US20130270875A1

US20130270875A1 - Folding chair

Info

Publication number: US20130270875A1
Application number: US13/443,961
Authority: US
Inventors: John Chamness, IV
Original assignee: Big Hyzer Bag Co LLC
Current assignee: Big Hyzer Bag Co LLC
Priority date: 2012-04-11
Filing date: 2012-04-11
Publication date: 2013-10-17

Abstract

A chair has at least four support sections, including a locked lower leg, a free lower leg, a locked upper leg, and a free upper leg, where all four support sections extend from a hinge section. The locked upper and lower legs form a fixed locked leg angle, and the free upper and lower legs pivot between an open and closed position. A seat is secured to each of the locked upper leg and the free upper leg. In some embodiments, the bottom of a bag is connected to the locked lower leg, and one side of the bag is connected to the locked upper leg.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to folding chairs for seating, and more particularly to folding chairs having an attached bag.
B. Description of the Related Art
Bags are used for a wide variety of purposes. Many bags are designed for specific purposes, and have customized pockets, pouches, and compartments for the intended purpose. For example, some bags are simple sacks, such as those used to carry groceries from a store. Other bags are more detailed, such as a back pack with an internal frame. The back pack has a frame and padding designed for carrying the bag, and there may be pockets sized and designed to hold a sleeping bag, extra cloths, and many other items.
There are also many different sizes of bags. For example, a coin pouch is a small bag for holding coins, a purse can be an intermediate sized bag for carrying personal items, and a trash or leaf bag can be sized for relatively large containers, such as 55 gallon drums. Sports bags can be designed for carrying athletic gear, and there are often different bag designs for different sports. Luggage is a type of bag that is typically used for carrying clothing. Many bags are made of fabric, but some bags can be made of more rigid materials, such as hard plastics or metal.
There are also a wide variety of chairs available, and many of those chairs are designed to be folded and moved. Lawn chairs typically fold up for easy transport, and many chairs come with carrying bags. Chairs can have rigid support legs, but some chairs do not have legs, such as stadium seats. Many chairs will support a person at some distance above the ground, but other chairs are designed with only a seat or pad between the user and the ground. There are chairs that come with attached bags or other storage devices, such as cup holders. Certain chairs have a bag attached to the back of the chair, and other versions suspend a bag below the seat of the chair.
There are certain activities where a user wants a bag to carry specific articles, and a readily accessible chair to sit on. For example, most disc golfers will carry a bag with several different types of throwing discs, as well other accessories which may include a drink, snacks, score pad, and a jacket. Disc golfers will often have to wait while another member of the golfing group prepares for a shot, or searches for a disc that has been thrown into a thicket or stand of trees. Disc golfers will also wait for a group in front of them to clear the hole, or just to take a break. A chair makes waiting more comfortable and pleasant. There are many activities besides disc golf where a person may want to carry articles in a bag, and have ready access to a chair. A few examples include fishing, team sports such as soccer, baseball, pond hockey, and others, emergency response, travel, on-site repairs, hunting, travelling musician or street performer, and many others. A bag that also serves as a chair can reduce the number of articles one needs to carry, and therefore is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A chair has at least four support sections, including a locked lower leg, a free lower leg, a locked upper leg, and a free upper leg, where all four support sections extend from a hinge section. The locked upper and lower legs form a fixed locked leg angle, and the free upper and lower legs pivot between an open and closed position. A seat is secured to both the locked upper leg and the free upper leg. In some embodiments, the bottom of a bag is connected to the locked lower leg, and at least one side of the bag is connected to the locked upper leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lower perspective view of one embodiment of the chair in the open position with an attached bag.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective of an embodiment of the chair in the open position with an attached bag.

FIG. 3 is a lower perspective view of a different embodiment of the chair in the open position with an attached bag.

FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of one embodiment of the chair in the closed position with an attached bag.

FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of one embodiment of the chair in the closed position.

FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view of one embodiment of the chair in the closed position with an attached bag.

