US3402963A

US3402963A - Chair tiering attachments

Info

Publication number: US3402963A
Application number: US640422A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert K Fujioka; Tim M Uyeda
Original assignee: Samsonite Corp
Current assignee: Samsonite Furniture Co
Priority date: 1967-05-22
Filing date: 1967-05-22
Publication date: 1968-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 1985-09-24

Description

Sept. 24, 1968 R FUJIOKA ET AL CHAIR TIERINQ ATTACHMENTS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed June 7, 1965 INVENTOR5. ROBERT K. FUJ/O/(A BY 77M M. UYEDA I/MM v ATTORNEYS Sept. 24, 1968 R. K. FUJI OKA ET AL' 3,402,963

CHAIR TIERING ATTACHMENTS Original Filed June 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 4 m 2 I. I Q M 4 F l 6 0 mm m W. M M l. R/J I. 6 W m 2 M N l 4 r d 4 2 w 0 4 B E I 4 H M P {l1 m 4 J1 M m M W M V r I... Mh m fi N 1% IV 5 7 /w 2 W Jr m P M V 7 l by z Q LA INVENTORS. ROBERT K. FUJ/O/(A TIM M UYEDA ,4 T'TOR/VEYS Sept. 24, 1968 K FUJIOKA ET AL 3,402,963

CHAIR TIERING ATTACHMENTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed June 7, 1965 INVENTORS. ROBERT K. FUJ/O/(A 77/ M UYEDA A TTOR/VEYS United States Patent 3,402,963 CHAIR TIERING ATTACHMENTS Robert K. Fujioka, Los Angeles, and Tim M. Uyeda,

South San Gabriel, Calif., assignors to Samsonite Corporation, Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Continuation of application Ser. No. 461,848, June 7,

1965. This application May 22, 1967, Ser. No. 640,422 11 Claims. (Cl. 297-248) This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 461,848, filed June 7, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to chair arrangements in which individual chairs are attached together in rows or lateral tiers, and more particularly to an improved chair construction which is especially adapted for the arrangement and interlocking of chairs in rows. As such, the invention will be referred to as a chair tiering device.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device, which is well adapted for use with a group of chairs, does not interfere with the storage of the chairs in a compact, nested stack, and is especially adapted for attaching a group of chairs together side by side, to form interlocked rows, as for temporarily accommodating audiences in open rooms or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device which is especially adapted to join a group of chairs together side by side to form aligned, neat appearing and compactly arranged rows, which may be straight or arced slightly and even set in curved arcs when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device which incorporates simplified positive acting locking members adapted to join the chairs together side by side in a row or tier and to efiectively hold the chairs together during normal use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device which includes an improved arrangement of members which lock together by a simple snapping action, involving only the simple act of placing and lowering one chair alongside another for locking, and which disengage one from another by merely lifting one chair at a time from the row.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device which, when not in use, will provide safety or a minimum danger of catching clothing or the like.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved chair tiering device which consists of simple and strong locking members which are low in cost and easy and economical to install.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, our invention comprises certain construction, combinations and arrangements of parts and elements as hereinafter described, defined in the appended claims and illustrated in preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a persepctive view of a group of chairs constructed according to the invention, and nested together to form a stack, as for storage;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of two chairs joined together, side by side, illustrative of the manner in which the chairs may be interlocked to form a row, the improved interlocking members being positioned near the bottoms of the chair legs;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, front elevation of the lower portion of the adjacent interlocked legs and the interlock members of the adjacent chairs shown in FIG. 2, but on an enlarged scale;

FIG, 4 is a fragmentary, front elevation of the lower portion of adjacent chair legs, similar to FIG. 3 but showing the legs separated and the interlock members disengaged;

