Abstract:
A portable seating apparatus includes a storage box having upwardly extending sidewalls, a seat cushion pivotally mounted in the seatbox, and a framework for providing portable seating and protection from weather elements. A covering is connected to the framework. The framework is completely stored within the storage box and the seat cushion may be hingedly attached to the storage box. The framework may be adjustable. The apparatus may also provide a plurality of legs and sidewalls. The apparatus may further provide a storage pocket in the storage box.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to portable covered seating apparatuses, and, more specifically, to a portable covered seating apparatus that may be self contained, and self standing.  
         [0002]     Outdoor events, like concerts and sporting contests, require spectators to sit for extended periods of time. These extended periods of time sometimes include undesirable weather conditions, like snow, rain, sleet, and sometimes too much sun. When the weather conditions are undesirable, they often ruin the event for many spectators.  
         [0003]     Further, the provided seating is often less than desirable to spend extended periods of time sitting on. After a long period sitting on uncomfortable seating, spectators may become sore, irritable, and generally uncomfortable. Stadiums and arenas often provide seat cushions; however, the seat cushions currently available in the prior art offer no protection from the weather conditions.  
         [0004]     Often, spectators attempt to use hand held umbrellas to alleviate the discomfort caused by the weather conditions. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, hand held umbrellas can be too flimsy. Additionally, the spectator must hold the hand held umbrella. Therefore, the umbrella cannot effectively and efficiently protect the spectator from the severe weather conditions. Finally, the umbrella can block the views of other spectators. In sum, hand held umbrellas can add to the discomfort and inconvenience rather than alleviate the same.  
         [0005]     The present invention overcomes both of these problems, as well as other problems associated with outdoor event seating. The present invention provides a comfortable seating cushion, to alleviate the discomfort caused by the long periods spent sitting on uncomfortable stadium seating. The present invention also contains a free standing cover, to provide for protection from the elements, without adding to the discomfort of the spectator and may be collapsed into a self-contained storage that may easily be carried by the spectator.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A portable seating apparatus according to the present invention includes, generally, a seat cushion, a storage box and the umbrella covering. The seat cushion has features similar to those seat cushions that stadiums provide to spectators. A variety of materials may be used for the seat cushion such as, soft pliable plastic, cotton, denim, leather and other cloths. Further, the seat cushion may include a conventional stuffing material such as cotton, polyester, synthetic fibers, or the like.  
         [0007]     The seat cushion may be hingedly attached to the storage box. The storage box houses the umbrella covering when the umbrella covering is in the lowered configuration. The storage box may also have additional storage space for storing other items. The storage box may be constructed of conventional materials, like metals, metalloids, metal alloys, synthetics, plastics, or even wood.  
         [0008]     The storage box houses the umbrella covering, when the umbrella covering is not in use. The umbrella covering includes a covering material and a frame. The covering material creates the area around the seat cushion where the user is protected from the elements. This may include cotton, canvas, vinyl, nylon, polyester, or a blend of the previously mentioned materials. The fabric composing the covering should be at least slightly stretchable and adequately waterproof.  
         [0009]     The second element of the umbrella covering is the frame. The frame utilizes poles to define the boundaries of the covered area. The poles can be flexible fiberglass poles and rigid plastic poles. Poles composed of flexible fiberglass could bend and define the covered area, while poles made of rigid plastic, like PVC, would require joints to connect the poles and define the covered area.  
         [0010]     Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus that is portable and may be carried between a vehicle and spectator event.  
         [0011]     Another object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that includes umbrella elements that may be selectively extended and retracted.  
         [0012]     Still another object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that is portable and self containing, allowing the entire apparatus to be internally stored and easily transportable.  
         [0013]     Yet another object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that further protects a user from the weather by utilizing laterally opposed sidewalls.  
         [0014]     A further object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that is self standing, allowing the entire apparatus to stand independently when no stadium seating is provided.  
         [0015]     A still further object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that allows a user to create a plurality of covered area sizes by utilizing frames that may be adjusted.  
         [0016]     A further object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that includes a handle to allow for easier transport.  
         [0017]     A further object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus, as aforesaid, that utilizes additional storage space so that the user may store additional items.  
         [0018]     Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable seating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the seating apparatus as in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIGS. 3   a - 3   d  are perspective views of the seating apparatus in various configurations from a storage or retracted configuration to a fully extended configuration;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4   a  is a perspective view of a portable seating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 4   b  is an isolated perspective view on an enlarged scale of the element labeled  FIG. 4   b  in  FIG. 4   a;    
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a seating apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]     A portable seating apparatus according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a portable seating apparatus  10  according to one embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS.  1  to  3   d  and includes a seat box  12 , a seat cushion  14 , telescoping frame poles  16 , hinged rods  18 , adjustment knobs  20 , a back panel  22 , a middle panel  24  and a top panel  26 . The seat box  12  includes opposed front  12   a  and rear  12   b  sidewalls with lateral opposed sidewalls  12   c ,  12   d  extending therebetween ( FIG. 2 ).  
         [0026]     The seat cushion  14  is hingedly coupled to the front sidewall  12   a  of the seat box  12  and, more particularly, to the rear sidewall  12   b  thereof. The telescoping frame poles  16  may also be hingedly attached to the rear sidewall  12   b  of the seat box  12  ( FIGS. 3   c  and  3   d ). The back panel  22  is functionally attached to the adjustable section of the telescoping frame poles  16 . The hinged rods  18  may also connect to the telescoping frame poles  22 .  
