Chair

Abstract

The specification describes the construction of a seat and a backrest for a tip-up type theater chair. A resilient body is covered on one face and four edges by a removable fabric cover. The cover has a hem containing a reinforcing cord. There are a number of eyelets formed in the fabric cover adjacent the hem. The resilient body is supported on a rectangular frame which has a number of hooks projecting into the rectangular space inside the frame and towards the resilient body. The hem of the cover is taken around the frame, underneath it and into the rectangular space within the frame where the apertures along the hem are hooked onto the hooks on the frame. The cover is thus held tightly over the resilient body. The frame is held in a casing and the casing together with the frame and upholstery forms a unit (backrest, armrest or seat) for a chair. The construction of the casing is discussed in detail.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of chairs having tip-up seats, suitable for the auditoriums of, for example, theaters and the like, and relates particularly to arrangements for enabling replacement of parts, without necessarily dismantling the chair.

The use of this type of chair requires, in addition to robust qualities, simplicity of mechanism, and comfort and "finish", the ability to effect rapid and simple replacement of the upholstery covers, which are the most vulnerable part of the chair.

Such replacement, can sometimes be troublesome, requiring the employment of skilled labor and time.

It is desirable to have upholstery covers which may be changed rapidly and simply. Thus maintenance of the covers need not be the only reason for change, they may be easily changed for any particular event, change in season, a visual, temporary or permanent classification of categories of tickets or seats, or simply decorative caprice.

Furthermore, the upholstery which has been replaced will not necessarily become useless. A dye wash or some other type of treatment may be used, thus preserving the upholstery in good condition for effecting a change, with a consequent economy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the preset invention we provide an upholstered unit for a chair, the unit including a removable upholstery cover, retained on the unit by an elongate member having a plurality of hooks on one face, the removable upholstery cover being impaled on the hooks near its edge.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The description which follows discusses by way of example two embodiments of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 shows a seat body of a first embodiment and having an upholstery cover,

FIG. 2 is a view of a seat-support casing,

FIG. 3 is a vertical section showing the assembled seat unit,

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the engagement of the seat cover,

FIG. 5 shows the same detail in perspective,

FIG. 6 is a vertical section through a bearing for the seat unit and a pivot pin,

FIG. 7 shows two perpendicular sections of a socket and pivot pin,

FIG. 8 shows the air vents in the support casing,

FIG. 9 is a view of a backrest frame which is a second embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 10 is a view of the back-supporting casing,

FIG. 11 shows a vertical section through the back unit, and

FIG. 12 shows, in section, a detail of the engagement of the upholstery in the back frame and the securing thereof to the support casing.

A chair seat for a tip-up seat embodying the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

An elastic or resilient body of moulded spongy material 1, forming the base of a seat, is shown in FIG. 1. It has a removable fabric cover 2, the edges of which terminate in a hem 3 in which is contained a cable or cord 4.

The body 1 is supported by an assembly consisting of a metal frame 5 of L-shaped cross section containing a network of spiral springs 6 secured to collector plates 7 which are connected by tie means. There are hooks 9 in the vertical wall 8 of the frame 5 the points of which are directed upwardly from the base of the frame 5 and the hooks lie inwardly into the space inside the vertical walls 8 of the frame. The hooks 9 are formed by pushing out portions of the wall 8, which then form projections from the wall, leaving apertures in it.

A support casing is sown in FIG. 2. The casing is moulded in a single piece and is shaped to contain, with play, the edges of the frame 5. The casing has air vents 10 in its bottom face and projections 11 and 12 about its walls. The casing also contains bearings 13 for pivoting the support casing to the sides of a chair. The walls of the casing adjacent the bearings 13 are reinforced by ribs 14.

FIG. 3 shows the assembled unit of body 1, frame 5, and support casing. The resilient or elastic body 1 bears on the network of springs 5 and, at its edges, overlaps the top edge of the frame 5. The fabric cover 2 extends beyond the body 1 and is folded around the frame 5 to engage the hooks 9 in each of the four walls of the frame 5. Eyelets, or slits, 19 are provided in the fabric cover 2 for this purpose (FIG. 4). From FIG. 3, it will be seen that the frame 5 bears on the projections 11 and 12 of the support casing and also on the bearings 13, and is retained in the casing by compression of the resilient body 1 between the end 16 of the casing and the curved-over end 15.

The seat body and frame are also held in position in the casing by their weight. When the seat is lowered, this weight is borne on the projections 11, and when the tipped-up position by the projections 12 and held by the curved end 15.

Optionally, it will be possible to lodge, in the space between the bearings 13 and the projections 12, a counterweight cooperating in the pivoting of the seat when it is tipped-up, turning on pivots 18 associated with the bearings 13.

FIG. 4 shows in more detail the positioning of the fabric on the hooks 9. The eyelets 19 are made in the fabric of the cover 2 adjacent the hem 3, and the fabric passes over the hooks so that the cord 4 lies between the hooks and the wall 8 of the frame, and the edge of the cover is impaled on the hooks.

The right-hand portion of FIG. 4 shows, in front view, an inner face of the frame. This view shows a hook 9 projecting past the hem 3, after having passed through the eyelet 19 formed in the fabric cover 2. A further view of the engagement of the upholstery cover is shown in FIG. 5 (in perspective); the view shows the position of the hem 3 with the cord lying behind the hooks 9.