Patented Sept. 24, 1968 "ice FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of a chair leg and a portion of an interlock member of the other leg, taken along the indicated line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, condensed side elevation of the lower portion of the front and rear chair legs at the right side of one chair shown in FIG. 2, showing certain interlock members located at that side of the chair, the view being taken from the position of the indicated line 6-6 FIG. 2, but on an enlarged scale and with the front and rear lower leg portions being brought closer together to conserve space;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, condensed side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the lower portion of the front and rear legs at the left side of the chair shown in FIG. 2, opposite to the showing in FIG. 6, but on an enlarged scale and with the lower front and rear leg portions being brought closer together to conserve space, to illustrate the interlock members located at the left side of the chair, the view also showing, in section similar to FIG. 5, portions of the interlock members of the adjacent chair interlocked with the members of the first chair, and further showing, in broken lines, the position of corresponding portions of the adjacent chair and the interlock members thereof, preliminary to the members being interlocked;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the legs at the left side of a chair of FIG. 2, with broken lines indicating the position which the legs at the right side of the adjacent chair will assume when its interlock members are to be locked to the members of the first mentioned chair;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation corresponding to FIG. 5, but showing an alternative construction of one of the locking members;

FIG. 10 is a right side elevation of a folding chair having improved interlocking members of a second alternative construction positioned on the legs near the seat of the chair;

FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the chair shown in FIG. 10 and a portion of a second chair joined to the first, in side by side relation, illustrative of the manner in which the chairs may be interlocked to form a row;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the adjacent interlocked legs and the interlock members of the adjacent chairs shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of adjacent chair legs, similar to FIG. 12, but showing the legs separated and the interlock members disengaged;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary, condensed, side elevation of a portion of the front and rear chair legs near the seat, at the right side of the chair shown in FIGS. 10 and 11., the view being taken from the indicated line 1414 of FIG. 11, but on an enlarged scale and with the front and rear leg portions being brought closer together to conserve space;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, condensed, side elevation, partly in vertical section along the portion of the front and rear legs near the seat at the right side of the second chair shown in FIG. 11, the view being taken from the position of the indicated line 1515 of FIG. 11, but on an enlarged scale and with the upper front and rear leg portions being brought closer together to conserve space, to illustrate the interlock members located at the right side of the chair, the view also showing, in section, portions of the interlock members on the left side of the adjacent first chair;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary, oblique section taken along the indicated line 16-16 of FIG. 14, to illustrate one manner in which the interlock members may be attached to the chair legs;

FIG. 17 is a front elevation of a chair of the type shown in FIG. 1, but showing a third alternative construction of 3 improved interlocking members which are positioned on the legs near the seat of the chair;

FIG. 18 is a bottom rear view of two chairs shown in FIG. 17, but on an enlarged scale and arranged in a side by side position to show the location of the interlocking members on the chair legs;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the legs of the chairs taken at the indicated line 19-19 of FIG. 18, but on an enlarged scale and with the legs being connected together by the interlock members;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary sectional detail taken along the indicated line 20-20 of FIG. 19; and

FIG. 21 isa condensed side elevation of the upper portion of the left legs of one chair, with a portion of the legs being in section taken along the indicated line 2121 of FIG. 19, but on a reduced scale and showing also in section a fragmentary portion of the locking members on the right chair legs of the adjacent chair, with the latter in positions preliminary to interlocking.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the interlock members of the chair tiering device of this invention are preferably mounted near the lower ends of the legs of the chairs, such as chairs of the type illustrated, chairs C, C and C being adapted to be stacked one upon the other in FIG. 1, and chairs C and C being attached together in a row in FIG. 2, it being understood that additional chairs will normally be stacked upon the chairs of FIG. 1, in a similar manner, while additional chairs will be attached together and to the chairs of FIG. 2 to form a desired length of row. The chairs C, C and C are of a simplified construction, especially adapted to be arranged in rows and to be stacked one on the other for storage, and the invention will be thus described with respect to this preferred type of chair. However, it is to be understood that such is not a limitation to the scope of the invention. Chairs C, C and C" are built of rectangular, tubular frame members, which are formed to support a seat and a back 11. The chair is supported by a left front leg 12, a left rear leg 13, a right front leg 14 and a right rear leg 15, the front-legs slanting rearwardly and the rear legs slanting forwardly, as shown, so that the legs will stack onto the legs of a chair beneath, as in FIG. 1. The legs on the left side are conveniently connected at the upper ends by and formed integrally with a left side rail 16, while the legs on the right side are similarly connected by and integral with a right side rail 17. The framework also includes a seat support which extends underneath the sides and front of the seat 10, generally at the edge of the seat, having a front bar 18, a side bear 19 on the left side and a corresponding side bar on the right side, with the side bars attached, as by welding, to the respective legs, on the inside and at the ,left and right, respectively. The rearward extensions of the side bars turn upwardly to form

