the front leg while the other is
parallel to the back leg, so that the chair can be folded as before.
My second improvement applies to square or H framed folding chairs the
sides of which consist each of two vertical legs connected by two horizontal
cross ties pivotted on the legs, and a seat hinged to the back legs. The side
frames of such chairs forming parellograms with pivotted corners have no
stability. My improvement consists in arranging a folding diagonal stay on
each side in order to impart firmness or rigidity to the sides
is formed of two bars of equal length hinged together and is hinged
This diagonal
upon the pivot connecting the back leg and upper crosstie at one end
and upon the pivot connecting the front leg and lower crosstie at the other
end. This arrangement allows the front legs to be folded against the back legs
as before, the diagonal being folded together, while when the chair is opened
out, the diagonal stay becomes straight and resists any backward push on the
seat.
My further improvement relates to tilting chairs consisting of stationary side
frames and a back and seat pivotted or swinging thereon, and consists in devices
or combinations of chains, pulleys, links, levers or the like so arranged that when
the back is tilted back through a certain angle the seat is lifted up through
a smaller angle, so that the angle between the back and seat of the chair is
increased as the back is tilted further back, as is required for comfort.
One of such devices is as follows. On a stationary frame the back is pivotted
and the seat hinged to the back at or near the same point. On each side a
chain is connected to the back at say 6 inches above the pivot and to the seat
say at 12 inches from its pivot, and the chain passed over a pulley on a stud
fixed to the side frame at about 12 inches from the back. With this arrange-
ment the back moving through a certain angle will lift the seat through half
that angle, and the angle between the seat and back will be proportionally

page_text: increased. Instead of this device other devices formed of links or levers or
both may be used producing the same effect.
A leg rest to the chair may be attached to the front of the seat and may be
connected by a link or strut having about the same length as the seat to a
downward extension of the back, which will cause the leg rest to remain at
about the same inclination to the back as the latter is tilted back and increase
the angle formed by the leg rest and seat.
A further improvement consists in providing supplementary seats on chairs
or garden seats. At the front corner of the seat a vertical carrier or strut is
fixed on which turns a bracket supporting the supplementary seat at a lower
level than the main seat, so that the supplementary seat can be pushed under
the main seat. The seat can be drawn out so as to make a quarter turn,
forming a supplementary seat at a right angle to the main seat, or half a turn,
when it will extend the width of the main seat.
Dated this 18th day of March 1899.
R. J. URQUHART, C.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, Manchester and Liverpool.
I, JOHN THOMAS MOORE, of Wood Villa, Langley, Macclesfield, in the County
of Chester, Chair Manufacturer, 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: —
This invention relates to folding and reclining chairs and garden seats and
consists in the hereinafter described improvements therein. In order that my
said improvements may be readily understood and carried out, I have hereunto
appended four sheets of drawings to which reference will be made in describing
my several improvements.
My first improvement applies to the simplest folding chairs or seats and las
for its object to prevent the usual tipping forward when sitting on the front
of the chair. This. improvement is illustrated by Figures 1, 2, and 14 of the
drawings. Figure 1 represents an ordinary seat with a link connecting the seat
and frame, in side view; Figure 2 a similar seat with my improvement, and
Figure 14 a modified arrangement applied to a chair. The sides of such seats
and chairs as ordinarily made consist each of two legs and pivotted to each
other at the middle m and a seat e hinged to the leg 6 which supports the back
end of the seat, and may be continued upwards as shewn on Figure 14 "to
form the back. The seat is preferably also connected by a link to the front
leg a as shewn. My improvement consists in pivotting or hinging another
piece or bar d to the top of the leg supporting the front end of the seat and
connecting the foot of the back leg to this bar by another piece or bar c.
