Floating Saucer Chair

Abstract

A relaxing, sunbathing and floating chair idealy suitable for use in a pool, lake or the like and characterized by a ringlike ethafoam float encompassing and supporting a polypropylene mesh basket constituting a seat. This seat permits the occupant to nestle therein and sit or lie back. It is form fitting and balanced with requisite nicety. A cushioned headrest is adjustably mounted by paired upstanding polyethylene tubes on a suitably selected segmental portion of the float.

Description

This invention relates to a floating saucerlike chair which lends itself to safe and acceptably reliable use in a swimming pool, lake, river or the like and which, broadly construed, comprises a formfitting well balanced openwork mesh seat in which the occupant can nestle and cradle, can sit, lie back in comfort and prop the head and neck on an adaptable headrest.

More specifically, the invention comprises a buoyant endless ring which serves as a float and which encompasses a dished or basket-type seat, said seat being made of molded polypropylene of webbed or openwork form, said seat being strapped by loops or the like to the float and being provided with a suitably attached and elevated headrest.

As will be hereinafter more fully appreciated, the chair herein comprehended weighs only 3 or 4 pounds and is uniquely safe in that it has no sharp corners or metal components that could be injurious to the occupant. It is such in construction that it can be conveniently transported to and from the beach or pool and because of the concavo-convex shape of the seat any number of correspondingly constructed chairs can be nested and stacked one atop the other for storage, shipping or handling. Then, too, the openwork webbing or mesh permits the water to circulate through the available openings and serves to keep the occupant cool. Repeated experience has shown that this innovation can be used by lying on it face down but is commonly and best used by sitting in it or cradling one's self and lying back with ease and comfort. The attached headrest props the head and neck and is adjustable for all users. In addition, the chair can be used for engaging in a floating basket ball game or as a floating planter. As a matter of fact, the circular basket can be hung on a wall when not in use to serve as an ornament or decoration. The contour enables the user to get in and out of the seat. Finally, the seat with its component parts is readily maneuverable in the water.

Briefly, the herein disclosed prefabricated adaptation provides a relaxing and floating chair for use in any suitable body of water. By preference it embodies a stout buoyant ring which constitutes an occupant encircling float. The concave upwardly opening suitably contoured seat has a substantially rigid marginal flange which constitutes a rim. The rim-equipped seat is fitted within the encompassing confines of the ring or float. In fact the rim is supportively seated atop the floating ring and is securely cooperatively strapped thereto by looping straps. The seat is made of self-shape-sustaining openwork material. It is contoured, form fitting and saucerlike in general appearance and is of predetermined depth in plan dimension to conformingly and comfortably balance the seated occupant and permits the occupant to sit and nestle therein while being cradled about, while lying back or otherwise supported for safe relaxation.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the headrest means preferably takes the form of a compressibly resilient plastic pillowlike bolster. This component is of requisite length and cross section and is provided with a pair of spaced parallel supporting plastic tubes. Appropriate knobs on the upper and lower ends of the tubes serve to connect the tubes to apertured portions of a predetermined segmental part of the aforementioned ringlike float.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a floating saucer chair showing the principal component parts and how they are constructed and united for advantageous swimming pool or equivalent sunbathing use.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the saucer chair shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating the same in use in a body of water and showing the occupant in one cradled position with the head propped on the compressibly resilient headrest.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the section line 3--3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

And FIG. 4 is a view in perspective showing the headrest means.

