Granted Patent B2

US 8,033,612 · App. 12/422,801 · Granted Oct 11, 2011

Abstract

Claims (88)

1. A folding chair, comprising:

a) a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides each with a backrest support, a front leg and a rear leg, and having an unfolded seating position in which the seat pivots to extend from the frame sides and bottoms of the front and rear legs move apart, and a folded position in which the seat pivots toward the frame sides and the front and rear legs move together;

b) the seat having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic seat hoop;

c) a pair of plastic lobes formed as one piece with the seat hoop on opposite sides thereof and extending downwardly from the seat hoop in the unfolded seating position;

d) the seat hoop being pivotally coupled between the frame sides with the front legs pivotally coupled to the pair of plastic lobes and the rear legs pivotally coupled to the all-plastic seat hoop;

e) a plastic seat-support bar formed as one piece with the seat hoop and the pair of plastic lobes and laterally traversing the seat hoop and extending from the seat hoop and the pair of plastic lobes in front of the front legs when the seat hoop is in the unfolded seating position;

f) the all-plastic seat hoop of the seat having:

i) opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides coupled to the frame sides; and

ii) a front extending between the hoop sides and arcing downward with respect to the chair in the unfolded seating position; and

g) the sheet of mesh or plastic forming a longitudinally convex arc leg relief near the front of the seat hoop.

2. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the seat is oriented at an incline of between 3-7 degrees with respect to horizontal in the unfolded seating position.

3. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

a width of the chair taken from an outside of the opposite frame sides is equal to or greater than 19 inches.

4. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

a width of the all-plastic hoop of the chair taken at a perimeter of the seat hoop is equal to or greater than 17 inches.

5. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the all-plastic seat hoop forms the sole structural support between the frame sides at a middle of the frame sides.

6. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic hoop fixed between the frame sides; and

the all-plastic hoop of the backrest forming the sole structural support between the backrest supports of the frame sides.

7. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the pair of plastic lobes and the all-plastic hoop of the seat have lateral bearing surfaces that abut the front and rear legs.

8. A chair in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the all-plastic hoop of the seat has a substantially square shape.

9. A folding chair, comprising:

a) a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides each with a backrest support, a front leg and a rear leg, and having an unfolded seating position in which the seat pivots to extend from the frame sides and bottoms of the front and rear legs move apart, and a folded position in which the seat pivots toward the frame sides and the front and rear legs move together;

b) the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic hoop fixed between the frame sides;

c) the all-plastic hoop of the backrest having:

i) opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides coupled to the backrest supports of the frame sides;

ii) a top extending between the hoop sides; and

iii) an arcuate bottom extending between the hoop sides and arcing rearward with respect to the chair and to a greater degree than arcing of the top in a rearward direction;

d) the sheet of mesh or plastic forming a lumbar support near the arcuate bottom of the hoop of the backrest, the sheet of mesh or plastic forming:

i) an upright convex arc between the top and the bottom; and

ii) a lateral concave arc between the hoop sides;

e) the seat having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic seat hoop;

f) a pair of plastic lobes formed as one piece with the seat hoop on opposite sides thereof and extending downwardly from the seat hoop in the unfolded seating position;

g) the seat hoop being pivotally coupled between the frame sides with the front legs pivotally coupled to the pair of plastic lobes and the rear legs pivotally coupled to the all-plastic seat hoop; and

h) a plastic seat-support bar formed as one piece with the seat hoop and the pair of plastic lobes and laterally traversing the seat hoop and extending from the seat hoop and the pair of plastic lobes in front of the front legs when the seat hoop is in the unfolded seating position.

10. A chair in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the bottom of the backrest forms a deeper arc than the top of the backrest.

11. A chair in accordance with claim 9 , wherein

the backrest supports of the frame sides have a tubular configuration with an open top end;

the all-plastic hoop of the backrest has a pair of shoulders extending from the hoop of the backrest and over the open top end of the backrest supports to cover the open top end; and

the all-plastic hoop of the backrest has a pair of opposite side fingers that extend from the pair of shoulders and into the open top end to provide support between the backrest supports.

12. A chair in accordance with claim 11 , further comprising a snap lock between the hoop of the backrest and the backrest supports including:

an elongate finger extending from the hoop of the backrest into the open top end of the backrest supports; and

a hook formed on the finger extending into a hole in the backrest support.

13. A chair in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the all-plastic hoop of the backrest forms the sole structural support between the backrest supports of the frame sides.

14. A chair in accordance with claim 9 , further comprising:

the all-plastic seat hoop forming the sole structural support between the frame sides at a middle of the frame sides.

