CA1195225A - Transportation seat with vandal-resistant grabrail - Google Patents

Abstract

TRANSPORTATION SEAT WITH
VANDAL-RESISTANT GRABRAIL
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A seat for mass transportation vehicles includes a bench portion, a back portion and an elongated impact energy absorbing grabrail extending along the upper edge of the back portion. The grabrail is molded as an integral, one-piece member from a plastic material. The grabrail includes an elongated base member having an aisle end and a wall end. The base member defines a plurality of longi-tudinally spaced attachment apertures. Suitable fasteners extend through these apertures to secure the grabrail to the upper edge of the back portion of the seat. A rail portion is formed integral with the base portion and extends therefrom. The rail portion includes legs which are joined to the upper surface of the base portion. The grabrail is essentially solid and has a transverse cross section in the shape of a polygon. The grabrail resists cutting by vandals and deflects on impact to absorb energy and compartmentalize passengers in the vehicle.

Description

l TRANSPORTATION SEAT WITH
VANDAI.-RESISTANT GRABRAIL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to transportation seating for mass transit vehicles, such as intra and inter-city buses, trains, subways and the like. More particu-larly, the invention relates to such mass transportation seating which includes a grabrail.
Heretofore, a :Eairly wide variety of seating configurations have been provided or proposed -for mass transportation vehicles. Such multipassenger seating typically includes a -frame or a structural member which defines seat and back portions. The seat and back portions may be covered by various materials, such as fiberglass, -foam, cushioning and the like.
Transportation seats may include grabrails at the upper edge of the back portion. Grabrails perform multiple functions. For example, they assist passengers in entering or leaving the seat and provide a handhold for passengers standing in the aisle portion of the vehicle. Examples of previous mass transportation seats which incorporate grab-rails may be found in IJ. S. Patent No. 3,737,198, entitled RAP[D TRANSIT SEATING and issued on June 5, 1973, to Barecki et al; U. S. Patent No. 3,7~7,979, entitled CANTILEVF.RED
SEAT FOR MOTOR COACII VEHICLES OR THE LIKE and issuecl on July

2~, 1973, to Barecki; and U. S. Patent No. 3,802,738, entitled CANTILEVERED SEAT and issued on April 9, 197~, to Tantlinger. The seats disclosed in these above patents employ tubulclr frame st-ructures. 'I'he grabrails arc securecl to or inserted into the tubular frame members.
Grabrails, besides providing assistance to '~

~:~9S~5 1 passengers, perEorm additional important functions. Grabrails which extend above the top portion o-f the seat serve to compartmentalize passengers in an impact situation. The passenger who is thrown -Eorward during an impact will s~rike the grabrail with his head or upper body portion. This pre-vents the passenger from -Elying over the seat in front o-f him. Since grabrails are in a zone which could be contacted by the head of the passenger and can serve the compartmental-ization function, certain standards have been adopted relating to the energy absorption characteristics of the grabrails. It is desirable that the grabrail absorb impact energy so as to reduce the deceleration forces imparted to the body portion which contacts the rail.
Various proposals have been made to provide an energy absorbing grabrail in mass transportation seating.
Examples of such prior approaches may be found in U. S.
Patent No. ~,106,810, entitled GRABRAIL FOR TRANSIT VEIIICLE
SEATS and issued on August 15, 1978, to Barecki; and ~. S.
Patent No. ~,077,66~, entitled SEAT WITH CIJSHIONED GRABRAIL
and issued on March 7, 1978, to Harder. The grabrails exemplified by these patents in-corporate a tubular core structure which is covered with a cushionable material.
The grabrail disclosed in U. S. Patent No.
~,106,810 includes a rectangular, steel tubular member and a surrounding self-skinning urethane foam. The ends of the grabrail are secured to the uprights oE the seat frame through suitable Easteners. The grabrail exhibits excellent energy absorption characteristics.
The grabrail disclosed in IJ. S. ~,077,66~ in-corporates a circular, metal tubular inner member which is surrounded or enclosed by an outer layer of resilient s~

