US 6,000,174 A · Retractable stairs-like stand

Abstract

A retractable, stairs-like stand includes plural steps of floor-bases which are moved horizontally between the advanced position where the floor-bases are mutually shifted into a form of stairs and the retracted position where the floor-bases are mutually lined up along the vertical direction, and plural seats fitted onto the floor-bases. The front portions of the respective floor-bases are equipped with parallel link mechanism for parallel moving the seat sections of the seats back and forth between the use-position where the seat sections of the seats are spaced from the floor-bases and the descent position where the seat sections of the seats are adjacent the floor-bases. Fastening mechanisms are disposed for selectively fixing the seat sections to the use-position and the fastening position where releasing the sections from the use-position. Rear link members are jointed to the backs so as to rotate the back of the seats following the rotation of the front and rear link members constituting the parallel link mechanism, between the use-position where the backs of the seats stand up away from the floor-bases and the collapsed position where, behind the descent position, the backs are adjacent the floor-bases lying on their back faces.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A retractable stairs-like stand comprising plural steps of floor-bases which are moved horizontally between an advanced position where the floor-bases are mutually shifted into a form of stairs and a retracted position where the floor-bases are mutually lined up in the vertical direction, and plural seats fitted onto the floor-bases, said seats having collapsible seat section and backs, said stand further comprising:

parallel link mechanisms for moving the seat sections of the seats rearwardly and parallel to the floor-bases while moving between a use-position where the seat sections are away from the floor-bases and a stowage position where the seat sections are stowed immediately adjacent the floor-bases, at front portions of the respective floor-bases;
and
said parallel link mechanism comprising plural link members having bottom portions pivotally attached to fixed positions on said floor-bases, rear ones of said link members being attached to the backs of the seats, the backs being rotatable rearwardly between the use-position where the backs stand up away from the floor-bases and the stowage position where the backs are stowed immediately adjacent the floor-bases behind the stowage position of the seat sections and lying on their back faces, following the movement of the plural link members.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Retractable stairs-like stand

Life of this patent

Retractable stairs-like stand

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16