Temporary Seat Supported By Spaced-apart Chairs

Abstract

A temporary, portable seat constructed to be readily supported at end portions thereof by spaced-apart chairs and readily removed from the chairs. The combination of spaced-apart chairs supporting such a temporary seat.

Description

This invention relates to a temporary, portable seat and the combination of said temporary seat supported by and between spaced-apart chairs.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a temporary, portable seat which is comfortable, attractive, economical, readily stored when not in use, and readily supported, without fastening means, by conventional armless chairs so as to furnish an additional, sturdy seat or chair for home or institutional use.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing three spaced-apart, substantially aligned armless chairs (a fragmentary view is shown of one of the chairs) with two different exemplary embodiments of our temporary seat supported by two of the chairs;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing one of the temporary seats shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side or end elevational view showing the temporary seat shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the temporary seat shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; and,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side or end elevational view, similar to FIG. 3, showing a plurality of temporary seats, such as shown in FIGS. 2-4, in juxtaposed, nesting relationship for storage.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown therein three spaced-apart, substantially aligned, conventional, armless chairs 11, 12, and 13, with chairs 11 and 12 supporting a preferred embodiment 20 of our temporary seat and chairs 12 and 13 supporting another embodiment 30 of our temporary seat. The temporary seats 20 and 30 are legless, portable, integral or unitary structures which do not need to be connected to the supporting spaced-apart chairs by any special or cumbersome fastening means. Each seat is capable of supporting one person, although, if desired, they can be constructed to permit support of more than one person.

The particular temporary seats 20 and 30 shown in FIG. 1 are constructed of relatively thin, clear plastic material, such as "Plexiglas" plastic (methyl methacrylate resin), and differ from each other in shape and construction only in that the temporary seat 30 has spaced openings 31 therein which allow for circulation of air through the openings to a person sitting on that seat.

Once a person is seated on the temporary seat, movement of the supporting, spaced-apart chairs is restricted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the temporary seats 20 and 30 are readily supported at their respective end portions by or on the adjoining end portions of the seats of the spaced-apart chairs.

FIGS. 1-3 show that the temporary seat 20 has a substantially planar seat portion 21 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which is longer than it is wide (FIGS. 1 and 2), has a length sufficient for seating at least one person when supported by the spaced-apart supporting chairs 11 and 12 (FIG. 1), and has a width substantially conforming to the width of the seat portions of the supporting chairs (FIG. 1).

The seat portion 21 of the temporary seat 20 has a downturned depending lip portion 22 which extends along its length (FIGS. 3 and 4) and, as shown in FIG. 1, is adapted to be positioned approximately contiguous to or in substantially abutting relationship to the front of the seat portions of the spaced-apart, supporting chairs.

The seat portion 20 has an upstanding lip portion 24 which extends along its length (FIGS. 2-4) and is shaped to restrict the movement backward of a person sitting on the temporary seat. The upstanding lip portion 24 shown in FIG. 1 is adapted to be positioned approximately contiguous to or in substantially abutting relationship to part of the backrest of the spaced-apart, supporting chairs. The upstanding lip portion 24 may have a height which is sufficient to support at least the base of the spinal column of one sitting on the temporary seat.

Although the temporary seat 20 is made of plastic material which is relatively rigid, it has restricted yieldability under load which affords sufficient, but limited, flexing when one sits on it. This limited yieldability adds to the comfort of one sitting on the temporary seat. The lip portions 22 and 24 cooperate with the seat portion 21 to provide what can be referred to as an "S" or "Z" construction wherein the lip portions enhance the supporting strength of the temporary seat under intended load.

If desired, the construction or shape of the temporary seat 20 shown in FIG. 3 may be altered so that the substantially planar seat portion 21 has a slight downward slope in a rearward direction extending between the downturned and upstanding lip portions, respectively. The free longitudinally extending outer or free edges of the lip portions 22 and 24 may be rounded and one or both lip portions may slope slightly inwardly or outwardly, depending on one's particular needs.

The downturned lip portion 22 and upstanding lip portion 24 shown in FIG. 3 communicate or connect with the seat portion 21 by means of longitudinally extending curved portions 23 and 25, respectively. The arc of curvature of each of these curved sections 23 and 25 may be the same or different (e.g., about 1 to 3 inch radius or radii).

