Lawn Chair Stabilizer

The present invention is directed to a device for stabilizing a lawn chair, sand chair, and the like, to prevent the tipping over thereof when a person is seated therein. Lawn chairs, sand chairs, and the like, are typically collapsible or foldable and are made of light, metal tubing allowing for such folding when the chair is not in use. Such chairs are very unstable and are easily laterally tipped over when a person seated thereon is not careful and leans to far over to one side or rocks the chair, which may cause injury.

It is, therefore, the primary objective of the present invention to provide a stabilizer for a lawn chair that will make the chair more stable and less prone to lateral tipping over.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide such a lawn chair stabilizer that will be readily retrofitted to all existing and types of lawn chairs, sand chairs, chaise lounges, and the like.

Toward these and other ends, the stabilizer for a lawn chair, sand chair, chaise lounge, as well as other similar chairs, is, in a first embodiment thereof, an adapter that readily fits over the front and/or rear lower horizontal tubing of the chair-frame, which adapter is provided with right-angled end-corners directly and laterally adjacent the rounded, curved ends of the respective lower horizontal tubing, where such lower horizontal tubing curve upwardly in transition to join with an upwardly, angularly-extending upright tubing of the chair-frame, whereby such curved ends, about which lateral tipping over typically occurs, are negated.

In a second embodiment, also useful for lawn chairs, but ideally suited for sand chairs, the stabilizer of the invention snap-fits onto a lower horizontal tubing of the chair-frame, with such stabilizer also having a length greater than the length of the lower horizontal tubing, the ends of which stabilizer are provided with generally triangular-shaped, flat projections. The stabilizer is readily rotatable about the lower horizontal tubing to which is attached, so that the end-projections may be oriented at any desired angle. Thus, the flat end-projections may be oriented so that they lie flat against the ground when the the chair is used on firm ground or cement, or may be oriented 90 degrees therefrom so that the pointed apices or corners of each flat end-projection faces toward the ground, which is especially useful when using a chair on soft sand, where the pointed corners or apices will dig into the sand to increase stability to prevent tipping over.

The invention will be more readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing the first embodiment of the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention shown attached to the front and rear lower frame-tubings of a lawn chair;

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view, in side elevation, showing the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention in its closed, attached state to the bottom tubing of a lawn chair;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention in its open, unattached state;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the stabilizer of the invention taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 8 showing the means by which it is clamped to a lower horizontal tubing of a lawn chair-frame;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the lawn chair stabilizer isolated, in its closed, clamping state;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial front view showing the lawn chair stabilizer clamped to a lower horizontal tubing of a chair-frame;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view showing the second embodiment of the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention shown attached to the front and rear lower frame-tubings of a sand or lawn chair;

