Combination folding chair, canopy, and sunshade

June 3, 1941. κ singewald 2,243,984

COMBINATION FOLDING CHAIR, CANOPY, AND SUNSHADE Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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June 3, 1941. κ. singewald 2,243,984

COMBINATION FOLDING CHAIR., CANOPY, AND SUNSHADE

Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet·2

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Patented June 3, 1941

2,243,984

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,243,984

COMBINATION FOLDING CHAIR, CANOPY, AND SUNSHADE

Karl Singewald, Baltimore, Md.

Application April 1, 1940, Serial No. 327,292

Claims. (Cl. 155—139)

This invention relates to chairs and more particularly to modified forms thereof adapted for use out of doors so that the occupant may be directly subjected to the forces of nature.

Deck, beach, and lawn chairs so constructed as to be easily folded and readily portable are well known and in popular use today. Such chairs, however, as now known, although enabling the user to sit or recline while enjoying the benefits of the out of doors, do not afford protection from undesirable natural conditions. Thus, although the occupant of a chair made according to present practice may enjoy sunshine, he may be annoyed at the same time by insects such as files, mosquitos and the like.

Various devices have been developed for the protection of sun bathers and the like from the action of insects, but these devices as now constructed consist of a net-supporting framework entirely divorced from a chair and adapted to rest on the ground to surround either a person alone or occupying a chair. Such canopies, while effective enough as regards protection, if used with a chair, necessitates the handling and folding of two separate items. Furthermore, if a canopy support of the known type is employed to surround a chair and occupant, it is necessary for the occupant of the chair to get up in order to effect adjustments or removal of the canopy, which, in the case of an Infirm person or an invalid, may be undesirable or even impossible.

It is an object of this invention to overcome all of the foregoing disadvantages while wholly protecting a chair and its occupant from the action of insects or other undesirable natural conditions. It will be especially advantageous to sun bathers in abbreviated attire.

By the employment of the present invention, it is contemplated that folding chairs may be protected in such a way as to permit folding of the chair and protective covering therefor into a single package of a size and weight approximate to that of an unprotected chair.

According to this invention, the use of a chair independently of a protective covering is permitted, while the covering may be brought into operation by a simple adjustment which can be made by the occupant of the chair without leaving the same.

This invention further contemplates the protection of the eyes of the occupant from sunlight whether or not the covering is employed, so that a chair of a wide range of uses is provided in lieu of the present partially satisfactory devices.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of the invention showing the folding chair in sitting position with the cover supports in operative position, the cover being indicated in broken lines in the interest of better illustration;

10: Figure 2 is a view in section taken along the line 2—2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation showing the chair of Figure 1 and its protective cover when the chair is adjusted to reclining position; 15 Figure 4 Is a view taken along the line 4—4 of

Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a portion of a folding chair with the cover support partially retracted, the cover itself 20 being omitted for better illustration; and

Figure 6 is a detail view taken along the line 6—β of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the illustrated preferred form of the invention 25 consists of a folding chair, a support 10 for a protective cover 11 and a sun-shade assembly 12.

The folding chair consists of a seat frame 13 and a back frame 14. Frame 13 comprises side members 15 and IG connected by transverse bars 30 17, 18, 19 and 20 in the customary manner. Frame 14 is similarly constructed and consists of side members 21 and 22 connected together at one end by a transverse bar 23 somewhat longer than bars 18 and 20. Members 21 and 22, 35 at a point remote from bar 23, are mounted for rotation on bar 19 which is coextensive in length with bar 23. By this arrangement frames 13 and 14 are rendered relatively movable about bar 19 as an axis. Furthermore, the length of side 40 members 21 and 22 between bar 19 and bar 23 is in excess of the length of side members 15 and IS between their front ends and pivot point 19 so that frame 14 may be folded forward to lie in the same plane as frame 13 when the chair is 45 folded (see arrow in Figure 2.)

In order to support frame 14 in an upright position as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an additional frame 24 is provided, the respective side members of which are pivotally attached by pins 50 25 to members 21 and 22. Connecting the side members of frame 24 is a bar 26 which is adapted to cooperate with notches 27 and 28 cut in members 15 and 16 to support frame 14 in a desired position.

Near the front end, frame 13 has depending

2,243,984 therefrom two short legs 29, one of said legs being pivotally attached to side member i 5 and the other to member 16 in any suitable way. Note that these legs will be stopped in extended position, by cross bar i8.

In the interest of comfort, the body supporting portion of the chair is made of canvas 30 attached to the frames i 3 and i 4 as shown in Figure 6..

