Chair Base Ganging Fixture

Abstract

A chair base comprising front and rear legs is provided with braces connecting the rear with the front legs at each side of the chair base, the two braces being applied in mutually reversed positions. Each brace has a keyhole slot near one end and a headed peg near the other, the peg being detachably receivable into the complementary slot of a corresponding brace of the next adjacent chair base.

Description

A variety of interlocking devices are known for the ganging of chairs and chair bases. The instant device has the merit of simplicity and reduced expense, since it merely modifies and uses brace parts required in any event in the construction of the chair base.

Braces conventionally used to connect front and rear legs in the manufacture of a chair base are made to serve added functions for ganging purposes. This is accomplished by offsetting outwardly the intermediate portion of each brace and by providing the outwardly offset brace portion with a keyhole slot at one end and a headed pin at the other end. When the braces are applied at the sides of a chair base, they are necessarily in mutually reversed positions so that the headed pin of each brace is detachably engagable in the keyhole slot of the corresponding brace of the next chair. Engagement and disengagement is executed very simply and easily by relative vertical movement. To prevent injury to persons and clothing, each brace is preferably provided between its slot and pin with horizontal ribs which project approximately as far from the brace surface as does the head of the pin. These ribs reinforce the brace both above and below the central opening and have the additional protective function aforesaid.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a pair of chair bases in ganged connection, portions of one of them being broken away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the braces on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 shows two of the connected braces in ganging connection as viewed in section on the level indicated at 3--3 in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

By way of exemplifying the invention, I have selected a pair of bases such as are commonly used to support bucket seats of fiber glass or the like. No seats are shown, since they have no relation to the disclosure of the invention. When used, the seat is commonly supported by spaced straps such as are shown at 6 and 8 in FIG. 1.

Leg elements 12 and 14 comprise legs 20 and 22, which are respectively divergent forwardly and rearwardly from the generally parallel bars 16 and 18. The bar 16 integrally connects the legs 20 at one side of the base. The bar 18 integrally connects the legs 22 at the opposite side of the base. The straps 6 and 8 which support the seat are secured by welding or otherwise to the generally horizontal bars 16 and 18.

The invention is particularly concerned with the braces 30 which connect the legs 20 and 22 at each side of the chair base. Each of the braces 30 comprises an elongated piece of sheet metal having its ends welded at 32 and 34 to the respective legs and having its intermediate portion offset outwardly from the plane of the legs at 36 and 38. The intermediate portion 40 of the brace member 30 is thus parallel to the plane of the legs but bodily offset outwardly therefrom.

To reduce the weight of the brace, it has an opening at 42 in the offset portion 40. There are generally horizontal strengthening ribs 44 and 46 above and below the opening 42. The rib 46 has an additional protective function hereinafter described.

Beyond the end of the rib 46, the brace portion 40 is provided with keyhole slot 48. Near the opposite end of the rib 46, the brace portion 40 has a pin 50 provided with a head 52. The head 52 will pass freely through the larger part 54 of the keyhole slot of a comparable brace, but will not pass through the restricted portion 56 of the keyhole slot in which the shank of the pin 50 may be engaged. In order to apply said braces to the opposite sides of the chair base, it is necessary that one of the respective braces be turned end-for-end. This automatically brings the pin 50 of each brace to a position opposite the keyhole slot 48 of the companion brace. Thus the pin registers with the slot in the brace at the end of the next successive chair base 10 as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

It will be observed moreover that the rib 46 of each of the braces 30 terminates immediately adjacent the head portion 52 of the pin or stud which projects through the keyhole slot 48. As shown in FIG. 3, this gives a substantial measure of protection against injury to persons or clothing, when the chairs are ganged in the manner shown.

The tongues 58 integral with respective braces are used for stacking purposes and are shown despite the view that the present application is directed to ganging. In use, the stacking tongues 58 rest upon portions of the legs of an underlying chair base.

Claims

We claim:

1. A chair base comprising a pair of leg elements comprising laterally spaced legs respectively at opposite sides of the chair base and integrally connected by top bars, the said elements and the legs thereof being inclined toward each other, means connecting the bars of said elements, the legs at each side of the chair base being mutually divergent, braces connecting the divergent legs of the respective elements at the sides of the chair base, each such brace comprising a longitudinally elongated member having its ends attached to the divergent legs of respective elements, each brace having between its said attached ends an intermediate portion offset laterally outwardly from the chair base and provided with a horizontally elongated rib, the intermediate portion of the brace having adjacent one end of the said rib an upright keyhole slot and at the other end of said rib, a pin provided with a head receivable into the wider portion of the slot and of a width in excess of the width of the narrower portion of the slot, the braces at opposite sides of the chair base being mutually reversed, whereby the headed pin of one chair base will register with the keyhole slot of an adjacent chair base of like construction, and will have its keyhole slot in registry with the headed pin of such adjacent chair base, the headed pins and keyhole slots of the chair base providing for ganging connection with other like chair bases.