rear bars

21 and 22 which support the back 11, with each

rear bar

21 and 22 being inclined rearwardly from a vertical position to increase the comfort of the chair. and to facilitate nesting of one chair with the chair beneath when they are stacked one on the other. The bottom of each chair leg is provided with a suitable cap 23 of any conventional type, which prevents the metal tube forming the leg from scratching or marring the floor surface whereon the chair is set.

The shape and dimensions of the

left legs

12 and 13 and rail 16 correspond to the shape and dimensions of the

right legs

14 and 15 and rail 17, so that, when one chair C or C is set alongside another chair, as in FIG. 2, the adjacent left and right legs of the two chairs will lie closely alongside each other. Also, the rearward angle of rear bars and 21, together with the thickness and position of seat 10 and back 11, are such that, when the chairs are arranged in a stack, as for storage, and the legs of a chair above engage the legs of a chair below, the seat supporting bars 18 and 19of the upper chair are above the seat of the lower chair but closely adjacent thereto, while the rear of back 11 of then pper chair rests against the back of the lower chair, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The chairs C and C and other similar 'chairs are adapted to be locked together in side by side relation to form a row, as in FIG. 2, with the left side of one chair adjacent to the right side of the next chair, through the interlocking members of this invention, comprising male members M and M mounted on the legs at one side, such as the right side, and female members F and F, mounted on the legs at the opposite side, such as the left side. Female member F, mounted on the left front leg 12 near the lower end, and female member F, mounted on the left rear leg 13 near the lower end, may be identical, except for the direction it faces. Thus, both female member F and female member F comprise a fiat, staple-shaped member outstanding from the side of

leg

12 and 13, respectively, including an upper horizontal post 25, a lower horizontal post 26 and an interconnecting, straight crossbar 27, which lies parallel to the surface of the chair leg from whence the posts outstand. The female members F and F are preferably formed by shaping a rod or heavy wire, while the ends of the posts may extend into suitable holes in the tubular

chair leg members

12 and 13 and be secured thereto, as by welding, brazing, or the like. It is to be noted that each upper post 25 is "positioned inwardly and towards the center of the chair, with respect to the lower post 26, so that the crossbars 27 are inclined at an angle, such as approximately 45 degrees with respect to the vertical, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7. Accordingly, the openings of the female members, between the post 25 and post 26,are-inclined and face upwardly and to the front and rear, respectively.

Each male member M and M is formed so as a bent, staple-shaped member which outstands from the side f its

chair leg

14 and 15, respectively, comprising an upper horizontal post 30, a lower horizontal post 31 and an interconnecting hook, which is generally V-shaped, having angularly disposed

arms

32 and 33 and a preferably curved apex 34, and which extends downwardly, from the

posts

30 and 31, to lie in a plane parallel with the surface of the chair leg from whence the posts outstand.

Posts

30 and 31 are disposed at a slightly greater distance from the lower end of the leg but in an angular relationship, as in FIGS. 5 and 6, corresponding to that between the posts of the male members on the corresponding front and rear legs. The male members M and M are preferably formed by shaping rod or heavy wire, while the inner ends of

posts

30 and 31 are adapted to extend into suitable holes in the chair legs and to be secured therein, as by welding, brazing or the like.

