AU2007200895B2 - Improved Theatre Chair - Google Patents

Description

Pool Seclion 29 Regulation 3.2(2) AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Improved Theatre Chair The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 IMPROVED THEATRE CHAIR This invention relates to theatre chairs and is generally useful for chairs used in cinemas, auditoria, theatres and other venues in which 'public' seating is provided. 5 When a cinema (which we shall use an as exemplification) is being built or refurbished when the chairs are located, care must be taken not to damage the upholstery of these chairs or to locate chairs where they can be damaged by other trades still working on the incomplete cinema. In some applications, it is preferred that some seats, generally the more 10 expensive, are spaced at intervals greater than the others. This has normally meant that to provide seats for different spacing, it has been necessary to provide seats which are different from the remainder of the seats in the theatre. Further, with theatre chairs generally, it is necessary to refurbish the chairs at intervals which normally means removing the chairs from the theatre and, say, 15 re-upholstering them and then returning them to the theatre or removing structural components from the chair. Neither operation is very satisfactory. Further, individual chairs in theatres can be damaged either inadvertently or by vandalism and it is then necessary to re-upholster or repair these chairs on an individual basis. This has led to similar difficulties as described above where a 20 theatre is being refurbished although, to an extent, the problem can be exacerbated as often it is necessary to have a skilled person come to the theatre to remove and replace a seat. It is desirable to provide a chair which can initially be located in a venue in its required position without the upholstered portions thereon so that likelihood of 25 damage during construction is minimised and which, at the same time can readily have the upholstered portions removed and reinstalled, should be it be necessary for refurbishment, either to an individual chair or to the chairs in the venue generally. A first aspect of the present invention provides a chair having a frame, and 30 a seat component and/or a backrest component connected to the frame, the component including: a base connected to the frame; a component member; 2 a clip means for releasably attaching the member to the base, the clip means having a first clip portion and a complemetary second clip portion for receiving the first clip portion, one of the base and the member having the first clip portion and the other of the base and the member having the second clip 5 portion; and a pivotally mounted toggle plate and a pivot point for receiving the free end of the toggle plate, one of the base and the member having the pivotally mounted toggle plate and the other of the base and the member having the pivot point; wherein the base and the member may be releasably attached by the clip 10 means and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position putting one of the base and the member under tension and the other of the base and the member under compression. This makes the component have a solid feel, as the base and component member are positively connected. Any slack in the system is taken up and 15 relative movement between the base and member is avoided. Preferably, the member has the pivotally mounted toggle plate and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position by the act of releasably attaching the member to the base with the clip means, putting the member in compression and the base in tension. 20 This increases the ease of installation or re-installation of the chair. Preferably, the first clip portion has a pair of first clip portion arms with a flexible web therebetween; whereby deformation of the flexible web causes the first clip portion arms to move toward each other, thereby releasing the clip means to allow detaching of the member from the base and preferably the chair 25 further includes access means permitting access to the flexible web by a lever tool, wherein the lever tool may be used to deform the flexible web. This further increases the ease of installation or re-installation. Preferably, the second clip portion has a pair of second clip portion arms and each of the second clip portion arms has an inwardly directed shoulder and 30 wherein each of the first clip portion arms has an outwardly directed shoulder, said inwardly and outwardly directed shoulders being engageable to releasably attach the first clip portion to the second clip portion.

