IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, COTS, AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES TO SIT AND RECLINE ON
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Richard Cottam, of the St. Pancras Iron-
works, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, COTS, AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES TO SIT
AND RECLINE ON."
Sealed the 19th July 1861, and dated the 22nd January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry. Richard Cottam
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd January 1861.
I, HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, of the St. Pancras Ironworks, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, COTS, AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES TO SIT AND
RECLINE ON," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in folding. chairs, cots, and
such like articles to sit and recline on. For these purposes, in constructing
folding chairs in order to their being at times used as cots, a chair is con-
structed of iron or other suitable metal or material, with two arms and a back,
which are preferred to be made of open framed work, more particularly when
of metal. The seat is arranged to fold by being hinged to the back rail of
the chair. The chair is supported on four legs. In these respects the chair
does not differ from others which have been previously made; but in order
that the seat may be extended in front, a rectangular frame is hinged to the

page_text: front rail of the chair, and such frame is so arranged that it may fold under
the seat of the chair; such frame has folding legs applied thereto, so that
when the frame is folded out so as to extend the seat of the chair, these
folding legs come to the floor and support the extended or external frame,
which has also projections on its two sides, and a projection at the end, which
projections, when this external frame is folded under the seat of the chair, are
on the under part of the external or folding frame; but when the frame is
unfolded from the seat of the chair these projections at the sides of the frame
form continuations of the elbows of the chair, and thus aro the two sides
enclosed, whilst the back of the chair and projection at the end of the folding
frame close in the ends, and the chair is thus converted into a cot. The
cushion is arranged to fold near the middle of its length, so that when used
with the chair one part goes to the back and the other part to the seat, and
when used in a cot it lies flat from end to end.
In order to extend a folding chair or other similar piece of furniture from
one of its sides more advantageously than heretofore, a folding frame is hinged
to one of the side rails of the chair; such folding frame consists of two parts,
which are hinged together in such manner that they will fold one on the other,
and the two will fold on to the seat of the chair. The chair is made with a
raised projection or back, and one elbow or raised projection at one side; the a
other elbow or raised projection is applied to the outermost of the two parts of
the folding frame, and the two side legs of the chair on that side where the
folding frame is applied, together with the legs on the outermost of the two
parts of the folding frame, are by preference so constructed that when the
parts are folded together to act for the time as an elbow chair, the legs on 2
the folding side thereof will appear as nearly as may be like the legs on the
other side of the chair. This arrangement of chair, when extended, will be a
form with raised projections at the two ends, but with a back to one only of
the three parts into which the seat is divided.
In place of having the sent of a folding chair divided into three parts where s
the folding takes place on one side of the chair, as above described, the seat of
the chair may be in two parts; that part which properly belongs to the original
chair is hinged or applied by preference to the front rail of the chair, and the
folding part of the seat is hinged or applied to the side rail of the chair.
The original chair is made with a raised projection or back, and also a s
raised projection suitable for an arm on the side opposite to that where the
folding seat is applied. The folding seat is made with two raised projections
in opposite directions suitable to act as arms, one when the parts are folded
into the smaller size, and the other when the parts are extended into the

page_text: larger size; and the folding seat is also provided with a raised projection
suitable for a back, which when the folding part of the seat is folded into the
original chair descends down below the seat of the original chair. The folding
part of the seat is also provided with folding legs, which fold flat between the
two parts of which the seat of the chair is composed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Richard Cottam in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
RICHARD COTTAM, of the St. Pancras Ironworks, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, sond greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Richard Cottam, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry Richard Cottam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING CHAIRS, COTS, AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES
TO SIT AND RECLINE ON," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henry Richard Cottam, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 Henry Richard Cottam, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, 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, cots, and
such like articles to sit and recline on. For these purposes in constructing