This piece is of such length and attached to the leg b at such a point that it is
parallel to the leg a, and the leg d parallel to the leg b. With this arrange-
ment the chair can be folded as before, the link f connecting the seat to the
front support being made of such length that the sum of the lengths mb¹+ b'f¹
is equal to that of fa¹ + a'm. The foot of the bar d being in the same per-
pendicular with the front edge of the seat or in advance thereof prevents the
tilting forward, while the tilting backward may also be prevented by suitably
proportioning the lengths of the bars as shewn on Figure 14.
a
די
My second improvement relates to square or H framed folding chairs and

page_text: is illustrated by Figure 3. The sides of such chairs consist each of two vertical
lege connected by two horizontal crossties pivotted on the legs, and a
seat is hinged to the back legs h. The side frames formed in this manner have
no stability. My improvement consists in arranging a folding diagonal stay k
on each side to impart firmness or rigidity to the sides. This diagonal stay is
formed of two bars or equal length hinged together, and is attached to the pivot
connecting the back leg hand tie i at one end, and to the pivot connecting
the front leg h¹ and tie i, at the other end. This arrangement allows the front
legs to be folded against the back legs h as before, the diagonal stay being
doubled up, while when the chair is opened out the diagonal stay becomes
straight and resists backward push on the seat.
My further improvement relates to tilting chairs composed of stationary side
frames and a back and seat pivotted or swinging thereon, and consists in devices
or combinations of chains, pulleys, links, levers or the like so arranged that when
the back is tilted back through a certain angle the seat is lifted up through
a smaller angle, so that the angle between the back and seat is increased as
the back is tilted further back, as is required for comfort.
A chair with this improvement applied thereto is shewn in side view by
Figure 4, and Figures 5 to 13 shew modified devices for attaining the same
object.
The stationary side frames of the chair represented by Figure 4 are formed
of the crossed legs 1, the arms and the vertical strut 13 pivotted and con-
nected by links so that they will fold up, the sides being connected by suitable
cross ties, but any other kind of folding or rigid side frames may be used.
The back of the chair swings on pivots in the strut 13, and the seats is
hinged to the back preferably on the same pivots n¹. To the back on each side
a link n is attached at 3, and to the chair s a link 2 at s¹. These links are
connected by a pin which also passes through a swing link o' suspended to
the arm at o. The distance between the pivots n¹ and n³ is about half the
distance between the pivots and s¹, and the fulcrum o is about vertically
above the pivot », in consequence of which as the back is tilted back through
a certain angle, the seats is lifted up through a smaller angle, and the angle
between the back and seat is increased the further the chair back is tilted, back-
wards, as is required for a comfortable use of the chair, the dotted lines showing
the extreme position to which the chair can be tilted back with this arrange-
ment of links.
A leg rest p may be attached to the front of the seat and connected at each
side by a strut pl preferably formed with a rack p² to a stud 23 on the downward
extension of the sides of the back n, which will cause the rest to retain about the
same, inclination to the back and increase its angle with the seat as the chair
is tilted backwards, as is also required for the comfortable use.
On the Sheet 3 of the drawings diagrams of several modified devices are
shewn for attaining the same object of increasing the angle between the seat
and back as the back is tilted further, only the back, seat and leg rest being
shewn, and the links indicated by lines, while the side frames are omitted or
only partly shewn, and the extreme position of the chair is shewn in dotted
lines.
Figures 5 and 6 are modifications of the arrangement shewn on Figure 4.
On Figure 5 the links n and are arranged similarly as on Figure 4, while
the swing link o' is fulcrummed below at o upon the side frames. On Figure 6
the link is attached to the back below its pivot n¹, and the link turned
downwards, the swing link o¹ being fulcrummed at o on the side frame.
On Figure 7 the swing link is replaced by a rocking lever with unequal
length of limbs rocking on a pivot q' on the side frame, the back being pivotted
on the same at n as in the previously described arrangements.
On Figure 8 the rigid links are replaced by a chain passing over a pulley 1.
fixed to the arm of the side frame, and connected at one end to the back n and

page_text: at the other to the seats, the distance from the pivot n¹ on which the back
and seat swing to the point of attachment n³ on the back being about half that
to the point of attachment s¹ on the seat. It is obvious that the chair seat is
lifted through a less angle than that through which the chair is tilted back
and the angle between the back and seat increased the further the back is
tilted.
