COMBINATION WALKING STICK AND SEAT

CANNE ET SIEGE COMBINES

English Abstract

A walking stick and seat combination com-
prising a shank with a butt plate and a saddle-type
seat. A parallelogram type cabinet hinge is mounted to
the butt plate and to an intermediate portion of a
handle-seat element to allow the handle-seat element to
pivot from a walking stick position where the shank is
in the plane of the handle-seat element and a seat
position where the handle-seat is at 90° to the shank
with the butt plate in engagement with the bottom of
the seat.

Claims

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The embodiments of the invention in which an
exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined
as follows:
1. A walking stick and seat combination com-
prising a shank, a ground engaging means at one end of
the shank and a butt plate at the other end thereof,
the butt plate having a flat front surface and an abut-
ment surface in a plane at right angles to the axis of
the shank and located at the other end of the butt
plate relative to the shank, the handle-seat element
including a saddle-shaped member having a large portion
and a tapered narrow portion and an intermediate por-
tion therebetween, the large portion having a handle
opening, the handle-seat element including a first face
having a flat surface in the intermediate portion and a
recess in the narrow portion adapted to receive the
butt plate on the shank, and an opening is provided in
the end of the narrow portion communicating with the
recess to accommodate the shank, a parallelogram hinge
having a hinge arm mounted to the front face of the
butt plate and a mounting plate mortised into the flat
surface of the intermediate portion, the hinge being
spring operated to allow the butt plate to be
restrained against movement in the handle position with
the shank axis in the plane of the handle seat and then
with the abutment surface of the butt plate engaged
against the flat surface of the intermediate portion of
the seat in the seat position with the handle-seat
element in a plane at 90° to the axis of the shank.
2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the butt plate is a frusto-pyramid with the front face
as the base and the recess in the handle and seat
element accommodating the butt plate.
3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the shank includes an elongated tubular member with an

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end cap on the end thereof, the tubular member being
received in a bore in the butt plate.
4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the
handle and seat element is made from a suitable molded
plastics material.

Description

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-
The present invention relates to a combina-
tion walking stick and seat, and more particularly, to
a hinge device connecting the handle-seat to the stick.
There is a variety of walking stick-seat
combinations on the market. One such stick includes an
elongated stick or shank with a pair of leaves hinged
to the top of the shank. When closed together and in
the same plane as the shank, the leaves which have
corresponding openings act as a handle for the walking
stick. A web of leather or fabric extends between the
leaves so that when the leaves are opened, they form a
seat having a single leg on which a person can rest on.
Such devices are particularly useful at exhibitions or
outdoor events where seating is not usually provided.
It is an aim of the present invention to
provide a combined walking stick and seat having a
shank and a single handle element in the plane of the
shank which can be hinged at 90 to form a seat.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide a cabinet or parallelogram hinge as the
hinge element between the handle-seat member and the
shank.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide a useful device such as the combined walking
stick and seat to promote the cabinet-type hinge.
A construction in accordance with the
present invention comprises a shank, ground engaging
means at one end of the shank, and a butt plate at the
other end thereof. The butt plate has a flat front
surface and an abutment surface in a plane at right
angles to the axis of the shank and located at the
other end of the butt plate relative to the shank. The
handle-seat element includes a saddle shaped member
having a large portion and a tapered narrow portion and
an intermediate portion therebetween. A handle opening
- is provided in the enlarged portion. The handle-seat
member includes a first face having a flat surface in

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the intermediate portion and a recess in the narrow
portion. The recess is adapted to receive the butt
plate of the handle, and an opening is provided in the
end of the narrow portion communicating with the recess
to accommodate the shank. A parallelogram hinge has a
hinge arm mounted to the front face of the butt plate
and a mounting plate mortised into the flat surface of
the intermediate portion. The hinge is spring operated
to allow the butt plate to be restrained against move-
ment in the walking stick position with the butt platein the recess in the narrow portion and the axis of the
shank in the plane of the handle and with the abutment
surface of the butt plate engaged against the flat sur-
face of the intermediate portion in the seat position
with the handle-seat element in a plane at 90 to the
axis of the shank.
Having thus generally described the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration,
a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the
combination walking stick and seat in a seat position;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of
the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 with the device in a
walking stick configuration;
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of
the device shown in the position of Fig. l; and
Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-
sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.
The combined walking stick and seat 10 is
shown in the drawings as including a stick or shank
portion 12 and a handle-seat element 14. A typical
cabinet hinge 16 of the parallelogram type joins the
shank 12 to the handle-seat element 14.
The shank 12 includes an elongated tubular
member 18 which could be made of aluminum and is pro-
vided as the stick, and it is provided with an end cap

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_ 3
20 made of rubber or similar plastic material. The end
cap 20 acts as a ground engaging means to prevent the
tube 18 from slipping.
On the other end of the shank 12 is a butt
plate 22 which includes a front flat surface 24, side
walls 26 which are somewhat tapered, an end wall 26a
with an abutment surface 31, and an opposite rear face
28. In one embodiment, the butt plate 22 is in the
form of a frusto-pyramid with the front face 24 as the
base of the pyramid. A bore 30 receives the tubular
element 18.
The abutment surface 31 is at right angles
to the axis of the tubular member 18.
The handle and seat member 14 includes a
plate 32, preferably of molded plastics material in the
general form of a saddle with an enlarged end and a
tapered end. The enlarged end includes a circular
opening 34 and a handle grip 35 formed by the circular
opening 34. The plate 32 has an intermediate portion
36 with tapered sides 38. The narrow end of the plate
32 includes an end surface 40. A recess 42 is provided
on the bottom surface of the plate 32. The recess 42
is adapted to receive the butt plate 22 of the shank
12. An opening 44 is defined in the end surface 40 and
communicates with the recess 44. This opening 44
accommodates the tubular member 18. The intermediate
portion of the plate 32 is provided with a platform 46.
The hinge 16 includes a mounting plate 48
which is mortised into the platform 46. The mounting
plate 48 has a recess 49. A hinge arm 50 extends
therefrom and is mounted to the front face 24 of the
butt plate 22 by means of brackets 54. Parallel dog-
leg plates 52 extend between the hinge arm 50 and the
mounting plate 46 and provide for the pivoting and
translatory movement of the hinge arm and butt plate 22
relative to the mounting plate 46. One of the plates
52 acts as a spring so that the hinge is "locked" in

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either end position. The hinge 16 may be a cabinet
hinge manufactured by Julius Blum Inc. Such hinges are
normally utilized in cabinets to hinge doors so that
the doors can swing to a position clear of the cabinet
opening and sometimes greater than 90. When the door
is closed, it can overlay the cabinet wall or be
arranged to be flush therewith.
In operation, when it is required to use the
device as a walking stick, the plate 32 and the shank
12 are in the same plane as shown in Fig. 2. When it
is required to convert the device into a seat, the
shank is rotated by means of the hinge 16 to a position
shown in Fig. 1 where the shank is at 90 to the plate
32. As shown in Fig. 3, the abutment surface 31 of the
butt plate 22 engages the platform 46 of the intermedi-
ate portion 36 to support the weight of the seat and
the person sitting on the seat. The hinge operates to
restrain the device from pivoting movement, either in
the seating position of Figs. 1 and 3 or the walking
stick position of Figs. 2 and 4.
Such a device can be used as a promotional
item to show the value of the cabinet hinge. Thus, the
walking stick and seat can be provided to potential
customers at an exhibition to illustrate the function-
ing of these unique hinges.

Representative Drawing