FIG. 7 is a side view of one embodiment of the hinge section of the chair where the locked upper and lower legs are one unitary piece.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the hinge section of the chair.

FIG. 9 is a different perspective view of the hinge section of the chair with an attached bag.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the hinge section of the chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Bag

The current invention comprises a chair 10, and in some embodiments a bag 12 is connected to the chair 12, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. A wide variety of bags 12 can be used, and the size of the bag 12 and the associated chair 10 can vary as well. In some embodiments, the bag 10 is designed for a specific use. For example, the bag 12 can be designed for use in disc golf, but a vast array of other embodiments of the bag 12 are possible, such as various team sports, a travel bag, emergency response, individual sports such as fishing or hunting, various work or job functions, and many more. The size, configuration, material of construction, and other features of the bag 12 (and the associated chair 10), can be customized to a specific purpose, or for general purposes, as desired.
The bag 12 may comprise a main compartment 14 and pockets 16, where the main compartment 14 and pockets 16 can be sized, shaped, and positioned to facilitate a specific purpose or use. A bag 12 designed for one specific use may still function for other uses. The bag 12 may also contain a strap for carrying the bag, where the strap can be in the form of single or dual shoulder straps. The strap may be removable, if desired. The bag 12 may also include padding, varying colors, designs, or logos, zippers 22, elastic holders, tie strings, and a wide variety of other features useful for securing objects, protecting the bag 12, and other functions. The bag 12 can be made of a fabric so it has soft sides, or it can be made with semi-hard or hard sides, such as with the use of plastics, metals, wood, or other materials, as desired.
The bag 12 has several parts which can be referred to collectively as the bag 12, or individual. For example, the bag 12 has a bag bottom 24, a bag top 26, a bag right side 28 and a bag left side 30, a bag front 32 and a bag back 34. The bag right side 28 and left side 30 can be interchanged by turning the bag 12 around, and the bag front 32 and bag back 34 can similarly be interchanged. In this description, references to the bag right side 28, or any other particular part of the bag 12, are used to provide a consistent reference point. The references to the left or right side of the bag 12, and other specific portions of the chair 10 or bag 12 are used to describe the relationship of the bag 12 relative to the chair 10, and this description is intended to describe and apply to embodiments where every reference to “left” is changed to “right,” and vice versa. In general, the left and right reference points can be switched by simply turning the bag and/or chair around, and switching the references to the bag front 32 and bag back 34.

