Baler And Holder For Folding Chairs

Abstract

A readily attachable and detachable self-contained baler and holder for compactly harnessing and baling a group (four or five) conventional type auditorium or similar folding chairs in a manner to facilitate handling, storing or transporting the same. The holder comprises a U-shaped forklike yoke whose arms are positioned lengthwise over the aligned legs of a group of chairs. A clip serves as an actuator and a link carried by one end of the clip is slidingly hitched over the yoke arms. The clip has an offset finger grip. One end of a stout elastic band is attached to the clip and the other end is anchored in slots provided therefore in the curvate bight portion of the yoke. The stretched band, when under tension, shackles the retainer-link in its yoke clamping position.

Description

This invention relates to a temporarily usable easily attachable and removable baler and holder for a group of portable folding chairs and which is expressly designed and adapted to harness and hold aligned legs of a plurality of chairs together in a manner to expedite handling, storing, and transporting the same for such needs as are at the time necessary.

It is a matter of common knowledge that many and varied procedures and practices are resorted to when one is called upon to fold, handle, stack, and store a multiplicity of folding chairs for subsequent use or transportation as the case may be. With this problem in mind it is an object of the present invention to provide a plurality of simple, practical and readially applicable and removable devices which are effectually serviceable and which, as repeated experience has shown, will serve the purposes of baling and systematically holding a plurality, four or five more or less, folding chairs together for compactness and convenience.

Various and often makeshift type ropes, stout rubber bands and other devices are used, often unsatisfactorily, for bundling groups of chairs to facilitate stacking and storing. An object of the instant invention is to provide a self-contained device which is herein designated as a baler and holder and which can be readily applied to the legs of a group of chairs and shackled in place, whereby to coordinate and group chairs for varying handling needs.

Briefly the readily applicable and removable baler and holder is characterized by a rigid yoke which can be made of aluminum, wood, plastic, or equivalent materials and which embodies a pair of coplanar spaced parallel arms which are of a length and type that they are adapted to straddle and clampingly embrace the group of temporarily connectible chairs. A ringlike or an equivalent rigid loop serves as a link-type retainer which, when in use, is adapted to embrace or encircle and thus shackle itself in a given retaining but releasable position on the yoke arms. Elastic means, an elongated stout rubber or equivalent band for example, has one end anchored in a given place on the yoke, the other end being connected to a manually adjustable actuator which in turn is fastened to the link or retainer and which when stretched is under tension and in this manner holds the yoke in its leg-clamping position.

In carrying out the herein disclosed invention the rounded bight or bent portion of the yoke is provided with a pair of outwardly opening keyhole slots, these slots serving to receive and anchor one end portion of the stout elastic band. The free ends of the arms of the yoke are flared outwardly into divergent relationship and facilitate guiding and piloting the yoke into its chair grouping position. The link, when in use, is adapted to slidingly encompass and shackle itself on the arms in a yoke retaining position, more particularly on the median portions of the arms. A manually adjustable clip provides the actuator and has one end portion which is adapted to slidingly abut a surface of an adjacent one of the arms. The other end portion is bent outwardly at an angle and provides an accessible easily usable finger grip. The shackling link is operatively joined by fastening means to one end of the clip. An adjacent or coacting end of the elastic band is snapped into keyhole slots or the like provided therefor in a median portion of the clip. These component parts provide the desired self-contained baler and holder.

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 showing a group of four conventional type foldable metal or equivalent chairs and showing, more particularly, how the chairs are assembled in a group and how the improved baler and holder is constructed, applied and removably maintained in place.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 2--2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 3 is a view of the baler and holder by itself.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the aforementioned actuator and more specifically, the clip.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 5--5 of FIG. 1.

With respect to FIG. 1 it will be evident that the purpose here is to show a group of four, more or less, conventional collapsible folding auditorium or equivalent chairs. These chairs are denoted at A and the main and auxiliary leg components are denoted at B and C. When the invention is used the chairs A are grouped in aligned relationship so that the legs are in readiness to accommodate the baler and holder. The complete baler and holder is best shown, it is submitted, in FIGS. 2 and 3. With respect in particular to FIG. 3 the aforementioned elongated one-piece rigid yoke is denoted by the numeral 8. It may be made from aluminum, lightweight metal, from commercial plastics or even from wood of an appropriate grade. In any event this yoke embodies spaced parallel arms or limbs 10 the left ends (FIG. 3) being connected by a curvate bight portion 12 having a pair of upper and lower outwardly opening keyhole shaped slots 14 formed therein. The right hand or free ends of the arms are provided with outwardly diverging bent portions which are said to be flared outwardly as at 16 and 18. These flared ends obviously facilitate lining up and applying the yoke when it is installed for use as illustrated in FIG. 1. It may be desirable to provide the terminal end 16 with suitably proportioned and seating notches 20.