The sections of the bearings 13 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 show one means of securing the removable tip-up seat to the sides of the chair.

A pivot pin 18, mounted in the bearings 13 is secured, within the support casing, by a nut 21 and washer 21a. The pivot pin 18 has, at the outer end, a head of larger diameter than the head 22 which is secured to the chair sides. The socket 23 (FIGS. 6 and 7) has an aperture 26 in its upper section, shaped to allow the pin 18 and head 22 to pass into the socket 23. The socket 23 contains a rotatable ring 27, in the space between the outer diameter of the head 22 and the interior of the socket. The said ring 27 also has a notch to allow the passage of the head 22. When the head is positioned inside the socket 23, the ring 27 is turned to close the aperture in the socket 23 and so retain the pin 18 and head 22 in position. The seat body and casing may then be removed entirely from the supporting sides of the chair by turning the ring 27 to open the aperture in the socket 23 and then lifting the pin from the socket.

FIG. 8 shows a detail of the air vents 10 formed in the bottom of the seat casing. A central port 20 enables access to the interior of the casing and may be closed by a plate. The plate may carry details relating to the make, number and other data of interest, readily legible on tipping up the seat.

A chair back for a tip-up seat embodying the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12.

A metal frame 28 of L-shaped cross section associated with a backrest (FIG 9) differs in positioning from the frame 5 of the seat in that it bears on its support casing 31 with both edges of the L-section frame, through the fabric cover. The inner walls of the rectangle formed by the frame are formed with hooks 29, the points of which extend upwards and towards the interior of the frame. The frame 29 also has catches 30 welded at an appropriate height along the major sides of the frame to engage under projections 32 of a casing 31 to retain the frame in position at the upper end 36 of the casing (FIG. 10).

The casing 31 has internal dimensions which are larger than the corresponding external dimensions of the frame. Screws at 33 secure the casing to the chair sides and the walls of the casing are reinforced at those points. The lower edge of the casing carries resilient stops 17 against which the seat bears when in the lowered position.

FIG. 11 shows the engagement of the frame 28 within the support casing 31, with a spongy, elastic body 34 to form a unit. The body 34 is compressed between the ends 35 and 36 of the casing. The lower ends of the body 34 and frame 28 are supported in a curved-over portion of the end 35 of the casing; the weight of the body urges it into the lower end 35. The body 34 occupies the space between a cover 37 and the interior of the casing 31, extending through the rectangle formed by the frame 28 and bearing on the frame.

The hem 3, of the cover 37 (FIG. 12) is taken around the frame 28, into the rectangle and is impaled, through the eyelets provided, on the hooks 29.

FIG. 12 also shows, in detail, the retaining of the frame 28 by the projection 32 extending below the catch 30 which passes through an eyelet in the upholstery cover 37.

A change of upholstery or cover will necessarily require the removal from the support casings (as normally takes place in known designs). In the seat, the body 1 and its frame 5 are simply pulled out of the casing 10 against the force of the compression between the ends 15 and 16.

In the back rest, the body 34 and the frame 28 are pulled from the casing, the casing bending outward to allow the catches 30 to pass over the projections 32 of the casing.

To remove the upholstery covers the eyelets are unhooked from the hooks 9 and 29 of each frame. Refitting of a cover is effected with equal simplicity, since it suffices to pass the eyelets over the associated hooks, in order to secure the upholstery into the unit. A slight pressure is necessary to push the seat and backrest into their respective support casings.

When the seat is lowered for use, its lowered position is determined by the abutment of the rear edge of the seat against the stops 17 on the backrest. In the tipped-up position the upholstered surfaces of the seat and backrest come into contact.

Claims

I claim:

1. An upholstered unit having a resilient body, a cover over the body, a frame at one side of the body, the frame being open-centered, a plurality of hooks on the frame and projecting into the center of the frame and towards the body, the cover lying over the other side of the body and having an edge, the edge being taken around the frame into the center of the frame, and being impaled on the hooks to hold the cover in position.

2. An upholstered unit according to claim 1 wherein the edge of the cover has a hem reinforced with a cord, the cord lying between the hooks and the frame on engagement of the apertures with the hooks.

3. An upholstered unit according to claim 1 wherein the body is supported by springing across the base within the frame.

4. An upholstered unit according to claim 1 wherein the body and frame are removably supported in a casing, the casing enclosing the face of the body remote from the upholstery cover and gripping the edges of the body.

5. An upholstered unit according to claim 1 wherein the body is a seat and the casing is pivotally mounted to a support for the seat.

6. An upholstered unit according to claim 1 wherein the body is a backrest and the frame is retained in the casing by engagement of the frame with projections on the casing at its upper edge.

7. In an article of furniture, the improvement consisting of an upholstered unit including a resilient body, a frame supporting the body, the frame being open-centered, a cover having an edge and lying over one side of the body, a casing on the other side of the body, a plurality of hooks on the frame and projecting into the center of the frame and towards the body, the cover extending around the frame and being impaled on the hooks to hold the cover in position, the casing enclosing and supporting the frame to grip the body, the casing being adapted to be attached to a support in the article of furniture.

8. The improvement as claimed in claim 7 wherein the casing is adapted to be pivotally mounted to a support in the article of furniture, the casing containing the abutments to abut the frame and hold it against movement in two mutually perpendicular planes.

9. The improvement as claimed in claim 7 wherein the casing is adapted to be rigidly secured to a support in the article of furniture.