EP0091839B1 - Mobile grandstand with hinged and telescopic steps - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Tiered stand, particularly intended for the arrangement of persons either to photograph them or to allow them to attend an entertainment, a conference or other events, of the type comprising a frame (1) which is mounted on wheels (2) and provided with hitching means (3), a first group of so-called upper steps (4) mounted rigidly on the frame, and a second group of so-called lower steps (5) articulated on the first group about a horizontal axis (6) parallel to the steps of the upper and lower groups, it being possible for the lower group (5), by tilting about the axis, to be folded and fitted into the upper group (4) in accordance with a so-called travelling position or, alternatively, opened out in order to adopt a position of use, characterized in that each of the said upper (4) and lower (5) groups of steps comprises a group of so-called outer steps having a hollow prismatic structure, and in that this group of so-called outer steps serves to accommodate at least one group (7, 8 etc...) of similarly shaped so-called inner steps which can be drawn out therefrom by sliding, as a result of which the surface of use of the outer steps of the upper group and lower group can be doubled by drawing out the inner steps.

Description

The present invention is in the field of mobile constructions and its subject is a device of the platform type, or platform, with steps, intended either to allow the arrangement of people so that these people are well seen by another person, a photographer for example, or to allow people present on the platform to have a wide field of observation, for example on a sports or entertainment event.

We have known since ancient times the use of stone bleachers; we have known since more recent times how to build grandstands using scaffolding techniques; we also know the habit that photographers have of arranging people, for weddings for example, on benches or bleachers of easily transportable wood; we also know the insecurity for people that results from such a procedure.

We have also known from more recent times, in particular by the patents FR 2 274 755 McNEAL, US 3 217 366 WENGER, US 3 752 531 TONES and DE 804 129 PRIESS towable stands more specifically intended for the provision of people to enable them to 'watch a show ; some of these devices comprise two groups of steps, one of which can be deployed around a horizontal axis to place them in the position of use, the steps of this group being built-in into those of the first group in the road position. Although these devices are very practical and very advantageous in their implementation if they are compared to grandstands erected on the spot like scaffolding for example, they nevertheless have the disadvantage of a low capacity in place of spectators by compared to the size of the device, even when folded.

The present invention aims to provide a platform or platform whose implementation is very rapid, following a move from one place to another for example, which has all the safety conditions required for people arranged or installed on it, and whose ratio of the number of spectator seats to the congestion in the folded state is significantly greater than that of the devices of the prior art.

According to the present invention, a tiered tribune, in particular intended for the disposition of persons, either for the purpose of photographing them, or for the purpose of enabling them to attend a spectacle, a conference or other events, of the type comprising a frame mounted on wheels provided with coupling means, a first group of so-called high steps fixedly mounted on the chassis, and a second group of so-called low steps articulated on the first group about a horizontal axis parallel to the steps of the high groups and low, the low group which can be, by tilting around the axis, folded and embedded in the high group in a so-called road position, or alternatively be deployed to adopt a position of use, is characterized in its generality in that that each of said top and bottom groups of steps comprises a group of steps, called external, which has a hollow prismatic structure, and in that each of these said top and bottom groups serves as a housing for at least u n group of steps of analogous shape, said interior, which can be extracted by sliding. The arrangement of the interior steps in relation to the outside steps will be called "telescopic".

It follows from this general characteristic of the invention that the area of use, or even the number of spectator seats available, of the steps of the top group and of the bottom group can be doubled by extracting the interior steps; moreover the telescopic nature of the arrangement of the interior steps with respect to the outside steps allows an extremely easy and rapid implementation.

Preferably, each group of external steps comprises in its middle part stiffening members, or stiffeners, in a plane perpendicular to the lines of the steps; in addition each group of interior steps has stiffening members at its ends; further abutment means are arranged at the ends of the groups of external and internal steps so as to prevent the complete extraction of the internal steps.

Thus according to this preferred form of arrangement, the end stiffeners of the interior steps serve in the position of use of end stiffeners to the exterior steps.

