US3197254A - Folding tablet arm chair - Google Patents

Description

July 27, 1965 s. B. HENDRICKSON 3,197,254

FOLDING TABLET ARM CHAIR Filed March 20, 1963 FIGZ INVENTOR. SEVERIN B. HENDRICKSON T BY 14 I I %MQ Q,WQ%MA ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,197,254 FULDHJG TABLET ARM CHAIR Severin B. Hendrieirson, Templeton, Mass, assignor to Heywood-Wakefield Qornpany, Gardner, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 20, 1963, er. No. 266,685 1 Claim. (Cl. 297162) This invention relates to chairs of the type used in auditoriurns and classrooms having writing tablets affixed thereto, and more particularly to an improved means of pivotally supporting a writing tablet whereby it may be displaced from a horizontal position extending across a seated persons lap to a remote side storage position when not in use.

in chairs of the type having immovable horizontally disposed writing tablets afiixed thereto, it is usually necessary for the occupant of the chair to slide beneath the writin tablet when seating himself. This in turn necessitates an awkward bending of the body in order to fit between the tablet and the seat. Where the chairs are placed side by side in closely spaced rows as they ften are in auditoriums and classrooms, this procedure becomes increasingly difficult and often results in annoying disturbances to people already seated in nearby chairs. When it subsequently becomes necessary to stand from a seated position in one of said chairs, the above mentioned bending and sliding is again necessitated, often with the same accompanying disturbances and difficulties.

In an effort to avoid the above-mentioned difficulties, attempts have been made in the past to provide chairs with movable writing tablets. However, the means for mounting the tablets for movement to remote positions in order to facilitate seating have not proved entirely satisfactory. This has been due to a combination of factors including a lack of structural rigidity, a failure f the operating mechanisms to withstand constant use without the need of frequent repairs, and the lack of a smooth and efiicient method of displacing the tablet without disturbing persons sea-ted in adjacent chairs.

Consequently, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved means for pivotally mounting a movable writing tablet on a chair.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for securing the tablet in a remote side storage when not in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a writing tablet having a suitably disposed support member attached thereto and to provide the occupant of the chair with an arm rest when the writing tablet is in the side storage position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a quick and efficient means of displacing the writing tablet from a position extending orizontally across the occupants lap to a remote side storage position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a firm support for the writing tablet when it is in a horizontally disposed position across the users lap.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a means for pivotally displacing the writing tablet capable of undergoing constant use without the need of frequent repair.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:

PEG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair with the writing tablet pivotally displaced to the remote side storage position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the pivotal mechanism taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view show ng the writing tablet pivotally displaced to an intermediate upwardly disposed vertical position prior to its final pivotal displacement to a horizontal position extending above the seat and parallel thereto;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the chair and tablet combination with the tablet in a horizontal position extending above the seat and parallel thereto.

Referring now to H6. 1, a chair generally indicated at 2 and having a seat 4 and a back rest 6 is shown provided with an upwardly disposed tubular side member 8 having pivotally mounted thereon a writing tablet generally indicated at 152. In this illustration, the writing tablet is downwardly displaced in a side storage position, making the chair ready for occupancy without unnecessary obstructions to the user.

Before discussing the procedure for pivotally displacing the writing tablet 1d, the structure of the pivotal assembly generally indicated at ll will be described with specific reference to FIG. 2. Member 8 is provided at its upper extremity with a tubular sleeve portion 12 welded thereto as at 14. A circular spring retaining member 15 is positioned within sleeve portion 12 and supported by the circular upper extremity of side member 8. Member 16 is in turn provided with a raised central portion 18 cooperating with the interior side wall of sleeve portion 12 to form an annular spring retaining groove 26.

Coiled spring 22 is contained by sleeve portion 12 and supported by spring retaining member 1 5 with its lower rim 24 seated within groove 2%. Baffie member 25 having a semi-spherical depression centrally located therein is supported by spring 22 and in turn provides a support for ball 28. The upper surface of ball 23 is seated within a conical depression 31? in spherical member 32, in turn pinned by pin 36 to rod 34 which extends horizontally through apertures 35 in the walls of sleeve 12. As can be seen in PEG. 2, spherical member 32 is further provided with a second conical depression 38 oppositely disposed to conical depression 3i Because spring 22 is held in compression between bafile member 26 and spring retaining member 16, an upward force is exerted on ball 28, tending to firmly position its upper surface within conical depression 39 and thereby impart a locking action to spherical member 32 and rod 34. When rod 34 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, ball 28 is dislodged from depression 30 in spherical member 32 thereby allowing both spherical member 32. and rod 34 to rotate freely through or until the upper surface of the ball seats itself in conical depression 38.

