US2759527A - Collapsible seat - Google Patents

Description

2Sheets -Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, l955 ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1956 H. J. MYRICK, JR

COLLAPSIBLE SEAT Filed Nov. 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR United States Patent COLLAPSELE SEAT Harvey If. Myrick, Jrz, Columbus, Miss. Application November 18, 1953, Serial No. 392,847 2 Claims. (Cl. 155-133) My invention relates broadly to seats and more particularly to a portable collapsible seat which may be readily carried in a compact folded position and unfolded to provide an individual seat, garment protective means and backrest.

This application is a continuation-in-part of myapplication Serial No. 254,303, filed November 1, 1951, for Collapsible Seat, now abandoned.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved construction of collapsible seat formed from relatively inexpensive foldable material which may be carried in folded position in a compact package and unfolded to provide a protective seat, garment protective means and backrest for use at athletic events, circuses, carnivals, fairs and public gatherings generally.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of collapsible seat which may be readily formed on a mass production scale at low cost from reenforce-d paper board which is scored along prefoldable seams which readily permit the unfolding of the device into a seat, garment protective means and backrest while providing substantial multiple-layered cushion effect beneath the seat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a collapsible seat formed from relatively inexpensive flat sheet material scored for folding into a seat portion with a garment protective portion and a backrest, wherein the upper portion of the backrest includes a handle means disposed therein and adapted to coact with handle means formed in the garment protective portion whereby the device, whenfolded, may be readily transported.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement of carrying and fastening means for-the foldable portion of a collapsible seat consisting of handle means formed in the upper portion of the backrest of the seat and coacting handle means formed in a garment protective portion coextensive with the seat of the device, the said handle means interlocking to facilitate carrying of the device in folded position.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the arrangement of interlocking parts forming aacarrying handle for a foldable seat as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the portable collapsible seat of my invention shown in folded position and illustrating the handle means for facilitating transport-ation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the collapsible seat shown in unfolded position ready for use and illustratingthe front vertical apron which connects with the seat portion of the device and which serves as a protective means for the garments of the user of the seat, the view also illustrating the coacting handle means formed in the apron and in the upper portion of the backrest;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the seat when in use as a cover for a conventional stadium seat;

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the flat blank from which the seat of my invention is formed;

2,759,527 Patented Aug. 21, 1956 on line '77 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the handle means in the upper portion of the backrest and the handle means in the protective apron in juxtaposition ready to be interlocked;

.Fig. 9 shows the handle means in the backrest and the handle means in the protective apron folded into interlocking relation;

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view through the interlocking parts forming the handle means taken substantially on line 10-19 of Fig. 9 and illustrating one of the interlocking lugs in end elevation;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 1111 of Fig. 9 and showing one of the interlocking lugs in vertical section, the interlocking lugs maintaining the handle means in coacting interlocked relation for purposes of carrying;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of collapsible seat embodying my invention;

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view taken on line l3l3 of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the seat of Figs. 12 and 13 expanded to open position and illustrating particularly the protective vertical apron and the handle .means therein.

My invention is directed to a construction of reenforced cardboard collapsible seat which may be die-pressed and scored on a mass production scale. The reenforced cardboard seats thus prepared may be shipped in bulk in a single thickness enabling many hundreds of the preformed seas to be shipped in a relatively small package, thus minimizing transportation costs and rendering the shipment convenient for handling. Upon delivery the scored reenforced cardboard sheetsare ready for immediate individual packaging by folding of portions of the blank along the scored lines, the portions of the seat being capable of being conveniently fastened together or interlocked in compact individual carrying position. The blank from which the collapsible seat of my invention is formed is scored along a pair of spaced vertically extending lines dividing the blank into a vertically extending central portion and a pair of side portions. The central portion of the blank is provided with transversely extending scorings, one of which divides the blank into a backrest and a seat and the other of which is disposed adjacent the front of the seat and divides the seat into a front vertical apron and a horizontal bottom portion. The substantially centrally transverse scoring is formed by a pair of closely adjacent parallel extending sco-rings to accommodate the thickness of the material of the seat when folded. The side portions of the blank are ornamentally curved at their edges and are provided with angularly extending scorings to facilitate the folding and the unfolding of the device and the securing of multiple folds beneath the horizontal bottom portion. The superimposed layers provide a cushioning for the seat and serve to protect the user against the seepage or infiltration of moisture through the several laminations.

The protective apron and the upper portion of the backrest when aligned coact to form a handle for readily carrying the device in collapsed position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character '1 designates the preformed blank which is die-cut "tothe shape shown in Fig. 4 and scored "along a pair of spaced vertically extending lines 2 and 3 dividing the sheet into a central portion 4 and a pair of side portions 5 and 6. The side portions 5 and 6 are ornamentally curved along their peripheries as indicated at 5a and 6a. The blank is transversely scored along lines 7, 3 and 9. The transverse scorings '7 and 8 are closely adjacent each other and accommodate the thickness of the sheet material when folded and serve to divide the blank into a backrest 10 and a seat 11. The transverse scoring 9 divides the seat into a front vertical apron 12 and a horizontal bottom portion 14.

