IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO FOLDING CHAIRS
Year: 1884

page_text: I LORENZO FIELD of Nos 19 and 21 St Mary Street Ladywood Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Cabinet Maker do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO FOLDING CHAIRS" to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to such folding chairs as consist essentially of a back
frame and a shorter front frame jointed together at or near the middle of the said
front frame the said back frame being either in one piece or folding at or below
the middle and my said invention consists in applying to or combining with the
said folding chairs rockers constructed as hereinafter described for the purpose of
converting the folding chairs into rocking chairs and for strengthening the said
chairs. The addition to the chairs of rockers constructed according to my
invention does not interfere with the folding up or unfolding of the chairs.
My invention is especially applicable to the folding chairs described represented
and claimed in the Specifications of Letters Patent granted to me bearing date
respectively the 23rd day of November 1881 N° 5121 and the 12th day of
July 1882 N° 3313 but my invention may be applied to ordinary folding chairs
provided with jointed back and front frames of the kind described and having
carpet or flexible seats. I construct the rockers of the usual slightly curved figure
and to the upper or concave edge of each rocker I fix a guide of a length equal to
the range of motion of the back frame of the chair. In these guides the cross bar
at the bottom of the said back frame works. I prefer to make the said guides of
pieces or strips of iron fixed by their ends to the rockers and parallel with the
concave surface of the rockers. Near the back end of each of the said guides and
made in one piece therewith is a loop or bearing in which the ends of the cross bar
at the bottom of the front frame are situated and turn. The backs of the rockers
are thus connected to the bottom of the front frame by the engaging of the bottom
bar of the said frame with the loops or bearings in the guides and the back frame
is connected to the said rockers by the engaging of its bottom bar with the guides
described.
When the chair is unfolded for use the bottom cross bar of the back frame is
situated at the front ends of the guides on the rockers and on folding up the chair
the said bottom cross bar traverses the said guides and passes nearly to their back
ends the bottom cross bar of the front frame at the same time turning in the loops
or bearings at the back ends of the rockers.

page_text: In the folded chair the rockers lie parallel with the folded back and front frames
and add little to the bulk of the chair.
The said rockers bind together the bottom ends of the sides or frames of the
folding chair and where it is wished to strengthen the chair without converting it
into a rocking chair straight connecting pieces are employed to connect the said
ends together instead of curved rockers.
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I LORENZO FIELD of No 19 and 21 St Mary Street, Ladywood, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Cabinet Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO FOLDING 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 has reference to such folding chairs as consist essentially of a back
frame and a front frame jointed together at or near the middle of the said front
frame, the said back frame being either in one piece or folding at or below the
middle; and my said invention consists in applying to or combining with the said
folding chairs, rockers constructed as herein after described for the purpose of
converting the folding chairs into rocking chairs and for strengthening the said
chairs.
The addition to the chairs of rockers constructed according to my invention
does not interfere with the folding up or unfolding of the chairs.
My invention is especially applicable to the folding chairs described represented
and claimed in the Specifications of Letters Patent granted to me bearing date
respectively the 23rd day of November 1881 N° 5121 and the 12th day of
July 1882, N° 3313, but my invention may be applied to ordinary folding chairs
provided with jointed back and front frames of the kind described and having
carpet or flexible seats. I construct the rockers of the usual slightly curved figure
and to the upper or concave edge of each rocker I fix a guide of a length equal to
the range of motion of the back frame of the chair. In these guides the cross bar
at the bottom of the said back frame works. I prefer to make the said guides of
pieces or strips of iron fixed by their ends to the rockers and parallel with the
concave surface of the rockers. Near the back end of each of the said guides and
made in one piece therewith is a loop or bearing in which the ends of the cross bar
at the bottom of the front frame are situated and turn. The backs of the rockers
are thus connected to the bottom of the front frame by the engaging of the bottom
bar of the said frame with the loops or bearings in the guides and the back frame
is connected to the said rockers by the engaging of its bottom bar with the guides
described.
When the chair is unfolded for use the bottom cross bar of the back frame is
situated at the front ends of the guides on the rockers and on folding up the chair
the said bottom cross bar traverses the said guides and passes nearly to their back

