The present invention relates to bleacher seating systems that are typically extendable and retractable, and that have collapsible seatbacks for compact storage when the bleacher seating system is not in use.
Sporting and exhibition facilities often include bleacher-style seating systems to provide spectators with unobstructed views of a sporting event or other activity taking place at the venue. Indoor venues in particular, such as gymnasiums, stadiums, arenas and the like, are often used for different types of events, such that it may be desirable to provide a collapsible bleacher system that at least partially retracts against or into a wall or perimeter region of the venue. It is often desirable to provide collapsible seatbacks that are movable to a lowered, storage position in which the individual seats assume a low profile to facilitate compact storage of the seating system.
The present invention provides a bleacher seating system having a plurality of movable decks that support respective rows of seats having seatbacks that can be substantially simultaneously locked in an upright use configuration, and that can be substantially simultaneously unlocked and lowered to a low profile storage configuration. Each row of seats is coupled to a respective deck via seat mounting brackets, with a release mechanism that allows an operator to simultaneously lock and release all of the seatbacks in a given row, from a single location. The release mechanism includes an actuator bar that extends along and between the seat mounting brackets, with release members spaced along the actuator bar for selectively engaging seatback brackets corresponding to each seat in the row. In this way, a single operator can simultaneously collapse all of the seatbacks in a row from a single location, rather than individually unlocking and lowering each seatback. In addition, the present invention provides a deck clamp at each seat mounting bracket for coupling the seats to a forward edge or nose portion of the deck. This mounting arrangement allows for increased surface area of the deck for walking and leg room, while also allowing for a lower profile of the seats when in the stored or collapsed configuration.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a bleacher seating system includes a generally planar deck having a forward edge portion, a plurality of seats arranged in a row along the deck, a plurality of seat mounting brackets, and a deck clamp at each of the brackets. The deck clamp is configured to releasably engage the forward edge portion of the deck to couple the seats to the deck, whereby the seats are supported at the forward edge portion of the deck via the deck clamps.
Optionally, the forward edge portion of the deck includes upper and lower flanges, each of which can be engaged by respective portions of the deck clamp.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a bleacher seating system includes a deck, a plurality of seats arranged in a row along the deck, an elongate actuator bar, a seatback bracket for each of the seats, and a plurality of release members coupled to the actuator bar. The seats are coupled to the deck via respective seat mounting brackets, and each seat includes a seat portion and a pivotable back portion. The back portion of the seat is movable between a locked upright use position and an unlocked collapsed storage position. The seatback bracket pivotably couples the back portion of each seat to a respective seat mounting bracket. Each seatback bracket includes a pivot-lock element for selective engagement by a respective release member along the actuator bar. The release members are coupled to the actuator bar in spaced arrangement, and extend outwardly from the bar, which extends between and is rotatably supported at the seat mounting brackets along the seating row. The release members rotate with the actuator bar, and are generally aligned with respective seatback brackets. The actuator bar and its release members are rotatable to a locking position in which the release members along the actuator bar engage respective pivot lock elements on the seatback brackets, to limit or prevent pivoting movement of the seatback bracket when it is in the use position. The actuator bar and release members are further rotatable to an unlocking position in which the release members disengage the respective pivot-lock elements, to permit pivoting movement of the seatback bracket and the back portion to the collapsed storage position.
Optionally, the pivot-lock elements of the seatback brackets are in the form of recesses, and the release members along the actuator bar include projections for selectively engaging the recesses when the release members are in the locking position.
Optionally, an actuator lever is coupled to an end portion of the elongate actuator bar, and extends outwardly therefrom. An actuator, such as a linear actuator or the like, may be provided to move the actuator lever, so that an operator can remotely rotate the actuator bar and release members to simultaneously release the pivotable back portions in a given row of seats to the collapsed storage position.
Optionally, a damper or biasing element, or a combined damper and biasing element, may be coupled between the seatback bracket and the seat mounting bracket to slow the movement of the seatback bracket and seat back portion to the collapsed storage position, and/or to assist in raising the seatback bracket and seat back portion away from the storage position.
