Abstract:
A retractable removable concession holder affixed to permanently attached seating that is commonly found in large capacity entertainment facilities. The concession holder is comprised of a concession container displaying advertising information, a mounting bracket and a seat attachment bracket and a seat attachment portion. The concession container is removably attached to the mounting bracket which is slidingly attached to the seat attachment portion. The seat attachment portion is permanently affixed to the underside of the seat in such a fashion that the concessions container can be brought form an operating position in between the seated patron&#39;s legs to a stowed position under the seat and out of the way of patron. The operating position for the (invention) retractable removable concession holder places the concessions container in the front of the seat so that the concessions container can be detached from the mounting bracket to be replaced with another concessions container containing different advertising information or to be take as a souvenir by the patron.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of concessions holder affixed to permanently attached seating commonly found in large capacity entertainment facilities such as stadiums, amphitheaters, sports arenas, ball parks and theaters to provide a platform for holding a patron&#39;s food and drink that can be stowed under the seating when not in use. 
     THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to seating such as chairs or benches that are commonly found in stadiums and theaters. This seating is generally found to be permanently mounted in the entertainment facility in descending rows to facilitate the organized seating of large crowds that patronize such establishments. 
     The stadium chair-type seating typically comprises of an individual seat with or without a back rest and a seat support which affixes the stadium chair-type seating to the structure of the facility. The stadium chair-type seating may be of a folding type in which the seat is pivotally attached to either the back rest or the seat support. This arrangement permits the seat to be lifted manually or automatically when not in use into an upright position thereby permitting ease of movement among the patronage and cleaning crews. 
     The bench type seating, as its names applies, is usually a fixed bench, with or without back support and can accommodate several individuals at once. 
     In accordance with the recent emphasis on accommodations for concessions in these facilities, the stadium seating now feature a cupholder or other type of concessions or accessory holder. These holders come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and may be affixed to the seating by a number of different means. 
     Frequently, and especially in older facilities that were designed before concessions were so emphasized, concessions holders, if any, were many times located in an awkward positions. This poor positioning can produce a multitude of negative effects. 
     Problems resulted because the placement of these holders obstructed the already narrow lanes of passage in the aisles between the seat rows. These holders have been known to cause and can cause patron injury when patrons move among the row of seating. Tripping accidents occurred when patrons walking past the seats would hit the area of their legs between the ankle and mid-calf on holders that were located lower down on the seating near the support stanchion of the seating. 
     In more modern stadiums, an alternative mounting of concessions holders integrates the holder into the arm rests of the chairs. However such designs often interfere with patronage movement among the seats and can prove to be very restrictive to patrons&#39; movements when patrons are seated. In addition, this style concessions holder may be particularly intrusive and very uncomfortable for larger or heavier patrons. Finally, this style of fixed concessions holders tends to limits the size and shape of the cups that can be held. 
     Beyond risk of potential injury to patrons posed by these types of immovable concession holders, the holders&#39; exposed position subjects the holders themselves to damage whether intentional or accidental. This damage results in additional costs for having a maintenance crew to remove and then replace the damaged holder. 
     At present, commonly used concessions holders are non-moveable and permanently affixed to the stadium seating. Consequently, these permanently affixed concessions holders can not be moved to stowed position out of the way of the patrons using the seating or walking through the seating rows. In addition, while some of these concessions holders may have advertising printed on them, their permanency generally precludes frequent changing of displayed advertising information to match present or upcoming venues on changes in sponsorship. 
     The prior art has have attempted to solve some of the aforementioned problems but none have successfully addressed all of these problems. 
     One prior art invention addresses use of portable concessions holders for use with stadium seating, U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,652, Ward. Ward discloses a portable seat with attached cupholder for use in stadiums with bench type seating. Ward permits stadium patrons to carry into the facility their own seat and backrest which is then placed onto the top of benches thereby allowing the patron to rest their backs during a performance. The Ward patent further teaches a cup holder consisting of a tray and a circular opening is be slid out from underneath the seat. The device can not be used in stadiums featuring chair style seating and is restrictive in the types of cups and concessions that it can accommodate. 
     Two patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,683, Bennett, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,347, Story, address removable storage devices that can be slidingly stowed underneath the seat. Bennett ‘638’, discloses a shallow box-like compartment that is non-permanently mounted underneath a airliner passenger seat and slides forward to clear the seat. This sliding compartment is used for the holding of life saving equipment and is not used as a tray or concessions holder. Further, the invention does not display any advertisement. 