Chair Legs

The chair 10 is supported by legs 40 which can form an “X” type shape when in the open position, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The legs 40 are generally rigid to provide support and to hold the weight of a person sitting on the chair 10, and each leg 40 can have a wide variety of shapes. For example, a leg can be a “U” shape, a “T” shape, a “Y” shape, an “H” shape, a simple rod which can be straight or bent, or any of a wide variety of other shapes. Each of the legs 40 extending away from the central crossing portion of the chair “X” shape can be a single piece, two pieces, or more than two pieces. The legs 40 can be made of metal, wood, hard plastics, or any of a wide variety of materials.
In some embodiments, a leg 40 has one or more horizontal leg sections 42, where the horizontal leg section 42 is essentially parallel to the ground when the chair 10 is open for sitting. The horizontal leg section 42 can be at the ground level, where the horizontal leg section 42 can increase the surface area contacting the ground and thereby reduce how far the leg 40 sinks into the ground. A horizontal leg section 42 at the top of the chair can be used to secure a seat, used as a handle, or used for other purposes. A horizontal leg section 42 may also provide a generally stronger and more secure chair 10.
The “X” shape of the chair 10 is defined from the front or back perspective. The “X” type shape is seen when viewing the chair 10 from the bag front 32 or bag back 34, as opposed to the bag right or left side 28, 30 or the bag bottom or top 24, 26. The “X” shape may not be a perfect X, but has four different legs 40 extending outward from a central location. The chair 10 includes at least two sections of the legs 40 that extend towards the ground from the central crossing portion of the “X” shape, and 2 sections of the legs 40 extending upwards towards the seat where a person sits.
The central crossing portion of the “X” shape of the legs 40 is called the hinge section 44, and this hinge section 44 includes the general area where the different legs 40 meet. The legs 40 may not meet at one sharp point, so the hinge section 44 may be more of an area than a point. Some of the legs 40 move relative to other legs 40, and the pivotal location of this movement is within the hinge section 44. The hinge section 44 is the central part of the “X” shape as viewed from the bag front 32 or the bag back 34. The legs 40 meet in the hinge section 44, but the hinge section 44 extends across the entire width of the bag 12, so different legs 40 don't have to actually touch to meet in the hinge section 44. A “U” shaped leg 40 could have the two arms of the “U” shape enter the hinge section 44 near the bag front 32 and the bag back 34, and a different “T” shaped leg 40 could have the arm of the “T” shape enter the hinge section 44 near the midpoint between the bag front 32 and the bag back 34, and these two different shaped legs 40 would still extend from, and meet in, the hinge section 44.
The different legs 40 extending from the hinge section 44 are given different names in this description, so each can be described in greater detail. The legs 40 extending downward from the hinge section 44 are called lower legs 46, and the lower legs 46 are further divided in a locked lower leg 48 and a free lower leg 50. There can be one or more of each of the locked and free lower legs 48, 50. The lower legs 46 extend from the hinge section 44 to the ground when the chair 10 is set up for use. The legs 40 extending upward from the hinge section 44 are called upper legs 52, and the upper legs 52 are further divided in a locked upper leg 54 and a free upper leg 56. Therefore, each of the locked lower leg 48, free lower leg 50, locked upper leg 54, and free upper leg 56 extend from the hinge section 44.
