Foldable Chair

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202421349883.2 filed on Jun. 13, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure relates to articles of furniture, and more particularly, to foldable chairs.

At present, there are many types of director's chairs with various functions. In order to facilitate carrying, many director's chairs are designed to be light and foldable for easy storage. However, in actual use, it is found that the armrests of the director's chair are easy to pinch hands during the folding process of the chair. The director's chair still has a large volume after folding. The armrests are folded outward, which increases the thickness of the packaging of the director's chair. In addition, each backrest rod of the director's chair is only supported by one hinge point, so that the backrest rod has poor stability and is easy to shake under stress after long-term use.

In order to overcome the above deficiencies, the present disclosure provides a foldable armrest structure and a foldable chair, which have a small volume at the armrest after the armrest is folded/retracted and are not easy to pinch hands during the folding process. During the use of the foldable chair, the backrest rod of the foldable chair has good stability and is not easy to shake.

In order to solve the above technical problems, a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a foldable armrest structure including an armrest rod and a support frame. Both ends of the armrest rod are connected to telescoping rods, the telescoping rods are telescopically connected to the support frame, and the armrest rod can be extended by pulling it up and retracted by pressing it down.

To use the armrest rod, the armrest rod is pulled up, such that the telescoping rods are extended upward and thus the armrest rod is extended upward. To fold/retract the armrest rod, the armrest rod is pressed down, such that the telescoping rods are retracted into the support frame and the volume of the foldable armrest structure is small. The armrest rod does not need to be rotated during the process of pulling up and pressing down the armrest rod, thus avoiding hands from getting pinched. The foldable armrest structure of the present application takes up a small volume after folding, and can avoid hands from getting pinched during the folding process.

Preferably, the support frame is provided with a locking mechanism corresponding to the telescoping rod, the locking mechanism is provided with a pin, the telescopic rod is provided with a locking hole, and the pin is insertable into the locking hole to limit the telescopic rod.

After the armrest rod is pulled up and extended into place, the pin is inserted into the locking hole to lock the telescoping rod and ensure the stability of the armrest rod. Before the armrest rod is retracted, the pin is pushed away from the locking hole to release its constraint/limitation on the telescoping rod, and then the armrest rod can be pressed down and retracted.

Preferably, a positioning spring is mounted between the pin and the support frame.

The positioning spring plays a role in positioning the pin, ensuring that the pin can be inserted into the locking hole in the telescoping rod.

Preferably, a pushing block is mounted to the support frame, a rotatable link rod is mounted to the support frame, a driving block is provided on the link rod, and the pushing block is mounted between the pin and the driving block. The rotation of the link rod causes the driving block to drive the pushing block to move and thus drive the pin to move out of the locking hole.

Before retracting the armrest rod, the link rod is rotated, such that: the driving block on the link rod is deflected/displaced, the driving block contacts the pushing block and causes the pushing block to move, and the pushing block pushes the pin to move out of the locking hole. When folding the entire foldable chair, the link rod would be rotated accordingly and the pin would be disengaged from the locking hole at the same time, which facilitates the folding operation.

Preferably, the pin is provided with an inclined guiding surface, the pushing block is provided with an inclined pushing surface, and the pushing surface is in contact with the guiding surface. The driving block is provided with an inclined driving surface, and the driving surface is in contact with the pushing block.

During the rotation of the link rod, the inclined driving surface of the driving block can push the pushing block to move. When the pushing block is moved, its inclined pushing surface is in contact with the inclined guiding surface of the pin and pushes the pin to move out of the locking hole.

Preferably, the support frame is provided with a cross bar, both ends of the cross bar are connected with locking heads, and the pin and the pushing block are both mounted to the locking head.

The arrangement of the locking head facilitates the installation of the locking mechanism.

Preferably, the support frame is provided with sleeves corresponding to the telescoping rods, and each telescoping rod is matched with and received in the corresponding sleeve.