Optionally, each of the seat mounting brackets includes a deck clamp that couples the seats to a forward edge portion of the deck. The deck clamps may be generally C-shaped clamps, each with two separable clamp portions that are joined together by a fastener. The two clamp portions are securable to the forward edge portion of the deck via tightening of the fastener, and may be positioned at substantially any desired spacing along the deck.
Therefore, the present invention provides for the rapid unlocking and collapsing of seatbacks in a bleacher seating system so that the decks can be quickly retracted to a compact storage configuration. All of the seatbacks in a given row of seats can be collapsed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously via actuation of a single lever or other actuator, and the seatbacks can also be simultaneously or substantially simultaneously locked in a raised use configuration to provide seating for spectators of an event. An operator may thus simultaneously collapse each seatback portion along a given row of seats from a single location, which simplifies and reduces the time required to raise and lower seatbacks during the setup and retraction processes. Also, by using nosemount deck clamps, the height of each seating row with seatbacks in the lowered or collapsed positions can be reduced to provide for a particularly compact storage configuration of the bleacher seating system, while also allowing for increased walking space along the deck behind the seats. The clamp-on configuration of the present invention provides enhanced mounting of the seats to the deck and allows the seat system manufacturer to select or designate a seat width or size at each location, with the seating brackets spaced according to the selected seat width.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a bleacher seating system 10 includes a plurality of decks 12, each having a row of seats 14 mounted thereon (
Each seat 14 is supported between a pair of seat mounting bracket assemblies 16, each of which includes a spaced pair of substantially identical bracket plates 16a, 16b (
Optionally, bracket assemblies 16 may be sized and configured for use in bleacher seating having a relatively large or steep slope by using increased-height bracket plates 16a, 16b (
Seat back portions 14b generally move together with seatback brackets 24 so that seat back portions 14b and seatback brackets 24 can be moved together between the raised use configuration and the lowered storage configuration, such as shown in
Release mechanism 18 includes an elongate actuator bar or rod 28 that extends along an entire row of seats 14 (or portion of a row, such as along two or four or six or twelve seats, or more or less depending on the particular application of the seating system), and that is rotatably supported in respective apertures 30 formed in bracket plates 16a, 16b (
The L-shaped release members 36 may be spaced along actuator bar 28 at any suitable or selected or desired spacing intervals (to configure the seating assembly for seats having a selected or desired width or size dimension) and positioned between bracket plates 16a, 16b (which may also be spaced along the bar at any suitable or selected or desired spacing), below respective seatback brackets 24. Thus, release members 36 and bracket assemblies 16 may be positioned along actuator bar 28 at substantially any spacing that corresponds to the selected width or widths or size dimensions of the seats that are positioned along a given seating row. Release members 36 include non-circular openings or apertures that generally correspond to the shape of actuator bar 28 so that the release members 36 rotate with actuator bar 28. Release members 36 have locking projections 38 that are spaced outwardly or extend radially from actuator bar 28, and which move along an arcuate path between a locking or engaging position (
In the illustrated embodiment, each seatback bracket 24 is lockable with the seat in its upright position and releasable via a respective release member 36, so that all seatback brackets 24 in a given row of seats 14 are simultaneously or substantially simultaneously lockable and releasable via rotation of actuator bar 28. When actuator bar 28 and release members 36 are in their unlocking position, seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b may be pivoted rearwardly to a substantially flat horizontal storage configuration along the deck 12 to which seats 14 are mounted, such as shown in
Optionally, a friction or clutch or damper system may be provided to slow or control the lowering movement of seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b to the storage position, to limit or prevent the seat back portions 14b from impacting deck 12 at high speed. For example, and with reference to
Damper and lift-assist device 58 may be a gas-charged strut or a linear spring damper that provides both a damping function and a biasing function. The biasing force of damper and lift-assist device 58 may be sufficient to slow the descent of seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b as they move toward the flat horizontal storage configuration, and to reduce the force required to later raise the seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b from the flat horizontal storage configuration to a raised position. Optionally, a device that provides only a damping effect or only a lift-assist effect may be used in place of a combination damper and lift-assist device, and it will be appreciated that a device providing only lift-assist would be at least somewhat effective in slowing the fall of seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b toward the flat horizontal storage configuration.
