U.S. patent application number 16/688422 was filed with the patent office on 2021-05-20 for chair leg bridge connector and butterfly chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company, Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company, Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company. Invention is credited to Andrew David Frankel, Shi-Ping Zheng, Tian-Xia Zheng.
Application Number | 20210145180 16/688422 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004496892 |
Filed Date | 2021-05-20 |
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00003.png)
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00004.png)
![](/patent/app/20210145180/US20210145180A1-20210520-D00005.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20210145180 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frankel; Andrew David ; et
al. |
May 20, 2021 |
CHAIR LEG BRIDGE CONNECTOR AND BUTTERFLY CHAIR
Abstract
A chair leg bridge connector is shown. The bridge connector is
made of stamp-molded steel plate. Two sets of curve sections face
the same direction. The two bent surfaces of each set are parallel,
and through hole is provided for rivet or axis to pass through. The
through hole axial lines of the two sets of curve sections have a
corner angle to allow bridge positioning of the two facade
supporting frames. Butterfly chairs that use this type of bridge
connector with reinforcement warp plate at the tube hinging spot
can be directly formed using lighter tubes to make the structure
more mobile.
Inventors: |
Frankel; Andrew David;
(Yorba Linda, CA) ; Zheng; Shi-Ping; (Fuzhou,
CN) ; Zheng; Tian-Xia; (Fuzhou, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z Company |
Upland |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Zenithen USA LLC d/b/a Z
Company
|
Family ID: |
1000004496892 |
Appl. No.: |
16/688422 |
Filed: |
November 19, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 4/286 20130101;
A47C 4/48 20130101; A47C 7/14 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 4/28 20060101
A47C004/28; A47C 4/48 20060101 A47C004/48; A47C 7/14 20060101
A47C007/14 |
Claims
1. A chair leg bridge connector, wherein the bridge connector is
made of stamp-molded steel plate; two sets of curve sections face
the same direction; and the two bent surfaces of each set are
parallel, and through hole is provided for rivet or axis to pass
through.
2. The chair of claim 1, wherein the hole axial lines corner angle
of the two sets of curve sections are between 70 and 120
degrees.
3. The chair of claim 1, wherein the bridge connector has a plastic
cover on at least the floor-touching surface, and as the following
two structures: 1) The plastic cover is independently formed and
embedded on the bridge connector; and 2) The bridge connector is
embedded and formed in the plastic cover.
4. A butterfly chair that including a backrest fabric, side
supporting frames with corresponding or symmetric facades on left
and right sides, front supporting frame of the front facade and
rear supporting frame of the rear facade, and chair leg bridge
connector described by the aforementioned patent claims 1 to 3; the
aforementioned side supporting frames of the left and right facades
and the front supporting frame and the rear supporting frame
connect to form an overall structure that can be folded and opened;
the aforementioned backrest fabric is hung on the upper edge of the
front and rear facades; its attributes are: Side supporting frames,
front supporting frame and rear supporting frame are made of
processed hollow tubes; the floor-touching ends of the adjacent
facade tubes cross-hinge on the holes of the corresponding curve
sections of the aforementioned bridge connector; at least in the
front supporting frame, a reinforcement wrap plate is riveted or
welded on the tube surface with a hinging point in the center; and
the reinforcement wrap plate covers the hinging section of the tube
to share the weight bearing of the hinging axis or rivet.
5. The chair of claim 4, wherein: the front supporting frame and
rear supporting frame are both formed by two tubes that cross-hinge
at the middle; the side supporting frames of the left and right
facades include backrest bar, support bar, and seat bar; the lower
end of the aforementioned backrest bar cross-hinges to the bridge
connector of the front floor-touching facade, and the upper part is
cross-hinged to the upper end of the rear facade tube through the
hinging part; the lower end of the aforementioned supporting bar
hinge to the bridge connector of the rear floor-touching facade,
and the upper end is cross-hinged to the center of the backrest
bar; the seat bar hinges to the upper end of the front facade tube
through the hinging part, and the rear end is hinged to the center
of the backrest bar; and At least two corners of the front end of
the backrest fabric are fixed to the front end section of the two
seat bars, and the rear end is fixed to the upper end section of
the backrest bar.
6. The chair of claim 5, wherein the side supporting frame, the
seat bar and the supporting bar hinge to the backrest bar at the
top and bottom, and hinge to the same side of the backrest bar;
there is also a weight-bearing plate between the two hinge points;
and a reinforcement warp plate is riveted or welded the side
surface of the aforementioned backrest bar that is farther away
from the seat bar.
