Abstract:
An accessory support or holder is provided with pockets for holding items such as hymnals, communion cups, pencils and memo pads, and is adapted to be supported on a chair support standing between chair backs with the chairs joined in a row. The accessory support or holder has a vertical wall that fits between the chair backs of adjacent chairs and is securable to brackets on the chair backs and a bracket on a chair standard that are normally used for securing the chairs together and supporting the chair. The accessory support has members that will engage the chair backs and hold the accessory support oriented properly for use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a holder or support for books, pads, pencils, pens and other accessories at the backs of chairs, that attaches to brackets holding pairs of chairs together. The holder is positioned at the back of a each pair of chairs in a row of chairs attached side by side, particularly for seminars, meetings and religious services. The holder or support can be molded easily and has an attachment member that extends between existing chair brackets and is bolted to be held securely in a usable position. 
   It has long been known that the backs of pews used in houses of worship have had hymnal holders attached to the backs. At the present time, padded chairs that have individual backs for comfort, are bolted side by side in rows in many gathering places and sanctuaries. The chairs will sometimes have wire racks or other clip on racks to support hymnals, attendance cards, memo pads and the like, but these are generally not adequately secured and tend to slip around in use and sometimes fall off. 
   Thus, the need for attractive, sturdily mounted, and adequately sized supports or holders for books and the like exists. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a support or holder that has receptacles for receiving books such as hymnals, and other items or accessories commonly used in houses of worship or community gathering places. The support or holder fixedly mounts onto chair brackets of two adjoining chairs using existing brackets that hold a pair of chairs together. The holder is supported against the chair backs with rest portions that will orient the holder so that the top is generally horizontal, even with a rearwardly inclined chair back. 
   The accessory supports or holders of the present invention have a vertical bracket wall or panel that is generally perpendicular to the laterally extending (or transverse), vertical central plane of the holder. The bracket wall or panel projects from the holder and extends between a pair of adjacent chairs with the holder at the rear of the chairs. The vertical bracket wall or panel can be attached between existing chair brackets that are used for securing two chairs together, using the same fastener openings on the chair brackets as used for holding the chairs together, with slightly longer bolts or screws. The vertical bracket wall or panel permits adjustment of the mounting angle of the holder to fit the existing chair back construction and securely retains the accessory holder or support in position. The holes for attaching the bracket wall can be made for mating with specific chair models or can be custom fit upon installation. 
   The accessory holders are easily molded from a plastic material, if desired, or other suitable molded material so that they are smooth, easily made, and can be decorated in various colors, or embossed with medallions, symbols or icons during the molding process. 
   Additionally, the back or rear wall of the holder, which faces the user seated behind the chairs on which the holder is supported, is substantially planar. 
   The holder has wide use in auditoriums and other places where events are held that require, or are assisted by, song books, memo or attendance pads, pens, pencils and the like. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a fragmentary perspective view showing a chair back and an accessory holder made according to the present invention in an exploded view; 
       FIG. 2  is a fragmentary top sectional view of the holder made according to the present invention shown installed between a pair of chairs; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  with the chair backs removed, and a chair seat support standard shown; 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a holder made according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of the accessory holder taken looking toward the right end in  FIG. 2 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a holder or support  10  made according to the present invention is shown in position adjacent a single chair back  12 , of conventional design. The holder is shown against two chair backs  12  in  FIG. 2 . As shown, the chair backs  12  are inclined rearwardly in upward direction, and can have a cushion  15 , ( FIG. 2 ) if desired. Each chair back  12  has a side flange  14  along each of the sides of the chair back. A chair attachment bracket  16  is bolted or riveted with fasteners  18  to the flanges  14  of each chair back. The brackets  16  extend forwardly from the flanges. The attachment brackets  16  have offset sections so the forwardly extending portions are flush with the outer side surfaces of flanges  14  and can be secured to form a row of joined chairs. 
   The brackets  16  are provided with one or more top holes  20  adjacent the top edge thereof, which can be used for adjustment of the chair back angle, and the brackets  16  have a downwardly opening slot  22  at the bottom. 
   These holes  20  and the slot  22  are used for fasteners for securing the two adjacent chair backs to a chair support standard  21 . In the form shown, the chair support standard  21  is a floor mounted standard, but standards that attach to the risers of bleachers also can be used, as well as other types of standards. 
   The standard  21  has a vertical mounting panel wall  23  that extends rearwardly and has openings  23 A and  23 B that will align with openings  20  and slot  22  on the chair back attachment brackets  16 . The standard  21  also has chair seat support brackets  24  ( FIG. 2 ) on which chair seats can be attached. 
   The accessory support or holder  10  of the present invention as shown, has a main housing section  25  provided with a front wall  26  (as viewed by a user behind the row of seats supporting the holders  10 ), as well as end walls  28 , and a rear wall  30 , facing the user. The front wall  26 , as shown, is adjacent to the chair backs  12  and has a vertical bracket wall or panel  32  secured thereto and is suitably braced to the front wall  26  with braces  34 . The front wall  26  also can have strengthening webs, as shown, for additional deflection resistance if desired. 
