Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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A primary objec~ o~ this invention is to provide a
novel stadium, gymnasium or like chair which includes a back :~
and hinged seat, the seat including~top and bottom walls
merging with front, rear and a pair of opposite side walls, the
seat being of a generally one-piece homogenous plastic blow-
molded construc~ion with a parting line along the front, rear
and pair of opposite side walls thereby rendering the constru-
ction of the seat relatively economical, and portions of the
top and bottom walls being compression fused to each other
adjacent the side walls thereby forming reinforced areas
which strengthen the seat at points whereat the seat is
secured to conventional chair seat support brackets.
A further object of this invention is to provide a
novel seat of the type aforesaid includiny a generally U-
shaped or A-shaped reinforcing valley formed from the material
of the bottom wall opening in a direction away from the top
wall, the valley having a bight and a pair of legs, the bight
being adjacent the front wall, and the legs being directed
toward the rear wall.
Yet anothex object of this invention is to provide
a novel seat of the type aforesaid including another rein- :
forcing valley formed from the material of the bottom wall
opening in a direction a~ay rom the top wall, and the
another reinforcing valley being disposed adjacent the rear
wall. : ;
Still another object of this invention is to provide
a novel seat of the type heretofore described wherein said
compression fused portions are a plurality of recesses in
the bottom wall opening in a direction away from the top
wall and being in spaced relationship to each other adjacent
each of the side walls.
Still another object of this invention is to
provide a novel seat of the type aforesaid including
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apertured means in the reinforced areas adapted to receive
Easteners for securing the sea~ to a conventional chair seat ~;:
bracket, and at least a paix of blow needle holes in the
bottom wall disposed generally along a centerline of the
bo-ttom wall. ;
Anotner object of this invention is to provide a
novel seat of the type aforesaid in combination with a back
associated with a chair, the back likewise including front
and back walls in generally spaced relationship and merging
with top, bottom and a pair of opposite side walls and :
defining therewith a generally hollow chamber, the back being
made of two injection molded elements, at least a pair of
recesses formed by depressions in the material of the back
wall adjacent each side wall, and a generally U-shaped valley
formed from the material of the back wall in each recess open-
ing in a direction away from the front wall there~y reinfoxc-
ing the recesses for utilizing the latter to secure the back ~ :
to a conventional chair back support bracket. : ~ :-
A further object of ~his invention is to provide a
novel back of the type immediately aforesaid wherein the
injection molded elements are enjoined to each other along a
line o bond extending along the top, bottom and pair of
opposite side walls, and the back wall includes a further
depression within each U~shaped valley to foLm a reinforced
area adapted to be apertured for the receipt therethrough of
a conventional fastener.
Wi-th the above and other objects in view that will
hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be
more clearly understood by reference to the following : .
detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter,
and the several views illustrated in the accompanying
drawlngs.
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IN THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed ;
in accordance with this invention, and illustrates a back and
hinged seat supported by conventional frames or standards
bolted to a support surface.
Figure 2, which appears on sheet 2 of the drawings,
is a side elevational view of the seat, and illustrates the
contoured configuration thereof.
Figure 3, which appears on sheet 2 of the drawings,
is a bottom view of the seat of Figure 2, and illustrates
details of reinforced areas for reinforcing the seat as
well as the areas thereof which are adapted to be secured to
conventional chair brackets.
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken generally along
line 4-4 of Figure 3, and illustrates the c~oss-sectional
configuration of the seat through the centerline thereof.
Figures 5 through 11 are enlarged half-sectional
views taken generally along lines 5-5 through 11-11 of
Figure 2, and illustrate details of the seat including the ~
manner in which sides of the seat are reinforced as well as ~ ;
portions of the seat bottom wall. .
Figure 12 is a sectional view taken generally along
line 12-12 of Figure 3, and illustrates details through a
side edge of the seat which is adapted to be secured by
conventional fasteners to a conventional seat bracket.
Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the back of
the chair of Figure 1, and illustrates a pair of recessed
portions formed in a back wall of the back for securing the
same to conventional chair back brackets.
Figure 14 is a view of the back of the back of
Figure 13, and illustrates four such recesses and generally
U-shaped reinforcing areas associated therewith.
Figures 15 through 17 are fragmentary sectional
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~iews taken generally along lines 15-15 through 17-17 of
Figure 13, and illustrate details of the cross-sectional con-
figuration of the back.
Figure 18 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of
one of the recesses and further illustrates the U-shaped
reinforcing area and another reinforcing area within the U
which is adapted to the aperture for receipt therethrough of
a conventional fastener.