Since the chair is adapted to wholly support the body of the user, a knee bend arrangement is 10 provided adjacent support bar Π by hinging together the component portions of members i5 and 16 at points 31, the hinge being of any conventional type. In order to support the hinged joint at 31, a plate 32 is fixed to the upper face 15 of member '5 on one side of point 31. Hinged extension 33 of plate 32 lies on the upper face of member 15 on the other side of . point 31. Said hinged extension 33 has provided therein a set screw 34 adapted to seat in one of the apertures 20 at 35, thus securing extension 33 to the frame 15 and so holding the front portions of side members 15 and 16 in position. The apertures 35 are so positioned as to permit support of the component parts of the frame member i 5 either in a 25 straight line or as shown in Figure 2. Of course a structure identical to that just described will be associated also with member 16 at its hinged joint 31.

For cooperation with the folding chair a sup- 30 porting structure ί 0 and a cover ί i are provided. Supporting structure iO consists of bows 36, 37 and 38 cooperating with back frame 14 of the chair. Of these, bow 36 is pivotally attached to the inside of frame 14 on pins 39 and is adapted to lie just inside the portions of the frame defined by members 2i and 22 and bar 23 while bows 37 and 38 are mounted adjacent their ends for pivotal movement about ba.r 19. Bow 37 is slightly smaller in width than bow 36 while bow 38 is of still lesser width so that all may be folded into the plane of back frame 14. It will be noted that bows 37 and 38 are mounted intermediate frames i 3 and 14 in such a way that the smallest bow 38 will just exceed in width and length that portion of frame 13 extending toward the front of the chair from bar !9. Thus, all of the bows are adapted to lie in the plane of frame i4 when the chair is in extended position, while, when the chair is folded, frames 13 and !4 and all of the bows will lie in the same plane. So that the bows may be easily moved each is provided with a thickened hub to confine the friction areas (see in particular Figure 1.)

For protecting the occupant of the chair, cover I ί is provided, this cover being attached in any known manner to frame 14 and to each of the bows. Cover 11, as illustrated, consists of mosquito netting but it will be recognized that the supporting arrangement shown is equally adaptable for opaque and/or water-proof coverings depending upon the particular natural condition from which it is desired to protect the user of the chair. When light materials are employed, a tape or cord 50 may be attached to the bows, to hold them in extended position so as to avoid imparting undesirable stresses to the cover. Inasmuch as cover I1 is attached to back frame 14 and extends to and is attached around bow 38, which is adapted to closely surround frame 13, 70 it will be seen that a close fitting insect-proof cover is rendered available. In folded position, cover 11 can be accommodated between the various bows because of the thickening at their respective hubs.

A support 46 is mounted centrally on bar 23 and depends downwardly for a distance a little in excess of the cumulative thickness of all of the bows when they are in the plane of frame 14. 5 This support is rigid and will keep the bows from falling against body support 39. In the event the bows are folded when frame 14 is in a very nearly vertical position, a strap, not shown, may be passed around the frame and bows to hold them in the same plane.

Since bow 38 is larger than the portion of frame !3 which it surrounds when in extended position, supports or plates 41 are provided, these supports extending outwardly from beneath side members 15 and 16 and cross bar 18 for a distance equal to the width of. bows 37 and 38 so that both bows will be held when the arrangement of Figure 2 is desired. Of course, in the event the chair is adjusted as shown in Figure 3, supports 41 will operate only as regards bow 38. Supports 41 are advantageous in that they prevent overstretching of the covering material at all times, but they are of primary importance because they effect an insect proof seal between frame (3 and bow 38. So that a close arrangement between bow 38 and frame 13 will be possible at all times regardless of the adjustment angle at hinge 31, bow 38 has the forward portion thereof hinged at 42, hinges 42 and 31 being equi-distant from the pivot at bar 19. Any type of hinge may be used, but it is desirable that a hinge which locks when the hinged members lie in the same plane be employed. Such a hinge is shown in Patent 1,819,490 issued to Max Weiss. For holding bow 38 closely against supports 41, latches 43 are pivotally attached to the top of frame members 15 and 16 so that they may be moved to overlie an edge of the bow. When not in use, latches 43 are swung parallel to the longitudinal axis of ⁴⁰ members 15 and 16 and in such position they will not interfere with the folding of the device.