page_text: ends, the bottom cross bar of the front frame at the same time turning in the loops
or bearings at the back ends of the rockers.
In the folded chair the rockers lie parallel with the folded back and front frames
and add little to the bulk of the chair.
The said rockers bind together the bottom ends of the sides or frames of the
folding chair and where it is wished to strengthen the chair without converting it
into a rocking chair, straight connecting pieces are employed to connect the said
ends together instead of curved rockers.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in perspective a folding chair
opened or expanded for use, provided with curved rockers according to my
invention; Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the lower part of the chair
Figure 1 drawn to a larger scale; Figure 3 represents a plan of upperside of the
lower part of the opened chair, the parts above the dotted line t, t Figure 2 being
omitted and Figure 4 represents a plan of upper side of the lower part of the said
chair folded up or closed.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4.
a is the front frame and b the back frame of the chair jointed together at c as
usual; p is the back of the chair q, q the arms and the seat; d, d are the curved
rockers having a stay bar d² at each end. On the upper and concave edge of each
rocker da guide e is fixed, the said guides having a length equal to the range of
motion of the back frame b of the chair. The guides e, e are made of pieces or
strips of iron fixed by their ends to the rockers and parallel with the concave faces
of the said rockers (see Figures 1 and 2). In the guides e, e, the cross bar fat the
bottom of the back frame b is engaged and works. Near the back end of each
guide e and made in one piece therewith, is a semi-tubular loop or bearing g in
which the ends of the cross bar h at the bottom of the front frame a are situated
and turn. It will thus be seen that the backs of the rockers d, d are connected to
the bottom of the front frame a, a by the engaging of the cross bar h of the said
frame with the loops or bearings g, g on the rockers while the bottom of the back
frame b is connected to the rockers by the engaging of its cross bar f with the
guides e, e in which guides it is capable of sliding or working.
The positions of the parts when the chair is unfolded for use are illustrated in
Figures 1. 2 and 3; that is to say, the bottom cross bar f of the back frame bis
situated at the front ends of the guides e, e on the rockers. In folding up the
chair, the bottom cross bar f traverses the guides e, e and passes to the ends e², e²
of the said guides as illustrated in the folded chair Figure 4, the bottom cross bar h
of the front frame a turning in the loops or bearings g, g at the back ends of the
rockers d, d as the chair is folded.
It will be seen by an examination of the folded chair Figure 4, that the
rockers d, d lie parallel with the folded back and front frames b, a and add little
to the bulk of the chair.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation and Figure 6 in plan of underside a folding
chair opened for use in which straight connecting pieces are substituted for the curved
rockers herein before described at the bottom ends of the sides of the folding chair
for the purpose of strengthening the chair; Figure 7 represents in plan of underside
the folding chair Figures 5 and 6 closed or folded up.
In this arrangement i, i are the straight connecting pieces at the bottom ends of
the frames a, b of the folding chair used in place of the rockers d, d herein before
described and 2, 2 are the stay bars of the connecting pieces i, i; e, e are the
guides which in this case are situated on the underside of the connecting pieces i, i;
is the cross connecting bar on the bottom of the back frame b, which bar f works
in the said guides e, e and h is the cross connecting bar on the bottom of the front
frame a engaged with and turning in the loops or bearings g, g on the said
connecting pieces i, i.
The action of the parts of the chair represented in Figures 5. 6. and 7 having
strengthening connecting pieces is the same as the parts of the arrangement first

page_text: described in which curved rockers are used and corresponding parts are marked
with the same letters of reference.
Although I prefer to make the guides e, e by attaching metal strips to the
rockers or strengthening pieces yet guides may be made in one piece with the said
rockers or strengthening pieces, that is, the rockers or strengthening pieces may be
made wide enough to admit of guides or guiding slots being cut in 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
I claim is :-
:-
First The combination with or addition to folding chairs of the kind described
of the curved rockers d, d and guides or guiding slots e, e, e² and loops or
bearings g, g, the cross bar f at the bottom of the back frame being connected to
the rockers by being engaged with and sliding in the said guides or guiding slots
and the cross bar at the bottom of the front frame being connected to the rockers
by being engaged with and turning in loops or bearings on the said rockers, the
several parts being constructed and combined substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly The combination with or addition to folding chairs of the kind
described of the straight connecting or strengthening pieces i, i and guides or
guiding slots e, e, e² and loops or bearings g, g, the cross bar f at the bottom of the
back frame being connected to the said connecting or strengthening pieces i, i by
being engaged with and sliding in the said guides or guiding slots and the cross
bar h at the bottom of the front frame being connected to the strengthening
pieces, by being engaged with and turning in loops or bearings on the said
pieces i, i, the several parts being constructed and combined substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in Figures 5. 6 and 7 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Date of T..1.. 1004