Each of the legs 40 also has a top and a bottom, where the top of the lower legs 46 and the bottom of the upper legs 52 can be within the hinge section 44. In alternate embodiments, one or more of the legs 40 may extend through the hinge section 44, so the top of one or more of the lower legs 46 and/or the bottom of one or more of the upper legs 52 may not be in the hinge section 44. The bottom of the lower legs 46 and the top of the upper legs 52 are the portions of those legs that are furthest from the hinge section 44. To spell out the terminology, there is a locked upper leg top 58, a locked upper leg bottom 60, a free upper leg top 62, a free upper leg bottom 64, a locked lower leg top 66, a locked lower leg bottom 68, a free lower leg top 70, and a free lower leg bottom 72.
In some embodiments, at least one of the locked lower leg 48 and the locked upper leg 54 are connected to the bag 12. The locked lower leg 48 can be connected to the bag bottom 24, the locked upper leg 54 can be connected to the bag right or left side 28, 30 and in some embodiments both the locked lower and upper legs 48, 54 are connected to the bag bottom 24 and bag right or left side 28, 30 respectively. The locked upper and lower legs 48, 56 can be connected to the bag 12 in a wide variety of manners, including straps, positioning the legs 40 in sleeves connected to the bag 12, rivets, bolts, and any of a wide variety of other connectors. When one or more of the locked upper and lower legs 48, 56 are connected to the bag 12, one can think of the connected leg 40 as being “locked” to the bag 12.
In some embodiments, the locked lower leg 48 extends along at least 80% of the length of the bag bottom 24, and may extend for 100% of the length of the bag bottom 24 or more. Similarly, in some embodiments, the locked upper leg 56 can extend along at least 80% of the height of the bag right side 28, and may extend for 100% of the bag right side 28 or more. When the chair 10 is open for sitting, the bag 12 can be set at an angle that matches the angle of the locked lower leg 48, because the bag bottom 24 may be connected to the locked lower leg 48. Therefore, when the chair 10 is set up for sitting, the bag left side 30 is closer to the ground than the bag right side 28, and the bag bottom 24 gets further and further from the ground as one moves from near the bag left side 30 to near the bag right side 28. Therefore, in some embodiments, the locked lower leg 48 extends to at least the edge of the bag left side 30 so the chair 10 is supported by the bottom of the locked lower leg 48 as opposed to the edge of the bag 12.
When the chair 10 is set up for sitting, the bag 12 angles upward along the locked lower leg 48, so some of the bag extends out beyond, or to the left of, the locked lower leg bottom 68, and some of the bag is to the right of the locked lower leg bottom 68. When the center of gravity of the bag 12 is to the right of the locked lower leg bottom 68, the weight of the bag 12 tends to stabilize the chair 10, and when the center of gravity of the bag 12 is to the left of the locked lower leg bottom 68, the weight of the bag 12 tends to tip the chair over to the left. Therefore, the angle that the locked lower leg 48 extends out from the hinge section 44 can be adjusted such that the center of gravity of the bag 12 is to the right of locked lower leg bottom 68, so the weight of the bag 12 tends to stabilize the chair 10. Articles and objects in the bag 12 tend to fall to the bottom, so objects in the bag 12 tend to shift the center of gravity of the bag 12 downward towards the bag bottom 24. The bag 12 is angled when the chair 10 is set up for sitting such that a shift of the bag's center of gravity toward the bag bottom 24 tends to move the overall center of gravity of the bag 12 to the right in embodiments where the bag 12 is angled along the locked lower leg 48 of the chair 10. When the locked lower leg bottom 68 extends to at least the left edge of the bag bottom 24, then the entire bag bottom 24 is to the right of the locked lower leg bottom 68 when the chair 10 is set up for sitting. Putting objects into the bag 12 tends to shift the center of gravity of the bag 12 to the right, which tends to further stabilize the chair 10. Therefore, a full bag 12 usually makes the chair 10 more stable.