The connecting of two adjacent chairs C and C in side by side position is effected by positioning a first chair C upon the floor and then placing a second chair C alongside the left side of the first chair. The chairs are interengaged by lifting slightly the right side of chair C, as to the dotted position of

right legs

14 and 15 of FIGS. 7 and 8, so that male members M and M will be above female members F and F, respectively, on the left side of the first chair, as in the dotted position of FIG. 7. When the lifted chair is lowered, the male members M- and M will fit into the respective female members F and E. It is to be noted that the curved apex 34 of the-hook of each male member M and M abuts downwardly on post 25 of the corresponding female member F or F, in lifted position, and that when the right side of the second chair is lowered, the

chair legs

14 and 15 will-be wedged-apart, so that a snap action of the male members entering the female members is produced. Or, one of the male members may be placed in a female member, either front or rear, and the opposite male member lifted, then-lowered and snapped into place. Such snap action is produced by the fact that upper arms 32 of the .male members are not vertical, but are inclined downwardly toward the opposite leg, i.e., thefront arm 32 is inclined downwardly but rearwardly toward the rear leg, while the rear arm 32 is inclined downwardly but forwardly towards the front leg. As will be evident, after the male members have been snapped into place in the female members, the members are not readily disengaged, thus permitting a row of chairs to be moved around or even lifted over a slight obstruction, when empty. Of course, the chairs are readily disengaged by placing weight or downward pressure on one chair, such as chair C of FIG. 2, preferably at the left side thereof, and lifting upwardly on the right side of the adjacent chair C, at either the front or rear, to disengage one of the male members M or M, after which the other male member M or M may merely be lifted out of the corresponding female member.

By placing only the front male members M in the female members F, or only the rear male members M in the female members F, a plurality of chairs may be arranged in a curved row, as well as in a straight row.

Where such interconnection of chairs to form curved rows is contemplated as a regular practice, a modified type of male member may be used, constructed in the manner shown in FIG. 9. This male member is generally similar to the male members M and M, hereinbefore described, consisting of an upper post 30, a lower post 31 and a modified hook having an upper arm 32 downwardly and forwardly or rearwardly directed from the post 30, substantially the same as that heretofore described, but a modified lower arm 33 and apex 34, arm 33' extending from the post 31 and having a projection 35 which causes arm 32 to partially embrace the lower post 26 of a female member F, with the lower pontion of the curve joining apex 34' considerably enlarged in radius.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, it is apparent that, with this modified male member, a full locking action is possible without coaction of opposing locking members at the front and rear chair legs, since projection 35 will cause the male member of FIG. 9 to be compressed as it is snapped into the female member. Interconnection of two chairs may be effected by tipping into place the chair carrying such a male member. Since chairs are ordinarily placed in curved rows which are concave toward the front of an, auditorium, a speakers stand or the like, when the modified male members of FIG. 9 are utilized, they may be carried by the front legs only, with male member M on the rear legs. With this arrangement, the chairs may be placed in arcuate, concave rows, using only the locking members at the front or in straight rows using both the front and rear locking members. As will be evident, due to the location of the locking members or tiering devices, of this invention on the outside of the chair legs, no interference with vertical stacking of the chairs, as in FIG. 1, will be produced.

FIGS. through 16 illustratea slightly modified arrangement of the chair locking members which are especially adapted for use with folding chairs, such as chairs K and K illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, a portion only of chair K being illustrated in FIG. 11, although such arrangement is adaptable for use with other types of chairs, particularly those whose front and rear legs are in substantially the same plane. The chair K is formed with a left front leg 112 and a right front leg 114, which merge with

rear bars

121 and 122, respectively, to form each front leg and the frame of the back 111 as a single, straight member which inclines from the back downwardly and forwardly when the chair is open. A rectangular seat 110 is pivoted to the

