Patent Publication Number: US-11659929-B2

Title: Double action nose mount quattro stanchion

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various embodiments relate generally to seating systems and devices and, more specifically, relate to folding and telescopic bleachers. 
     This section is intended to provide a background or context. The description may include concepts that may be pursued, but have not necessarily been previously conceived or pursued. Unless indicated otherwise, what is described in this section is not deemed prior art to the description and claims and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     Folding and telescopic seating structures  102  are bleachers that can be retracted or closed into a compact vertical stack of tiered seating to save floor space.  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  1   , show a prior art telescopic seating structure  102  with a standard nose mounted chair  103  mounted to the last row of a telescopic seating structure  102  in both extended ( FIG.  1 A ) and closed ( FIG.  1 B ) configurations. As shown, each tier of seating, when open or closed, needs to slide past the adjacent tiers and in certain cases, store completely underneath the balcony  101  or other seated platforms. 
     Certain venues can have a large, comfortable chair  103 , which given its magnitude cannot fit within the structure&#39;s envelope and therefore must be attached to the front beam (hereafter referred to as the nose  105 ) of the tiered seating structure  102 . See  FIG.  1    as an example of a standard seating section. These larger parts prevent the telescopic structure  102  from storing under a balcony  101  with small clearances to the top of the structure  102 . This requires that the entire unit  102  sit in front of the balcony  101  causing the closed dimension to be large.  FIG.  11    shows a side by side comparison showing the clearance gained by using a standard prior art chair  103  (Left) and a double action chair  104  in accordance with the present invention (Right). 
     A common application in spectator seating systems is a recessed telescopic seating structure  102  that, when in use, will transition to a secondary level  101  within a venue. For this application it is imperative that the seating platform structure  102  can fit fully below the balcony  101  with operational clearance. This clearance then dictates what the overall height of the platform  102  can be and therefore will limit the number of rows that can be used on that platform  102 . If a given platform  102  also has a nose mounted chairs  103 , then this component will commonly become the highest point on the platform  102 . With the chair  103  being the highest point on the unit  102 , the limitations of the platform  102  will revolve around them. 
     One typical solution would be to have the top row of the telescopic seating structure  102  sit low enough that the highest point on the chairs  103  do not contact the balcony  101 . In some cases, this will cause the dimension between the last row of the platform  102  and the tread on the balcony  101  to be large enough that it will require a three-tread transition. This kind of transition requires a larger row space on the top row of the platform  102  to account for the extra step. This approach could have a negative impact on the sightlines for patrons in that row due to the height limitation. Another, common application for these telescopic platforms  102  is to be adjacent to concrete risers. When used in these applications, the telescopic platforms  102  must have the same cross sectional geometry as the concrete to ensure there is no tripping hazards going from the platform  102  to the concrete and that the row of chairs is as consistent as possible. Therefore, increasing the dimension between the last row on the platform to the balcony  101  may not be possible when the platforms are used in this kind of application. 
     A second solution that some venues consider is to have the unit  102  hold close to the balcony  101  in the vertical direction. Then they increase the closed envelope of the platform  102  to prevent the nose mounted chairs  103  from hitting the balcony  101 . This solution will decrease the amount of useable space left on the floor when the platform  102  is stored and therefore is not a desirable or a practical solution. 
     A third solution is to have a larger row space on the last tier of the platform  102  to allow for the use of portable chairs. This solution will provide a tighter fit to the balcony and may allow for another row to be added to the platform. However, it will require installation and removal of all the portable chairs for every event. For many venues, the aesthetics of having a different chair at this location is not an option. 
     Some venues may have the capability to work around these limitations, however, not all can. If a venue cannot utilize any of these solutions, they would have been required to compromise some aspect of their desired seating layouts. 
     What is needed are folding and telescopic seating structures which allow the entire telescopic platform to slide underneath a balcony or other tight spaces when installed on the top tier of seating. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The below summary is merely representative and non-limiting. 
     The above problems are overcome, and other advantages may be realized, by the use of the embodiments. 
     In a first aspect, an embodiment provides a double action seating unit to be mounted to a nose of a platform. The double action seating unit includes a seat assembly, a back assembly and at least two stanchions. Each stanchion has a front bracket, a rear bracket, a stanchion tube and two pivot straps. The front bracket attaches the seat assembly to the stanchion, the rear bracket attaches the stanchion to the nose of the platform and the stanchion tube attaches the back assembly to the stanchion. Each pivot strap connects an associated stanchion tube, the rear bracket and the front bracket. The double action seating unit can move between a use configuration and a storage configuration. The two pivot straps cause the seat assembly and the back assembly to simultaneously rotate when the double action seating unit moves between the use configuration and the storage configuration. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the described embodiments are more evident in the following description, when read in conjunction with the attached Figures. 
         FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  1   , show a telescopic seating structure with a standard nose mounted chair in the last row in both extended ( FIG.  1 A ) and closed ( FIG.  1 B ) configurations as known in the prior art. 
         FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  2   , show a telescopic seating structure with a double action chair installed on the top row in both extended ( FIG.  2 A ) and closed ( FIG.  2 B ) configurations according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  3    is an isometric view of a standard nose mounted chair as known in the prior art. 
         FIG.  4    is a side view of a standard nose mounted chair in the stored position as known in the prior art. 
         FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  5   , illustrate cut views showing how a standard nose mounted stanchion of the prior art moves between locked ( FIG.  5 A ) and unlocked ( FIG.  5 B ) configurations. 
         FIGS.  6 A and  6 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  6   , illustrate a standard nose mount stanchion of the prior art positioned for use ( FIG.  6 A ) and storage ( FIG.  6 B ). 
         FIGS.  7 A and  7 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  7   , illustrate an embodiment of the double action stanchion according to the present invention positioned for use ( FIG.  7 A ) and storage ( FIG.  7 B ). 
         FIG.  8    shows a detailed cut view showing internal components of a double action stanchion according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  9    is an isometric plan view of a double action nose mounted chair according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  10    shows a side view of a double action nose mounted chair according to the present invention in the stored position. 
         FIG.  11    shows a side by side comparison showing the clearance gained by using the double action nose mounted chair. 
         FIG.  12    shows multiple rise ranges of the double action nose mount stanchion. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This patent application claims priority from US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/896,667, filed Sep. 6, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention provide a “double action nose mounted stanchion” which serves to allow the seat  107  and mounting brackets  112  to fold forward and downwardly simultaneously with the standard operation of the chair back  106  being moved backwardly and downward, as will be explained below. This allows the entire telescopic platform  102  to slide underneath a balcony  101  or other tight spaces when installed on the top tier of seating. This ensures that the closed dimension of the unit is as small as possible. The design could be used on other tiers, however, the embodiments are discussed with respect to the top tier scenario. 
     These embodiments can be used in all folding and telescopic seating structures  102  that recess under a balcony  101  or fit within a tight space that utilize a nose mounted chair  103  on the topmost row of the seating structure. These systems are typically installed in school gymnasiums, theaters, arenas or stadiums, but not limited to these venues. An example includes Hussey Seating Company&#39;s MXP product line. There are numerous other manufacturers of telescopic seating structures. 
       FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  2   , show a telescopic seating structure  102  with a double action chair  104  in accordance with the present invention installed on the top row in both extended ( FIG.  2 A ) and closed ( FIG.  2 B ) configurations. 
       FIG.  3    is an isometric view of a typical prior art nose mounted chair  103 . These chairs are constructed of three main parts: the back assembly (or back portion)  106 , the seat assembly (or seat portion)  107  and the stanchions  108  (commonly referred to as standards). For a nose mounted chair  103 , the stanchions  108  are the components that will attach the chair  103  to the platform  102  and dictate the seat height and back pitch of the chair. A stanchion  108 ,  FIG.  4   , is comprised of two main components: the bracket  112  and the stanchion tube  110 . The bracket  112  is used to attach the stanchion  108  to the nose  105  of the platform  102  and to attach the seat  107  to the stanchion  108 . The stanchion tube  110  attaches to the bracket  112  with a shaft and provides an attachment location for the back assembly  106  and the armrest. The nose mount stanchion  108  allows for a latch  111   FIG.  5 A  to rotate about the locking shaft  109  and release the back assembly  106  and stanchion tube  110  to rotate backwards so as to lay flat on the deck of the platform  102 . The standard operation of a nose mount stanchion  108  can be seen in  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6   .  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  5   , illustrate cut views showing how a standard prior art nose mounted stanchion  108  operates in both a locked ( FIG.  5 A ) and unlocked ( FIG.  5 B ) configuration.  FIGS.  6 A and  6 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  6   , illustrate a standard prior art nose mount stanchion  108  positioned for use ( FIG.  6 A ) and storage ( FIG.  6 B ). 