1 cushioning material. The grabrail includes depending end legs which are inserted into -frame uprights o-f -the seat back structure and secured by fasteners. The seat ~rame structure is covered by a plastic seat shell. To accommo-date the grab bar, a top flange of the seat shell must be cut away to permit insertion of the grabrail and assembly to the seat.
Various problems have been experienced in the transit industry with respect to prior grabrail structures.
The grabrails which have been covered with a resilient or cushionable material are subject to vandalism. The material may be cut, slashed or ripped. This vandalism, o-f course, necessitates repair or replacement of the grabrail. Since grabrail structures are typically inserted into frame portions of -the seat, partial disassembly o-f the seat may be necessary to remove the grabrail. Further, the prior approaches to grabrail constructions, as mentioned above, have generally required cutting or no-tching of the seat to accommodate the rail.
A need exists -for a transportation seat and grabrail which is resistant or immune to vandalism, which is easily secured to the seat, which elimina-tes the need Eor notching or cutting of the seat shell, which is easy to maintain and clean, and which has energy absorption characteristics.
SU~ARY OF THE IN~ENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a unique grabrail and transportation seat are provided whereby the aforemcntioned needs are substantially ful-fillecl. i!ssell-tially, a vandal-resistant and energy absorbing grabrail is provided which is securable to a-n upper edge oE the back .

52~25i 1 portion of the transportation se~a~t. The grabrail includes ~ f ~ `J
an elongated base which~extends substantially the length of the seat back. A plurality of spaced apertures or -through-A bores extend between upper and lower surfaces of the base.
Suitable fasteners may extend through these apertures to secure the grabrail to the top edge o-f the sea-t. A top rail portion extends from the upper surface of the base. The top rail portion includes legs which are joined integrally to the base member. The base and top rail portions are pre-ferably formed as an integral one-piece member from a suit-able thermoplastic material.
In narrower aspects o-f the invention, the rail portion includes an intermediate leg which joins the rail to the base intermediate the aisle and wall ends of the base.
The rail portion has a six-sided transverse cross-sectional shape, and the base portion has a generally rectangular shape in transverse cross section with no sharp corners to reduce injury in a crash situation.
'l'he multipoint attachment of the grabrail to the seat back diskributes impact loading over a fairly large area. The grabrail is capable of deElecting upon impact to absorb energy and therefore reduce deceleration forces impartecl to the passenger. The grabrail, which is pre-ferably molded from a thermoplastic material, is resistant to vandalism. The material is not readily cut, slashed or sliced. Further, the grabrail is easily maintained due to its high level of stain and mark resistance. The rail may be cleaned with tough cleaners without degradation. The grabrail is readily assembled to the seat back since the fasteners enter the apertures -Erom above. There is no need to cut, notch or remove portions oE the seat in order to 1 secure or remove the grabrail from the back portion. This represents a significant advantage in ease of flssem~ly and reduction in problems of manufacture and seat design. The grabrail) due to its construction, may be made aesthetically pleasing and may be fabricated in a wide variety of colors to match the particular vehicle interior design. Should replacement of the grabrail become necessary, it is readily removed from the seat by using tools not normally accessible to vandals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a -front, elevational view o~ a mass transportation seat including a grabrail in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an aisle, side elevational view of the seat of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged, front elevational view of the grabrail;
Fig. ~ is a bottom, plan view of the grabrail;
Fig. 5 :is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line V-V o:' Pig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line VI-VI o-f Fig. 3.
DE'I'AILIED DESCRIPTIO_ OF T~IE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
, A mass transportation seat in accordance with the : 25 present in~ention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and generally designated 10. Seat 10 includes a bench portion 12 which is joined to an angled back portion 1~. Seat 10 includes suitable brackets 16, 18 secured to the uncler-surface o' bench portion 12. Brackets 16, 18 are adaptecl to mount tlle seat 10 from a wall in the vehicle in a canti-leverecl :Eashion. Seat 10 may :include tubular frame members 2~;i 1 de-fining the bench portion and back portion. The tubular -frame members may be covered by a suitable material, such as fiberglass pieces which enclose the frame and define the multiple seating positions 20, 22 (Fig. 1). Depending upon the use to which the seat would be put, the seating posi-tions may be covered by suitable cushioning material.
The seat 10 would include a structural member extending across an upper edge or surface 24. If the seat is of tubular -frame construction, this structural member would be a tubular steel or other metal piece. In the alternative, the seat could be fabricated -from a structural plastic or foam material. In such case, internal metal reinforcement or tubular frame members may or may not be employed, depending upon the specific seat design.
Secured to upper edge 24 o-f the seat is a grabrail generally designated 30. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the grabrail extends upwardly from the upper edge or surface 24 of the seat back and provides a handhold to assist passengers in entry or egress. The seat also provides a "barrier"
which would prevent a passenger thrown -forward from passing over the top oE the seat. The grabrail is in a head impact z one .
Grabrail 30, as best seen in ~igs. 3 and 4, in-cludes an elongated base portion or member 32. Member 32 includes an aisle end 34 and a wall end 36. As shown, a plurality of apertures or throughbores 38 extend between upper and lower surfaces 40, 42, respectively, of base 32.
One oE the apertures is positioned closely adjacen-t the aisle end 34. Another aperture is positioned closely adjacent the wall end 36. The remainillg apertures, which in the preferred embodiment are four in number, are posi-tioned ;