legs

112 and 114 at a bearing 40 affixed to side bars 119 and 12.0 of the seat frame. A left rear leg 113 and right rear leg 115 are each pivoted to the side bars of the seat by a pin, not shown, a short distance below the top of each leg and at the rear corners of the seat frame bars 119 and 120. This permits the top of each rear leg, when sloping downwardly and rearwardly, to abut against the respective front leg members at bumper 41 a short distance above the seat. When the chair is opened, the legs are at inclined, spread apart positions and the seat is horizontal as illustrated in FIG. 10. A linkage to hold the chair in this open position and to permit it to close to a flat unit with the front and rear legs in a side by side position, characteristic of folding chair constructions, is illustrated generally at 43. The leg members are conveniently formed integrally with an upper bar 44 for the back 111.

The chairs K and K and other similar chairs are adapted to be locked together, in a side by side relation, to form a row, as in FIG. 11, through interlocking members comprising male members M and M mounted on the chair legs at one side, such as the right side, and female members F and F mounted on the legs at the opposite side, such as the left side. These male and female members may be similar to, or may even be identical with, those heretofore described. In either instance, however, it is preferred that they be located on the front and rear chair legs at an upper position on the legs, as illustrated, to provide for better stability and holding power when the folding chairs are opened, since when the interlocking members are snapped together, as heretofore described, this tends to cause the legs of the chair on the floor to be pulled together. By placin the interlocking members closer to the seat, the resistance to this pulling action, through the holding action of the inclined legs on the floor, is greatly increased.

Each female member F and F', of the modified construction illustrated, comprises at flat, staple-shaped member outstanding from a side of the left front leg 112 and corresponding rear leg, respectively, and including an upper horizontal post 25, a lower horizontal post 26 and an arcuate crossbar 127. Each female member is inclined upwardly and outwardly in the inclined plane of the chair leg, as heretofore described, while the arcuate crossbar 127 is preferably bowed in an upwardly or outwardly direction.

Each male member M and M, of the modified construction, is also a bent, staple-like member outstanding from the side of each

leg

114 and 115 and includes an upper horizontal post 30, a lower horizontal post 31 and an arcuate hook 134 which is preferably bowed downwardly and inwardly, opposite to the inclination of the female members. The

posts

30 and 31 of the male members M and -M are disposed in the inclined plane of the chair leg, while the arc forming the hook 134 may be substantially the same shape as that of the female member crossbar 127, but being bowed in the opposite direction, so that when the members are interengaged, the crossbar and hook of the interlocking members overlap each other, as in FIGS. 12 and 15.

The positioning of the

female posts

25, 26, and the

male posts

30, 31 is such that the arcs of the oppositely disposed crossbars 127 of the front and rear female members will strike the edges of the lower horizontal posts 31 of the corresponding male member and the arcs of the opposing male hooks 134 will strike the upper posts 25 of the female members, to effect a snap action when the chairs are set together, as heretofore described. The male members on one chair are thus lowered into position upon the female members of a chair setting upon the floor. This tends to push the legs of the chair setting on the floor together, but the engagement of the lower ends of the legs with the floor resists this action, as above described. Hence, an effective locking between the front and rear chairs may be obtained, regardless of the fact that the chairs are folding chairs.

FIG. 16 illustrates a typical preferred manner of installation of the staple-shaped male and female members. The chair leg 114 and other chair legs illustrated are normally rectangular or round tubular members and holes 45 are drilled in the sides of these legs at appropriate positions for receiving the

posts

30 and 31, for instance. The length of the posts is such that they extend into the tubular passageway of the chair leg and abut the opposite wall, when the crossbar 134 is at its proper position with respect to the aXis of the chair leg. The member is then secured in position, as by welds 46 at or around the posts where they enter the legs. Female members F and F' are preferably installed in a similar manner. With this arrangement, the hook of the male members and the crossbar of the female members are easily placed at a desired distance from the outer surface of the leg. Also, the male or female members may be easily aligned with the axis of the chair leg, or, if necessary, at an inclination to the axis of the leg, should it be desirable to slope a crossbar or hook.

