Abstract:
A layable seat includes front and rear paired supporting legs which are layably raised on a floor at two positions separated from each other in a back-and-forth direction, a seat member pivotably connected to the front paired legs, paired link levers each of which has one end pivotably connected to the corresponding one pivotal center of the seat member and the other end pivotably connected to the corresponding rear leg. The seat member is elastically held at its half-folded position by torsion coil springs, and has paired engaging pins which project sideward therefrom and engage the lower edges of the link levers to hold the seat member at its horizontal position against a user&#39;s weight.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a seat and, more particularly, to a layable seat which is entirely pivotal between a horizontally laid non-use position where the seat is laid horizontally along a floor surface, and a raised use position where the seat is raised from the floor. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The layable seat described above is known from, e.g., Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 62-101211. Such a seat is set on the upper surface of each of a plurality of nestable decks, which are movably installed on the floor surface of, e.g., a gymnasium, a community center, or a multi-purpose hall, and have sequentially different heights. And, these seats are used to temporarily set seats or increase the number of seats. 
     Each of the plurality of decks has a plurality of wheels at its lower end portion so that the deck is movable on the floor surface of the building as described above. The plurality of decks are mounted on the wall surface of such a building or in a recess formed in the wall surface so as to be expandable and contractable thereto. 
     When the plurality of decks are pulled out from the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface, the plurality of decks constitute a staircase having deep steps on the floor surface of the building. 
     When the plurality of decks are contracted on the wall surface of the building or in the recess of the wall surface, the decks lower than the highest deck are sequentially nested in the inner space of the highest deck, thus decreasing the area of the floor of the building which is occupied by the decks. 
     A large number of layable seats are installed side by side on the upper surface of each of the plurality of decks. When the layable seats are set at a horizontally laid non-use position where they are laid horizontally along the upper surface, the plurality of decks can be contracted to the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface. When the plurality of decks are pulled out from the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface and then the seats on the decks are pivoted to a raised use position where they are raised from the upper surfaces of the decks, the layable seats can be used as temporary seats. 
     In the conventional layable seat, a pair of supporting legs that support the right and left side edges of a backrest are installed at their base end portions on the upper surface of a corresponding deck, so that the supporting legs are manually selectively pivotal or automatically selectively pivotal by a motor between a horizontally laid position where the supporting legs are laid horizontally along the upper surface, and a raised position where the supporting legs are raised from the floor surface. A seat member is pivotably connected at the rear end portions of its right and left side surfaces to the paired supporting legs, so that the seat member is pivotable between a horizontal use position where the seat member is horizontal, and a vertically folded position where the seat member is flipped up in a substantially vertical direction to extend along the pair of supporting legs, while the paired supporting legs are arranged at the raised position. The seat member is urged to the vertically folded position by urging means incorporated in the paired supporting legs. 
     When a user sits down on the seat member, the user at first must pivot the seat member from the vertically folded position to the horizontal use position against the urging force of the urging means, and then manually hold the seat member at the horizontal use position until he or she places his or her buttocks on the seat member. Therefore, if the user carries baggage with his or her two hands, if the user&#39;s two hands are disabled, or if the user&#39;s one hand is disabled and he or her carries baggage with his or her other hand, the user needs other&#39;s help or the user must temporarily put the baggage held by his or her two hands or one hand on the floor in order to sit down on the seat member. 
     In order to pivot the seat member from the vertically folded position to the horizontal use position without using the hand, it is proposed that the seat member is inclined forwardly with it front end separating from the backrest when the seat member is located at the vertically folded position. In this state, if the user puts his or her buttocks on the front end of the seat member which is inclined forwardly and then sits down, the user can pivot the seat member to the horizontal use position with his or her buttocks. 