The telescoping rod is matched with and received in the sleeve, which is stable and reliable.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a foldable chair including a chair frame, where the foldable armrest structure is mounted to the chair frame, a backrest connecting seat is mounted to the armrest rod, a backrest rod is hinged to the backrest connecting seat, the backrest connecting seat is provided with a recessed groove, and side walls of the recessed groove limit a rear side and left and right sides of a lower portion of the backrest rod.

After the backrest rod is mounted, the rear side and the left and right sides of the lower portion of the backrest rod are limited, so that rear support, left support and right support for the lower portion of the backrest rod can be achieved. The support in three directions ensures force equilibrium on the backrest rod, so that the backrest rod has good stability and is not easy to shake during the use of the foldable chair.

Preferably, the chair frame is provided with a support assembly, and both sides of the support assembly are connected to the support frames. The support assembly includes two U-shaped support rods, and the open ends of the two support rods are hinged together. The support rods are hinged to the support frames, and link rods are hinged to both sides of the support rods, and opposing/adjacent two of the link rods are hinged together.

The support assembly is connected between the two support frames to ensure the stability of the entire foldable chair. A seat cloth is connected between the two support frames for sitting. The two support rods can be unfolded/flattened to lock the entire foldable chair. In the locked state, a flexible or rigid net is provided on the two support rods for storing items. Two link rods on the front side of the foldable chair are hinged together, and two link rods on the rear side of the foldable chair are hinged together, so that the entire foldable chair has a stable structure.

Preferably, a lower end of the backrest rod is provided with a connecting part, the connecting part has an L-shaped structure, and the connecting part is mounted in the recessed groove.

The backrest rod is hinged to the backrest connecting seat through the connecting part at the lower end of the backrest rod, allowing convenient assembly and reliable connection. The L-shaped connecting part has good adaptability to the recessed groove, so that the limitation on the backrest rod is more reliable.

A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a foldable chair. The foldable chair includes: a foldable chair frame switchable between a folded state and an unfolded state; an armrest telescopically mounted to the chair frame and movable relative to the chair frame between a retracted position and an extended position; and a locking mechanism mounted to the chair frame and configured to lock the armrest; wherein the locking mechanism is configured to lock the armrest in the extended position when the chair frame is in the unfolded state, and to unlock the armrest in response to the chair frame being switched to the folded state to allow the armrest to be moved from the extended position toward the retracted position.

The configuration of above-mentioned foldable chair allows the armrest to be unlocked by folding the chair frame (i.e., by switching the chair frame from the unfolded state to the folded state) and be easily moved to the retracted position by, for example, pushing the armrest, thereby realizing convenient folding of the foldable chair. Moreover, the armrest does not need to be rotated when the armrest is retracted during the folding process of the foldable chair, avoiding the hands from getting pinched by the armrest.

According to the above technical concept, the third aspect of the present disclosure may further include any one or more of the following optional embodiments.

In some optional embodiments, the chair frame includes a rotatable link rod, and the link rod is operably cooperated with the locking mechanism, wherein the link rod is rotated during the switching of the chair frame from the unfolded state toward the folded state, and causes the locking mechanism to unlock the armrest when the chair frame is switched to the folded state.

In some optional embodiments, the locking mechanism includes a pin and a spring abutting against the pin, wherein the armrest includes a locking hole, and wherein the pin is insertable into the locking hole to lock the armrest.

In some optional embodiments, the chair frame includes a support frame, and the armrest and the link rod are mounted to the support frame; wherein the locking mechanism further includes a pushing block movably mounted to the support frame, the link rod is provided with a driving block, and the pushing block is mounted between the pin and the driving block, wherein the rotation of the link rod causes the driving block to drive the pushing block to move and thus drive the pin to move, and the pin is disengaged from the locking hole when the chair frame is switched to the folded state.

In some optional embodiments, the pin is provided with an inclined guiding surface, the pushing block is provided with an inclined pushing surface, and the pushing surface abuts against the guiding surface, and wherein the driving block is provided with an inclined driving surface, and the driving surface abuts against the pushing block.

