US3021176A - Furniture construction - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1962 H. o. EADS ETAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26,. 1958 .z fczro id 0.3azi5 J. WR0& z'san I'NVENTORQ ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 13, 1962 H. o. EADS ETAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1958 Ha r0 ZJ 0.30 is JWRafiison INVENTORS ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 13, 1962 H. o. EADS ETAL FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 26, 1958 [1 0 7'0 ZJQZ'QJS eff/[Ra Zrz'sonmvENToRs ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,021,176 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Harold D. Eads, Vienna, W. Va., and James W. Robison,

Belpre, Ohio, assignors to 0. Ames Company, Parker'sburg, W. Va.

Filed Nov. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 776,500 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-452) This invention relates to furniture construction, and more particularly to the construction of the back and seat portions of metal framed furniture. i

A primary object of the invention is to provide furniture for porch or patio use, wherein the furniture is exposed to the elements. However, it is contemplated to so design the furniture that it will lend style to any decorating program.

Another object of the invention is to provide furniture wherein the back and seat portions thereof are constructed of a hollow plastic cord which is capable of being stretched to one hundred and fifty percent of its original length and to recover ninety-five percent of the stretched length in approximately three seconds, the remaining five percent of the stretch being recovered within approximately one minute, thereby providing a furniture seat or back rest which will readily conform to the body of the person using the furniture without distorting the normal contour of the seat or back rest of the furniture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plastic tube which will firmly grip the furniture frame about which the plastic tube is wrapped, thereby insuring against the plastic tubular wrapping becoming accidently disconnected from the frame.

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 claims, 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.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a chair equipped with a seat and back constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the back of the chair taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmental elevational view of a side rail of furniture wherein a plastic tube is wrapped over the side rail of furniture, the plastic tubular seat bottom being shown in section.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 3.

- FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the plastic tubular material forming the seat or back rest.

Referring to the'drawings in detail, the reference characters 5 and 5' indicate the side rails of a chair seat, the chair being of metal tubing construction and includes a back rest 6 embodying substantially vertical side rails 7 and 7'.

The chair legs are indicated by the reference character 8 and are connected with the seat and back in the usual manner, providing a conventional foldingchair.

As better shown by FIG. 2 of the drawings, the seat portion of the chair comprises a length of plastic tubular material or cord 9 that has its forward end positioned within the opening 10 formed in the forward end of a side rail 5 of the chair seat, from where the cord 9 is stretched across the front of the chair seat and passed through the opening 11 of the opposite side rail 5'. The cord 9 is now stretched consecutively from one side rail to the other, throughout the length of the seat, the rear end of said plastic cord 9 being extended over the upper surface of the side rail 5 at the rear end of said side rail 5, where the extremity of the cord 9 is forced upwardly into the slot 12, formed in the lower surface of the side rail 5 securely attaching the cord 9 to the side rails of the seat section of the chair by frictional contact.

Portions of the side rails 5 and 5' of the seat are countersunk as at 12 adjacent to the walls of the opening 10 and slot 11, so that the plastic cord will flatten at the walls of said openings under pressure, as a result of stretching the plastic cord during the wrapping of the plastic cord over the side rails of the seat, which wrapping stretches the plastic cord 9 approximately ten percent, providing a degree of tension as a result of the plastic cord flattening at the point of contact with the side rails 5 and 5', and at the same time cause the plastic cord to firmly grip the side rails of the chair seat.

e side rail 7 of the back of the chair has an opening 17 which is counter sunk and extends transversely therethrough, in which one end of the plastic tubular cord 18 is secured, the plastic cord 18 passing around the side rail 7' and extending across the back of the chair frame, where it is extended through opening 11 of the opposite rail 7 of the chair frame, as shown by FIGURE 8 of the drawings. From here the cord is consecutively wrapped from one side rail to the other throughout the entire length of said cord. The free end of the cord 18 is now wrapped around the side rail 7 at the base thereof and forced into the opening 19 formed in said rail 7, as shown by FIGURE 10 of the drawings, where it is securely held by frictional contact.

During the wrapping of the plastic cord over the steel tubing of the chair frame, the cord is heated to approximately ninety degrees, which permits the plastic cord to stretch, the shrinkage of the plastic cord as it cools, causing the cord to tightly grip the rails of the chair bottom and remain taut against loosening when exposed to heat from the suns rays for long periods.

The force used in wrapping the plastic tubular cord also flattens the plastic tubular cord around the side rails of the bottom maintaining the wrappings in their proper positions against accidental disarrangement.

Elongated securing plates 21 are curved longitudinally and fitted over and secured to the lower surfaces of the strands or wrappings where thestrands or wrappings contact with rails 5 and 5' of the seat frame by means of screws 22 threaded in openings formed in the side rails 5 and 5' further securing the cord wrappings in their initial positions.

The plastic cord embodies polyvinyl chloride extruded into a hollow cord dia.-.025" wall thickness). The durometc-r hardness of this cord being 92. Plasticizers, and pigments used in compounding make the finished cord extremely resistant to fading and when stretched to 150 percent of its original length it will recover 95 percent in three seconds or less, and the remaining five percent of the length will recover in approximately minute.

While I have shown and described the furniture as a chair structure, it is to be understood that the invention may be carried out in the construction of a chaise longue or other furniture.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Furniture comprising a frame embodying a seat section and back section comprised of tubular side rails having circular openings extending transversely therethrough adjacent to the ends thereof, flexible plastic normally tubular continuous cords wrapped consecutively from one, side rail to the other of said seat section and said back section, providing spaced tubular supporting strands temporarily collapsible under pressure, said cords being wrapped under pressure flattening said normally tubular plastic cords at the points of contact with said side rails adjacent to said openings, securing said cords, and the ends of said plastic cords being wedged within said openings respectively, for expansible contact with the walls of said openings, securing the ends of said cords to said side rails against accidental displacement.

2. Furniture comprising a frame embodying side rails having openings extending transversely therethrouigh adjacent to the ends thereof, a plastic tubular cord collapsible under pressure, wrapped consecutively from one side rail to the other providing spaced supporting strands, the cord being wrapped under pressure flattening said plastic cord at the points of contact with said side rails, the ends of said plastic cord being wedged within said openings respectively, and transversely curved retaining plates secured to the lower surface of said side rails, extending throughout substantially the entire lengths of said side rails in contact with said tubular cord, flattening and compressing said tubular cord at the points of contact with said side rails, securing said plastic tubular cord to said side rails against accidental shifting longitudinally of said side rails of the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 181,870 Meneghelli Jan. 7, 1958 620,591 Jackson Mar. 7, 1899 760,552 Norton May 24, 1904 1,507,188 Kane Sept. 2, 1929 2,612,656 Lyon Oct. 7, 1952 2,622,663 Burd Dec. 23, 1952 2,731,076 Rowland Ian. 17, 1956 2,839,126 ONeill June 17, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS France July 8,

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