15. A chair in accordance with claim 9 , wherein only lateral sides of the all-plastic hoop of the backrest are coupled to the frame sides.

16. A folding chair, comprising:

a) a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides each with a backrest support, a front leg and a rear leg, and having an unfolded seating position in which the seat pivots to extend from the frame sides and bottoms of the front and rear legs move apart, and a folded position in which the seat pivots toward the frame sides and the front and rear legs move together; and

b) both of the seat and the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh held taut across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic hoop, the hoop of the backrest fixed between the backrest supports of the frame sides;

c) the all-plastic hoop of the backrest comprising:

opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides coupled to the backrest supports of the frame sides;

a top extending between the hoop sides; and

an arcuate bottom extending between the hoop sides and arcing rearward with respect to the chair and to a greater degree than arcing of the top in a rearward direction; and

d) the sheet of flexible and elastic mesh forming a lumbar support near the arcuate bottom of the hoop of the backrest, the sheet of mesh forming:

an upright convex arc between the top and the bottom; and

a lateral concave arc between the hoop sides;

e) a pair of plastic lobes formed as one piece with the hoop of the seat on opposite sides thereof and extending downwardly from the hoop of the seat in the unfolded seating position;

d) the hoop of the seat being pivotally coupled between the frame sides with the front legs pivotally coupled to the pair of plastic lobes and the rear legs pivotally coupled to the all-plastic hoop of the seat;

e) a plastic seat-support bar formed as one piece with the hoop of the seat and the pair of plastic lobes and laterally traversing the hoop of the seat and extending from the hoop of the seat and the pair of plastic lobes in front of the front legs when the hoop of the seat is in the unfolded seating position;

f) the all-plastic hoop of the seat comprising:

opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides coupled to the frame sides; and

a front extending between the hoop sides and arcing downward with respect to the chair in the unfolded seating position; and

g) the sheet of mesh forming a longitudinal convex arc leg relief near the front of the hoop of the seat; and

h) a width of the all-plastic hoop of the seat taken at a perimeter of the hoop is equal to or greater than 17 inches.

17. A chair in accordance with claim 16 , wherein

the all-plastic hoop of the backrest and the all-plastic hoop of the seat form the sole structural support between the frame sides above a bottom of the frame sides near a lower end of the front and rear legs.

18. A chair in accordance with claim 16 , wherein an upper surface of the seat is at an incline angle of between 3-7 degrees with respect to horizontal in the unfolded seating position.

19. A chair in accordance with claim 16 , wherein only lateral sides of the all-plastic hoop of the seat and the all-plastic hoop of the backrest are coupled to the frame sides.

20. A chair in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the all-plastic hoop of the seat has lateral bearing surfaces that abut the front and rear legs.

21. A chair in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the all-plastic hoop of the seat has a substantially square shape.

22. A folding chair, comprising:

a) a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides each with a backrest support, a front leg and a rear leg, and having an unfolded seating position in which the seat pivots to extend from the frame sides and bottoms of the front and rear legs move apart, and a folded position in which the seat pivots toward the frame sides and the front and rear legs move together; and

b) both of the seat and the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh held taut across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic hoop, the hoop of the backrest fixed between the backrest supports of the frame sides;

c) the all-plastic hoop of the backrest comprising:

opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides with only lateral sides thereof coupled to the backrest supports of the frame sides;

a top extending between the hoop sides; and

an arcuate bottom extending between the hoop sides and arcing rearward with respect to the chair and to a greater degree than arcing of the top in a rearward direction; and

d) the sheet of flexible and elastic mesh forming a lumbar support near the arcuate bottom of the hoop of the backrest, the sheet of mesh forming:

an upright convex arc between the top and the bottom; and

a lateral concave arc between the hoop sides;

e) a pair of plastic lobes formed as one piece with the hoop of the seat on opposite sides thereof and extending downwardly from the hoop of the seat in the unfolded seating position;

d) the hoop of the seat being pivotally coupled between the frame sides with the front legs pivotally coupled to the pair of plastic lobes and the rear legs pivotally coupled to the all-plastic hoop of the seat;

e) a plastic seat-support bar formed as one piece with the hoop of the seat and the pair of plastic lobes and laterally traversing the hoop of the seat and extending from the hoop of the seat and the pair of plastic lobes in front of the front legs when the hoop of the seat is in the unfolded seating position:

f) the all-plastic hoop of the seat comprising:

opposite, parallel, substantially straight, hoop sides coupled to the frame sides and having bearing surfaces that abut the frame sides; and

a front extending between the hoop sides and arcing downward with respect to the chair in the unfolded seating position; and

g) the sheet of mesh forming a longitudinal convex arc leg relief near the front of the hoop of the seat.

Assignments (12)