Collapsible wheeled dual-chair

Abstract

A collapsible dual-chair with trolley has a frame configuration which includes a plurality of tubular legs pivotally connected by pins and joined together by pivotal joint members. The frame configuration is collapsible and forms a dual-seat support when fully opened. A rigid base having wheels is mounted to a joint member and is attached to the frame configuration at a low end thereof such that the frame configuration can be converted into a trolley mode to transport especially when collapsed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to collapsible chairs and, more particularly, to a collapsible dual-chair with wheels which can be collapsed into a compact unit for transportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There are numerous designs of folding or collapsible chairs in the marketplace which can be quickly and easily opened for use and collapsed into a compact unit for transportation. Efforts have been made to design multiple folding or collapsible chair arrangements so that when two or more persons join together to have outdoor activity, they do not need to bring more foldable or collapsible chairs in order to provide adequate seating. Examples of such efforts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,928, issued to Staunton et al on Nov. 5, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,119, issued to Zheng on May 15, 2001. Staunton et al and Zheng describe respectively, in their patents, affordable dual-chairs which include a pair of chair frame assemblies each including a plurality of leg members pivotally connected by pins and joined together by pivotally joined members so that the collapsible dual-chair can be collapsed into a relatively compact unit for storage or transportation.

[0003] However, those collapsible dual-chairs include a number of frame members generally made from metal materials. Thus, the collapsed dual-chair frames are still relatively bulky and heavy to carry, particularly when they have to be carried some distance, for example, from a vehicle in a parking place. Therefore, it is desirable to have a collapsible dual-chair which is convenient to transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible chair with a trolley for transporting the chair.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible dual-chair which can be stably supported on a support surface during use and has wheels wherein the dual-chair can also be easily collapsed into a trolley mode to be moved on the support surface.

[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a collapsible chair is provided which comprises a frame assembly, including a plurality of leg members pivotally connected and joined together by pivot joint members. The frame assembly is collapsible and forms a seat support when fully opened. A base is provided which includes at least a runner rotatably mounted thereto. The base is integral with at least one joint member at a lower end of the frame assembly and is adapted to be converted into a trolley mode when collapsed. The runner can be at least a wheel or pair of wheels journaled to the base.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, a pair of wheels is mounted to the base in a position such that the bottom of the base contacts a support surface when the frame assembly is fully opened and supported on the support surface, and the wheels are adapted to roll on the support surface when the frame assembly is collapsed into the trolley mode and tilted for movement. Thus, the collapsible chair provides a stable support on the support surface without the need of a brake device to lock the wheels.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, a collapsible dual-chair is provided which comprises a pair of frame assemblies, each including a plurality of leg members pivotally connected by pins and joined together by pivot joint members. Each frame assembly is collapsible and forms a seat support when fully opened. At least one pivot joint member at a lower end of the pair of frame assemblies is provided with a runner such as a wheel journaled to the joint member adapted to be converted into a trolley mode when the frame assemblies are collapsed.

[0009] Other advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood with reference to preferred embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Having thus generally described the nature of the present invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration the preferred embodiments thereof, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional collapsible chair;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of a collapsible dual-chair according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the collapsible chair of FIG. 2, showing the fabric seat, armrests, and a center piece;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the collapsible dual-chair of FIG. 2 without the fabric covers, showing a pair of frame assemblies;

[0015] FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a base with wheels, used in the collapsible dual-chair of FIG. 2;

[0016] FIG. 5b is a perspective view of a base according to an alternative embodiment;

[0017] FIG. 5c is a perspective view of a base according to another embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the base with the wheels according to a further embodiment of the present invention, showing the base in a supportive position;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the base of FIG. 6, showing the base in a moving position;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a frame assembly of a dual-chair according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 9a is a perspective view of a case for containing the collapsible dual-chair of FIG. 2;

[0022] FIG. 9b is a perspective view of the collapsible dual-chair of FIG. 2 in the collapsed position and covered by the case;

[0023] FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of another embodiment of the dual-chair;

[0024] FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a detail of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10;

