Leg cap for folding chair

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a leg cap for a folding chair, and in particular to a leg cap for a folding chair that can be securely connected with a leg and provide strong support.

2. The Prior Arts

Conventional leg caps for a folding chair are rubber caps mounted at lower ends of front legs and rear legs and done by painting and baking. However, the rubber leg cap is easily fallen off from the leg due to thermal expansion. In order to securely connect the leg cap with the leg, the inventor had designed a leg cap A as shown in FIG. 7. The leg cap A includes a rubber pad A1 and a U-shaped metal fixing portion A2 engaged with the pad A1. The fixing portion A2 includes two wavy rods. The leg corresponding to the leg cap A includes a strip and two tube-like curved edges. When the leg cap A is mounted on the leg, the wavy rods of the leg cap A are forced into tubes B1 of the curved edges. The wavy rods of the fixing portion A2 are coupled with the inner surface of the tubes B1 of the leg, thereby connecting the leg cap A with the leg. Therefore, the disadvantage that the leg caps are easily fallen off from the leg is overcome.

However, when the tubes B1 are coupled with the wavy rods for practical use, ends of the tubes B1 can not reach to contact with a top surface of the pad A1. The tubes B1 are suspended and without support. Instead of transmitting the weight of the user and the chair through the pad A1 to the floor, the weight is transmitted through the tubes B1 to the wavy rods. Thus, the wavy rod is easily fractured due to the weight it bears. On the other hand, the rubber pads A1 will show signs of wear after repeatedly rubbing against the floor. Thus, after a long period of time, the pads A1 can not be in full contact with the floor, and the folding chair will be shaky during seating. Moreover, thermal expansion coefficient and surface tension of the rubber pad A1 are different from those of the metal fixing portion A2. After exposed under the sun for a long period of time, the fixing portion A2 and the pad A1 will have different degrees of deformation and a gap between the fixing portion A2 and the pad A1 will be generated. Thus, the coupling of the pad A1 and the fixing portion A2 is loosening up.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a leg cap for a folding chair, which is easy to manufacture and to be securely mounted on the leg of the folding chair.

The leg cap according to the present invention is made of aluminum. Firstly, the leg cap is integrally formed by extrusion to include a pad and a slanted fixing portion disposed on a top of the pad. The fixing portion includes a slit to divide the fixing portion into a thick section and a thin section. The leg cap includes two cavities on the top of the pad and at both sides of the fixing portion respectively.

The leg caps are mounted at lower ends of front legs and rear legs. The cross section of the front leg is the same as that of the rear leg. The leg includes a strip and two curved edges disposed at both edges of the strip respectively. When assembling the leg cap and the leg, the strip is inserted into the slit of the fixing portion. The thick section of the fixing portion is then disposed in a channel between the curved edges. The thin section of the fixing portion is then in contact with an opposite side of the strip to the channel. Ends of the curved edges is inserted into the cavities and contacted with bottoms of the cavities. Then, the fixing portion and the strip are fastened with rivets, thereby fixing the leg cap and the leg together.

The aluminum leg cap according to the present invention is integrally formed by extrusion, the slit is cut, and then the cavities and the holes are formed thereon. Compared with the conventional rubber leg cap, the leg cap according to the present invention does not have problems caused by thermal expansion or wear. Thus, the lifetime of the leg cap according to the present invention is longer than that of the conventional rubber leg cap. Compared with the inventor\'s previously proposed leg cap as shown in FIG. 7, the leg cap according to the present invention is integrally formed. The leg cap according to the present invention does not have the disadvantage that parts can not be firmly connected together, and has an advantage of simplifying manufacturing process.

The leg cap according to the present invention includes the two cavities on the pad to receive the curved edges of the front leg or the rear leg. The weight of the user and the chair is evenly distributed on the cavities. The strip of the leg is not only tightly fitted into the slit, but also securely riveted with the fixing portion of the leg cap. Because the curved edges are firmly received in the cavities and the strip is tightly fitted into the slit, the leg cap according to the present invention can bear a heavy load.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a leg cap for a folding chair in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing leg caps in accordance with the present invention and a folding chair corresponding to the leg caps;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the leg cap assembled with a front leg;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the leg caps in accordance with the present invention assembled with the folding chair corresponding to the leg caps;

FIG. 4A is a detailed view showing the leg cap in accordance with the present invention assembled with the front leg;

FIG. 5 is a exploded view showing wheels, the leg caps in accordance with the present invention and the folding chair corresponding to the leg caps;

Continue reading about Leg cap for folding chair...
Full patent description for Leg cap for folding chair

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims

Click on the above for other options relating to this Leg cap for folding chair patent application.
###


How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents
1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored.
3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords.  
Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Leg cap for folding chair or other areas of interest.
###


Previous Patent Application:
Spa device with leg rests and calf supports
Next Patent Application:
Mineral cutter system
Industry Class:
Chairs and seats

###

Design/code © 2009 FreshContext LLC/Freshpatents.com. Website Terms and Conditions - Also read: About this Page
Patent data source: patents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Information published here is for research/educational purposes only (and in conjunction with our Keyword Monitor) and is not meant to be used in place of the full USPTO patent document/images or a comprehensive patent archive search. Complete official applications are on file at the USPTO and often contain additional data/images (Freshpatents is currently text-only). FreshPatents.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO or firms/individuals or products/designs/ideas related to listed patents.

FreshPatents.com Support
Thank you for viewing the Leg cap for folding chair patent info.
IP-related news and info


Results in 1.88437 seconds


Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories:
Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , paws