Improvements in Convertible Chairs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Convertible Chairs.
We, JOSEPH GABRIEL MCCAFFREY, Mechanic, of 516 Monroe Avenue,
Detroit, Wayne County, State of Michigan, U.S.A., and ANNIE DERRICK
LEUTY, Lady, of 685 Trumbull Avenue, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S.A.,
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 combined chairs and couches, and consists in the
construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth and pointed
out particularly in the claims.
The object of the invention is to provide a novel form of convertible chair in
which the arrangement is such as to enable the back to be adjusted to any degree
of angle from a horizontal to a vertical position, and secured at any angle desired;
to provide an adjustable foot rest and side arms in connection with said back so as
to automatically partake of the motion thereof so as to maintain the proper
relative positions of said parts with the back at any degree of elevation; to
provide for quickly converting the chair into a couch and to give to the head est
thereof any desired elevation and to constitute an efficient article of this class
which shall be simple, durable and inexpensive.
Which object is attained by the construction illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which ;-
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing our improved device in position when
serving as a chair.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same showing by solid lines the foot rest extended
and by stipple lines the various adjustments of the foot rest and back and connecting
side arms.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in vertical longitudinal section through the side arm
showing the pin and slot connection between said arm and the pivoted support for
the forward end thereof and means for lecking the pin against longitudinal
movement in the slot.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device when serving as a cot.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section through the side arm, a portion of the
frame of the back and seat of the chair and the telescopic ratchet-brace
connecting the back of the chair with the side rail of the frame.
Fig. 7 is a detail, partly in section, showing the manner of locking the pivoted
legs when extended.
Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the side rails and 6 the
connecting cross rails of the rectangular supporting frame. B designates the
supporting legs which are pivoted at a to the inner face of the side rails A aud are
adapted, when the chair is not in use, to fold inward and lie between the adjacent
faces of said rails. Said legs have suitable-casters, are connected-by-a-cross
rung and have formed in their outer faces a shoulder a' which abuts against the
cross rails b, and serves to retain said legs at a slight outward inclination and to
relieve the strain upon the pivot a thereof. Said legs being securely locked, when
in this position, by means of a rotative bolt c passing therethrough and having a

page_text: right angled head c which is adapted to be turned upward to engage the outer face
of the cross rail 6 and securely lock said legs in their extended position, as clearly
shown in Fig. 7.
Mounted upon the forward end of the rectangular supporting frame is the seat
frame C having a covering of cane or other suitable material. Pivoted to the
rear edge of the seat frame is the back of the chair D provided at its outer or
upper end with auxiliary legs B' which are mounted upon a round d journaled to
the back of the chair and upon which said legs are adapted to be swung outward
at right angles thereto to support said back in a horizontal position, as shown in
Fig. 4.
Connecting the back of the chair on each side with the side rails A, is a
telescopic ratchet-connection consisting of a rack-bar E which is pivoted at e to
the outer face of said rails and a sleeve E¹ pivoted to the back and receiving said
rack-bar which is adapted to slide longitudinally therein, said sleeve being provided
with a spring pawl which projects through an aperture in the side thereof and
engages the teeth of said rack-bar. The angle of the teeth of said bar and of the
engaging pawl being such as to permit the bar to slide readily within the sleeve as
the back of the chair is raised from a horizontal to a vertical position, but
prevents said bar from drawing out of the sleeve until said pawl is disengaged
therefrom by springing it outward through the medium of the knob or. button f',
mounted thereon, whereby said back may be supported at any angle to the plane
of the seat, or readily swung downward to a horizontal position, when desired.
F designates the side arms of the chair, the rear ends of which are pivoted at e¹
to the back at the point of attachment of the sleeve E' thereto. The forward ends
of said arms being coupled by a pin and slot connection to the upper or free ends
of the vertical supports F', the lower ends of which are pivoted at g to the outer
faces of the side rails A of the supporting frame. G designates the foot rest
which is hinged at i to the uprights Fi and normally depends therefrom in front of
the chair, as shown in Fig. 1, said rest being provided at its bottom edge with a
foot piece G¹ which is hinged thereto and is normally supported in a plane at
right angles to said rest, by means of a brace-rod which extends from the outer
corners of said foot piece to the vertical side of said rest and is provided at each
end with a slotted aperture communicating with a keyhole opening adapted
to engage the pins o, o, respectively, of said parts which permits of the
adjustment of said foot piece with respect to the plane of said rest, as will be well
understood. By which arrangement, the tilting of the back rearwardly from a
vertical position, will cause the foot rest to swing outward and stand at substantially
the same angle from a vertical position as that of the back at any point in its
radius of adjustment from a vertical to a horizontal plane.
The connection between the upper ends of the uprights F¹ and the outer ends
of the side arms of the chair, consists of a pin r passing through said uprights
and journaled therein and extending into a horizontal slots formed in the inner
edge of said arms. Fixed upon the end of said bolt which extends into the slot
is a square head t, see Fig. 3, which closely fills the diameter of said slot but is
adapted to slide longitudinally therein. Secured to the underface of the arm and
forming the lower wall of the slot s is a flat spring H which extends forward and
curves upward around the end of said arm terminating in a rounded button u. Said
spring, adjacent to the slots, is provided with a series of apertures in which a
lug of the square head t is adapted to engage for the purpose of locking the
pin from longitudinal movement in said slot. By which arrangement, when the
spring H is depressed by pressing upon the button u so as to disengage it from
the lug v, the head t and coupling pin r will be permitted to slide freely in said
slot,, to permit the arms F and the connected uprights F to lie in the same
horizontal plane when the back of the chair is lowered to a horizontal position, at
the same time extending the foot rest in the same plane with the back of the chair
and the seat portion thereof presenting a perfect, horizontal surface, as shown in
Fig. 5, in which position the device serves the purpose of a couch,
.

page_text: means for locking the joint between said arms from movement when set at a desired
angle, for the purpose specified.
1000
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.