Equal access seating
AssigneeAmerican Seating Company
InventorDavid W. Raymond
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compactible, storable seating apparatus of the type which yields way to accommodate a wheelchair user. The apparatus has a seat bottom and seat back which rotate about a common axis to compact in a vertical position. The seat bottom and back are mounted to a common cantilevered beam which is pivotal about a single stanchion. The seating apparatus can be used in a conventional manner or can be easily pivoted about the stanchion to yield way to a wheelchair user.
Claims27
A compactible seating apparatus of the type which yields way to accommodate an individual in a wheelchair, comprising:
- a seat bottom pivotal about a first axis;
- a seat back pivotal about said first axis;
- a cantilever beam connected to said seat bottom and seat back;
- a support stanchion pivotally attached to said cantilever beam, and
- wherein said cantilever beam is adapted to pivot in relation to said stanchion about a second axis, said second axis being generally perpendicular to said first axis and displaced from said seat bottom and said seat back,
- wherein when said cantilever beam is pivoted about said second axis from a use position to a store position, said seating apparatus yields way to accommodate an individual in said wheelchair.
A pair of storable seats, each seat adapted to assume a use position and a store position, said store position allowing each said seat to yield way to accommodate an individual in a wheelchair, comprising:
- a first counter-clockwise rotatable seat and a second, clockwise rotatable seat defining a pair of neighboring seats each seat in said pair of seats including,
- a seat back and a seat bottom,
- a cantilever beam having first and second spaced apart ends, said first end supporting said seat back and said seat bottom,
- a support stanchion pivotally connected to said second end of said cantilever beam,
- wherein said pair of neighboring seats are arranged such that when they are placed in their use position they face a generally common direction and said seat back and said seat bottom of said first seat are proximate said seat back and said seat bottom of said second seat, and said support stanchion of said first seat is distal said support stanchion of said second seat, and
- wherein said support stanchion of said first seat is spaced from said support stanchion of said second seat such that when said pair of seats are placed in their store position, sufficient unobstructed space exists between said stanchions of said first and second seats to accommodate two individuals, each in a wheelchair.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.