Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C7/00—Parts, details, or accessories of chairs or stools
  • A47C7/56—Parts or details of tipping-up chairs, e.g. of theatre chairs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to seats the seat of which can be lifted, and more particularly to seats of this type intended for performance halls and conferences, in other words establishments open to the public.
• Most of the performance and conference halls are now fitted with lift seats. When they are unoccupied, an elastic element acts on the seat so as to rotate it around an axis to place it in the raised position.
• An example of such a seat with a liftable seat is described in particular in document FR-A-2 553 983.
• This seat has the following particular features: - its base is formed by a single element forming a column and supporting a U-shaped assembly, one of the branches carries the seat back, and the other branch of which carries the seat base by means of an articulation comprising an axis around which the rotation of the seat takes place and which is supported by said branch, - this crank-shaped axis comprises an eccentric part forming a lever, and a leaf spring fixed to the U-shaped assembly acts on this eccentric part so as to tend to rotate the axis in the direction causing a raising of the seat.
• the subject of the invention is a seat with a liftable seat, in particular for a performance hall or conference hall, of the type comprising a seat secured to an axis of rotation and elastic return means tending to rotate said axis to bring the seat in the raised position when the seat is unoccupied, characterized in that it comprises means for slowing down the rotation of said axis when the seat is brought into the raised position.
• Said means for slowing down the rotation of said axis may comprise at least one rotary oil damper in which is inserted one end of said axis or a part being integral with it, said damper being fixed on an immobile part of the seat.
• Said means for slowing down the rotation of said axis may include a spring.
• Said means for slowing down the rotation of said axis may include an electromagnetic device.
• Said means for slowing down the rotation of said axis may include an oleo-pneumatic device.
• the seat may include a single central base and a fitting having a general U shape open upwards fixed to said base, the rear branch of the U receiving the seat back and the front branch of the U receiving said axis of rotation of the seat.
• the invention consists in adding to the usual mechanism of a seat with a liftable seat a retarder element which tends to reduce the speed of rotation of the axis of the seat. In this way, when the seat is raised when the user leaves the seat, this raising takes place more slowly than in the absence of this retarder element. In this way, the seat does not accompany the legs of the rising user, and the user is no more embarrassed than if the seat had a fixed seat. On the other hand, at the end of the race, the seat hits the backrest or the stop with a low speed.
• a seat 1 according to the invention is shown as a whole in Fig.1 and 2 seen in profile. Its base includes a foot 2 at the top of which is fixed a fitting 3 which has, in profile view, a general U-shape open upwards.
• a seat 4 is articulated on the front branch 3a of this fitting, while the rear branch 3b receives a backrest 5 and armrests 6 which are fixed to it.
• the fitting 3 is obtained by stamping an approximately rectangular sheet metal plate.
• the rear branch 3b of this generally U-shaped structure is substantially longer than the front branch 3a, and both are oriented upwards and slightly inclined towards the outside.
• the side edges 3c are folded at right angles to the inside of the U in order to stiffen the fitting.
• the 3d core connecting the two branches 3a and 3b is roughly flat and fixed by screws 12 to the plate 11.
• a backrest fixing fork 5 is fixed by means of screws not shown on the inner face of the upper end of the rear wing 3b of the structure 3. It comprises a sheet metal plate 19 at the lateral ends of which are welded two parallel square tubes 20 extending obliquely upwards.
• a bridge 23 is welded to the upper rear end of the lateral edges 3c, and supports rigid steel arms 24, on which are fixed fittings 25 to which the armrests are attached 6.
• a metal tab 26 is welded to the middle of the underside of the bridge 23, and serves as a stop for the seat 4 when it is lowered.
• the seat 4 essentially comprises a foam cushion 27 covered with a lining 28 and fixed on a rigid casing 29, for example of plastic material molded by pressure injection.
• a rectangular cavity to receive a plate 30 for articulation of the seat, in stamped sheet metal. Its lateral edges 30a are folded down, and their rear ends 30b are folded against the rear edge of the casing on which they are fixed by screws 31.
• An axis 32 constituted by a round steel rod bent in the form of a crank, is welded transversely to the lateral edges 30a. This axis is slightly spaced vertically from the plate 30, and is located at a distance from the edge of the seat about a quarter of the total length of the latter.
• the central part 32a of this axis is parallel to its lateral parts 32b, but slightly off-center backwards and downwards when the seat is lowered. These lateral parts 32b are received in the notches 14 of the support 13, while the part 32a is engaged with the hook-shaped part 15a of the leaf spring 15. The latter therefore prints a torque to the axis 32 counterclockwise (seen in Fig. 3) so that the seat
• the seat 4 is always biased towards its raised position.
• the seat 4 is therefore articulated around the axis 32, and its extreme positions are determined on the one hand by the extension 30c and the tab 26 for the lowered position, and on the other hand by this same extension 30c and a pad foam 33 fixed, for example, by gluing on the bottom of the fitting 3, as regards the raised position.
• one of the ends 32c of the axis protrudes outside of the ratio 13, so that it can be inserted in a housing 34 fixed to the top of the front leg 3a of the fitting 3.
• This housing 34 is therefore fixed on an immobile part of the seat, and contains, according to the invention, means making it possible to slow down the rotation of the axis 32 when the leaf spring 15 gives it a rotational movement tending to bring the seat 4 in the raised position (vertical position) as in Figure 1.
• the retarder acting on the rotation of the axis can be of any known type capable of fulfilling this function. It can be, for example, a spring device, or an electromagnetic device, or an oleopneumatic device. However, a preferred device for its efficiency, its small size, its reliability and its limited cost is a rotary oil damper, of the type marketed, for example, by the companies ACE and COFEMO under the references FDT or FDN - 47 to 70.
• This device comprises a paddle wheel 35 having in its center a perforation 36 into which is inserted the end 32c of the axis 32 whose rotation is to be slowed down, or a part which is integral with it.
• the blades of the wheel 35 are placed in a sealed casing 37, which can be fixed on a support by means of perforated ears 38, and filled with a viscous fluid such as silicone oil.
• the wheel 35 can rotate inside the casing 37, when it is driven by the axis to be slowed down, in the case of the invention the axis of rotation 32 of the seat 4 of the seat whose rotation is imposed by the spring 15.

Landscapes

• Seats For Vehicles (AREA)
• Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34630267

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-12-17 FR FR0314838A patent/FR2863842B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-06-08 CN CN 200410046514 patent/CN1628577A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-12-16 WO PCT/FR2004/003264 patent/WO2005058096A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2004-12-16 EP EP04816404A patent/EP1694166A2/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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