Patent ID: 8413384
Filing Date: 2013-04-09
Classification: E04H

Abstract:
1. A mobile folding choral riser comprising a base frame; a plurality of casters mounted to a bottom side of the base frame and configured to support the choral riser during movement and storage of the choral riser; a folding deck linkage connected to a front side of the base frame; a plurality of tiered decks attached to the folding deck linkage and configured to move to and from an at least substantially horizontal orientation corresponding to an unfolded use position of the folding deck linkage and a generally vertical orientation corresponding to a folded moving and storage position of the folding deck linkage; a deck foot attached to the folding deck linkage and configured to contact a floor surface to bear at least a portion of the weight of and supported by the decks and to restrain movement of the choral riser across the floor surface when the choral riser is supported on the floor surface and the folding deck linkage is in the unfolded position, the deck foot configured to lift off of the floor surface when the folding deck linkage is moved from the unfolded position toward the folded position and to remain off of the floor surface when the folding deck linkage is in a partially folded position or the folded position; and a back railing linkage connected to a rear side of the base frame, the back railing linkage including a back railing member, the back railing member having an attached back railing foot, and the back railing linkage being configured for movement of the back railing member relative to the base frame to and from a lowered use position, in which the back railing foot contacts a floor surface when the choral riser is supported on the floor surface to bear at least a portion of the weight of the back railing member and to restrain movement of the choral riser across the floor surface, and a raised moving and storage position, in which the back railing foot is lifted off of the floor surface, and the back railing member including a rear obstruction extending above a rearmost one of the plurality of decks and configured to at least substantially prevent a person standing on the rearmost deck from falling backwards off of the rearmost deck; the folding deck linkage including an engagement member adapted to contact an actuation member of the back railing linkage when the back railing member is in its lowered position and the folding deck linkage is at an engagement position, the engagement position of the folding deck linkage located between the folded and unfolded positions of the folding deck linkage, the engagement member adapted to apply a force to the actuation member as the folding deck linkage is moved from the engagement position to the folded position to cause the back railing member to move from the lowered position to the raised position, and the engagement member is configured not to contact the actuation member when the back railing member is in any position and the folding deck linkage is unfolded past the engagement position; and when the folding deck linkage is at either of or between its unfolded and engagement positions, the back railing member being freely movable to and from its raised and lowered positions.