7. The chair of claim 6, wherein the plastic pads are fixed to the
front end section of the aforementioned seat bar and the upper end
section of the backrest bar.
8. The chair of claim 4, wherein: the hinge has a weight-bearing
pad at the tube end section of the bridge connector; the
weight-bearing pad has a plastic round structure; a rivet hole is
formed at the center of the axis; the radial side has a plug-in
hole that aligns with the rivet hole; the aforementioned tube is
inserted into the aforementioned plug-in hole; and the rivet for
riveting the connector passes through the weight-bearing pad and
tube to form a hinging structure for the three parts.
9. The chair of claim 4, wherein the reinforcement wrap plate has a
semi-circle curve; and the inner diameter and the outer diameter of
the tube are similar and can adhere to the surface of the tube; and
the length of the reinforcement wrap plate is between 15 cm and 25
cm.
10. The chair of claim 5, wherein: The two tubes cross-hinge at the
center of the aforementioned front supporting frame and rear
supporting frame; there is also a double-hinge chain between the
two tubes above the rivet point; and the double-hinge chain limits
the opening angle of the front supporting frame and the rear
supporting frame.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0001] This invention is to a type of folding chair, and more
particularly to a type of chair leg bridge connector and butterfly
chair. It is designed in part to accommodate the use of connectors
that are stamp-molded steel plate having better strength and
ductility.
Technical Background
[0002] Butterfly chair is a specific style of chair under the
folding chair category. Depending on the shape of the backrest,
shapes of butterfly wings can be formed to meet various aesthetic
needs. Like Chinese patent CN02270597X, a type of butterfly-shaped
chair frame is published which is formed by connecting certain
tubes. It includes a first backrest body, a second backrest body, a
first seating body, and a second seating body. The aforementioned
tubing structure is consistent, with two ends pressed into curves
of skew curves which can increase the bend-resistance of the flat
bodies of the tubes. The adjacent tube uses the cross-hinge between
the flat bodies to form a linkage, and the middle sections of the
two tubes on the same facade cross-hinge to form a complete
supporting body. The patent uses rivets to directly connect on the
adjacent surface and does not need connection on the outer bridge,
but the tubes need to be solid steel rods or steel lines, otherwise
it will not meet weight-bearing needs, and it is also relatively
cumbersome to press and bend.
[0003] Chinese patent CN201420432593.4 describes a type of improved
butterfly chair. It includes supporting frame and backrest fabric.
The supporting frame includes four long bars and four short bars.
The front facade is formed by cross-hinging two short bars, the
back facade is formed by cross-hinging two long bars, and the two
side facades are each formed by one short bar and one long bar
cross-hinging with the upper section of the bars of the adjacent
facades, thus forming front and back pivots, with the lower
sections cross-hinging to form four ground support points. The four
contact points of the backrest fabric are individually hung on the
two front pivots and the two back pivots. The chair directly uses
square tubes that do not require bending or pressing to replace
solid steel bars or steel lines, so the overall weight is
lighter.
[0004] Chinese patent CN201620665597 describes a type of solid wood
cross folding butterfly chair that uses square, hard, solid wood to
reduce chair weight. Certainly, this butterfly chair also utilizes
an innovative supporting structure, which includes side supporting
frames on both sides, and front supporting frame, back supporting
frame, and seat fabric that are installed between the side
supporting frames. The side supporting frame includes side
supporting bars, armrests and rear supporting legs that rotate and
connect to the middle sections of the side supporting bars, and
front movable parts are installed to the front end of the side
supporting bars and the lower ends of the armrest bars. The
aforementioned front supporting frame is installed on the movable
parts. Rear movable parts are installed to the upper ends of the
aforementioned side supporting bars and the rear ends of the rear
supporting frame. The aforementioned rear supporting frame is
installed on the rear movable parts. The front ends of the
aforementioned armrest and the rear ends of the side supporting
rods have fixed sections reserved, and the aforementioned seat
fabric is attached to the fixed sections. The center, front, and
rear facades each has a supporting rod that needs to be broken into
two sections and connected with the fixed parts. In additional, it
needs to form a cross hinge with another supporting rod, so the
process is relatively complex.