J

1 on opposite sides of the transverse centerline of base 32.
As shown in Fig. 3, it is pre-ferred that the fastening apertures 38 be countersunk. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the rail may then be secured ~o the seat back by flathead recessecl socket screws 43 which are flush with the upper surface 40 of the base portion.
Base 32, as seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, de:Eines a plurality of elongated recesses 44 which open through bottom surface 42. The base member throughout the length of each of the recesses 44, therefore, has a generally channel-shaped configuration in transverse cross section. The recesses extend only a short distance towards the upper surface 40 so that the base member is essentially solid or void free, as shown in Fig. 6. Recesses 44 are posi-tioned in pairs and in tandem or end-to-end relationship. Each pair is separated by a bridging portion 48. The recesses extend between the aisle or wall end apertures 38 and the intermediate fastener apertures 38.
Extending ~rom upper surface 40 of base 32 and Eormed integral therewith is a rail portion generally desig-nated 60. Rail portion 60 includes an upper e:Longated portion 62 including a Eirst or aisle section 64 and a seconcl or wa:l] section 66. An aisle leg 70 and a wall leg 72 are joined to portion 62 of the rail. The legs are integral with base 32 at its respective aisle and wall ends.
In the preferred :Eorm, the rail portion further includes an intermediate leg 74 which joins the upper rail 62 to base 32 intermediate the ends of the base. ~s seen in Fig. 3, a fastelling aperture 38 is positioned cLoscly acljacent in-ter-mecliclte leg 74 on opposite sides thereoE. Section 64 and leg 74 have a U shape, and section 66 ancl leg 72 have an L

~s~

1 shape. As seen in Fig. 5, the rail portion 60 has the transverse cross-sectional shape of a six-sided polygon.
The rail portion is also solid in cross section.
The con-figuration of the rail portion and the base portion, as well as their integral construction, permit the grabrail to de-flect upon impact to absorb energy and reduce the deceleration loads which are imparted to the impacting body portion. The multipoint attachment, which in the preferred construction employs at least four attachment points, insures that impact loacding is distributed over a wide area throughout most of the length of the base. This insures that the grabrail will remain secured to the seat back. The grabrail, when joined to the seat back, performs a barrier or compartmentalization function, as well as providing assistance to passengers. As shown, aisle portion 64 o-f the rail has a height dimension greater -than the wall portion 66. This places the grabrail in a more convenient position for passengers who are standing in the aisle on a mass transit or intracity vehicle.
In order to obtain the desired energy absorption characteristics, resistance to vandalism and maintenance characteristics, -the grabrail is molded as an integral member from a thermoplastic material, such as fire-resis-tant polyamide. T}le presently preferrcd material has the follow-ing physical characteristics:
Tensile Strength 6,200 psi 42.7 MPa) Elongation ~4%
Flexural Modulus 210,000 psi (14~8 MPa) Izocl Impac-t Strength :L6 tt/lb/in (85~ J/m) NotchecL

Mold Shrinkage 14 mils/in (L4 mm/m) (Flow ~Direction) 1/8"