Rod 34 is further provide at one extremity with an integrally fabricated tubular cross member 40 (shown in FIG. 3). As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 3, the writing tablet 15 is comprised of a fiat wooden or metal member 42 supported by braces 44 and 4d attached to its bottom surface. The lower portions of braces 44 and 46 (as seen in FIG. 3) extend in a spaced parallel relationship for a limited distance to form channel 48 therebetween. Brace 44 then subsequently extends angularly away from brace 46 and towards the center of member 42 to provide additional support therefor. Braces 44 and 4d are provided with oppositely disposed apertures through the lower portion thereof and are pivotally attached to tubular cross member 40 by a bolt 50 passed through said apertures and said tubular cross member and secured by nut 52.

Member 42 is additionally provided with an arm support 54 attached to its bottom surface along its lower edge by screws 56.

The method of moviru the writing tablet it} from a d side storage position as shown in FIG. 1 to a horizontal position oppositely disposed from the seat t as shown in FIG. 4 will now be discussed. When the tablet 19 is in the side storage position as shown in FIG. 1, support 5 is horizontally positioned and outwardly disposed with respect to the vertical fiat surface of member 42 in order to provide an arm rest. In addition, as can be best seen in FIG. 2, a semi-circular spacer 39 attached to sleeve portion 12 bears against the edges of braces 44 and 46 in order to extra stabilizing force on the tablet at this point. Thus it can be seen that with the writing tablet in this position, one can easily be seated in the chair without the need of bending or sliding. Furthermore, support 54 provides the occupant with an arm rest, thereby contributing substantially to the overall comfort of the chair.

When the occupant has need of the writing tablet, only two basic movements need be executed. The tablet is first placed in an upwardly disposed position as shown in FIG. 3 by being rotated in its own plane about the longitudinal axis of rod 34. This is done by grasping tablet 1t) and simply rotating it. Rotation of rod 34 will cause a corresponding rotation of spherical member 32 and a dislocation of ball 23 from conical depression 39. As the tablet arrives at the upwardly disposed position shown in FIG. 3, conical depression 33 will have been rotated through approximately 180 to a bottom position and will engage ball 23, thereby resulting in a locking action that will tend to hold the tablet in a vertical position. It should also be noted that when the tablet is in the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 3 with ball 23 seated within conical depression 38, channel 43 located between braces 4 and 46 is in lateral alignment with the upper portion of tubular sleeve 12.

The second step in preparing the writing tablet for use involves the downward pivotal displacement of the tablet about the longitudinal axis of bolt 5% In so doing, rubber bumper 5d held in place on sleeve 12 by screw 63 enters channel 48 and engages the horizontally disposed flanges 62 and 64 of braces idand 46, thereby providing a vertical support for the tablet by exerting an upward force thereon through the braces.

ln order to return the tablet to the side storage position, the reverse procedure is followed. The table is first pivoted upwardly about the longitudinal axis of bolt 50 until bumper 58 is completely clear of channel 48. The tablet is then rotated downwardly in its own plane, causing ball 23 to be dislodge from conical depression 38. This rotation is continued until the tablet has reached the position shown in FIG. 1 and locking engagement is again accomplished by the seating of ball 28 in conical depression 3'1).

Thus it can be seen that the occupant of a chair can stand or be seated without interference from the writing tablet in its side storage position. To use the tablet, only two simple movements are required. These operations can be easily and quickly accomplished without annoyance to persons seated in adjacent chairs and when finally lowered to a position across the occupants lap, the writing tablet provides a sturdy surface which can be used for writing or for the support of books and other matter. In addition, the combined pivotal mechanisms provide a rugged wear-resistant structure capable of long use witl out the need of frequent repairs.

it is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1 claim:

Means for pivotally mounting a flat surfaced writing tablet on a chair for movement from an initial downwardly disposed vertical side storage position through at intermediate upwardly disposed vertical position to a final operative position extending horizontally and in spaced relationship over the seat of said chai said means comprising the combination of a longitudinal upwardly disposed supporting member attached to said chair, piovtal housing having its upper exteremity terminating in a tablet bumper mounted on said upwardly disposed supporting member, a first pivotal means contained within said housing for pivoting said tablet within the plane of said flat surface from said initial downwardly disposed vertical side storage position to said intermediate vertical position, said housing containing means for exerting a holding action on said first pivotal means when said tablet is in said initial and intermediate positions, a second pivotal means operatively connected to said first pivotal means for pivotally displacing said tablet in a direction transverse to said plane from said intermediate position to said final horizontal operative position, said bumper exerting an upward supporting force on said tablet when in said final operative position, and an arm support member mounted on said writing tablet and extending outwardly therefrom, said arm support member having its upper surface coinciding with one edge of said table to provide an arm rest when said tablet is positioned in said downwardly disposed vertical side storage position.

References (iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 533,592 2/95 Hood 297-162 1,031,287 7/12 Page 16-141 1,649,951 11/27 English 5-57 1,905,859 4/33 Hamilton 297-162 2,468,683 4/49 Michal 248-284 X 2,833,335 5/58 Leclair 288-284 X 2,954,073 9/60 Junkunc 297-162 2,999,268 9/61 Strandengen 188-83 X 3,140,894 7/64 Hicke 297-162 FOREIGN PATENTS 527,259 6/31 ermany.

18,370 of/09 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

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