According to a preferred embodiment, each step being formed of a vertical part and a horizontal part, the horizontal part consists of two horizontal bearings connected by a substantially vertical wall; it results from this conformation, known in itself in its application to steps but particularly advantageous and adapted to the case where one seeks precisely the transverse stiffening of the tubular structures, that the vertical wall serves both to delimit the zone where can s '' sit the spectators arranged on a bleacher and the area where the feet of the spectators arranged on the upper bleacher can rest, and contribute to stiffening the structure of the bleachers.

Again preferably and according to another secondary characteristic of the invention, vertical slides are arranged in the vicinity of the end angles of at least the high interior groups, said slides being intended to allow the fixing in a removable manner, on the one hand , crutches, on the other hand handrail posts; preferably these slides exceed the cross section of the inner steps so as to form abutments for driving the inner steps into the outer steps, and means for grip for the extraction of interior steps.

More preferably and according to another secondary characteristic, the extraction stop means consist of rods, one end of which is fixed to the stiffeners arranged in the middle part of the external steps, the other end of which comprises a "head", said rods being slidably arranged in holes in the stiffening members with which the groups of interior steps are provided; it follows from these provisions that these stop function members are not visible on the outer faces of the steps when they are deployed.

According to fairly advantageous dimensional characteristics of a particular embodiment of a platform of the invention, the height of a step is approximately forty centimeters, its total width of sixty centimeters, each landing a width of twenty-five centimeters and the wall connecting them, therefore being an oblique wall, having a height of ten centimeters.

According to another dimensional characteristic, the distance between the hinge axis and the lowest part, after deployment, of the group of low external steps is equal to the distance separating said axis from the bottom part of the wheels of the chassis.

• la figure 1 est une illustration schématique en perspective d'un dispositif de l'invention, replié,
• la figure 2 représente partiellement le même déployé après extraction des gradins inférieurs,
• la figure 3 illustre certaines caractéristiques dimensionnelles,
• la figure 4 est un détail de la précédente,
• la figure 5 est une élévation en bout d'une autre forme préférée de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une perspective schématique du dispositif de la figure précédente, déployé, et
• la figure 7 est, en perspective, un détail des sièges du même.

The present invention will be better understood and details will be apparent from the description of a particular embodiment which will be made in relation to the figures of the appended plates in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a device of the invention, folded,
• FIG. 2 partially represents the same deployed after extraction of the lower steps,
• FIG. 3 illustrates certain dimensional characteristics,
• FIG. 4 is a detail of the previous one,
• FIG. 5 is an end elevation of another preferred embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective of the device of the previous figure, deployed, and
• Figure 7 is, in perspective, a detail of the seats of the same.

In fig. 1 a trailer intended to constitute a grandstand in accordance with the invention, consists mainly of a chassis 1 mounted on wheels 2 and can be coupled to a vehicle by means of a drawbar 3. Above the chassis are arranged a first group 4 of steps fixed relative to the chassis and a second group 5 articulated on the first group around a horizontal axis 6. The bleachers of the first group 4 are said to be high since they are going to be located in the upper part of the gallery; the bleachers of the second group are said to be low since after tilting around axis 6 they will constitute the lower part of the grandstand.

In accordance with the general characteristic of the invention, each of the aforementioned groups 4 and 5 has a hollow or tubular prismatic structure intended to telescopically contain so-called interior groups such as 7 and 8 respectively of steps similar to the outside steps.

According to the preferred embodiment shown in the figure, the groups of interior steps such as 7 and 8 have a length approximately equal to half the length of the external steps, so that each group of external steps contains two groups of internal steps.

This division into two of the inner steps has the advantage of allowing the presence of stiffening members 9 and 10 in the middle part of the outer steps; thus groups of internal steps 11 and 12 similar to groups 7 and 8 are arranged in the external steps symmetrically to the latter with respect to the stiffening members.