1 Melting Poin-t 460F (238C) Flammability Rating UL94 V-O
A.S.T.M. 162-75 Is = 150 max.
In an existing embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the rail portion has a maximum dimension between flats designated "a" in Fig. 5 of 1 inch. The sides are inclined at an angle designated "b" rom vertical in Fig. 5 o~ 30. The rail portion, as shown in Fig. 3, has a maximum height hl at the aisle side of 5-15/16 inches and a maximum height at the wall side designated h2 of 4-1/16 inches. The overall length of the grabrail designated 11 is 29-3/4 inches. Base portion 32 has a maximum height h3 of .65 inches and a maximum transverse dimension tl of 1 inch.
All corners have a smooth radius, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, so that the sides and surfaces of the grabrail are joined along rounded edges. The typical radius is 1/4 inch.
Recess 44 has a maximum height h4 of .18 inches and a maximum transverse dimension t2 f .70 inches. As shown in Fig. 3, the aisle and wall fastening apertures 38 are spaced from the extreme ends o-f the base a distance dl of 2-1/8 inches. The distance bet-ween the centerlines of the end apertures and the intermediate apertures 38 designated d2 is 1l.25 inches. rach of the rccesses 44 has a typical length 12 of 4-3/4 inches. The leading and trai]ing edges termin-ate a distance of 3/4 inches (d3) from the centerline of apertures 38.
The unique mass transportation seat and grabrail in accordance with the present invention eliminates problems heletofore experienced in tlle assembly oE such seats. There is no longer a need to notch or cut seat covering material to permit insertion of grabrail portions into the seat i2~5 1 frame. The grabrail is readily assembled from above -through vandal-resistant fasteners which e~tend through the aper-tures. The multipoint attachment insures that the impact loading is sufficiently distributed so that the grabrail will not separate from the seat back. The grabrail will deflect and absorb energy upon impact to thereby reduce or minimize injury to the passenger. The grabrail also per-Eorms the compartmentali~ing function preventing a passenger from flying over the top of the seat. The grabrail is not readily cut, slashed or ripped and is, there~ore, vandal resistant. Further, the grabrail is stain and mark resis-tant and unaffected by harsh cleaning agents. This in-creases the ease with which the vehicle owner may maintain the seat. The grabrail presents an attractive surface finish and is readily colored to match the aesthetics of the vehicle interior. The grabrail is easily molded as a one-piece integral member employing controlled injection molding techniques.
In view of the foregoing description) those of ordinary ski]l in the art might envision various modifica-tions which would not depart from the patentable concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, it is e~pressly intended that the true spirit and scope oE the present invention be determined from the appended claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

A vandal-resistant transportation seating grabrail comprising:
an elongated base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface, said base portion defining a plurality of longitudinally spaced throughbores for receipt of attachment fasteners; and a solid section, essentially void free rail portion having a pair of legs joined integrally to said base portion at said upper surface, said rail portion and said base portion being an integral one-piece member formed from a thermoplastic, polyamide material which will deflect to absorb impact energy yet which resists vandalism, one of said legs of said rail portion joins said base portion adjacent an end thereof and the other of said legs joins said base portion intermediate the ends of said base portion, and wherein said grabrail further includes another rail portion having a generally L shape, said another rail portion including an end joined to said other of said legs and another end portion joined to said base portion upper surface, said another rail portion being integral with said U-shaped rail portion and said base portion.

A vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 1 wherein said rail portion has a six-sided transverse cross section with rounded edges joining the sides.

A vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 1 wherein said base portion defines at least four throughbores, two of which are located closely adjacent the ends of said base portion and the remaining two being located closely adjacent the transverse centerline of said base portion.

A vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 3 wherein said base portion has a generally rectangular cross section in the areas of said throughbores.

A vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 4 wherein said base portion defines elongated recesses opening through said bottom surface thereof between said throughbore areas.

A vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 1 wherein said grabrail is molded as an integral unit.

