FORWARD FOLDING SEAT ASSEMBLY

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/777,463 filed on Feb. 28, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to improvements in seat assemblies, and more particularly to improvements in seat assemblies having a seat back which folds forward.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telescoping seat assemblies are commonly used in school gymnasiums, sporting arenas and other areas where it is desirable to be able to move the entire seating assembly between an extended position and a retracted position. Such seat assemblies are formed from rows of seating typically comprising bleacher seats, stadium seats, etc., movable between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position the rows of seating are telescoped into a reduced area for storage. Such rows of seating can comprise either a seat base with a seat back, or just the seat base alone. Seat assemblies with seat backs preferably fold from a full up position forward to a down position to help reduce the amount of space required for storage. Folding all of the seat backs forward can be labor intensive. Also, some type of hinge is normally required, and the relative movement of the seat back with respect to the seat base at the hinge can be a pinching hazard.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,392 to Van Ryn et al discloses a telescoping seat assembly having a pivotable seat back and a pivotable seat base. The seat back is biased by a spring to an upright position, but folds down as the seat assembly is retracted, allowing for complete retraction. The pivot mechanism is rather elaborate. A coil spring and spring retainer are used to pivot the seat base, and a second spring is connected between a pair of brackets by an end bearing plate and a welded on clip. Each bracket is attached to a pivot wing which is in turn attached to the seat back. In additional to being relatively complex and difficult to assemble, it is not apparent that there is a stop for the spring, so there may be a pinch point when the seat back folds against the seat base.

It would be desirable to provide a seat assembly where the seat back automatically returns to the full up position. It would also be desirable to provide a seat assembly with a protected hinge which helps reduce the likelihood of pinching, and which is of simple construction and low cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect, a seat assembly comprises a seat back and a seat base. The seat back is pivotable on a pivot pin assembly with respect to the seat base between a full up position and a down position. A seat back bracket is connected to the seat back and a seat base bracket is connected to the seat base. The seat base bracket has a stop and the seat back bracket has a stop, and the stops engage one another to restrict rotation of the seat back bracket with respect to the seat base bracket at the full up position. In accordance with another aspect the seat back bracket and seat base bracket each have corresponding unitary projections which cooperate to define a bearing surface which directly receives the pivot pin end caps.

From the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various preferred embodiments it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the technology of forward folding seat assemblies. Particularly significant in this regard is the potential the invention affords for providing a high quality, low cost seat assembly with a reduced likelihood of pinching. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front side view of a row of seating for a telescoping seat assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment, showing seat backs and corresponding seat bases.

FIG. 2 is a cross section view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 where the telescoping seat assembly is retracted and the seat back is pivoted forward by another row of seating.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 where the telescoping seat assembly is extended and the seat back is pivoted to a full up position underneath another row of seating.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the seat back and the spring loaded hinge which urges the seat back towards the full up position.

FIG. 5 is a close up perspective view of the seat back hinge bracket.

FIG. 6 is a close up perspective view of the seat base hinge bracket.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the seat assembly as disclosed here, including, for example, the specific dimensions of the hinges and springs, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. Certain features of the illustrated embodiments have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to improve visualization and clear understanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, for example, for clarity of illustration. All references to direction and position, unless otherwise indicated, refer to the orientation illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, to those who have knowledge or experience in this area of technology, that many uses and design variations are possible for the forward folding seat assembly disclosed here. The following detailed discussion of various alternative and preferred features and embodiments will illustrate the general principles of the invention with reference to a forward folding seat assembly suitable for use telescoping seat assemblies, stadium seating, bleacher seating and the like. Other embodiments suitable for other applications will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a seat assembly 10. Each seat 14 has a seat back 16 and a seat base 18. Typically the seats 14 are about 18″ in length. Preferably the seats 14 each have arms 20, and the seats 14 may be connected together to form a row of seating 12. The seat backs and seat bases may be wood, plastic, fabric, metal or a combination thereof. Several rows of seating 12 may be mounted together on a floorboard 33 (shown in FIG. 2) of a retractable mounting structure movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