The modified interlock members illustrated in FIGS. 17 through 21 are installed on chairs similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and utilize the diverging, integral construction of the front and rear legs at each side of the chair. As before, each set of legs of a chair C or C is an inverted U-shaped member, the left front and

rear legs

12 and 13 and rail 16 forming one such member, and the right front and

rear legs

14 and 15 and rail 17 forming the other member. The downward divergence of the legs, i.e. the front leg extending downwardly and forwardly and the rear leg extending downwardly and rearwardly, permits the chairs to be stacked, as illustrated in FIG. 1 However, there is a substantial space between the respective side rails 16, 17 of chairs stacked one on the other, making the modified interlock of FIGS. 1721 feasible, for the modified male and female members both lie on the underside of the chair legs near the rails and this position provides clearance for the members when the chairs are so stacked.

The female members F and F, as in FIGS. 18, 20 and 21, are formed as simple

longitudinal slots

50 and 51 in the underside of the

left legs

12 and 13, near the rail 16. The male members M and M, as in FIGS. 18 and 19, include

fiat arms

52 and 53, laterally outstanding from the underside of the

right legs

14 and 15 and attached thereto, as by welding or brazing. Each

arm

52 and 53 has a transverse tapered

hook

54 and 55, respectively, at its end, which lies in spaced parallelism with the plane of the corresponding legs. The slots, arms and hooks are proportioned and positioned such that when two chairs are placed side by side, the

arms

52 and 53, on the underside of the right legs, will rest against the underside of the left legs of the adjacent chair, with the

hooks

54 and 55 lying within and engaging the

respective slots

50 and 51 to lock the chairs together, as in FIGS. 19 and 20.

Each

hook

54 and 55 is formed as a fiat member having a width adapted to easily fit within a

slot

50 or 51. Each hook has a top side 56 and an angularly disposed outer side 57, with a preferably curved apex 58. The sides 56 are preferably inclined slightly from the vertical, so that when a chair is on the floor and the left side of an adjacent chair, having

slots

50 and 51 in the legs thereof, is lifted slightly, as in FIG. 21, as the adjacent chair is moved downwardly, the apex 58 of

hooks

52 and 53 will engage the inner surface of

legs

12 and 13, respectively. The

legs

12 and 13 will be spread slightly by such engagement and continue to be spread, but to a decreasing extent, as the lower edge of

slot

50 or 51 moves downwardly along side 57 and reaches the lower end of side 57, when

hook

54 or 55 will have completely entered the slot, as in FIG. 20. When this position is reached, the

hooks

54 and 55 have snapped into the

slots

50 and 51, respectively. As will be evident, the engagement of

hooks

54 and 55 in

slots

50 and 51 will hold the chairs together, until the

legs

12 and 13 of the adjacent chair are lifted with sufiicient force to cause the hooks to snap out of the slots.

In each of the embodiments described, the interlocking members are adapted not only to hold two or more chairs in side by side relation in a row, but also to permit a row of attached chairs to be moved around a room, in unison, while remaining attached together. A row of chairs so attached may also be lifted over an obstruction in the room, as long as the row is lifted as a unit, from each end thereof, since the sides of adjacent chairs will abut above the interlocking members, which will prevent separation. As separation of two chairs normally requires that one be held down and the next lifted from it, it must also be assumed that the chairs are empty when lifted as a unit. As will be evident, male and female members of each of the embodiments minimize the danger'of catching clothing and the like when not in use, due not only to the smoothness of those members formed of rod or wire, in the first and second embodiments, and the smooth curvature of the projecting male member of the third embodiment, but also the position adjacent the lower ends of the legs in the first embodiment and the position on the underside of the legs in the third embodiment.

