US2177263A

US2177263A - Collapsible pew seat

Info

Publication number: US2177263A
Application number: US181792A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph J Noe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-12-27
Filing date: 1937-12-27
Publication date: 1939-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1956-10-24

Description

COLLAPSIBLE PEW SEAT Filed Dec. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOK Jo SEPH I Nos J. J. NOE 2,177,263

' COLLAPSIBLE PEW SEAT Oct. 24, 1939.

Filed. Dec. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. JOSEPH NOE M WW ATTORNEYQ Oct. 24, 1939.v J NOE 2,177,263

COLLAPSIBLE PEW SE AT Filed D60. 2'7, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. do 550% No A:

A ORNEYD Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES yATENT OFFECE 6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to pew seats, and has particular reference to pew seats that may be collapsed when not in use.

While my invention has been described in its application to collapsible pew seats, it is to be understood that it is not necessarily restricted to such application.

It is frequently found at religious gatherings in churches that the accommodations for the worshippers, consisting of the standard pew equip ment, are inadequate. To remedy this condition it has been customary to secure additional accommodations by placing chairs in the aisles. This procedure has the disadvantage, however, that at the close of the meeting these chairs, even if they are of the collapsible type, form obstructions to the free movement of the congregation through the aisles.

It is among the general objects of my invention to secure additional accommodations in places of assembly, such churches, by providing auxiliary seats that may be collapsed into compact relation with permanent articles of furniture, such as pews, or against the walls or other permanent immovable installations or equipment, when not in use.

It is among the more particular objects of my invention to provide a collapsible seat having a seat portion and a kneeling portion.

It is also among the objects of my invention to provide a seat that is collapsible substantially into a plane and which, after such collapse, may be folded into compact relation to one of the permanent fixtures of a place of assembly, such as a pew or the wall, itself.

It is further among the objects of my invention to provide a permanent equipment of a place of assembly, such as the pews of a church, with panels harmonizing with their surroundings, but

'movable outwardly therefrom and carrying other portions movable in relation to said panels so as to constitute seating accommodations.

I achieve the foregoing objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, in the manner illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my invention applied to church pews;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the collapsible pew seat in its open position, and indicating the movement of the link system connecting the parts thereof;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the collapsible seat of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the parts of the seat of Figure 2 in their collapsed positions;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the end of a pew showing the parts of the seat of Figure 2 in their collapsed condition; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View, on a greatly enlarged scale, through the end of a pew, illustrating the hinge construction uniting the seat and the pew.

In Figure 1, I have shown the end portions of three pews, and applied to the end walls of said pews is shown one illustrative embodiment of my invention. In relation to pews A and B, my collapsible seat is shown in its open position, while the seat carried by pew C is shown in its collapsed and nested position.

It will be observed that the parts of my collapsible seat are shown as mounted on a panel or upright frame H] of such appearance that it forms part of the decorative scheme of the pew. In other words, when the co lapsible seat is in its nested position it is indistinguishable from the pew itself, and in effect forms a part thereof; and to emphasize this decorative feature I have indicated an ornamental motif thereon (see Figure 1, pew C).

While in the particular embodiment of my invention disclosed herein the invention is applied to a church pew, it is to be understood that it is not so restricted, and that instead of being ap plied to a church pew it may be applied to other articles of furniture or it may be applied to the walls of a church or other room.

For the purpose of accommodating my collapsible seat, the pews are shown as recessed at H, the recess being surrounded by the frame l3 of the pew end and its bottom being constituted by the panel l1. At I5 I have indicated the pew seats. While this construction has been found to be very serviceable, it is to be understood that other means may be provided for nesting the collapsible seat. For example, instead of having a recess in the pew end, the inner surface of the panel I 0 might be recessed so that the seat parts fit into the panel which would overlie the end of the pew.

The panel or upright frame I!) is movable about a vertical axis and for this purpose I have shown a hinge construction comprising brackets l2 secured in any suitable or preferred manner to the upper and lower edges, respectively, of the panel l0. Each bracket l2 constitutes one member of a pivotal structure, the other member [4 of which is in the form of a bracket carried by the side of the pew end frame l3.

