Patent Publication Number: US-10758056-B2

Title: Seat placeable in public rooms

Description:
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/342,086, filed Jun. 27, 2014, which is a 371 application of International Application PCT/FR2012/000036, filed Mar. 9, 2012, all of said applications incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     The invention relates to a convertible seat which can be place in public places which seat comprises a seat part and a back rest in which case the seat part can be turned in relation to the seat part when the seat comprises a mechanism for converting the seat essentially into a horizontal plane to become a resting surface, an equipment for securing the items of the user, an equipment for collecting the user charge and an equipment for covering the seat which has been changed at least into a resting surface to become at least a partly closed resting space in which case the equipment for covering the resting place comprises a covering device with a standard width which can be moved from the back part of the seat forward which covering device has control elements at the both sides of the seat being installed at such height that a needed resting space is formed underneath the covering device. 
     A seat according to the above seen preamble is previously known from a Japanese published application JP 2006061309. A screen relating to the seat which can be converted into a resting surface is shown in the publication which screen is located at the back part of the seat being pulled by a spring and being wound into a roll. The screen can be extracted from the roll to partly cover the seat. The screen can be stiffened by pressurizing it with air. The equipment comprises an operation panel with the help of which operation panel the turning of the seat into a horizontal plane can be made; also the lifting into a sitting position can be made. The screen is quite small because the meaning of it is to cover only the upper part of the person. The screen cannot be bigger because no support for such thing is shown in the presented solution. 
     The disadvantage of the seat according to the publication JP 2006061309 is a relatively big size but in spite of that the user is protected by only a rather small coverage area which reaches mainly only to cover the face of the person. The body of the user stays mainly uncovered and there is no protected or locked space for the items either. The flexible screen which can be stiffened with air has a quite weak attachment and can thus easily be lifted up at its front edge. 
     In order to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages a new, convertible seat has been developed of which it is characteristic what has been shown in the independent claims  1  and  2 . Other ways of performance of the invention are shown in the dependent claims. 
     The advantage of the convertible seat according to the invention is a sufficient protection of privacy which can be achieved when the resting space can be covered at its open upper part with the help of the moveable protection device. Air circulation into the resting space can be arranged in spite of the coverage area through a hole located at the lower part of the seat for example with the help of a material of the covering device which lets the air go through. The seat is electrified and its usage is chargeable. It is also safe to use it when it comprises a storage room which cannot be accessed when the seat is in a resting space. Regarding the user it is also safe that the covering device moves to an open state controlled by the control unit when the paid time finishes. The seat can be located at/in a hall area, at a wall or behind doors which can be opened. 
    
    
     
       In the following the invention is described more detailed by referring to the accompanying drawings in which 
         FIG. 1  shows a seat from the side as a section view when the side part is removed. 
         FIG. 2  shows the seat of the  FIG. 1  when it has been converted into a resting position. 
         FIG. 3  shows the body parts of the seat diagonally seen. 
         FIG. 4  shows the body parts of the seat seen from the opposite side. 
         FIG. 5  shows a moving mechanism of the covering device. 
         FIG. 6  shows the appearance model of the seat according to the invention when the covering device is closed. 
         FIG. 7  shows a seat according to the invention which seat can be located at a wall. 
         FIG. 8  shows a seat of the  FIG. 7  when the sitting/resting surface is turned into a landscape orientation. 
     
    
    