Preferably the seat back 16 is pivotable with respect to the seat base 18. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the seat assembly where the seat back is pivoted to a down position by the action of a row of seating positioned above the seat back so that the row engages the seat back as the rows of seating are retracted, and FIG. 3 shows a side view of the seat assembly where the seat back is in a full up position. Preferably a spring 34 biases the seat back toward the full up position. Retraction of the row of seating to the retracted position causes the seat back to contact a row of seating above the seat back, overcoming the force of the spring 34 and urging the seat back toward the down position.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the seat assembly, with a hinge assembly comprising the seat back bracket 28, seat base bracket 30, spring 34 and related pivot pin assembly. The hinge assembly operatively connects the seat back and the seat base. Preferably the seat back bracket 28 is rigidly attached to the seat back 16 and the seat base bracket 30 is rigidly attached to the seat base 18 or to the floor board 33 or other part of the mounting structure such as to arms 20 which are in turn attached to the seat base. Preferably a pair of generally mirror image seat back brackets is provided, one on each side of the seat back. Each engage one of corresponding generally mirror image seat base brackets, as shown. The two engaging brackets 28, 30 are connected by a pivot pin assembly so that the seat back can pivot with respect to the seat base. As shown here the pivot pin assembly comprises a pair of end caps 24, 25 which engage a pivot pin 27. The pivot pin may be connected to the end caps in one of several ways. For example, the end caps may be internally threaded and the pin may have external threads which correspond to the internal threads of the end caps.

Preferably each bracket cooperates to form an opening 40 (shown in FIGS. 5-6) adapted to receive the pivot pin 27 and the end caps 24, 25. The opening 40 is generally cylindrical and each portion of the opening formed by the brackets is aligned with the other when the hinge assembly is assembled. Each end cap 24, 25 may be provided with a corresponding head 84, 85 wider than the opening, which restricts travel of the end caps into the openings in one direction. The brackets 28, 30 have unitary projections 43 and 53 which define the opening. The term unitary is understood herein to mean formed as one piece instead of two pieces assembled together. For example, preferably the seat back bracket 28 and seat base bracket 30 may be formed as a single piece cast aluminum part or as a single piece injection molded plastic part. Formation of the seat back bracket 28 and a seat base bracket 30 as a single piece is advantageous in that it reduces costs by eliminating the need for pivot wings, brackets, welded on clips and end bearing plate of other known telescoping seat assemblies.

The spring 34 is positioned in a pocket defined by a recess 45 in bracket 28, and a recess 55 in bracket 30. The brackets cooperate to form the pocket, and the pocket advantageously surrounds the spring, reducing the likelihood of pinching as the seat back rotates with respect to the seat base. Preferably the spring 34 is a coil spring positioned around the pivot pin, has a first end 77 which engages the seat back bracket at opening or recess 98 (shown in FIG. 5), and a second end 66 that engages the seat base bracket at an opening or recess 99 (shown in FIG. 6). The spring biases the seat back bracket (and attached seat back) towards the full up position.

In accordance with a highly advantageous feature, the seat base bracket 30 has a pair of unitary radial fins 52, 54 extending into the pocket 55 which act as stops. The radial fins 52, 54 cooperate with corresponding unitary projections or stops 46, 44 on the seat back bracket 28 to limit relative motion of the seat back bracket (and attached seat back) with respect to the seat base bracket (and attached seat base) at a full up position. That is, the seat back is free to pivot with respect to the seat base until the stop of one bracket contacts the stop of the other bracket. At this point the further movement is restricted. This position is the full up position. The full range of travel is advantageously defined between this full up position and a down position where the seat back pivots down into contact with the seat base. Thus, the seat back, seat base and stops cooperate to define the travel range. One pair of stops may be used or, as shown in the Figs. a pair of stops may be used.

Each bracket 28, 30 has a corresponding surface 75, 76 which meet at a meeting surface, when the seat brackets are assembled together. Preferably the seat back bracket stops 44, 46 have corresponding portions 64, 66 which extend beyond the meeting surface towards the seat base bracket 30. In a similar manner, the seat base bracket stops 52, 54 have corresponding portions 72, 74 which extend beyond the meeting surface towards the seat back bracket 28. Thickening the fins or stops in this manner advantageously increases strength and disperses loading.

From the foregoing disclosure and detailed description of certain preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications, additions and other alternative embodiments are possible without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to use the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.