Squared Arm Chair with Cupholder

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/662,072, filed on Jun. 20, 2024. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

The present technology relates to articles of outdoor furniture and, more particularly, to outdoor chairs.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Adirondack chairs are a very popular larger type of chair. For many years, these chairs were made of wood with the pieces of the chair nailed, glued, bolted, or screwed together to form a single unit. The Adirondack chair style typically has a straight back that is formed by multiple wooden planks that extend from a seat at an angle. Most wooden Adirondack chairs do not fold, and they are often large and heavy, making them difficult to move, store, and stack.

Newer Adirondack chairs are often made of plastic. These plastic chairs can be molded to look like the wooden Adirondack chairs. Such molded plastic chairs are lighter and therefore easier to move, and can be more weather resistant than wooden versions. Further, plastic chairs may be stored more efficiently since the molded plastic chairs can often be easily stacked on top of one another. Adirondack chairs made of plastic are also less expensive and easier to make.

Designs of certain molded plastic chairs, however, often lack features intended to enhance the enjoyment and the use of the chairs. For instance, certain molded plastic chairs are unaccommodating for users that are using hand-held objects, such as a beverage and/or a mobile device. These hand-held objects are frequently engaged by users in an outdoor setting where the currently available molded plastic chairs are commonly used. For example, molded plastic chairs are often used at outdoor social settings where beverages are consumed. Certain molded plastic chairs do not include any features to support a beverage container. This lack of support causes the beverage container to be prone to spilling when set down next to the chair or on a sloped arm rest of the chair.

Certain molded plastic chairs can also be structurally insufficient compared with similar versions made of solid wood. This can lead to warping and breaking over time. Insufficient structural integrity can limit the usefulness and lifespan of a molded plastic chair. Warping and breaking can also occur when molded plastic chairs are stacked on top of one another. More specifically, certain portions of the molded plastic chairs may get stuck together leading to difficulty in unstacking the chairs and even broken parts when the chairs are forcibly separated. Chairs may also be damaged or broken if the weight of the chairs or other objects stacked on top of the chairs are too heavy.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved outdoor chair that is lightweight and easy to stack and store, includes enhanced structural reinforcements to improve stacking and unstacking, and is easy and cost-effective to manufacture.

In concordance with the instant disclosure, an outdoor chair that is lightweight and easy to stack and store, includes enhanced features for structural reinforcement to improve stacking and unstacking, and is easy and cost-effective to manufacture, has surprisingly been discovered. The present technology includes articles of manufacture, systems, and processes that relate to outdoor furniture, and more particularly, to improved outdoor chairs with enhanced features such as beverage container recesses and mobile device storage areas. The present technology further improves reinforcement structures of outdoor furniture using ribs configured to improve stackable design capabilities and optimize durability during use.

In certain embodiments, an outdoor chair may include a unitary body having a seat and a backrest, a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs depending from the unitary body, and a pair of armrests coupled to the pair of front legs and to the backrest of the unitary body. The outdoor chair further includes a horizontal rib disposed on a bottom surface of the unitary body, a vertical rib disposed on the bottom surface of the unitary body, and a diagonal rib disposed on the bottom surface of the unitary body.

In certain embodiments, an outdoor chair may include a unitary body having a seat and a backrest, a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs depending from the unitary body, and a pair of armrests coupled to the pair of front legs and to the backrest of the unitary body. The outdoor chair may have a first support section, a second support section, and a third support section. Each of the first support section, the second support section, and the third support section may include a horizontal rib, a vertical rib, and a diagonal rib. A fourth support section may include a horizontal rib and a vertical rib.

In certain embodiments, an outdoor chair may include a unitary body having a seat and a backrest, a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs depending from the unitary body, and a pair of armrests coupled to the pair of front legs and to the backrest of the unitary body. The outdoor chair may have a first support section, a second support section, and a third support section. Each of the first support section, the second support section, and the third support section may include a horizontal rib, a vertical rib, and a diagonal rib. A fourth support section may include a horizontal rib and a vertical rib. Support ridges may be disposed on an inner sidewall surface of the chair adjacent the pair of rear legs and on a rear sidewall surface of the pair of front legs.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. Regarding methods disclosed, the order of the steps presented is exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps can be different in various embodiments, including where certain steps can be simultaneously performed, unless expressly stated otherwise. “A” and “an” as used herein indicate “at least one” of the item is present; a plurality of such items may be present, when possible. Except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description are to be understood as modified by the word “about” and all geometric and spatial descriptors are to be understood as modified by the word “substantially” in describing the broadest scope of the technology. “About” when applied to numerical values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” and/or “substantially” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” and/or “substantially” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters.