     In this case, however, when the layable seat is entirely laid on the upper surface of the corresponding deck, the front end of the seat member which is inclined forwardly at the vertically folded position firstly contacts the upper surface of the deck. The front end of the seat member slides on the upper surface until the seat member is laid horizontally on the upper surface together with the paired supporting legs and the backrest. For this reason, every time the front end of the seat member abuts against the upper surface of the corresponding deck, comparatively large noise is produced. The front end of the seat member, and a portion of the upper surface against and on which the front end of the seat member constantly abuts and slides can be easily damaged. Furthermore, since the front end of the seat member is soiled by this slidable contact, it soils the clothing of the user who contacts it. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been derived from the above situation, and its object is to provide a layable seat which can hold a seat member at a half-folded position between a horizontal use position and a vertically folded position before a user sits down while the layable seat is set at a raised use position, so that the user can move the seat member to the horizontal use position with his or her buttocks without using his or her hand, and which can make the entire portion of the seat member reach at a horizontally laid non-use position of the layable seat at once when the layable seat is pivoted from the raised use position to the horizontally laid non-use position, thereby preventing damage to a part of the seat member and to a portion of a floor surface corresponding to the part of the seat member, and soiling of the clothes of the user which touch the seat member. 
     The above described object of the present invention can be achieved by a layable seat comprising: supporting leg means which is adapted to be mounted on a floor surface to be pivotable between a raised position where the leg means is raised from the floor surface and a horizontally laid position where the leg means is horizontally laid along the floor surface; a seat member which is mounted on the supporting leg means to be pivotable between a horizontal position where the seat member extends substantially horizontally from the supporting leg means located at the raised position and a folded position where the seat member is raised substantially vertically to extend along the supporting leg means located at the raised position; urging means which is mounted on the supporting leg means and urges the seat member to a half-folded position between the horizontal and folded positions; and forcible moving means which is mounted on the supporting leg means and forcibly moves the seat member from the half-folded position to the folded position against an urging force of the urging means in response to the pivotal movement of the supporting leg means from the raised position to the horizontally laid position. 
     In the layable seat characterized by being constructed as described above, the seat member is held at the half-folded position by the urging means while the supporting leg means is set at the raised position. Hence, the user can move the seat member from the half-folded position to the horizontal use position with his or her buttocks without using the hand. 
     When the supporting leg means is pivoted from the raised position to the horizontally laid position in order to pivot the layable seat from a raised use position to a horizontally laid non-use position, the forcible moving means forcibly moves the seat member to the folded position against the urging force of the urging means in response to the pivotal movement of the supporting leg means from the raised position to the horizontally laid position. Hence, the entire portion of the seat member can reach the horizontally laid position at once, damage to a part of the seat member and to a portion of a floor surface corresponding to the part of the seat member can be prevented, and soiling of the clothes of the user which touch the seat member can be prevented. 
     In the layable seat according to the present invention and characterized by being constructed as described above, the supporting leg means can be pivotably mounted on an upper surface of a movable deck having a traveling means at its lower-end portion. 
     By preparing a plurality of nestable movable decks of this type having sequentially different heights, mounting a plurality of layable seats according to the present invention side by side on each of the movable decks, extending the plurality of movable decks in a telescopic manner, and locating the supporting leg means of the plurality of layable seats on the upper surfaces of the extended movable decks at the raised position, a large number of seats can be additionally, temporarily installed within a short period of time. When these seats are not used, the supporting leg means of the plurality of layable seats on the upper surfaces of the movable decks are pivoted to the horizontally laid position, and thereafter the plurality of movable decks are contracted to be nested, thereby minimizing the space required for housing the plurality of movable decks. 
     In the layable seat according to the present invention and characterized by being constructed as described above, it is preferable that the supporting leg means includes a first supporting leg and a second supporting leg, an extending end of the second supporting leg being located backward from an extending end of the first supporting leg at their raised positions, the seat member has a rotational center shaft at its rear-end portion to make it pivotable in a vertical direction, and the forcible moving means includes a link lever which has one end portion coupled to the second supporting leg to be pivotable in the vertical direction and the other end portion coupled to the rotational center shaft of the rear end portion of the seat member to be pivotable in the vertical direction and an engaging pin projecting sideward from a position of the rear-end portion of the seat member located backward from the rotational center shaft of the rear-end portion of the seat member, and the link lever causes the engaging pin of the seat member to move toward the floor surface against the urging force of the urging means while the first and second supporting legs are pivoted from the raised positions to the horizontally laid positions, and sets the seat member at the folded position when the first and second supporting legs reach the horizontally laid positions, so that the seat member is horizontally laid along the floor surface together with the first and second supporting legs at one time. 
     The supporting leg means, the seat member, and the forcible moving means having the above arrangements are compact in size and simple in structure. 
