U.S. patent number 3,628,830 [Application Number 04/790,410] was granted by the patent office on 1971-12-21 for chair.
Invention is credited to Jose Figueras Mitjans.
United States Patent |
3,628,830 |
Mitjans |
December 21, 1971 |
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.
Inventors: |
Mitjans; Jose Figueras (515
Barcelona, ES) |
Family
ID: |
8447634 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/790,410 |
Filed: |
January 10, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 15, 1968 [ES] |
|
|
349,780 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/452.59;
297/218.3; 297/218.4; 297/452.38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
7/56 (20130101); A47C 7/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/00 (20060101); A47C 7/02 (20060101); A47C
7/56 (20060101); A47c 027/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/218,219,452,441,445 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Machado; Reinaldo P.
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.
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.
* * * * *