   At opposite ends of main housing sections  25  of the accessory holder  10 , there are ears  27  that extend laterally outwardly from the end walls  28  and are the same vertical height as the housing. A pair of chair back supports  36  are provided on the front wall  26  adjacent the ends of the wall  26 , at the front sides of ears  27 . These supports  36 , as shown, are wedge shaped and have side walls  36 A and  36 B which are spaced apart and form a stable support with the edges  38 A and  38 B resting against the rear surface of a supporting chair back  12 . The edges  38 A and  38 B engage the chairs back when the vertical bracket wall or panel  32  has been secured in place on a chair support standard  21 , and between the attachment brackets of two chair backs. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the bracket wall or panel  32  of the holder  10  has an opening  40  that is made to align with the opening  23 A on the chair standard mounting panel  23 , and with one of the openings  20  in the chair back brackets  16 . The opening  23 B on the associated standard mounting panel  23  aligns with a downwardly opening slot  44  in the bracket wall or panel  32  and with slot  22  on the chair back brackets  16 . The holes or openings on the bracket wall  32  of the holder can be placed at any location to match the openings on the chair brackets and standard. 
   The main housing section of the holder  25  has a top wall  50 . A flange  48  is integral with the top wall  50  and extends toward the chair backs, and has an edge  48 A that is curved as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The edge  48 A will have other desired shapes to match the curvature of the chair backs  12  that generally are convex in the center portion of the back, which makes the junction region of two adjacent chair backs concave. The contour of edge  48 A will change to match the contour of the chair backs. The edge  48 A does not have to be convex, but can be concave in parts, and it does not have to be a continuous. 
   The main housing section  25  may include receptacles or pockets for memo pads or small books in the top wall  50  such as that shown at  52 , as well as a large receptacle or pocket  54  made of suitable walls, of size for holding hymnals or books. Optionally, communion cup receptacles  56  can be provided along the edges of the top wall  50  spaced from the receptacle  54  for the hymnals. The number and position of the communion cup holders can be selected from zero to as many as needed. Additionally, receptacles  58  for pens or pencils can by provided on the top wall  50  so that the accessories held by the accessory support  10  can be any selected type. 
   The main housing section  25  has rounded end corner walls  55 , when viewed in a horizontal plane along the top wall  50 . The rounded corner walls  55  join the rear wall  30  and end walls  28 . A curved wall also blends the end walls  28  and ears  27  together. 
   The ears  27  can be provided with openings for screws that can be used to stabilize the ends of the holder on the chair backs. 
   When the accessory support or holder  10  is to be installed and the chairs are joined together, or to be joined together, the chair backs are separated so that the brackets  16  are released or spaced from the support panel  23  on the standard  21 , and the bracket wall or panel  32  of the holder  10  is slipped between one of the brackets  16  on one of the chair backs, and the support panel  23 . Then, suitable fasteners, such as those shown at  42 , which are similar to the fasteners or bolts used for mounting the chair backs to the support panel or wall  23  of the standard, but longer, are used for passing through the provided openings in the brackets  16 , and in aligning openings in the vertical bracket wall or panel  32  on the support or holder  10 , and the support panel  23 . These walls or panels are secured in place together, and the accessory support  10  is then held securely in place. The end supports  36  will rest against the outer surfaces of the chair backs. 
   Again, it is pointed out that the type of accessory holder or support illustrated herein is adapted especially for use in houses of worship where hymnals and other similar items or accessories are desired to be held. The wall  30  has space outlined in dotted lines in  FIG. 4  where an insert in the mold can be placed to mold in a medallion. 
   The inclined edges  38 A and  38 B on the supports  36  are formed to mate with the incline of the chair backs used. It can be seen in  FIG. 2  that the outer side walls  36 B do not extend out from wall  26  as far as the inner side walls  36 A, and that the lower cross wall  39 A on each of the supports  36  is shown engaging the chair back illustrated separately at  60  in  FIG. 2 . The sectional view of  FIG. 2  shows the lower portion of the chair back at the level of lower cross wall  39 A. The edge  48 A of the flange  48  also will fit against the chair backs at the vertical position of the flange  48 , since the chair backs incline rearwardly. In  FIG. 2 , the cross section of the chair back is taken at a lower level so the edge  48 A appears to be spaced from the chair back, but edge  48 A will engage the chair back at the level of the flange  48 . Again, the configuration of edge  48 A can be modified as wanted. 
   The accessory holder is thus utilitarian, and yet can be molded so that it has smooth contours and makes an attractive accessory holder or support for auditoriums, sanctuaries, or large rooms that use song books, hymnals or similar items, as well as memo pads and pencils. Various receptacles can be provided as desired. 
   Also, the bracket wall  32  can be configured differently. A double wall can be used and forwardly projecting straps can be added. Secure attachment to the chair backs is desired. 
   Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.