US3211497A

US3211497A - Church pew having cushioned seat

Info

Publication number: US3211497A
Application number: US329515A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin P Bounous
Original assignee: Drexel Enterprises Inc
Current assignee: Drexel Enterprises Inc
Priority date: 1963-12-10
Filing date: 1963-12-10
Publication date: 1965-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1982-10-12

Description

7 Oct. 12, 1965 P. BouNous 3,211,497

CHURCH PEW HAVING CUSHIONED SEAT Filed Dec. 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Ebwm P. Boumous ATTORNEYS Oct. 12, 1965 E. P. BOUNOUS 3,211,497

CHURCH PEW HAVING GUSHIONED SEAT Filed Dec. 10, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: Ebwm P. Bou Nous United States Patent 3,211,497 CHURCH PEW HAVING CUSHIONED SEAT Edwin P. Bounous, Morganton, N.C., assignor to Drexel Enterprises, Inc., Drexel, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 329,515 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-452) This invention relates generally to an improved benchtype seat and more particularly to an elongated church pew having an upholstered and cushioned seat.

For many years, it was the custom to make both the back and seat portions of church pews of wood, without any type of cushion. In more recent times, it has become the custom to add elongated cushions to the seat portions of the pews to give some measure of comfort to the users. The addition of cushions to the top of the wooden seats of church pews is objectionable because the additional thickness of the cushions give the church pews a bulky appearance and these separate cushions are difiicult to maintain in position on the seats of the church pews.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a main object of the present invention to provide an improved church pew having an upholstered and cushioned seat that is firmly maintained in position and therefore does not slip around when in use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cushioned church pew of the type described in which the seat has a thin appearance and in which the cushioned seat is also easily removable as a unit for purposes of replacing the upholstery material covering the seat unit.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an improved church pew of the type described in which the cushioned seat unit includes an elongated rectangular frame having a centrally disposed opening and a cushion supporting member positioned below the opening, the upper surface of the cushion supporting member and the opening defining a depression or well for receiving the cushion material, the well covering a major portion of the seat area, the width of the cushion supporting member being less than the width of the opening in the frame, and the front and rear edges of the Well having longitudinally extending openings between the front and rear edges of the cushion supporting member and the frame to provide for downward escape of air from the cushioning material when the seat unit is compressed from above, as when the seat is occupied.

It is another specific object of the present invention to provided an improved church pew of the type described in which the seating unit is further provided with spaced apart support brackets which are suitably secured to the front and rear edges of the cushion supporting member and to the corresponding portions of the frame to support the cushion supporting member at spaced intervals longitudinally of the seating unit and to provide for the unobstructed escape of air through the longitudinal openings extending adjacent the front and rear edges of the cushion supporting member.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view looking at the front of the improved church pew of the present invention; 7

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the end standards of the church pew and showing the manner in which the end support block is supported in a slot cut in the end standard;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded isometric view looking down on the frame of the cushion seat unit and showing the 3,2ll,497 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 cushion supporting member spaced below its normal position;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the back, rear and front rails connected to the end standard and to the end support block carried thereby;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken transversely of the seat and along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the front portion of one end of the seat unit and along the line 6-6 in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but being taken through a medial portion of one end of the seat unit and along the line 7-7 in FIGURE 5.

As best shown in FIGURE 1, the church pew includes a pair of spaced apart end standards 10 and 11 which are connected together by a back panel 12 that is suitably secured at opposite ends to the end standards 10 and 11. The end standards 10 and 11 have end support blocks 14 and 15 preferably secured in suitable slots cut on the inner surfaces thereof. The end support blocks are inclined upwardly from the horizontal and their forward ends extend outwardly from the front edges of the end standards 10 and 11. A rear seat support rail 16 is suitably secured at opposite ends to the end support blocks 14 and 15 and its medial portion is suitably secured to the front lower edge of the back panel 12. A front seat support rail 18 is suitably connected at opposite ends to the end support blocks 14 and 15 and extends parallel to and in spaced relationship from the rear rail 16, as best shown in FIGURE 4.

