This invention relates generally to means for moving objects such as a rolling base support for generally larger objects such as, for example, the popular ergonomic type gaming chairs now in use with associated gaming machines in gaming casinos.
In recreation and other facilities and activities such as fishing boats and casinos, the movement of objects and chairs and providing means to make them more comfortable and easier to move, operate or use has received much attention.
In casinos it has become popular to use chairs with the gaming machines to make it more comfortable for patrons so they will not leave due to discomfort. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,641 an Adjustable Gaming Stool Assembly is disclosed in which the gaming stool is mounted on a column with a gas or a resilient member to enable the gaming stool to yield to the weight and movement of the user, and the seat has a mechanical or electro-mechanical sliding assembly to enable the gaming stool to be moved by the user towards and away from the gaming machine.
Moreover, in casinos in numerous states, public and/or fire safety laws require that a chair, usually placed in front of a gaming machine, be secured to the floor, or to the machine itself. These laws severely hinder the possibility of having chairs in the casino that are comfortable and easily maneuverable since it is required that they be secured in place. As a result, chairs in casinos which must abide by these laws are usually less comfortable and less maneuverable, which may adversely affect the business of the casino.
Furthermore, in casinos in states which do not have such public and/or fire safety laws, the chair is not required to be secured, and is thus free standing and easily movable. In this type of situation, the chairs may be moved in any direction and may thus cause the casino floor to appear cluttered and disorganized. A casino would then, likely, have to hire additional employees to maintain a sense of order among the chairs, which in larger casinos can number in the thousands.
It is thus an objective of the present invention to allow for the attachment of an object, for example a casino chair, to the floor, or other such secure structure, while still allowing a specific amount of movement to provide a level of added comfort and utility to the object. As such, the present invention would satisfy the fire safety laws of numerous states, while still allowing for some limited movement of the object.
In the example of the casino chair or stool, the chair, in many states, must be securely attached to the floor or to a stationary object such as a gaming machine. However, it is also in the casino's interest that the chair be as comfortable as possible. Thus, the present invention satisfies both of these characteristics in that the chair is securely attached to the gaming machine while also allowing for a limited amount of movement. This movement, in one embodiment, allows the chair to slide to and away from the gaming machine, with a default, or start, position at a point, typically, closest to the gaming machine. On the other hand, the default position may also be at a point farthest from the gaming machine. A user may then adjust the chair to and away from the gaming machine to increase the user's level of comfort.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention may include a support assembly adapted to be connected to an object for moving the object along a track, including a sled base having a track defined along at least a portion of its length, and an attachment support for supporting an object having an upper region and a lower region, the upper region may be adapted to be coupled to the object, and wherein the lower region of the attachment support may be moveably coupled to the track such that the attachment support may be slidable along at least a portion of the length of said track.
In a further embodiment, a slide may be attached to the sled base, wherein the track may be a recess within the slide. Within this track, a lower region of the attachment support may contact the track and thus slide within the track. The adjustment mechanism is securely attached to a base support through the upper region.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention may include a support assembly connected to a chair for moving the chair along a track, including a sled base having a track defined along at least a portion of its length, an attachment support for a chair having an upper region and a lower region; and a chair which may be coupled to the upper region of the attachment support, wherein the lower region of the attachment support may be slideably coupled to the track such that the attachment support may be slidable along at least a portion of the length of the track.
In still another embodiment, the present invention may include a support assembly connected to an object for moving the object along a generally linear track, including an attachment support for an object, a sled base to which the attachment support may be moveably supported, an object coupled to the attachment support, and an automatic repositioning mechanism which may be coupled to the object and the sled base such that the automatic repositioning mechanism automatically returns the object to an original position along the sled base when moved therefrom.
In various embodiments, the support assembly for objects as above described may include an automatic repositioning mechanism which, upon the user ceasing contact with the object and attached base support, automatically return the object and attached base support to the original position along the sled base. The automatic repositioning mechanism may be securely mounted on the sled base and may engage the base support, object, chair, or the like. For example, the automatic repositioning mechanism may be a gas spring, as produced by International Gas Springs, Inc., Crest Hill, Ill., which may utilize compressed nitrogen gas to push the object back to its original position along the sled base.