A chair 10 (Figure 13 includes a back 11 secured by
I0 conventional fasteners 12 to four brackets (nok shown)
carried by conventional frames or standards 13, 14 which are,
in turn, fastened by bolts 15 to a supporting surface S in a
gymnasium, athletic stadium, or the like. A seat 16 is like-
; wise fastened by suitable conventional fasteners 17 to con~
ventional seat brackets 18 which are joined by hinges
(unnumbered) to the frames 13 r 14 to permit the seat 16 to be
moved from the generally horizontal position shown in Figure
1 to an upright position.
The seat 16 is fully illustrated in Figures 4 through
12 and includes a contoured top wall 20, a bottom wall 21, a
front wall 22, a r~ar wall 23, and a pair of opposite side
walls 24, 25 ~Figure 3).
The walls 20 through 25 deEine a generally hollow ~`
chamber C, and seat 16 is formed by an injection molding
process by inserting a hollow or tubular parison in a two~
piece mold which after being closed a pair Qf blow needles
(not shown) penetrate the bottom wall 21 forming blow openings
or blow holes 26, 27 (Figure 3) through which air is intro~
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duced into thé interior of the parison forcing the latter
into intimate engagement with the walls of the blow-mold
cavity thereby imparting the illustrated configuration to
the seat 16. When the parison which is preferably con-
; structed of heated polyethylene or like polymeric or
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copol~meric material is subjected to internal air pressure,
the exterior of the seat 16 when forced into intimate contact
with the cavity of the blow mold has impres~ed thereon a
parting linè or a flash F (Figure 2) which extends along both
of the side walls 24, 25 in the manner illustrated in Figure
2 as well as across the front and rear walls 22, Z3 at the
flash lines F extending there-across in the areas F~ F of
Figure 4. Thus, the line of flash F runs completely around
the periphery of the seat 16 along the walls 22 through 25.
During the closing of the blow mold, cert.ain areas of
the heated plastic par.ison are also moved ~oward each other
and these areas to be described more fully hereinafter of the
top wall 20 and the bottom wall 21: are subject to compressive
forces which fuse portions of the inner surfaces (unnumbered~
of the walls 20, 21 to each other to impart rigidity to the
seat 16, again as will be described more fully hereinafter.
Reference is now made to Figure 3 of the drawings ~ :
which illustrates a generally A-shaped reinforcing valley 30,
as viewed from the left, and another reinforcing linear ::
valley 31. The valley 30 includes a bight 32, a pair of legs
33, 34 extending in the direction away from the front wall
22 and toward the rear or back wall 23, and a cross-arm 35.
Discounting the cross-arm 35, the reinforcing valley 30 is
of a generally U-shaped confi~uration. The A-shaped rein-
forcing valley 30 opens upwardly as viewed in Figure 3 and ~ -
downwardly as viewed in Figures 2 and 7 through 11 in a
direction away from the top wall 20, as does the reinforcing
valley 31. The reinforcing valleys 30~ 31 thereby are also,
in effec~, ribs which are directed away from the bottom wall
21 toward the top wall 20 in the manner illustrated best in
Figure 4, and as is viewed in transverse cross section the
A-shaped reinforcing valley is defined by a bight wall 36
and leg walls 37, 38 while the reinforcing valley 31 is
~31 3~
likewise defined by a bight wall 40 and legs 41, 42. Due to
the compression-mold.ing heretofore mentioned during the
injection-molding of the s~at 16, those areas o the bight
walls 36, 40 which contact the top wall 20 are fused thereto
thereby imparting rig.idity to the seat 16.
Two portions 43, 44 of the bight wall 36 of the bight
32 are spaced away from the top wall 20 and are generally
of a semi-annular con,-iguration as viewed in cross section
(Figure ll). Since the seat 16 is symmetrical through its
longitudinal axis (cross-sectiona~ line 4-4) reference
numerals 43, 44 have both been applied to Figure ll of the
drawings. Like semi-annular port.ions 45, 46 (Figures 3 and 9)
of the bight wall 36 of the cross-arm 3S are spaced from the
top wall 20 of the seat 16.
The linear reinforcing valley 31 likewise includes
semi-annular wall portions 47, 48 (Figures 3 and 5) which
likewise are not fused to the top wall 20.
The purposes of the semi-annular wall portions 43
through 48 is to permlt air to flow freely within the chamber
C during the blow molding of the seat 16, particularly, in
the chamber area (unnumbered) circumscribed by the cross-
arm 35, the bight 32 and portions of the l~gs 33, 34.