[0005] As a summary, the aforementioned movable parts or hinging
parts must be used among all the adjacent facades of the folding
chair to provide movable hinging among bars and tubes. The movable
parts or hinging parts at the floor ends also function as supports.
Traditional technology uses plastic parts as connecting bridges and
as leg pads to prevent direct contact with the floor. However,
plastic parts tend to wear and have low strength. Therefore, the
present invention aims to offer a reasonably strong bridge
connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A purpose of this invention is to provide a type of chair
leg bridge connector made of stamp-molded steel plate, and a
butterfly chair formed by the hinging of such connectors.
[0007] The technical plan of this invention was completed in part
by the following:
[0008] A type of chair leg bridge connector with the following
attributes: The bridge connector is made of stamp-molded steel
plate. Two sets of curve sections face the same direction. The two
bent surfaces of each set are parallel, and a through hole is
provided for a rivet or axle to pass through.
[0009] The through hole axial lines corner angle of the two
aforementioned sets of curve sections is between 70 and 120
degrees.
[0010] The aforementioned bridge connector has a plastic cover on
at least the floor-contacting surface, and has the following two
structures: 1) The plastic cover is independently formed and
embedded on the bridge connector; and 2) The connector is embedded
and formed in the plastic cover.
[0011] A type of butterfly chair includes backrest fabric, side
supporting frames with corresponding or symmetric facades on left
and right sides, front supporting frame of the front facade and
rear supporting frame of the rear facade, and the aforementioned
chair leg bridge connector. The aforementioned side supporting
frames of the left and right facades and the front supporting frame
and the rear supporting frame connect to form an overall structure
that can be folded and opened. The aforementioned backrest fabric
is hung on the upper edge of the front and rear facades. Its
attributes are: Side the supporting frames, front supporting frame
and rear supporting frame are made of processed hollow tubes. The
floor-contacting ends of the adjacent facade tubes cross-hinge on
the holes of the corresponding curve sections of the aforementioned
bridge connector. At least in the front supporting frame, a
reinforcement wrap plate is riveted or welded on the tube surface
with a hinging point in the center. The reinforcement wrap plate
covers the hinging section of the tube to share the weight bearing
of the hinging axis or rivet.
[0012] The aforementioned front supporting frame and rear
supporting frame are both formed by two tubes that cross-hinge at
the middle. The side supporting frames of the left and right
facades include backrest bar, support bar, and seat bar. The lower
end of the aforementioned backrest bar cross-hinges to the
connector of the front floor-touching facade, and the upper part is
cross-hinged to the upper end of the rear facade tube through the
hinging part. The lower end of the aforementioned supporting bar
hinge to the bridge connector of the rear floor-touching facade,
and the upper end is cross-hinged to the center of the backrest
bar. The aforementioned seat bar hinges to the upper end of the
front facade tube through the hinging part, and the rear end is
hinged to the center of the backrest bar. At least two corners of
the front end of the backrest fabric are fixed to the front end
section of the two seat bars, and the rear end is fixed to the
upper end section of the backrest bar.
[0013] In the aforementioned side supporting frame, the seat bar
and the supporting bar hinge to the backrest bar at the top and
bottom, and hinge to the same side of the backrest bar. There is
also a weight-bearing plate between the two hinge points. A
reinforcement warp plate is riveted or welded the side surface of
the aforementioned backrest bar that is farther away from the seat
bar.
[0014] Plastic pads are fixed to the front end section of the
aforementioned seat bar and the upper end section of the backrest
bar.
[0015] The aforementioned hinge has a weight-bearing pad at the
tube end section of the bridge connector. The weight-bearing pad
has a plastic round structure. A rivet hole is formed at the center
of the axis. The radial side has a plug-in hole that aligns with
the rivet hole. The aforementioned tube is inserted into the
aforementioned plug-in hole. The rivet for riveting the connector
passes through the weight-bearing pad and tube to form a hinging
structure for the three parts.
[0016] The aforementioned reinforcement wrap plate has a
semi-circle curve. The inner diameter and the outer diameter of the
tube are similar and can adhere to the surface of the tube. The
length of the reinforcement wrap plate is between 15 cm and 25
cm.
[0017] Two tubes cross-hinge at the center of the aforementioned
front supporting frame and rear supporting frame. There is also a
double-hinged chain between the two tubes above the rivet point.
The chain limits the opening angle of the front supporting frame
and the rear supporting frame.