     In the layable seat having the supporting leg means, the seat member, and the forcible moving means arranged in the above manner, it is preferable that the engaging pin at the rear-end portion of the seat member is engaged with a portion of the first supporting leg when the seat member is located at its horizontal position, so that the seat member is inhibited to move downward from the horizontal position. 
     This arrangement simplifies a structure of means for prohibiting pivotal movement of the seat member downward from the horizontal position, and makes the entire structure of the layable seat compact. 
     In the layable seat having the supporting leg means, the seat member, and the forcible moving means arranged in the above manner, it is preferable that the urging means includes a torsion coil spring which has a central portion supported by the first supporting leg and two extending end portions clamping the engaging pin at the rear-end portion of the seat member. 
     The urging means having such an arrangement is simple in its structure and makes the entire structure of the layable seat compact. 
     The layable seat having the supporting leg means, the seat member, and the forcible moving means arranged in the above manner can further comprise a backrest supported by the second supporting leg. 
     In the layable seat having the supporting leg means, the seat member, and the forcible moving means arranged in the above manner, a rotational center of the second supporting leg with respect to the floor surface can be located backward from and above a rotational center of the first supporting leg with respect to the floor surface, and the layable seat can further comprise an armrest which is supported at its two positions, spaced apart from each other in a back-and-forth direction, to be vertically pivotable by the first and second supporting legs. 
     With this arrangement, the armrest is automatically pivoted between a horizontal position, where the arm rest is substantially horizontal, and a folded position, where the armrest is folded to extend along the first and second supporting leg means, in response to the pivot movement of the supporting leg means between the raised position and the horizontally laid position. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing layable seats according to an embodiment of the present invention, which are installed on the upper surfaces of a plurality of nestable movable decks; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a state wherein a plurality of layable seats according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed on the upper surface of each of the movable decks; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the layable seat shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view schematically showing a torsion coil spring functioning as an urging means for urging a seat member to its half-folded position while the layable seat is located at the raised use position, a link lever and an engaging pin of the seat member, both of which function as forcible moving means for forcibly pivoting the seat member from the half-folded position to a vertically folded position against the urging force of the torsion coil spring in response to pivotal movements of first and second supporting legs from their raised positions to their horizontally folded positions while the layable seat is pivoted from the raised use position to its horizontally laid non-use position, and the seat member and the first and second supporting legs being coupled to each other through the link lever; and 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view schematically showing a state of the various members of FIG. 4 when the layable seat of FIG. 1 is set at the horizontally laid non-use position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A layable seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 shows a plurality of nestable movable decks  12 . The movable decks  12  have sequentially different heights, and a plurality of wheels  10  serving as traveling means are provided at a lower end portion of each movable deck  12 . The plurality of nestable movable decks  12  can be moved on a floor surface  14  of, e.g., a gymnasium, a community center, or a multi-purpose hall by the plurality of wheels  10  at their lower end portions. 
     The plurality of nestable movable decks  12  can extend telescopically on the floor surface  14  as shown in FIG. 1, and the decks lower than the highest deck are sequentially nested in the inner space of the highest deck. A gap having a predetermined height is defined between the top plates of the adjacent two nestable movable decks  12 . 
     A plurality of layable seats  16  according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed side by side on the upper surface of the top plate of each of the plurality of movable decks  12 , as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The plurality of layable seats  16  have bases  18  fixed at a plurality of positions at the rear end portion of the upper surface of each top plate to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in the right-and-left direction. The height of each base  18  is smaller than the gap described above. 
     A plurality of leg members  20 a of first supporting legs  20  are connected to the front-end portions of the bases  18  by rotational center shafts  22  so as to be vertically pivotal between a raised position, where the leg members  20 a raise from the upper surface of the corresponding top plate, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a horizontally laid position, where the leg members  20 a are laid horizontally along the upper surface of the corresponding top plate in front of the bases  18 , as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The extending end portions of the plurality of leg members  20 a of the first supporting legs  20  are coupled to each other through a beam member  20 b that extends horizontally in the right-and-left direction along the upper surface of the corresponding top plate, as shown in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 . The base-end portions of a plurality of seat member supporting columns  20 c are fixed at the two ends of the beam member  20 b and at a plurality of predetermined equidistant positions on the beam member  20 b, and extend in the same direction as that of the plurality of leg member  20 a. 