While we have now described our invention in considerable detail, it is obvious that others skilled in the art can build and device alternate and equivalent constructions which encompass the scope of the invention. Hence, we desire that our protection be limited, not by the constructions illustrated and described, but only by the prope scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A chair tiering device adapted to join a plurality of chairs of duplicate construction together side by side, with portions of the right side of a chair adjoining corresponding portions of the left side of an adjacent chair, including a pair of male members and a pair of female members, with one pair of members being mounted upon the left side of a chair at selected, spaced locations on the said adjoining portions and with the other pair of members being mounted upon the right side of a chair at corresponding locations on the said adjoining portions, whereby the male members on one side of a chair are adapted to interlock with the female members on the other side of an adjacent duplicate chair, the improvement wherein:

each female member includes a crossbar spaced from the surface of a chair in a plane substantially parallel to said surface; and

each male member includes a flat, V-shaped hook spaced from the surface of a chair and in a plane substantially parallel to said surface, with the axis of the V-shaped hook being substantially normal to said crossbar.

2. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said chair is provided with front legs and rear legs at each side; said male members are mounted adjacent the lower end of said legs on one side of said chair; and said female members are mounted adjacent the lower ends of said legs on the opposite side of said chair.

3. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each female member crossbar is supported upon a post at each end thereof to be thereby spaced from the surface of a chair leg in a plane substantially parallel to said surface; each male member hook is supported upon a post at each end thereof to be thereby spaced from the surface of a chair leg in a plane substantially parallel to said surface; and the posts supporting said crossbar and the posts supporting said hook are correspondingly oriented and spaced apart on the respective chair surfaces to permit each hook to snugly engage the opening between the adjacent crossbar and its posts, with the posts of each member then being adjacent to corresponding posts of the other member.

4. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 3, wherein one member of each pair is positioned on a front portion of the chair leg and the other member of each pair is positioned on a rear portion of said chair leg; wherein the post arrangement of the members of each pair dispose the crossbars of the female members and the V-shaped books of the male members at relatively opposing mclinations and at an angle with respect to the horizontal sufiicient to permit one pair of members at the side of one chair to drop into a mating pair of members at the other side of another chair by lowering the first said chair into position alongside the second said chair and at an angle with respect to the vertical, the spacing between the points of the hooks on the same side of a chair with respect to the spacing between the posts of the female members on the adjoining side of the adjacent chair being such that the points of the hooks must be resiliently defined to permit the members to interengage and to release.

5. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said posts of said male and female members on said front chair legs are disposed in a plane extending upward- 1y from front to rear; and said posts of said male and female members on said rear chair legs are disposed in a plane extending upwardly from rear to front.

6. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the plane of said front leg posts and the plane of said rear leg posts are disposed at an angle of approximately 45 to the vertical.

7. A chair tiering device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said V-shaped hook of at least one male member is provided with a lateral projection adapted to engage a post of a female member and to snap past said post, whereby said male member is resiliently deformed during engagement with and disengagement from said female member.

8. A chair tiering device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the crossbar of each female member is supported by a pair of posts extending outwardly from said portions of said chair, with the posts of one female member being disposed forwardly on said chair and in a plane extending upwardly from front to rear and the posts of said other female member being disposed rearwardly on said chair and in a plane extending upwardly from rear to front;

each hook of said male member is supported by a pair of posts extending outwardly from said opposite portion of said chair and said posts of said male members being disposed in angular planes corresponding to the planes of the female members on the opposite side of said chair; and

said male members being disposed at positions corresponding to the positions of said female members and at an elevation such that the offset formed by said V-shaped hook of a male member will drop into the corresponding female member of another chair by lowering the chair having said male members alongside the chair having said female members.

9. A chair tiering device adapted to join a plurality of chairs of duplicate construction together side by side, with portions of the right side of a chair adjoining corresponding portions of the left side of an adjacent chair, including a pair of male members and a pair of female members, with one pair of members being mounted upon the left side of a chair at selected, spaced locations on the said adjoining portions and with the other pair of members being mounted upon the right side of a chair at corresponding locations on the said adjoining portions, whereby the male members on one side of a chair are adapted to interlock with the female members on the other side of an adjacent duplicate chair, the improvement wherein:

each chair is provided with downwardly diverging front and rear legs at each side;

said male members, at one side of said chair, are

mounted on the sides of said front and rear legs and at opposing inclinations with respect to the vertical axis of the chair;

said female members, at the opposite side of said chair,

are mounted on the sides of said front and rear legs and at opposing inclinations with respect to the vertical axis of the chair; and

said male and female members include spaced posts extending outwardly from the sides of the respective front and rear legs and are provided with interfitting means for engagement with the respective female and male members of a similar, adjacent chair.