     Similarly, Story, ‘347’, discloses a tool box that is slidingly and non-permanently mounted underneath the operator&#39;s seat of farm machinery. This invention addresses under seat storage rather than a holder for concessions or a replaceable medium for advertising. 
     The above described art does not fully address the need for a stowable concessions holder for stadium seating that can be used as a replaceable medium for advertisement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention relates to a stowable and removabley affixed concessions holder for stadium seating that comprises of a concessions container, a mounting bracket that holds the concessions container, and a seat attachment portion which allows the concessions container to be movably stowed underneath the seat. The concessions container is reversibly attached to the mounting bracket so as to allow easy replacement of the concessions container. The mounting bracket is movably affixed to the seat attachment portion which itself is permanently attached to the underside of the seating. This allows the presentation of the concessions container in an operating position in front of the seat between the legs of the patron. When not is use, the patron can then move the concessions container and mounting bracket along the length of the seat attachment portion to the stowage position underneath the seating. 
     The concessions container is constructed so that its interior can accommodate a wide variety of concessions, entertainment programs, product samples, brochures or the alike. The container portion&#39;s exterior could contain advertising information and sponsor information as well as be made in various novelty shapes and forms limited only by the requirements for holding capacity, attachment and stowage capability. In this manner, a concessions container could be readily exchanged with a new concessions container presenting new information about an advertising sponsor or about up coming events or it could be taken by the patron as an souvenir from the event watched by the patron. 
     The primary object of this invention is to provide a stowable and removable concession holder for stadium seating that can be a platform for advertising as well as being easily manufactured at low cost and easily installed. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stowable and removable concessions holder for stadium seating that can be inexpensively, and quickly mass produced. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stowable and removable concessions holder for stadium seating that can be quickly and easily be affixed to stadium seating. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a concessions holder that can be stowed out of the way of the patron that is using the seat or that is walking past the front of the seat. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a concessions holder that can be stowed so as to reduce the incidence of damage to the concessions holder. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to have a concessions container that can made in a wide variety of novelty shapes and bear the title and logos of various current theatrical, entertainment and sporting events or advertising information. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to have a concessions container that can be replaced with another concessions container that displays appropriate information, shape or design regarding of various upcoming venue events or updated advertising information. 
     It is a yet another further object of the present invention to have a removable container portion bearing information and design regarding advertising or venue information that can be taken by the patron as a souvenir. 
     The foregoing and other objectives will become more apparent after consideration of the following detailed description taken, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred form of this invention is illustrated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its structure and its operation together with the additional object and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1A side elevation view of the invention in the forward or operating position as applied to chair-type stadium seating. 
     FIG. 2A side elevation partial cut away view of the invention in the stowed position as applied to chair-type stadium seating. 
     FIG. 3A perspective partial cutaway view of the container portion, the mounting device, and the attaching device. 
     FIG. 4A perspective partial cutaway view of the invention attached to bench-type stadium seating. 
     FIG. 5A perspective front view of the universal mount. 
     FIG. 6A perspective back view of the universal mount. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the Figures, wherein like numbers indicate like or corresponding parts through out several views, FIGURES.  1 ,  2  &amp;  3  show the present invention  1  attached to the underside of a chair-type stadium seating  2  as commonly used in large capacity entertainment establishments such as theaters, stadiums, amphitheaters and sporting arenas. 
     Stadium seating, either the stadium chair-type seating  2  or a bench-type seating  10  is generally found to be permanently mounted within the entertainment facility&#39;s viewing area, usually grouped in rows to facilitate the placing and exiting of the patrons. The stadium chair-type seating  2  usually consists of a seat  3 , a seat support  4 , and a back  5 . 
     The seat  3 , which has an underside  6 , a top  7  and a front  8 , and a rear  9 , can be permanently or pivotally attached at its rear  9  to either the back  5  or the seat support  4  or both. When not in use, the pivotally mounted version of the stadium chair-type seating  2  has its seat  3  folded upward against the back  5  to allow patrons greater passage when moving through the row where the stadium chair-type seating  2  is located. 
     The seat support  4  as shown is illustrative only since it can be of a variety of designs depending how the stadium seating is incorporated into the structure of the entertainment facility. 
