Telescoping seating system with automatically folding chairs
AssigneeAmerican Seating Company
InventorsArthur Louis Van Ryn, William Rudolph Van Loo, David William Raymond
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seating system having a number of rows which may be extended for use or retracted for storage is provided with individual chairs. As each row is moved forwardly relative to the next higher row, the chair backs pivot to the upright or use position where they are latched. As each row is moved rearwardly relative to the next higher row, the latches holding the chair backs in the use position are released and the chair backs are engaged by the deck of the next higher row to fold the chair backs downwardly and forwardly to the closed or storage position so that they may be stored in the space between adjacent decks.
Claims12
In combination with a telescoping seating system including a plurality of rows, each row including a deck, said rows being movable between an extended use position in which the decks are in tiered relation and a retracted storage position in which the decks are in superposed relation, a plurality of chairs each comprising a seat and a back means for pivotally mounting said back to said deck whereby said back may be moved between a raised use position and a lowered storage position;
- releasable latch means for latching said back when it is in the use position;
- and actuator means responsive to the retraction of one row relative to an adjacent row for releasing said latch means in said one row, thereby permitting the chair backs in said one row to be moved to the storage position.
In a telescoping seating system including a plurality of rows, each row including a deck, said rows being movable between an extended use position in which the decks are in tiered relation and a retracted storage position in which the decks are in superposed relation, the improvement wherein each row comprises:
- seat means carried by said deck;
- back means mounted to said deck for movement between a generally upright use position and a generally horizontal storage position;
- releasable latch means for latching said back means in the use position;
- and actuator means for each row, each actuator means being responsive to the retraction of an associated row relative to an adjacent row for releasing said latch means thereof and thereby permitting said back means of said associated row to be pivoted to the storage position.
In combination with a telescoping seating system including a plurality of rows, each row including a deck, said rows being movable between an extended use position in which the decks are in tiered relation and a retracted storage position in which the decks are in superposed relation, a plurality of chairs each comprising a seat and a back;
- means for pivotally said back and said seat to said deck adjacent the forward portion thereof;
- first means for urging said back to a raised position;
- second means independent of said means for urging said seat to a three-quarters raised position while permitting said seat to be further raised from said three-quarters raised position for greater passing room, said second means further permitting said seat to be lowered to a horizontal use position;
- releasable latch means for securing said back in the use position;
- and actuator means for selectively releasing said latch means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.