IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Brown, of Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS AND
OTHER SEATS."
Sealed the 6th July 1865, and dated the 23rd January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd January 1865.
I, THOMAS BROWN, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS
AND OTHER SEATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in folding chairs and other
seats. For these purposes two frames are used, a longer and a shorter one
which cross each other and are pinjointed at the intersections of the two
frames; the longer of these frames at its upper end carries the back rail
against which the back of the person sitting in the chair is supported. The
two sides of each of the two frames are connected together by cross rods or
bars which pass from side to side of the chair. The seat of the chair is

page_text: framed together and is covered with rails of wood, or it may have a seating of
cane, or the frame of the seat may be otherwise covered. The front of the
seat is attached to the front rail, rod, or bar which connects the upper ends
of the two sides of the shorter of the two frames. The seat is attached in
such manner as to allow the seat and the frame to which it is attached to fold
together one within the other; at the back of the seat it rests on a cross
rail, rod, or bar, which connects the two sides of the longer of the two frames
together, and the under parts of the seat are arranged to rest on such cross
rail, rod, or bar nearer to or further from the front of the seat according as it
is desired that a greater or less inclination should for the time be given to the
back of the chair. The seat is the means of keeping the two frames from
folding together so long as the back of the seat is resting on and is held by
the cross rail, rod, or bar, but when the back of the seat is slightly raised so
as to free the holding parts from the cross rail, rod, or bar at the back the
shorter frame may be caused to fold outside of the lower parts of the sides of
the longer frame, and the seat will fold between the lower parts of the longer
frame. The back of the seat is not allowed to separate from the back cross
rail, rod, or bar beyond what is necessary to free the under part of the back
of the seat from such cross rail, rod, or bar, and allow the seat to go forwards
in order to fold down between the sides of the longer frame. When the
chair is folded the longer frame and the seat will be between the two sides of
the shorter frame, the whole not occupying a much greater space than that
occupied by the longer of the two frames. Other forms of seats with backs
will be constructed similar to the chairs above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BROWN, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Thomas Brown, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the 8

page_text: said Thomas Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Brown, my executors or admi-
nistrators by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Brown, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in folding chairs and other
seats. For these purposes two frames are used, a longer and a shorter one,
which cross each other and are pinjointed at the intersections of the two
frames. The longer of these frames at its upper end carries the back rail
against which the back of the person sitting in the chair is supported. The
seat of the chair is framed together, and is covered with rails of wood, or it
may have a seating of cane, or the frame of the seat may be otherwise covered.
The front of the seat is attached at the upper ends of the two sides of the
shorter of the two frames in such manner as to allow the seat and the frame
to which it is attached to fold together one within the other. The back of
the seat, when the chair is set up for use, rests on a cross rail which connects
the two sides of the longer of the two frames, and the seat is arranged to rest
and catch upon such cross rail nearer to or further from the front of the seat
according as it is desired that a greater or less inclination should for the time
be given to the back of the chair. The seat is thus the means of keeping the
two frames from folding together whilst the chair is in use; but when the back
of the seat is slightly raised so as to free the holding parts from the cross rail
the shorter frame may be caused to fold outside of the lower parts of the
sides of the longer frame, and the seat will fold between the lower parts of
the longer frame. The back of the seat is prevented by stops from separa-
ting from the cross rail beyond what is necessary to free it and allow the seat

page_text: to go
forwards in order to fold down between the sides of the longer frame.
When the chair is folded it will not occupy a much greater space than that
occupied by the longer of the two frames; other forms of seats with backs
will be constructed in a manner similar to the chairs above described.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of the chair as it appears when folded; Figure 2 is a
side view of the same; Figure 3 is a side view of the chair set up for use;
Figure 4 is a vertical section, and Figure 5 a plan of the same.
two frames crossing each other and pinjointed at c. The longer frame a
has at its upper end a rail a¹ to support the back of the person using the
seat, and lower down a cross rail a² connects the two sides of the frame. To
the upper end of the shorter frame 6 the scat d is jointed, it may be by means
of a rod running through from side of the frame, and through the front rail
of the seat, or as shewn in the Drawing two shorter screws or pins 6 may
be employed to form the joints; e, e, are distance pieces interposed between
the frame and seat to allow of the parts folding as shown. The seat d, as
is shown, is formed of two side rails d¹, d', and cross bars d³, d³, connecting
them together, and when the chair is set up for use the cross rail a² enters
one or other of the three spaces d³, d³, between the cross bars d at the back
of the seat, and the seat is in this manner securely held; the cross rail a¹
is as will be seen notched to receive the side rails d', d', of the seat; f, f, are
stop pieces fixed to the frame a, a, to limit the motion of the seat, and d', d',
are shoulders on each side of the seat, which by coming against the stops
prevent the seat being pushed further back than it appears in Figures 3 and 4;
and do, do, are studs at the back of the seat which come against the stop f
when the seat is drawn forward in folding the chair, and when the chair is
folded these studs are retained between the stops f, and the cross rail a³ ;ƒ^ƒ^
are projections at the top of the stops which prevent the seat being lifted
higher than is necessary to free it from the cross rail a³.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of a chair of a slightly different form. In this
case in order to obtain greater rigidity the two side bars of the frame 6 are
connected together at their upper ends by a cross rail 6*, and the front of
the seat is connected to this rail by hinges.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of

page_text: performing the same I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
combining the several parts of a folding chair or seat, namely the frames a
and 6, the seat d, and the stops f, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THO. BROWN. (L.S.)