3 Preferably, the member includes a pair of downwardly directed ribs, one downward rib extending along each side of the member and wherein the base includes two pairs of upwardly directed ribs, one pair of upward ribs extending along each side of the base, wherein each downward rib is received between 5 respective upward ribs when the base and member are attached to each other. This improves the lateral stability of the component, as well as providing a guide for alignment during installation. Preferably, the base includes a base lug having an upwardly and an inwardly directed portion and the member includes a member lug having a 10 downwardly and an outwardly directed portion adapted to be received under the base lug. Preferably, the toggle plate is resilient and preferably, the toggle plate is spring mounted. Preferably, the member is upholstered with an outer layer that extends 15 over at least a portion of each face of the member and preferably, the outer layer is a cover having a peripheral drawstring. In one particular form of the invention we provide complementary clip means whereby the seat member or backrest member can be clipped to its appropriate component in a manner which is removable but which, at the same 20 time, provides a positive connection. In one particular form of the invention we use a toggle joint which provides a snap over type connection to assist in retaining the components together which joint can be released by the insertion of an appropriate tool. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, which may be associated with 25 a seat as described above, we provide in the underside of the seat component, on each side thereof, a recess adapted to receive a pivot block, the pivot blocks having a longitudinal aperture into which a pivot member mounted on the seat frame adjacent thereto can pass to permit the seat to pivot about the pivots, characterised in that the pivot blocks can be located at different positions relative 30 to the side of the seat so that the pivot blocks can co-operate with pivots having different spacings, and thus the seat component can be used in seats having different widths.

4 Preferably, the pivot plate is releasably connectable to the component at more than one position, whereby the distance by which the pivot shaft protrudes beyond the seat component may be adjusted to suit the spacing of the chair frame. 5 Preferably, the pivot plate has an aperture and seat component has an underside having an elongate slot, and the pivot plate is securable to the component at a plurality of positions along the slot by aligning the aperture with the slot and fastening a nut and bolt passed through the aperture and the slot. Another aspect of the invention provides a component for use in the above 10 mentioned chair, the component including: a base; a component member; a clip means for releasably attaching the member to the base, the clip means having a first clip portion and a complemetary second clip portion for 15 receiving the first clip portion, one of the base and the member having the first clip portion and the other of the base and the member having the second clip portion; and a pivotally mounted toggle plate and a pivot point for receiving the free end of the toggle plate, one of the base and the member having the pivotally mounted 20 toggle plate and the other of the base and the member having the pivot point; wherein the base and the member may be releasably attached by the clip means and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position putting one of the base and the member under tension and the other of the base and the member under compression. 25 Another aspect of the invention provides a base for use in the above mentioned chair the base including: a pivot point for receiving a free end of a toggle plate; and a second clip portion. Another aspect of the present invention provides a component member for 30 use in a chair as mentioned above, the member including: a pivotally mounted toggle plate; and a first clip portion having a pair of first clip portion arms with a flexible web there between; whereby deformation of the flexible web causes the first clip 5 portion arms to move toward each other, to thereby allow release of a clip means to allow detaching of the member from a base. In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice we shall describe a preferred embodiment of the invention, with 5 reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1. Is a perspective view of chairs incorporating an embodiment of the invention; Fig 2. Is an elevation of chairs incorporating an embodiment of the invention; 10 Fig 3. Is an exploded view of components of a chair according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig 4. Is a sectional side view of the components of Fig 3 showing the components before inter-engagement; Fig 5. Is a sectional side view of the components of Fig 3 showing the 15 components inter-engaged; Fig 6. Is a sectional transverse view showing the components of Figure 4, taken at a mid-point; Fig 7. Is a sectional side view showing the first stage of disengagement; Fig 8. Is a sectional side view showing disengagement continuing; 20 Fig 9. Is a sectional transverse view of the situation of Figure 7, taken along 9-9; Fig 10. Is an exploded perspective view showing the method of replacing an upholstery envelope; Fig 11. Is a perspective view from underneath of the envelope tightened; 25 Fig 12. Is a plan bottom view of a seat, with exploded therefrom the mounting pivot whereby the seat can be used for various widths in a preferred embodiment; and Fig 13. Is a side view of the arrangement of Figure 12. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 30 A preferred embodiment of the chair 10 according to the present invention can have any general formation and has a frame 11 which is adapted to be permanently or semi-permanently connected to the floor of the venue. Either or both of a seat component 20 and a backrest component 50 may be connected to 6 the frame 11 or partially integral therewith. Figs 1 and 2 show that the chair can look very similar to conventional theatre chairs. The seat component may be adapted to be fixed relative to some part of the frame or may be rotatable thereabout to enable the seat to raise. 5 The components may preferably be of an engineering grade plastics material and be formed by injection moulding or could be formed in any other way. Although, in exterior shape the seat component and the backrest component may differ substantially to suit a particular application or desired 10 aesthetic, functionally either or both of the seat and backrest components on a given chair could be in accordance with the present invention. In this following, we shall refer only to one component but it is to be understood that either of the backrest or seat component may include the same features. Referring to Figure 3, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the 15 component has two sub-assemblies, a base 21 and an inner or member 30. Viewing the component in the orientation shown in Figures 3 to 9, (but noting that in use these orientations will change depending on whether the component is a seat component or a backrest component, and that directional terms such as 'forward', 'rear', 'up' or 'down' are used for ease of reference but 20 the invention is not limited thereby) the base 21 has a floor 22 which lies generally in a horizontal plane and the floor 22 has an upwardly directed peripheral skirt 23 which (unlike Figure 3) in Figure 4 is shown to extend around both the front and rear ends of the base. The floor 22 has first lug or lugs 24,24' and a second lug or lugs 25,25'. In 25 a preferred form as shown in Figures 3 and 10 there are four such lugs. The first lugs 24,24' are located near the forward end of the base 21, one to each side and the second lugs 25,25' are located near the rearward end, also one to each side. As shown more clearly in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8, each lug 24, 25 has an upwardly and an inwardly directed portion. 30 The base 21 may also have two pairs of ribs 26,26', one pair extending along each side of the base 21, the ribs extending somewhat upwardly, but normally not to the height of the peripheral skirt 23.