Additionally, the support assembly may, in one embodiment, include an attachment point to which the sled base may be attached to a solid object, such as a gaming machine, wall, or the like.
a-9b illustrate various embodiments of a bumper of the present invention.
a-10b are top and front planar view of one embodiment of an adjustment mechanism of the present invention.
a-12b illustrate a first embodiment of an attachment point, or locking mechanism, of the present invention.
The present invention will be described and shown with respect to gaming chairs for gaming machines in casinos to which it is particularly adapted for use. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that this is only by way of illustration and not intended to so limit the invention. It will be understood that the present invention is applicable to the moving of all sorts, shapes and sizes of objects where the preferred movement is along a single line of directional movement for any given application or purpose.
Thus, referring to the drawings,
Ergonomic type gaming chairs, for example, are relatively large and comfortable chair members having a support 11 which may engage an upper surface 21 of base support 20. Since ergonomic chairs are known and available in the commercial marketplace, the gaming chair 10 will not be described in more detail. The support 11 may, for example, attach to upper surface 21 by any suitable means such as threaded bolts, not shown, as is well known in the art, or may pass through upper surface 21 and attach at a point below the upper surface 21. The attachment of support 11 to base support 20 must be strong since these ergonomic type chairs are of such a large size. Base support 20 is positioned atop a sled base 50 having a first track 55, or recessed channel, defined along at least a portion of its length. On either side of sled base 50, there may be, in most typical casinos and the like, carpeting 85. Generally, the sled base 50 and base support 20, in one embodiment, comprise a support assembly for chair 10.
As illustrated in
The base support 20 may, in one embodiment, have rollers, illustrated in
In the illustrated form of the present invention, each of the rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e are affixed to the lower surface 22 of the base support 20 in alignment with each other and in circumferential spaced angular positioning so that the rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e rotate in the same direction to provide for and facilitate the improved unidirectional movement of the relatively larger gaming chairs when in use in the gaming casino or for objects to which the supporting assembly may be affixed for other applications and uses. In a preferred embodiment, the rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e may be arranged such that their rotational axes are parallel to one another.
While the illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes five rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e, the present invention may include more rollers or less rollers depending on the specific application and use of the base support 20. Moreover, rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e may be of various diameters depending upon the floor on which the base support 20 is being used. For example, in
As will be clear from the drawings, one embodiment has the rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e mounted such that each of the rollers may be oriented and aligned in the same direction generally parallel to each other. Thus, with this base support 20, when the user is seated on the gaming chair 10, it can be easily moved to and fro along a unidirectional line of movement towards and away from an associated gaming machine, not shown, and substantially along the longitudinal axis of track 55. Rollers 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d and 25e, in one embodiment, may be found in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0082202, filed as U.S. application Ser. No. 11/177,086, Objects Including Gaming Stools with an Easy Rolling Support Base, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein.
In a further embodiment, illustrated in
Turning now to
Sled base 50, in one embodiment, may have a first track 55 and may further have a shape suitable for stability, such as a “gull-wing” shape 51, illustrated particularly in
Slide 60, as illustrated in
In yet another embodiment, an attachment support 67, illustrated in, for example,
Adjustment mechanism 65 may include slides 63 which fit within grooves 62. Slides 63 may create a better sliding relationship between slide 60 and adjustment mechanism 65. Slides 63 may be formed of delrin, or the like, to form a durable, slidable surface. Grooves 62 may secure adjustment mechanism 65 to slide 60.
