CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN EASY CHAIRS
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LUTTON, of Dean Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, Chair Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing.
date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of January, in the third year of
His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ine, the said James Lutton; His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said James Lutton, my exors, adñörs, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Lutton, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term' of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN EASY
CHAIRS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
James Lutton, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear:
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Lutton, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing easy chairs in such manner that the
upper part (consisting of the back and arms) acts on curved surfaces or
segments of circles, as will be fully described hereafter, by which means any
desired inclination may be obtained to the back of the chair, whilst at the
same time the back part of the seat will be elevated and adjusted to suit the
inclination to the back of the chair.
In order that my Invention may be fully described and understood, I will
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed, first observing that the same letters
in the various Figures refer to the same parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an easy chair constructed
according to my improvements. Figure 2 is a side section of the framing, by
which the arrangement and construction, at the same time the action of several
of the parts, will be more clearly seen. Figure 3 is a plan of the framing,
showing the framing of the seat in its place. Figure 4 is a plan of the lower
framing, the upper part of the chair being removed, as well also as the seat.
By this means the arrangement of some of the parts which are placed under
the seat will be more clearly seen, and their use more readily understood.
Figure 5 shows one of the side framings of the upper part of the chair, con-
sisting of the back and arm a and the side rail b, this side rail it will be seen
is formed of a curve or segment of a circle, as is shewn in this Figure; c, c,
are front and back cross rails, by which the other side framing is connected,
and by this means the upper part of the chair is constructed; d are grooves
cut on the inside of the rail b, into which enter stops, as will be hereafter
described. Figure 6 represents one of the side framings of which the lower
part of the chair is formed, and consists of two legs e, e, which are connected
as shewn in the Drawing; and the upper part of the lower side framing is
shaped to a curve or segment of a circle, to correspond with that formed in
the framing Fig. 5, which, as above described, forms the upper side framing
of the chair. f, f, Fig. 6, are two cross rails, by which the lower side
framings e, e, are securely connected, and thus is constructed this lower
framing. In the side section, Fig. 2, these parts are shewn in their places,
that is, the upper side framing supported by the under side framing, and
capable of being moved backwards and forwards on the curved surfaces or

page_text: segment of circles, and they are retained together by means of the stops or
plates g, g, which are screwed on to the lower framing, these stops or plates
enter into the grooves d, d, on each side of the chair formed in the upper
framing, as before described, and by means of these stops or plates g, g, the
back is prevented falling too far back, at the same time is prevented coming
too forward, and it will thus be evident that on the length of the grooves d, d,
will depend the quantity of inclination which can be given to the back. his
the leg rest, which consists of the frame i for the feet, which is hinged to the
part or frame h, as shown in the various Figures, the frame h being suspended
to the two sides of the chair, and move on studs at j, j; a side view of the
rest, h, i, is shown separately at Fig. 7, and a front view is shown separately
at Fig. 8. 1 is a lever or bar, which is shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4; this lever
or bar / is affixed by a hinge to the back cross rail f, and also by a hinge to
the framing h of the leg rest, the cross rail f being cut out in the middle to
receive it at the time the seat is brought to its lowest position; and this is
also the case with the front rail c, to permit of the lever or bar rising at the
time of the back being reclined to the greatest extent; and it is by means of
this leg rest and the lever or bar that the chair is made to accommodate
itself to the desire of the individual sitting on it. m is the quadrangular frame
for the seat, which is attached to the front cross rail c by means of the pins
n, n, which allow of a slight movement, that is, permit the back of the seat
to be slightly elevated as the back of the chair is caused to recline. On to
the under sides of the side rails m, m, of the seat are formed two inclined
planes o, o, one on each side, and on to the back cross rail f of the lower part
of the chair are placed two friction rollers p, p, over which the inclined planes
0, 0, move, which cause the back part of the seat to rise as the back of the
chair reclines. The framing of an easy chair being thus constructed is next
to be stuffed, as is represented in Fig. 1, or in any way desired.
Having now described the manner of constructing easy chairs according to
my improvements, I will describe the manner of its action. An individual
sitting in the chair when it be desired to incline the back of the chair presses
against the back, at the same time placing the hollow of the feet on the bar i
of the leg rest, cause that bar to move outwards from the chair; by this
means the upper framing a of the chair will move on the lower framing, and
the back of the chair will be inclined, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,
and the leg rest will project in front of the chair, as is also shown by dotted
lines in that Figure. The seat m is connected to the front cross rail c, conse-
quently, the act of reclining the back of the chair causes the seat m to be moved
towards the back, and the inclined planes o, o, rise over the friction rollers p, p,

page_text: and thus slightly raise the seat m. When the back is reclined, and the individual
is desirous to lessen the inclination, or cause the back of the chair to stand in
its first position, then by merely pressing the bar i of the leg rest downwards
to the ground by the feet, and slightly inclining the body, the back of the
chair will follow to the position required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of pro-
ducing and using the same, I would have it understood that various contri-
vances have been before used for causing the backs of easy chairs to recline;
I do not, therefore, claim this as any novel feature, neither do I claim any of
the parts separately of which the same is composed, nor do I confine myself
to the precise shape or style of getting up the chairs shown in the Drawing, as
the same may be varied to suit the taste of individuals; but what I claim as
my Invention is, the forming the upper and lower framings of easy chairs in
two parts, and in such manner that they act by means of curved surface or
surfaces formed of the segments of circles aided by a bar or lever l, and a leg
rest, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lutton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.