The lowermost portions of the sides 5 and 6 are provided with diagonally extending scorings 5b and 6b which enable the side portions 5 and 6 to be folded upon themselves and then folded around the vertical scorings 2 and 3 to a position beneath the bottom portion 14 as repre sented more clearly in Figs. 6 and 7. When thus folded the horizontal bottom portion 14 is protected in the supporting surface at least by two thicknesses of the material comprising the seat so that a multiple lamination is formed consisting of at least three thicknesses of sheet material in the horizontal bottom portion as represented at 14, 14a and 14b in Figs. 6 and 7. This laminated arrangement is maintained by means of staples 17 and 13 which extend through the horizontal bottom portion 14 and the folded portions 14a and 14b coextensive therewith. The side portions 5 and 6 which are folded beneath the bottom portion 14 overlap each other as represented at 55 and db in Fig. 1, thereby increasing the cushioning elfect to live plys at the forward central portion of the seat. The upper portion of the backrest 10 is centrally die-cut as represented at 19, forming a hinged tongue 20 having a pair of upstanding lugs 21 and 22 at opposite ends thereof and leaving a corresponding set of aligned apertures in the backrest 1d at 23 and 24 as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 8. When the bottom portion is folded into position against backrest 19 as illustrated in Fig. 5 the tongue 29 is projected through an aligned aperture represented at 25 formed in the apron 12. The aperture 25 is provided with a pair of inwardly projecting end portions 26 and 217 alignable with the lugs 21 and 22, respectively, and forming an interlock therebetween as represented more clearly in Figs. 1, 5, 9, 10 and 11, thereby maintaining the backrest 1t) and seat 11, and the apron 12, in interlocked relation to facilitate carrying. In other words the tongue 20 is hinged through a pair of folds 20a and 20b, to the backrest it), so that the tongue 26 may be passed through the aperture 25 in the front apron 12 when the front apron 12 is moved into position adjacent the upper portion of backrest it After the tongue 21) has been passed through aperture 25 the lugs 21 and 22 interlock behind the projections 26 and 27 maintaining the seat in folded carrying position.

When the seat is to be opened and placed in use it is only necessary to push the tongue 20 out of interlocking engagement and through the aperture 25 in front apron 12 whereupon the seat is readily unfoldable along angularly extending scorings 5b and 6b in the sides 5 and 6 and the seat placed in use.

Figs. 12-14 show a modified form of my invention wherein the upper portion of the backrest it and the foldable vertical front apron 12 are both provided with apertures shown at 31) and 31, respectively. These apertures are formed by spaced parallel extending edges connected at their ends by curved portions forming a slot through which the fingers may be extended. The apertures are elongated with their longitudinal axes extending substantially parallel with the transversely extending substantially central scoring. When the seat is collapsed to carrying position, as represented in Fig. 13, the apertures 39 and 31 are transversely aligned and constitute a double handle for supporting and carrying the seat. in this form of my invention there is no interlock between the handle means as provided in the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1-11 and the parts of the seat are maintained in collapsed position by their normal tendency to remain in folded position and by the fingers of the hand which are passed through the aligned slots while the seat is being carried.

The seat of my invention is highly practical as a cover for conventional stadium seats as indicated at 28 in Fig. 3. Inasmuch as the front vertical apron 12 extends over the front edge of the stadium seat 28 this serves as a protector for the garments of the user preventing the rubbing of coats, trousers, skirts, hose, etc. against the rough possibly splintering front edge of the stadium seat indicated at 28.

While I have described my invention in certain of its preferred embodiments, I realize that modifications may be made and I desire that it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A foldable seat formed from fiat sheet material having preformed scorings thereon including a pair of spaced substantially longitudinally extending scorings and a pair of transversely extending scorings one of which is disposed substantially central and divides said sheet into a backrest and a seat, and the other of which is disposed adjacent the front of said seat and divides said seat into a front vertical apron and a horizontal bottom portion, said apron being movable downwardly into a plane substantially normal to the plane of said horizontal bottom portion to form a front clothes shield along the front edge of the horizontal bottom portion of said seat, said longitudinally extending scorings also defining side portions coextensive with said backrest and seat, the side portions below said transversely extending substantially central scoring having diagonally disposed scorings therein extending from the junctions of said substantially central scoring and said substantially longitudinally extending scorings whereby the said side portions are foldabl along said diagonal scorings and around the longitudinally extending scorings to a position beneath the seat in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said backrest for forming a multiple ply bottom structure for said seat and a rear abutment for said apron when said apron is folded downwardly in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the bottom portion of said seat, handle means disposed in the upper portion of said backrest and coacting handle means formed in said front vertical apron, both of said handle means being transversely alignable with each other when the plane of said front vertical apron is flattened against the surface of the top of said backrest for forming a carrying handle with said backrest and seat folded about said transversely extending substantially central scoring in a position for transportation.

2. A foldable seat as set forth in claim 1 in which said diagonally disposed scorings in said side portions diverge symmetrically outwardly from opposite ends of said substantially central transverse scoring in the direction of the other of said transverse scorings and wherein the side portions when folded beneath said horizontal bottom portion overlap at the adjacent ends thereof with the front edges thereof disposed in lineal alignment, and means for fastening the overlapping ends of said side portions through said horizontal bottom portion.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,341 McKendrick Apr. 6, 1915 1,140,997 Minehart May 25, 1915 1,410,404 Haines Mar. 21, 1922 1,649,976 Pomeranz Nov. 22, 1927 1,756,182 Drane Apr. 29, 1930 1,831,428 Sherman Nov. 10, 1931 1,991,165 Luckett Feb. 12, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,019 France Oct. 22, 1935

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