10. A chair tiering device adapted to join a plurality of chairs of duplicate construction together side by side, with portions of the right side of a chair adjoining corresponding portions of the left side of an adjacent chair, including a pair of male members and a pair of female members, with one pair of members being mounted upon the left side of a chair at selected, spaced locations on the said adjoining portions and with the other pair of members being mounted upon the right side of a chair at corresponding locations on the said adjoining portions, whereby the male members on one side of a chair are adapted to interlock with the female members on the other side of an adjacent duplicate chair, the improvement wherein:

said male members, at one side of said chair, are

said female members, at the opposite side of said chair,

are mounted on the sides of said front and rear legs and at opposing inclinations with respect to the vertical axis of the chair;

said male and female members include spaced posts extending outwardly from the sides of the respective front and rear legs; and said male and female members each include a curved bar extending between the outer ends of said posts, said bars of said female members being bowed in the opposite direction from the bars of the male members. 11. A chair tiering device adapted to join a plurality of chairs'of duplicate construction together side by side, with portions of the right side of a chair adjoining corresponding portions of the left side of an adjacent chair, including a pair of male members and a pair of female members, with one pair of members being mounted upon the left side of a chair at selected, spaced locations on the said adjoining portions and with the other pair of members being mounted upon the right side of a chair at corresponding locations on the said adjoining portions, whereby the male members on one side of a chair are adapted to interlock with the female members on the other side of an adjacent duplicate chair, the improvement wherein:

said male members and said female members each include an upper post and a lower post, with a bar extending between the outer ends of said posts, said posts being outstanding from a surface of a hollow member of said chair; said hollow member is provided with spaced holes in said surface into which said posts extend and to the opposite Wall of said hollow member to space said bar a desired distance from said surface; and

fusion material attaches said posts to said hollow members at said holes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,025,105 3/ 1962 Nash 297248 3,053,493 9/ 1962 Stafford 297248 3,084,977 4/1963 Chapman 297248 3,127,218 3/1964 Banke 297248 3,203,731 8/1965 Krueger 297248 3,227,487 1/ 1966 Blanchard 297248 FOREIGN PATENTS 828,246 2/ 1960 Great Britain. 979,733 1/ 1965 Great Britain.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A CHAIR TIERING DEVICE ADAPTED TO JOIN A PLURALITY OF CHAIRS OF DUPLICATE CONSTRUCTION TOGETHER SIDE BY SIDE, WITH PORTIONS OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF A CHAIR ADJOINING CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF THE LEFT SIDE OF AN ADJACENT CHAIR, INCLUDING A PAIR OF MALE MEMBERS AND A PAIR OF FEMALE MEMBERS, WITH ONE PAIR OF MEMBERS BEING MOUNTED UPON THE LEFT SIDE OF A CHAIR AT SELECTED, SPACED LOCATIONS ON THE SAID ADJOINING PORTIONS AND WITH THE OTHER PAIR OF MEMBERS BEING MOUNTED UPON THE RIGHT SIDE OF A CHAIR AT CORRESPONDING LOCATIONS ON THE SAID ADJOINING PORTIONS, WHEREBY THE MALE MEMBERS ON ONE SIDE OF A CHAIR ARE ADAPTED TO INTERLOCK WITH THE FEMALE MEMBERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF AN ADJACENT DUPLICATE CHAIR, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN: EACH FEMALE MEMBER INCLUDES A CROSSBAR SPACED FROM THE SURFACE OF A CHAIR IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SURFACE; AND