US1428018A

US1428018A - Automatic folding seat construction

Info

Publication number: US1428018A
Application number: US469561A
Authority: US
Inventors: John E Erickson
Original assignee: AUTOMATIC SEATING Co
Current assignee: AUTOMATIC SEATING Co
Priority date: 1921-05-14
Filing date: 1921-05-14
Publication date: 1922-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1939-09-05

Description

p J. E. ERICKSON.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED MAY I4. 192].

l 42 9 1 Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I/v VENTOR: JbH/v E. ER/CKSON *%M// Mm A 7' TORNE Y8 L E. ERICKSON. AUTOMATIC moms sm cousmucn'ou. APPLICATION FILED MAYI4.192I- 7 1,428,018, PatentedSept. 5, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- I N VEN TOR Jmv E. E RIC/(SON.

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A 7- TOR/vars 1. E. smpxsou. AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I4 I92!- Patented Sept. 5, 1922* 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' when the occupant of a seat rises topermit.

Patented .gept. 5, 19232,

JOHN E. nnionson, or en. PAUL, innnnsora;nssienon, BY nrnn'cnnnn MnsN'n CQ1I NY,DE surname, WISCONSIN,

ASSZGNMENTS, no AUTOMATIC acolerone'rion on VTZSGGNSIN.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT CONSTRUCTION.

T 0 all whomitmag concern:

Be it known that I, Jenn E. Enrcnson,

a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Folding Seat Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic folding seat constructions; It is intended particularly for use in connectionwith seats such as. theater chairs and school chairs and benches, such as are, commonly used out of doors- Anobject is to provide a construe tion in which the seat member is automatically folded'or lifted when notheld down and in which the weight of the sitting sume the proper position for weight. In places where it is desirable that unoccupied seats should be lifted my construction does not require any manualfold ing or lifting when the seat is notin use. This is of especial advantage in the use of. theaterseats since the unoccupied seats when my invention is usedare always back personwhen out of the way to permit easy passage of persons going to 'or from their seats and,

the passage of otherpersons, the seat automatically'folds or lifts so: that he can move back sufficiently to permitother'persons to pass. In the case of school seats or other chairs the occupant rises, his seat automatically placed adjacent adcsk or table, when folds and the person has easy passageto and from the seat. as park benches, the seat members. on account of not being in horizontal position whenunoccupied, will be kept much cleaner since there is not only lessopportunity for dirt to collect or be depos ted thereon but the action of rain willwash thenimore' effectively. The use of my automatic folding chair construction permits the occupants of the chairs to pass out much more quickly which is of especial advantage in case of auditoriums.

fire in theatres, schools. and other public The full objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the foregoing description, and the novel features embodied in myinventive idea will be par tlcularly polntedout in'the claims.

in the county of Ramsey and down causes the seat member to as supporting his In the case of benches such,

Application nee May. 14, 1921. Serial N0. 469,5 61.

L is a side elevational view of a chair provided with my invention. Fig; 2 is a view in central sectionthrough the chair with the seat member in depressed position. 3 is a viewsimilar to" Fig. 2 but showing the seat memberin folded position. Fig. 4 is view in vertical section on the line 4. 4: of 5. Fig. 5 isa front elevational view with the scat member in depressed position. F 6 is a view inhorizontal section on the line 6+6 of Fig. 5.

vational view of a bench providedfwith my invention. Fig. 8 is a sideelevational view I thereof. 1 F 9. is a view insection on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a top plan View of one of the devices removed from thebenclrf f Referring first to the embodiment of the In theaccompanying drawings, Fig. 1

invention shownin Figs. 1 to 6, the numen al .12designates in general the frame of a theater chair having the customary arms liand aback l6 extendingup from a lower v verticalportion 18. In carryingout my invention, I provide a casting or other suitablemetallic member 20 adapted to be se- 30 formed near the lower end of'the can.-.

ing 20. A link member 32 connects cars" 34 on an intermediate portion ofthe casting 24 with ears 36 on the upper end of the castinn 20.