Sunshade assembly 12 is also constructed to fold into the plane of frame 14 and consequently into the plane of the entire chair when frames 45 13 and 14 are folded upon one another. The sunshade assembly includes a bow consisting of cylindrical members 44 mounted in bearings 45 which are located on the underside of members 21 and 22 so as to avoid interference with the 50 cover supporting bows when they are in the plane of the back frame 14. A U-member 46 is mounted with its shanks telescopically received in the cylindrical members 44. The transverse bar of the U-member 46 is oval in cross-section 55 and has thereover a sleeve 47 provided with an oval opening. By this arrangement sleeve 47 is slidable but not rotatable with respect to the transverse bar of U-member 46. Two yokes 48 are attached to a sunshade frame 49, the shanks 60 of the yokes overlying sleeve 47 and having bolts 5! thereon, so that the yokes may frictionally engage sleeve 47 to the correct degree to permit frictionally holding frame 49 in various radial positions with regard to said sleeve. Frame 49 has segments of its side bars hinged at 52 so that it may be folded against the transverse bar of U-member 46, while the ends of the frame are frictionally or snap-hinged at 53 for movement into positions such as that illustrated in broken lines in Figure 4. Set screws 54 hold U-member 46 in adjusted position with respect to the axis at 45. A suitable opaque fabric covers frame 49. The chair is extended by moving legs 29 into position and by raising frame 14, thus moving it ⁷⁵ about its axis at 13. Frame 24 is positioned so

2,243,984 that bar 26 will rest in one of the sets of notches in frame members 15 and 16 to support frame 14. The knee bend at hinge 31 is effected by bending members 15 and 16 while placing set screws 34 in suitable apertures 35 to lock the 5 hinges in position. Since sunshade assembly 12 and cover support 10 are adapted to lie in the plane of frame 14, it is quite possible to use the chair in the manner of any conventional folding seat. It will be understood that when the sun- 1« shade lies in the plane of frame 14, the U-member 46 thereof will rest in the notch in the lower end of support 40. If it is desired to use the sunshade while the netting is folded and the components of netting support 10 lie in the plane of 15 frame 14, screws 54 may be loosened to permit retraction of U-member 46 to pass under the folded netting. Thereafter, U-member 46 is extended to the position desired and screws 54 are tightened. Once U-member 46 is adjusted the 20 frame 49 may be opened by straightening the hinges 52. Thereafter, the positioning of the sunshade is effected by sliding sleeve 41 across the transverse bar of U-member 46, moving it about sleeve 47 as an axis, and adjusting the 25 snap or friction hinges. This adjustment may be effected independently of the use of the cover and may be accomplished by a person sitting in the chair by merely reaching up over his head. Inasmuch as netting 11 is translucent it is ap- 30 parent that the sunshade construction may be used to shade the chair occupant’s eyes when the cover is in operative position extended as shown in either Figs. 2 or 3.

To bring the protecting covering into play, it 35 is only necessary to pull bow 38 down to a position where it rests on supports 41. This will cause the remaining bows to be pulled into position, since the material is connected to each bow; and, in the event strap or band 50 is employed, 40 it will likewise serve to position bows 36 and 37. The supporting bows will fall into place regardless of whether the chair is adjusted to sitting position, as shown in Figure 2, or in reclining position, as shown in Figure 3, bow 38 serving 45 to pull bow 37 past vertical position at which time the latter will fall forward as far as the cover material or strap 50, or both, will permit.

It will be recognized that any number of adjustments involving positions of the bar 26 may 50 be effected by simply adding additional notches 28. Additional notches 28 will necessarily provide for the defining of different angles between back member 14 and seat member 13. This may require the employment of additional bows to prop- 55 erly support the mosquito netting or other canopy material.

While the bar 19 has been described as consisting of a single piece, it will be quite apparent that, if a conventional chair is adapted to con- 60 form to the present invention, pins may be attached to the transverse frame bar in order to support the bows. Similarly, it is contemplated that a separate connection may be effected with regard to respective members 15 and 21 and 16 65 and 22, eliminating the necessity for a bar similar to bar 19 which extends entirely across the chair.

Of course, this invention contemplates the extension of the lower ends of back frame 14 to 70 rest on the ground as a support, including the necessary adjustments of the knee bend when this construction is employed. It is also contemplated that the back frame may be pivoted inside the seat frame, in which case the back 75 frame will be the smaller and the bows when folded will lie outside of the same, the outermost bow when extended engaging a plate such as plate 41 extending inwardly of the seat frame. In this 5 type of chair, collapsible arm rests may be attached to the side members of the back frame.

While the preferred form of the invention discussed above contemplates a particular type of folding chair, it will be recognized that the in10 vention has wide applicability as to all types of folding chairs and it is contemplated that many modifications with regard to the construction of the device may be made within the scope of what is claimed and without departing from the spirit 15 of the invention.