US3116090A

US3116090A - Numbered theater chair seats

Info

Publication number: US3116090A
Application number: US844318A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin E Kornbluth
Original assignee: American Seating Co
Current assignee: American Seating Co
Priority date: 1959-10-05
Filing date: 1959-10-05
Publication date: 1963-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1980-12-31

Description

1963 M. E. KORNBLUTH 3,116,090

NUMBERED THEATER CHAIR SEATS Filed Oct. 5, 1959 WITNESS BY MM Ala/W 8. B/wunu ATTORNEY United States Q tet 3,116,090 NUIVEBERED THEATER CHAIR SEATS Martin E. Kornbluth, New York, N.Y., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 844,318 7 Claims. (Cl. 297-217) The present invention relates to chairs, and more particularly to seating of the type installed in theaters, auditoriums and the like.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide novel means for numbering seats in rows in theaters and the like, and to provide such novel numbering means which is both economical and attractive.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a theater-type chair in which is incorporated the new numbering means;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of part of the chair seats sheet metal foundation or pan with the new numbering device incorporated therein;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of part of a row of theater-type chairs with the new numbering means incorporated therein.

Referring now in detail to this drawing, the theater chair shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 generally comprises spaced, upright, chair-supporting standards 10, a chair back L1 mounted on and between the standards 10, and a chair seat 12 pivotally mounted on and between said standards for swinging movement between a lowered, generally horizontal position for occupancy as seen in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 and a forwardly-upwardly tilted position of non-use as seen in full lines in FIG- URES 1 and 2.

The chair seat 12 comprises a sheet metal seat foundation having a bottom 13 and an upstanding front wall 14, side walls 15 and a rear wall 16. An upholstered seat cushion .1-8 is mounted on the seat foundation. In the center of the seat foundations front wall 14 there is provided a depressed area 19. A numeral-bearing sheet metal plate or tag is disposed in the depressed area 19 and is secured to the seat foundation as by means of rivets 21 passing through aligned apertures in the tag and in the front wall =14 of the seat foundation. Alternately the tag 19 could be spot-welded to the seat foundation.

It will be seen that when the unoccupied chair seat 12 is tilted upwardly to its non-use position the seat foundations front wall 14 faces upwardly and the numeralbearing tag 20 is clearly visible to a person standing in front of the chair. Preferably the chair seat 12 is mounted on the standards 10 by means of self-raising seat hinges indicated diagrammatically at 22 in FIGURE 2. Such a self-raising seat hinge is disclosed in Patent No. 2,582,- 599 issued January 15, 1952 to W. E. Nordmark and by him assigned to the assignee of this application. By employing such a self-raising seat hinge, all unoccupied seats in a theater are automatically tilted upwardly to non-use position so that the numeral-bearing tags 19 can be plainly seen.

In FIGURE 5 there is illustrated part of a row of connected seating in which the numeral-bearing tags 19 on the chair seats 18 are sequentially numbered so as to indicate the position of each seat in the row. While numerals are the most commonly used form of marking it will be understood that other indicia such as letters of the alphabet or the names of individuals might be used on the tags 19.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a novel, economical and attractive means for numbering the seats in rows of theater seating, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been shown in the drawing it will be understood that details thereof may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a chair: spaced upright chair-supporting standards; a chair seat pivotally mounted on and between said standards for swinging movement between a lowered, generally horizontal position for occupancy and a forwardly-upwardly tilted position of non-use means for automatically tilting the chair seat upwardly to its non-use position when unoccupied; and chair-identifying indicia on the front edge of the chair seat whereby when the seat is in its automatically forwardly-upwardly tilted nonuse position said indicia faces upwardly and is clearly visible to a person standing in front of the chair.

2. In a chair: spaced upright chair-supporting standards; a chair seat pivotally mounted on and between said standards for swinging movement between a lowered, generally horizontal position for occupancy and a forwardly-upwardly tilted position of non-use, said chair seat having a sheet metal foundation provided with a front wall which faces upwardly in the forwardly-upwardly tilted position of the seat; a numeral-bearing chair-identitying metal tag secured to said front Wall of the seat foundation; and means for automatically tilting the chair seat upwardly to its non-use position when unoccupied.

3. A chair according to claim 2 in which the metal tag is seated in a depressed area in the front wall of the seat foundation.

4. In a chair: spaced upright chair-supporting stand ards; a chair seat pivotally mounted on and between said standards for swinging movement between a lowered, generally horizontal position for occupancy and a forwardly-upwardly tilted position of non-use, said chair seat having an upholstered cushion mounted on a sheet metal foundation provided with a bottom and upstanding front, side and rear walls, said front wall facing upwardly in the forwardly-upwardly tilted position of the seat and having a depressed area therein; and a numeral-bearing metal tag disposed in said depressed area and riveted to the metal of said foundations front wall.

5. A chair according to claim 4 including means for automatically tilting the chair seat upwardly to its nonuse position when unoccupied.

6. A chair according to claim 4 in which said depressed area is in the center of the foundations front wall.

7. A row of chairs each according to claim 6 in which the metal tags on the chairs are sequentially numbered to indicate each chairs position in the row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,420,059 Roth June 20, 1922 1,517,718 Feldner Dec. 2, 1924 1,739,971 Kent Dec. 17, 1929 2,621,709 Bell Dec. 1-6, 1952 2,635,681 Hiltman Apr. 21, 1953 2,711,786 Weiss June 28, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,312 Germany Ian. 8, 1927 3,116,090.111a1"tin E. Kombluth, New York, N.Y. NUMBERED THEATER CHAIR SEATS. Patent dated Dec. 31, 1963. Disclaimer filed Aug. 18, 1964, by the assignee, American Seating Oompomy. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1 and 2 of said patent.

[Oficz'al Gazette November 17, 1964.]

Claims

4. IN A CHAIR: SPACED UPRIGHT CHAIR-SUPPORTING STANDARDS; A CHAIR SEAT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON AND BETWEEN SAID STANDARDS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LOWERED, GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION FOR OCCUPANCY AND A FORWARDLY-UPWARDLY TILTED POSITION OF NON-USE, SAID CHAIR SEAT HAVING AN UPHOLSTERED CUSHION MOUNTED ON A SHEET METAL FOUNDATION PROVIDED WITH A BOTTOM AND UPSTANDING FRONT, SIDE AND REAR WALLS, SAID FRONT WALL FACING UPWARDLY IN THE FORWARDLY-UPWARDLY TILTED POSITION OF THE SEAT AND HAVING A DEPRESSED AREA THEREIN; AND A NUMERAL-BEARING METAL TAG DISPOSED IN SAID DEPRESSED AREA AND RIVETED TO THE METAL OF SAID FOUNDATION''S FRONT WALL.