Motion of the Legs

In some embodiments, the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 are fixed relative to each other, so there is no relative motion between the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48. Therefore, one can think of the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 as being “locked” in position relative to each other. The locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 can be one unitary piece, because they do not move relative to each other, but in other embodiments, they are two or more separate pieces secured in a fixed position relative to each other. That means the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 form a fixed locked leg angle 74 in the hinge section 44, where the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 are the arms of the locked leg angle 74, and the vertex of the locked leg angle 74 is in the hinge section 44. In embodiments where the bag 12 is square or rectangular, and where the locked lower and upper legs 48, 54 are connected to the surface of the bag bottom 24 and the bag right side 28, the locked leg angle 74 will be ninety degrees. The locked leg angle 74 can vary, such as between seventy and one hundred ten degrees, in embodiments where either the bag 12 is not square or rectangular, or where one or more of the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 do not run along the surface of the bag bottom 24 or the bag right side 38, respectively.
The chair 10 collapses and folds for transport, as seen in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, with continuing reference to FIGS. 1-3. The free upper leg 56 is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper or lower legs 54, 58, either directly or indirectly. The pivotal connection of the free upper leg 56 is within the hinge section 44. The free upper leg 56 pivots and moves between a seat closed position 80 and a seat open position 82. In some embodiments, the free upper leg 56 is adjacent the bag right side 28 in the seat closed position 80, and the free upper leg 56 may also be adjacent to the locked upper leg 54 in the seat closed position. The free upper leg 56 extends away from the locked upper leg 54 in the seat open position 82. In alternate embodiments, the free upper leg 56 may not be directly adjacent the locked upper leg 54 in the seat closed position 80. When viewed from the front or the back (the perspective where the legs 40 generally have an “X” shape), the upper legs 52 form an upper leg angle 81 with a vertex in the hinge section 44. In some embodiments, the upper leg angle 81 is preferably between −20 and +20 degrees in the seat closed position 80, and more preferably the upper leg angle 81 is between −10 and +10 degrees in the seat closed position 80. The upper leg angle 81 is preferably at least 45 degrees in the seat open position 82, and more preferable at least 60 degrees in the seat open position 82.
The free lower leg 50 moves in a similar fashion relative to the locked lower leg 48. The free lower leg 50 is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper or lower legs 54, 58, either directly or indirectly. The pivotal connection of the free lower leg 50 is within the hinge section 44. The free lower leg 50 pivots and moves between a support closed position 84 and a support open position 86. In some embodiments, the free lower leg 50 is adjacent to the bag bottom 24 in the support closed position 84, and may be adjacent the locked lower leg 48 in the support closed position 84. The free lower leg 50 extends away from the locked lower leg 48 in the support open position 86. In alternate embodiments, the free lower leg 50 may not be directly adjacent the locked lower leg 48 in the support closed position 84. When viewed from the front or the back (the perspective where the legs 40 generally have an “X” shape), the lower legs 46 form a lower leg angle 85 with a vertex in the hinge section 44. The lower leg angle 85 is preferably between −20 and +20 degrees in the support closed position 84, and more preferably the lower leg angle 85 is between −10 and +10 degrees in the support closed position 84. The lower leg angle 85 is preferably at least 35 degrees in the support open position 86, and more preferable at least 45 degrees in the support open position 86.
When the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 are in the closed positions 80, 84, the legs 40 can be nested such that the free upper and/or lower legs 56, 50 are adjacent to the locked upper and/or lower legs 54, 48, respectively, and so all the lower legs 46 are the same distance from the bag bottom 24, and all the upper legs 52 are the same distance from the bag right side 28. Alternatively, the legs 40 may be positioned on top of each other, or in any of a wide variety of other positions. In many embodiments, at least one portion of the upper legs 52 and the lower legs 46 are essentially parallel when in the closed position 80, 84, where “essentially parallel” means the angle formed by the legs 40 is less than twenty degrees.
When the legs 40 are in the open positions 82, 86, the upper legs 52 extend away from each other and the lower legs 46 extend away from each other such that the legs 40 generally make an “X” shape. The locked lower leg 48 and the free upper leg 56 may or may not be in a straight line, the free lower leg 50 and the locked upper leg 54 may or may not be in a straight line, and the angles where the legs 40 meet in the hinge section 44 may all be different, so the “X” shape may not be a perfect X. However, when the chair 10 is open, the “X” shape does have four legs 40 each extending in different directions outward from a central hinge section 44.
The free upper and lower legs 56, 50 may move between the open and closed positions 82, 86, 80, 84 in concert, so movement of one of the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 would drive or urge movement of the other of the free upper and lower legs 56, 50. This can be accomplished, for example, by appropriately connecting the free upper and lower legs 56, 50. There can be a pivotal connection between the free upper and lower legs 56, 50, and this connection can be formed by one or more pivot points, which may be combined with other types of connections. For example, there can be slide bars, push rods, elastic bands, and other connections that can be used in any combination so that movement of the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 are in concert.
In some embodiments, there is a stop 88 connected to or built into the legs 40, so the legs 40 will not open past a set point in the open position 82, 86, or even in the closed position 80, 84. The stop can be a collapsible rod or fabric connected to the locked and free lower leg bottoms 68, 72 that prevents the legs 40 from opening farther than desired or designed, but block points or other methods can also be used to set a maximum range of motion of the legs 40. The stop 88 can be built into the hinge section 44, or positioned along the length of one or more legs 40, or other designs can be utilized.