     A plurality of leg members  24 a of second supporting legs  24  are connected to the rear-end portions of the bases  18  by rotational center shafts  26  so as to be vertically pivotal between a raised position, where the leg members  24 a raise from the upper surface of the corresponding top plate, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a horizontally laid position, where the leg members  24 a are laid horizontally along the upper surface of the corresponding top plate in front of the bases  18 . The rotational center shafts  26  of the second supporting legs  24  are located above the rotational center shafts  22  of the first supporting legs  20 , thus the second supporting legs  24  at the horizontally laid positions are laid on the corresponding first supporting legs  20  at the horizontally laid positions, as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The extending end portions of the plurality of leg members  24 a of the second supporting legs  24  are coupled to each other through a beam member  24 b that extends horizontally in the right-and-left direction along the upper surface of the corresponding top plate, as shown in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 . The base-end portions of a plurality of backrest holding baskets  24 c are fixed at the two ends of the beam member  24 b and at a plurality of predetermined equidistant positions on the beam member  24 b, and extend in the same direction as that of the plurality of leg members  24 a. 
     Each of the plurality of backrest holding baskets  24 c is arranged between the two adjacent seat member supporting columns  20 c of the first supporting legs  20 . Each backrest holding basket  24 c holds a backrest  28 . 
     An armrest  30  having a substantially inverted U-shaped cross-section is arranged on the upper-end portion of each first supporting leg  20 , and the hollow portion of the longitudinally intermediate region of the armrest  30  is fitted on the upper-end portion of the first supporting leg  20 . The longitudinally intermediate region of the armrest  30  is vertically pivotably supported on the upper end portion of the corresponding first supporting leg  20  by a rotational center shaft  32 . The longitudinally rear-end portion of the armrest  30  is vertically pivotably supported on a rotational center shaft  34  fixed on the corresponding side surface of the corresponding backrest holding basket  24 c. 
     Rotational center shafts  36  are also fixed to the two side surfaces of each backrest holding basket  24 c at positions slightly above the beam member  24 b. 
     A rotational center groove or hole  38  is formed in each of the two side surfaces of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c corresponding to the two side surfaces of the backrest holding basket  24 c, and is located at a position below the lower rotational center shaft  36  of each side surface of the backrest holding basket  24 c. 
     A rotational center shaft  42  projecting sideward from each of the two side surfaces of a seat member back plate  40 a fixed to the lower-end portion of the lower surface of a seat member  40  is pivotably supported in the corresponding rotational center groove or hole  38 . 
     Front- and rear-end portions of a link lever  44  are vertically pivotably coupled to the rotational center shaft  42  of the corresponding side surface of the seat member back plate  40 a and the lower rotational center shaft  36  of the corresponding side surface of the backrest holding basket  24 c, respectively. 
     Engaging pins  46  project sideward from two side surfaces of the seat member back plate  40 a at positions located backward from the rotational center shafts  42 , and rearward projecting steps  50  are formed in the side surfaces of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c at positions located rearward from the corresponding rotational center grooves or holes  38 . When the corresponding paired first supporting legs  20  are set at the raised position and the seat member  40  is set at the substantially horizontal position at the paired rotational center grooves or holes  38  of the seat member supporting columns  20 c of the corresponding paired first supporting legs  20 , the paired engaging pins  46  abut against upper-end portions of inner surfaces of the rear steps  50 , as shown in FIG.  4 . Thus, the rotation of the seat member  40  about the rotational center shafts  42  is prevented, so that the front-end portion of the seat member  40  can not be moved downward from the horizontal position. At this time, the engaging pins  46  of the seat member  40  also abut against the lower edges of the corresponding link levers  44 , as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     An urging means positioning boss  52  is formed in each side surface of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c corresponding to the two side surfaces of the backrest holding basket  24 c at a position lower than the corresponding rotational center groove or hole  38 . The central hole of a torsion coil spring  54  is fitted on each urging means positioning boss  52 . 
     The two extending arm ends of the torsion coil spring  54  extend obliquely upward from the urging means positioning boss  52 , and the two extending arm ends clamp an urging means function regulating projection  56  which is formed on each side surface of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c at a position spaced apart obliquely upward from the corresponding urging means positioning boss  52 . 
     Each engaging pin  46  of the seat member  40  is also clamped by the two extending arm ends of the corresponding torsion coil spring  54 . 
