EP0209955A2 - Individual folding seat and multiple seat realized by making use of it - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Individual folding seat comprising two ascending rear members, the so-called rear uprights (1, 2) with upper sections (1b) along which is secured a flexible back (20) connecting said rear uprights, two low side members, the so-called foot bars (5, 6) extending from the low part of the rear uprights towards the front, two side members situated at intermediate height, the so-called seat bars (7, 8) along which is secured a flexible seat (9) which connects them, a member, the so-called arm-rest bar (10, 11) arranged above each seat bar (7, 8) and connected with the latter by a front bend (14), sliding means (13, 1a; 15, 3b) associated with the seat bars and the arm-rest bars with a view to guiding them in ascending or descending sliding motion, at least one brace (16, 17) connecting each seat bar with the foot bar (5, 6) situated opposite, said seat being characterised in that : upper sections (1b) along which is secured flexible back (20) are integral with the rear uprights (1, 2) and independent of the sliding means (13, 1a; 15, 3b), each arm-rest bar (10, 11) is connected at the rear with a corresponding seat bar (7, 8) by means of a rear bend (12) so as to form with said seat bar (7, 8) a mobile assembly in the ascending or descending direction, independent of the upper sections (1b) bearing flexible back (20), the above sliding means (13, 1a; 15, 3b) are so designed as to guide the mobile seat/arm-rest assemblies in ascending or descending motion with respect to the rear uprights (12) and their upper sections (1b), whereby the latter remain, during displacement of said assemblies, at constant height.

Description

The invention relates to an individual folding seat of the type comprising a backrest and a seat, both made of flexible fabric, and a system of cross-pieces allowing the folding of the seat. It extends to a multiple seat produced by repeating the basic structure of this individual seat.

There are many folding cross seats, which can be developed from a folded position where the seat elements are placed against one another in a plane to an unfolded position allowing their use.

Some seats have three sets which can be folded down in three operations: the crossbars which carry the seat, armrests which are articulated on the latter so as to be able to fold down externally and an articulated backrest on these armrests so as to be able to fold down forwards. We can in particular refer to the following patents for more details on this type of seat: patents FR 1 342 055, 1 309 387, 1265 905, 1 245 366 ... However, the various joints required and their assembly with short lever arms make this type of seat fragile with the inevitable appearance of play after a certain period of use; in addition, these seats are expensive to manufacture, however that their folding is an impractical operation accompanied by risks of pinching of the fingers.

Other seats have a more practical folding which is carried out in one or two operations. These seats include, on each side, a fixed side frame, the upper part of which forms an armrest; the seat is carried by crosspieces and can slide vertically along the frames until it comes to the folded state near the armrests; the backrest is fixed to the mounts above the armrests either in the fixed position or in the foldable position. Reference may be made to the following patents which describe seats of this type: FR patents No. 787,187, 1,109,604, 1,135,101, 1,073,121, 1,035,861, 1,027,585, 1,165,923, 1,144,746, 1,115,796 ... However, to allow a complete folding, it is compulsory in this type of seat, that the armrests are positioned at a fairly high height above the seat in order to provide the latter with the stroke necessary for folding the seat; in addition, the backrest fixed above the armrests is itself in an upwardly offset position. These seats are thus very uncomfortable because the position of their armrests and their backrest above the seat does not correspond to a normal position of comfort. In addition, the backrest is generally articulated in the upper part of the armrests and has poor stability (for example: patents n ° 1 165 923, 1 135 101, 1 073 121, 1 035 861 ...); in certain seats, this backrest is fixed along an upper extension of the side mounts but, in this case, its height above the seat is further increased (for example patent n ° 1 144 746).

The present invention proposes to modify and improve the kinematics of folding the seats mentioned above, in order to eliminate their drawbacks.

An object of the invention is to provide an individual folding seat with armrests, which has good qualities of comfort, its armrests and its backrest which can be arranged without difficulty at ideal height above the seat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a robust seat with good overall rigidity and good stability, which retains its assembly accuracy over time and benefits from very economical manufacturing.

Another objective is to provide an easy-maintenance seat, which allows easy removal of the seat or back fabrics for cleaning, without having to completely disassemble the seat.

Another objective is to considerably increase the ease of folding the seat.

Another objective is to improve its aesthetic character.

The invention also proposes to provide a folding multiple seat which benefits from most of the qualities and advantages of the individual seat.

• - une membrure, dite barre d'accoudoir, est disposée au-dessus de chaque barre d'assise et liée à celle-ci par des retours avant et arrière pour former avec elle un ensemble mobile dans le sens ascendant ou descendant, dit ensemble mobile assise/accoudoir,
• - des moyens de coulissement sont associés aux ensembles mobiles assise/accoudoir en vue de guider lesdits ensembles dans un coulissement ascendant ou descendant par rapport auxdits montants arrière,
• - au moins un croisillon relie chaque ensemble assise/accoudoir à la barre de piètement située du côté opposé.