The Hinge Section

The free upper and lower legs 56, 50 move about one or more pivot points in the hinge section 44, and many different structures can be used for this motion, as seen in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10, with continuing reference to FIGS. 1-6. In general, a hinge can be used, where the hinge can be several different structures. A few non-limiting examples of a hinge include an axel or rod extending through a hole, or a plate and pin assembly as in many common doors, or even a flexible piece of material, such as fabric, that connects two different parts.
There can be a bracket 92 at the hinge section 44, where the bracket strengths the leg connections, or even makes the leg connections. If a bracket 92 is used, it can be fixedly secured to the locked upper and/or lower legs 54, 48. The free upper and lower legs 56, 50 are pivotally secured to at least one of the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48, and this pivotal connection can be made to a bracket 92 which is then fixedly connected to the locked upper and/or lower legs 54, 48. Therefore, the pivotal connection of either the free upper or lower legs 56, 50 to the locked upper or lower legs 54, 48 can be made through the bracket 92. A stop 88 can be built into the bracket 92, where a portion of the bracket 92 contacts and limits the movement of the legs 40. The bracket 92 can be a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and can provide connections, increased strength, stability, or other functions.
Different pivotal connection embodiments are possible, but a more detailed explanation of one embodiment may clarify the pivotal connection, as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 8 and 9 with continuing reference to FIGS. 1-7 and 10. In this embodiment, the free lower leg 56 is pivotally connected to the locked lower leg 48 at a lower leg pivot point 94 below the free lower leg top 70. The free upper leg 56 is pivotally connected to the locked upper leg 54 at an upper leg pivot point 96 above the free upper leg bottom 64.
The free upper and lower legs 56, 50 are made to move in concert with an additional pivotal connection between the free upper and lower legs 56, 50. The free lower leg 56 has a bend 98 which is positioned at or near the lower leg pivot point 94. The free lower leg 56 above the bend 98 angles into the bag 12 (or towards the center of the bag 12) more so than the free lower leg 56 below the bend 98. A track slide 100 is pivotally connected to the locked lower leg 48, where the track slide 100 defines a slot 102. The slot 102 is basically an elongated hole in the track slide 100. A track guide 104 is connected to the free upper leg 56, where the track guide 104 is a projection that fits within the slot 102 such that the track guide 104 moves along the length of the slot 102, but remains within the slot 102 so the motion of the track guide 104 follows the motion of the track slide 100, and vice versa. The track guide 104 is connected to the free upper leg 56 at a point below the upper leg pivot point 96, and the track slide 100 is connected to the locked lower leg 48 at a point above the lower leg pivot point 94. A rigid connection bar 106 is pivotally connected to both the free upper and lower legs 56, 50. The connection bar 106 is pivotally connected to the free upper leg 56 at a point below the upper leg pivot point 96, and the connection bar 106 is pivotally connect to the free lower leg 50 at a point above the lower leg pivot point 94.
In the pivotal connection embodiment described above, the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 move in concert. When the free upper leg 56 begins to move from the seat closed position 84 toward the seat open position 86, the free upper leg bottom 60 begins to move toward the center of the bag 12 because the free upper leg bottom 60 is below the upper leg pivot point 96. This motion pushes the connection bar 106 towards the free lower leg 50, and the connection bar 106 pushes the free lower leg top 70 towards the center of the bag 12 because the connection bar 106 is connected to the free lower leg 50 at a point above the lower leg pivot point 94. The bend 98 aligns the pivotal connection points on the connection bar 106 so that movement of the free upper leg 56 pushes the free lower leg top 70 towards the center of the bag 12, and helps to prevent binding. The connection bar 106 and the track guide 104 are connected to opposite sides of the free upper leg 56, so the track guide 104 and track slide 100 serve to stabilize and strength the pivotal connection between the free upper and lower legs 56, 50.
In an alternative embodiment, the free upper leg 56 is pivotally connected to the locked upper leg 54 at a point close to the free upper leg bottom 64, as shown in FIG. 10, with continuing reference to FIGS. 1-9. The free lower leg 50 is pivotally connected to the locked lower leg 48 at a point close to the free lower leg top 70. Therefore, the upper leg pivot point 96 and the lower leg pivot point 94 are at or near the ends of the free upper and lower legs 56, 50, respectively. The free upper and lower legs 56, 50 may move independently in this embodiment, as opposed to moving in concert, but further connections could be utilized so that the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 do move in concert. An elastic band can help coordinate the motion of the free upper and lower legs 56, 50. The elastic band can be connected under tension to a point somewhere between the free upper leg top and bottom 62, 64, and a point somewhere between the free lower leg top and bottom 70, 72. These points are closer together when both the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 are in the open position, 82, 86, and when both are in the closed position 80, 84, so the elastic band urges the free upper and lower legs 56, 50 to move together.