Base support attachment 66, which may include bolts, also shown in
Adjustment mechanism 65 may be any type of mechanism which allows limited movement between sled base 50 and base support 20, such as adjustment mechanism 165 illustrated in
Additionally, in one embodiment, slide 60 may further include an automatic repositioning mechanism 70 which may engage both slide 60 and base support 20. The automatic repositioning mechanism 70 may include base support attachment 75 which is illustrated in
Further, slide 60 may include a bumper 64 which may attach to at least one end of the slide 60. Bumper 64 provides a positive stop for sled 65, to prevent sled 65 from stopping suddenly at the end of slide 60. Instead, bumper 64 may reduce the sudden stop of sled 65. Bumper 64 may reduce wear and tear on the gas spring, sled, sled base, etc. Bumper 64 may even further shield the interior of the sled from debris located on the carpet nearby the gaming machine.
a-9b illustrate further embodiments of bumper 64, 164 and 264. Particularly as to
a-13 illustrate one embodiment of attachment point 180. Attachment point 180 may connect sled base 50 with a solid object, such as, for example, a gaming machine (not shown) or the like. Attachment point 180 may include an attachment base 181 and a latch 182 which may be positioned within attachment base 181 and may protrude through base opening 189. Latch 182 may interact with at least one spring 183, wherein at least one spring 183 may exert a force against the latch such that the latch, for example, may extend through base opening 189 when the at least one spring 183 is in the noncompressed position. Thus, in this example, latch 182 may be depressed further into base opening 189 which may compress the at least one spring 183. Attachment point 180 may then be attached to sled base 50 using any known securing features known in the art, such as bolts 184.
Attachment point 180 may interact with object attachment 185, which may be attached to the aforementioned solid object. Object attachment 185 may include a latch receiving opening 186 within which latch 182 may be secured. Object attachment 185 may be secured to the solid object using any known means, such as bolts or the like, which may pass through bore holes 190a, 190b, 190c, and 190d.
In operation, in a preferred embodiment, the sled base 50 may be brought into alignment with the aforementioned solid object, such that the attachment point 180 and object attachment 185 are directly adjacent to one another. The sled base 50 may then be brought towards the solid object, such that an angled side 188 of latch 182 engages the latch receiving opening 186. The force on the angled side 188 may depress latch 182, such that latch 182 moves further into latch receiving opening 186. Once latch is within the latch receiving opening 186, whereby a flat side 187 moves to the interior of latch receiving opening, the force on latch 182 from the latch receiving opening is negated, and the at least one spring 183 expands to its original position, thereby forcing latch 182 back to its original position. In this manner, latch may not be secured within the latch receiving opening, and the sled base is secured to the solid object. To detach sled base 50 from the solid object, the latch 182 may be manually depressed, by a user, while the sled base is simultaneously pulled away from the solid object.
The above described present invention provides numerous benefits to the user. The support assembly, which may optionally include any or all of circular support base, gull-wing base 55 and rollers 25a-e, provides support to chair 10 to ensure stability of the chair 10 and the user. This is especially important when the support assembly is used with the larger ergonomic chairs which are popular in casinos, restaurants and the like.
Moreover, the attachment of support base 20 to slide 60, and thus sled base 50 in general, satisfies the requirements of fire codes and laws in numerous states because the sled base 50 is attached to a solid object, such as a gaming machine, through the attachment point 80. The fire codes of many states require the attachment of objects such as chairs to be secured either to the floor or to a solid object, such as the gaming machine.
Moreover, in the embodiment of the present invention including the automatic repositioning mechanism, the present invention would maintain a state of orderliness and cleanliness in the area where it is used. For example, in the illustration of a casino, which may have hundreds and even thousands of gaming machines, a casino would have to hire many employees to maintain the chairs, associated with the gaming machines, in order to maintain a proper appearance in the room. The present invention, where it includes the automatic repositioning mechanism, eliminates the need for the added manpower because the chairs return to an orderly position after a user leaves the chair.
Thus, the operative interrelation of the elements of the supporting assembly for enabling and adapting an ergonomic casino stool for easy rolling unidirectional movement towards and away from an associated gaming machine has been shown and described with respect to the important and desirable movement for the use of these chairs in this particular type of application. Other types of applications, purposes, objects and uses, for which the combination of supporting elements with all types of objects as above described, will become apparent from the nature of the disclosure as set forth herein.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a presently conceived preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all equivalent structures and devices to that as disclosed, described and claimed herein.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/002,485, filed Nov. 9, 2007, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61002485 | Nov 2007 | US |