     The invention  1  in its preferred embodiment comprises of a concessions container  20  for holding concessions  70  and displaying advertising information  71 ; a mounting bracket  40  to which the concessions container  20  is removabley affixed; and a seat attachment portion  30  to which the mounting bracket  40  is movably affixed. The seat attachment portion  30  is permanently attached to the underside  6  of the stadium seating so as to allow the movement of mounting bracket  40  to bring the concessions container  20  from an operating position in front  8  of seat  3  as shown in FIG. 1 to a stowed position underneath the seating  3  as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The invention  1  is attached to the stadium chair-type seating  2  using the attachment rail  31  that comprises of a back  32  which is permanently attached to the underside  6  of the seat  3 ; a pair of sides  33  descends down from the back  32 ; a front  34 ; and a rear  35 . The attachment rail  31  is aligned with the longitudinal middle of the underside  6  of the seat  3  so that the front  34  is positioned near the bottom edge of the front  8  of the seat  3 . 
     The each side  33  of the attachment rail  31  as it descends from the back  32  forms at their respective lower lengthwise edges an inwardly facing horizontal flange  36  that provides the sliding surface for the mounting bracket  40 . This configuration provides the attachment rail  31  with a C-shaped cross-section. Descending from the bottom of each flange  36  is a peg  37 , which is located near the front  34  of the attachment rail  31 , that acts as a stop. The back  32  of the attachment rail  31  is permanently attached to the underside  6  of the seat  3  by the appropriate fastener or adhesive. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the attachment portion  30  is made by extrusion of a metal such as aluminum or by the injection molding of a polymer such a high impact light weight plastic. 
     The mounting bracket  40 , which is movingly engaged to the seat attachment portion  30 , is comprised of the rectangular plate  41  that has a horizontal top flange  42 , a vertical front mounting edge  43 , an ascendingly angled bottom edge  44 , a vertical back edge  45  and two stop wings  46 . 
     The horizontal top flange  42  with the rectangular plate  41  forms a T-shaped cross-sectional configuration. This T-shaped configuration allows the horizontal top flange  42  to mate and move within the C-shaped cross-sectional configured interior of the attachment rail  31  while at the same time allowing the rectangular plate  41  to pass between the edges of the horizontal flanges  36  of the attachment rail  31 . The horizontal top flange  42  is inserted into the rear  35  of the attachment rail  31  to load the mounting bracket  40  onto the attachment rail  31 . The bottom surfaces of the horizontal top flange  42  rides along the top surface of the horizontal flanges  36  of the attachment rail  31  allowing the mounting bracket  40  to slide along the length of the attachment rail  31 . 
     The vertical front mounting edge  43  sports a vertical front flange  47  that forms a T-shaped cross-sectional configuration. This vertical front flange  47  does not run the full length of the vertical front mounting edge  43  in that vertical front flange  47  runs from the bottom to near the top of the vertical front mounting edge  43 . The top portion of the vertical front mounting edge  43  is unflanged so to allow unhindered passage of that portion of the vertical front mounting edge  43  through the attachment rail  31  as the mounting bracket  40  rides along the attachment rail  31 . 
     Running down the middle of the length of the vertical front flange  47  is a dovetail  48  which provides one half of the reversible attachment mechanism for the concessions container  20 . A bottom  49  of the dovetail  48  emerges into a block to act as a stop to prevent the concessions container  20  from sliding down and off the dovetail  48 . 
     An aperture  50  at the bottom  49  matches an aperture  29  in a securing rail  25  of the concessions container  20  so as to form a channel that pierces both the bottom  49  and the securing rail  25 . A reversibly attached fastener such as a screw can be inserted through the channel made by the apertures  29  and  50  to prevent the concessions container  20  from being removed off the mounting bracket  40  if the concessions container  20  is not intended to be taken by the patron for a souvenir. 
     The ascendingly angled bottom edge  44  runs from the bottom of the front vertical mounting edge  43  to the bottom of the vertical back edge  45 . 
     At the vertical back edge  45  of the mounting bracket  40  are two stop wings  46 . There is one stop wing  46  projecting horizontally from each side of the rectangular plate  41 . When the stop wings  46  come into contact with the vertically positioned pegs  37  from the attachment rail  31 , the stop wings  50  will halt the forward movement of the mounting bracket  40  along the attachment rail  31  to prevent the mounting bracket  40  from coming off the front  34  of the attachment rail  31  and to insure the proper orientation of the mounting bracket  40  in forward operating position. In this forward orientation, the vertical mounting edge  43  is clear of the front  8  of the seat  3  and the front  34  of the attachment rail  31  to allow the concessions container  20  to be removably placed onto the mounting bracket  40  to allow the removable placement of concessions  70  and alike into the concessions container  20 . 
