Collapsible chair with tensioned seat

• US 7,073,852 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IP Power Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Edward Zheng
• Inventors: Zheng, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US10/416,078
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 297/16.2, 297/45, 297/55
• US Class Current: 297/16.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/286 foldable side to side and front to back, e.g. umbrella type

Abstract

A collapsible chair (10) has a first (110) and second (112) front leg, a rear leg (120), a seat support rod (130), and a backrest is attached to the front legs. The legs and the seat support rod are coupled via cross braces (140, 150) such that the seat support rod pivots in one direction while the rear leg pivots in the opposite direction when the front legs are approximated to each other. Preferred chairs comprise a seat that is tensioned when the front legs move apart, and the seat remains substantially tensioned when the seat supports a person.

Claims

1. A collapsible chair, comprising:

a first front leg and a second front leg, a pair of rear legs, a pair of seat support rods, and a backrest;

a first cross brace rotatably coupled to the pair of rear legs and rotatably coupled to the first and second front legs, and a second cross brace rotatably coupled to the first and second front legs and rotatably coupled to the pair of seat support rods;

wherein the pair of seat support rods are rotatably and slidably coupled to the rear legs such that the rear legs approximate the front legs as the front legs approximate each other; and

a backrest attached to the first and second front legs.

2. The collapsible chair of claim 1 wherein the seat is tensioned when the first and the second front legs move apart, and wherein the seat remains substantially tensioned when the seat supports a person.

3. The collapsible chair of claim 2 wherein the seat is fabricated from a weather resistant material.

4. The collapsible chair of claim 2 wherein the seat is removably attached to the pair of seat support rods.

5. The collapsible chair of claim 2 wherein the seat is coupled to the backrest.

6. The collapsible chair of claim 1 wherein the backrest is removably attached to the first and second front legs.

7. The collapsible chair of claim 1 wherein the seat support rod pivots upwardly and the back leg pivots downwardly relative to the first front leg, when the chair is unfolded in an extended configuration.

8. A method of imparting collapsibility into a chair, comprising:

providing a first front leg and a second front leg, a pair of rear legs, a pair of seat support rods, and a backrest;

rotatably coupling a first cross brace to the pair of rear legs and further rotatably coupling the first cross brace to the first and second front legs;

rotatably coupling a second second cross brace to the first and second front legs and further rotatably coupling the second cross brace to the pair of sear support rods;

wherein the pair of seat support rods are rotatably and slidably coupled to the rear legs such that the rear legs approximate the front legs as the front legs approximate each other; and

coupling a backrest to the first and second front legs.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising a step of coupling a set to the seat support rods.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the seat is contiguous with the backrest.