     Accordingly, when the first supporting legs  20 , together with the second supporting legs  24  that are coupled to the first supporting legs  20  by the armrests  30 , are set at the raised position where they are substantially vertically raised up from the upper surface of the top plate of the corresponding movable deck  12 , the seat member  40  is pivoted around the seat member rotational center shafts  42  in the paired rotational center grooves or holes  38  of the corresponding paired seat member supporting columns  20 c of the first supporting legs  20  by the urging force of the urging means applied to the corresponding engaging pins  46  by the two extending arm ends of the torsion coil springs  54 , and is held at the half-folded position where the seat member  40  extends obliquely forward the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c. 
     The seat member  40  at the half-folded position is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 and 1, and is indicated by a solid line in the central layable seat  16  of FIG.  2 . 
     As is apparent from FIG. 1, while the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  are set at the raised positions, the armrest  30  coupling them is set at the substantially horizontal position. 
     At least one of the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  set at the raised positions is held at the raised position by a stopper (not shown). 
     Since the front-end portion of the seat member  40  at the half-folded position is spaced apart forward from the backrest  28  held by the backrest holding basket  24 c of the second supporting legs  24 , the user can place his or her buttocks on this front-end portion and sit down, so that the seat member  40  can be pivoted around the rotational center shafts  42  in the corresponding rotational center grooves or holes  38  of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c of the first supporting legs  20  by his or her weight W to the horizontal position indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 4 against the urging force of the torsion coil springs  54 . In the two layable seats  16  on the right and left sides of FIG. 2, the seat members  40  are also indicated by a solid line at the horizontal positions. 
     When the user stands up, the seat member  40  is pivoted around the rotational center shafts  42  in the corresponding rotational center grooves or holes  38  of the paired seat member supporting columns  20 c of the first supporting legs  20  by the urging force of the torsion coil spring  54  and returns to the half-folded position, which is indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 and 1 and by the solid line in the central layable seat  16  of FIG.  2 . 
     The lower surface of the seat member  40  is covered by a lower surface cover  58 . The front-end of the lower surface cover  58  is attached to the front-end portion of the lower surface by hinges so that the lower surface cover  58  is swingable within a predetermined range. When the seat member  40  is set at the horizontal position, the rear-end portion of the lower surface cover  58  is separated downward by its weight from the rear-end portion of the lower surface of the seat member  40  for a predetermined distance. The lower surface cover  58  entirely overlaps the lower surface of the seat member  40  only when the seat member  40  is set at the vertically folded position to entirely overlap the front surface of the backrest  28 . This swingable lower surface cover  58  prevents the thin seat member  40  at the horizontal position (i.e., the seating position) from abutting against the lower surface cover  58  thereby preventing the user from taking a rugged seating feel when the user sits on the seat member  40  and it is bent downward. 
     When the plurality of nestable movable decks  12  are required to be nested such that the decks lower than the highest deck are sequentially nested in the inner space of the highest deck, the layable seats  16  are pivoted to the horizontally laid non-use position where the layable seats  16  are horizontally laid on the upper surface of the corresponding movable deck  12 . 
     In order to pivot the layable seats  16  to the horizontally laid non-use position, if at least one of the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  is held at the raised position by the stopper (not shown) described above, this stopper (not shown) is released at first, and the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  at the raised use position are pivoted manually or by a motor to the horizontally laid non-use position so as to be horizontally laid on the upper surface of the corresponding movable deck  12 . The horizontally laid non-use position is indicated by a solid line in the right side layable seat  16  of FIG.  1 . 
     During this pivotal movement, the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  are close to each other by the function of the paired armrests  30  and the paired link levers  44 , both of which pair are pivotably coupled to both supporting legs  20  and  24 , so that they overlap parallel to each other. 
     Upon this pivotal movement of the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24 , the link levers  44  engage with and push the corresponding engaging pins  46  of the seat member  40  at the half-folded position toward the front ends of the seat member supporting columns  20 c of the first supporting legs  20  against the urging force of the torsion coil springs  54 . As a result, when the first and second supporting legs  20  and  24  reach the horizontally laid non-use position, the seat member  40  is forcibly set at the vertically folded position to entirely cover the front surface of the backrest  28 . The rear-end portion of the lower surface cover  58  contact the upper surface of the corresponding movable deck  12  and is pushed up by this upper surface to entirely overlap the lower surface of the seat member  40 . 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.