Mesh folding chair

• US 9,492,014 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• 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): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US13/245,339
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 297/55, 297/440.11, 297/60, 297/335, 297/440.2, 297/440.21, 297/452.23, 297/452.21, 297/452.36, 297/452.33, 297/239, 297/188.9, 297/188.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 mesh chair includes a seat and a backrest carried between opposite frame sides. The chair has an unfolded seating position in which the seat pivots to extend from the frame sides and bottoms of 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. One or both of the seat and the backrest have 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.

Claims

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; and

b) one or both of the seat and the backrest having a continuous sheet of flexible and elastic patterned open texture plastic held taut across and substantially covering an opening in an all-plastic hoop fixed between the frame sides, wherein

the sheet of patterned open texture plastic is formed together with the all-plastic hoop as a single unit by injection molding.

2. A chair in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the sheet of patterned open texture plastic is distinguished from the all-plastic hoop by thickness, where the all-plastic hoop has a greater thickness than the sheet of patterned open texture plastic and forms a perimeter around the sheet of patterned open texture plastic.

3. A chair in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the sheet of patterned open texture plastic is attached to the all-plastic hoop without mechanical fasteners.