The legs 33, 34 converge toward the top wall 20
in a direction toward the front wall 22 in the manner best
illustrated in Fiyure 12 while terminal ends (unnumbered)
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of the linear reinforcing valley 31 also converge toward
the top wall 20 from the ends thereof in a direction toward
the semi-annular walls 47, 48.
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The A-shaped reinforcing valley 30 and the linear
39 rein~orcing valley 31 thereby serve to rigidify or reinforce
the seat 16 and this reinforcement is augmented by the
fusion of the material of the bight walls 36l 40 and the
top wall 20 of the reinforcing valleys 30, 31.
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During the blow molding of the seat 16 hexetofore
described, generally rectangular portions 50, 51 tFigure 3)
of the bottom wall 21 are urged in in-timate relation~hip
with respect to the top wall 20 in the manner best illustrated :~
in Figure 12. The rectangular portions 50, 51 of the bottom
wall 21 are generally in spaced relationship to the top wall ~ !
~0 but four linear spaced depression or recesses 52 through
55and 56 through 59 contact the undersurface of the top wall
20 (Figure 12) and are fused thereto. Circular depressions ~ -
60, 61 of the recessed portion 50 and 62, ~3 o the recessed ,~
portion 51 also contact and are fused to the undersurface of
the top wall 20 and the latter circular depressions have
respective circular apertures 64-65 and 66-67 through which
pass the fasteners 17 (Figure 1). ~t the right-hand end of
each of the recessed portions 50, 51 of the bottom wall 21
are formed additional depressions 70, 71 each of which is '
additionally circularly recessed at 72, 73, respectively.
A major portion of the depression 70, 71 are fused to the
top wall 20 in the manner best illustrated in Figure 12 as
is each of the depressions 72, 73 (Flgure 12). ~.
Portions of the front wall 22 and the bottom wall
21 are directed downwardly, as is best illustrated at the
right-hand side of Figure 4 to form a generally downwardly
directed lip 75 ~Figures 4 and 12) at the front (unnumbered)
of the seat 16. Likewise, a rear portion (unnumbered) of the
bottom wall 22 and the rear wall 23 form a downwardly direc-
ted lip or flange 76 along the rear (unnumbered) of the seat
16 (Figures 2 and 4). The side walls 24, 25 with down-
turned portions (unnumbered) of the bottom wall 21 adjacent
the recessed portions 50, 51 also define downwardly directed
flanges 77, 78. Thus, the lips or flanges 75 through 78
generally surround the entire periphery of the seat 16 and
impart reinforcement or risidity thereto,
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For purposes of clarity, the portions of the various
walls which are compression-*used to each other, bear small
x's in those Figures of the drawings which are in cross-
section.
Reference is now made to Figures 13 through 18 of the
drawings in which the back 11 is formed of a front wall 80
of slightly concave conFiguration, a back wall 81 similar in
curvature to the front wall 80, a convexly curved top wall 82,
a convexly curved bottom wall 83, and side walls 84, 85. The
back or back rest 11 is formed of two vacuum-formed elements
in which peripheral edges ~not shown) of each abut and are
bonded to each other alon~ a line approximately at the mid
portions of the top wall 82, the bottom wall 83 and the side
walls 84, 85. Thus, the two elements are generally of a
shallow dish-shaped configuration whose edges are in abutment
bonded to each other, and define a hollow chamber C'.
The front wall 80 is provided with a rectangular
recess 86 (Figure 14) into which is inserted a plate hearing
a particular seat number.
An outwardly directed reinforcing rib 87 ~Figure 14)
extends along the central vertica~i axis of the seat 11 and
merges with the top wall 82 and the bottom wall 83. A pair
of recesses 88, 89 are ~o~med in the hack wall 81 to either
side of the rib 87 adjacent the top wall 82.
The back wall 81 also includes four recesses 91
through 94 (Figure 14) each of thich opens in a side-wise
direction to receive therein a conventional mounting bracket.
Each of the recesses 93 is further depressed to fxom therein
respective generally U-shaped rearwardly opening valleys or
inwardly directed ribs 95 through 98 generally centrally of
which are circular recesses or depressions 101 through 104,
respectively. The ribs or valleys 95 through 98 and the
circular depressions 101 through 104 impart rigidity to the
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recesses 91 through 94, particularly relative to the
fasteners 12 which pass through apertures (not shown) ~ormed
in the material of the circular recesses 101 through 104.
While preferred forms and arrangement of parts have
been shown in illustrating the invention, it is to be clearly
understood that various changes in details and arrangement
of parts may be made without departing from the scope and
spirit of this disclosure.
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