     With a standard prior art nose mounted stanchion  108 , only the stanchion tube  110  will rotate. This means that the seat  107  will stay fixed and this will cause it to be the highest component of the seating assembly on the platform  102  when installed on the last tier of the unit as shown in  FIG.  4    which is a side view of a standard nose mounted chair  103  in the stored position. 
     With the double action nose mount stanchion  113  according to the present invention, the operation of the stanchion, the back pitch, seat height, and installation method are all held constant. However, with this design the seat assembly  107  rotates forward and downward while the back assembly  106  is being rotated backward and downward to the stored position. To achieve this, the nose mount stanchion  108  is separated into four components: the front bracket  114 ,  FIG.  7 A , the rear bracket  115 , pivot straps  116  and the stanchion tube (which may also be referred to as a backrest tube or armrest tube)  110 . 
       FIGS.  7 A and  7 B , collectively referred to as  FIG.  7   , illustrate an embodiment of a “double action” stanchion  113  according to the present invention positioned for use ( FIG.  7 A ) and storage ( FIG.  7 B ). The front bracket  114  is where the seat bottom attaches to when the stanchion  113  is assembled. The stanchion  110  has a thick steel center plate  119   FIG.  8    that fits between the side plates  120  of the rear bracket  115 , which is what the front bracket  114  pivots on when operating. The rear bracket  115  is used to attach the stanchion  113  to the nose  105  of the platform  102 . These side plates  120  also have two very precisely located curved slots  121  that arc around the pivot location  122  for the stanchion tube  110 . One change to stanchion tube  110  from the standard one is a precisely located hole  123  in the stanchion tube center plate  119  to align with the slots  121  found in the side plates  120  of the rear bracket  115 . The pivot straps  116  connect the stanchion tube  110  (and thus the seat back), with the front bracket  114  (and thus the seat bottom) together through the rear bracket  115 , such that movement of the stanchion tube  110  and seat back causes simultaneous movement of the front bracket  114  and seat bottom. 
     With these three components (front bracket  114 , rear bracket  115  and stanchion tube  110 ) of the double action stanchion  113  linked together by the fourth component (a set of two pivot straps  116 ), the double action stanchion  113  causes both the stanchion tube  110  and front bracket  114  to rotate together simultaneously as seen in  FIG.  8    which shows a detailed cut view showing internal components of a double action stanchion  113 . This is achieved by having a pin  118  that goes through a hole in the pivot straps  116 , the curved slots  121  on both side plates  120  of the rear bracket  115 , and a hole  123  in the center plate  119 . When the stanchion tube  110  is unlocked and the seat back assembly  106  is being rotated back and downwardly to the stored position, the pin  118  and the attached straps  116  travel arcuately in the slots  121  and pushes the pivot straps  116  coupled to the front bracket  114  by pin  125  forward. This causes the front bracket  114  and seat bottom assembly  107  to rotate around the pivot pin  117  that attaches the front bracket  114  to the rear bracket  115 . 
     To bring the chairs back to the used position, the back assemblies  106  must be rotated forward and upward as is standard with a nose mounted chair. As the pin  118  travels back through the arcuate slot  121  in the rear bracket  115 , it pulls on the pivot straps  116  thus pulling the front bracket  114  and seat bottom assembly  107  upward and back into the used position.  FIG.  9    is an isometric view of a double action nose mounted chair  104  and  FIG.  10    shows a side view of a double action nose mounted chair  104  in the stored position. Together  FIG.  9    and  FIG.  10    provide views of the double action chair  104  in its stored and used positions respectively. 
     The exact geometry of the pivot straps  116 , rear bracket  115  and front bracket  114  may depend on the given rise that the chair is being installed on. Splitting the chair or seat mounting brackets  112  into two components (a front  114  and rear bracket  115 ) keeps the same overall dimensions and can be applied to any rise stanchion to make the chair unit into a double action stanchion  113  by providing the arcuate slots  121 , straps  116  and pivot pins according to the present invention described herein.  FIG.  12    shows multiple rise ranges of the double action nose mount stanchion  113 . 
     The foregoing description has been directed to particular embodiments. However, other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or all of their advantages. Modifications to the above-described systems and methods may be made without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention should not be viewed as limited by the disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, various features of the described embodiments may be used without the corresponding use of other features. Thus, this description should be read as merely illustrative of various principles, and not in limitation of the invention.