The endless generally circular buoyant ring is denoted by the numeral 6. It comprises a stout ring and is of appropriate diameter to provide the cradling support suggested in FIG. 1. More explicitly this ring is usually about 3 inches in diameter and is accordingly stout and of appropriate cross section and, more specifically, is a closed cell flexible foam ring, more explicitly, a ring made of ethafoam material. This floatable ring or float is circular in cross section as at 8. The upper convex surface portion 10 (FIG. 3) serves to accommodatingly receive and support a substantially rigid annular flange 12 of channel-shaped cross section as designated at 14 in FIG. 3. This flange provides the integral outer marginal edge portion of the aforementioned dished or concavo-convex occupant seat. The seat is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 16 and is of the depth suggested at 18 in FIG. 3. This seat constitutes a significant part of the overall chair and is preferably made of moldable polypropylene and is in some instances designated as a mesh basket. It can and usually is circular in plan and may be some 29 inches more or less in diameter with a depth of 10 inches at the seat portion 18. Nylon or equivalent looplike straps 20 are circumferentially spaced and are laced through the openings in the marginal or rim portion of the seat and are snugly fitted around the float to thus join the seat and float in desired unified relationship.

The headrest means comprises a compressibly resilient cylindrical pillow or bolster 22 having openings 24 therethrough for the upper end portions of a pair of spaced parallel plastic tubes 26 which serve as struts and which are connected to the floatable ring. The knoblike caps are provided with attaching plugs as at 28. These caps or knobs are identified as upper knobs 30 (FIG. 4) which are connected to the upper protruding ends of the struts or tubes, and lower caplike knobs 32 which are plugged into the lower ends of the tubes or struts. By utilizing a cushion 22 of requisite cross section it is possible to slide and adjust the same up and down on the tubular support members to attain the desired elevation. In practice it is possible and sometimes desirable to use two headrests, the second headrest being like the headrest 22 but not herein disclosed.

Experience has shown that the polypropylene basket is sturdy, comfortable and light in weight and is long lasting. The ethafoam ring or float is virtually indestructible. There are no metals parts and no component parts to chip. The construction of the chair is such that it weighs only 3 or 4 pounds and is easy to store. Anyone who desires can use it with reliability and can sit or lie back. The contour of the float and chair ensures form fitting balance. It follows that a chair embodying the component parts herein shown, described and assembled well serves the purposes for which it is intended. Accordingly, a more extended description is believed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For floating and sunbathing in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water, a prefabricated relaxing and floating chair comprising a dished upwardly opening seat having a marginal edge provided with an attached encompassing float, said seat being made of self-shape-sustaining openwork material which is adapted to promote free circulation of water about that part of the occupants body which is nested and seated in the receptacle portion of said seat, said material comprising injection molded polypropylene mesh, said float comprising a closed cell compressibly resilient ethafoam relatively stout ring, said marginal edge having a rigid annular rim which is channel shaped in cross section and is superimposed on a top surface portion of said ring and is fastened thereon by plastic straps which are snugly and firmly looped around the rim and ring, respectively.

2. The chair defined in and according to claim 1 and wherein said seat is contoured, form fitting and saucerlike in overall shape and appearance and is of a prescribed depth to comfortably balance the occupant when sitting, lying back or when otherwise supported for floating.

3. The chair defined in and according to claim 1, and, in combination, a compressibly resilient pad constituting a headrest, and means operatively and adjustably mounting said headrest on a predetermined coacting portion of said float ring.

4. A prefabricated relaxing and floating chair for use in a swimming pool, a lake or similar body of water comprising, a stout buoyant ring constituting an occupant encircling float, a concave upwardly opening seat having a substantially rigid marginal flange defining a rim, said seat being fitted within the encompassing confines of said ring, said rim resting upon and being supportively seated atop said ring and securely cooperatively strapped to said ring, said seat being made of self-shape-sustaining openwork material, said seat being contoured, form fitting and saucerlike in general appearance and being of a predetermined depth and plan dimension to conformingly and comfortably balance the occupant when sitting and nestled therein, while seated and lying back, or otherwise supported for floating, said material comprising injection molded plastic mesh, said float comprising a closed cell compressibly resilient relatively stout ring, and, in combination, a compressibly resilient pillowlike bolster constituting a headrest, and a pair of spaced parallel like bolster assembling tubes disposed at right angles to said bolster and buoyant ring, respectively, and operatively and adjustably mounting said bolster on a predetermined coacting portion of said ring.