7 Also, in the base 21 rearwardly of the second or rear lugs 25,25' there is a pair of clip members 27 spaced either side of the central axis of the base 21. The clip members 27 extend upwardly from the base and have an inwardly directed shoulder 28 the operation of which will be described hereinafter. 5 The inner or member 30, which is upholstered but which, for charity is shown in the figures as un-upholstered, has a plate or base 31, which again may be of a plastics material and which has an external peripheral shape basically corresponding to the floor 22 of the base 21 and is adapted to be received within the skirt of the base. 10 The padding and upholstery 55 as shown in Figure 10 is placed on top of the plate and may be effected in a conventional manner. However, as will be described, by the use of the present invention, we can use what is effectively a removeable cover 56 rather than permanent upholstery. This is done by forming the outer cover with a draw string 57 or the like 15 and the member 30 is provided with the padding and a cover fitted thereto (shown generally at 55). The final surface fabric can then be located over the member 30 as an envelope 56 and have a skirt which has a peripheral sleeve through which a cord 57 passes. This skirt extends below the member 30 and by tightening the cord the fabric can be caused to closely cover the top and side of the member 30. 20 When the member 30 is fitted to the base 21, as described herein, the skirt is between the base 21 and the plate 31, is not visible, and cannot be readily removed by an occupant of the seat. If, however, the cover is damaged or dirtied, it is only necessary for the operator to remove the seat or back member, remove the cover and replace it with another cover and replace the member. This, as will 25 be described, is a very simple operation and could readily be done by a cleaner who finds a damaged or dirtied cover. This enables the appearance of the seats to be maintained with little expense. Of course, if there is substantial damage, it would be necessary to replace the component concerned. Referring to Figures 3, 4, and 5, on the plate 31, and directed downwardly 30 near the forward end thereof, there are a pair of lugs 32 which have both a downwardly and an outwardly directed portion and are adapted to be received under the upwardly and inwardly directed portions of lugs 24,24' of the base 21 previously described.

