Chair

May 1, 1945.

O. W. BOLICK, SR

CHAIR

2,374,801

Filed Sept. 2, 1942

Sheets-Sheet 1

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BY

O. W. BOLICK, SR

CHAIR

2,374,801

Filed Sept. 2, 1942

Sheets-Sheet 2

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BY

O. TV._BoiYc7i·

INVENTOR.

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Patented May 1, 1945

2,374,801

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,374,801

CHAIR

Oscar W. Bolick, Sr., Conover, N. C.

Application September 2, 1942, Serial No. 457,072

Claim. (CI. 155—119)

This invention relates to chairs of that type adapted to be upholstered. Heretofore it has been the practice to utilize metal springs for the purpose of providing desired resiliency in..the seat and back portions of chairs. Due to the 5 shortage of metals at the present time, it has been found necessary to utilize means' other than metal springs in order that chairs may retain their cushioning qualities.

An object of the present invention is to pro- 10 vide simple but efficient means whereby the seat and back portions of the chair can be made properly, resilient without the employment of metal springs, the means employed being simple, durable and efficient and so constructed as to 15 be applied readily to a chair frame and to be easily removed therefrom when repairs or replacements are deemed necessary.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the chair, the cushions being indicated by dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a front elevation with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3—3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4—4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one front corner portion of the seat frame.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6—6, Figure 5.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates the seat frame of a chair, the same being supported by front legs 2 and rear legs 3. The rear legs have upwardly extended portions 4 connected as at 5 so as thus to form a back frame rigidly joined to the seat frame.

The inner corners of the upper portions of the legs 2 are cut away as shown at 6 to provide seats 7. Secured to the sides of the frame I adjacent to the front legs 2 are blocks 8 and these blocks cooperate with the cut-away portions 6 of the legs 2 to provide sockets or recesses. Depending within each of the recesses is a loop 9 formed of flexible soft material the ends of which overlap each other and are secured to the top of the block 8 as indicated at 10. Each of these loops forms a silencer for receiving one end of a resilient flat bar 11 of wood having the desired degree of resiliency and this bar is extended transversely of the seat frame close to the front: thereof.

Secured to the inner sides of the members 4 close to the top connections 5 are blocks, 12. each of which has a deep recess l 3 extending thereinto from its front edge forming a pocket. Seated in this pocket is a loop ί 4 of soft flexible material having its ends fastened by means of tacks 15 or the like. These loops constitute silencers and embrace the ends of a resilient cross-bar 16 of wood which is located between the side members 4 close to the top thereof and is adapted to flex downwardly.

For the purpose of preventing the bar 16 from being accidentally withdrawn from its terminal seats, cover strips 17 are detachably secured to the front edges of the side members 4 by means of screws or the like.

A flexible sheet of fabric indicated at 18 has one end wrapped about and fastened to the bar 16 and from this bar said sheet is extended downwardly and thence forwardly, the forward end being wrapped around and secured to the bar II. Extending transversely of and secured to the sheet 18 within the angle formed by the seat portion S and back portion B of the sheet is a restraining strip 19 of suitable fabric the ends of which are extended downwardly and backwardly and detachably secured in any suitable manner to the back portion of the seat frame. This restraining strip 19 is adapted to hold the seat 18 under tension, this tension being maintained because of the fact that ibar 11 is adapted to flex backwardly while the bar -16 is adapted to flex downwardly.

The seat portion S of the structure is designed to support a stuffed seat cushion indicated generally at C while the back portion B of the sheet 18 is adapted to support a stuffed back cushion C'. These cushions C and C' can be detachably mounted on the sheet or they can be secured to it.

Obviously when the seat cushion C is subjected to the weight of a load, the supporting seat portion S of the sheet will flex downwardly under the load, this being permissible due to the fact that the bar 11 will be caused to flex backwardly while bar 16 will be caused to flex downwardly. Additional downward flexing of the bar 16 will occur when a back pressure is exerted against the cushion C' and the back portion B of the sheet 18.

If desired the angle portion of the sheet 18 or

2,874,801 seat bottom can be stiffened transversely by means of a transverse wooden bar 20 under the sheet and attached at its ends to the sheet.

When it is desired to remove the seat bottom formed by the sheet 18 and the parts connected thereto, it becomes merely necessary to pull upwardly on the bar ί I so as to lift it and the loops 19 out of the pockets or recesses in which they are seated. The cover plate 17 can then be detached and the bar 16 pulled forwardly from the recesses in which it is seated. The ends of the restraining strip 19 can then be disconnected from the chair bottom whereupon the entire structure made up of the sheet 18 and the bars can be removed. This is desirable for the purpose of cleaning the parts or for making repairs or replacements.

It has been found in practice that a chair such as herein described possesses all of the essential resiliency of an ordinary chair provided with metal springs. It is less expensive, however, than a chair utilizing metal springs and is also advantageous because of the ease with which the parts can be assembled and taken apart, the durability of the structure, and the efficiency thereof.