A stop 2'! may also be provided for limiting the swinging of the panel in an outward direction; while for locking it in place when the seat is collapsed, a locking arrangement may be provided, as indicated at 25.

Also carried by the panel ill are shown a pair of brackets l6 and i8 provided, respectively, at their upper and lower ends with ears ll, l9, and 2! and 23 for a purpose which will presently appear. Pivo-ted. to the ears l? and i9 is shown a U-shaped metallic frame 22 on which is supported a seat as.

A pair of braces M and 26 are pivotally carried by the frame 22, while near their lower ends they are pivotally united, respectively, to

legs

28 and 36 one end of each of which is pivoted to one of. the ears 2i and 23 of the brackets I6 and !8.

It will be observed that the

braces

26 and 26 will serve to support the seat 28 in a substantially horizontal position. Downward pressure on the seat 26 will be transmitted by the

braces

24 and 26 to the legs 28 and 3b, which are prevented from moving beyond their vertical position by their contact with the panel lil.

Also pivotally carried by the legs 2% and 35! is shown a U-shaped metal frame 3 5 which supports a kneeling bench 32 on which a worshipper occupying the seat to the rear may kneel when required to do so by the religious ceremonies.

Both the brace 2d and one end of the frame 34 are shown as united by a common pivot 36 to the leg 28, while a similar common pivot 33 unites the other support 26 with the other leg 30 and the other end of the frame I have found this common pivot construction very simple and practical, but is to be understood that my invention is not necessarily restricted to such construction as separate pivots may be provided by which the legs 28 and Bil are united, respectively, to the

braces

26 and 25 and to the frame 34.

Underneath the kneeling bench 32 and shown as pivotally united theretoin any suitable or preferred manner, as by hinges 39, is shown a supporting member or leg lfi which, preferably, carries rollers 55! at its lower edge to enable it to move readily along the floor. Links 62 and l are pivoted at their ends, respectively, to the legs 28 and 3&3 and to the leg ill.

On reference to Figure 2, the functioning of the system of links and other members just described will become apparent. In this figure, intermediate positions of the parts are shown in dot-and-dash lines.

As the seat 253 is moved upwardly about its pivots, the seat brace 24 draws the leg 28 upwardly and this in turn draws after it the link 42, the frame 34 and the leg ill; and as the motion continues these parts collapse until they lie substantially in a single plane, as clearly appears from Figures 4 and 5.

It is to be noted that I have shown the pivot points uniting the legs 28 and 35 with the links 42 and 44 and with the kneeling bench and the leg 4!] as arranged at the corners of a co1- lapsible parallelogram, and I have found this construction very convenient and practical although it is to be understood that this exact arrangement is not necessary.

In order to minimize the space occupied by the parts when the seat is collapsed, and to permit their disposition substantially in a single plane, I

have shown the links 42 and 44 provided with offset portions indicated by the numeral 45. As a result of this offsetting, it will be seen, on viewing Figure 4, that the

seat barces

24 and 26 which are shown of angled cross-section fit over and against the outer sides of the frame 22, the latter being shown of T cross-section; and also over the upper ears IT and i9 of the brackets l6 and [8. The

legs

28 and 30 will lie against the outside of the frame 22, While the body of the links 42 and 44 will lie outside of the

legs

28 and 30. The leg ii! overlies the kneeling bench 32 which, in turn, overlies the frame I 0. The seat 20 is also shown overlying the panel ill with the back rest 48 of flexible material, such as fabric, sandwiched between it and the panel iii. The back rest 48, which appears in its extended position of use in Figurel, is secured at its ends, respectively, to the upper endof the panel in and to the inner portions of the legs of the frame 22.

My invention has been described in one of its applications to the end of a pew. However, it is obviously readily adapted for application to other articles of furniture or to a wall, in which case the frame l 6 would be hinged to the wall and the parts, when the seat is collapsed, would be accommodated either in a recess in the wall or in a recess in the panel 10, itself.

In general, it will be understood that changesin the details, herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is, therefore, intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a church pew, a frame forming part of the outer end of said pew and movable about a substantially vertical axis, a seat carried by said frame and collapsible into a position fiat against said frame or into an operative position in which it stands outwardly from said frame, a kneeling bench also carried by said member and collapsible thereagainst, and a recess provided in said pew within which said seat and said kneeling bench may be accommodated when in their collapsed position.