[0018] This invention provides a folding chair that supports a type
of connector formed with steel plates. Compared with connectors
formed with plastic, it is more durable, is slower to age, has
higher weight-bearing capability, and is shock-resistant. Butterfly
chairs that use this type of bridge connector with reinforcement
warp plate at the tube hinging spot can be directly formed using
lighter tubes to make the structure more mobile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the bridge connector.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the bridge connector.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic decomposition of the bridge
connector.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the butterfly chair.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the supporting frame of the
butterfly chair.
[0024] FIG. 6 shows a zoomed image of selection A from FIG. 5.
[0025] FIG. 7 shows a zoomed image of selection B from FIG. 5.
[0026] FIG. 8 shows a zoomed image of selection C from FIG. 5.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a horizontal schematic view of the supporting
frame of the butterfly chair.
[0028] FIG. 10 shows a zoomed image of selection D from FIG. 9.
[0029] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings. Namely, in the
drawings the following reference numbers refer to the following
part:
1-bridge connector 10-hinging part 11-curve section 12-through hole
13-plastic cover 2-backseat fabric 3-side supporting frame
31-backrest bar 32-supporting bar 33-seat bar 34-weight-bearing
plate 4-front supporting frame 5-rear supporting frame 6-tube
61-weight-bearing pad 611-rivet hole 612-plug-in hole
7-reinforcement wrap plate 8-plastic pad 9-double-hinge chain
91-hinging plate 92-corner X-axial lines corner angle
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a chair leg bridge connector the
bridge connector 1 is made of stamp-molded steel plate. Two sets of
curved sections 11 face the same direction. The two bent surfaces
11 of each set are parallel, and a through hole 12 is provided for
rivet or axis to pass through. The two curve sections 11 has a
corner angle in between to hinge and position the two adjacent
supporting facades. Specifically, the through hole 12 axial lines
corner angle X is between 70 and 120 degrees. Most folding chairs
have a structure with four facades, thus 90 degree is used for the
two through holes 12. However, some folding chairs have a wide
front facade and a narrow rear facade. The two leg ends of the
front facade would need two sets of curve sections with bridge
connectors that have corner angles smaller than 90 degrees, and the
rear facade would need two sets of curve sections with bridge
connectors that have corner angles larger than 90 degrees.
[0031] To prevent the stamp-molded steel plate connect 1 from
directly touching the floor, bridge connector 1 has a plastic cover
13 on at least the floor-touching surface, and as the following two
structures: 1) The plastic cover 13 is independently formed and
embedded on the bridge connector 1, and can be riveted together by
the rivet that passes through the through hole 12 hinging tube. 2)
The bridge connector 1 is embedded and formed in the plastic cover.
In other words, bridge connector 1 is wrapped with plastic. Both
injection molding and thermal plastic spraying can be used. There
is another condition, which is to use the floor-contacting tubes of
the folding chair to anchor on the ground, and the bridge connector
1 does not touch the floor.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10, this is a type of butterfly
chair that includes backrest fabric 2, side supporting frames 3
with corresponding or symmetric facades on left and right sides,
front supporting frame 4 of the front facade and rear supporting
frame 5 of the rear facade, and the aforementioned chair leg bridge
connector 1. The aforementioned side supporting frames 3 of the
left and right facades and the front supporting frame 3 and rear
supporting frame 4 connect to form an overall structure that can be
folded and opened. Side supporting frames 3, front supporting frame
4 and rear supporting frame 5 are made of processed hollow tubes 6.
The floor-touching ends of the adjacent facade tubes cross-hinge on
the through holes 12 of the corresponding curve sections of the
aforementioned bridge connector 1. In other words, tubes 6 of the
adjacent floor-touching ends are hinged as a unitary body through
bridge connector 1. At least in the front supporting frame 4, a
reinforcement wrap plate 7 is riveted or welded on the tube 6
surface with a hinging point in the center. The reinforcement wrap
plate 7 covers the hinging section of the tube to share the weight
bearing of the hinging axis or rivet. In addition, the
reinforcement wrap plate 7 has a semi-circle curve. The inner
diameter and the outer diameter of the tube 6 are similar and can
adhere to the surface of the tube. The length of the reinforcement
wrap plate 7 is between 15 cm and 25 cm to reinforce the
weight-bearing capacity of the hinging point section of the
tube.