     The concessions container  20  in the preferred embodiment has a generally cylindrically shaped body  21  having one end being an open top  23  and an other end being a semi-enclosed bottom  24  forming an interior  22  which can reversibly receive and hold concessions. A securing rail  25  attached to the exterior of the body  21  to provide reversible attachment for the concessions container  20  to the mounting bracket  40 . The concessions container  20  is of suitable size to handle a wide variety of liquid and food containers for concessions  70  as well as a variety of other items such a entertainment programs or brochures and the alike. 
     However, to take full advantage of the advertising potential of the invention, the concessions container  20  could be made in various novelty shapes and sizes limited only by the effectiveness of its primary holding function; the need to provide a reversible attaching mechanism for attachment to the mounting bracket  40 ; and the need to fit underneath the seat  3 . The concessions container is constructed so that its interior can accommodate a wide variety of concessions. The exterior of the body  21  could contain advertising  71  including sponsor information as well as be made in various novelty shapes and forms limited only by the requirements for holding capacity, attachment and stowage capability. 
     The semi-enclosed bottom  24 , which is constructed as a grid or lattice work, supports the concessions  70  that are placed into the concessions container  20 . The perforation of the grid or lattice work allows any spilt food or drink to drain out of the concessions container  20 . 
     The open top  23  of the concessions container  20  has a wide bodied slot  26 . At the center of the bottom edge of the wide-bodied slot  26  on the exterior  22  of the concessions container  20  is vertically attached the securing rail  25 . The securing rail  25  has a general C-shaped cross-section configuration with the interior  27  of the securing rail  25  forming a dovetail notch which is opened at the lower end of the securing rail  25  and closed by a tab  28  at the top of the securing rail  25 . The interior  27  of the securing rail  25  is fashioned to reversibly mate with the dovetail  48  located on front of the mounting bracket  40 . The tab  28  of the securing rail  25  acts in conjunction with the bottom  49  of the vertical front mounting edge  43  of the mounting bracket  40 , as a stop to prevent the concessions container  20  from slipping down and off the mounting bracket  40  once the interior  27  has fully engaged the dovetail  48 . 
     Although, in the preferred embodiment of the invention  1 , a dovetail attachment mechanism is shown to reversibly secure the concessions container  20  to the mounting bracket  40 , there are a wide variety of other reversible attachment mechanisms known to the practitioner in the field that can be suitably adapted for this purpose. These mechanisms would include but not be limited to: pin/aperture, hook and cloth, slot and wedge, magnets and alike. 
     As a medium for presenting changable advertising to the patron, the present invention provides for a concessions container  20  of simple design that readily lends itself to inexpensive mass production using plastic mold injection techniques. The concessions container  20  could be made in various shapes, sizes, colors and designs as well as have advertising  71  such as print, photographs, pictures, graphics and the like for the display information to the patron relating to the present or forthcoming venues staged at the entertainment facility or for advertisement for various sponsors of the entertainment facility. The concessions container  20  could also be used as a removable souvenir for the patron to take as a memento of the event. Since the concessions container  20  is removable, the management of the entertainment facility could readily exchange concessions containers for new ones with new information as venues or sponsors change. 
     In operation, the mounting bracket  40  is loaded onto the attachment rail  31  by fitting the front of the horizontal top flange  42  into the rear  35  of the attachment rail  31  and moving the mounting bracket  40  into forward operating position that is by the front  8  of the seat  3  until stop wings  46  of the mounting bracket  40  come into contact with the pegs  37  of the attachment rail  31 . 
     In this operation position, the dovetail  48  of the mounting bracket  40  is clear of the seat  3  and attachment rail  31  and is ready to receive the concessions container  20 . The concessions container  20  is lowered onto the mounting bracket  40  so that the interior  27  of the securing rail  25  meets with and encompasses the dovetail  48  of the mounting bracket  40 . The tab  28  of the securing rail  25  and the bottom  49  of the dovetail  48  prevent further downward movement of the concessions container  20  when it is properly situated on the mounting bracket  40 . The concessions container  20 , when the invention is operated in its forward position, is placed in front  8  of the seat  3  and oriented between the legs of the seated patron and is ready to receive concessions  70 . 