To this end, the folding seat covered by the invention comprises two ascending rear members, called rear posts, having upper sections along which a flexible backrest is attached which connects said rear posts, two low lateral members, said base bars, extending forward from the lower part of the rear uprights, two lateral members located at intermediate height, called seat bars, along which a flexible seat is maintained which connects them. According to the present invention:

• - A frame, called armrest bar, is arranged above each seat bar and linked to it by front and rear returns to form with it a movable assembly in the ascending or descending direction, called movable assembly seat / armrest,
• sliding means are associated with the mobile seat / armrest assemblies in order to guide said assemblies in an upward or downward sliding with respect to said rear uprights,
• - at least one spider connects each seat / armrest assembly to the base bar located on the opposite side.

Thus, in the seat of the invention, it is the armrest / seat assembly which is moved in one piece along the rear uprights when the seat is folded; the armrests come in the folded state to position themselves at the front and opposite the backrest. As will be better understood later, such kinematics no longer impose the height of the armrests but on the contrary leaves complete freedom to arrange them at ideal height above the seat; in addition, the backrest can be fixed in a stable position and at an ideal height along the upper sections of the rear uprights.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the rear uprights and rear returns of armrests are arranged so that in the folded position after sliding upwards, the rear returns come to be arranged facing the upper sections of uprights rear carrying the flexible backrest, with a spacing allowing passage and fixing of said backrest along said upper sections of the uprights.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment, each rear upright comprises two tubular elements arranged parallel one behind the other; the lower front element cooperates with a downward extension of the seat / armrest assembly to act as sliding means of the telescopic type, while the upper rear element is detachably fixed, in particular by means of maneuverable snap in a welded sleeve at the rear and upper part of the front element (this upper rear element carrying the flexible backrest in the upper part). These provisions significantly facilitate the manufacture and assembly of the seat.

The seat according to the invention can receive various embodiments. It may include a single spider or two front and rear spiders, which is or are adapted to support the load in the absence of front uprights. The rear uprights then essentially serve as sliding means.

The seat can also include front uprights which support the load or a part of it with the rear uprights and act as additional sliding means during folding.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the single cross-bar or the cross-bars of the seat are connected to the mobile seat / armrest assemblies by means of two additional bars, situated respectively under one and the other of the seat bars and each integral of the corresponding mobile seat / armrest assembly. Thus, in this embodiment, the seat bars no longer carry the crossbars and serve only to support the seat fabric which can be much more easily removed. In addition, it becomes possible to provide any number of cross braces, since the seat fabric no longer constitutes a nuisance in order to have one or more in an intermediate position (between the front part and the rear part of the seat). In particular, in the case of a single spider, it is no longer necessary to provide in the daytime seat fabric for the passage thereof.

The cross-member (s) can be directly welded to the additional bars and base bars; in this case, said additional bars and base bars are pivotally mounted about their longitudinal axis: during folding, these bars are in fact caused to pivot around their axis when the spider branches are brought together (since their welding makes these branches integral with said bars).

Such a structure has in particular the advantage of making it possible to provide one or more tabular cross-pieces, having better aesthetics than flat bars and increased resistance for equal weight. In addition, in the case of a single spider, the front and rear faces of the seat are released, which increases the comfort of the user who has the option of folding the legs under the seat. In addition, in the case of seats arranged in several rows (in particular multiple seats as mentioned below), people in the rear rows have the possibility of extending their legs without being hampered by the front seats.

In addition, the fixing by welding of the crosspiece (s) on the base bars significantly increases the overall rigidity of the seat, since each crossbar branch (arranged in a transverse plane) forms with the corresponding base bar (arranged in a plane longitudinal) a non-deformable assembly, T-shaped, which reduces the risk of seat deformation (twisting); these risks of deformation are further reduced when the branch in question of the spider is at its other end welded to an additional bar as mentioned above; the non-deformable assembly then has the shape of a 1 and gives the seat remarkable rigidity.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the flexible file is carried, on both sides, by tubular sections engaged in the upper part around the rear uprights in order to be able to pivot around the axis of these uprights; each tubular section is preferably associated with return means tending to rotate said nar section relative to the upright, so as to urge the flexible backrest towards the front of the seat. This eliminates the risk of jamming d ^p canvas along the uprights, which are likely to have it in abnormal positions, uncomfortable for the user. In addition, when no support is exerted on the backrest canvas, it naturally returns forward, so that, during folding, it is arranged between the sides of the seat without the operator having to perform any action.