Although the open-ended term “comprising,” as a synonym of non-restrictive terms such as including, containing, or having, is used herein to describe and claim embodiments of the present technology, embodiments may alternatively be described using more limiting terms such as “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of.” Thus, for any given embodiment reciting materials, components, or process steps, the present technology also specifically includes embodiments consisting of, or consisting essentially of, such materials, components, or process steps excluding additional materials, components or processes (for consisting of) and excluding additional materials, components or processes affecting the significant properties of the embodiment (for consisting essentially of), even though such additional materials, components or processes are not explicitly recited in this application. For example, recitation of a composition or process reciting elements A, B and C specifically envisions embodiments consisting of, and consisting essentially of, A, B and C, excluding an element D that may be recited in the art, even though element D is not explicitly described as being excluded herein.

Disclosures of ranges are, unless specified otherwise, inclusive of endpoints and include all distinct values and further divided ranges within the entire range. Thus, for example, a range of “from A to B” or “from about A to about B” is inclusive of A and of B. Disclosure of values and ranges of values for specific parameters (such as amounts, weight percentages, etc.) are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values useful herein. It is envisioned that two or more specific exemplified values for a given parameter may define endpoints for a range of values that may be claimed for the parameter. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that Parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, 3-9, and so on.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The present technology relates to a chairfor the outdoors, aspects of which are shown generally in. The chairmay include a unitary body, a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, a pair of armrests, a first recess, and a second recess. The unitary bodymay include a seatand a backrest. The backrestand the seatmay include a slot. Each front legand each rear legmay depend from the unitary body. The armrestmay be coupled to a front legand the backrestof the unitary body, according to certain embodiments. The first recessmay be formed in one or both armrests. The first recessmay have a first openingand a first bottom wall. The second recessmay be formed in one or both armrests. The second recessmay include a second openingand a second bottom wall. As depicted in the embodiment shown in, the first recessand the second recessmay be positioned together on the same armrest.

In certain embodiments, the chairmay be contiguous and form a continuous body with all parts of the chairsharing an uninterrupted surface. In a more specific example, the chairmay be injection molded, producing one continuous body in which all portions or components of the chair are formed of the same material. For example, the chairmay be injection molded and formed by a single piece of plastic, composite, or metal, allowing the various portions of the chairto be formed without assembling separate components and without the need for fasteners.

The chairmay be formed from a solid material. The solid material may allow for the chairto be stable and durable as it is weathered from the outdoors. As non-limiting examples, the chairmay be formed from various polyolefins and mixtures thereof, polypropylene, high density polyethylene (HDPE), and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). One of ordinary skill in the art may select other suitable materials for forming the chairwithin the scope of the present disclosure.

In certain embodiments, the pair of armrestsmay include a first armrestand a second armrest. Each of the armrestsmay include a rectangular cross section along a plane parallel to the ground or any such planar surface the chairis placed upon. In this way, each of the first armrestand the second armrestmay be parallel to the ground or any such planar surface the chairis placed upon. Advantageously, the rectangular cross section of the armrestsmay provide stability for the armrestwhen the chairis in use or in storage by evenly distributing the weight placed upon each armrest.

In certain embodiments, the first recessand the second recessmay be disposed on the same armrest, as shown in. It is also contemplated that the first recessand the second recessmay be disposed on separate armrests,. For instance, the first recessmay be disposed on the first armrestand the second recessmay be disposed on the second armrest, and vice versa. One skilled in the art may select other suitable locations and positions to dispose the first recessand the second recess, within the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated that the first recessmay be configured to accept a beverage container. In certain embodiments, the first recessmay include the first opening, a first sidewall, and the first bottom wall. The first bottom wallmay be substantially circular or ovoid. The first bottom wallmay be particularly sized and shaped to accommodate and support beverage containers of various sizes. To this end, it should be appreciated that the first bottom wallmay be shaped to form a variety of suitable shapes known to those of skill in the art. The first bottom wallmay include a drain holedisposed therethrough. In a specific, non-limiting example, the first openingmay be substantially oval-shaped. Substantially oval-shaped encompasses shapes that are elliptical and/or form an ellipse shape, for example, an ovoid.