Thus again because of their telescopic nature groups 7 and 8 can slide according to arrows 13 and 14 respectively at the front end of the trailer and groups 11 and 12 can slide in the same way according to arrows 15 and 16 respectively the rear end of the trailer.

Of course, and as is known per se, all of the lower steps can pivot around the axis 6 along arrows 17.

In fig. 2 the towable platform in fig. 1 is shown in a deployed position in which only the groups of inner steps of the front end, that is to say the groups 7 and 8 were extracted by sliding out of the groups of outer steps 4 and 5; we notice at the inner end of groups 7 and 8 stiffening members or structures consisting for example of tubular assemblies 20 for the upper steps and 21 for the lower steps; the structures 20 and 21 have been shown different, not because of any technical necessity but to give an illustration of various possibilities of realization of this and it should be understood that these structures could be similar, whether they are of either form; such structures, or members, of stiffening are found at the two ends of each of the groups of interior steps whether they are upper or lower or front or rear end; the stiffening member with which the second end of the group of steps 8 is thus partially represented at 22.

These stiffening organs or structures are again found in 9 and 10 in the median plane 19 of the groups of outer steps respectively upper and lower and what was said previously for the stiffening organs of the inner steps is still true for these stiffening organs outside bleachers.

It also appears that the stiffening members 9 and 10, occupying part of the interior space of the tiers, constitute an interior abutment or the insertion of the groups of interior tiers.

It will also be noted that the stiffeners such as 22 serve not only as stiffeners for the inner steps in which they are incorporated, but also as stiffeners for the outer steps in which remains housed, even after extraction, the end of the inner steps.

The stiffening structures such as 22 also participate in an extraction stop function thanks to rods such as 23 fixed at 25 to the stiffeners of the middle part such as 10, mounted sliding in holes in the stiffeners such as 22 and comprising a head such as 26 and 27 against which the stiffening members such as 22 abut.

Still on fig. 2 vertical slides such as 30 and 31 are arranged in the vicinity of the end angles of the group of upper outer steps 7; it is of course the same for the slides 34 and 35 for the group of steps 11; runners 32 and 36 are arranged at the lower end angle of the groups of low steps 8 and 12 respectively, these runners are intended to allow the removable fixing of members having the function of crutches such as 38 or of posts such as 39 handrail 40.

In fig. 3 a schematic section of the gallery of the invention by a transverse and median vertical plane shows that the preferred form of the preceding figures comprises for groups 4, 7, 11 high steps four steps, that is to say the possibility to have four rows of people seated, and for groups 5, 8, 12 of the lower steps three steps, which after pivoting around the axis 6 can be embedded in the upper steps. It will be noted that if the distance 41 between the hinge axis 6 and the lowest part after deployment of the group of lower outer steps, is equal to the distance separating this axis from the lower part of the wheels, the group of steps low, in the deployed position, will rest on the ground.

In fig. 4 each step, is formed by a vertical part 42, a horizontal part 43, the horizontal part itself consisting of two horizontal bearings 44 and 45 connected by a wall 46 inclined or even substantially vertical; part 44 can be used as seats while part 45 can be used as a footrest for spectators seated on the upper tier; another function of this conformation of the horizontal part is to provide, thanks to the existence of the wall 46, a stiffening of the structure which is particularly sought after because of the tubular nature of the latter.

We will now give by way of indication measures which are particularly suitable for the functions assigned to the platform of the invention, both in so far as these functions relate to its towable nature on the road, and in so far as they relate to the disposition of persons. sitting or standing; the height 50 of a step is approximately forty centimeters, its total width 51 approximately sixty centimeters, each landing 44 and 45 having a width 52 of twenty-five centimeters and 53 respectively of twenty five centimeters; the height 54 of the oblique wall 46 has a height of ten centimeters for a horizontal offset 55 of about five centimeters.

In fig. 5 to 7 various aspects of a second particular embodiment have been shown comprising, with respect to the first form previously described, a certain number of improvements relating, some to the comfort of the people placed on the tiered platform, the others relating to deployment and folding maneuvers.