Furthermore, the invention extends to a folding multiple seat, constituted by the juxtaposition of several individual seats as defined above, the uprights, seat bar and armrest bar located between two adjacent individual seats being common to said individual seats.

Such a multiple seat is extremely easy to unfold by a simple action of spacing its sides, which simultaneously ensures the opening of all the individual seats; the multiple seat folds just as easily by a reverse action and its bulk in thickness in the folded state is limited to the adjoining thicknesses of the uprights.

Each individual seat making up the multiple seat may be of the type with a single intermediate spider or with two front and rear spiders. In the case of a single intermediate spider, each individual seat is provided with additional bars as already mentioned, but comprising two aligned tubular sections able to pivot independently of each other: the spider of an individual seat is welded on one of the sections, while the crosspiece of the adjoining seat is welded on the other section. As will be better understood below, these provisions make the folding of the multiple seat compatible with the non-deformable structure cross-bar / additional bar of each individual seat.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un siège pliant individuel conforme à l'invention, en position d'utilisation (dépliée),
• - la figure 2 en est une coupe d'ensemble par un plan vertical longitudinal A,
• - la figure 3 en est une coupe partielle, à échelle plus grande, par ce même plan A,
• - la figure 4 en est une coupe de détail par le plan A montrant le maintien du dossier souple en partie haute des montants arrière, cependant que la figure 5 est une coupe horizontale par un plan BB',
• - les figures 6 et 7 illustrent t respectivement en vue de côté et en coupe CC', une variante du maintien du dossier souple,
• - les figures 8 et 9 montrent le siège précité, respectivement en cours de pliage et à l'état entièrement replié,
• - la figure 10 en est une vue partielle en perspective d'un autre mode de réalisation de siège individuel,
• - la figure 11 en est une coupe de détail par un plan vertical longitudinal D,
• - la figure 12 est une vue partielle en perspective d'une variante du siège précédent,
• - la figure 13 est une vue en perspective d'un autre mode de réalisation, dépourvu de montants avant,
• - la figure 14 en est une coupe d'ensemble par un plan vertical longitudinal passant par un côté du siège,
• - les figures 15 et 16 montrent le siège précité, respectivement en cours de pliage et à l'état entièrement replié,
• - la figure 17 est une vue en perspective d'un siège multiple conforme à l'invention,
• - la figure 18 en est une coupe horizontale de détail au niveau du maintien des dossiers,
• - enfin les figures 19 et 20 sont des vues schématiques partielles, respectivement en perspective et en coupe par un plan longitudinal E, d'une variante du siège multiple précité.

Other characteristics, aims and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, which present non-limiting examples thereof, embodiments; on these drawings which form an integral part of this description:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an individual folding seat according to the invention, in the use position (unfolded),
• FIG. 2 is an overall section thereof through a longitudinal vertical plane A,
• FIG. 3 is a partial section thereof, on a larger scale, by this same plane A,
• FIG. 4 is a detailed section through plane A showing the maintenance of the flexible backrest in the upper part of the rear uprights, while FIG. 5 is a horizontal section through a plane BB ′,
• FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate t respectively in side view and in section CC ′, a variant of the maintenance of the flexible backrest,
• FIGS. 8 and 9 show the aforementioned seat, respectively during folding and in the fully folded state,
• FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of the individual seat,
• FIG. 11 is a detailed section through a longitudinal vertical plane D,
• FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of a variant of the previous seat,
• FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment, devoid of front uprights,
• FIG. 14 is an overall section thereof through a longitudinal vertical plane passing through one side of the seat,
• FIGS. 15 and 16 show the aforementioned seat, respectively during folding and in the fully folded state,
• FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a multiple seat according to the invention,
• - Figure 18 is a horizontal section of detail at the level of the maintenance of the files,
• - finally Figures 19 and 20 are views partial diagrams, respectively in perspective and in section through a longitudinal plane E, of a variant of the aforementioned multiple seat.

• - deux montants arrière 1, 2 chacun constitué de deux éléments tubulaires lb, la disposés parallèlement l'un à l'arrière de l'autre, respectivement en partie haute et en partie basse, les éléments supérieurs arrière lb portant une toile souple de dossier 20,
• - deux montants avant 3, 4 chacun constitué par un court tronçon tubulaire 3a formant un pied et par un tronçon tubulaire supérieur 3b solidaire du tronçons 3a, et de diamètre inférieur,
• - deux barres de piètement 5 et 6, reliant en partie basse les montants arrière et montants avant,
• - deux barres d'assise 7 et 8 situées au-dessus des barres de piètement en vue de porter une toile souple d'assise 9,
• - deux barres d'accoudoir 10 et 11, chacune située au-dessus d'une barre d'assise 7 ou 8 et liée à celle-ci pour former un ensemble mobile, chaque barre d'accoudoir se prolongeant d'une part, à l'arrière, par un retour arrière 12 et par un prolongement tubulaire 13 solidaire de ce retour et de diamètre inférieur, d'autre part, à l'avant, par un retour avant 14 et par un prolongement tubulaire 15 formé par le même tube,
• - deux croisillons 16 et 17 situés chacun dans un plan transversal et reliant chaque barre de piètement 5 ou 6 à la barre d'assise opposée 8 ou 7.