The Seat

The chair 10 can include a seat 110, which is what a person actual sits on. The seat 110 is connected to the locked upper leg 54 and the free upper leg 56. When the chair 10 is in the seat open position 82, the locked and free upper legs 54, 56 extend away from each other, so the seat 110 is open and ready for a person to sit on it. In some embodiments, the locked upper leg 54 comprises a locked mount 112, the free upper leg 56 comprises a free mount 114, and the seat 110 is connected to both the locked and free mounts 112, 114. The locked and free mounts 112, 114 can be horizontal leg sections 42 on the upper legs 52, but the mounts 112, 114 can also be knobs, bolts, or other connection points for the seat 110. In some embodiments, the mounts 112, 114 are positioned at the locked and free upper leg tops 58, 62, but in other embodiments the mounts 112, 114 can be positioned below the locked and free upper leg tops 58, 62.
The seat 110 can be flexible or pliable, such as a piece of fabric or cloth, or the seat 110 can be more ridged. A ridged seat 110 should have a pivot point, because the seat 110 collapses as the chair 10 moves into the seat closed position 80. The seat 110 can be made from a wide variety of materials, such as various fabrics, mesh, plastics, metal, or other materials. The seat should be strong enough to support the weight of a person. The seat 110 can be taught, or under tension, when the chair 10 is in the seat 110 is a pliable material and when the chair 10 is in the seat open position 82, and the seat can serve as a stop 88 to prevent over-extension of the chair 10 when opening.

Options

There are many variations or options that can be incorporated into the design of the chair 10 and/or bag 12 as described. For example, the locked lower leg 48 could have an extension so that the locked lower leg top 58 extends beyond the hinge section 44. Alternatively, the locked upper leg 54 could have an extension so that the locked upper leg bottom 60 extends past the hinge section 44. Either of these extensions could serve as a carrying handle for the bag 12 or chair 10. These extensions could be fixed, but alternatively they could be collapsible, so the carrying handle could be extended when desired, and collapsed at other times.
The chair 10 could include a seat back to support the back of the person sitting on the chair 10. This seat back could be a permanent, ridged structure at the top of one of the upper legs 52, or it could be a folding or removable component that could be put in place when desired. The seat back could be a pliable component, such as a fabric connected to one edge of the seat 110. The seat back could fold down onto the top of the seat 110 when not in use. When a person wants to use the pliable seat back, they simply lift the edge of the seat back opposite where it is connected to the seat 110, and support straps could be secured to the sides of the seat back and to some part of the legs 40 or bag 12 could keep the seat back standing essentially vertical for use. Many other embodiments of a seat back are possible.
In some embodiments, a user may desire to protect the contents of the bag 12 from being crushed, such as from baggage handlers. The bag 12 could include a ridged frame on the bag left side 30, or along the bag top 26, or in other positions. The additional ridged frame could be combined with the locked upper and lower legs 54, 48 to help protect the contents of the bag 12.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed here. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A chair comprising:

a locked lower leg, a free lower leg, a locked upper leg, a free upper leg, and a hinge section, where the locked lower leg, the free lower leg, the locked upper leg, and the free upper leg extend from the hinge section, where each leg is rigid, where the locked lower leg and the locked upper leg are secured in a fixed position relative to each other in the hinge section such that the locked lower leg and the locked upper leg make a fixed locked leg angle with a vertex at the hinge section, where the free upper leg is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper leg and the locked lower leg at the hinge section such that the free upper leg moves between a seat closed position and a seat open position, where the free lower leg is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper leg and the locked lower leg at the hinge section such that the free lower leg moves between a support closed position and a support open position;

a seat secured to the locked upper leg and the free upper leg; and

a bag having a bag bottom and a bag side, where the bag bottom is secured to the locked lower leg, and where the bag side is secured to the locked upper leg.

2. The chair of claim 1 where the free upper leg and the free lower leg are pivotally connected such that the free upper leg and the free lower leg move in concert.

3. The chair of claim 1 where the seat is pliable so the seat collapses as the free upper leg moves towards the locked upper leg.