page_text: folding chairs in order to their being at times used as cots, a chair is con-
structed of iron or other suitable metal or material, with two arms and a back,
which are preferred to be made of open framed work, more particularly when
of metal. The seat is arranged to fold by being hinged to the back rail of the
chair. The chair is supported on four legs. In these respects the chair does
not differ from others which have been previously made; but in order that
the seat may be extended in front, a rectangular frame is hinged to the front
of the chair, and this frame is so arranged that it may fold under the seat of
the chair; and it has folding legs applied to it, so that when the frame is out
so as to extend the seat of the chair; these folding legs come to the floor and
support the extended or external frame, which has also projections on its two
sides, and a projection at the end, which projections, when this external frame
is folded under the seat of the chair, are on the under part of the external or
folding frame; but when the frame is unfolded from the seat of the chair
these projections at the sides of the frame form continuations of the elbows
of the chair, and thus are the two sides enclosed, whilst the back of the chair
and projection at the end of the folding frame close in the ends, and the chair
is thus converted into a cot.
a cot.
Figure 1 is a side view of a chair so constructed as it appears when folded;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 3 an end view of the same;
Figure 4 is a side view of the chair as it appears when extended for use as
a is the back of the chair, and b and c are the arms of the same;
d, d, are the legs. These parts are all permanently fixed together. The
back a is formed with a horizontal bar at the level of the seat, and to
it the seat frame e is jointed. The two sides or arms b and c are connected
together in front by a horizontal bar passing from one leg to the other
underneath the seat. The folding portion consists of a bar passing at the
front of the chair from one to the other of the two sides or arms b, c,
and on a level with the seat. It is capable of turning or rotating as an
axis; to it is fixed a rectangular frame f, which when in the position shewn
at Figure 4 forms a continuation of the seat of the chair. 9, 9, are legs
which support the frame f when in use; h, h, h, are frames forming sides
and ends of the cot formed by the chair when unfolded. The legs g, g, are
jointed to the side bars of the frame f, and are capable of folding down flat
under the frame when out of use, and when in use they, as is shown, are
turned downwards; they pass through an angle somewhat exceeding a right
angle, and are then stopped by the end rail of the frame f. To fold the chair,
the seat frame e is lifted, and the legs 9, 9, are then folded under the frame f,
which is then turned over with the parts connected with it, and passed through

page_text: the opening left by the seat frame, which is then again lowered into its place.
When the chair is folded the frame f and the parts connected with it are
stopped in the position shewn by the sides 9, g, attached to it coming in
contact with the fixed bar which connects together the two sides b and c.
The cushion is arranged to fold near the middle of its length, so that when
used with the chair one part goes to the back and the other part to the seat,
and when used in a cot it lies flat from end to end.
'
In order to extend a folding chair or other similar piece of furniture from
one of its sides more advantageously than heretofore, a folding frame is hinged
to one of the side rails of the chair; such folding frame consists of two parts,
which are hinged together in such manner that they will fold one on the
other, and the two will fold on to the seat of the chair, the chair is mado
with a raised projection or back, and one elbow or raised projection at one
side; the other elbow or raised projection is applied to the outermost of the
two parts of the folding frame, and the two side legs of the chair on that side
where the folding frame is applied, together with the legs on the outermost of
the two parts of the folding frame, are by preference so constructed that when
the parts are folded together to act for the time as an elbow chair, the legs
on the folding side thereof will appear as nearly as may be like the legs on the
other side of the chair. This arrangement of chair when extended will be a
form with raised projections at the two ends, but with a back to one only of
the three parts into which the seat is divided. Figure 5 is a front view of
such a chair as it appears when folded; and Figure 6 is a front view, and
Figure 7 a plan of the same, unfolded.
a, a, is a chair, with an arm'a' on side only of the seat, at the other
side thereof the folding frame b is jointed. The joint in the middle of the
folding frame is in the nature of a rule joint, so that it becomes stiff when
unfolded, as is shewn in Figures 6 and 7. The end of the frame 6 has an
arm c and legs d, d, fixed to it.
In place of having the seat of a folding chair divided into three parts,
where the folding takes place on one side of the chair, as above described,
the seat of the chair may be in two parts, that part which properly belongs
to the original chair being hinged or applied, by preference, to the front rail
of the chair, and the folding part of the seat being hinged or applied to the
side rail of the chair. The original chair is made with a raised projection
or back, and also a raised projection suitable for an arm on the side opposite
to that where the folding seat is applied. The folding seat is made with
two raised projections in opposite directions suitable to act as arms, one
when the parts are folded into the smaller size, and the other when the

page_text: parts are extended into the larger size; and the folding seat is also provided
with a raised projection suitable for a back, which, when the folding part of
the seat is folded into the original chair, descends down below the seat of
the original chair. The folding part of the seat is also provided with folding
legs, which fold flat between the two parts of which the seat of the chair is
composed. Figure 8 is a perspective view of such a chair as it appears
when folded, and Figure 9 is a similar view of the same when extended.
a, a, a, is the frame of a chair with one arm only; b is the seat of the
same, which is jointed to the front horizontal bar of the chair frame; c is a
frame which forms a portion of the seat of the chair when extended. It is
jointed to the side of the original chair on a level with its seat. d, d, are
legs which support the frame c when in use, and are also capable of folding
up flat under the seat frame c; e and f are projecting frames attached to the
frame c, and forming, when it is in use, respectively a back and arm to it;
g is an arm on the frame c, which comes into use when the chair is folded.
To fold the chair, the seat b is lifted, the legs d are folded up, and the frame c
with the parts connected with it are turned in, passing through the space
left by the frame b, which is then again lowered into its place.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, 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-one.
HENRY RICHARD COTTAM. (LS.)