2. An auxiliary seating installation for churches, comprising a series of collapsible units arranged one behind the other, each unit com prising a vertical supporting wall, an upright frame pivoted to the wall about a vertical axis for swinging movement either against or away from said wall, a seat pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to be folded against said frame when not in use, a collapsible kneeling bench assembly, means for pivotally supporting said assembly on said frame for swinging movement between a collapsed position against the frame and an extended set-up position behind the frame, and means operable by the opening and folding of said seat for automatically swinging the kneeling bench assembly into theset-up and collapsed positions respectively, whereby each unit provides a seating accommodation and also a kneeling accommodation for a person occupying the seat of the unit directly behind it.

3. An auxiliary seating installation for churches, comprising a series of collapsible units arranged one behind the other, each unit comprising a vertical supporting wall, an upright frame pivoted to the wall about a vertical axis for swinging movement either against or away from said wall, a seat pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to be folded against said frame when not in use, a collapsible kneeling bench assembly, means for pivotally supporting said assembly on said frame for swinging movement between a collapsed position against the frame and an extended set-up position behind the frame, and means operable by the opening and folding of said seat for automatically swinging the kneeling bench assembly into the set-up and collapsed positions respectively, said lastnamed means comprising a seat brace pivoted at its upper end to the seat and at its lower end to the kneeling bench assembly, whereby each unit provides a seating accommodation and also a kneeling accommodation for a person occupying the seat of the unit directly behind it.

4. An auxiliary seating installation for churches, comprising a series of collapsible units arranged one behind the other, each unit comprising a vertical supporting wall, an upright frame pivoted to the wall about a vertical axis for swinging movement either against or away from said wall, a seat pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to be folded against said frame when not in use, a kneeling bench assembly comprising a bench, legs pivoted thereto, and a link extending between and pivoted to said legs, said bench, legs, and link defining a collapsible parallelogram, means for pivotally supporting said assembly on said frame for swinging movement between a collapsed position against the frame and an extended set-up position behind the frame, and means operable by the opening and folding of said seat for automatically swinging the kneeling bench assembly into the set-up and collapsed positions respectively, whereby each unit provides a seating accommodation and also a kneeling accommodation for a person occupying the seat of the unit directly behind it.

5. An auxiliary seating installation for churches, comprising a series of collapsible units arranged one behind the other, each unit comprising a vertical supporting wall, an upright frame pivoted to the wall about a vertical axis for swinging movement either against or away from said wall, a seat pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to be folded against said frame when not in use, a kneeling bench assembly comprising a bench, legs pivoted thereto, and a link extending between and pivoted to said legs, said bench, legs, and link defining a collapsible parallelogram, means for pivotally supporting said assembly on said frame for swinging movement between a collapsed position, against the frame and an extended set-up position behind the frame, and means operable by the opening and folding of said seat for automatically swinging the kneeling bench assembly into the set-up and collapsed positions respectively, said last-named means comprising a seat brace pivoted at its upper end to the seat and at its lower end to the kneeling bench assembly, whereby each unit provides a seating accommodation and also a kneeling accommodation for a person occupying the seat of the unit directly behind it.

6. An auxiliary seating installation for churches, comprising a series of collapsible units arranged one behind the other, each unit comprising a vertical supporting wall, an upright frame pivoted to the wall about a vertical axis for swinging movement either against or away from said wall, a seat pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to be folded against said frame when not in use, a collapsible kneeling bench assembly, and means for pivotally supporting said assembly on said frame for swinging movement between a collapsed position against the frame and an extended set-up position behind the frame, the wall to which said frame is pivoted being provided with a countersunk recess adapted to accommodate said frame when the elements carried thereby are in collapsed positions, and means operable by the opening and folding of said seat for automatically swinging the kneeling bench assembly into the set-up and collapsed positions respectively, whereby each unit provides a seating accommodation and also a kneeling accommodation for a person occupying the seat of the unit directly behind it.

JOSEPH J. NOE.