In some optional embodiments, the support frame includes a cross bar, an end of the cross bar is provided with a mounting member, and the pin and the pushing block are both mounted to the mounting member.

In some optional embodiments, the mounting member defines a horizontal mounting groove and a vertical mounting groove, wherein the pin and the spring are mounted in the horizontal mounting groove and the spring abuts between the pin and an end surface of the horizontal mounting groove, and wherein the pushing block is mounted in the vertical mounting groove.

In some optional embodiments, the armrest includes an armrest rod and a telescoping rod connected to the armrest rod, and the telescoping rod is telescopically mounted to the support frame and is provided with the locking hole.

In some optional embodiments, the armrest includes two telescoping rods respectively connected to opposite ends of the armrest rod, and at least one of the two telescoping rods is provided with the locking mechanism.

In some optional embodiments, the support frame includes a sleeve provided corresponding to the telescoping rod, and the telescoping rod is matched with the sleeve and telescopically received in the sleeve.

In some optional embodiments, the foldable chair further includes a backrest rod, the armrest includes a backrest connecting seat, and the backrest rod is hinged to the backrest connecting seat, wherein the backrest connecting seat is provided with a recessed groove, and side walls of the recessed groove limit a rear side, a left side and a right side of a lower portion of the backrest rod.

In some optional embodiments, a lower end of the backrest rod is provided with a connecting part, and the connecting part is L-shaped and mounted in the recessed groove.

In some optional embodiments, the chair frame includes two support frames arranged opposite to each other and a support assembly at least partially arranged between the two support frames, wherein the support assembly includes two U-shaped support rods, each support rod having an open end, wherein the open ends of the two support rods are hinged together, and the two support rods are respectively hinged to the two support frames.

In some optional embodiments, the chair frame includes two pairs of link rods, which are arranged between the two support frames and are respectively hinged to opposite sides of the support assembly, wherein each link rod of each pair of link rods is hinged at one end thereof to the corresponding support frame, hinged at the other end thereof to the other link rod, and hinged at a portion between two ends thereof to the corresponding support rod.

In some optional embodiments, the foldable chair is a director's chair or a camping chair.

In the figures:armrest rod;support frame;telescoping rod;sleeve;pin;locking hole;spring;pushing block;link rod;driving block;guiding surface;pushing surface;driving surface;cross bar;mounting member;flange;mounting seat;connecting sleeve;horizontal mounting groove;vertical mounting groove;connecting lug;backrest connecting seat;receiving sleeve;backrest rod;recessed groove;connecting part;support rod;sliding sleeve;bottom rod;support joint;support boss;shelf;bearing rod;chair frame;armrest;locking mechanism;support assembly;foldable chair.

show a foldable chairand its components according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The foldable chairmay be a director's chair, a camping chair, and the like.

Referring to, the foldable chairmay include a foldable chair frame, armrests, and locking mechanisms. The foldable chair framecan be switched between a folded state shown inand an unfolded state shown in. The armrestcan be telescopically/slidably mounted to the chair frameand can be moved relative to the chair framebetween a retracted position shown inand an extended position shown in. The locking mechanismis mounted to the chair frameand is configured to lock the armrest. The locking mechanismis configured to lock the armrestin the extended position when the chair frameis in the unfolded state, and to unlock the armrestin response to the chair framebeing switched to the folded state (i.e., when the chair frameis in the folded state) to allow the armrest to be moved from the extended position to the retracted position.

The structure of the foldable chair allows the armrests to be easily moved to the retracted position by, for example, pushing the armrests when the chair frame is in the folded state, thereby realizing convenient folding of the foldable chair. Moreover, there is no need to rotate the armrests when retracting the armrests, thereby avoiding the problem of hands being pinched when folding the armrests during the folding process of the director's chair in the prior art.

