Adjustable folding chair for extended periods of seating

A folding chair comprising:

• a central chair portion defining a pair of upright seat back mounting members, a pair of front leg mounting members, a pair of rear leg mounting members, and a seat member pivotally connected to the front leg mounting members and the rear leg mounting members;
• a seat back including a pair of seat back extension arms telescopically mounted on the seat back mounting members and a first locking mechanism cooperable with the seat back mounting members to secure a selected telescopic position of the seat back relative to the seat member;
• a front leg assembly including horizontal support strut rigidly interconnecting a pair of front leg extension arms telescopically mounted on the front leg mounting members, and a second locking mechanism cooperable with the front leg mounting members to secure the front leg assembly at a selected position relative to the seat member;
• a rear leg assembly including a horizontal support strut rigidly interconnecting a pair of rear leg extension arms telescopically mounted on the rear leg mounting members, and a third locking mechanism cooperable with the rear leg mounting members to secure the rear leg assembly at a selected position relative to the seat assembly, the front leg assembly and the rear leg assembly being independently selectively positionable to locate the seat member at a selected height and at a selected front to rear orientation;
• a front locking mechanism centrally mounted on the support strut on said front leg assembly and including a front actuator operably associated with both said front leg extensions for locking the selected telescopic extension of said front leg assembly, and
• a rear locking mechanism centrally mounted on the support strut on said rear leg assembly and including a rear actuator operably associated with both said rear leg extensions for locking the selected telescopic extension of said rear leg assembly, said front locking mechanism and said rear locking mechanism including:
• a first locking pin supported within the corresponding said support strut for engagement with one of the corresponding said leg extensions;
• a second locking pin supported within the corresponding said support strut in opposition to said first locking pin for engagement with the other of the corresponding said leg extension, each said locking pin being coupled to the corresponding said actuator so that said locking pins are movable between a locking position in which each said locking pin engages the corresponding said leg extension and the corresponding said leg mounting member associated therewith, and a release position in which each said locking pin is retracted from engagement with said corresponding leg mounting member to allow the corresponding said leg mounting member to move relative to the associated leg extension;
• and
• a spring associated with each said locking pin to bias the associated locking pin toward the locking position, the corresponding actuator being operable to move the corresponding said locking pins into the release position against the bias exerted by the corresponding spring, the actuator on each of the front and rear locking mechanisms being supported on an underside of the corresponding said support strut with each said spring being captured between a first stop secured on the corresponding said locking pin and a stop secured within the corresponding said support strut.

A method of orienting a folding chair to affect proper seating of an occupant having a back, waist and legs to provide comfort for the occupant during extended periods of sitting on the chair comprising the steps of:

• providing a central chair portion including an outer frame member having a first dimension and inner frame members having a second dimension smaller than said first dimension and defining a pair of seat back mounting members, a pair of front leg mounting members, and a pair of rear leg mounting members, and a seat member pivotally connected to said outer frame member;
• mounting a seat back having a pair of seat back extensions telescopically into the corresponding seat back mounting members such that each of the seat back extensions is received on a corresponding one of the seat back mounting members, said seat back extensions having said first dimension so that said seat back extensions can align with corresponding portions of said outer frame member when mounted on said seat back mounting members;
• positioning the seat back relative to the seat member by telescopically moving the seat back extensions relative to the seat back mounting members to locate the seat back at a selected seat back position wherein a lower ledge of the seat back is located above the waist of the occupant;
• securing the seat back in the selected seat back position;
• telescopically mounting a front leg assembly having a pair of front leg extensions and a horizontal strut interconnecting the front leg extensions onto the corresponding front leg mounting members of the central chair portion, said front leg extensions having said first dimension so that said front leg extensions can align with corresponding portions of said outer frame member when mounted on said front leg mounting members;
• telescopically mounting a rear leg assembly having a pair of rear leg extensions and a horizontal strut interconnecting the rear leg extensions onto the corresponding rear leg mounting members of the central chair portion, said rear leg extensions having said first dimension so that said rear leg extensions can align with corresponding portions of said outer frame member when mounted on said rear leg mounting members;
• adjusting the front leg assembly and the rear leg assembly by telescopically locating the front leg extensions and the rear leg extensions relative to the corresponding front leg mounting members and the rear leg mounting members, respectively, to create a selected height of the seat member to correspond to the legs of the occupant and a selected front to rear orientation of the seat member;
• and
• locking the front leg extensions and the rear leg extensions on the corresponding front leg mounting sections and the rear leg mounting sections by a locking mechanism carried within the support strut in each of said front leg assembly and rear leg assembly, respectively, to secure the seat member at the selected height and orientation, each said locking mechanism including:
• a centrally positioned actuator mounted on each respective horizontal strut;
• a first locking pin supported within the corresponding said horizontal strut for engagement with one of the corresponding said leg extensions;
• a second locking pin supported within the corresponding said horizontal strut in opposition to said first locking pin for engagement with the other of the corresponding said leg extensions, each said locking pin being coupled to the corresponding said actuator so that said locking pins are movable between a locking position in which each said locking pin engages the corresponding said leg extension and the corresponding said leg mounting member associated therewith, and a release position in which each said locking pin is retracted from engagement with said corresponding leg mounting member to allow the corresponding said leg mounting member to move relative to the associated leg extension;
• and
• a spring associated with each said locking pin to bias the associated locking pin toward the locking position, the corresponding actuator being operable to move the corresponding said locking pins simultaneously into the release position against the bias exerted by the corresponding spring by manipulation of the centrally positioned actuator.