US3565486A - Multiple use chair - Google Patents

Abstract

A VERSATILE CONTOURED CHAIR FOR MULTIPLE USE INDOORS OR OUTDOORS. THE BOTTOM IS PROVIDED WITH STUBBY LEGS SURROUNDED BY RADIAL CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FINS. THE LOWER ENDS OF THESE LEGS ARE PROVIDED WITH ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE GLIDES. EACH GLIDE EMBODIES A FRICTION-HELD CUP

EQUIPPED WITH A COASTER-TYPE FOOT, MORE PARTICULARLY, A DISK WHICH IS JOINED TO THE CUP BY A BALL AND SOCKET JOINT AND IS ACCORDINGLY SELF-LEVELLING. THE LEGS ARE SUCH AS TO PERMIT OPTIONAL USE OF A ATTACHABLE BUOYANT PAD.

Description

R. M. CHANNON MULTIPLE USE CHAIR I FeB. 23;-1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1968 INVENTOR.

BY 1 Wavy 19M and ' Feb. 23,1911 M, CHANNQN 3,565,486

MULTIPLE USE A CHAIR Filed Nov. 15, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Robert M. Channon INVIZNTOR.

eon Wave 193M United States Patent 3,565,486 MULTIPLE USE CHAIR Robert M. Channon, 524 Leeridge Terrace, Glendale, Calif. 91206 Filed Nov. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 776,107 Int. Cl. A47c 7/00, 7/14 US. Cl. 297-445 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a multiple use chair which lends itself to versatile use indoors and outdoors and which, generally construed, comprises a form-fitting contoured smoothfinished chair which has short legs at its respective corners, said legs being such in construction that they facilitate attaching an optionally usable buoyant pad to the underneath side of the chair bottom.

More specifically, the herein disclosed chair has stubby corner legs with attachable self-levelling feet. Thus constructed the chair can be used by itself in numerous ways, which will be hereinafter revealed. However, and to the over-all ends desired, these same legs permit feasible and highly desirable attachment use of a buoyant pad, the latter being adapted to function as a float in a private or public pool or the like, for poolside use and as a complement to the chair when it is used in many and differing ways and such as will be set forth with greater particularity in the following description.

Briefly, the chair by itself is made of high impact plastic material, polypropylene for example, and is virtually indestructible, is such in shape and design that it provides a comfortable seat for low coffee tables, adjacent sunken fire pits, in sation Wagons, boats, campers, house boats, for use on a patio, at the beach, at a poolside, and for watching TV indoors or outdoors. The outwardly flaring short legs at the corners of the chair bottom well serve their many purposes and for best results the attachable and detachable swivel-type glides provide serviceable multipurpose self-levelling feet. The legs, equipped with unique radial fins, are ideally suited for use in conjunction with a colorful foam rubber chair supporting pad whose apertured corner portions fittingly accommodate the coacting legs in such a manner that the pad serves as a convertible base and provides a float. Then, too, the pad is held in its usable position by the disk-like feet of the above-named glides.

One and a significant object of the chair and pad combination is that wherein it enables an occupant to float and rove submarine style with only the head and shoulders above the waters surface. This mode of use is recommended for swimmers only for the reason that, as can be understood, considerable trial and error practice is required to maintain a safe and reliable upright position. This manner of use requires balance and skill but promotes fun and self-serving exercise.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the ready-to-use multiple use chair constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the buoyant pad in its attached position.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken approximately on the plane of the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view on a similar scale at right angles to FIG. 2 and taken on the section line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view with parts in section and elevation showing the composite leg construction, the view being taken on thevertical line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exploded type illustrating the chair with one leg showing, the corner-apertured pad, and the four swivel-type glides.

FIG. 6 is a view in perspective showing how the novel chair can float atop a body of water.

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective based on FIG. 6 and showing how the occupant is enabled to rove about in the aforementioned submarine style.

FIG. 8 is a view in side elevation showing how the chair at the right can be poised and supported in a position during which time the pad serves as a convenient backrest.

FIG. 9 is a view in side elevation showing how the chair can be inverted and positioned to function as a hood and sun shield.

The chair by itself is denoted by thenumeral 10 and the optional and readily attachable and detachable buoyant pad is denoted by thenumeral 12. The chair is preferably but not necessarily of one piece construction and is of a form fitting carefully contoured type. It can be and usually is made of high impact polypropylene and is light in weight and, as experience has shown, is virtually indestructible. This chair is characterized by a dishedbottom 14 which provides the dished configuration shown in FIG. 2. The forward lip portion of the bottom is denoted at 16. The integral upstanding backrest is denoted generally by the numeral 18 (FIG. 2) and has alower half portion 20 and an upper extension orhalf portion 22. The marginal edges particularly of the upper half portion are suitably rolled to provide the desired bead effect as denoted at 24. The upstanding opposed spaced parallel side walls which border the margins of the seat portion are denoted at 26 and the rolledfree edges 28 provide comfortable armrests. Thebottom 14 is porvided on its underneath side at its respective four corners with composite depending outwardly flaring oblique angled legs. These legs are the same in construction and a description of one will suflice for all. With reference to FIG. 4 it will be seen that each leg comprises a relatively short cylindricaltubular component 30 which provides a socket member for the inserted tube orsleeve 32. The sleeve is secured in place so that thelower end portion 34 projects as denoted in FIG. 4 and serves as a floor or surface contacting member. Each leg is surrounded by radial circumferentially spaced downwardly narrowing fins 36. This leg construction lends itself to feasible use of a somewhat conventional type glider. The glider is denoted, generally construed, by thenumeral 38 and comprises a cup-like member 40 which is frictionfitted over theextension 34 and is securely but removably maintained in place. The coaster-like disk 42 provides a foot and a ball-and-socket joint serves to swivelly join the foot to the cup thus providing the self-levelling foot shown. The numeral 44 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provides a depending reinforcing flange at the rear. The similar but slightlydeeper side flanges 46 are shown to advantage in FIG. 3.