[0025] FIG. 12 is a side elevation of the detail shown in FIG. 11; and

[0026] FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the detail shown in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a typical example of a conventional collapsible chair 10 which includes a tubular frame assembly having a plurality of leg members 12 pivotally connected by pins 14 and joined together by pivot joint members 16a and 16b. A fabric cover 18 is attached to the frame assembly to form a seat base and a back support when the frame assembly is fully opened, as illustrated. The frame assembly with the fabric cover 18 can be collapsed into a compact unit for storage and transport.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the collapsible dual-chair, according to one embodiment of the present invention, generally indicated by numeral 20, includes a pair of frame assemblies 22 made from tubular members or legs. Each frame assembly 22 includes a pair of front cross legs 24, 26, a pair of back cross legs 28, 30, a pair of outer-side cross legs 32, 34, and a pair of inner-side cross legs 36, 38. Each pair of cross legs are pivotally joined together at their proximate centers by a pivot pin 40. The upper ends and lower ends of the pairs of cross legs are connected together using joint members 42, 44. In each frame assembly 22, seven joint members 42 are provided. With the frame assembly 22 in the fully opened position, one of the joint members 42 at each lower corner of the frame assembly 22, connects the lower end of a front leg 24 to a lower end of the inner-side leg 36, the lower end of another front leg 26 to a lower end of the outer-side leg 32, a lower end of another outer-side leg 34 to a lower end of a rear leg 30, as well as a lower end of another rear leg 28 to a lower end of the other inner-side leg 38, respectively. One of the joint members 42 at each rear upper corner of the frame assembly 22 connects an upper end of one outer-side leg 32 to an upper end of the rear leg 28, and an upper end of another rear leg 30 to an upper end of one inner-side leg 36, respectively. One of the joint members 42 at the inner-side front upper corner of the frame assembly 22 connects an upper end of the other inner-side leg 38 to an upper end of one front leg 26. All the connections are pivotable.

[0029] The joint member 44 at the outer-side front upper corner of the frame assembly 22 connects an upper portion of the outer front leg 24 to the upper end of the other outer-side leg 34.

[0030] The seven joint members 42 for each chair frame assembly 22 are substantially similar and include a pad providing walls or slots for pivotally connecting ends of at least two tubular legs, and an opening for receiving an end of a tubular leg, for example, pinned therein or receiving a tubular leg slidably extending therethrough, which will be further described hereinafter. The joint member 44 is similar to the joint members 42 except that the joint member 44 is modified to have a slot extending through the pad so that an extension 46 on the front leg 24 can slidably pass through the joint member 44, thereby forming a support for armrest 47. The detailed structure of the joint member 42 and joint member 44 are well known in the art as, for example, being described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,406 which issued to Lee on Nov. 16, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,119.

[0031] Each chair frame assembly 22 further includes two rear posts 48, 50 and a front post 52. The rear posts 48 and 50 are attached at their bottom ends to lower end joint members 42, and slide through the two upper end joint members 42. Thus, upper sections of the respective rear posts 48 and 50 extend upright from the upper-end joint members 42 to secure a flexible back support 53, made, for example, from fabrics, by means of fasteners. The front post 52 is attached to the lower-end joint member 42 at the inner-side front corner of the frame assembly 22 and slides through the corresponding upper-end joint member 42 so that an upper section of the front post 52 extends upright from that upper-end joint member 42 and thereby the upper sections of the two front posts 52 of the dual-chair 20 support a flexible centerpiece 54.

[0032] The centerpiece 54 is made, for example, from fabric and is generally rectangular, mounted to the front posts 52 and two rear posts 50 in a manner similar to that for mounting the armrest 47. Two openings 58 are preferably provided in the centerpiece 54 with pockets (not shown) attached therebeneath for receiving and holding beverage containers when the dual-chair 20 is in use. An opening 69 is provided through the centerpiece 54 at the rear thereof which will be explained hereinafter.

[0033] A seat 56 made of flexible material such as fabric can be mounted on each frame assembly 22 in a manner well known in the art, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,406. The seats are fully extended when both chair frame assemblies 22 are fully opened, and restrict the frame assemblies 22 from being further opened. The four corners of each seat 56 move upwards together with the upper-end joint members 42, 44 and the seats 56 collapse when the frame assemblies 22 are collapsed. The flexible back supports 53 and the flexible armrests 47 are also collapsed.