In certain embodiments, the second recessmay be configured to accept an object such as a mobile device or a wallet, as examples. For instance, the second recessmay include the second opening, a second sidewall, and the second bottom wall. The second bottom wallmay have one or more drain aperturesdisposed therethrough, as shown in. The second bottom walland/or the second openingmay be substantially rectangular. Substantially rectangular is defined as having a rectangular shape, including four sides, without requiring a strict adherence to 90-degree angles connecting each side to adjacent sides. Substantially rectangular shapes may encompass quadrilaterals including trapezoids, rhombuses, parallelograms, etc. For example, the second bottom walland/or the second openingmay each have four substantially straight portions. The four substantially straight portions may form two sets of parallel planes. Each set of parallel planes may be formed by a substantially straight portion and a substantially straight portion on the opposing side. In a nonlimiting example, each substantially straight portion may be connected to an adjacent substantially straight portion. The substantially straight portions may be connected by rounded, contoured, or beveled edges. In further examples, the substantially straight portions may not form parallel planes, but still form a substantially rectangular shape. It should be appreciated that the shape of the second bottom walland/or the second openingmay encompass a variety of shapes known to those of skill in the art. In particular examples, the shape of the second bottom walland the second openingmay differ and form non-corresponding shapes. Desirably, the mobile device and/or wallet may be more easily disposed into and/or removed from the second recess.

With reference to, the unitary bodymay include the seatand the backrest. The seatand the backrestmay be continuous such that the unitary bodyis uninterrupted and continuous between the seatand the backrest. The unitary bodymay include a curvaturebetween the seatand the backrest, as shown in. The slotof the unitary bodymay be uninterrupted and continuous within the unitary bodyor within a portion of the unitary body, as determined by one of skill in the art.

In certain embodiments, the slotmay extend from a first endof the unitary bodyto a midsectionof the unitary bodywhere the seatmeets the backrest. As examples, the slotmay be a recessformed in a top edgeof the backrestthat extends to the midsectionof the unitary body, and/or the slotmay be an aperturedisposed in the unitary bodythat extends from the midsectionof the unitary bodyto a second endof the unitary bodydisposed opposite the first end. In certain embodiments, a first slotmay extend from the top edgeof the backrestto the midsectionof the unitary body, and a second slotdisposed adjacent the first slotmay extend from the midsectionof the unitary bodyto the second endof the unitary body. Advantageously, the slotmay allow for air to flow and water to drain through the chair, thereby militating against the chairbeing blown away or tipped over in severe weather conditions or accumulating water thereon. It should be appreciated that the slotmay run continuously along the backrestand/or the seat, according to certain embodiments. Any number and configuration of slotsmay be employed, as desired.

In certain embodiments, a plurality of slotsmay be disposed equidistant from one another across a surface area of the unitary bodyto promote even weight distribution along the seatand the backrestduring use. The chairmay include a plurality of first slotsconfigured as recessesand extending from the top edgeof the backrestto the midsectionof the unitary bodyand a plurality of corresponding second slotsconfigured as aperturesdisposed adjacent the plurality of first slotsand extending from the midsectionof the unitary bodyto the second endof the unitary body, as shown in. A skilled artisan may select a suitable number of slotswithin the scope of the present disclosure. Desirably, the plurality of first slotsdisposed in the unitary bodymay allow for air flow through the chairand militate against the chairbeing blown away or tipped over in severe weather conditions. The plurality of second slotsmay militate against rainwater and debris from collecting on the seatof the chair.

In certain embodiments, a pair of slot vertical ribs, as shown in, may be disposed on opposing sides of the slotand may extend outwardly from the bottom surfaceof the unitary body. The pair of slot vertical ribsmay continuously extend from the first slotto the second slot. The pair of slot vertical ribsmay extend continuously from the first endof the unitary bodyto the second endof the unitary body.