FIG. 10 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged detail view, in side elevation, showing the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention in its closed, attached state to the forward bottom tubing of a lawn chair;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged detail view, in side elevation, showing the lawn chair stabilizer of the invention in its closed, attached state to the rear bottom tubing of a lawn chair;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the lawn chair stabilizer proper; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial front view showing the lawn chair stabilizer clamped to a lower horizontal tubing of a chair-frame.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, and for now to FIGS. 1-8, the first embodiment of the stabilizer for lawn chairs, sand chairs, chaise lounges, and the like, is indicated generally by reference numeral 10. In the drawings, there are shown two such stabilizers mounted to the front and rear lower horizontal tubings 12, 14 of a lawn chair or sand chair 16. While two such stabilizers 10 are shown, of course only one may be used, either attached to the front or rear horizontal tubing of the chair-frame. The chair-frame is comprised of a plurality of usually hollow aluminum tubings, including the lower horizontal tubings 12, 14, and also upwardly, angularly-extending forward upright tubings 18, 20, and upwardly, angularly-extending rear upright tubings 22, 24, such a chair-frame being conventional. These chair-frames are unstable, and prone to tipping over laterally, since the transition regions 28, where the lower horizontal tubings join with the upright tubings, are curved, such offering a perfect fulcrum about which the chair-frame may be rotated and tipped over for only a slight lateral moment created by a person sitting in the chair, such as when he or she leans over one of the sides of the chair. The stabilizer 10 effectively eliminates such curved transition regions 26 and, in a retrofit-type manner, replaces it with right-angled, or square, connections, to thus accommodate greater lateral moments created by a person leaning over, to thereby prevent the tipping over of the chair. Each stabilizer 10 includes a generally central, elongated semi-cylindrical portion 30 into which is nestled the generally straight main portion of a lower horizontal tubing 12 or 14. The portion 30 may also be rectilinear shaped, such as a square, and defining such a semi-cylindrical portion at its top for receiving the main straight portion of a respective tubing. Such a rectilinear shape would also provide additional stability in the forward and rear directions as desired. Projecting from either end of the central portion 30 is a right-angle, clamshell-like, clamp-adapters 32 for mounting to the chair-frame at the transition regions 26. These adapters 30 define a lower right-angle 30' which converts the curved transition regions into a right-angle transition for added stability, as described above. The stabilizer 10 is preferably made of the same material as the chair-frame, aluminum, although other material may be used as well. Each adapter 32 is flexible so that it tends to its opened, unclamped state, as shown in FIG. 5. The stabilizer 10 is made of one integral piece of extruded aluminum. Each adapter 32 has associated with it a screw having an integrally-connected wing-nut head 38, which screw is threaded through a pair of mutually-aligned threaded holes formed in each half-shell of the adapter 32, by which it the two half-shells are drawn together and closed and clamped about a respective curved transition region 26, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The wing-nut head allows for easy gripping by a hand and easy rotation of the screw for facile attachment and detachment of the stabilizer to a lawn chair. The wing-nut headed screw and the associated holes are preferably located inwardly of the transition regions 28, as clearly seen in FIG. 8, so that both the adapters 32 and the central portion 30 are simultaneously clamped about the respective, juxtapositioned tubings thereat, to ensure greater clamping attachment of the stabilizer to the frame tubing. Thus, each adapter 32 is provided with an interior shell-extension 42 made up of two half-shells where the threaded holes for the wing-nut screw are provided, as clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 9-15, which may be used with a lawn chair, chaise lounge, and the like, but has especial use for sand chairs. The stabilizer 50 of this embodiment is preferably made of hard but flexible plastic, has a length greater than the length of a respective tubing 12, 14, and has a central straight section 52 in the shape of an axially-slotted or gapped cylinder which snap-fits over the central portion of a lower horizontal tubing 12, 14. The slot or gap 52' is of sufficient width to allow for passage past the tubing while being secured thereto, such securement procedure simply causing the flexible cylinder to flex outwardly during attachment, causing the gap to widen even more until of sufficient width to envelope the outer diametric extent of the tubing 12, 14 until the cylinder 52 is forced upwardly and entrained around the respective tubing 12, 14. The diameter of the cylinder 52, in its unflexed state, is preferably such so as to keep the stabilizer securely attached to the tubing 12, 14 so that the stabilizer will be substantially firmly attached. However, the stabilizer 50 about the tubing 12, 14 may be oriented in a desired position, for suiting the terrain upon which the chair is supported, as set forth below. Projecting from each lower end of the cylinder 52 is a triangular-shaped or trapezoidal-shaped flat stabilizing element 60 integrally connected to a lower end surface of the cylinder 52 via a flat: connector 62, 64. As shown in FIG. 9, the stabilizing elements may be oriented so as to be flat and flush against the ground for preventing lateral overturning of the chair. However, the stabilizer 50 may be attached to the tubing 12, 14 in such a manner that it is 90 degrees offset from that shown in FIG. 9, so that the corners or apices 66 face downwardly, with the stabilizing elements 60 lying in substantially vertical planes, whereby the thus-provided lower corners 88 may be dug into the ground, such as sand, for increasing the stability of the chair. Conversion from one orientation to another for the stabilizer 50 may be easilY accomplished by simply rotating the cylinder 52 about the tubing 12, 14 to overcome the frictional retaining resistance therebetween, or the stabilizer 50 may be initially oriented in the desired orientation when the cylinder is being snap-fitted to a tubing 12, 14 at the outset.

While specific embodiments of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope, spirit and intent of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.