8 Towards the rear of the plate 31 there are a pair of downwardly extending lugs 33 to which a toggle plate 34 may be pivotally attached. The toggle plate 34 extends transverse of the plate 31 and in use, the toggle plate 34 extends generally rearward of the downwardly extending lugs 33. When clipped together 5 the toggle plate 34 engages with the lugs 25,25' on the seat base 21. The upwardly and inwardly extending lugs 25,25' on the seat base 21 provide a pivot 35 which receives the 'free' end of the toggle plate 34. Still referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5, to the rear of lugs 33 the plate 31 also has a clip member 36 which can have a pair of clip components or arms 37 each of which 10 have an outwardly directed shoulder 38. As shown in the sectional view of Figure 9, the two arms 37 are connected by a web 39 of material, the operation of which will be described hereinafter. These arms 37 having shoulders 38 are engageable with the clip members 27 having shoulders 28 on the base 21 as they are resiliently deformable, allowing engagement and disengagement. 15 The plate 31 also has a pair of downwardly directed ribs 40, one rib extending along each side of the plate 31, each rib 40 being adapted to enter the respective spaces between two pairs of ribs 26,26' upwardly directed from the base 21, one pair of ribs extending along each side of the base, to restrain the plate 31 from lateral movement relative to the base 21 and assist with lateral 20 stability. In use, the chair can be located in its required position in the venue with the frame 11 mounted in position. Rather than mounting components 20,50 to the frame, the base 21 of either the seat or backrest component 20,50 may be mounted without the inner or member 30. 25 At this stage, there was little that can be readily damaged by, say, other tradesmen still working on the venue and, should there be damage, it is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace the base 21, which is of sturdier material than upholstery and less vulnerable to stains, cuts or other hazards. When hazardous or dirty work is completed, installation of the chair 10 30 may be completed by attaching the upholstered inner or member 30 (having plate 31) to the base 21 (whether seat and/or backrest). The lugs 32 at the forward end of the plate 31 are aligned beneath the inwardly directed portions of the lugs 24,24' on the base 21 as shown in Figure 4.

9 The rear end of the plate 31 can start to be rotated downwardly. As the rotation occurs, the downwardly, directed ribs 40 on the plate 31 commence to enter the respective spaces between the ribs 26,26' on the base 21, thus locating the plate 31 laterally relative to the base 21. As the plate 31 is brought further 5 downwardly, the rearward end of the toggle plate 34 can pass below and contact the lugs 25,25' at the rear of the base 21. Further downward movement causes the toggle plate 34 to commence to rotate about its pivot 35 as well as it pivot mount on lugs 33, in an over-centre action. The clip portions 36 of the plate 31 also commence to engage, by 10 deformation of the arms thereof, the clip members 27 of the base. Downward movement is continued and the toggle plate 34 snaps to a position, illustrated in Figure 5, where it is rearwardly and upwardly directed and the shoulders 38 on the clip components 37 of the plate 31 are engaged with the shoulders 28 of the clip components 27 of the base 21. 15 At this time, the two assemblies are fully interconnected one relative to the other by the interrelationship of the lugs at the forward end, the inter-engagement of the ribs on the underside of the plate with the upstanding ribs of the base, the locking of the toggle plate beneath the lugs with which it is associated and the clipping together of the clip components. 20 The toggle plate 34 is preferably formed to that it causes the plate 31 to be placed in compression and the base 21 in tension and aids in ensuring that there is no unconstrained relative movement within the component. Advantageously this removes 'slop' in the system, reducing the incidence of breakage and providing a 'solid' feel to the system. Hence manufacturing tolerances between 25 various parts are not as critical as they would otherwise be. At the same time, because of the form of the inter-engagement between the base 21 and inner or member 30 it is not simple, prima facie, to remove the plate 31 from the base 21 and thus, destructive vandalism would be minimised or obviated. 30 The same operation is followed for the seat or backrest, if a chair is to have both seat and backrest according to the embodiment of the invention. When it is required to dissemble the chair 10 this is basically a simple operation given a required tool and the knowledge of how to do this.