It will further be appreciated that a damper and lift-assist device which is linearly biased toward an expanded or extended position may be used with similar effect as damper and lift-assist device 58. This may be accomplished by positioning the extension-biased device at a different location in the mechanism. For example, and with reference to
When the seat back portions 14b are in their storage configuration, they may be unlocked so that the seat backs and release members and actuator bar may be pivoted to pivot the seat back portions 14b to their upright position without first having to operate or actuate the actuation lever 32. Optionally, actuator bar 28 or release members 36 or actuator lever 32 are biased, such as with a spring 62 (
Optionally, seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b may be pivoted at least somewhat forwardly, such as to the substantially vertical position of
Optionally, the respective shapes or geometries of recess 27 and projection 38 may permit seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b to be pivoted forward, as in
Thus, a single operator located in an aisle of bleacher seating system 10 can unlock or release some or multiple or all of the seatback brackets 24 and seat back portions 14b in a given row of seats 14, simply by depressing actuator lever 32 to thereby rotate actuator bar 28 and release members 36 from the locking/engaging position to the unlocking/disengaging position. Optionally, a cover (not shown) may be attached to the outermost aisle-side bracket plate 16b to cover release mechanism 18, including actuator lever 32, to prevent inadvertent or accidental rotation of actuator bar 28.
Optionally, an actuator 42 (
As best shown in
Upper clamp portion 44a may be fixedly attached to seat bracket plates 16a, 16b, such as by welding or with mechanical fasteners or the like, with lower clamp portion 44b permitted to slide between the bracket plates during installation or removal. Upper clamp portion 44a includes an alignment projection 54 (
Deck clamp 20 can be positioned and/or repositioned substantially anywhere along front edge portion 12a of deck 12, and thus does not require drilling holes through deck 12, as is common for bolt-on seating. Thus, as with the above-described ability to position release members 36 (and, thus, seat bracket assemblies 16) substantially anywhere along actuator bar, deck clamps 20 also permit seat bracket assemblies 16 to be attached substantially anywhere along front edge portion 12a of deck 12. This adaptability for positioning seat bracket assemblies 16 in substantially any desired location or spacing, without modification to deck 12 or any of the seat hardware, facilitates the installation of seats 14 having substantially any selected or desired width or spacing along a row. Seats of differing widths or spacing can also be installed within a row, and can still be released and locked by release mechanism 18 and mounted to deck 12 in the same manner as if all seats were the same width and/or arranged at equal spacing.
Optionally, front edge portion 12a of deck 12 further includes a forward-facing abutment surface 50 that is spaced below upper and lower flanges 46a, 46b, and which is engaged by a rearward-facing abutment surface 52 of each bracket plate 16a, 16b, such as shown in
Thus, the bleacher seating system of the present invention facilitates rapid simultaneous repositioning of the seat back portions in each row of seating to aid in setting up and collapsing sets of seating rows, and allows for increased walking space and a particularly compact seating storage configuration. This is accomplished via a release mechanism that may be actuated to simultaneously unlock all seat back portions in a row from a single location, and via nosemount deck clamps that couple the seating rows to the front edge or nose portions of respective decks. Thus, a gang or group of seats or chairs in a row may be joined and/or controlled together via a continuous tube or rod with a single actuator at one location at the tube or rod, such as at the end of the continuous tube at an end of the row of seats or chairs, such as at an aisle of a seating assembly or system. The bleacher seating system thus may be readily set up or collapsed a single operator, such as by manually or remotely unlocking and locking the seat back portions in rows so that the seat backs may be pivoted between raised and lowered positions.
Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/833,879, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/549,709 filed Jul. 16, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,115,505, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/510,720, filed Jul. 22, 2011, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
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Child | 14833879 | US |