The compressibly resilient foam rubber or equivalent pad (made from eathafoam if desired) is of the substantially rectangular shape shown in FIG. 5. It is of a size that it underlies and has its marginal portions projecting beyond thechair bottom 14. The top andbottom surfaces 48 and 50 are preferably flat. The respective corner portions are provided withholes 52 which extend through the top and bottom surfaces and are preferably of the tapered form or shape shown in FIG. 4. These holes are of a diameter to receive the lower fin-equipped legs. The legs are wedged or lodged in place in such a manner that when thecup members 40 are fitted in place, thefeet 42, which then underlie thesurface 50, serve to retain the pad in its given position.

A studied consideration of the views singly and collectively will enable the reader to clearly comprehend the construction of the short legged chair, the pad, and the features which combine as in FIG. 4 to detachably maintain the pad in its optionally usable position.

The innovation herein disclosed is capable of serving as a seat for sporting events, rain or weather hood, childs seat for table or in a car, ice bucket, regular bucket, pool light cover, backrest on diving board, foot stool, snack tray over ones knees, life saver on boats, for games as a ball or card catcher, therapeutic seat in tub, foot warmer, slant lounge support, sun visor, baby rocker, wet bathing suit holder, dune buggy seat, ottoman, or just an all around useful item that will create a lo tof conversation and save wear and tear on furniture.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A multiple use chair construction comprising, in combination, a contour chair embodying a bottom providing a seat, a back lateral to and joined to a rear edge of said bottom and providing a backrest, a buoyant pad comparable in area with the plan dimension of said bottom and underlying said bottom, and means joining said pad to said bottom with all portions of the pad disposed below the horizontal plane of the bottom.

2. The chair construction defined in and according to claim 1, wherein said bottom and pad are substantially square, said means joining said pad and bottom including legs which are joined to the respective corner portions of the bottom, said legs being relatively short and depending below said bottom and being aligned with and extending through openings provided therefor in oriented corner portions of said pad with the lower ends of the legs terminating within the openings in the pad.

3. The chair construction defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein the lower ends of said legs are provided with attachable and detachable swivel-type glides each embodying a friction-held cup which is separably but retentively connectible with the coacting leg, a disk- 5 like foot, and a ball and socket joint between the cup and a central portion of said foot.

4. The chair construction defined inclaim 3 wherein said legs are provided with downwardly tapering radial 4 fins engaging the periphery of the openings in the pad thus limiting the movement of the pad onto the legs, said disk-like foot on each leg releasably securing said pad on the legs and serving as supports for the chair when resting on a support surface.

5. The chair construction defined inclaim 4 wherein said bottom includes opposed upstanding side walls joined with the side edges of the back and having a height generally one-half of the height of the back, said chair being made of moldable high impact polypropylene, said back having an upper self-shape sustaining bendable portion above the side walls which can be manually doubled upon itself and bent forwardly and downwardly over the bottom and then tied down, bagged and compactly prepared for storing, handling and shipping.

6. The chair construction defined in claim 1 wherein said pad has a peripheral edge generally aligned with the periphery of the chair and substantially horizontal top and bottom surfaces generally paralleling the chair bot tom, said pad being constructed of flexible resilient material for use as a float when placed in water and as a cushioned backrest when the chair is positioned with the bottom positioned generally in an upstanding relation to a supporting surface.

7. The chair construction as defined in claim 6 Wherein said bottom and pad are substantially square, said means joining said pad and bottom including legs which are joined to the respective corner portions of the bottom, said legs being relatively short and depending below said bottom and being aligned with and extending through openings provided therefor in oriented corner portions of said pad with the lower ends of the legs terminating within the openings in the pad, the lower ends of said legs are provided with attachable and detachable swivel-type glides each embodying a frictionheld cup which is separably but retentively connectible with the coacting leg, a disk-like foot, and a ball and socket joint between the cup and a central portion of said foot, said legs are provided with downwardly tapering radial fins engaging the periphery of the openings in the pad thus limiting the movement of the pad onto the legs, said disk-like foot on each leg releasably securing said pad on the legs and serving as supports for the chair when resting on a support surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,974,352 3/1961 Lockwood 248188.2X 3,034,830 5/1962 Avedon 297445 3,117,327 1/1964 Mathew 9-347 3,391,408 7/1968 Anderson 297-188X 3,393,941 7/1968 Grosfillex 2 97445X 3,422,938 1/ 1969 Worcester 297-378X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. c1. X.R.

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