Abstract: The rocking chair includes a ground-resting base, a seat support frame and rocking arms rockably mounting the seat support frame to the base. A seat, defining a front end portion and a rear end portion, is pivotally mounted on the support frame at its front end portion allowing limited up and down movement of its seat rear end portion between an upper position and a lower limit position. A stop is carried by said seat support frame and engages the seat rear end portion in its lower limit position. A spring continuously forces the seat towards said upper position, and the weight of a person seated on the seat rear end portion will effectively lower the seat rear end portion to its lower limit position against the bias of the spring. The rocking chair also includes a unidirectional two part ratchet locking device having a ratchet wheel carried by one of the rocking arms, and a pawl pivotally carried by the seat support frame.

Abstract: The rocking chair comprises a base member, a seat support frame rockably mounted thereon, a seat pivoted at its front end to the support frame for limited up and down movement, the weight of a person seated on the seat lowering the seat to a lower limit position against the bias of a spring, and a two part locking device carried by the base member and by the seat and mutually engageable to lock the chair against rocking when the seat is in its upper position and clearing each other when its lower limit position. Therefore, the chair is automatically locked against rocking when a person leaves the seat.