     To bring the invention  1  into the stowed position underneath the seat  3 , the patron removes any concessions  70  from the concessions container  20  and pushes the concessions container  20  and hence the mounting bracket  40 , backwards along the attachment rail  31  into a stowed position underneath the seat  3 . The wide-bodied slot  26  is of sufficient size to allow the concessions container  20  to pass unimpeded along the attachment rail  31  and pegs  37  until the front  34  of the attachment rail  31  comes into contact with the side of the interior  22  of the concessions container  20  that is opposite of the wide-bodied slot  26  thus limiting the rearward movement of the concessions container  20 . 
     As shown FIG. 4, the invention  1  uses a bench adapter  60  that it may be applied to bench-type seating  10 . Bench-type seating  10  as commonly found in large entertainment facilities uses benches  11  with a bench support structure  12  that is attached to the structure of the entertainment facility. These benches  11  usually are made from extruded metal such as aluminum, or a injection molded plastic or formed fiberglass. The benches  11  have a generally C shaped cross-section configuration in which the back of the C forms the top surface  13  of the bench that patrons sit on. The underside  14  of the bench  10  has longitudinal struts  15  that run lengthwise along the middle of the underside  14 . These longitudinal struts  15 , along with flanged edges  16  that form the arms of the “C”, act as stiffeners to provide structural strength for the bench. The longitudinal struts  15  also provide the mounting points for the bench support structure  12 . Because of the presence of the flanged edges  16  and longitudinal struts  15  in the bench-type seating  10 , an adapter  60  is permanently affixed the underside  14  of the bench  11  to provide a flat level mounting surface for the attachment of the invention  1 . 
     The adapter  60  has a generally the shape of a “C” with and lateral “I” cut made in its middle. The arms of the “C” form the mounting flanges  61  that fasten the adapter  60  to the underside  14  by rivet or other appropriate fastener or attaching method known to practitioners in the field. The adapter  60  is affixed the lateral underside  14  of the bench-type seating  11 . 
     The “I” cut forms two support tabs  62  that are bent upward to parallel the positioning of the mounting flanges  61 . These support tabs  62  are cut and bent so as to be placed within and directly next to the interior walls of the longitudinal struts  15  when the adapter  60  is attached. In this position, the support tabs  62  then are able contribute to the rigidity of the adapter and to further limit back and forth movement of the adapter  60  when the invention  1  is being moved between stowed and operating positions. 
     The back of the C shape forms the back  63  of the adapter  60  which provides the flat surface for the attachment of the attachment rail  31 . The mounting flanges  61  are of sufficient height so as to place the back  63  of the adapter  60  below and clear of longitudinal struts  15  and flanged edges  16  of the bench-type seating  10 . 
     FIG. 5 and 6 show a universal adapter  80  which supplants the mounting bracket  40  and attachment rail  31  to allow the concessions container  20  to be reversibly mounted in a vertical position for a wide variety of applications. The universal adapter  80  comprises of a square plate  81  with a dovetail  82  vertically mounted on the middle of its front  83 . A block  84  at the bottom of the dovetail  82  along with the tab  28  of the concessions container  20  prevents the concessions container  20  from slipping down and off of the dovetail  82  when the securing rail  25  of the concessions container  20  is slid onto the adapter dovetail  82 . The backside  85  of the square plate  81  are two vertical channels  85  that divide the backside  86  into three equal panels, a middle panel  87  connected to two outer panels  88 . The vertical channels  85  are cut wide and deep enough to allow outer panels  88  to flex either forward or back of the middle panel  87  that mounts the dovetail  82 . This flexing of the panels allows the universal adapter  80  to be used on differently angled or curved surfaces, such as attaching the universal adapter  80  between the two backs  5  of stadium chair-type seating  2  that are adjacent to one another. The two outer panels  88  have apertures  89  to facilitate of the attachment of the universal adapter  80  by fasteners to the desired surface. An securing aperture  90  in block  84  matches the aperture  29  in the securing rail  25  of the concessions container  20  so as to form a channel that pierces both the block  84  and securing rail  25 . A reversible attached fastener such as a screw can be inserted through the channel made by the security aperture  90  and aperture  29  to prevent the concessions container  20  from being removed off the universal adapter  80  if owner of the invention  1  does not intend that the concessions container  20  to be taken by the patron as a souvenir. The universal adapter  80  can also be attached by adhesive or other means known to practitioners in the field. 
     While the present invention has been described with respect to its presently preferred and variously considered alternative constructions and modifications, it is to be appreciated that still other constructions may suggest themselves to those of skill in the art. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the subject invention should be interpreted to include all those equivalent embodiments within the spirit and scope of the following claims.