[0034] In an alternative arrangement, the front post 52 constitutes a telescoping configuration so that the upper section of each front post 52 is slidingly extendible with respect to the lower section and can be adjusted to a position for supporting the centerpiece 54 at a required height level. A stop member (not shown) is attached to the top end of the upper section of each front post 52 such that when the frame assemblies 22 are collapsed, the upper-end joint members 42, which move along the respective front posts 52, will abut the stop members and further extend the upper sections of the front posts 52 until the frame assemblies 22 are completely collapsed. Thus, the upper-end joint member 42, which moves along the respective front post 52 and the corresponding corner of the seat 56, will not be detached from the respective front posts 52 when the frame assemblies 22 are completely collapsed, even if the required length of the upper sections of the respective front posts 52 is relatively short in order to properly support the centerpiece 54 of the chair 20.

[0035] The two frame assemblies 22 are interconnected by a rigid base 60. The base 60 includes two wheels 64 (see FIG. 2) rotatably mounted in a spaced-apart relationship, preferably at opposed sides thereof, so that the two frame assemblies 22 can be converted into a trolley to be moved on a support surface when the two frame assemblies 22 are collapsed. A handle 61 is preferably provided, interconnecting the two rear inner-side posts 50 at their top ends, which can be grasped to tilt the collapsed dual-chair 20 for movement. This will be further described hereinafter. Optionally, a rigid connecting bar and/or connecting tubular member 63 can be provided, interconnecting the two front posts 52 either at their bottom end and attached to the bottom of the corresponding lower-end joint members 42, or at an upper position immediately below the corresponding two upper-end joint members 42.

[0036] The details of the base 60 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5a-7. The base 60 generally includes an elongate body 62 and two wheels 64 which are rotatably mounted to the base body 62 at opposite sides thereof.

[0037] According to one embodiment as shown in FIG. 5a, the base 60 further includes two support pads 66 extending forwardly from the forward side of the body 62 at the opposed sides near the bottom. The lower-end joint members 42 at the inner-side rear corner of the chair frame assemblies 22 of FIG. 4 are attached to the respective support pads 66. Optionally, the body 62 has two holes 67 located in the top at opposed sides thereof for receiving the respective rear inner-side posts 50. In such an embodiment, the rear inner-side posts 50 are directly attached to the base 60, and the two lower end joint members 42 of FIG. 4 attached to the support pads 66 only pivotally connect legs 28, 38. The base 60 preferably further includes a center plate 68 forwardly extending from the front surface of the body 62 and having a sleeve member 70 affixed thereto for receiving a bottom end of an umbrella post (not shown) when the collapsible dual-chair 20 is fully opened for use.

[0038] An alternative configuration of the base 60 is illustrated in FIG. 5b which is similar to that shown in FIG. 5a except that the center plate 68 is thicker and a bore 71 is provided therein instead of the sleeve member 70, for receiving the bottom end of the umbrella post.

[0039] Another configuration of the base 60 illustrated in FIG. 5c will be described with reference to FIG. 9 hereinafter.

[0040] The two wheels 64 are mounted to the body 62, protruding from a rear, bottom corner 72, as more clearly shown in FIG. 7, so that the wheels 64 are adapted to roll on a support surface for movement when the collapsible dual-chair 20 of FIG. 4 is collapsed and the rear inner-side posts 50 are tilted to be pulled or pushed.

[0041] The body 62 has a bottom surface 74 located at a relatively front location with respect to the rear bottom corner 72, which is lower than the corner 72, as more clearly shown in FIG. 6. When the frame assemblies 22 of FIG. 4 are fully opened and supported on the support surface for use, the bottom surface 74, rather than the wheels 64, contacts the support surface. Therefore, the weight load of two persons sitting on the dual-chair 20 is distributed to the base 60 and other legs, and so the wheels 64 will not have to bear such a load. This configuration ensures that the wheels 64 are only used when the frame assemblies 22 are collapsed and converted into a trolley, and need support only the weight of the collapsed dual-chair 20. Thus, the base 60 with the wheels 64 can be manufactured as a relatively light structure, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. A stable support is also provided when the collapsible dual-chair 20 is fully opened during use because no part of the frame assemblies 22 are supported directly on the wheels. It should be noted that because of the thickness of the base 60 and the thickness of the connecting bar 66, the outer-side lower-end joint members 42 of FIG. 4 should have a thicker pad so that the lower ends at all corners of each frame assembly 22 are positioned on a single plane in order to provide a stable support on the support surface when the dual-chair 20 is fully opened.