Each of the first and second armrests,may be any suitable shape such as substantially rectangular or substantially trapezoidal, as examples. Each of the first and second armrests,may include armrest ribbingon an undersideof each arm rest, such as shown in. The armrest ribbingmay militate against warping, curving, and breaking of the arm restduring use and storage.

In certain embodiments, the chairmay include horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsdisposed on the bottom surfaceof the unitary bodyand/or an inner sidewall surfaceof the chair. Desirably, the horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsmay be configured to maintain the curvaturebetween the seatand the backrestand militate against cracking and warping of the chairduring use and storage. The horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsmay be configured to support the chairwhen the chairis in use and/or when the chairis in a stacked configuration with another chair. More specifically, where a top chairis stacked on a bottom chair, one or more of the horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsof the top chairmay be adjacent to and in contact with a top surfaceof the bottom chairin the stacked configuration (stacked configuration not shown). Advantageously, the horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsmay provide a weight bearing feature configured to optimize the structural integrity of the chairwhen the chairis in use or in a stacked configuration. Additionally, the horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribsmay optimally space out one chairfrom another chairin the stacked configuration so as to militate against the chairs being difficult to separate from one another and may evenly distribute the weight of the top chaironto the bottom chairto prevent one or more pressure points on the bottom chair.

As shown in, horizontal ribsmay include a first horizontal ribincluding a flanged endand a non-flangedend disposed opposite the flanged end, a second horizontal ribincluding a flanged endand a curved enddisposed opposite the flanged end, a third horizontal ribhaving a substantially rectangular shape, a fourth horizontal ribhaving a first flanged endand a second flanged enddisposed opposite the first flanged end, and any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that any other suitable shapes and/or configurations may be employed, such as horizontal ribshaving a substantially trapezoidal shape and horizontal ribshaving a plurality of flanged ends, non-flanged ends, and/or curved ends, as examples. It should also be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, a flanged endmay also be a curved end. As shown in, the curved endmay include a lipconfigured to abut, couple to, or be integrally formed with one or more vertical ribs and/or horizontal ribs. In certain embodiments, a front leg support horizontal ribmay be coupled to and/or integrally formed with the seatand each front legof the chair, as shown in.

A widthof each third horizontal ribmay be uniform extending from a first endto a second endof the third horizontal rib. A widthof the flanged endof the first horizontal ribmay be greater than a widthof the non-flanged enddisposed opposite the flanged end, or the widthof the flanged endof the first horizontal ribmay be less than the widthof a non-flanged enddisposed opposite the flanged end. The widthof the flanged endof the second horizontal ribmay be greater than the widthof the curved end. A maximum widthof the fourth horizontal ribmay be disposed at a central portiondisposed equidistant between the first flangedend and the second flanged end. The maximum widthmay gradually decrease from the central portionof the fourth horizontal ribto each of the first flanged endand the second flanged end. It should be appreciated that one or more first horizontal ribs, second horizontal ribs, third horizontal ribs, and fourth horizontal ribsmay be integrally formed with one another, directly or indirectly coupled to one another, and/or may abut one another, according to various embodiments. In certain embodiments, each horizontal ribmay be substantially flat or planar, and each horizontal ribmay abut, directly or indirectly couple to, or be integrally formed with the seatand/or the backrestat an angleas determined by one of skill in the art. The anglemay be between 20 and 80 degrees, according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the anglemay be between 40 and 60 degrees.

Vertical ribsmay include a first vertical ribincluding a flanged endand a non-flanged enddisposed opposite the flanged end, a second vertical ribincluding a first flanged endand a second flanged enddisposed opposite the first flanged end, a third vertical ribhaving a shape that is substantially a parallelogram, a fourth vertical ribhaving an irregular shape, and any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that any other suitable shapes and/or configurations may be employed, such as a substantially rectangular shape, as an example, as determined by a skilled artisan. It should also be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, the vertical ribsmay have any combination of curved ends, flanged ends, non-flanged ends, and flanged endsthat are also curved ends.