The individual folding seat shown by way of example in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 essentially comprises:

• - Two rear uprights 1, 2 each consisting of two tubular elements lb, the arranged parallel one behind the other, respectively in the upper part and in the lower part, the upper rear elements lb carrying a flexible backrest fabric 20,
• two front uprights 3, 4 each consisting of a short tubular section 3a forming a foot and by an upper tubular section 3b secured to the sections 3a, and of smaller diameter,
• - two base bars 5 and 6, connecting the rear uprights and front uprights at the bottom,
• - two seat bars 7 and 8 located above the base bars in order to carry a flexible seat fabric 9,
• - two arm bars 10 and 11, each located above a seat bar 7 or 8 and linked to this to form a mobile assembly, each arm bar extending on the one hand, to the rear, by a rear return 12 and by a tubular extension 13 integral with this return and of smaller diameter, on the other hand, at the front, by a front return 14 and by a tubular extension 15 formed by the same tube ,
• - two cross-pieces 16 and 17 each located in a transverse plane and connecting each base bar 5 or 6 to the opposite seat bar 8 or 7.

The downward extension 13 of each rear return 12 slides inside the tubular element 1a of the corresponding rear upright, while the extension 15 of each front return 14 slides around the tubular section 3b of the corresponding front upright. These telescopic type sliding means thus guide the two movable seat / armrest assemblies in the ascending or descending direction relative to the uprights; when pressure approximation is exerted on the two sides of the seat as shown schematically in Figure 8, the braces 16 and 17 close by pivoting around the joint 18 which connects their branches, and the above-mentioned mobile seat / acnoadol assemblies move in the direction ascending, approaching until the two sides of the seat come together as shown in Figure 9.

In the open position, the lower end of the rear return 12 and the lower end of the front extension 15 rest respectively on the upper end of the section 1a of the rear upright and on the front leg 3a, forming stop stops.

In addition, latching means urged by return means are associated with these sliding means to stabilize the seat in the open position, while allowing it to be folded up thanks to an appropriate pressure force exerted on the sides of the seat at the start of the folding. In the example, these latching and return means are coupled to means making it possible to removably fix each upper rear element Ib of rear upright on the lower front element la of said upright, to form a single latching system carried by each rear upright 1 or 2 and located at the connection of the two elements 1a, 1b constituting the latter; this system is described below with reference to FIG. 3.

Each upper rear element 1b enters a sleeve 19 welded to the rear and in the upper part of the element before the corresponding one. This sleeve 19 is welded by a weld bead 30 in a position sufficiently spaced from the element before the to allow the passage of the flexible file 20 behind the returns 12 when the seat is folded.

The above-mentioned locking system is housed in each rear element Ib at its lower part intended to be housed in the sleeve 19. This system includes a retractable locking pin 21 which is carried by a spring 22.

The weld bead 30 and the walls facing the rear upright element 1b, the sleeve 19 and the upright element 1a are pierced with a hole allowing the insertion of the stud 21, while the extension 13 linked to the return 12 is provided with a stamped 13a with which the end of the stud 21 cooperates when the seat is in the open position, as shown in Figure 3.

Thus, when the stud 21 is in place in the pressed 13a, it is necessary to exert an appropriate thrust on the sides of the seat to release said stud from the pressed: in this way the open position of the seat has excellent stability which is however compatible with its folding without additional maneuver to release the stud 21.

On the other hand, the stud 21 passing through the aligned holes of the aforementioned walls, can only be released from these holes by an action on the spring 22, in order to release the element 1b. This action consists in exerting a pressure towards the rear on the end 22a of said spring, which protrudes slightly from the element lb.

It should be noted that the stud 21 is carried by the leaf spring 22 with sufficient play to avoid any jamming during its retraction. This stud can for example be articulated on this spring blade or else be fixed in a lumen of this blade using a groove made in said stud and having dimensions adapted to allow it to play relative to the blade.

Furthermore, each seat bar 7 which carries the flexible seat fabric 8 is linked to the return 12 and front return 14 so as to be able to pivot around its longitudinal axis.

Each seat bar comprises an internal rod 7a and an external tube 7b which is positioned around said internal rod by centering rings such as 7c. The outer tube carries the seat fabric 8; in the example, the cross-pieces 16 and 17 are articulated around the centering rings 7c.