the link member 32 is preferably formed with two side portions 38intermediately connected by a shorter slightly depressed portion 40 so that a rearwardextension of the casting '24 may be received in the depression when the seat member is in lowered position as shown in Fig. 2. Atthe rear'of the connecting-portion 4.0 the side members 38 are depressed to formtheoffset *portionstEZ, these beingthe portions which are directly pivoted to the cars 36. On account of this construction and on ac count'of the fact that .whenthe seat memher is in its lowered position, the rear thereof is spaced from'the back member, liability oft-he occupant of the chair getting. his

Fig. 7 is'a front elecured in suitable manner to the lower por- Securedto the lowers1de of the.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 6,

finrers pinched is avoided. A. rod A is pivotally attached at its upper end to ears lo connected to the rear of the depressed portion at) of the link member 'lhe roc is surrounded by a coiled spring L8 and this rod and spring are adapted to work in a tube or barrel. 50 which is pivotally attached at its lower end to ears 52 on the lower end'of the casting 20. lVhen the seat is not occupied or otherwise held down, the action of the spring l8 forces the rod upwardly and, by means of the link iiiem ber 82, causes the seat member to assun'ie the position shown in Fig. 3, the movement of the front of the seat member being restrained by the link member 26.

Referring to the form of invention shown in Figs. 7 to 10, the numeral 54; designates end frame members of a bench connected byslats 56 which form the back and by lower slats 58. in applying" my invention to bench, I prefer on account thereof to apply one ofmy operating devices at each end thereof. Since these two devices are exactly alike, a description of one of them will be sufiicient. A metallic member 60 is secured to the lower slats in suitable manner. Secured to the lower side of the seat member 62 is a metallic member 641. A. link member ('56 preferably in two ing each other at the top as shown in Figs. 7 and 10 connects pivots 68 on the front of the member 6% with a pivot 70 on the lower end of the member 60. A link member 72, the rear portion 7% of which is downwardly offset, connects a pivot 76 on the rear of the member 6% with a pivot 78 on the upper end of the member 60. A rod 80 is supported at its lower end on the pivot 70 and the upper end of this rod entends slidably into a tube 82, which at its upper end is pivoted to a lug 84; secured to the offset portion T l of the link member 72. blurrounding: the rod 80 and interposed parts and meet bet *een a shoulder on the lower endthereof to the frame in the plane of pivoting to the and the lower end of the tube 82 is a coiled spring 86. When the seat is not occupied or otherwise held down, the action of the spring 86 forces the tube 82 upwardly and, by means of the link member 72, causes the seatmember to assume the position shown in 9, the movement of the front of the seat being; restrained by the link member 66. As shown in Fig. 8, the rear of the seat member when depressed is spaced from the back so that there is no liability of the occupant getting his iin ers pinched when he sits down.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the foregoing description. The principle of operation whether embodied in chair form or bench form is precisely the same but the bench on account of its length is preferably provided of the length with onoof the devices at each end. It will be noted that the seat member when not occupied is in an inclined position with the rear end highest. Therefore, the mere act of sitting on the seat readily brings itinto proper position for supporting the occupant.

I claim:

l. A folding seat construction comprising a frame and back portion rigidly connected with said frame, a seat member, a pair of links pivotally connected at their lower ends at spaced points to said frame in substantiall a vertical plane with the lower end of said rigid back portion and pivoted at their forward ends at spaced points to the seat toward the front thereof, said links being substantially parallel pivots located substantially forwardly of and the last named theback when the seat is unoccupied,

2. A folding seat construction comprising a frame and back portion rigidly connected.

with said frame, a seat member, a pair of links pivotallv connected at their forward ends to spaced points toward the front of the seatand at their points in substantially a vertical plane to, said frame, and a third link pivoted to one of id links and to the frame in the plane of pivotingto the frame of the first-named links, and spring means associated with the third link form-ting; upon the first-named links to cause them to fold said seat when the same is not occupied.

3. A folding seat construction comprising frame and back portion rigidly connected 0 said frame, a member, a pair of links "votally o spaced points to ward the front of the seat and at their other ends at spaced points in substantially a vertical plane to said frame, the upper of said links having two otlset portions with a r ethn c led connection, and a third link pivoted atits upper end to said connection and at its lower end thereto, a third 'member connecting said frame and said seat member and pivotally attached thereto, anda spring. associated with said third member which causes said seat member to assume a folded position when unoccupied.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiiX my signature.

- JOHN E. ERIGKSON.

other ends at spaced connected at their forward ends I