With reference to, a widthof each vertical ribmay be uniform extending from a first endto a second endof the vertical rib or may be variable. It should be appreciated that the vertical ribsmay be integrally formed with one another, directly or indirectly coupled to one another, and/or may abut one another, according to various embodiments. The vertical ribsmay abut, directly or indirectly couple to, or be integrally formed with the seatand/or the backrestat a 90 degree angle. Each fourth vertical ribmay have a first curved endand a second curved enddisposed opposite the first curved end. The first curved endmay be adjacent the seatand/or the backrest, according to certain embodiments. Each vertical ribmay extend along a portion of the backrestand/or a portion of the seat.

Diagonal ribsmay be configured to abut, couple to, and/or be integrally formed with the bottom surfaceof the chair, as shown in. In certain embodiments, the diagonal ribsmay be configured to abut, couple to, and/or be integrally formed with a vertical ribat a first endof the diagonal riband each of a vertical riband a horizontal ribat a second endof the diagonal rib, the second endof the diagonal ribdisposed opposite the first endof the diagonal rib. Each diagonal ribmay be substantially flat or planar, and each diagonal ribmay abut, directly or indirectly couple to, or be integrally formed with the seatand/or the backrestat an angleas shown inand as determined by one of skill in the art. The anglemay be between 20 and 80 degrees, according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the anglemay be between 40 and 60 degrees. The diagonal ribmay be substantially rectangular in shape. In certain embodiments, the diagonal ribmay have a substantially parallelogram shape.

With reference to, the chairmay include a slot support ribdisposed in the slot. The slot support ribmay be disposed in the slotand between the pair of slot vertical ribsformed on opposing sides of the slot. The slot support ribmay abut, directly or indirectly couple to, or be integrally formed with a diagonal riband/or a horizontal rib, according to various embodiments. In certain embodiments, the slot support ribmay have a substantially parallelogram shape, and a thicknessof the slot support ribmay be greater than a thicknessof each slot vertical ribs. Advantageously, the slot support ribmay militate against warping while maintaining the structural integrity of the slotand the unitary bodyalong the length and curvatureof the seatand backrest.

A corner supportmay be disposed along a perimeterof the bottom surfaceof the unitary bodyincluding the seatand/or the backrest, as shown in. The corner supportmay be substantially triangular in shape and may have a first endadjacent the bottom surfaceof the chairand a second endadjacent the inner sidewall surfaceof the chair. It should be appreciated that a corner supportmay be disposed on the undersidethe first and second armrests,. In certain embodiments, the corner supportmay be disposed adjacent, coupled to, or integrally formed with one or more horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and/or diagonal ribs.

In certain embodiments, as shown in, support ridgesmay be disposed on the inner sidewall surfaceof chair. The support ridgesmay have a substantially rectangular or cylindrical cross-section, as examples, and may extend from a first endof the inner sidewall surfaceto a second endof the inner sidewall surface. In certain embodiments, support ridgesmay be disposed on the inner sidewall surfaceof the chair adjacent of each rear leg, such that each second endof the support ridgemay provide structural support to each corresponding rear leg. With reference to, support ridgesmay be disposed on a rear sidewall surfaceof the front legs, according to certain embodiments, and may extend from a first endof each front legto a second endof each front leg. It should be appreciated that the support ridgesmay abut, be coupled to, or be integrally formed with more than one component of the chair, such as the backrest, the seat, the front leg, the rear leg, and/or the armrest.

With reference to, the chairmay have a first support section, a second support section, and a third support section. Each of the first support section, the second support section, and the third support sectionmay include a plurality of horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and diagonal ribs. In certain embodiments, each of the first support section, the second support section, and the third support sectionmay have a top horizontal riband a bottom horizontal rib. The top horizontal riband the bottom horizontal ribmay extend from a first endof the unitary bodyto a second endof the unitary body. A plurality of diagonal ribsconfigured to form a double diamond configurationhaving a first diamond configurationand a second diamond configurationmay be disposed between the top horizontal riband the bottom horizontal ribof each of the first support section, the second support section, and the third support section, as shown in. Each of the first and second diamond configurations,may include the pair of slot vertical ribsextending through a central portionof each of the first and second diamond configurations,.