The internal rod 7a is carried by the rear return 12 and the front return 14: for this purpose, it penetrates into bores of these returns (facing walls side) and abuts by its ends inside said returns (opposite sides). It should be noted that this rod 7a also serves to secure the extension 13 of the corresponding return 12.

The assembly and disassembly of each seat bar constitute simple and easy execution operations. The internal rod 7a is provided at its two ends with chamfers which allow either to introduce it from the rear (the upright element 1b being removed) until it comes up against the front return 14, as the shows Figure 3, either to remove it by exerting a push at the end of it through a small hole 14a that includes this front return. These holes which allow the passage of the rod 7a are drilled in alignment, but, once in place, the very slight overall deformations of the seat inevitably cause a slight misalignment of the rear hole: once the rod introduced, the rear end of the latter therefore abuts on the edges of this rear hole and cannot be released on its own (without the need for a key or any other stop member). Disassembly requires appropriate pressure through the small hole 14a already mentioned.

Such an embodiment leads to a simplified structure of very low cost, which benefits from great ease of assembly and disassembly.

In addition, according to another characteristic of the seat, the cross-pieces 16 and 17 are advantageously welded in the lower part on the base bars 5; each of these base bars is then pivotally mounted around its longitudinal axis, for example by virtue of a structure comparable to that of the seat bars, composed of an internal rod 5a and an external tube 5b on which are welded the braces. At the front, the rod 5a is screwed into an internal end piece 23 which the upright section 3b carries, while at the rear, a screw-cap 24 masks said rod 5a.

Such a structure considerably increases the overall rigidity of the seat due to the presence of non-deformable transverse assemblies; for example, in the case described above of two cross-pieces, the seat comprises two non-deformable sets in the shape of a U (branch of the cross 16, base bar 5 and parallel branch of the cross 17) which limit the deformations in particular in torsion.

Furthermore, as shown schematically in the detail figures 4 and 5, the flexible backrest fabric 20 is preferably carried on either side by reported tubular sections such as 25 engaged in the upper part around the rear uprights 1 and 2 ( and more precisely around the upper rear elements 1b of these uprights). These tubular sections can thus pivot around the vertical axis of the uprights, which prevents any jamming of the fabric at its connecting sleeves with the uprights.

In addition, each tubular section 25 is preferably associated with return means which tend to rotate it relative to the upright in the direction tending to bring the flexible backrest 20 towards the front of the seat.

In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, each tubular section 25 is pierced with a cylindrical hole 25a, while the upright lb has a slot 26 in the form of a sector of a circle, extending over approximately 120 °. A spring 27 of circular or spiral shape is housed in the upright lb, with one end in abutment against an edge of the light 26 and the other end engaged in the hole 25a. The spring 27 thus tends to rotate the tubular section 25 and therefore the fabric 20 that the latter carries, in the direction of the arrow drawn in FIG. 5 (direction directed towards the front of the seat).

When a person is seated on the seat, he presses on the fabric of the backrest 20 and neutralizes the action of the spring, to allow the fabric 20 to adopt a normal rear position of the backrest. When no support is no longer exerted on the fabric 20, the latter returns to its front position under the action of the spring 27, so that, when folding the seat, this fabric naturally comes to be disposed between the sides of the seat as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, without the user having to arrange or shape it (this last operation proved to be very inconvenient in practice because it forces one of the sides of the seat).

Figures 6 and 7 show a varianls of the return means described above, variant in which the return to the front position of the backrest canvas is effected by gravity. In this variant, a stud 28 is fixed in the upright so as to protrude through a hole in the latter. The tubular section is perforated with an inclined opening 29 into which this stud penetrates 28. In the absence of support on the fabric, the tubular section comes naturally to be placed in the position of FIG. 6, corresponding to the position before the Web ; in the event of support on the fabric urging it towards the rear, the tubular section pivots, and this pivoting is accompanied by an upward movement until the lower edge of the lumen 29 abuts against the fixed stud 28; when the pressure ceases on the fabric, the tubular section descends and again directs the fabric forward.

Figures 8 and 9 show the folding of the seat described above which is carried out by a simple action of bringing together the two sides of the seat. The cross-pieces 16 and 17 rotate around their articulation 18, while the front and rear telescopic tubes deploy: the armrest / seat-bar assemblies move upwards to the fully folded position shown in the figure 9. In this position, the armrests and their rear return have come to the level and facing the said backrest.

Such folding can be carried out in a single operation, very conveniently and quickly, without the risk of pinching.

The kinematics described above gives complete freedom to arrange the armrests at the desired height above the seat (15 to 20 cm approximately) in order to obtain the best comfort; the backrest which extends immediately above the level of the armrests is then at the ideal height and is held in a stable manner by the uprights.