10 Referring to Figures 7 to 9, the tool 51 can be a metal rod or such an article as a screw driver (hereinafter a lever tool) and can be placed through a slot in the rear of the assembly so that it lies beneath the web 39 connecting the two clip portions 37 downwardly extending from the underside of the plate 31 and can 5 abut to brace against the rear of one of the lugs 25 which has received the toggle plate 34. As the tool 51 is moved upwardly, it can abut the underside of the web 39 which connects the two downwardly directed clip components 37, deforming the web 39 and causing the clip components 37 to move inwardly until they 10 disengage from the clip members 27 of the base 21, the shoulders 28, 38 disengaging and allowing the inner or member 30 to move upwardly relative to the base 21. The same movement causes the toggle plate 34 to snap over and become. released and ultimately the plate 31 can then be removed simply by moving it 15 rearwardly to disengage the lugs 24 near the front of the base 21 and the plate 31 is then free. To replace the plate 31 or to return the original seat member 30 to the chair 10, it is only necessary to reverse the initial operation, that is, engage the lugs 32 on the plate 31 with the lugs 24 on the base 21, and cause the plate 31 to 20 rotate which causes the toggle plate 34 to be actuated and the clip 28,37 to engage. It will be seen that this is a very simple action and can be done by any person with a minimum of training. The toggle arrangement may include a resilient member which can be located beneath a relatively flat spring member restrained against movement at 25 one end, the spring being moveable to cause compression of the resilient member and to cause operation of the toggle member, the resilient member being adapted to ensure that the spring be normally maintained in the required position. Whilst herein we have described a chair which meets the desiderata that its upholstery is protected from damage prior to final completion of the venue and 30 can be removed and replaced at any time in a matter of seconds, we still provide a chair which is sturdy, and the components are held against relative movements so there is no sensation of the seat (or backrest) being of two separate components, as far as the user is concerned.

11 The toggle plate can engage in a horizontal slot in the lugs on the seat component rather than under a return, if this is required. The seat of the present invention, or indeed other forms of theatre seats may be adapted to be used with seats of different widths. 5 Some venues are designed to have seats at greater or lesser spacing and in some, it is required to provide different seats having different spacings. This could be the case where seats which are sold at a more expensive price may be at a wider spacing than those at cheaper prices. Not unusually, the spacing required vary between 22 to 24 inches. It is most inconvenient for a manufacturer 10 or a theatre operator to have to hold components of different sizes for different parts of a particular theatre. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, we provide on the underside of the base 22 an arrangement where the pivot shafts 60 of the seat can be located at various spacing in the seat. We provide, attached to the pivot shaft a flat plate 61 which 15 has an aperture 62 therethrough which has on its underside, a cone-nut. In the side of the base a slot 64 which can receive the shaft 60 and plate 61. In the base we provide a recess which is adapted to have a tension plate 66 located therein, the slot preferably having undercuts or the like so that the plate 66 is retained once it is fitted. 20 When the base is to be connected to the frame, the shaft members 60 and plated 62 are located in the slot 64 so that the outer end of the pivot shaft extends from the base by an amount sufficient to permit it to be connected to the pivot journal. A stud or bolt 70 is then passed through the elongated slot 71 in the plate 66 and the aperture 62 in the plate 61 and threaded onto the cone nut so that the 25 shaft assembly is fixed relative to the base. In this way, it is possible to use the same seat component (and backrest component) for seats on which the arm-rests are at varying distances to give an impression of a more comfortable or economy seat, depending on the type required. It would be possible to provide better upholstery on the seat 30 components which are at greater spacing. Whilst the illustrated embodiment shows only a single pivot, which would be used with a weighted seat, more complex arrangements could be provided if required.