In the illustrated embodiment, the chair frameincludes two support frames. The two support framesare arranged opposite to each other in the left-right direction. Each support frameis a substantially rectangular frame and extends substantially in a vertical plane. Each support frameis correspondingly provided with an armrest. Each armrestincludes an armrest rodand two telescoping rodsrespectively connected to opposite ends of the armrest rodand extending substantially perpendicular to the armrest rod. The armrest rodextends substantially in the horizontal direction. The telescoping rodhas a fixed length and extends substantially in the vertical direction. Each armrest(more specifically, its two telescoping rods) is telescopically/slidably mounted to the support frameso that the armrestcan be moved between the retracted position shown inand the extended position shown inin a substantially vertical direction relative to the chair frame. Pulling up and pressing down the armrest rodcan realize the extension/unfolding and retraction/folding of the armrest, especially when the locking mechanismunlocks the armrest. Each support frameincludes two sleeves, which are provided corresponding to the two telescoping rodsof the corresponding armrestand extend substantially in the vertical direction. Each telescoping rodis matched with the corresponding sleeveand telescopically received in the corresponding sleeveto be extended from the sleeveor retracted into the sleeve. The armrest rod, the telescoping rodsand the support framemay form a foldable armrest structure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the chair frameincludes link rods. Each link rodis rotatably mounted to the corresponding support frameand is operably cooperated with the corresponding locking mechanism. The link rodcan be rotated during the switching of the chair framefrom the unfolded state to the folded state, and can cause the locking mechanismto unlock the armrestwhen the chair frameis switched to the folded state, which will be more easily understood in conjunction with the following description.

In the illustrated embodiment, on each support frame, one locking mechanismmay be provided for each of the telescoping rodsof the corresponding armrest. Alternatively, on each support frame, one locking mechanismmay be provided for only one of the telescoping rodsof the corresponding armrest. The locking mechanismis used to realize the locking and positioning of the telescoping rod. In the illustrated embodiment, when the chair frameis in the unfolded state and the telescoping rodsare extended upward into place, the locking mechanismslock the telescoping rods. Before the telescoping rodsare moved/retracted, the locking mechanismsshould first unlock the telescoping rods. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking mechanismincludes a pinand a spring/positioning springabutting against the pin. The telescoping rodof the armrestis provided with a locking hole. The pinis insertable into the locking holeto limit the telescoping rod, in other words, to lock the armrest, as shown in. The springis mounted between the pinand the support frame.

In the illustrated embodiment, the locking mechanismfurther includes a pushing blockmovably mounted to the support frame. The link rodmay be provided with a driving block/cam blockon an end thereof. The pushing blockis mounted between the pinand the driving block. The link rodis rotated during the switching of the chair framefrom the unfolded state shown into the folded state shown inso that the driving blockdrives the pushing blockto move and thus drives the pinto move. When the chair frameis switched to the folded state shown in, the pinis disengaged from the locking holeto unlock the telescoping rod/the armrest. In the illustrated embodiment, the pinis provided with an inclined guiding surface. The pushing blockis provided with an inclined pushing surface. The pushing surfaceabuts against/is in contact with the guiding surface. The driving blockis provided with an inclined driving surface/cam surface. The driving surfaceabuts against/is in contact with the pushing block.

In the illustrated embodiment, each support frameincludes a cross bar. Each of both ends of the cross baris connected to a mounting member/locking head. The cross barhas a hollow tubular structure. A flangeis provided on the outer wall of the mounting member. The mounting memberis inserted into the end of the cross bar. The flangeis limited by the end surface of the cross bar. The pinand the pushing blockare both mounted to the mounting member. The sleeveis connected with a mounting seat, and the mounting seatextends downward and is sleeved outside the sleeve. A connecting sleeveis provided on the mounting seatand extends horizontally. The connecting sleeveis communicated with the mounting seat. The end of the cross baris matched with and inserted into the connecting sleeve. The telescoping rodand the sleeveare circumferentially interlocked to each other to prevent mutual rotation. The circumferential interlocking of the telescoping rodand the sleevecan be achieved by configuring the telescoping rodand the inner hole of the sleevewith a non-circular profile.