It should be noted that the uprights can, if necessary, be slightly bent backwards in their upper section in order to give an inclination to the backrest. Similarly, the bends between the armrests and their returns can be made at angles other than 90 ° to obtain, if necessary, desired ascending or descending shapes. In addition, the seat fabric is not necessarily rectangular in shape; for example, a slightly trapezoidal shape narrowing forward can increase the comfort of the seat for people with long legs.

Furthermore, Figures 10 and 11 show another embodiment of the individual seat described above. Only the differences between the seats will be described below, the same references as in the previous figures having been assigned to the homologous members.

In this embodiment, the support function of the seat fabric and the function of fixing the brace (s) are separated and fulfilled by separate members. The seat fabric is thus easier to remove since this removal does not require disassembly of the brace (s). In addition, another advantage of this arrangement lies in the fact that the fixing of the cross-member (s) can be carried out by welding, without an auxiliary member (straddles or the like ...) and without deformation of the tubes at their ends (flattenings).

The seat fabric 9 is supported by seat bars similar to the seat bars 7 and 8 already described (and designated by the same references), but two additional bars such as 31 are used for fixing the upper ends of the or braces. These additional bars 31 are located respectively under one and the other of the seat bars 7 and 8 and are each integral with the corresponding mobile seat / armrest assembly.

Each bar 31 is pivotally mounted around its longitudinal axis and may in particular have a structure similar to that of the seat bars 7 or 8 already described, as shown in FIG. 11: an internal rod 31a is carried in the holes of the returns front 14 and rear 12 and abuts by its ends inside said returns; this internal rod 31a leads to in turn an external tube 31b which surrounds it and on which is or are welded the brace (s).

In the example of FIGS. 10 and 11, a single cross-member is provided (designated by the reference 32) which is welded in an intermediate position, in particular the middle position, in the upper part on the additional bars 31, and in the lower part on the base bars. 5 and 6.

This crosspiece 32 can be produced by two tubular branches, which benefit (at equal weight) from better resistance than flat bars and give the seat a more homogeneous aesthetic (since all the elements of its structure are then tubular). These tubular branches are articulated one on the other in their crossing zone 32a and have in this zone offsets 32b in order to preserve the passage of the flexible seat 9 during folding. Each offset 32b is formed by double bending (the tubular branch remaining in a transverse plane).

The seat described above has improved comfort due to the release of its volume under the seat, at the front and at the rear; each tubular branch of the cross member forms with the base bar 5 and the corresponding additional bar 32, a non-deformable assembly in the form of an I which gives the seat excellent overall rigidity.

The structure described above is perfectly compatible with the installation of two crosspieces. Figure 12 shows schematically such a variant with two cross-pieces 33 and 34 welded, respectively towards the front and towards the rear of the seat, on the one hand, in the upper part on the additional bars 31, on the other hand, in the lower part on the base bars 5 and 6. Of course, these additional bars and base bars are pivotally mounted about their longitudinal axis, as already described.

It should be noted that the structure mentioned above makes it possible to provide any number of braces or even, if necessary, to produce different brace systems, in particular oblique in the longitudinal direction.

Furthermore, Figures 13, 14, 15 and 16 present another embodiment which benefits from a very sober aesthetic, due to the absence of front uprights. The same references as above have been used for similar elements.

In this embodiment, a single spider 50 supports the load of the seat and is welded to the base bars 5 and additional bars 31. The rear uprights 1 and 2 are similar to those of the previous seats and essentially serve as sliding means during folding (these uprights supporting a low load and can even work in tension for certain load configurations).

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the upper sections lb of the rear uprights are each snapped into their respective sleeves 19 by a rear lug 51 carried by a spring 52 in the form of a cylindrical section, housed in the section lb.

In addition, as already described, the seat fabric is carried by a seat bar comprising an external tube 53 which surrounds a rod 54; in the example, this rod is itself tubular and comprises at its rear end a small spring with stop heel 55 to prevent it from accidentally coming out of the return 12 and the extension 13.

In addition, at the front, the outer tube 53 of each seat bar is provided with a frustoconical part 56 supporting the seat fabric in the vicinity of its front edge; the pieces 56 increase the tension of the fabric towards the front and thus give it a slight slope towards the rear, improving comfort.

In the example described above, the base bars 5 located directly above the eseise / armrest assemblies can be constituted by simple tubes capped at the front (the front ends of said flat bars being free due to the 'absence of amounts before); these base bars are linked at the rear to the base of the rear uprights 1 by bolts 57 allowing them to rotate around their longitudinal axis.

In this embodiment, the front face of the seat is thus completely free; in particular none connection exists at the front of the seat between the base bars and the seat / armrest assemblies.