Fig. 6 illustrates a first characteristic of this second embodiment according to which each group of upper 60 and lower 61 steps houses a single group of internal steps, 62 and 63 respectively. An advantage of this arrangement compared to the previous arrangement lies in the 'economy of the maneuvering means to extract the steps from the inside or conversely reintroduce them into the steps from the inside.

In fig. 5 is schematically illustrated and exploded operating means for moving from the road position to the position of use and vice versa; these operating means essentially consist of two groups of hydraulic cylinders, each group of cylinders being arranged at one end of the platform, namely a group at the front end and a group at the rear end. Each group of jacks comprises a first jack such as 65 articulated at a point 85 at one end of a cross member such as 66 of the group of high outside steps 60 and a second jack 67 articulated at a point 86 at the group of low outside steps, the first and second cylinders being moreover articulated to one another, and more exactly one at the end of the other, at a point of articulation 70.

To make the drawing more understandable, these two end jacks have been shown, separated from the grandstand, on the one hand in an “out” position (closest position to the stand) and in an “in” position (most far and the lowest in the drawing). In the “retracted” position, the two jacks are arranged along the crosspiece 66, the groups of low steps then occupy the position illustrated partially in dotted lines in the figure, position corresponding to the deployed position, or of use, of the tribune.

To fold the grandstand, we first start by taking out the jacks 65, called first, until they are at the end of their travel; the so-called second jacks such as 67 then serve as a connecting rod for pivoting the groups of low steps around the axis 87; when the first jacks are at the end of their travel, the end of their piston rod then being substantially perpendicular to the axis 87, the second jacks such as 67, which are multi-stage jacks, are taken out, up to that the lower tier groups occupy the position as shown in the figure, the position corresponding to the folded, or road, position of the grandstand; this position also corresponds substantially to the end of travel position of the second cylinders. So that the rod end of piston of the first cylinders can withstand the pushing force of the second cylinders, it is necessary to guide the articulation point 70 in its movement by means of a slide 71 movable in a U-shaped slide 72 itself fixed along of said cross 66.

The advantage of such a mounting of cylinders lies in the fact that, either that they are in the "retracted" position, or that they are in the "extended" position, they occupy a minimum bulk and that they do not interfere not in the sliding of the interior steps. Of course, it should be understood that during the maneuver the groups of internal steps, and at least the group of low internal steps, are accommodated in the group of corresponding external steps. The operation of introducing or extracting the groups of interior steps is facilitated by rollers such as 88 mounted by means of screw jacks on the lower crosspieces of the groups of interior steps.

In fig. 5 and 7 it appears that, in this second embodiment of a platform of the invention, the stands are provided with seats, these seats being able to be fixed seats 81 for the stands of the groups of outside stands 60 and 61, and may be movable seats, tiltable or removable, for the tiers of groups of interior tiers 62 and 63. Preferably the tiltable seats are associated by plurality of three on a chassis such as 80 (fig. 7) articulated itself on a spar of a group of interior steps; four pluralities of three seats can thus form a row of seats in a group of high or low interior steps. Certain other seats in the interior tier groups such as those intended for either the upper row of the upper interior tier group or the lower row of the lower interior tier group are also associated by a plurality of three on a chassis, but this chassis this is removable; during transport, this removable chassis and their seats will be housed in the interior of the group of tall interior bleachers; the disassembly of the seats is necessary due to the fact that as it appears on the drawing they do not have the space necessary for their tilting.

Although particular embodiments of a towable platform according to the invention have been described, it should be understood that the scope of the latter is not limited to these forms but that it extends to all similar device defined by the features of claim 1.