A first endof a slot ribmay be coupled to or integrally formed with the top horizontal riband a second end (not shown) of the slot ribmay be coupled to or integrally formed with the bottom horizontal rib, according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the first endof the slot ribmay extend through a first cutoutof the top horizontal riband the second end of the slot ribmay extend through a second cutout (not shown) of the bottom horizontal rib. In certain embodiments, the first support sectionand the second support sectionmay be disposed on the backrestof the chair, and the third support sectionmay be disposed on the seatof the chair. It should be appreciated that any number and configuration horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, diagonal ribsforming any suitable number of support sections may be employed, as determined by a skilled artisan.

With reference to, a fourth support sectionmay include a plurality of horizontal ribsand vertical ribs, according to certain embodiments. The fourth support sectionmay include a central seat horizontal ribdisposed centrally with respect to the seat, an upper rear seat horizontal rib. and a lower rear seat horizontal ribdisposed between the upper rear seat horizontal riband the central seat horizontal rib. Each of the central seat horizontal rib, the upper rear seat horizontal rib, and the bottom rear seat horizontal ribmay be configured to extend outwardly from the bottom surfaceof the unitary body. In certain embodiments, the central seat horizontal ribmay be one continuous horizontal riband the upper rear seat horizontal riband lower rear seat horizontal ribmay be a combination of horizontal ribsdirectly or indirectly coupled to one another and/or integrally formed with one another. The upper rear seat horizontal ribof the fourth support sectionmay be formed using a combination of second horizontal ribsand third horizontal ribsas an example. The second horizontal ribsof the upper rear seat horizontal ribmay be disposed on opposing ends of the upper rear seat horizontal riband may have at least one third horizontal ribdisposed there between. Each of the second horizontal ribsmay include a lipdisposed on the curved end. The lipmay be configured to abut, directly or indirectly couple to, overlap, or be integrally formed with a top surfaceof a horizontal riband/or a vertical rib, as shown in. The second horizontal ribsmay be coupled to or integrally formed to each of the bottom surfaceof the chairand the interior sidewall surfaceof the chairadjacent the rear leg, thereby enhancing structural support of the unitary bodyand the rear leg.

The fourth support sectionmay also include vertical ribsconfigured to extend from the central seat horizontal ribto at least the upper rear seat horizontal rib. In certain embodiments, the vertical ribsmay extend beyond the upper rear seat horizontal ribto at least the second support sectionof the chairand/or the first support sectionof the chair. The vertical ribsof the fourth support sectionmay have a first curved endand a second curved endconfigured to following the contour of the seatas the seattransitions to the back rest. It should be appreciated the each of the first, second, third, and fourth support sections,,,may include additional horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and/or diagonal ribs, as determined by one of skill in the art. As an example, additional horizontal ribsand vertical ribsmay be disposed around the perimeterof the bottom surfaceof the unitary bodyto optimize structural support of the chairduring use.

As shown in, according to certain embodiments, the unitary body may have one or more reinforced sections. The reinforced sectionsmay have a first thicknessthat is greater than a second thicknessof one or more non-reinforced sectionsof the unitary body. In certain more specific embodiments, a reinforced section may be disposed adjacent to at least the first support section, the second support section, and the third support section. It should be appreciated that additional reinforced sectionsmay be included in the unitary body, as determined by one of skill in the art.

Advantageously, the present technology may enhance the structural integrity of the chairusing slot ribs, slot vertical ribs, horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, diagonal ribs, support sections,,,, corner supports, support ridges, and/or reinforced sectionshaving increased thickness compared to other portions of the chair. These components may optimally support and maintain the shape and the curvature of the chairand also improve the structural integrity of the chairduring use and storage. Additionally, the present technology may improve the stackability and storage of the chairby incorporating horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, and/or diagonal ribsthat optimally space the chairapart from other chairsand evenly distribute weight to militate against one or more pressure points when in a stacked configuration. The unitary bodyincluding slotsfor air flow and water drainage may militate against weather-related damage and deterioration by reducing the likelihood that the chairmay be blown over or accumulate water. The slot vertical ribsmay improve the structural integrity of the slotsand the chairas a whole. The lightweight, injection-molded design may improve ease of use and storage and optimize cost-effectiveness with respect to manufacturing the chair.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. Equivalent changes, modifications and variations of some embodiments, materials, compositions and methods can be made within the scope of the present technology, with substantially similar results.