Figures 15 and 16 illustrate the folding of the seat described above.

It should be noted that a similar seat without front uprights can be produced in a similar manner with two front and rear crosspieces, adapted to support the load. At the front of the seat, the base bars are then linked to the seat / armrest assemblies only by the front crosspieces.

Furthermore, FIG. 17 represents a folding multiple seat, constituted by the juxtaposition of several individual seats of the type described above (these seats are three in number in the example shown, but may be provided in different numbers); the uprights (for example 1 and 3), seat bar (for example 7) and armrest bar (for example 10), situated between two contiguous individual seats (5 ₁ and 5 ₂ ) are common to said individual seats.

The folding or unfolding of such a multiple seat can be carried out just as easily as that of an individual seat, by a single person, by slightly lifting one side of the multiple seat and by exerting on it a pushing force or traction (the other side of the seat being kept fixed to the ground).

Each individual seat making up the multiple seat may have two cross-pieces, front 17 and rear 16, as shown in FIG. 17. The cross-pieces 17, 17 'of two contiguous individual seats (5 ₁ and 5 ₂ ) have articulated ends one against the other at the end of the corresponding seat bar 7, as shown in one of the details in FIG. 17. On each of the lateral sides of the multiple seat, two branches of crosspieces have an offset such as 35 which makes it possible to catch the thickness of the spider absent at this level.

The seat of the multiple seat can be produced as shown in FIG. 18, by a single canvas 40, fixed in the upper part to the rear uprights by sewn sleeves 41.

FIG. 19 represents, in partial perspective, the framework of a multiple seat of the type described above, but formed by a juxtaposition of the individual seat provided with a single intermediate spider designated by 32. As in the case of the figure 10 (whose references are given), additional bars 31 are provided below each seat bar 8 or 9, these additional bars being integral with the corresponding mobile assemblies.

However in this case, each additional bar comprises, around an internal rod 31a, two aligned tubular sections 36 and 37, capable of pivoting independently around their longitudinal axis (Figure 20).

It is the same for each base bar which comprises two aligned tubular sections 38 and 39 capable of pivoting independently around their longitudinal axis.

The spider 32 of an individual seat is welded to one of the tubular sections 36 or 39 of the additional bar and of the corresponding base bar, while the spider 32 'of the adjoining seat is welded to the other tubular section 37 or 38 of said bars.

Of course, the additional bars and base bars located on the lateral sides of the multiple seat comprise a single section since they only receive a single spider.

The multiple seat can also be produced in a similar manner from individual seats without front uprights (with a single cross as shown schematically in Figure 13 or with two cross).

Claims (21)