12 If the seat is to be moveable, then stop members can be provided to limit the movement of the seat rearwardly, and a member on the frame can be contacted by an extension 68 on the end of the pivot shaft. so that it does not rest against the back member, and there may also be buffer means to control the rate 5 of rearward movement. Also whilst we have described one particular method of construction, it will be understood that any person seeing this particular method could well understand how to make variations in this without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. A chair having a frame, and a seat component and/or a backrest component connected to the frame, the component including: a base connected to the frame; 5 a component member; a clip means for releasably attaching the member to the base, the clip means having a first clip portion and a complementary second clip portion for receiving the first clip portion, one of the base and the member having the first clip portion and the other of the base and the member having the second clip 10 portion; and a pivotally mounted toggle plate and a pivot point for receiving the free end of the toggle plate, one of the base and the member having the pivotally mounted toggle plate and the other of the base and the member having the pivot point; wherein the base and the member may be releasably attached by the clip 15 means and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position putting one of the base and the member under tension and the other of the base and the member under compression.

2. A chair according to claim 1 wherein the member has the pivotally mounted toggle plate and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position by 20 the act of releasably attaching the member to the base with the clip means, putting the member in compression and the base in tension.

3. A chair according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first clip portion has a pair of first clip portion arms with a flexible web therebetween; whereby deformation of the flexible web causes the first clip portion arms to move toward each other, 25 thereby releasing the clip means to allow detaching of the member from the base.

4. A chair according to claim 3 further including access means permitting access to the flexible web by a lever tool, wherein the lever tool may be used to deform the flexible web. 14

5. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second clip portion has a pair of second clip portion arms and each of the second clip portion arms has an inwardly directed shoulder and wherein each of the first clip portion arms has an outwardly directed shoulder, said inwardly and outwardly 5 directed shoulders being engageable to releasably attach the first clip portion to the second clip portion.

6. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the member includes a pair of downwardly directed ribs, one downward rib extending along each side of the member and wherein the base includes two pairs of upwardly 10 directed ribs, one pair of upward ribs extending along each side of the base, wherein each downward rib is received between respective upward ribs when the base and member are attached to each other.

7. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the base includes a base lug having an upwardly and an inwardly directed portion and the 15 member includes a member lug having a downwardly and an outwardly directed portion adapted to be received under the base lug.

8. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the toggle plate is resilient.

9. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the toggle 20 plate is spring mounted.

10. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the member is upholstered with an outer layer that extends over at least a portion of each face *of the member.

11. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the outer 25 layer is a cover having a peripheral drawstring. 15

12. A chair according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the component is a seat component and further including a pivot shaft assembly having a pivot shaft and a pivot plate; wherein the pivot plate is releasably connectable to the component at more 5 than one position, whereby the distance by which the pivot shaft protrudes beyond the seat component may be adjusted to suit the spacing of the chair frame.

13. A chair according to claim 12 wherein the pivot plate has an aperture and seat component has an underside having an elongate slot, and the pivot plate is 10 securable to the component at a plurality of positions along the slot by aligning the aperture with the slot and fastening a nut and bolt passed through the aperture and the slot.

14. A component for use in a chair according to any one of the preceding claims, the component including: 15 a base ; a component member; a clip means for releasably attaching the member to the base, the clip means having a first clip portion and a complemetary second clip portion for receiving the first clip portion, one of the base and the member having the first 20 clip portion and the other of the base and the member having the second clip portion; and a pivotally mounted toggle plate and a pivot point for receiving the free end of the toggle plate, one of the base and the member having the pivotally mounted toggle plate and the other of the base and the member having the pivot point; 25 wherein the base and the member may be releasably attached by the clip means and the toggle plate is operable to a snap over position putting one of the base and the member under tension and the other of the base and the member under compression.

15. A base for use in a chair according to any one of the preceding claims, the 30 base including: 16 a pivot point for receiving a free end of a toggle plate; and a second clip portion.

16. A component member for use in a chair according to any one of the preceding claims, the member including: 5 a pivotally mounted toggle plate; and a first clip portion having a pair of first clip portion arms with a flexible web therebetween; whereby deformation of the flexible web causes the first clip portion arms to move toward each other, to thereby allow release of a clip means to allow detaching of the member from a base. 10

17. A chair including a seat component and/or or a backrest component substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 13. CAMATIC PTY LTD WATERMARK PATENT & TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS P28421AU01