Portable chairs and methods thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to lightweight collapsible portable chairs. In one embodiment, the portable chair has a sling and a chair frame which includes a first pair of bars and a second pair of bars. Each bar of the first pair of bars includes a joint configured to contact a ground surface. In another embodiment, the chair frame includes a front of bars, a back pair of bars, a pair of joints and a center bar configured to securely couple the pair of back joints to each other. In some embodiments, the chair frame includes a front support assembly. In other embodiments, the chair frame includes a pair of lower bars.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A portable chair frame, operable between an assembled state and a collapsed state, the chair frame useful in association with a chair sling, the portable chair frame comprising:
 two upper contact points defined by the first ends of two upper poles, each upper pole comprising at least one hollow bar, wherein each upper contact point is configured to removably engage an upper frame interface of a chair sling;   two lower contact points defined by the first ends of two lower poles, each lower pole comprising at least one hollow bar, wherein each lower contact point is configured to removably engage a lower frame interface of the chair sling;   two joints, each joint configured to receive a second end of an upper pole and a second end of a lower pole in the assembled state; and   at least one elastic cord passing through one of the hollow bars, the at least one elastic cord configured to retain the one hollow bar to one of the joints in the assembled state until separated into the collapsed state.   
     
     
         2 . The portable chair frame of  claim 1  wherein the at least one elastic cord is coupled to a ring located substantially inside the one joint. 
     
     
         3 . The portable chair frame of  claim 2  wherein the at least one elastic cord is looped through the ring. 
     
     
         4 . The portable chair frame of  claim 1  wherein the at least one elastic cord is coupled to a terminal located substantially inside the one joint. 
     
     
         5 . The portable chair frame of  claim 1  wherein the at least one elastic cord includes an oversized termination located substantially inside the one joint. 
     
     
         6 . The portable chair frame of  claim 1  further comprising a second elastic cord passing through another one of the hollow bars, the second elastic cord configured to retain the another one hollow bar to the one joint in the assembled state until separated into the collapsed state. 
     
     
         7 . The portable chair frame of  claim 6  wherein the at least one elastic cord and the second elastic cord are coupled to each other. 
     
     
         8 . The portable chair frame of  claim 7  wherein the at least one elastic cord and the second elastic cord are looped through each other. 
     
     
         9 . The portable chair frame of  claim 2  wherein at least one of the joints include a non-circular recess configured to retain a cross member. 
     
     
         10 . The portable chair frame of  claim 9  wherein the non-circular recess has a non-circular profile that is one of an ellipse, an oval, a polygon, a triangle and a D-shape.