[0042] Continuing with reference to FIG. 4, an umbrella support bar 76 is provided, extending between and secured to the respective rear inner-side posts 50 immediately below the two upper end joint members 42 which slidably receive the respective rear inner-side posts 50. Similar to the base 60, the umbrella support bar 76 includes a center plate 78 having a bore 80 extending therethrough, substantially aligned with the sleeve member 70 of FIG. 5a or bore 71 of FIG. 5b so that an umbrella post (not shown) can extend through opening 69 of the centerpiece 54 (see FIG. 3) and bore 80 of the umbrella support bar 76, into the sleeve member. 70 or bore 71 when an umbrella is attached to the dual-chair 20.

[0043] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the legs 24 shown in FIG. 4 do not necessarily need an extension 46 in order to form an armrest support, so that the legs 24 can be identical to other legs and the joint members 44 can be similar to the other joint members 42. In order to form an armrest support, a tubular member having a length similar to that of the upper section of the front post 52 can be attached to the pad of the upper-end joint member 44 in each frame assembly 22. This concept is briefly illustrated in FIG. 1 with the two tubular members shown by broken lines.

[0044] Generally, each frame assembly 22 of the collapsible dual-chair 20 of FIG. 4 can be made in various configurations. Therefore, any single collapsible or foldable chair available in prior art can be used as one of the chair frame assemblies 22 and two such collapsible or foldable chairs available in prior art can be interconnected by the base 60 with wheels 64 to form a collapsible dual-chair 20 with trolley in accordance with the present invention. The two collapsible or foldable chairs to be connected by the base 60 to form the dual-chair with trolley can be incorporated together sharing a number of components. One example thereof is described below.

[0045] In FIG. 8 a collapsible dual-chair 20′ is similar to the collapsible dual-chair 20 shown in FIG. 4, except that the two chairs are positioned immediately next to one another and there is no space provided therebetween for a centerpiece. The components and features of the collapsible dual-chair 20′ similar to those of the collapsible dual-chair 20 are indicated by similar numerals and will not be redundantly described. In comparison to the collapsible dual-chair 20, the collapsible dual-chair 20′ has the two frame assemblies 22 incorporated together, sharing a single rear inner-side post 50, and four joint members 42a located between the two chair frame assemblies 22 are shared by both frame assemblies one of the lower-end joint members 42a at the front of the dual-chair 20′ pivotally connects the lower ends of the respective two legs 24 and leg 36. One of the lower-end joint members 42a at the rear of the dual-chair 20′ connects lower ends of two legs 28 and leg 38. One of the upper-end joint members 42a at the rear of the dual-chair 20′ connects the upper ends of the respective two legs 30 and leg 36. The remaining one of the upper-end joint members 42a at the front of the dual-chair 20′ connects upper ends of the respective two legs 26 and leg 38.

[0046] The bottom end of the rear inner-side post 50 is also attached to the lower-end rear joint member 42a which pivotally connects the lower ends of the respective leg 38 and two legs 28, and slidably extends through the upper-end rear joint member 42a which pivotally connects the upper ends of the respective leg 36 and two legs 30. The top end of the rear post 50 is attached with the handle 61. There are no front posts, such as posts 52 shown in FIG. 4, because the collapsible dual-chair 20′ does not provide a centerpiece like that shown in FIG. 3.

[0047] The lower-end rear joint member 42a which is attached to the bottom end of the rear post 50 is secured to the base 60 which is more clearly shown in FIG. 5c. The base 60 of FIG. 5c, similar to that shown in FIG. 5a, includes the elongate body 62 and has the two wheels 64 (only one shown) rotatably attached to the body 62 at opposed sides thereof. The wheels 64 protrude from the rear, bottom corners 72 at opposed sides of the body 62. The base 60 in FIG. 5c includes only one support pad 66 for attachment of the lower-end rear joint member 42a which pivotally connects the lower ends of the respective leg 38 and two legs 28, and secures the lower end of the rear post 50, as illustrated in FIG. 8. The support pad 66 is secured to a central portion of the front surface of the body 62 at a lower position. The bottom surface 74 of the support pad 66 is positioned lower than the rear bottom corners 72 such that the bottom surface 74 rather than the wheels 64, contacts a support surface and supports the load together with other legs when the base 60 is mounted to the collapsible dual-chair 20′ and the frame assemblies 22 are fully opened and supported on the support surface in use. The bore 71 for receiving the bottom end of an umbrella post (see FIG. 5c) is provided in the top of the body 62 at a center portion thereof behind the support pad 66. A hook or a ring (not shown) can be slidably attached to an upper section of the rear post 50 for holding the umbrella in position when the umbrella post extends through that hook or ring and is engaged at the bottom end thereof in the bore 71 of the base 60 shown in FIG. 5c.