         [0027]     The position of the hinged rods  18  may be adjustable because of the adjustment knobs  20 . The user selects the height and angle of the hinged rods  18  and then tightens the adjustment knob  20  by turning it and locking the position of the hinged rods  18  in place. There are other means for holding the hinged rods  18  in a user-selectable position relative to the telescoping frame poles  16 . These other means can be a self locking joint, a self locking joint with a push button, the use of attachment collars and other suitable fasteners.  
         [0028]     The middle panel  24  and top panel  26  are functionally attached to the hinged rods  18  ( FIG. 3   d ). The middle panel  24 , top panel  26  and back panel  22  cooperate to protect the user from undesirable weather conditions. It is also preferred that the middle panel  24 , back panel  22 , and top panel  26  have overlapping sections. These overlapping sections will allow a user to create a substantially continuous and uniform barrier from the elements.  
         [0029]     In use, the portable seating apparatus  10  may be carried by its handle  28  from a storage location or vehicle to the desired spectator event, e.g. a football game. Then, the seat cushion  14  may be moved from the lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   a ) to the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   b ).  
         [0030]     If the seat cushion  14  is in the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   a ) the telescoping poles  16  may be moved from the lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   b ) to the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   c ). After moving the telescoping poles  16  to the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   c ), the seat cushion  14  may be lowered back to the lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   d ).  
         [0031]     In the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   c ) the telescoping poles  16  may be moved from their compressed configuration ( FIG. 3   c ) to the expanded configuration ( FIG. 3   d ). While the telescoping poles are in the expanded configuration ( FIG. 3   d ), the hinged rods  18  may be moved from the folded configuration ( FIG. 3   c ) to the unfolded configuration ( FIG. 3   d ).  
         [0032]     In the unfolded configuration ( FIG. 3   d ), the hinged rods  18  may be positioned in user-selectable configurations. The preferred means for holding the hinged rods  18  in a user-selectable position relative to the telescoping frame poles  16  is through the use of the adjustment knob  20  ( FIG. 4   b ). When the hinged rods  18  are in the position the user requires, the adjustment knob  20  is tightened by turning the adjustment knob  20  and securely holding the hinged rods  18  in place ( FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b ).  
         [0033]     The entire process may be reversed to collapse the portable seating apparatus  10 . The adjustment knob  20  may be loosened to lower the hinged rods  18  from the unfolded position ( FIG. 3   d ) to the hinged rods&#39;  18  folded position ( FIG. 3   c ). Then, the telescoping poles  16  may be moved from the expanded position ( FIG. 3   d ) to the compressed position ( FIG. 3   c ). The seat cushion  14  may then be moved from the lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   d ) to the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   c ). The telescoping poles  16  may then be moved from their raised configuration ( FIG. 3   c ) to their lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   b ). Finally, the seat cushion  14  may be returned to the lowered configuration ( FIG. 3   a ), and the entire portable seating apparatus  10  may be easily transported using a handle  28  connected to the rear sidewall  12   d  of the seat box  12  ( FIG. 3   d ).  
         [0034]     A portable seating apparatus  28  according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4   a  and  FIG. 4   b  and includes a construction substantially similar to the construction of the first embodiment of a portable seating apparatus  10  first described above except as specifically described below. Specifically, the portable seating apparatus  28  according to this alternative embodiment includes sidewalls  30  and legs  32 .  
         [0035]     More particularly, the sidewalls  30  may be pivotally attached to the seat box  12 . The sidewalls  30  may be pivotally moved from a lowered configuration and to raised configuration. The sidewalls  30  may utilize the methods previously mention for changing from the lowered configuration to the raised configuration. When the seat cushion  14  is moved into the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   b ), the sidewalls  30  may be pivoted from the lowered position to the raised position ( FIG. 4   a ). The sidewalls  30  may be pivotally connected to laterally opposed sidewalls of the seat box  12  at.  
         [0036]     Further, the apparatus includes legs  32  ( FIG. 4   a ). The legs may be pivotally attached to a bottom panel of the seat box  12  opposite the seat cushion  14 . The legs  32  may be adjustable from a retracted configuration to an extended configuration. By utilizing legs  30 , the portable seating apparatus  28  may function as a self standing seat or self standing bench.  
         [0037]     A portable seating apparatus  34  according to still another embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 5 . The construction of the seat cushion  14  and the seat box  12  is substantially similar to the constructions of the previous embodiments except as specifically described below. Specifically, this embodiment has a frame constructed of flexible back rods  36 .  
         [0038]     In use, the seat cushion  14  may be moved to the raised configuration as previously mentioned. When the seat cushion  14  is in the raised configuration ( FIG. 3   b ), the flexible back rods  36  can be raised from the lower configuration to the raised configuration, similar to the telescoping poles  16 , described in detail above. Similarly, a pair of support front rods  38  may be raised from the lowered configuration to the raised configuration.  
         [0039]     A covering  40  is functionally attached to the flexible back rods  36 . The covering  40  functions similarly to the back panel  22 , middle panel  24  and top panel  26  mentioned in detail above.  
         [0040]     Each flexible back rod  36  is in communication with an attachment collar  42 . The attachment collars  42  may be sized to movably fit around the front rods  38 . The attachment collars  42  may be positioned by the user to a selected position.  
         [0041]     In any of the previously mentioned embodiments, a pocket  44  may be provided on the bottom surface of the seat cushion  14  ( FIGS. 3   b  and  3   c ). The pocket  44  may provide a user with additional storage space for storing items such as, sun block, toys, snacks, refreshments and other items commonly brought to outdoor events by spectators.  
         [0042]     Although in the foregoing detailed description the present invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and alterations in the structure and arrangement of those embodiments other than those specifically set forth herein may be achieved by those skilled in the art and that such modifications and alterations are to be considered as within the overall scope of this invention.  
         [0043]     It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.