[0033] The four legs of the butterfly chair can touch the ground
with bridge connector 1, or with tube 6 while the bridge connector
1 is slightly above ground. In the former case, the plastic cover
13 of the bridge connector can be used to touch the floor to
prevent bridge connector 1 from directly touching and scratching
the floor. In the latter case, tube 6 end section touches the floor
and provides support, which requires the following process for tube
6 end section:
[0034] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, as well as FIG. 9 and FIG.
10, the hinge has a weight-bearing pad 72 at the tube end section
of the bridge connector. The weight-bearing pad 61 has a plastic
round structure. A rivet hole 611 is formed at the center of the
axis. The radial side has a plug-in hole 612 that aligns with the
rivet hole. The aforementioned tube is inserted into the
aforementioned plug-in hole 61. The rivet for riveting the bridge
connector 1 passes through the weight-bearing pad 61 and tube 6 to
form a hinging structure for the three parts. The function of the
weight-bearing pad 61 is to lessen the friction between metal tube
6 and metal bridge connector 1 and can touch the ground so that
bridge connector 1 can slightly stay above ground. From an external
perspective, it is lighter to use compared with plastic cover
13.
[0035] The front supporting frame 4 and rear supporting frame 5 are
both formed by two tubes 6 that cross-hinge at the middle. The side
supporting frames 3 of the left and right facades include backrest
bar 31, support bar 32, and seat bar 33. The lower end of the
backrest bar 31 cross-hinges to the bridge connector 1 of the front
floor-touching facade, and the upper part is cross-hinged to the
upper end of the rear facade tube through the hinging part 10. The
lower end of the supporting bar 32 hinges to the bridge connector 1
of the rear floor-touching facade 5, and the upper end is
cross-hinged to the center of the backrest bar 31. The seat bar 33
hinges to the upper end of the front facade 4 tube through the
hinging part 10, and the rear end is hinged to the center of the
backrest bar 31. At least two corners of the front end of the
backrest fabric 2 are fixed to the front end section of the two
seat bars 33, and the rear end is fixed to the upper end section of
the backrest bar 31. This forms a hanging structure that is lower
in the front and higher in the rear for seating. Therefore, plastic
pads 8 are fixed to the front end section of the seat bar 33 and
the upper end section of the backrest bar 31. This can increase
weight-bearing surface as well as prevent the weight to be too
concentrated on seat fabric 2.
[0036] In addition, the seat bars 33 of the two sides are
relatively flat. The two sides of the backseat fabric 2 that
correspond to the seat section can directly cover the two seat bars
33 to form a larger supporting surface, and also form the shape of
a regular folding chair. A butterfly chair is just one specific
type of regular folding chairs. It is mainly formed by the shape of
the backseat fabric 2 to make it resemble a butterfly, so there is
no difference in nature.
[0037] In the two side supporting frames 3, the seat bar 33 and the
supporting bar 32 hinge to the backrest bar 31 at the top and
bottom, and hinge to the same side of the backrest bar 31. There is
also a weight-bearing plate 34 between the two hinge points. A
reinforcement warp plate 7 is riveted or welded the side surface of
the backrest bar 31 that is farther away from the seat bar 33. This
is to reinforce the weight-bearing capacity of the middle section
of the backrest bar 31 tube.
[0038] In addition, two tubes 6 cross-hinge at the center of the
front supporting frame 4 and rear supporting frame 5. There is also
a double-hinge chain 9 between the two tubes 6 above the rivet
point. The double-hinge chain limits the opening angle of the front
supporting frame 4 and the rear supporting frame 5 and can also
reduce the stress on the hinging point. The reinforcement wrap
plate 7 that corresponds to this location can be extended to the
hinging point area of the double-hinge chain 9. In addition, the
double-hinge chain 9 is formed by two hinging plates 91. The end of
one of the hinging plates 91 has a corner 92. The corner 92 is used
to block the edge of the other hinging plate to form a position
limit to prevent the double-hinge chain 9 from being opened to
parallel. In other words, the double-hinge chain 92 can be opened
to an angle within 180 degrees. When folding the chair, the two
hinging plates 91 of the double-hinge chain can also be folded so
they will not obstruct the folding process. One skilled in the art
would note that an embodiment without a position limit with a
structure that can open to 180 degrees or beyond is not excluded.
In this case, the folding process may require lifting the
double-hinge chain 9 with both hands in order to smoothly complete
the folding process.
* * * * *