The parts heretofore described make up the church pew frame for supporting the removable cushioned seat unit which is adapted to rest upon and be supported by the end support blocks 14, 15 and the respective rear and

front rails

16, 18. The space between the rear and

frontrails

16, 18 is provided to accommodate the downwardly ,depending central portion of the cushioned seat .unit, tobe presently described, and to reduce the otherwise bulky appearance of the cushioned seat of the church pew.

The cushioned seat unit includes a rectangular frame, broadly indicated at 20 in FIGURE 3, which has an elongated central opening. The frame 20 includes a pair of

end frame members

22 and 23, a front frame member 24 which is suitably connected at opposite ends to the corresponding ends of the

end frame members

22, 23, and a rear frame member 25 which is suitablyconnected at opposite ends to the corresponding ends of the

end frame members

22, 23. 'It will be noted that the front frame member 24 is approximately twice as wide as the rear frame member 25, however, both the front and

rear frame members

24, 25 are relatively narrow in relationship to the overall width of the frame 20. Thus, the central opening defined by the inner edges of the frame members 2225 is elongated and covers the major portion of the frame 20.

A rectangular cushion supporting member in the form of a board 28 is supported beneath the elongated opening in the rectangular frame 20. In the present instance, op posite ends of the cushion supporting board 28 are connected to the end frame members .22, 23'by screws 30 and 31 which penetrate the ends of the board 28, respective spacer strips 32 and 33 (FIGURE 3) and are threadably embedded in the

end frame members

22, 23. As is best shown in FIGURE 7, the upper surfaceof the board 28 is spaced below the lower surface of the rectangular frame 20, for purposes to be presently described.

The medial portion of the cushion supporting board 28 is supported in spaced relationship below the frame 20 by means of a plurality of spaced apart Z-shaped hanger brackets 35. It will be noted that the hanger brackets 35 are relatively narrow and have vertically extending central portions with integral upper and lower horizontal portions that are bent at right angles thereto and extend outwardly in opposite directions from the ends of the vertical portion. The upper horizontal portions of the hanger brackets 35 are suitably secured to the upper surfaces of the front and

rear frame members

24, 25, as by screws 36, and the lower horizontal portions are suitably secured to the lower surface and adjacent the front and rear edges of the support board 28, as by screws 37 (FIGURES 5 and 6).

As best shown in FIGURE 5, the distance from the front to the rear edge of the cushion supporting board 28 is less than the width of the opening in the rectangular frame 20. Thus, the front edge of the board 28 is spaced inwardly from the rear edge of the front frame member 24 and the rear edge of the board 28 is spaced inwardly from the front edge of the rear frame member 25, for purposes to be presently described. The elongated opening in the frame 20 and the cushion supporting board 28 supported therebeneath provide a depression or well in the seat unit and longitudinally extending openings are provided along the front and rear edges of the board 28, for purposes to be presently described.

Suitable cushioning material 40, preferably polyurethane foam, fills the well in the frame 20 and also overlies the upper surface of the frame members 20-25 of the frame 20. Any suitable cushioning material may be used and when strips of foamed polyurethane are used, one piece may be cut to the correct size to fill the well and the other piece may be cut to the same dimensions as the rectangular frame 20. If desired, the cushioning material may be molded with a depressed lower central portion to fit within the well.

A suitable cover 41 of upholstery material, such as leather, plastic or other material commonly used for upholstering purposes, is provided over the cushioning material 40 and may be attached to the rectangular frame 20 in any suitable manner. It is preferred that the cover 41 be of a substantially impervious material for ease of cleaning and upkeep. In the present instance, the front and rear edges of the cover 41 are attached to the lower surfaces of the front and

rear frame members

24, 25, as by staples, not shown, and opposite ends of the cover 41 are attached to the lower surfaces of the

end frame members

22, 23. The completed seat unit is placed in position with thefront and

rear frame members

24, 25 resting upon the respective front and

rear rails

18, 16, as shown in FIGURES, and withthe

end frame members

22, 23 restingupon the support ledges of the end blocks 14, 15, as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7.

