U.S. patent number 3,624,814 [Application Number 04/806,467] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-30 for frame for folding furniture.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Telescope Folding Furniture Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Donald J. Borichevsky.
United States Patent |
3,624,814 |
Borichevsky |
November 30, 1971 |
FRAME FOR FOLDING FURNITURE
Abstract
The back and seat of the chair or chaise are each constructed of
a U-shaped frame to which a decorative sheet of vinyl film is
secured and over which a clear or slightly tinted vinyl tube is
wound. In addition, the vinyl tube is heat-sealed to the sheet of
vinyl film along a pair of lines so as to provide a further
reinforced seat or back.
Inventors: |
Borichevsky; Donald J. (Wells,
VT) |
Assignee: |
The Telescope Folding Furniture
Co., Inc. (Granville, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
25194103 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/806,467 |
Filed: |
March 12, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/82; 160/327;
297/DIG.2; 297/445.1; 297/39; 160/179; 160/371 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
5/06 (20130101); Y10S 297/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
5/06 (20060101); A47C 5/00 (20060101); A47c
007/02 (); A47c 004/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;160/135,327,371
;297/39,452,443,444 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nunberg; Casmir A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A frame for folding furniture comprising a rigid frame defining
an open space, a sheet of material secured to opposite sides of
said frame and extending across the open space, and a tubing wound
about said frame and said sheet of material in a plurality of
windings, said tubing being secured to said frame and to said sheet
of material intermediately thereof to transfer stress imparted to
one or more of said windings directly to said sheet and therefrom
to the remainder of said windings and to said frame.
2. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tubing is
heat-sealed to said sheet of material along a pair of transverse
lines.
3. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material
is formed of vinyl and said tube is vinyl.
4. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material
is opaque and has a decorative pattern on at least one surface
thereof and said tubing is clear.
5. A foldable chair having a back rest, and a seat; at least said
back rest comprising a U-shaped frame defining an open space, a
sheet of material secured across said frame and the open space, and
a tubing secured to and wound around said frame and said sheet of
material in a plurality of windings, each said winding being
integrally secured at spaced positions to intermediate portions of
said sheet to transfer stress imparted to one or more of said
windings directly to said sheet and therefrom to the remainder of
said windings and to said frame.
6. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is
of clear plastic material and is secured to said sheet of material
along a pair of lines perpendicular to the windings of said
tubing.
7. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 6 wherein said sheet of
material is opaque and has at least one decorative surface
thereon.
8. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is
of a tinted transparent plastic material and said sheet of material
has an opaque decorative surface on opposite sides thereof.
9. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of
material is a single film of clear material containing an opaque
pattern thereon.
10. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of
material is a clear film having a transparent ink pattern
thereon.
11. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 10 wherein said clear
film is slightly tinted in color and said tubing is of a matching
tinted color to said sheet.
Description
This invention relates to a reinforced frame for foldable
furniture. More particularly, this invention relates to a frame for
a back, seat or foot rest for a foldable chair or chaise.
Heretofore, it has been known to construct foldable furniture, such
as chairs and chaises, especially for outdoor use, of various types
of materials. For example, such furniture has been formed with
seats and backs or, in the case of a chaise, with foot rests which
are formed of material which has been wound around a frame and
secured thereto. In some instances, the material has been of a
fabric nature such as woven canvas and laminated vinyl nylon or of
a tubular nature such as vinyl tubing. In those instances where the
fabric has been of a fabric nature, the material tends to pull away
from the means securing the material to the frame upon being
subjected to shock loadings by an occupant. In those instances
where the fabric has been of a laminated vinyl nylon, the material
has been relatively hot to sit upon since the material does not
breathe to permit cooling between an occupant and the material. In
those instances where the seating material has been vinyl tubing,
the stretch imposed on the tubing has generally been distributed
unevenly and in some cases the windings have become unduly
stretched and would not recover, in which case the vinyl tubing
could end up overlapping each other and in some instances unravel
from the aluminum frame. In order to overcome any of the above
problems the vinyl tubing has been heat-sealed together. For
example, after the tubing has been wound onto a frame member, a
pair of vinyl tapes are laid transversely between the front and
rear windings of the tubing and a suitable heat-seal machine is
used to heat-seal the straps to the tubings. In this way, the
stress concentrations imposed upon the tubing by an occupant of the
chair or chaise are resisted by a plurality of windings of tubing
as a unit rather than through each of the windings of the tube
individually. However, while this type of structure has been
sufficient for nominal use by an occupant, such has required a
relatively large thickness in order to withstand the stresses which
may be imposed thereon.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide foldable
furniture with a reinforced seat or back.