In the arrangement shewn on Figure 9 the chain is replaced by a lever t
rocking on a pivot o fixed to the side frames, and the back and seat bear upon
the top side of the lever at opposite ends by means of rollers n³ and s¹ attached
thereto and placed at different distances from the pivot n on which the back
and seat swing on the frame.
Figures 10 to 13 show modified arrangements for the same purpose of increas-
ing the angle between the back and seat as the chair is tilted further back,
in which the pivot n¹ connecting the back and seat is not mounted in a fixed
bearing but is itself capable of swinging or sliding forward.
In the arrangement shewn on Figure 10 the pivot n¹ is mounted on a swing
link u
swinging on a pivot u on the stationary side frame, and the chair back
is attached by a link u to another pivot 3 on the side frame, the chair seat
being supported by the link s rocking on the fixed pivot o. On the chair being
tilted back the parts assume the positions shewn in dotted lines and the angle
between the back and seat is increased. The link 2 may be replaced by link s
shewn in dotted lines suspended from above on the side frame.
Figure 11 represents another arrangement in which the pivot ¹ carries a
roller sliding in a slotted slide v fixed to the side frame, while another roller ¹
on a stud fixed to the side frame supports the back, and the seat is supported
by a link 2 swinging on the pivot o fixed to the chair arm. In the arrangement
represented by Figure 12 the seat is supported in the same manner, while the
back swings on a fulcrum 1 on the arm by means of a carrier u rigidly fixed
to the back. The arrangement shewn on Figure 13 is similar to that shewn
on Figure 10, but with the links and suspended from the arm 18 instead
of being supported on pivots from below.
A leg rest may be used with any of the arrangements represented by Figures 5
to 13 in the same way as described with reference to Figure 4, and the angle
between the seat and leg rest will be increased as the chair is further tilted
back, as indicated by dotted lines on the several figures.
My further improvement consists in providing supplementary seats on chairs
or garden seats and is represented by Figures 15 and 16. At the front corner
of the seat a vertical carrier or post is fixed on which a bracket ¹ can turn.
This bracket extends diagonally under the supplementary seat y and supports
it at a lower level than the main seat, so that the supplementary seat can be
pushed under the main seat as shewn on Figure 15. The bracket can be turned
by a quarter turn when the supplementary seat will be at a right angle to the
main seat, as indicated in dotted lines on Figure 16. When the bracket is
turned by half a turn, the supplementary seat will form an extension of the main
seat.
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
1 claim is―
1. In folding chairs or seats with crossed legs pivotted at or about their
middle, the arrangement of additional bars to prevent tilting forward substan-
tially as herein before described with reference to Figures 2 and 14 of the
drawings.
2. In square or H framed folding chairs the arrangement of a folding diagonal
stay substantially as herein before described with reference to Figure 3 and for
the purpose set forth.
3. In tilting or reclining chairs consisting of stationary side frames and a back

page_text: and seat pivotted or swinging thereon, connecting the back and seat by hinges or
pivots and supporting them from the side frames by means of links, levers,
chains and pulleys or the like so arranged that when the back is tilted back
through a certain angle the seat is lifted through a smaller angle so that the
angle between the seat and back is the more increased the further the back
is tilted, with or without a leg rest connected to the seat and back in such a
way that as the angle between the seat and back is increased, the angle between
the seat and leg rest is likewise increased, substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figures 4 to 13 of the drawings.
4. The arrangement or construction of a tilting chair substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings.
5. The several modifications substantially as described with reference to
Figures 5 to 9, of the arrangement or construction of the tilting chair described
with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings.
6. The several modifications of the arrangement of tilting chairs for the
purpose of increasing the angle between the back and seat as the back is tilted
further herein before described with reference to Figures 10 to 13 of the drawings.
7. In garden seats or chairs the arrangement of supplementary seats turning
corner posts substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
Figures 15 and 16 of the drawings.
on
Dated the 21st day of December 1899
to
R. J. URQUHART, C.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, Manchester and Liverpool.