Improvements in Folding Chairs for Use on Steamers and Elsewhere.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Chairs for Use on Steamers and
Elsewhere.
I, CHARLES FRANKLIN BATT, of No. 327 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn, State of
New York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is
especially adapted for use on or in steamers, houses, porches or lawns.
construct a simple but strong folding chair, more
In one of the most common forms of steamer chairs, the side arms are each made
in two pieces to fold up with a hinge at a point where it is apt to he grasped by the
hand of the user to the frequent injury of the fingers and clothing. It is one of
the main objects of this invention so to construct the chair as to avoid this objection-
able feature, and to provide a strong support for the seat.
It is preferred to use slat work in the frame of the seat and the back of the chair,
although cane carpet or other material may be used. The front legs are made
continuations of the side bars of the back of the chair, while the rear legs are
continuations of the side bars of the seat.
These two parts. (the seat with its legs and the back with its legs) are pivoted to
each other by means of a pivot rod bolted to one part and passing through suitable
bearings secured to the other. In the present case this rod is shown as bolted to the
seat and rear legs and as passing through bearings secured to the front side of the
chair back.
These bearings are formed with projections which form stops for the seat, and a
cross bar on the underside of the soat finds a rest and support upon these stops when
the chair is in the open position.
There is also formed upon or attached to the outer edge of each side bar of the
back, a stop against which the upper side of the corresponding rear leg finds a bearing
when the chair is in use.
The side arms of the chair are each made rigid throughout their length, that is,
without the objectionable hinge in them heretofore spoken of.
I pivot the side arms to the seat near its front edge and connect their other ends
by a cross bar behind the back of the chair. The rear ends of the pivoted side arms
rest upon supports which are secured to or formed upon the side bars of the back.
For convenience, it is preferred to make each of these supports in one piece with the
stops for the rear legs on the corresponding side bar of the chair back.
The arms thus being supported by the direct bearing of the cross-piece upon the
side bars of the back, the seat is firmly braced by very simple means not liable to get-
out of order, while the supports for the side arms prevent any liability to collapse by
pressure upon the arms, as when the user rises from the chair.
To fold the chair up, the seat is turned up towards the back of the chair, and at the
same time the side arms slide back over the supports downwards until such side arms
hang down behind the back, and the chair will then be found to be folded into a
small compass with correspondingly curved parts lying up against each other.
As a convenient means of pivoting the side arms to the seat, there is passed
through a slot in each side bar of the seat from the underside, a headed bolt which
is preferably a T-plate entering a central slot in the rounded end of the side arm.
pin passed through the arm and bolt completes the pivotal connection.
Dated this 20th day of May 1889
A

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Chairs for Use on Steamers and
Elsewhere.
I, CHARLES FRANKLIN BATT, of No. 327 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn, State of
New York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statements :-
The object of this Invention is to construct a simple but strong folding chair,
more especially adapted for use on steamers, houses, porches or lawns.
In one of the most common forms of steamer chairs the side arms are cach made
in two pieces to fold up with a hinge at a point, where it is apt to be grasped by
the hand of the user to the frequent injury of the fingers and clothing. It is one
of the main objects of this Invention to so construct the chair as to avoid this
objectionable feature, and to provide a strong support for the seat.
In the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1. is a perspective view of the improved
chair; Fig. 2. is a side view of the chair partially folded; Fig. 3. is a vertical
section of the chair folded up. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a detail drawn to
a larger scale; Fig. 5. is a view of another detail drawn to a somewhat larger scale;
and Fig. 6. illustrates a modification.
It is preferred to use slat work in the frame of the seat A and the back B of the
chair, although cane, carpet or other material may be used. In the present instance
the front legs bb are made continuations of the side bars of the back of the chair,
while the rear legs, a, a, are continuations of the side hars of the seat, A.
These two parts (the seat with its legs and the back with its legs) are pivoted to
each other by means of a pivot rod, D, bolted to one part and passing through
suitable bearings secured to the other. In the present case this rod is shown as
bolted to the seat and rear legs and as passing through bearings, d, secured to the
front side of the chair back.
These bearings are formed with projections, d', (Fig. 4.) which form stops for the
seat, and a cross bar, a¹, on the underside of the seat finds a rest and support upon
these stops, d, when the chair is in the open position, (Fig. 1.)
There is also formed upon or attached to the outer edge of each side bar of the
back, B, a stop, 6, against which the upper side of the corresponding rear leg finds a
bearing when the chair is in use, as shown in Fig. 1.
The side arms, E, of the chair are each made rigid throughout their length, that is,
without the objectionable hinge in them heretofore spoken of.
The side arms are pivoted to the seat near its front edge, as shown in Figs. 1. 2.
and 3: and connected at their other ends by a cross bar, e, behind the back of the
chair. The rear ends of the pivoted side arms rest upon supports, e¹, which are
secured to or formed upon the side bars of the back, B. For convenience it is
preferred to make each of these supports in one piece with the stops, 61, for the rear
legs on the corresponding side bar of the chair back.
The arms thus being supported by the direct bearing of the cross-piece upon the
side bars of the back, the seat is firmly braced by very simple means not liable to get
out of order,. while the supports for the side arms prevent any liability to collapse by
pressure upon the arms, as when the user rises from the chair.
To fold the chair up, the seat is turned up towards the back of the chair, and at
the same time the side arms, E, slide back over the supports downwards, as shown in
Fig. 2. until such side arms hang down behind the back, and the chair will then be
found to be folded into a small compass with correspondingly curved parts lying up'
against each other, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3.
As a convenient means of pivoting the side arms to the seat, there is passed through
a slot in each side bar of the seat from the underside, a headed bolt, ƒ, (Fig. 5.)
which is preferably a T-plate entering a central slot in the rounded end of the arm, E.
A pin, passed through the arm and bolt completes the connection.

page_text: Instead of making the seat a rigid continuation of the rear legs, it may be pivoted
to the front extensions, a², of the rear legs at, p, as shown at Fig. 6. with the rear
edge of the seat supported upon projections, p, on the back, over which projections
the seat may slide backwards and downwards in folding up. The seat is in this
instance pivoted to the back at, D, as before, since the forward extension, a², of the
rear legs are in fact a part of the seat, just as if they were rigidly connected to the
latter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is..
1. The combination of the seat and back of a folding chair, pivoted together, with
side arms connected to the seat and resting upon supports on the chair back and
having a brace resting against the side bars of the latter to support the seat, sub-
stantially as described.
2. The combination of the seat and back of a folding chair, pivoted together, with
side arms pivoted to the seat and resting upon supports on the chair back and bearing
on the latter to support the seat, the said side arins hanging down behind the chair
when the chair has been folded up, all substantially as described.
.3. The combination of the seat and back of a folding chair, pivoted together, with
side arms pivoted to the chair seat, near the front of the latter, the side arms having
supports on the chair back and being connected together behind the latter by
a cross brace bearing on said back to support the seat, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the seat and back of a folding chair, pivoted together, with
front legs forming a continuation of the chair back, and back legs forming a continua-
tion of the chair seat and side arms pivoted to the chair seat and resting upon
supports on the chair back, and having a cross-brace behind the latter to support the
seat, all substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of August 1889.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.