It is another object of the invention to provide a foldable chair
with a seat or back rest of cooled construction.
It is another object of the invention to provide a foldable chair
with a reinforced back and/or seat of decorative material.
Briefly, the invention provides a frame for folding furniture which
is of reinforced construction and decorative appearance. The frame
is usable for a seat and/or back and/or foot rest. For example, the
frame is constructed of a U-shaped tubular frame across which a
sheet of material containing a decorative pattern is secured and
around which windings of clear or slightly tinted plastic are wound
and secured to the U-shaped frame. In addition, the tubing is
secured to the sheet of material along at least one transverse
line.
In one embodiment, the sheet of material is formed, for example, of
a triple lamination consisting of two laminations of 6 mil which
are separately printed with identical floral patterns and an inner
core lamination of a block-out film. In another embodiment, the
sheet of material is formed of a single solid opaque white film,
for example, of 12 or 14 mil gauge which is printed on both sides.
In still another embodiment, the sheet of material is formed of a
single 12 or 14 gauge clear vinyl film which is printed with a
pattern on only one side. In this embodiment, the pattern shows
through the film sufficiently to appear to be printed on both
sides. Also, transparent inks can be used on the clear film to get
a stained glass effect when sunlight shines through the back or
front of a chair depending on the line of sight. Further, the clear
film can be slightly tinted and used with a matching colored tubing
wound thereabout to impart a further esthetic effect.
From a mechanical viewpoint, by securing the tubing to the sheet of
material, such as by heat-sealing, any stress which is placed on
one or more windings of the tubes is transmitted to the remainder
of the tubes through the sheet of material to all the windings.
Further, from a comfort viewpoint, by disposing the tubing over a
sheet of vinyl film, for example, a degree of coolness can be
obtained because the irregular shape of the tubing keeps an
occupant's body from intimate contact with the flat vinyl sheet
film. Also, to further provide coolness, the sheet of vinyl film
can be perforated with various size holes to permit aeration.
The invention thus provides a frame which can be used for a back
rest, seat or foot rest which is not only strong in construction
but also is decorative in appearance. Because of the strength of
the frame, such can withstand large shock loadings which sometimes
are imposed upon a chair or chaise constructed with such frames.
Further, it is noted that any load which is placed upon a seat or
back is transmitted through the tubings and sheet of material. In
this regard, the material sheet and tubing act as a unit since the
tubing and sheet are secured to each other. Consequently, the load
is transmitted through all the various securing means for securing
the tubing and sheet to the U-shaped frame so that any large stress
concentration at one point is prevented.
The invention also provides a reinforced frame for a chair or
chaise which can be easily and quickly manufactured. In this
regard, the frame can be manufactured by first cutting and sizing a
sheet of material such as a vinyl film sheet to size and securing
the film sheet, for example, by threaded screws or by glue or vinyl
paste means, to a U-shaped frame of tubular construction.
Thereafter, one end of a strip of tubing of vinyl is secured to the
U-shaped frame and wound about the U-shaped frame and vinyl sheet
for a distance approximately half way down the frame. Next, a
second strip of tubing can be wound in similar fashion about the
remainder of the vinyl sheet and U-shaped frame. Finally, the frame
with the tubing and vinyl sheet thereon can be passed through a
heat-sealing machine in a one-pass operation so that the tubing is
heat-sealed to the vinyl sheet along, for example, two lines. The
completed frame can then be incorporated into a chair or chaise
construction to function as a back rest, seat or foot rest.
