US1973178A - Theater chair - Google Patents

Description

o. F. SASS THEATER CHAIR Filed Aug. 14. 1953 InvEmt n1" Atl: urneg Patented Eept. 11, 1934 barren stares.

1,973,178 r THEATER snare.

@scar F. Sass, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, as! signer to -'llhe lnterior Hardwood Company Limited, Kitchener, @ntario, @anadauajointstool: company of @ntario v Application August M, 1933, Serial No. 684,973

Claims. (Cl. l5585) My invention relates to improvements in theater chairs, and the object of the invention is to devise an improved means for automatically bringing the tiltable chair seat to a substantially 5 vertical position. v

A further object is to construct a means for the above purpose which will be simple in construction, employing a minimum number of parts, and which can be readily assembled and taken apart.

A still further object is to devise a means which will be absolutely silent in operation and which will be positive in action ensuring always that there will be a maximum clearance between the rows of seats.

With the above and other objects in view which will' hereinafter appear, my invention consists in its preferred embodiment of the construction all as hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:-

Fig. 1 represents a front view of a theater chair constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through my improved means for tilting the chair seat into the upright position.

Figv 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the line 44 (Fig. 3), and

Fig. 5 is a similar section through the line 5--5 (Fig. 3).

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

According to my invention 1 provide the chair standards 1 with laterally extending annular hollow bosses 2. As illustrated, where the chairs form part of a row assembly in which the stand ards 1 of any chair also serve as a standard of the adjacent chairs on each side, such hollow bosses are double bosses as depicted in the drawing. The interiors of such bosses are provided with inwardly projecting spaced lugs 3. A spindle 4 is preferably secured in place in each boss 2, being disposed concentrically of the axis thereof and where the boss is double protruding into each interior portion thereof.

Each chair seat supporting arm 5 is provided intermediately of its length with an annular hollow boss 6 having inwardly extending projections 7 extending into the interior thereof and a recess portion 8 disposed concentrically for receiving the end of the spindle l.

The boss 6 of the chair seat supporting arm is so disposed that the spindle l is received in the recess portion 8 and the arm is thus adapted to swing on the spindle with the boss 6 in face to face relation to the boss 2 on the standard 1, the arm 5 being suitably secured to the chair seat inorthodox manner.

interposed between the boss 2 and boss 6 and extending into the interior of each is an integrally formed resilient rubber member or sleeve 9 having a central bore l0 through which the emen 4 freely extends, said member 9 having a'fperipheral flange 11 at one end with notches 12 therein adapted to receive the ;lugs 3 inthe interior of the boss 2 the diameter of such fiange1l being substantially equal to the internaldia'mete'r of the bossQZjSo as to be a snug fit therein [The other end of. the member 9 is provided withja similar interrupted peripheral flange whereby projections 13"are constituted with intervening spaces 14 therebetween. This latter flange is disposed in the interior of the boss 6, the projections '1 thereof being disposed in the spaces 14 which are preferably of a greater length than the projections to permit M or" a certain amount of lost motion therebe tween.

Each boss 6 is provided with a bracket 15 extending towards the boss 2 and provided with Q a suitable cushioning member 16 adapted to engage a stop 1'7 suitably located on the standard 1 when the chair seat arm 5 is in the substantially horizontal position.

When the chair seat 18 is swung down into #1 the horizontal position as the members 9 are held against rotation by the lugs 3 in the bosses 2, the projections 7 of the bosses 6 engaging projections 13 of the members 9 and thus twistsuch members 9.

When the occupant rises from the chair, owing to the resiliency of the members 9; such members automatically restore themselves to their initial position. In doing so their projections 13 engage the lugs I of the bosses 6 and swing the 5 chair seat 18 into the substantially vertical position wherein the maximum clearance is available between the rows of chairs.

As will be seen on reference to Fig. 5 there is a certain amount of lost motion in swinging the seat arms before the projections 7 engage the projections 13. This is to avoid twisting the member 9 unduly. The seat is so fulcrumed that the rubber member on untwisting swings back the seat which motion is completed by the 9 weight of such seat.

What I claim as my invention is:

It. In a theater chair, the combination with a chair standard and a chair supporting arm pivotally mounted thereon, of opposed open 1 ended annular bosses provided on the chair seat supporting arm and the chair standard respectively and arranged concentrically and face to face, a concentric spindle extending through the bosses and rotatable in one of them, a resilient rubber sleeve freely surrounding the spindle, extending into both bosses and anchored at one end in one of the bosses, and means in the other boss engageable with the other end of the sleeve for twisting it in a rotary direction upon the chair seat supporting arm being swung down into a substantially horizontal position, said twisting means initially permitting 10st motion in its engagement with the end of the sleeve upon the chair seat supporting arm being turned down into a substantially horizontal position. 7

2. In a theater chair, the combination with a chair standard including a horizontally extending pivot spindle and a chair supporting arm swingably mounted on such pivot spindle, of a resilient rubber sleeve freely surrounding the pivot spindle, means for directly connecting the ends of the sleeve respectively to the chair standard and the chair supporting arm, said sleeve being twisted in a rotary direction upon the chair supporting arm being swung down into a substantially horizontal position, and upon the chair supporting arm being released untwisting itself to restore the former to its substantially vertical position, and means incorporated into the means for connecting the sleeve to the chair supporting arm for permitting lost motion in the swinging of such chair supporting arm.

3. In a theater chair, the combination with a chair standard and a chair supporting arm, of an open ended annular boss on said standard, an axial spindle extending through the boss, an opposed open ended annular boss on said arm, the axial spindle extending freely and concentrically therethrough, a resilient rubber sleeve disposed in said bosses and freely surrounding the axial spindle being held against rotation in said standard boss, said rubber sleeve having a circumferential flange on the end received into the arm boss with spaced apart indentures extending from the periphery of the flange towards the sleeve, and lugs extending inwardly from the Wall of said arm boss into the said indentures.

4. In a theater chair as claimed in claim 3 wherein the lateral width of the indentures on the flange is greater than the lateral width of the lugs inserted thereinto.

5. In a theater chair, the combination with a chair standard and a chair supporting arm, of an open ended annular boss on said standard, an axial spindle extending through the boss, an opposed open ended annular boss on said arm, the axial spindle extending freely and con- 100- centrically therethrough, a resilient rubber sleeve fully surrounding the axial spindle and having circumferential flanges in the vicinity of its ends with spaced apart indentures extending inwardly from the periphery of each 105 flange towards the sleeves, and lugs extending inwardly from the respective walls of the annular bosses into the indentures in the flanges.

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