     A convertible seat is shown in the  FIG. 1  in a sitting position the main parts of which seat can be seen in the  FIG. 1 . The seat is formed of a seat part  1  and a back rest  3 . Additionally it comprises the extension  2  of the seat part  1  which extension turns into horizontal plane when the back rest  3  turns into horizontal plane. The back rest  3  is turned with the help of a mechanism  9  which lengthens/shortens with the help of a motor. The mechanism  9  is attached to the back rest  3  and to the seat body  25  with the help of joint attachments  6 . There is a trunk underneath the seat part  1  where the baggage  5  is located. The seat comprises feet  4 . There is a groove  7  for the covering device which forms the closed resting space with the help of which groove the covering device can be moved in the back partly underneath the seat while being at an open state and can be moved forward into a closed state in which case the front edge of the covering device reaches till the gap  26 . There is a support plate  8  at the back part of the seat which at the same time is the protection of the back part when the covering device has been moved forward into a state which closes the resting space. The control centre  27  is also shown in the  FIG. 1  at which there are execution devices of the payment and selecting switches for the functions, for example whether one chooses the turning of the seat into a resting space or whether one wants to have a sitting position or intermediate positions. Headphones and the playing of a radio and/or music can be connected to the control centre  27 . 
     The seat of the  FIG. 1  is shown in the  FIG. 2  when being converted into a resting position in which case the back rest  3  moves along are  36  until it has been turned into a horizontal plane when the length of the mechanism  9  has been shortened with the help of the motor. At the same time the extension  2  of the seat part  1  has been turned into horizontal plane. The covering device is in the groove  7  and covers the area above the seat from the gap  26  to the plate  8 . 
     The body parts of the seat are shown in the  FIGS. 3 and 4  in which case the vertical plate elements  11  function as side bodies located at a distance from each other. The plate elements  11  are attached to each other at their lower part with the help of a fixed seat body  25 . The body  18  of the seat part  1 , the body of the back rest  3  and the body  17  of the extension of the seat part  1  are moveable seat bodies. The motor  12  rotates the moving devices  14  of the covering device  16  with the help of a strap  22 . The moving of the covering device  16  is performed at its both sides with the help of pincher rolls  14 . The body  13  of the back rest and the body  17  of the extension  2  of the seat part  1  are joined to each other with the help of joint arms and the bar  21  combining them in such a way that the turning movement of the back rest moves to serve also as a turning movement of the extension  2  of the seat part  1 . 
     A gutter device is shown in the  FIG. 3  in order to collect the items that might drop from the user. Items used by the user might drop or end up between the seat part  1  and back rest  3  and between the body parts located at the sides. One way to prevent this is to locate gutters  28  which collect the items underneath the possible gaps or locate directing plates which direct the dropping items into a certain place where they can be easily detected. 
     In the  FIG. 5  there is an example of moving of the covering device  16  with the help of power transmission directed from the motor. The power transmission belt  22  ( FIG. 4 ) rotates the wheel  15  and support rolls  14  press the covering device  16  against the wheel  15 . When the covering device  16  is made of flexible material, the mere friction is enough to move the covering device  16 . In order to increase the friction some of the wheels  14 ,  15  may comprise low spikes or cross grooves or analogously cross handles. 
       FIG. 6  shows a seat in a closed resting space. Side covers  23  can be detached and in one way of performance they can also be changed to have a different form. 
     The  FIG. 7  shows a seat according to the invention located at a wall. The part  34  meant for the mechanisms is located closest to the wall. The seat part  30  which can be turned down from the wall and also serves as a resting surface comes out from behind the open doors  29 . The doors  29  come open 90° in which case the seat part  30  can be turned down. Control elements such as control grooves  7  are attached to the doors  29  which control grooves control the covering device which comes out of the mechanism room located above which covering device can be pulled to cover the resting space formed by the back part  34  and the doors  29 . A plate  32  is attached onto the surface of the seat part  30  with the help of hinges  33  which plate turns down according to the  FIG. 2  when the seat part  30  is turning down in order to form a storage room  19  underneath the seat part  30 . A control unit  27  is attached to a door  29  with the help of which door use charge is performed in which case the seat part  30  turns down to last for the paid time. Likewise the covering device can be pulled in order to cover the resting space. 
     The control unit  27  allows the seat to have optional modes. It can be kept as a seat against the payment. The seat in the  FIGS. 1-6  can lift the seat part  1  up automatically so that one cannot sit in it without payment. After performing the payment the user can choose various angles for the back rest  3 . The covering device can be pulled to be a protection for the back rest  3  only when it is turned close to a horizontal plane. Regarding the seat according to the  FIGS. 7 and 8  the covering device can be pulled to become a protection always when the seat is being used after payment. 
     The height of the side bodies of the seat according to the  FIGS. 1-6  and the location height of the groove  7  of the covering device  16  can be so high that also regarding this seat the covering device  16  can be pulled to be a protection also when the sitting position is being chosen.