By using a different arc of curvature for each curved portion of the same temporary seat (e.g., about 1 to 2 inches for one arc of curvature and about 11/2to 3 inches for the other arc of curvature), as shown in FIG. 3, one can select which of the lip portions should be used as the upstanding and downturned lip portions, depending on the construction of the seat portions of the spaced-apart chairs (e.g., padded or cushioned seat portion or substantially rigid seat or hard seat portion). When the curved sections have a different arc of curvature, the individual temporary seats may have or bear commonly positioned indicia, such as a dot formed in the plastic material, which facilitates stacking the seats in nesting relationship with the indicia and all of the downturned and upstanding lip portions of each seat in superimposed relationship.

Regardless of the arc of curvature(s) used, the temporary seat is "reversible" in the sense that the top and bottom may be reversed by turning the temporary seat over and/or the upstanding and downturned lip portions can be reversed so that they become the downturned and upstanding lip portions, respectively.

As indicated in FIG. 5, a plurality of the temporary seats 20 may be conveniently stacked for storage in juxtaposed, nesting relationship.

Although the particular temporary seats 20 and 30 shown in the drawing may be made of clear "Plexiglas" plastic (methyl methacrylate resin), other suitable resinous, transparent, translucent or pigmented materials can be used such as other acrylate or polyacrylate plastics (thermoplastic resins), polystyrene plastics (thermoplastic), and ethylenically unsaturated polyester plastics (thermosetting). Furthermore, the temporary seat can be constructed of laminated plastic material or fiber glass ("Fiberglas" material)-reinforced or textile-fiber-reinforced plastic.

If one chooses to use fibers (e.g., textile fibers) to reinforce the plastic material, one may wet textile fibers with a polymerizable olefinically unsaturated liquid capable of being solidified to the rigid state by polymerization, which fibers normally have hydroxyl groups on their surface but are modified by having bonded to the surface thereof a vinyl siloxane coupling compound having a carbon of an olefinic group thereof attached directly to a silicon atom (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,378).

The plastic material may be molded in place to the desired shape or construction. Alternatively, sheets of thermoplastic plastic such as "Plexiglas" plastic of about 1/8-inch thickness may be used and the lips may be formed by heating and bending the sheet in a bending jig under controlled temperature-time conditions or cycles which do not allow the shape of the bent lip portions to return toward the flat, planar shape of the original plastic sheet due to plastic "memory" (e.g., a heating cycle of about 200.degree. to 400.degree. F. for about 10 to 25 seconds may be used for "Plexiglas" plastic). Furthermore, if desired, an air-drying or air-curing catalyzed plastic system may be used.

Although the particular dimensions of our portable seat can be varied within certain limits, particularly satisfactory results are obtained when the overall length is about 22 to 25 inches, the overall width is about 161/4 to 163/4 inches, the overall height of the downturned and upstanding lip portions, as measured to the top and bottom of the seat portion, respectively, is about 21/4 to 41/2 inches, and the thickness of the plastic material is about one-twelfth to three-sixteenth inch.

The temporary seats 20 and 30 shown in the drawings may be modified, if desired, by extending the length of the temporary seat so that it extends entirely across the seat portions of the supporting chairs, and by providing a downturned lip portion or flange at each of the ends of the temporary seat which is adapted to abut the outermost side edges of those chairs and restrict movement of those chairs away from the temporary seat.

Furthermore, if desired, a seat cushion may be secured to the seat portion 21 of the temporary seat 20 by permanent (e.g., adhesive or secured in place rivets and grommets) or temporary (e.g., snaps) means, and such seats may be stacked in substantially nesting relationship either with the cushions in place or after removal of the cushions.

The temporary seats 20 and 30 shown in the drawings may be modified, if desired, by extending the length of the temporary seat so that it extends entirely across the seat portions of the supporting chairs, and by providing a downturned lip portion or flange at each of the ends of the temporary seat which is adapted to abut the outermost side edges of those chairs and restrict movement of those chairs away from the temporary seat.