The cushion seat unit is held in position on the church pew frame by screws 42 (FIGURE 5) which extend through the front rail 18 and are threadably embedded in the front frame member 24 and screws 43 which extend through the rear rail 16 and are threadably embedded in the rear frame member 25. The cushion seat unit may be easily removed by removing the

screws

42 and 43 which are spaced along the respective front and

rear rails

18, 16. -It should be necessary to remove the seat unit only to replace the cover material 41 or the cushioning material 40.

As is well known, when the cushioning material of a seat is compressible, as when sat upon, air is forced therefrom. In order that the cushioning material may be readily compressed and then quickly returned to its noncompressed condition, means must be provided for air to leave and enter the cushioning material. When the cushioning material is covered by a material which is more or less impervious and does not allow the easy passage of air therethrough, passageways for the passage of air must be provided.

In the present church pew, the cushion seat unit has longitudinally extending openings adjacent the front and rear edges of the cushion support board 28 that form air passageways through which air can easily pass. Al

though an air passageway would be formed because the upper surface of the board 28 is spaced below the lower surface of the rectangular frame 20, in the present instance the size of these air passageways has been greatly increased by reducing the width of the board 28 so that its front and rear edges are spaced inwardly of the inner edges of the

frame members

24, 25. Thus, the size of the air passageways has been greatly increased without further lowering of the board 28. Since the hanger support brackets 35 are relatively narrow and are widely spaced apart, they do not block the passage of air through the passageways when the cushion is compressed and released. While the compression and release of the cushioning material is somewhat similar to the action of a bellows, the air passageways adjacent the front and rear of the board 28 are of sufficient size that the passage of air therethrough does not create the swishing sound normally associated with a bellows.

In the improved church pew of the present invention, the elongated depressed well extends more than one-half of the distance from the front to the rear of the seat unit and provides enough room for a suitable thickness of cushioning material to provide a comfortable seat. The provision of the well also prevents the otherwise bulky appearance which would be readily apparent if a like thickness of cushioning material was present in a separate cushion on the seat of the church pew.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An improved church pew having a cushioned seat and comprising (a) a pair of spaced vertical end standards,

(b) a back panel connected at opposite ends to said end standards and extending in substantially a vertical position to be engaged by the back of a person seated in the church pew,

(c) a rear rail supported at opposite ends by said end standards and being supported along its medial portion on said back panel,

(d) a front rail supported at opposite ends by said end standards and spaced from said rear rail,

(e) a rectangular frame supported on said front and rear rails and having a centrally disposed rectangular opening of predetermined length and width therein, the width of the opening being substantially greater than one-half the width of said frame,

(f) an elongated cushion supporting member positioned in spaced relation below the rectangular opening in said frame, the width of said cushion supporting member being less than the width of the opening in said frame and being substantially centrally disposed beneath said opening and the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member being spaced inwardly of the opening in the frame, the upper surface of said cushion supporting member cooperating with the opening in the frame to define a well having elongated air passageways that extend adjacent the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member,

(g) means interconnecting said cushion supporting member and said frame at spaced apart points longitudinally thereof for maintaining said cushion supporting member in said spaced position below said frame,

(h) compressible cushioning material filling said well and overlying the upper surface of said frame memher, and

(i) a covering overlying said cushioning material and being connected at peripheral edges to said rectan gular frame, said covering restricting the upward;

and comprising (a) a pair of spaced vertical end standards,

(e) a rectangular frame supported on said front and rear rails and including l) a pair of end frame members at opposite ends,

(2) a front frame member connected at opposite ends to the corresponding ends of said end frame members, and

(3) a rear frame member connected at opposite ends to the corresponding ends of said end frame members, the inner edges of said end, front and rear frame members defining a rectangular opening of predetermined length and width in the central portion of said frame, the Width of the opening being substantially greater than one-half the width of said frame,

(f) an elongated cushion supporting member positioned in spaced relation below the rectangular opening in said frame, the width of said cushion supporting member being less than the width of the opening in said frame, the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member being spaced inwardly equal distances from the corresponding inner edges of said front and rear frame members, the upper surface of said cushion supporting member cooperating with the opening in the frame to define a Well having elongated air passageways that extend adjacent the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member,

