Folding and stacking mesh chair system

• US 8,029,059 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mity-Lite, Inc. (MITY Holdings of Delaware, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mity-Lite, Inc. (MITY Holdings of Delaware, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Richard D., Farnsworth, Orrin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allred; David E
• Application Number:
  US12/422,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 297/55, 297/440.11, 297/239, 248/188.9, 248/188.8
• US Class Current: 297/239
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/04 Stackable chairs; Nesting chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/28 Folding chairs with flexible coverings for the seat or back elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/38 with cross legs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/44 with legs pivotably connected to seat or underframe
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 5/06 Special adaptation of seat upholstery or fabric for attachment to tubular chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/002 Chair or stool bases A47C3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/282 with mesh-like supports, e.g. elastomeric membranes

Abstract

A folding and stacking chair system includes a plurality of folding and stacking chairs having an unfolded seating position in which the chairs are configured for sitting upon, and a folded and stacked position in which the chairs are folded and stacked together. Each chair has a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides each with a backrest support, a front leg and a rear leg. The seat and the backrest each have a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between the backrest supports of the frame sides.

Claims

1. A folding and stacking chair system comprising a plurality of folding and stacking chairs having an unfolded seating position in which the chairs are configured for sitting upon, and a folded and stacked position in which the chairs are folded and stacked together, each 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, with the seat extending from the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved apart in the unfolded seating position, and with the seat pivoted towards the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved together in the folded and stacked position;

b) the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between the backrest supports of the frame sides;

c) the seat having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between a seat frame fixed between the frame sides;

d) the rear legs of the frame sides have a tubular configuration with an open top end;

e) a pair of top stops each one disposed in a different one of the open top ends of the rear legs; and

f) each top stop having an abutment surface to abut the front leg of an adjacent stacked chair and an outer fin and an inner fin forming a stacking channel to receive the front leg of the adjacent stacked chair.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the front and rear legs have matching profiles with the rear legs nesting in the profile of the front legs of the same chair in the folded and stacked position;

wherein adjacent stacked chairs have the front legs of one chair nesting in the profile of the rear legs of another chair in the folded and stacked position; and

wherein the backrest supports of the adjacent stacked chairs are spaced apart in the folded and stacked position.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a front edge of the seat of one chair extends between the backrest supports of an adjacent stacked chair in the folded and stacked position.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seat has a seat-support bar laterally traversing the seat and having an arcuate shape that extends beyond the backrest supports of the frame sides in the folded and stacked position.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein adjacent stacked chairs are separated by the top stop on the rear leg of one chair abutting the front leg of another chair and a foot on a front leg of the another chair abutting the rear leg of the one chair.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein adjacent stacked chairs are laterally secured by a rear leg of one chair received within a channel on a foot of a front leg of another chair and the front leg of the another chair received within the channel on the top stop of the rear leg of the one chair.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

identical feet disposed on the front and rear legs in opposite orientations, each foot having a bottom surface to abut a support surface in the unfolded seating position and oriented at an acute angle with respect to a bottom of the leg, each foot having a channel oriented transverse to the bottom surface.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

each top stop having an abutment surface to abut the front leg of the same chair in the unfolded seating position and an inner fin to abut an inner surface of the front leg of the same chair in the unfolded seating position configured to resist inward bowing of the front leg.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein each top stop further has an outer fin forming a support channel with the inner fin to receive the front leg of the same chair.

10. A system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising:

each top stop having a hard plastic body with a softer material disposed on the abutment surface.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

each top stop having a hard plastic body with a softer material disposed over the outer fin.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

each top stop having a rivet hook extending into the rear legs and around a rivet through the rear legs.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the top stop disposed on the upper end of the rear leg has channels including a support channel receiving the front leg of the same chair in the unfolded seating position and the stacking channel receiving the front leg of an adjacent stacked chair.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seat and the backrest have the 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.

15. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a space separating the seat and the backrest and defining a gap between the sheet of mesh or plastic of the seat and the sheet of mesh or plastic of the backrest, and into which the seat folds in the folded position.

16. A folding and stacking chair system comprising a plurality of folding and stacking chairs having an unfolded seating position in which the chairs are configured for sitting upon, and a folded and stacked position in which the chairs are folded and stacked together, each 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, with the seat extending from the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved apart in the unfolded seating position, and with the seat pivoted towards the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved together in the folded and stacked position;

b) the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between the backrest supports of the frame sides;

c) the seat having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between a seat frame fixed between the frame sides;

d) a top stop disposed on an upper end of the rear leg having channels including;

i) a support channel receiving the front leg of the same chair in the unfolded seating position; and

ii) a stacking channel opposite the support channel and receiving the front leg of an adjacent stacked chair;

e) feet disposed on the bottom of the front and rear legs and having a channel formed therein;

f) adjacent stacked chairs being separated by the top stop on the rear leg of one chair abutting the front leg of another chair and the foot on the front leg of the another chair abutting the rear leg of the one chair; and

g) adjacent stacked chairs being laterally secured by the rear leg of one chair received within the channel on the foot of the front leg of another chair and the front leg of the another chair received within the stacking channel on the top stop of the rear leg of the one chair.

17. A folding and stacking chair system comprising a plurality of folding and stacking chairs having an unfolded seating position in which the chairs are configured for sitting upon, and a folded and stacked position in which the chairs are folded and stacked together, each 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, with the seat extending from the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved apart in the unfolded seating position, and with the seat pivoted towards the frame sides and the front and rear legs moved together in the folded and stacked position;

b) the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic mesh or patterned open texture plastic held between the backrest supports of the frame sides;

c) 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 hoop fixed between the frame sides;

d) a top stop disposed on an upper end of the rear leg having channels including;

i) a support channel receiving the front leg of the same chair in the unfolded seating position; and

ii) a stacking channel opposite the support channel and receiving the front leg of an adjacent stacked chair;

e) feet disposed on the bottom of the front and rear legs and having a channel formed therein;

f) adjacent stacked chairs being separated by the top stop on the rear leg of one chair abutting the front leg of another chair and the foot on the front leg of the another chair abutting the rear leg of the one chair; and

g) adjacent stacked chairs being laterally secured by the rear leg of one chair received within the channel on the foot of the front leg of another chair and the front leg of the another chair received within the stacking channel on the top stop of the rear leg of the one chair.