Furthermore, if desired, a seat cushion may be secured to the seat portion 21 of the temporary seat 20 by permanent (e.g., adhesive or secured in place rivets and grommets) or temporary (e.g., snaps) means, and such seats may be stacked in substantially nesting relationship either with the cushions in place or after removal of the cushions.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

We claim:

1. An integral, temporary, portable, legless seat of relatively thin plastic material constructed to be (a) readily supported at end portions thereof by and on seat portions of selected, spaced-apart, substantially aligned armless chairs without requiring fastening means and (b) readily removed and stacked in substantially nesting relationship with another temporary seat of substantially the same construction, which temporary, legless seat comprises a substantially planar and substantially horizontal seat portion which has restricted yieldability under load, is longer than it is wide, has a length sufficient for seating at least one person while substantially planar and substantially horizontal end portions of said seat portion are supported by and on said seat portions of selected, spaced-apart, substantially aligned armless chairs, and has a width substantially conforming to the width of said seat portions of said supporting chairs, the front of said substantially planar and substantially horizontal seat portion having a downturned depending lip portion which extends along its length and is shaped at its opposed end portions for being positioned approximately contiguous to front portions of seat portions of said supporting chairs, the back of said substantially planar and substantially horizontal seat portion having an upstanding lip portion which extends along its length and is shaped to restrict the movement backward of a person sitting on said temporary seat, said lip portions enhancing the supporting strength of said temporary seat under load.

2. The temporary seat of claim 1 wherein said temporary seat is made of fiber-reinforced plastic material.

3. The temporary seat of claim 1 wherein said temporary seat has openings therein.

4. The temporary seat of claim 1 wherein said downturned lip portion and upstanding lip portion each communicate with said substantially planar seat portion by means of a curved section, and the arc of curvation of each curved section is different.

5. The combination of a temporary, portable seat constructed of relatively thin material which is supported at opposed end portions thereof by and between seat portions of spaced-apart, substantially aligned chairs, said temporary seat being constructed to be (a) readily supported at end portions thereof by and on seat portions of said spaced-apart chairs without requiring fastening means and (b) readily removed from said supporting chairs and stacked in substantially nesting relationship with another temporary seat of substantially the same construction, said temporary seat having a substantially planar and substantially horizontal seat portion which has restricted yieldability under load, is longer than it is wide, has a length sufficient for seating at least one person while said substantially planar and substantially horizontal end portions of said seat portion are supported by and on said seat portions of said spaced-apart chairs, and has a width substantially conforming to the width of said seat portions of said supporting chairs the front of said seat portion of said temporary seat having a downturned depending lip portion constructed for being positioned approximately contiguous to front portions of seat portions of said supporting chairs, the back of said seat portion of said temporary seat having an upstanding lip portion which is shaped to restrict the movement backward of a person sitting on said temporary seat.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said temporary seat is made of relatively thin plastic material.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said temporary seat is of fiber-reinforced plastic material.

8. The combination of claim 5 wherein said temporary seat has openings therein.

9. The combination of claim 5 wherein said downturned lip portion and upstanding lip portion each communicate with said seat portion of the temporary seat by means of a curved section, and the arc of curvature of each curved section is different.

10. The combination of an integral, temporary, portable, legless seat supported at opposed end portions thereof by and between seat portions of spaced-apart, substantially aligned, armless chairs, said temporary seat being of relatively thin plastic material constructed to be (a) readily supported at end portions thereof by seat portions of said spaced-apart chairs and (b) readily removed from said supporting chairs and stacked in substantially nesting relationship with another temporary seat of substantially the same construction, said temporary seat having a substantially planar seat portion which has restricted yieldability under load, is longer than it is wide, has a length sufficient for seating at least one person while said end portions of said seat portion are supported by said spaced-apart chairs, and has a width substantially conforming to the width of said seat portions of said supporting chairs, the front of said substantially planar seat portion having a downturned depending lip portion which extends along its length and is constructed for being positioned approximately contiguous to front portions of said supporting chairs, the back of said substantially planar seat portion having an upstanding lip portion which extends along its length and is shaped to restrict the movement backward of a person sitting on said temporary seat, said lip portions enhancing the supporting strength of said temporary seat under load.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said temporary seat is made of fiber-reinforced plastic material.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein said temporary seat has openings therein.

13. The combination of claim 6 wherein said downturned lip portion and upstanding lip portion each communicate with said substantially planar seat portion by means of a curved section, and the arc of curvation of each curved section is different

14. The combination of claim 5 wherein said lip portions of said temporary seat enhance the supporting strength of said temporary seat under load.