(g) a plurality of relatively narrow Z-shaped support brackets having vertically extending portions and integral upper and lower horizontal portions bent at right angles thereto and extending in opposite directions from the ends of said vertical portion, said Z-shaped brackets being positioned in spaced relationship along the rear and front edges of said cushion supporting member, said upper horizontal portions extending over and being secured to the upper surfaces of said front and rear frame members, and said lower horizontal portions extending beneath and being secured to the lower surface along the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member for supporting the same in said spaced position below said frame,

(h) compressible cushioning material filling said well and overlying the upper surfaces of said frame members, and

(i) a covering of substantially impervious upholstery material overlying said cushioning material and extending around and beneath the outer edges of said rectangular frame, said covering restricting the upward flow of air therethrough when said cushioning material is compressed, said air passageways adjacent the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member being provided to permit air to readily escape from and to enter said cushioning material from below when the same is compressed and released, as occurs when a person sits on the church pew and thereafter arises.

3. In a church pew according to claim 1 wherein said rectangular frame (e) includes (a) a pair of end frame members, and

(b) front and rear frame members connected at opposite ends to the corresponding ends of said end frame members,

and wherein the front and rear edges of said cushion supporting member (f) are spaced inwardly from the corresponding inner edges of said front and rear frame members to aid in defining sufficient size air passageways for air to escape and enter said cushioning material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,775,287 12/56 Mantegna 5-351 2,816,601 12/57 Plummer 297-45O 3,049,730 8/62 Wall et al 297455 3,065,031 11/62 Henry 5345 3,127,220 3/64 Stine 297-452 FOREIGN PATENTS 491,245 1/38 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN IMPROVED CHURCH PEW HAVING A CUSHIONED SEAT AND COMPRISING (A) A PAIR OF SPACED VERTICAL END STANDARDS, (B) A BACK PANEL CONNECTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO SAID END STANDARDS ND EXTENDING IN SUBSTANTIALLY A VERTICAL POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY THE BACK OF A PERSON SEATED IN THE CHURCH PEW, (C) A REAR RAIL SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS BY SAID END STANDARDS AND BEING SUPPORTED ALONG ITS MEDIAL PORTION ON SAID BACK PANEL, (D) A FRONT RAIL SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS BY SAID END STANDARDS AND SPACED FROM SAID REAR RAIL, (E) A RECTANGULAR FRAME SUPPORTED ON SAID FRONT AND REAR RAILS AND HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED RECTANGULAR OPENING OF PREDETERMINED LENGTH AND WIDTH THEREIN, THE WIDTH OF THE OPENING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN ONE-HALF THE WIDTH OF SAID FRAME, (F) AN ELONGATED CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER POSITIONED IN SPACED REALTION BELOW THE RECTANGULAR OPENING IN SAID FRAME, THE WIDTH OF SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE OPENING IN SAID FRAME AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY DISPOSED BENEATH SAID OPENING AND THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES OF SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING SPACED INWARDLY OF THE OPENING IN THE FRAME, THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER COOPERATING WITH THE OPENING IN THE FRAME TO DEFINE A WELL HAVING ELONGATED AIR PASSAGEWAYS THAT EXTEND ADJACENT THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES OF SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER, (G) MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER AND SAID FRAME AT SPACED APART POINTS LONGITUDINALLY THEREFOR FOR MAINTAINING SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER IN SAID SPACED POSITION BELOW SAID FRAME, (H) COMPRESSIBLE CUSHIONING MATERIAL FILLING SAID WELL AND OVERLYING THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FRAME MEMBER, AND (I) A COVERING SAID CUSHIONING MATERIAL AND BEING CONNECTED AT PERIPHERAL EDGES TO SAID RECTANGULAR FRAME, SAID COVERING RESTRICTING THE UPWARD GLOW OF AIR THERETHROUGH WHEN SAID CUSHIONING MATERIAL IS COMPRESSED, SAID AIR PASSAGEWAYS ADJACENT THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES OF SAID CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING PROVIDED TO PERMIT AIR TO READILY ESCAPE FROM AND TO ENTER SAID CUSHIONING MATERIAL FROM BELOW WHEN THE SAME IS COMPRESSED AND RELEASED, AS OCCURS WHEN A PERSON SITS ON THE CHURCH PEW AND THEREAFTER ARISES.