4. The chair of claim 1 where each of the locked and free upper legs comprise a horizontal section at a locked and free upper leg top, respectively, and the horizontal section of the locked upper leg comprises a locked mount and the horizontal section of free upper leg comprises a free mount, and the seat is connected to the locked leg at the locked mount and the seat is connected to the free leg at the free mount.

5. The chair of claim 1 where the free upper leg is adjacent the bag side in the seat closed position, and the free lower leg is adjacent the bag bottom in the support closed position.

6. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a bracket positioned at the hinge section.

7. The chair of claim 6 where the free upper leg is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper and lower legs through a pivotal connection with the bracket.

8. The chair of claim 1 further comprising:

an upper leg angle defined by the locked upper leg and the free upper leg with a vertex in the hinge section;

a lower leg angle defined by the locked lower leg and the free lower leg with a vertex in the hinge section; and

where the upper leg angle is between −20 degrees and +20 degrees in the seat closed position, where the upper leg angle is at least 45 degrees in the seat open position, the lower leg angle is between −20 degrees and +20 degrees in the support closed position, and the lower leg angle is at least 35 degrees in the support open position.

9. The chair of claim 1 where the bag includes at least on compartment sized to hold disc golf discs.

10. The chair of claim 1 further comprising:

an upper leg pivot point, where the free upper leg is pivotally connected to the locked upper leg at the upper leg pivot point;

a track slide pivotally connected to the locked lower leg, where the track slide defines a slot; and

a track guide connected to the free upper leg at a point below the upper leg pivot point, and where the track guide is positioned within the slot.

11. The chair of claim 10 where the free lower leg is pivotally connected to the locked lower leg at a lower leg pivot point below a free lower leg top, and the free lower leg comprises a bend at the lower leg pivot point such that the free lower leg above the bend is angled toward a center of the bag relative to the free lower leg below the bend.

12. The chair of claim 11 further comprising a connecting bar pivotally connected to the free upper leg at a point below the upper leg pivot point, and the connecting bar is pivotally connected to the free lower leg at a point above the lower leg pivot point.

13. The chair of claim 1 where the locked upper leg and the locked lower leg are one unitary piece.

14. The chair of claim 1 further comprising a carrying handle connected to at least one of the locked upper and lower legs and the free upper and lower legs.

15. A chair comprising:

a locked upper leg, a locked lower leg, a free upper leg, a free lower leg, and a hinge section, where the locked upper leg, the locked lower leg, the free upper leg, and the free lower leg extend from the hinge section, where the locked lower leg is fixedly positioned relative to the locked upper leg such that the locked upper and lower legs make a fixed locked leg angle with a vertex at the hinge section, where the free upper leg is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper or locked lower legs within the hinge section such that the free upper leg moves between a seat closed position and a seat open position, where the free upper leg extends away from the locked upper leg in the seat open position, where the free lower leg is pivotally connected to at least one of the locked upper or locked lower legs within the hinge section such that he free lower leg moves between a support closed position and a support open position, where the free lower leg extends away from the locked lower leg in the support open position; and

a seat connected to the locked upper leg and to the free upper leg.

16. The seat of claim 15 further comprising:

17. The chair of claim 15 where the locked leg angle is between 70 degrees and 110 degrees.

18. The chair of claim 15 further comprising a bag connected to at least one of the locked upper leg and the locked lower leg.

19. A chair comprising:

a locked upper leg, a locked lower leg, a free upper leg, a free lower leg, and a hinge section, where each of the locked upper leg, the locked lower leg, the free upper leg, and the free lower leg extend from the hinge section;

a seat connected to the locked upper leg and to the free upper leg; and

a bag having a bag bottom and a bag side, where the locked lower leg is secured to the bag bottom, and the locked upper leg is secured to the bag side.

20. The chair of claim 19 where the free upper leg is pivotally connected to one of the locked upper leg or the locked lower leg in the hinge section such that the free upper leg moves between a seat closed position and a seat open position; and

where the free lower leg is pivotally connected to one of the locked upper leg or the locked lower leg in the hinge section such that the free lower leg moves between a support open position and a support closed position.