The aforementioned attachable and detachable arm-embracing retainer comprises a ringlike link 22 which is of a size and shape that it can be slipped over the flared ends 16 and 18 and shifted along the arms to assume the retaining position illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. The manner in which the legs 24 of this link function is brought out in FIG. 5 wherein it will be observed that the terminal ends are laterally bent as at 26. These end portions are detachably connectible with a component part referred to broadly as an actuator and which as best shown in FIG. 4 comprises a flat platelike clip 28. One end portion 30 is capable of being slid along a surface of the arm 10 as shown in FIG. 2. This end portion is provided with a screw-threaded hole 32 to accommodate the shank of an assembling screw 34 which is adapted to hold in place a kinked assembling cleat 36. The purpose of the cleat is shown in FIG. 5 wherein it will be observed that the cleat is not only fastened to the clip, that is the end portion 30, but the ends thereof are clenched against the laterally bent terminal ends 26 of the aforementioned link 22. Thus, the link is mounted on the clip. The bent end portion 38 of the clip provides a convenient finger grip which allows the clip to be manually handled in whatever manner desired. The clip is connected with the bight portion of the yoke by way of elastic means, more particularly, a stout elastic band 40. This band is of requisite length and tension and is preferably round in cross section. One end is fastened to the keyhole slots 14 as brought out in FIG. 3. The other end 42 is anchored and fastened to the median portion 44 of the clip by way of open-ended keyhole slots 46 which are provided for that purpose. This band acting in conjunction with the clip 28 and the shackling link 22 permits one to catch hold of the clip, stretch the band 40 and fit the link over the arms 10, that is, after the arms have been slid over the legs B and C of the group of chairs, as illustrated in FIG. 1. It follows that with the parts constructed as shown and described the user will find it easy to group a plurality of chairs, slide the yoke into place and then fasten it with the aid of the band attached clip and shackling link.

When the device is not in use it is within the purview of the invention to simply seat the link 22 in the keeper seats 20 and to thus maintain the overall device in ready-to-use form (not illustrated).

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 use when one is called upon to conveniently and compactly stack and retentively group folding chairs for handling, storing and transportation, a readily attachable and detachable baler and holder for said chairs comprising: a yoke having elongated arms which are adapted to straddle and clampingly embrace adjacent legs of a group of stacked chairs, a link-shaped retainer, which when in use, is adapted to encircle and shackle itself in a given but releasable position on said arms, elastic means having one end anchored in a given place on said yoke, and an actuator fastened to said retainer and to which the other end of said elastic means is connected.

2. The chair baler and holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said yoke is of elongated U-shaped form and comprises a pair of spaced parallel leg straddling arms having rearward ends integrally joined by a bight portion and free forward ends having opposed outwardly flared tips which facilitate piloting and guiding the arms into their intended leg embracing and holding positions when the yoke is being lined up with the chair legs.

3. The chair baler and holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said retainer comprises a rigid link which is of a size and shape that it can be slipped by hand over both arms in a manner to clampingly abut an adjacent chair leg and subsequently slid off the legs in a manner to permit the yoke to be freed and disconnected from said legs.

4. The chair baler and holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said elastic means comprises an endless elastic band, said band being stout and having a first arcuately rounded end securely but removably attached to said yoke and a second arcuately rounded end securely but removably attached to a predetermined part of said actuator.

5. The chair baler and holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said elastic means comprises an endless elastic band, said band being stout and having a first arcuately rounded end securely but removably attached to said yoke and a second arcuately rounded end securely but removably attached to a predetermined part of said actuator, said actuator comprising a rigid clip having keyhole slots into which coacting portions of said band are seated and securely anchored.

6. A baler and holder for a group of folding auditorium or similar portable chairs comprising: a readily attachable and detachable one-piece rigid yoke embodying a pair of parallel coplanar arms of a length to straddle and embrace aligned legs of a plurality of collapsed suitably grouped chairs, said arms having inner ends joined by a bight portion having outwardly opening keyhole slots and having free outer ends which are bent and flared outwardly into divergent relationship, a link which when in use, is adapted to slidingly encompass and shackle itself in a yoke retaining position on median portions of said arms, a manually adjustable actuator comprising a clip having one end portion which is adapted to slidingly abut a surface of an adjacent one of said arms and having its other end bent outwardly at an angle and providing an accessibly regulatable finger grip, said shackling link being operatively joined to said one end, and an elastic band having one end anchored in the aforementioned keyhole slots and its other end anchored on said clip.

7. The baler and holder defined in claim 6 and wherein said link is substantially U-shaped and embodies a pair of limbs straddling and hooked over said one end and secured thereto by an oriented cleat, said cleat being joined to said one end by a screw-threaded headed fastener.

8. The baler and holder defined in claim 6, and wherein a median portion of said clip is provided with open-ended keyhole slots in which coacting portions of said elastic band are forcibly wedged and thus anchored in place.