Claims (12)

1. Tiered stand, particularly intended for the arrangement of persons either to photograph them or to allow them to attend an entertainment, a conference or other events, of the type comprising a frame (1) which is mounted on wheels (2) and provided with hitching means (3), a first group of so-called upper steps (4) mounted rigidly on the frame, and a second group of so-called lower steps (5) articulated on the first group about a horizontal axis (6) parallel to the steps of the upper and lower groups, it being possible for the lower group (5), by tilting about the axis, to be folded and fitted into the upper group (4) in accordance with a so-called travelling position or, alternatively, opened out in order to adopt a position of use, characterised in that each of the said upper (4) and lower (5) groups of steps comprises a group of so-called outer steps having a hollow prismatic structure, and in that this group of so-called outer steps serves to accommodate at least one group (7, 8 etc...) of similarly shaped so-called inner steps which can be drawn out therefrom by sliding, as a result of which the surface of use of the outer steps of the upper group and lower group can be doubled by drawing out the inner steps.

2. Tiered stand according to Claim 1, characterised in that each upper (4) group and lower (5) group of outer steps can accommodate two groups of inner steps (8, 12, etc...) end to end.

3. Tiered stand according to Claim 2, characterised in that each group of outer steps (4) (5) comprises in its central part stiffening elements or stiffeners (9) (10) in a plane (19) perpendicular to the lines of the steps, in that each group of inner steps comprises stiffening elements (20) (21) at its ends, and in that stop means (22, 26, 27) are arranged at the ends of the groups of outer and inner steps so as to prevent the inner steps from being drawn out completely, as a result of which the end stiffeners of the inner steps serve, when in position for use, as end stiffeners for the outer steps.

4. Tiered stand according to Claim 3, characterised in that, with each step being formed of a vertical part (42) and a horizontal part (43), the horizontal part consists of two horizontal levels (44), (45) connected by a substantially vertical surface (46), as a result of which the vertical surface serves both to define the area where spectators arranged on a step can sit and the area where the feet of the spectators on the upper step can rest, and to play a part in the stiffening of the structure of the steps.

5. Tiered stand according to Claim 4, characterised in that, to be more precise, the height (50) of a step is approximately forty centimetres, and its total width (51) is sixty centimetres, each level having a width (52) (53) of twenty five centimetres and the surface which connects these levels being consequently a sloping surface having a height (54) of ten centimetres.

6. Tiered stand according to Claim 3, characterised in that vertical slide guides (30) (31) are arranged in the vicinity of the end corners of at least the upper inner groups, the said slide guides being intended to permit the detachable securing of, on the one hand, elements having the function of props (38) and, on the other hand, posts (39) of a hand rail (40).

7. Tiered stand according to Claim 3, characterised in that the distance between the axis (6) of articulation and the lowest part, after opening out, of the group of lower outer steps is equal to the distance separating the said axis from the lower part of the wheels (2) of the frame.

8. Tiered stand according to Claim 3, characterised in that stop means for preventing removal comprise rods (23), one end of which is attached to the stiffeners (10) arranged in the central part of the outer steps, and the other end of which comprises a head (26), the said rods being arranged to be slidable in holes in the stiffening elements with which the groups of inner steps are provided, as a result of which these elements having a stop function are not visible on the outer surfaces of the steps when the latter are opened out.

9. Tiered stand according to Claim 1, characterised in that each group of upper outer steps (60) and lower outer steps (61) accommodates one group of inner steps (62, 63).

10. Tiered step according to Claim 1, characterised in that the group of lower steps is controlled to move from the travelling position to the position of use and vice versa by two groups of hydraulic jacks each arranged at one end of the stand, each group of jacks comprising a first jack (65) articulated on an end of a cross piece (66) of the group of upper outer steps and a second jack (67) articulated to the group of lower outer steps, the first jack and second jack being also articulated on one another at a point of articulation (70) which can be moved along the said cross piece (66) with the aid of a slide (71) and a slide (72).

11. Tiered stand according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said steps are provided with seats, the seats being fixed seats (81) for the steps of the groups of outer steps (60, 61) and being movable seats (82) for the steps of the groups of inner steps (62, 63).

12. Tiered stand according to Claim 11, characterised in that some of the said detachable seats of the inner steps are tiltable, and in that these tiltable seats are joined in large numbers on frames (80) which are articulated on side members of the said groups of inner steps.

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