1 / - Individual folding seat, comprising two rear ascending members, called rear posts (1, ₂ ), having upper sections (lb) along which is fixed a flexible backrest (20) which connects said rear posts, two lower side members , said base bars (5, 6) extending forwards from the lower part of the rear uprights, two lateral members located at intermediate height, said seat bars (7, 8) along which is held a flexible seat (9) which connects them, said seat being characterized in that: - A frame, called armrest bar (10, 11), is arranged above each seat bar (7, 8) and linked to it by front (14) and rear (12) returns for form with it a movable assembly in the ascending or descending direction, called the movable seat / armrest assembly, sliding means (13, la; 15, 3b) are associated with the mobile seat / armrest assemblies in order to guide said assemblies in an upward or downward sliding relative to said rear uprights, - At least one spider (16, 17) connects each seat / armrest assembly to the base bar (5, 6) located on the opposite side. 2 / - Folding seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear uprights (1, 2) and rear armrest returns (12) are arranged so that in the folded position after sliding upwards, the rear returns come arrange opposite the upper sections (lb) of the rear uprights carrying the flexible backrest (20), with a spacing allowing the passage and the fixing of said backrest along said upper sections of the uprights. 3 / - Folding seat according to claim 2, characterized in that each rear upright (1, 2) comprises two tubular elements (la, lb) arranged parallel one behind the other, the lower front element (la) cooperating with a downward extension (13) of the seat / armrest assembly to act as sliding means of the telescopic type, while the upper rear element (lb) is detachably fixed in a sleeve ( 19) welded to the rear and upper part of the front element (la), said upper rear element carrying the flexible backrest (20) in the upper part. 4 / - Folding seat according to claim 3, characterized in that each armrest bar (10, 11), its front return (14) and its rear return (12) are constituted by a curved tubular bar, the extension towards the bottom (13) being constituted by a tubular bar of smaller diameter adapted to be inserted and fixed in the rear return (12) and to slide inside the lower front element (la) of the corresponding amount. 5 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that it comprises a single cross (50), adapted to support the load of the seat and linked to the seat / armrest and bars base, in the intermediate position between the front and rear of the seat, the base bars (5) being located below and directly above the seat / armrest assemblies without any connection to the front of the seat. 6 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that it comprises two crosspieces, adapted to support the load of the seat and linked forwards and backwards from the seat to seat / armrest assemblies and the base bars, the base bars being located below and directly above the seat / armrest assemblies with no other connection to the front of the seat than the front spider. 7 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that: - the base bars (5) are integral, at the front, with tubular front uprights (3, 4), the front armrest returns (14) are provided with downward extensions (15) cooperating with said front uprights to form sliding means of the telescopic type at the front of the seat, - A cross or two cross (16, 17) connect each seat / armrest to the base bar (5) located on the opposite side, to guide the folding movement. 8 / - Folding seat according to claim 3 and one of claims 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the rear telescopic sliding means (13, la) and, if necessary, the front telescopic sliding means (15 , 3b) are arranged to form stops, in the open position of the seat. 1 9 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that each spider (32) consists of two tubes, articulated one on the other in their crossing zone and have in this zone offsets (32b) capable of preserving the passage of the flexible seat (9) during folding. 10 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that each spider is welded in the lower part on the base bars (5), said base bars being pivotally mounted about their longitudinal axis. 11 / - Folding seat according to one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, characterized in that each crosspiece is connected to the mobile seat / armrest assemblies by means of two bars additional (31) on which said spider is welded, said additional bars (31) being located respectively under one and the other of the seat bars (7, 8) pivotally mounted about their longitudinal axis. 12 / - Folding seat according to claim 11, characterized in that each seat bar (7, 8) or each additional bar (31) comprises, on the one hand, an internal rod (7a, 31a) carried in bores front (14) and rear (12) returns, on the other hand, an external tube (7b, 31b) surrounding said rod so as to be able to pivot around the latter and on which are fixed either the flexible seat (9), or the brace (s) (16, 17; 32). 13 / - Folding seat according to claim 12, characterized in that the external tube (53) of each seat bar is provided, at its front end, with a frustoconical part (56) supporting the flexible seat so as to increase the tension of the front edge. 14 / - Folding seat according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper rear element (lb) of each upright is fixed in its sleeve (19) by maneuverable latching means (21) urged by return means (22), in order to confer on said element ( lb) a stable blocking position in its sleeve and allow by a maneuver to release said element. 15 / - Folding seat according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliding means are provided with latching means (21) urged by return means (22), in order to stabilize the seat in the open position and allow the folding thereof. 16 / - Folding seat t according to claims 14 and 15 taken together, characterized in that the latching means intended for blocking the upper element of each upright and the latching means intended for stabilizing the seat in the open position consist of the same latching system (21, 22) disposed in each upper upright element (lb) at its lower part (intended to be housed in the sleeve (19) considered), this system comprising a stud 'retractable snap (21) carried by a spring (22) and suitable for: on the one hand, through the walls opposite the upper upright element (lb) and the sleeve (19) in order to block these elements, - on the other hand, through the lower upright element (la) to come to cooperate with the above-mentioned extension (13), in order to stabilize the latter in a position corresponding to the open position, - Or to retract to release first said extension (13) then the upper element of the amount (1b). 17 / - Folding seat according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flexible backrest (20) is carried, on both sides, by tubular sections (25) engaged in the upper part around the rear uprights (1 , 2) in order to be able to pivot around the axis of these uprights. 18 / - Folding seat according to claim 17, characterized in that each tubular section (25) carrying the flexible backrest (20) is associated with return means (27, ₂₈ , 29) tending to pivot said section relative to the upright, so as to urge the flexible backrest towards the front of the seat. 19 / - Foldable multiple seat, characterized in that it consists of the juxtaposition of several individual seats according to one of the preceding claims, the uprights (13), seat bar (7) and armrest bar (10) located between two contiguous individual seats (S ₁ , 5 ₂ ) being common to said individual seats. 20 / - multiple seat according to claim 19, characterized in that each individual seat comprises two crossbars, front (17) and rear (16), the crossbars of two adjacent single seats (S ₁ , 5 ₂ ) having articulated ends l 'one against the other at the end of the corresponding seat bar (7). 21 / - Multiple seat according to claim 19, characterized in that: - each individual seat includes a single intermediate spider (32), - additional bars are located under the seat bars (8, 9) and integral with the corresponding mobile assemblies, each additional bar comprises two aligned tubular sections (36, 37) capable of pivoting independently around their longitudinal axis, each base bar comprises two aligned tubular sections (38, 39) capable of pivoting independently around their longitudinal axis, - the spider of an individual seat is welded to one of the tubular sections of the connecting bar and of the corresponding base bar, while the spider (32 ') of the adjoining seat is welded to the other tubular section of said bars.

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