Collapsible chair |
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申请号 | US11354417 | 申请日 | 2006-02-15 | 公开(公告)号 | US20060108839A1 | 公开(公告)日 | 2006-05-25 |
申请人 | Ben Liu; | 发明人 | Ben Liu; | ||||
摘要 | A collapsible chair is disclosed having an arcuate frame with an upward peak and a downward peak for seating of a user in the downward peak and resting of the user's legs upon the upward peak. The frame may have a pivotal connection between the peaks for collapsing the frame. A linkage is disclosed operably connected to the frame for providing legs to the chair in an extended position and for collapsing with the frame. | ||||||
权利要求 | What is claimed is: |
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说明书全文 | 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to chairs, more particularly the invention relates to collapsible chairs. 2. Background Art The prior art has provided collapsible chairs for facilitating transportation of chairs for utilization in various environments. Collapsible chairs are often limited in shape and size as a drawback to permit collapsing of the chair or manual transportation of the chair. An embodiment of the present invention provides a collapsible chair with an arcuate frame having an upward peak and a downward peak for seating of a user in a downward peak and resting of the user's legs upon the upward peak. The frame has a pivotal connection between the peaks for collapsing the frame. A linkage is connected to the frame for providing legs to the chair in an extended position of the chair, and for collapsing with the frame. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a collapsible chair with a first arcuate frame pivotally connected to the second arcuate frame for extending to a seating position wherein the first frame arches outward and the second frame arches inward. The first and second arcuate frames collapse to a position wherein the first and second frames are displaced adjacent one another. A linkage is operably connected to the first and second frames for collapsing and extending with the frames and for providing a structural support to the chair for resting upon an underlying support surface in the extended position of the chair. The above embodiments, objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. With reference now to The collapsible chair 10 is contoured to ergonomically support the user by providing a contour that is sized to match the shape of the user's body when oriented in a lounging or resting position. The peaks 12, 14 provide non-planar resting surfaces for engaging the user along the contour instead of providing a planar contact surface, as in the prior art. The chair 10 includes a first frame half 16 and a second frame half 18. The frame halves 16, 18 are both arcuate along their lengths for providing the peaks 12, 14 when the frame halves 16, 18 are oriented in an extended or seating position. The frame halves 16, 18 are similarly profiled for being generally compact when collapsed. The first frame half 16 includes a pair of arcuate rails 20, 22 that are spaced laterally by a pair of cross-members 24, 26. Likewise, the second frame half 18 includes a pair of arcuate rails 28, 30 which are also spaced laterally by a pair of cross-members 32, 34. The first frame half 16 and the second frame half 18 have coterminous distal ends meeting between the downward peak 12 and the upward peak 14. The connection of the first frame half 16 and the second frame half 18 may be a pivotal connection. A pair of intermediate links 36, 38 are provided to permit a full rotation of one hundred-eighty degrees of the frame halves 16, 18 relative to another. The intermediate links 36, 38 each have a pivotal connection with the first frame half 16 and another pivotal connection of the second frame half 18 that is spaced apart from the pivotal connection with the first frame half 16. The rails 20, 22, 28, 30 of the frame halves 16, 18 include lengthwise slots 40, 42, 44, 46 formed therein. A fabric 48 extends through the slots 40, 42, 44, 46 of the rails 20, 22, 28, 30 for providing a flexible and comfortable seating surface for the user. The fabric 48 includes a pair of cutouts 50, 52 for providing clearance for the intermediate links 36, 38. The fabric 48 can be formed from various fabrics in accordance with the present invention. The fabric 48 may be formed of a mesh fabric that is breathable for permitting air to pass through for user comfort and cooling by ambient air. Additionally, the fabric 48 may be weather resistant, ultra-violet protected, and mold resistant for withstanding conditions of external environments. The collapsible chair 10 also includes a linkage 54 mounted to the first and second frame halves 16, 18 for collapsing and extending with the frame halves 16, 18 and for providing structural