Mobile folding restaurant booth style bench

A mobile folding bench comprising

• a generally vertically oriented seat back comprising a forward facing seat back surface configured to support the back of a sitting human occupant;
• a seat comprising a sitting surface configured to seat the human occupant, the seat disposed in front of the seat back;
• a mobile base comprising at least one mobile support member adapted to support the mobile base on a floor surface and to facilitate lateral movement of the mobile base relative to the floor surface;
• a stationary base movably coupled to the mobile base by a sliding connection constraining the stationary base to generally vertical upward and downward movement of the stationary base relative to the mobile base, the stationary base comprising at least one stationary support member adapted to support the stationary base on a generally horizontal floor surface and to inhibit lateral movement of the stationary base relative to the floor surface, the seat being supported by and pivotally coupled to the stationary base to move between a seating position in which the sitting surface is at a generally horizontal sitting angle and a folded position in which the sitting surface is at a generally vertical folded angle;
• the seat back being supported by at least one of the mobile base and the stationary base;
• a base biasing member connected between the mobile base and the stationary base and biasing the stationary base in a generally upward direction relative to the mobile base, the biasing member providing a sufficient base biasing force to maintain the stationary support member at a vertical clearance distance above the floor surface when the mobile support member contacts the floor surface and the seat is in the folded position, so that the folding bench is supported on the floor surface by the mobile support member;
• and
• an engagement member operatively connected to the seat and configured to transmit a lifting force from the stationary base to the mobile base to lift the mobile base relative to the stationary base when the seat is moved from the folded position to the seating position, so that the folding bench is supported on the floor surface by the stationary support member.

A method of arranging restaurant booth style seating using two mobile folding benches and a table, each mobile folding bench comprising a generally vertically oriented seat back comprising a forward facing seat back surface configured to support the back of a sitting human occupant;

• a seat comprising a sitting surface configured to seat the human occupant, the seat disposed in front of the seat back;
• a mobile base comprising at least one mobile support member adapted to support the mobile base on a floor surface and to facilitate lateral movement of the mobile base relative to the floor surface;
• a stationary base movably coupled to the mobile base to permit at least vertical movement of the stationary base relative to the mobile base, the stationary base comprising at least one stationary support member adapted to support the stationary base on a generally horizontal floor surface and to inhibit lateral movement of the stationary base relative to the floor surface, the seat being supported by and pivotally coupled to the stationary base to move between a seating position in which the sitting surface is at a generally horizontal sitting angle and a folded position in which the sitting surface is at a generally vertical folded angle;
• the seat back being supported by at least one of the mobile base and the stationary base;
• a base biasing member connected between the mobile base and the stationary base and biasing the stationary base in a generally upward direction relative to the mobile base, the biasing member providing a sufficient base biasing force to maintain the stationary support member at a vertical clearance distance above the floor surface when the mobile support member contacts the floor surface and the seat is in the folded position, so that the folding bench is supported on the floor surface by the mobile support member;
• an engagement member operatively connected to the seat and configured to lift the mobile base relative to the stationary base when the seat is moved from the folded position to the seating position so that the folding bench is supported on the floor surface by the stationary support member;
• and an actuation member operatively connected to the mobile base, the engagement member configured to contact the actuation member and to transmit a lifting force from the stationary base to the mobile base through the actuation member during movement of the seat from the folded position to the seating position;
• the method comprising
• moving a first one of the benches having a first seat in the folded position, having a first mobile base engaging a floor surface, to a position in which a first seat back surface of the first bench faces a first side of the table;
• unfolding the first seat to the seating position to cause a first mobile base of the first bench to disengage from the floor surface and a first stationary base of the first bench to engage the floor surface;
• moving a second one of the benches having a second seat in the folded position, having a second mobile base engaging a floor surface, to a position in which a second seat back surface of the second bench faces a second side of the table;
• and
• unfolding the second seat to the seating position to cause a second mobile base of the second bench to disengage from the floor surface and a second stationary base of the second bench to engage the floor surface.