Folding chair with ganging elements
AssigneeIrwin Seating Company
InventorJohn P Conner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plurality of chairs are configured to be ganged together such that the chairs are releasably held together in a side-by-side manner. The chairs include a first chair having a first leg at a side of the first chair, and a second chair having a second leg at a side of the second chair. The first and second legs are generally opposed when the first and second chairs are side-by-side and facing in generally the same direction. The first chair includes a lower ganging element attached at a lower end of the first leg and configured to receive a lower end of the second leg when the second chair is positioned next to the first chair. The first chair includes an upper ganging element attached along a portion of the first leg and configured to receive a corresponding portion of the second leg.
Claims20
A pair of chairs configured to be ganged together such that said chairs are releasably held together in a side-by-side manner, said chairs comprising:
- a first chair having a first leg at a side of said first chair;
- a second chair having a second leg at a side of said second chair, said first and second legs being generally opposed when said first and second chairs are side-by-side and facing in generally the same direction;
- a lower ganging element attached at a lower end of said first leg and protruding laterally outwardly therefrom, said lower ganging element being configured to receive a lower end of said second leg at least partially therein when said second leg of said second chair is positioned next to said first leg of said first chair;
- and
- an upper ganging element attached along a portion of one of said first leg and said second leg, said upper ganging element being configured to receive a corresponding portion of the other of said first leg and said second leg, said second chair being substantially secured to said first chair via said upper and lower ganging elements such that said second leg is substantially limited in moving laterally and vertically relative to said first leg.
A method of ganging at least two chairs together, said method comprising;
- providing at least two chairs, one of said chairs having a first leg and another of said chairs having a second leg;
- providing a lower ganging element at a lower end of said first leg and providing an upper ganging element partially along one of said first leg and said second leg;
- inserting a lower end of said second leg at least partially through said lower ganging element,
- pivoting said second leg generally about said lower ganging element and toward alignment with said first leg;
- and
- receiving the other of said first leg and said second leg at least partially within said upper ganging element at said one of said first leg and said second leg to substantially retain said chairs together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.