support for the chair 10. In the extended or seating position of the chair 10, the linkage 54 provides legs for the chair 10, which engage an underlying support surface such as the ground so that the chair may rest thereupon. Additionally, distal ends 56, 58 of rails 20, 22 of the first frame half 16 also engage the underlying support surface for providing legs to the chair 10. The linkage 54 includes a pair of base links 56, 58 which are each pivotally connected to an outboard lateral side of the rails 20, 22 of the first frame half 16. A cross-member 60 is mounted to the base links 56, 58 for providing lateral support to the base links 56, 58 and for coordinating translation of the base links 56, 58. A pair of support links 62, 64 are also provided in the linkage 54. The support links 62, 64 are each pivotally connected to a corresponding base link 56, 58 and a corresponding rail 28, 30 of the second frame half 18. The support links 62, 64 are pivotally connected to the corresponding rails 28, 30 at an outboard lateral side of the rails 28, 30. The linkage 54 and the frame halves 16, 18 collectively collapse and expand together. With reference now to As the chair 10 is collapsed from the seating orientation of With reference now to With reference now to In order to expand the collapsible chair 10, the first and second frame halves 16, 18 are pivoted away from one another and expanded in the orientation illustrated in Referring again to The rails 20, 22, 28, 30 of the first and second frame halves 16, 18 and the associated cross-members 24, 26, 32, 34, as well as the base links 56, 58, base link cross-member 60 and support links 62, 64 of the linkage 54 may all be formed of any suitable material that is sufficient to structurally support the user upon the fabric 48 of the collapsible chair 10. The invention contemplates that the components of the chair 10 may all be formed of extruded aluminum or an extruded aluminum alloy. Aluminum and aluminum alloys are generally rust proof for resisting conditions that may be provided in associated environments. For example, the collapsible chair illustrated in Due to the compactness of the collapsed position of the collapsible chair 10, the collapsible chair 10 may be easily transported and thereby utilized at various environments such as beaches, boating environments, patios, campgrounds, yards, sporting activities and the like. Referring now to In The collapsible chair 76 includes a pair of armrests 78, 80 extending from opposed lateral sides of the chair 76. Each armrest 78, 80 is pivotally connected to the linkage 54 for collapsing in a compact manner with the linkage 54 and the chair 76, and for extending to a position for supporting the user's arms in the seating position of the chair 76. Each armrest 78, 80 may be provided with an armrest member 82, 84 pivotally connected to a corresponding support link 62, 64 of the linkage 54. The armrest members 82, 84 extend forward from the support links 62, 64 in the seating position for receiving the user's arms. Each armrest 78, 80 may also include an armrest support link 86, 88 for supporting the armrest members 82, 84 in the seating position and for coordinating extension and collapsing of the armrests 78, 80 with the chair 76. The armrest support links 86, 88 are each pivotally connected to a forward region of the associated armrest member 82, 84. The armrest support links 86, 88 are also pivotally connected to an intermediate region of the associated base link 56, 58. The armrest members 82,84 and the armrest support links 86, 88 of the armrests 78, 80 define four bar link mechanisms with the base links 56, 58 and the support links 62, 64. The four bar link mechanisms facilitate the translation of the armrests 78, 80 to and from the extended and collapsed positions. Thus, the armrests 78, 80 enhance user comfort without detracting from the portability and compactness of the collapsible chair. Additionally the armrest members 82, 84 and the armrest support links 86, 88 may be formed from a similar material as the other components of the collapsible chair 76, such as an extruded aluminum alloy for providing adequate support to the user, without adding significant weight to the chair 76. The extended positions of the armrests 78, 80 are depicted in Although the armrests 78, 80 are illustrated and described in detail for the embodiment depicted in In summary, collapsible chairs are disclosed that each provide an arcuate seating surface that is contoured to match the body of a user with a linkage for supporting the chair, which may be collectively collapsed into a compact orientation by one movement of the chair frame. The collapsible chairs are light in weight, and sturdy for sufficient seating use and transportation. While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. |