In a multipassenger seat for mass transportation vehicles of the type including a bench portion and a back portion which includes an elongated upper edge, wherein the improvement comprises:
an impact energy absorbing grabrail extending along substantially the entire upper edge of said back portion, said grabrail being molded as an integral one-piece member from a flame retardant thermoplastic polyamide material, said grabrail including an elongated base having an aisle end and a wall end, said base defining a plurality of attachment apertures extending between upper and lower surfaces of said base, one of said apertures being adjacent said aisle end, one adjacent the wall end and the remaining ones being intermediate said ends, said grabrail being secured to said back portion upper edge by fasteners extending through said apertures so that a multipoint attachment is obtained which distributes impact loads over a large area of said base, said grabrail further including an essentially void free rail portion having an aisle leg joined to said base upper surface at said aisle end, a wall leg joined to said base upper surface at said wall end, and an elongated portion joining said aisle leg and said wall leg.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 7 wherein said apertures are countersunk at said base upper surface.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 7 wherein said rail portion is a solid section and is six-sided in transverse cross section.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 9 wherein said base defines a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses opening through a bottom surface of said base, said recesses extending between said aisle and wall end apertures and said apertures which are intermediate said ends.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 10 wherein said base has a generally rectangular transverse cross section in areas at said apertures.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 7 wherein said rail portion includes an intermediate leg joining said rail portion to said base upper surface intermediate said aisle and wall ends, In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 12 wherein said apertures intermediate said aisle and wall ends are positioned on each side of said intermediate leg of said rail portion.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 13 wherein said rail portion is a solid section and is six-sided in transverse cross section.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 14 wherein said base defines a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses opening through a bottom surface of said base, said recesses extending between said aisle and wall end apertures and said apertures which are intermediate said ends.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 15 wherein said base has a generally rectangular transverse cross section in areas at said apertures.

In a multipassenger seat as defined by claim 16 wherein said apertures are countersunk at said base upper surface.

The vandal-resistant grabrail as defined by claim 7 wherein said thermoplastic polyamide material has the following characteristics: Tensile Strength about 6,200 psi, Flexural Modulus about 210,000 psi; and Izod Impact Strength of about 16 ft/lb/in.

19. The multipassenger seat as defined by claim 17 wherein said thermoplastic polyamide material has the following characteristics: Tensile Strength about 6,200 psi; Flexural Modulus about 210,000 psi; and Izod Impact Strength of about 16 ft/lb/in.

20. A one piece, vandal resistant grabrail for a mass transportation seat that includes a seat portion and a seat back having an upper edge, the grabrail being releasably mounted on the upper edge of the seat back, the grabrail comprising an elongated resiliently deflectable base formed of a flexible, resilient material that extends across the upper edge of the seat back, a rail spaced above the base, and at least three legs extending downwardly from the rail and interconnecting the rail to the base, the legs including a pair of outer legs at opposite ends of the rail and an inner leg positioned between the outer legs, the base including a plurality of apertures therethrough at spaced intervals along the base, the apertures receiving fastener means for attaching the base securely to the upper edge of the seat back, the apertures including two outer apertures spaced apart from hut closely adjacent to the respective outer legs and an inner aperture spaced apart from but closely adjacent to the side of the inner leg, the configuration of the base, with the base being resiliently deflectable and the apertures being spaced apart from the legs, permitting the grabrail to deflect upon impact to absorb energy and reduce deceleration loads, while at the same time causing the reduced deceleration loads to be distributed among the fasteners along the base so as to induce the base to remain firmly secured to the upper edge of the seat back even when the grabrail is deflected.

21. A grabrail according to Claim 20 wherein the grabrail is integrally molded from a tough, resilient thermoplastic resin having sufficient flex, resiliency, and toughness properties such that the grabrail, without reinforcement, resists vandalism and caused the grabrail to remain firmly secured to the upper edge of the seat back even when the rail is subjected to deflective impact loads.

22. A grab rail according to Claim 21 wherein the grabrail is formed of polyamide resin.

23. A grabrail according to Claim 21 wherein the outer apertures are positioned about two and one-inches inward from the outer end of the base with the outer legs joining the base at the outer edge of the base, the base including two inner apertures on opposite sides of the inner leg, the inner apertures being separated from each other by about three (3) inches.

24. A grabrail according to Claim 23 wherein the base is about 0.65 inches high and about one (1) inch wide.
25. A grabrail according to Claim 21 wherein the apertures are countersunk in the base, providing down-wardly and inwardly tapered openings in the base, the fastener means comprising threaded fasteners that fit downwardly through the apertures into engagement with threaded openings in the upper edge of the seat back, the fasteners having tapered heads that mate with the counter-sunk openings and permit the fasteners to be inserted so as to be flush with the upper surface of the base.

26. A grabrail according to Claim 20 wherein the base includes two inner apertures spaced apart from but closely adjacent to opposite sides of the inner leg.