IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS AND TABLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of
Harris and Mills, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS AND TABLES."-
A communication from abroad by Charles Joseph Everickx, of
Paris, in the Republic of France.
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph
Barnard Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 18th November 1871.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and
3 Mills, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
<< IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS AND

page_text: TABLES," a communication to me from abroad by Charles Joseph
Everickx, of Paris, in the Republic of France, to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in a new and peculiar mode of forming the
parts of a chair, arm chair, seat, or a table, which allows them to be
reduced or folded so that they may occupy the smallest possible space, 5
and makes the articles so constructed especially suited for exportation
and for use in the army or in travelling.
The jointing of the chair takes place in the centre of the length of
the back and back legs by means of joints formed with two metal
checks.
These joint pieces are formed with three parts or ears, one of which
is fixed to a bar or rail, which is pin-jointed to one of the front legs,
whilst to the other parts or ears are pin-jointed the two parts of the
back or back and back legs of a chair.
1
The seat is pin-jointed to the back and also to the upper part of the 1
front legs, and is stepped into the back to afford extra strength when in
use and to prevent strain on the pin joints.
The ends of the back and of the back legs of a chair are so cut or
shaped as when opened out to abut against each other and against the
bar or rail, and thereby mutually support and lock each other in the s
required position, whilst a stop or catch falls into position when they are
in use to lock the parts and prevent their folding up.
For folding chairs arms may be applied as is well understood..
If desired garden seats and other seats with backs may be constructed
as before described to accomodate more than one person on a seat, whilst
if desired the backs may be dispensed with.
The arrangement before described for jointing the back and back legs
of a chair is also applicable to the construction of folding tables, in
which case two sets of such joints are employed to enable the legs or
supports of a table to fold as described with reference to the chair, the
joint pieces being fixed to bars or to a frame, whilst a folding or other
suitable top is pin-jointed to the upper ends of one pair of supports, and
rests upon
dowels or pins formed on the other pair of supports.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 35, South-
ampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, Her
special licence that I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, my
executors, administrators, and assignis, or such others as I, the said
Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF FOLDING CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS AND TABLES," a communication to me
from abroad by Charles Joseph Everickx, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin
Joseph Barnard Mills, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, 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 :-
:—
The Invention consists in a new and peculiar mode of forming the
parts of a chair, arm chair, seat, or a table, which allows them to be

page_text: In Figure 1 is represented in elevation the jointed or articulated
mechanism which forms the principle of the present Invention. This
mechanism is composed of a bar a of wood, iron, or other suitable
material, to the two ends of which are fixed by rivets, pins, or screws,
plates b, b, formed with three parts or ears, one of which is fixed to the
bar a whilst the others are pin-jointed to the arms o, o, and d, d. The
arms c are terminated within the joint pieces b by angular ends f formed
as shown, against which the similar angular ends of the arms d, d, rest.
This arrangement permits the arms c and d to be readily folded against
the bar a, and to be as readily extended again with their ends resting
the one against the other in the joint pieces 6 to constitute a rigid
support.
In Figure 1 the red lines indicate the arms c and d half folded against
the bar a.
In Figure 2 is represented an edge view of the mechanisms shown at
Figure 1.
The arms c and d may also be arranged as shown at Figure 3.
In this arrangement the arms c at the right hand of the Figure are
furnished at their ends with an abutment or prolongation g, which rests
against the head of the arm d, the two parts being formed as shown
something like a knuckle joint, whilst the parts shown at the left hand
of Figure 3 are out to suitable angles, enabling them to abut against
and mutually support each other.
Based upon the employment of the aforesaid mechanism the Inventor
has devised the particular arrangement of folding chair shown at
Figure 4 in perspective. In this chair the rails h, h, are analagous to
the bars a (Figure 1), and the legs i, i, correspond to the arms d whilst
the uprights j, j, of the back correspond to the arms c. The double
jointing arranged at the rear end of the rails h, h, is similar to that of
the mechanism shown in Figures 1 and 2. The rails are also pin-
jointed at their front ends to the front legs k, and the seat t is pin-
jointed to the uprights; of the back and to the upper parts of the front
legs k. The rear end of the seat t is stepped into notches or recesses

page_text: formed in the uprights of the back to afford extra strength when in use
and to prevent strain on the pin joints.
The jointed arrangement of the rails h, the uprights; of the back, the
front legs k, and the seat t form a kind of jointed parallelogram which
permits all the parts of the chair to be folded the one against the other
as is shown at Figure 5. When the chair is thus folded it occupies
a very small space, thereby rendering its packing up and transport easy.
The red lines in Figure 4 show the parts of the chair in one position
they would assume in the act of folding.
In the chair shown at Figure 4 the front rail 7 serves as a pivot to 1
the side rails h, but these rails h may be pin-jointed below the rail / as
shown in Figure 6, in which Figure is also shown a safety stop or catch x
hinged at to the seat t, which falls into position upon the rail / when
the chair is in use, and thereby locks the parts and prevents their
folding up even in case the person seated on the chair should rest his 1
weight mainly on the front thereof. The chair may if desired be pro-
vided with arms in the way usually adopted in folding chairs. It will be
readily understood that by simply dispensing with the back a simple
stool or seat may be constructed to fold in the same way as the chair,
whilst a seat to hold several persons may be made to fold in the same 2
manner by simply lengthening the front and back rails and the scat.
And by replacing the seat by a table top and employing the same
jointed mechanism a folding table is obtained which is capable of easy
transport.
In Figures 7 and 8 is shown a small table constructed according to 2
the said Invention. The legs m of the table are jointed to the joint
pieces n, n, fixed to the interior of the rectangular framing or box o, in
which the entire table is folded as shown at Figure 8. The jointing of
the legs m, m, in the joint pieces n is similar to that of the arms of the
jointed mechanism shown at Figures 1 and 2. The table top p is pin- 3
jointed to the upper ends of the right-hand legs m, and rests upon dowels
formed on the upper ends of the left-hand legs m, whilst the flaps p¹ of
the top are hinged to the central part p. By turning the flaps p¹ over
on to the top p, and folding the legs m within the frame or box o, the top
p can be folded over on to the top of the frame or box o, and thereby 3
enclose the entire mechanism.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode
in which the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the peculiar mode of constructing folding chairs and
other seats and tables, substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.