A glider or platform rocker is a type of
rocking chair
A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs, connecting the legs on each side to each other. The rockers contact the floor at only two points, giving the occupant ...
that moves as a
swing seat, where the entire frame consists of a seat attached to the base by means of a double-rocker
four-bar linkage
In the study of mechanisms, a four-bar linkage, also called a four-bar, is the simplest closed- chain movable linkage. It consists of four bodies, called ''bars'' or ''links'', connected in a loop by four joints. Generally, the joints are configu ...
. The non-parallel suspension arms of the linkage cause the chair to simulate a rocking-chair motion as it swings back and forth.
Gliders are used as alternatives to
porch swing
A swing is a seat, often found at playgrounds for children, at a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing, although they may also be items of indoor furniture, such as the Latin American hammock or the Indian oonjal. The seat of a swing m ...
s, and are also popular as
nursery furnishing
]
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...
for assisting parents in feeding newborn babies. Because pinch points are moved away from the floor, a glider is marginally safer for pets and toddlers.
History
Early patents described different mechanisms for glider chairs, such as rails and four-bar linkages supported by springs. Patents using a swinging seat suspended from a four-bar linkage as well as the name glider first appeared in 1939, and this is now the general configuration used by most glider chairs.
[For example: ]
In the southern United States, porch gliders were referred to as divans. Especially popular was the "basket weave" pattern in the hot non-air-conditioned South of the 1950s and 1960s.
Manufacturers
The primary glider manufacturers in North America are Canadian companies
Dutailier and
Shermag.
References
Chairs
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