EP1247473A1

EP1247473A1 - One-piece stackable seat with backrest, particularly for furnishing spaces for public use

Info

Publication number: EP1247473A1
Application number: EP20010830244
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniele Bertele'; Marco Bertele'
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-04-06
Filing date: 2001-04-06
Publication date: 2002-10-09

Abstract

One piece stadium type seat(10)has hollow molded seat(12)and backrest(14)with tapered walls wider at the base than the top in both the front and side views to allow multiple stacking of seats one on top of the other. Preferred features;The rear face of the backrest tapers 6 degrees inwards the front having a concave curved taper.

Description

The invention refers to seats for furnishing spaces intended to accommodate a large public, such as stadiums and the like.
At present these spaces are generally formed with concrete gradines or bleachers, upon which seats made of plastic or metal are fixed to provide more comfortable seating.
Known to the art are seats of plastic material which comprise a rigid seating portion and a backrest or back portion, in a single piece, with the seating surface of the seat and the resting surface of the backrest preferably anatomically shaped. For safety reasons, and to avoid dangerous breakage in the event of vandalism, the seats must fulfil various requirements. For example they must be firmly fixed to the base, generally of concrete, and the backrest must be strong and firmly joined to the seating portion. This is generally achieved by making the backrest "box-shaped" by means of a plurality of stiffening rear walls transverse to the supporting surface.
The prior art one-piece seats with backrest have the drawback of occupying a large amount of space for transport and storage, and this adversely affects costs.
An object of the present application is to provide a one-piece seat with backrest which complies with all safety regulations and nevertheless requires little space for storage and transport in batches.
This object has been achieved with a seat as defined in claim 1.
Further characteristics can be read in the dependent claims.
In other words, the one-piece seat of the invention has an integral seating portion and backrest and the backrest has a hollow shape open at the bottom and tapering in vertical section and in a front view, so as to be stackable with other seats according to the invention. The backrest preferably has an inner stop wall, near the upper end thereof, to prevent the backrest of a seat from penetrating too far inside the backrest of a seat above it stacked therewith.
The new seat fulfils the objects stated above. In particular it reduces the space necessary for storage and transport. Moreover, it can be made with the positive qualities of the prior art seats, that is to say strength, self-cleaning and self-drying in the event of rain, and comfort of seating.
An exemplary unrestrictive embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective front view of the seat of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front view in which the dashed line shows a concrete structure to which the seat is applied, broken off,
Figure 3 is a side view from the left in Figure 2, with the base structure again illustrated broken off and with a dashed line,
Figure 4 is a top view,
Figure 5 is a vertical section, along the plane 5-5 in Figure 2, and shows a plurality of identical seats according to the invention piled one on top of the other.
With reference to the figures, a seat according to the invention is designated as a whole with reference numeral 10 in the drawings and comprises a seating portion, or seat pan, 12, and a back portion, or backrest 14, rigidly integral with each other.
The seat pan 12 is preferably shaped, in a per se known manner, with supporting side walls 15 and an anatomical seating surface 16, and ends at the front with an edge 18 defined by a bottom ledge 19. The side walls are for resting on a base structure S, on which the seat is fixed, and the edge 18 is intended to project from said structure.
The base structure S, drawn with a dashed line, is generally a concrete structure in steps, for example, but not necessarily, of a stadium; the same seat can also be installed on metal supporting structures such as benches, consoles, etc.
The backrest 14 has a supporting or front wall, 21, generally anatomically shaped, and a rear wall 22, connected by side walls 24, 24. The backrest, according to the invention, has a tapered shape in a front view, narrowing from the seat pan upwards, and a tapered shape in a side view, or better in a vertical median section, narrowing from the seat pan upwards.
The tapered shape in a front view is preferably symmetrical with respect to a median plane and defined by the gently curved walls 24.
The tapered shape in side view is defined by the anatomical front wall 21 and by the inclined rear wall 22; a preferred inclination for the wall 22 is about 6° with respect to the vertical (angle α in Figure 3).
The backrest is internally hollow. An abutment or stop wall 26, shown for example in Figure 5, is advantageously formed near the upper wall 25 inside the cavity 27 of the backrest. The abutment wall 26 can extend for the entire distance between the front wall and the rear wall of the backrest or only for a portion thereof; it can extend for the entire distance between the side walls 24 of the backrest or only for a portion of said distance.
The seats 10 described are stackable one on the other as shown in Figure 5. In said figure three seats according to the invention are shown stacked on one another and designated with reference numerals 10a, 10b and 10c. The wall 26 prevents the backrest of one seat from being inserted too deeply, or incorrectly, inside the backrest of another seat and thus prevents the seats 10, 10a and 10b from turning out to be stuck together at the time of use.
With this application it is intended to include all those variants on what is described and claimed which are accessible to a person skilled in the art who has read this text.

Claims

A one piece seat with backrest, for application to a basic structure (S) of a place for public use, such as a stadium or the like, said seat comprising a seating portion (12) and a backrest portion (14) rigidly integral with each other, characterized in that said backrest portion has an at least partially hollow configuration, open at the bottom, with tapered walls that are wider at the base and narrower toward the top, so as to allow a stacking arrangement of a plurality of seats one on top of the other.
A seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the backrest has a tapered shape in a vertical median sectional view.
A seat according to claim 2, characterized in that the backrest has a rear wall inclined by about 6° with respect to a vertical plane.
A seat according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an abutment wall (26) inside the cavity of the back rest, near the upper end thereof.