[0048] A case 82 (as illustrated in FIGS. 9a-9b) is preferably provided in accordance with the present invention. The case 82 includes four side walls 84, an open bottom end 86, and a closed top end 88 which defines at its center a slot 90 extending therethrough. The case 82 has dimensions such that when the collapsible dual-chair 20 or 20′ is completely collapsed, it will fit therein with the wheels exposed from the open bottom thereof, as shown in FIG. 9b. The handle 61 extends upwards and out of the top end 88 through the slot 90 so as to be grasped to tilt the collapsed dual-chair 20 or 20′ in order to be pulled or pushed for movement.

[0049] Fastening means such as tie ropes (not shown) can be attached to the case 82 at the open bottom 86, and a case handle 92 is provided at a center position of either a front wall or rear wall thereof. Thus, the collapsed dual-chair 20 or 20′ can be lifted when the collapsed dual-chair 20 or 20′ is contained within the case 82 and secured therein.

[0050] Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 through 13, the similar elements have been raised by 100.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 10, the dual seat assembly 120 includes a pair of frame members 122 having seats 156 and back rests 153 with arm rests 147. In this embodiment, there is no fixed base 60, but the various leg members, such as 158 and 160, are pivoted at the joints 142 and 142a.

[0052] FIGS. 11 through 13 show the detail of the joint 142a which includes the platform 180 to which the tubular leg members 130 and 132 are pivoted while leg member 148 is fixed to the platform 180. The platform 180 also mounts a wheel 182 through the journal pin 184. The joint 142a can be provided on the outermost legs or the innermost legs presently identified by 142 in FIG. 10. It is also contemplated that wheels 182 could be provided at the joints 142a and 142, that is, on all four rear joints.

[0053] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 show a much lighter frame assembly without the base 60, that is, the base is integrated into the joints 142, 142a with the wheels being mounted directly to the lower joints 142a.

[0054] The wheels 182 are journaled to the platforms 180 such that the wheels 182 do not contact the support surface when the chairs 122 are in the upright, deployed position. It is only when the chairs 122 are collapsed and tilted in the trolley mode that the wheels 182 engage the support surface.

[0055] Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiment of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A horizontally collapsible chair comprising:

at least one frame configuration including a plurality of leg members pivotally connected and joined by pivotal joint members, each said frame configuration being collapsible and forming a seat support when fully opened; each said frame configuration including a rear outer-side post, and a rear inner-side post operatively connected to a plurality of the leg members, an upper section of the respective posts forming a back support when the frame assembly is fully opened: each said frame configuration comprising a pair of outer-side cross legs, a pair of inner-side cross legs, a pair of front cross legs and a pair of rear cross legs, the legs of each pair being pivotally connected by pins and the pairs of the cross legs being joined with one another at lower ends and upper ends thereof by the pivotal joint members, respectively; and

at least a rigid base having at least a runner mounted thereto including at least one wheel in order that said chair can be easily transported over a support surface, the base being associated with at least a joint member at the lower end of the legs of the frame configuration whereby the frame configuration may be horizontally collapsed and converted into a trolley mode to be transported.

2. (Cancelled)

3. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom of the base contacts said support surface when the frame configuration is fully opened and supported on the support surface for use, and wherein said at least one wheel is adapted to roll on the support surface when the frame configuration is tilted into the trolley mode.

4. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one wheel protrudes from a rear, bottom corner of the base in a cross-section thereof.

5-12. (Cancelled)

13. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame configuration comprises a pair of frame assemblies.

14. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 13, wherein bottom ends of the respective inner-side posts are secured to the base in a spaced apart relationship, and top ends of the respective inner-side posts are connected by a handle.

15. (Cancelled)

16. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 14, wherein a lower-end pivotal joint member between the pair of inner-side cross legs and the pair of rear cross legs of each frame assembly is attached to and supported on the base, and wherein a lower-end pivotal joint member between the pair of outer-side cross legs and the pair of rear cross legs of each frame assembly is attached to a bottom end of the rear outer-side post.

17. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a case having an open bottom and a closed top, the top including a slot to permit an upper section of the two inner-side rear posts to extend therethrough and thereby exposing the handle when the frame assemblies are collapsed and inserted into the case from the open bottom thereof.

18. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for detachably holding an umbrella.

19. A collapsible chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame configuration comprises more than two frame assemblies.