It is noted that various decorative illusions can be created simply
by changing the design or pattern on the sheet of material. Also,
the sheet can be provided with similar patterns on front and back
so as to present a continuity of appearance to the chair or chaise
in which it is incorporated. Alternatively, different patterns can
be used for the front and back as desired.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become
more apparent from the following detailed description and appended
claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a folding chair
incorporating a frame of the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective rear view of the chair of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 illustrates a view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a means of securing
the sheet of material and tubing to the frame of a chair according
to the invention;
FIG. 5 illustrates a view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 illustrates a view taken on line 6-- 6 of FIG. 1 wherein the
tubing is secured to the sheet of material;
FIG. 7 illustrates a fragmentary front view at the place where the
tubing is secured to the sheet of material;
FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate views of the frame during different steps
in the process of constructing the frame;
FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a frame prior to
securing of the sheet of material to the tubing; and
FIG. 12 illustrates a means of securing the tubing to the sheet of
material .
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the collapsible chair 15 is constructed
with a leg assembly 16 of conventional structure and arm assemblies
17, also of conventional structure. In addition, the chair 15 is
constructed with a seat 18 and a back rest 19. The seat and back
rest are made of identical structure and therefore only the back
rest will be described for clarity.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the back rest 19 is constructed of a
frame which includes a tubular U-shaped frame 20, for example, of
hollow aluminum construction, a sheet of material 21, and a tubing,
for example, of clear or tinted plastic material. The sheet of
material 21 is provided with a decorative pattern on both the front
and rear surfaces and is secured across the U-shaped frame 20 by
means of suitable securing means 23, such as threaded screws. In
addition to the pattern, the sheet of material 21 can be
multicolored on both the front and rear surfaces. The sheet of
material is formed from an opaque white film of vinyl plastic, for
example, of approximately l2-gauge thickness, and can be made with
either three laminations or of two laminations. In the event that
the film is made of three laminations, the inner lamination is a
block-out film so that light is prevented from passing through the
film from one side to the other. In the event that the film is of
two laminations, an opaque white film is used for each lamination.
In either event, the film is made so that light will not distort
the various patterns on the two surfaces of material. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2, the pattern 24 which is imposed on the front and
rear surfaces of the material can be identical or can be different
from each other depending upon the aesthetic appearance
desired.
The tubing 22 is of a light-gauge vinyl plastic and is wound about
the frame 20 and sheet of material 21 in a plurality of windings
25. The windings 25 are substantially continuous about the frame
and are disposed in substantially contiguous relationship to each
other. Since the tubing is of clear or slightly tinted material,
the patterns 24 on the sheet of material are visible through the
tubing windings 25. The tubing 22 is formed of one or more strips,
each of which is wound about the frame from one end to the other.
For example, referring to FIG. 4, one end of the tubing strip is
secured by a suitable securing means such as a threaded screw 26 to
the inside of the U-shaped frame 20 and the remainder of the tube
is wound about the frame and sheet of material 21. The other end of
the tubing strip is similarly secured to the U-shaped frame 20 at
the other end.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, in order to further reinforce the
frame for the seat or back rest, the windings 25 of tubing 22 are
secured, as by heat-sealing, to the sheet of vinyl material 21
along two transverse lines 27. Each of these lines is spaced apart
at approximately the third points of the frame and integrally
secure the windings 25 to the sheet of material 21. For example,
each winding 25 has a pair of sections 28 of elongated shape which
are heat-sealed to the sheet of vinyl material 21 in each line 27
on both the front and rear surface of the frame. Each transverse
line 27 further extends for approximately one-half inch to 1 inch
so that a depression is formed in the contour of the respective
windings 25 of the tubing across the front and rear surfaces of the
frame.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the windings 25 of the tubing 22 are
free of any connection to the sheet of material 21 at the points
between the transverse lines 27 and the U-shaped frame 20. Further,
the sections of the windings 25 which are to the rear of the frame,
that is, the rear surface of the sheet of material 21, are spaced
from the material at the outer third sections. Thus, when a load is
applied to the back rest 19, for example, by an occupant resting
against the back rest 19, the windings 25 of the tubing 22 deform
into an irregular cross-sectional shape without distorting the
sheet of material 21. Furthermore, this irregular shape of the
tubing maintains the occupant's body from intimate contact with the
sheet of material 21. Where the sheet of material is of a vinyl
film material, this avoids any creation of the hot condition which
has been known to exist in similar furniture wherein the person of
the occupant intimately contacts a vinyl or similar plastic
surface. In addition, in order to provide for further coolness for
the occupant, the sheet of material 21 can be provided with
perforations 29 of various sizes starting from a minute size to a
substantially large size. These perforations 29 permit a flow of
air to pass through the sheet of material so as to impart a
breathing quality to the frame.
Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, in order to construct a frame for the
seat 18 or back rest 19, the sheet of material 21 is initially cut
and shaped to size. Next, the sheet of material is laid across the
U-shaped tubular frame 20 and secured thereto by means of the
threaded screws 23 (FIG. 9). As shown, the sheet of material 21 is
sized to extend from the front of the frame 20 to the rear so that
the screws 23 are secured to the rear of the frame 20 with respect
to the material 21. Thereafter, the strip of tubing 22 is secured
at one end to the frame 20 by a threaded screw 26 and subsequently
wound about the frame and sheet of material 21 in a continuous
fashion from the top of the frame 20 to the bottom (FIG. 10). Upon
reaching the bottom of the frame, substantially at the lower edge
of the sheet of material 21, the tubing is severed and secured as
by another screw 26 (not shown) to the frame 20. It is noted that
the tubing can be secured at intermediate points to the U-shaped
frame 20 by further screws 26. In such cases, the threaded screws
can pass directly through the underlying sheet of material 21 into
the frame 20.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, in order to secure the windings 25 of
the tubing 22 to the sheet of material 21, the frame after
securement of the tubing 22 as above is passed as a unit into a
heat-sealing apparatus 30. This heat-sealing apparatus 30 is of
suitable construction and includes two pairs of sealing heads 31
disposed in opposed relationship. The frame is positioned between
these sealing heads 31 so that the respective sealing heads 31 are
disposed at approximately the third points of the frame on opposite
sides of the sheet of material 21. Next, the sealing heads are
brought together against the windings 25 so as to heat-seal the
windings 25 to the sheet of material 21 on the front and rear
surfaces along the two transverse lines 27 described above. The
frame in which the tubing is now integrally connected to the sheet
of material 21 is then removed from the frame. The frame can then
be incorporated into a foldable chair or chaise, for example, as
shown in Fig. 1, as the seat 18 or back rest 19.
The invention thus provides a frame which can be incorporated into
folding furniture, especially for outdoor use, so as not only to
provide a reinforced supporting surface but also to provide a
decorative appearance. In this regard, since the windings of the
tubing of plastic material are each individually secured to the
sheet of material underlying the tubing at a number of points, any
stress which is imparted to one or more windings is transferred
directly to the sheet of material and therefrom to the remainder of
the windings and to the U-shaped frame about which the tubing and
sheet of material are secured. Because of this distribution of the
stresses, the material imposes a more uniform stress on the
securing means which secure the sheet and tubing to the U-shaped
frame. Further, because of the relatively great resistance of the
frame to oppose stresses, the thickness of the tubing and
underlying sheet of material can be made of relatively thin gauge
than if used separately or without being integrally secured
together.
Also, since the tubing is of a material which provides viewing of
the underlying sheet of material and the sheet of material is
provided with a decorative pattern, the frame adds a degree of
aesthetic value to the furniture incorporating the frame without
detracting from the structural requirements of the furniture.
It is further noted that the invention provides a chair or chaise
which is capable of breathing so as to avoid any hot spots between
an occupant and the materials of the chair. This quality is further
enhanced by the use of perforations in the underlying sheet of
material which allows air to flow through the sheet of material to
further aid in the cooling effect.
It is further noted that while the frame of the invention has been
described above as relating to folding furniture, such as chairs or
chaises, that such can be used for any type of support for a
person. For example, the frame can be used as a sloped back rest, a
seat or for a folding or nonfolding cot. Of course, in these
instances, the tubular frame about which the tubing and sheet of
material are wound could be of a rectangular construction rather
than a U-shaped construction in order to form a closed unit.
* * * * *